hey I’ve been looking for an enterprise a “smoothie” kit and I’ve only found them on ebay, the drawback there is that i dont have a phone line at home so i don’t have the internet at home which leads to no address verification that ebay requires. if anyone has an enterprise a “smoothie” that they’d be willing to sell please email me at sm870621345@yahoo.com
What do you mean by “smoothie kit”?
Lee
The ‘smoothie’ is the first issue Enterprie kits from 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture". The hull of latter released kits have many irregular panel line engravings to give the kit a detailed look. Purists who wish to make their kit into a more faithfull reproduction need to fill in the panel lines with putty or such and then mask and paint the ‘infamous’ aztec panel pattern associated with movie era Trek ships.
‘Smoothies’ are very hard to come by these days.
Keep an eye on the Starship Modeler Trading Post, they appear from time to time. You just have to jump on it quickly. Happy hunting.
the “Aztek Pattern” is the most important part of any official post Refit starship of course if someone has the patterns i could surely use them when i build my Reliant
Ask and ye shall recieve:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/sh_aztec40.jpg
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/rr_ents.htm
Blessed art thou Starship Modeler…[angel]
Is “The Motion Picture” release the only one without the irregular pannel lines? Oh why does ERTL have to screw things up all the time?
i think thats why they (Ertl) lost the license to make the star trek models
Yeah, but I’d rather have crappy star trek models than no star trek models.
I’ve still got my old Smoothie from 1977 or 78 (no, not for sale). I never finished it because after the Wrath of Khan came out, the retooled Enterprise was much “cooler” and more “realistic”. At least that was the consensus when I was much younger. Of course, now we all wish the Smoothie was still around.
BTW, the later Ertl Star Trek kits were rather nice. The Cardassian Galor and Enterprise C/Yamaguchi were nice kits.
Walker brass aztec masking panels are available at www.federationmodels.com
Smoothies are - well, there’s three in my basement, but they’re mine MINE MINE!! I’m rich! I’m a happy miser!
ahem - sorry.
They turn up on ebay now and then.
I like the way the brass stencils look but I’m not spending more than 10$ on something I’ll only use once.
Hi guys,
Couple of questions (this is the first time I’ve heard it called a “smoothie”).:
First, are the panel lines OK in that they don’t need filling?
Second, how accurate is it overall?
Thanks, Scott
Rob, you couldn’t have gotten yours in 77 0r 78, the first movie didn’t come out until 79! LOL
Lee
The panel lines that traverse the width and length of the saucer and secondary hull are the same in both smoothie and panel engraved kits. I think only the secondary hull requires a panel line to be filled and rescribed. There was an FSM issue that described a modeler’s task of accurizing his 1701-A kit that required filling in the small panel engravings and rescribing the secondary hull.
Also, you would need to change the window pattern on the staboard-aft part of the saucer hull (for both kit versions). That’s where the rec room is and it has larger rectangular window srather than the standard window panel the kits use.
Aftermarket parts of all kinds are available to correct the many inaccuracies in Ertl’s Enterprsie. Almost all can be found, again, at www.federationmodels.com under the “products” section.
You can get a replacement bridge/B/C deck, replacement window inserts, deflector, , etc. DLM, in fact, just came out this week with an accurate impylse deck.
You are right, I was just guesstimating the year, I’ve had it for over 20 years and recently rescued it from my parents house where it lived under my old bed for about that long. It still has old gloss white spray paint on the parts that have turned yellow. It’s in fairly good condition though and I do plan on stripping it down and rebuilding it someday.
When did you get yours?
How much do you spend on food? 
But seriously, they’re brass, not scotch tape. You can use them over and over.
I bought my first one in early 1980. It had rub on transfers for decals.
Lee
well i eat at my girlfriends house so i don’t need to buy food. but i don’t plan on getting more enterprise a’s so i wont need them again.