Resin Kit Review: Resin Modeler 1:1400 Warp Delta

NOTE:  You can click on most pictures to get a larger view of them.

[Editor's Note (March 2016): This will mark my second re-write of this article.  Consider this the REFIT version of the original article.]

Welcome to my next Resin Kit Review.  This time around, I'd like to focus our attention on  Resin Modeler's 1:1400 scale Warp Delta class from Star Trek: Enterprise.

Resin Modeler's Recommended Paint Scheme

The Warp Delta Class is the name given to a set of ships that were seen in Star Trek: Enterprise.  They were earlier warp capable ships that had been in use prior to the NX Class.  These vessels were equipped with forward and aft phase cannons.

The Model

You can find information about this kit, and on how to buy it at THIS LINK.

The 1:1400 kits is about 11 cm in length.  Adam from Resin Modeler shared with me interesting facts about this ship.  It took him several weeks to produce the 3D model for this ship because, as he put it, he became very anal about the level of details he was going to try to get into the model.  This is another one of those ships that you get to see very briefly in ST: Enterprise.  And yes, if you have read my other articles then you are going to think you are having Déjà vu.  Once he had the ship designed on the computer, he had it professionally 3D printed to produce his master for the molding process.  This really shows when you hold the ship in your hand.  You can actually feel the 3D printer texture as they were not lost in the molding process.  I keep saying that I really like this approach as it generates a very crisp and sharp looking kit.

 

 

 

 

DeepSpace Pat's Paint Scheme

NOTE: The eye hook is NOT part of the kit.  I added that because a majority of my models are hung up on a book shelf to conserve space.

Lately, when I build a kit, I take tons of Work In Progress (WIP) pictures of the build process.  I've found that these tend to help better illustrate how good or bad a model kit can be.  It also helps me remember where the challenges of a particular kit arise.  Unfortunately, this model was built before I started doing this so you will need to rely on my memory.  

A lot of resin went into making this ship.  It is fairly heavy and that reflects the cost of the kit.  This ship should have been a simple one to build as well as it only came in two pieces.  The hull was split in half leaving you with a top and bottom to work with.  The overall kit was very clean, involving very little trimming.  I did not feel the need to sand the ship although more experienced modelers will probably do some light sanding to smooth out a few spots.

As you can see from the above picture, there were several nooks and crannies that required a little extra trimming attention.  As you can see from this close-up, I wasn't completely successful. 

The one issue I do remember with this kit was that either the upper or lower hull had a slight warp to it, thus making it difficult to glue the two halves together.  It took some trimming off of excess resin and a bunch of forcing the two halves together for me to get it to line up and for the super glue to set.

NOTE: This was before I learned of the hot water trick.  You see resin, like it's styrene brother, is susceptible to heat.  The trick to fix this issue if you get one like it, is to make a nice big pot of boiling water.  Using some sort of thongs, briefly dip the warped piece into the water.  No more than ten seconds.  Use whatever method you can to adjust the part.  For this issue, simply placing it on a flat plate would have done the trick.  Re-dip and re-bend if necessary.  Once you have it corrected, run the part under cold water for ten seconds to reset the resin.  IMPORTANT NOTE: Just be careful that while you are softening your resin, that your nacelles and nacelle struts don't droop in the process.

Conclusion

This is a semi simple kit to start with IF you are comfortable with the hot soak process.  I don't see why a first time resin kit builder could not handle this kit with relative ease.  Other than the warped body issue, this is a very cool looking ship and a well done model by Adam at Resin Modeler.

I hope you found this article as useful and informative as I did while writing it.  Please feel free to leave any comments, questions or suggestions below.

So for now, "Live Long And Prosper!"

Additional Links To Photos Of My Collection:

The Model

Helpful Hint Articles

Washing     Warped Parts     Gluing     Filling The Gaps     Making Stands     Decals

NOTE: If you are new to my reviews, then please read on.  This section talks about the garage kit maker that made this kit as well as a little about why I'm writing this review.  If you are one of my regular readers, then feel free to skip the rest of this article as it is a word for word repeat of stuff from previous articles.

Kit Maker Information

Adam who owns and operates Resin Modeller does most of his business through his website.  He will also occasionally sell his kits through eBay, however, it is always recommended to go to his website for orders.  Although he does not maintain a FaceBook page for his business, he does post his work in progress stuff over at the All Scale Trek forums.

R.M.'s Website: CLICK HERE

R.M.'s eBay Seller Profile: CLICK HERE

A majority of all of Adam's kits are produced via 3D design software and then professionally 3D printed.  He then uses these as his masters in the mold making process.  In my opinion, this produces a very crisp model.

In my dealings with Adam, I find him to be a very nice guy to chat with.  He will usually answer inquiries within a day or two of being emailed.  Like most garage kit makers, he has a regular day job, and the kit building business is his way of funding his love of building models.  He has shared that he has found a lack of 1:1400 scale ships and since that is his preferred size to build in, he just makes the ships he wants for his collection.  

DISCLAIMER SECTION

I consider myself an intermediate model maker.  I'm pretty good with assembling kits these days  and OK on the painting side of things.  I ultimately end up with ships that look good enough to me to display in my collection.  I've found that there are all sorts of neat ships out there that no one has made a pre-built or pre-painted model of, so, in an effort to expand my ship collection I've turned to building them myself, either by kitbashing or purchasing ready made resin model kits.

There are several smaller garage kit makers out there that produce some very good kits.  I've actually developed a good relationship with a couple of them and volunteered some of my time to write up reviews about the kits I've purchased from them.  I have already warned them that I intend to be pretty objective, not pull any punches, and these reviews are going to be written from the point of view of an intermediate model builder.  If this means that I warn away a first time builder from a particular kit, then they will need to be OK with that approach.

Lastly, due to the nature of resin casting, not every kit is going to be the same.  Excess resin and air pockets are a part of the game when you get into this sort of model building.  The kit that I got and built may be slightly different than your kit as far as minor quality issues.  I will still point out flaws with my kit as those flaws could lead into a lesson of some sort for either you the reader or the kit maker themselves.