Romulan Cracker Class – Ugh! Models 1:1000 Scale Resin Kit Review

Right On Replicas, LLC SnapShot Review 20170217*
Romulan “Cracker” Class Ugh! Models 1/1000 Scale Resin Kit Review

Review and Photos for Right On Replicas, LLC by Alan Mann

UGH! MODELS is one of the newer Premier quality Specialty Resin Casters in the market. The company’s focus is Sci-Fi and Figures at this time with the majority of the castings being of the Star Trek fame. The figures are replicas of some of the more popular products out there in the market but in a more risqué format for the adult collector. Most of the models are drawn to be as accurate as possible in Maya, then grown on a Form 1+ SLA printer. Copies are then made using SmoothOn silicones and urethane resins. All decals are produced on ALPS printers. UGH! Models also sells handmade kits that you may have seen in the past from different vendors. All of these older kits are reproduced with their creator’s full permissions and are identical to their original releases, in some cases from the original molds. The company has over 20 years’ experience in kit making and casting, as well as 10 years’ experience computer modeling. In the past they’ve done casting of thousands of kits that have been sold by Starship Modeler, Fantastic Plastic, CultTVMan, and many others.

 

For the modeler: This review covers the UGH! MODELS kit of the Romulan “Cracker Class ship molded in 1/1000 scale. The kit is a Resin kit molded in SmoothOn Resin and consists of 4 parts total plus the decal sheet that is a Waterslide decal. Unlike a mass-market kit this is a Solid block of Resin and has some weight to it. It is a bit different than working with Styrene! All you need to do is attach the Nacelles to the hull and the actual assembly is completed. Painting and detail is where this will really shine, and the fact this is one of the cleanest and nicest resin pieces on the market I have seen helps the details greatly. The overall size of the finished kit is: Length: 4-1/4”, Width: 5”, Height: 1”.

This is the box art for this kit. Unless otherwise stated Superglue.  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.

Here is the box contents, as you see you will get the 3 kit parts, a base and the decal sheet.  THESE ARE FULL SHEET DECALS. You must cut close to each decal to ensure the decal will look proper and lay proper on the model. As the decals are ALPS decals the colors are crisp and bright and the carrier very thin. Take extra care when applying the decals as they set easily. I did use decal setting solutions to help ease the setting and application of the larger decals.

To begin, assemble the nacelles to the hull. This is all that is required to build the whole kit! You must use Superglue on Resin as normal model glues will not hold.

Rinse the complete ship with DAWN dish detergent once again and then wash it with 91% Alcohol. I used a toothbrush and little bowl and scrubbed the ship. This will remove any residue of the mold release. Once done rinse and let this dry. Use a quality Primer and coat the complete ship.

After the primer coat had dried, I used a Pale Green paint and coated the whole ship.   Tape off and paint the rear part of the ship a Grey-Blue color.

There are multiple ways to highlight the panel lines, most often a wash is used as to just give the hint of the lines. I decided to give a solid drawn line using a fine-line marker.

Body Decaling and Finishing: After you have your base coat on you are ready to decal it. Remember decals lay better on a GLOSS surface and will not adhere properly on a FLAT surface. If you decal a flat surface you get what is called SILVERING of the decals, or the look that they are not adhered, as air is trapped under the decal. Clean your work area good so no dust or grunge from building and sanding gets under your decals. Pick the decals you want to work with and plan out how the best way to lay them out without handling previously laid decals will be. I try either a Front to Back or Top to Bottom approach doing one side at a time then the front and rear of the car in steps giving the decals time to set and dry in place before handling it again. Once you have a plan of action cut your first decal as close to the edge of the outermost color as possible. Once trimmed place the decal into warm water and let it get soft until it “Floats” loosely on the carrier paper. Microscale Industries has a product set called Micro-Set and Micro-Sol. The purpose is to soften the decals to help them conform to the contours of the body and lay smooth. To apply Micro Set, use a soft brush and apply Micro Set to the part where you are going to apply the decal. Next apply the decal as normal. Use a small pointed tip synthetic bristle brush and carefully position the decal. Blot the decal carefully with a Q-tip or paper towel so as not to move it and allow it to dry. For a tougher decals apply Micro-Sol with a small flat brush on to the decal. Apply with as few strokes as possible so as not to disturb the decal. As the decal dries slowly work any creases or blemishes in the decal out with a Q-tip or damp paper towel. Work slowly as not to damage the decal. A second coat of Micro-Sol can be added if needed. Now continue this process until all the decals for that area are done, wait for them to set and continue the rest of the car. Let the decals cure at least overnight before applying your clear coat.

Once the decals were done I completed the paint work by highlighting the nacelles, lasers, engines and giving the hull a grime look. To give the hull a grimy look use a wash of very thin Flat Black paint and rinse it on the hull removing the majority of the paint leaving a little to give the hull a dirty look. Build this up in layers as you see fit.

The base would be next. I painted the base Black with the bird Gold.  The kit does not supply a way to display the ship off of the stand. I used a scrap of SPRUE and cut it to fit the size I wanted. I then drilled holes to fit the sprue in the ship and the base as to Superglue the stand to the ship and base.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

This was a blast! UGH! MODELS puts out a beautiful product that is clean of any blemishes and is ready to paint without work. This was the cleanest resin I have ever worked with hands down! The 1/1000 scale kits give you enough size to have details and look great on the shelf but not be too big to build and expensive to collect. The decals went on without issue and were easy to handle. I used a setting solution and had no problems or reactions. As stated earlier this was a 4 part kit and build wise quite simple, all you have to do is glue on the nacelles… The most difficult part and what surprised me was the fact there was no shaft for mounting the ship to the base. But if that was the worst issue I can find this is a great kit. So I give this an 8 out of 10.

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.

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