Building DS9 was particularly challenging for what appeared to be an ordinary IP kit in that nothing about it was straight forward. I used all the standard techniques in keying the various surfaces and gluing them together. The main and outer docking ring was an intrigue as the three internal connecting struts that support OPS and the Promenade bow upwards if that makes any sense giving it a slightly elevated look. Connecting the two seamlessly together took a lot of doing. I strapped them together with clamps and very strong tape until the glue seeped out of the sides- not too much though.

I used this technique as my filling in method. The surplus glue was cut away with a sharp surgical scalpel and then lightly sanded so that the join became virtually invisible. I then applied some Milliput to enhance the finish prior to painting. The same method was used when attaching the docking pylons. The Docking Pylons were a pain as I found an awful lot of warping or counter tension in the mould that didn't give me the fit that I wanted initially but I persisted. Each pylon assembly and there are six in all took a better part of a day to set and then a further 24 hours to fully cure prior to sanding and filling. Structurally the model that you see is virtually solid as a rock.

Painting the kit was a phenomenal amount of effort. It took four days to paint and mask it. The principal coat was a satin Humbrol Black- this would help a slightly faded metallic sheen on closer inspection that I wanted to achieve. I didn't want to use my pearlescent paints on this project. I then began applying Tamiya masking tape to create my panelled surface. The DS9 pattern is quite different to that of any Enterprise, Reliant or Excelsior class star ship. And it is different again from Space Dock. The second coat was a Humbrol Battleship Grey. With this second layer I allowed some of the initial coat to show though creating a weather beaten effect or exhaust especially around the docking ports. This in turn was masked off as was the third pale yellow coat and the fourth that I nicked named Tie Fighter Blue. Overall there were nearly 3000 tiny pieces of yellow masking tape that went into this particular endeavour. The recessed mechanical parts of DS9 are a home made mixture of Tamiya acrylic gold and Humbrol's deep gloss red. The whole project was then finished off with a dusting of Tie Fighter Blue, Battle Ship Grey and Matt Black to enhance DS9's war torn and weathered appearance.

Image: Larger view