right on replicas, llc step-by-step review 20160502* klingon … · 2016. 5. 2. · assembly of the...

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Right On Replicas, LLC Step-by-Step Review 20160502* Klingon Bird of Prey 1:350 Scale AMT Model Kit #949 Review

Pity the Warrior That Kills All His Enemies! – Klingon Proverb The Klingon Bird-of-Prey (BoP) was a type of warship utilized by the Klingon Empire serving the Klingon Defense Forces from the 22nd century, when they were first encountered by Earth Starfleet, during a short confrontation on the edge of the Sol system in 2153. This type of craft, initially descended from its counterpart from a century earlier, was one of the most versatile warships employed by the Empire, serving a variety of mission roles, including that of a scout, raider, patrol ship, and cruiser. A well-publicized encounter with a Bird-of-Prey occurred in 2285 when a Bird-of-Prey, commanded by Kruge, conducted a mission to uncover the secrets of Project Genesis. After acquiring the information, the ship destroyed the Merchantman, and later the USS Grissom, before facing off against the USS Enterprise in orbit of the Genesis Planet. Kruge ultimately lost the battle, and his ship, allowing James T. Kirk the privilege of making Starfleet’s first Klingon Bird-of-Prey capture. This was well documented in the events leading up to the court martial of Admiral Kirk, and the ship was thereafter utilized for time travel back to Earth's 20th century. A few years later, the first Bird-of-Prey to ever breach the Great Barrier was commanded by Captain Klaa in 2287.


FOR THE MODELER: This review covers the recent re-release (Re-Pop) of the AMT kit of the Klingon Bird of Prey in 1/350 Scale by Round2. This is Kit #AMT664 in the current catalog and has been released in this version with the current contents since January 2011. AMT has rated this as a Skill Leve 2 kit for ages 10 and up as it requires paint and glue. The kit contains about 70 parts molded in Green, Clear and has Pewter landing gear. The stand is Black with a Steel rod. It includes Waterslide decals. Some of the major revisions in this version compared to the original release of this kit are the revised wing baffles that allow you to pose the wings properly in your choice of three modes, Attack, Cruise or Landed. The other major addition was the landing gear based on what was seen in the move “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock”. The original display base that was quite unstable has been replaced with a very nice Steel pole base also. The overall build color is Green and the molded color is close, most modelers could leave it as is and with detail painting and weathering you will still have a fairly accurate display. But the instructions do have a full list of MODEL MASTER Colors to help you with paint options. There are tons of pictures on the internet and videos of the movies to get references of the actual Bird of Prey. Do a little research and you should have a no problems with your color selection. Overall dimensions are: 14" wide x 10" long x 4.5" tall (in landed pose). BUILDING CAVIATS: Having organization and a proper work area is important if you want to build a model properly. But even without dedicated space a place to leave your build while you work is necessary. Being able to lay out your parts organized helps the build as you are not digging for parts in the box possibly losing or damaging them. Also you really should have a place to let painted parts cure. Throughout the review you will find OPTIONAL IDEAS that I suggest. These are completely your choice. Not doing these steps will in no way affect the build, they are just ways to offer some personal and custom touches to your builds. OPTIONS will be noted. One of the best parts of model building is using your imagination to create the build YOU want! Unless you are building a “Factory Stock” or a “Replica” your choices of color and build options are completely up to you. The instruction give recommendations but you are free to substitute whatever options you want. There is no “Wrong way” to build your kit! Have fun and enjoy your hobby. Review the instruction sheet thoroughly to get familiar with the assembly sequence. Decide your color scheme in advance and your custom options so you can build accordingly. PIC 1 This is the box art for this kit as released in the 50th Anniversary version. Unless otherwise stated I use Model Master Liquid Cement for assembly of the parts. Other adhesives used in the construction are Superglue and Elmer’s White Glue. Paints consist of Tamiya Acrylic bottle paints and different brands of “Rattle can” spray paints. Many parts are finished using 1:1 automotive use paint products shot with an airbrush. One of the major benefits of using automotive paint is a very fast drying time. You can get just as good results using Spray can products but they require a longer drying time. Automotive paint is FULLY cured in less than a half an hour and clear about 6 hours. Use a good quality airbrush to paint automotive products because Lacquer Thinner will destroy the cheaper ones quickly. Assembly paint colors may vary from instructions as I use simplified colors that most model builders should have on hand. Before beginning your build soak and wash your parts with a mild detergent like DAWN to remove any mold release agents and help with paint adhesion.


Note to remember: Always follow the Manufacturer’s Safety and Use Guidelines when using any of the products mentioned in the review for your own protection.

PIC 2 PIC 3 Here are the decals for this build. The quality is very high and color registry is good. There is a small carrier around each decal. These decals float easily and will set quickly. Normally it is preferable to use a setting solution to help move the decals in place on your build and to allow extra time to place them. I personally have found Microscale Industries products to be the most compatible with all the different manufacturers of decals.

PIC 4 PIC 5 PIC 6 NOTE: CHOOSE which MODE you want to build your ship in, Cruise, Attack or Landed. Each mode has its own set of radiator baffles to use. I will be building the Landed version as seen in the end of “Star Trek III The Search for Spock” and in the beginning of “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” So, I will use the ones in PIC 6 and set the others aside.


PIC 7 NOTE: The directions have you reverse the baffles in the build, use PARTS 44, 46 & 48 together and PARTS 45, 47 & 49 together. Paint these Steel.

PIC 8 The decals for the radiators are generic for all three sets and need to be custom cut for each individual set. Apply the decal in place as you normally would starting it at the bottom and lining up the decal as needed. Use a fresh #11 blade cut the decal to fit the panel you are using for your build and discard the excess decal.


PIC 9 Assemble the lower wing/cannons.

PIC 10 Using the paint chart on the back of the instructions paint the BASE color Pale Green and then detail the laser cannons Gun Metal and the various panels as noted the required colors. Add Decals 1 to each wing side.

PIC 11 PIC 12 Decide if you want to build your ship in Flight mode or Landed mode and discard the bottom panel you do not need. Install the panel you have selected.


PIC 12 If you use the landed mode you will also need the landing ramp and the doors for the bottom.

PIC 13 NOTE: The instruction have you attaching the landing gear door improperly for the open position. They use two pins and have you attach the doors flat against the body. This is incorrect. The doors would actually open in a hydraulic wing action not slide. Unfortunately due to the landing gear fitment you cannot install the door at the proper angle without a major reconstruction and cutting of the doors.

PIC 14 I chose to do a compromise and have the doors opened a little farther than normal. But to cut the doors and do the major construction was not in the scope of this build. I attached the doors with Superglue.


PIC 15 After the ramp and door are attached and all mold lines and pin marks are cleaned paint the unit Pale Green and follow the instructions closely to match the paint scheme for the details. There are a lot of panels and variations to fill in, pay close attention to details.

PIC 16 The landing gear is made of pewter and needs to be primed with a good SELF ETCHING primer before paint.

PIC 17 Assemble the gear and add the feet in place. You will need to use Superglue to assemble the parts. Use the base of the BOP to line up the feet properly. Paint the gear and supports Pale Green. Install the landing gear in place and add the supports to the landing gear.


PIC 18 The wings are assembled next. Assemble the main wings and add the two parts of the inner cooler to the wing. Do both wings and paint the wings Pale Green.

PIC 19 Using the paint chart detail both sides of the wings fully. Add the Wing Pylons and radiators to the wings and set these assemblies aside for later assembly. Add the DECALS onto the wings.


PIC 20 The main body can be assembled in stages before it is painted.


PIC 21 The hull panels are added to the upper hull and then the side panels are glued into place. Install the torpedo emitter housing into the bulkhead and install the bulkhead. Assemble the shield generators and install those onto the hull. Add the bussard scoops.

PIC 22 Paint the Finished assembly Pale Green and then follow the paint scheme.

PIC 23 Detail paint all of the panels and parts their proper colors to highlight the details on the kit.


PIC 24 Assemble the lower hull to the upper hull. I used Superglue for strength.

PIC 25 Paint the torpedo conduit Pale green and the cloak generator Insignia Red. Install the torpedo conduit on the lower hull in place on the “Neck”.

PIC 26 Add the cloak generator (red piece) in place on the upper bulkhead. Paint the circular feature Steel.


PIC 27 Using Superglue for strength, install the wings to the hull. The wings are fully supported by just the radiators on the build. PIC 28 The engine and torpedo emitter are Clear and use Clear paint. Paint the frame work on the emitter Steel with the emitter ring and center painted in Clear Red.


PIC 29 Install this in the emitter housing in the bulkhead. The engine is also in Clear Red with Clear Orange. The frame work is Steel and it has Flat White also. Use the paint guide for exact locations of paint. Install both units with White Elmer’s Glue.

PIC 30 There are a few parts left in this build that are unused such as the landing gear doors and the radiators for the alternate wing configurations.


PIC 31 The overall build is completed aside from the base and you can stop here if you wish. Install the finished build on the base and have a nice NEW looking Bird of Prey. Or you can go the next step as the review shows further and do some simple weathering effects to bring out detail and create a more realistic look of a battle used space ship. The following weathering techniques are completely OPTIONAL and can be done to any degree you as a builder feel your skill level will allow.

PIC 32 The overall ship is meant to be DIRTY. You can use some simple techniques to bring out panel lines, details and add shadows to the parts giving an overall better look. This is one of the simplest ways to age and weather something. Using cheap Acrylic Based Flat Black craft paint and a LOT of water, wash the whole build with a light coat of the wash. With a flat wide brush touch the paint not putting much at all on the bristles, dunk the brush in water to soak it. Add this “Wash” on to

the area you want to darken. Once you run out of color or your brush dries, repeat the process. NOTE: USE VERY LITTLE PAINT. You are doing a mix of 1 part paint to 100 parts water or better. Wash the whole build this way in sections. Clean and dry the brush tip to remove any build-up or pooling of water and color by wicking the water off the part. Once dry you can see how much depth you have, if you desire more grunge and a dirtier look; recoat.


PIC 33 The next step is Dry Brushing some highlights. Use a color a shade or two lighter than your base color. Use a flat, wide dry brush. TOUCH just the end of the bristles onto the paint surface and dab off the majority of the paint only leaving residual paint. LIGHTLY wisp over the tops of the parts highlighting the tops and edges only. This will make the parts stand out from the wash you added previously.


PIC 34 The last step on this weathering project was to give the build some RUST. You can use any thinned paint but there is a great product available from AK Interactive called Rust Effects Colors that is a kit of different Rust shades. This makes the job much faster as it is the proper consistency to seep into the panel lines and stays in place giving a realistic look. Use a very fine tip paintbrush with very little paint and run the paint along the panel lines. NOTE: Remember LESS IS MORE. Consider where parts would naturally rub or rust. Add the paint to one area at a time. Let it dry and then rub it softly with a tissue to mute the look a little. You can also find specialty paint products like these at online stores like “A Hobby Shop” at http://www.a1hobbyshop.com .

http://www.a1hobbyshop.com/


PIC 35 I wanted to replicate the scene from the Movie “Star Trek: A Voyage Home” when the Bird of Prey was landed on Vulcan where the Enterprise crew had returned Spock. I used a Red paint and hand painted HMS BOUNTY on the side of my ship like in the movie.

PIC 36 The last step is to add the stand. The stand is a dome, metal rod and a swivel or straight mount. I used the straight mount and installed the BoP on the stand.


OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: AMT and now Round2 has released this kit numerous times in the past and for the most part it remains unchanged. But really, how much can you change a Klingon Spaceship? The addition of the landing gear was nice and the fact that they are metal is a bonus as they are sturdy enough to hold the whole build up. As for the build itself, the instructions have a few errors and the assembly process overall has a few design flaws. But in the grand scheme of things it is a great build. Fit and finish is not bad for the age of the molds. I remember earlier versions with fit issues that I did not find here at all. Is this 100% accurate, NO, but is any kit? Is it a very close representation and does it look good built, YES. The wings now have three options with Landed, Cruise and Attack modes. The main hull remains the same as does the front bulkhead. The optional landing gear or flight mode is nice. It even has the ramp down and when sitting on its feet, the ramp actually touches the ground as it should! The painting is not as difficult as it looks and the instructions, while cluttered regarding the paint scheme, have a callout for each item. The decals are basic but look good in place. A dull coat of paint after application is necessary. Now, as a point of reference to the kits SCALE here are some Trek Facts for you… This kit is listed as a 1:350 scale. I did some research (as I am building the 1:350 Enterprise A) because I want to display this kit along with the Enterprise. Based on “Starfleet” schematics, and drawings with size ratios of ships in the fleets, this would be CORRECT for the scale. Also watching “Star Trek III: A Search for Spock” when the Bird of Prey faces off with the Enterprise the wingspan is the width of the saucer of the Enterprise. That corresponds correctly with the kit sizes also. This kit is a fun build and still holds up great after all the re-releases with almost no flash. Ejector pins marks are inside parts so they don’t affect the build. Some minor detailing and weathering will get you a Contest Quality kit. On a scale of 1 to 10 the, kit itself rates higher, but errors in the instructions and build issues would hurt inexperienced builders. I give this 8 out of 10.

right on replicas, llc step-by-step review 20160502* klingon … · 2016. 5. 2. · assembly of the...

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