EXCELSIOR! USS MARVEL NCC-81962 starship.

[seadude]

I'll be starting this project soon in late September. I need suggestions as to color choices and such as mentioned in some of my pics.
The idea for this model actually came about while watching a DVD documentary titled "With Great Power.....the Stan Lee Story." about MARVEL comics creator, writer, and editor, Stan Lee. One of Stan Lee's "quirks" is that he often liked to exclaim the word "EXCELSIOR!" when finishing a project, giving an interview, or some other situation. When mentioning the word EXCELSIOR, Stan was not referencing the Federation starship that was seen in STAR TREK III AND VI movies, though he WAS a fan and admirer of Gene Roddenberry and his STAR TREK tv show. The word Excelsior which is Latin actually means "ever upward" or "still higher".

Stan Lee made it his catchphrase motto throughout most of his life while working at MARVEL Comics. The word Excelsior and it's definition of "ever upward/still higher" would fit well within the STAR TREK universe as the Federation and Starfleet is always striving "ever upward/still higher" in it's missions, goals, philosophy, etc. to bring peace and justice to countless civilizations on it's journey of exploration across the vast galaxy.

The model will be built and painted based on Stan Lee's use of the word Excelsior and his work at MARVEL Comics. It is the re-boxed Polar Lights/AMT 1/1,000th scale USS Excelsior starship from the STAR TREK III movie. The model has parts to build either the NX-2000 Excelsior from STAR TREK III, or the NCC-2000 Excelsior from the STAR TREK VI movie. I choose the former from STAR TREK III. While building an Excelsior starship model based on Stan Lee's use of the word Excelsior, I also decided to paint the model in the colors of one of Stan Lee's/MARVEL's most iconic and well known superhero characters: SPIDER-MAN! I could have went with the colors of almost any MARVEL superhero (or villian), but Spider-man is the most recognizable and well known comic character throughout the world. The model will be painted in the classic original Spider-man colors of red and blue, with various black or dark gray highlights. Paints used will be Vallejo Model Air Color. Deflector grid lines on the top and bottom of the saucer section will be "painted" with a 0.20mm black ink pen.

[Old Wombat]

I would have gone with an Iron Man theme ... but that's me, Iron Man was always my favourite Marvel character, as a kid, & Robert Downey Jr didn't hurt the character, as an adult.

[seadude]

If any Mod or Admin is reading this, can you please move this thread to the Sci-Fi subforum in the Current & Finished Projects Forum, please.

Anyway, I decided to get back to work on this project after being away for quite awhile. Progress pics will be either later today or later in the week.
I have come up against a brick wall on the following.    Most STAR TREK name and number decals for Federation ships tend to be in black numbers and letters with a faint red outline around them. That's not going to work on my model. The black numbers and letters probably wouldn't be very visible against a red hull colored background. I'm wondering if I should not put any hull registry and name on my ship at all. I mean, Spider-Man didn't have any identifying markings on his costume. So why should I have any identifying markings on my ship?
Or am I wrong?

And then on Facebook, I had some joker tell me to paint the bridge dome on top of the saucer, and I think the sensor dome on the bottom of the saucer......white. And also some of the area surrounding the bridge dome and going further back toward the impulse engines.
WTH? 
Sounded like a stupid idea to me. Only reason I can think of white is that it had something to do with Spider-man's eyes on the costume. I don't know. I just think adding white anywhere is going to detract from the look of the model.

Thoughts, anyone?

[kerick]

I certainly don't see the point in painting anything white. I'll be watching this one for sure.

[Old Wombat]

I still think metallic red & yellow/gold would be better.    

[kerick]

Don't listen to 'em! Where do you think that Tholulan web came from!

[NARSES2]

Moved as per request

Chris

[seadude]

Progress about 2 days ago on my Spider-Man themed Excelsior starship. But currently right now, I am working on the warp engines. Should have those fully built by tomorrow or Thursday.

[Old Wombat]

 

[seadude]

Working on the warp engines today. They'll be finished tomorrow. Was hoping to get them done today, but I'm no "miracle worker".
After those are done, I may start next on coloring the deflector grid lines with a black ink wash to make it look like a webbing effect on the top and bottom of the saucer. Doing that won't be easy as I've got bad eyesight and I need to add the ink wash very carefully in the deflector grid lines and not have it accidentally go anywhere else.
About the decals below.
Most STAR TREK name and number decals for Federation ships tend to be in black numbers and letters with a faint red outline around them. That's not going to work on my model. The black numbers and letters probably wouldn't be very visible against a red hull colored background. I'm wondering if I should not put any hull registry and name on my ship at all. I mean, Spider-Man didn't have any identifying markings on his costume. So why should I have any identifying markings on my ship? Or am I wrong?
Also, would the yellow RCS thruster decals and the phaser bank decals look too weird on a red colored hull?

[seadude]

Just a few pics to show what paint choices I used and where paint colors were applied.

[seadude]

3 more pics.

[seadude]

Regarding Post # 9 further above............
I tried last night putting on a phaser bank decal and an RCS thruster decal to see how each of those would look. No such luck.
Both of them would not adhere to the surface of the model whatsoever no matter what I did.
I think I'll skip adding the phaser bank decals and just paint the phaser banks gray instead like I painted gray all the photon torpedo tubes/launchers. Might as well keep all the weapon systems gray together.
As for painting the RCS thrusters instead, I'm not sure what color to go with?
Last night, I also tried doing a panel line black ink wash on the deflector grid to make it look like webbing. The results are far from perfect. At a long distance, it looks great. But you really don't want to get up close. Trust me. This is not a model I want to be taking to a contest and having it judged.
As for adding a name and hull registry number, I haven't decided on that yet.

[seadude]

If I do decide to add a ship name and registry decals on the hull saucer, I was thinking of the following.
Anybody else have any good choices?

USS Excelsior
USS Stan Lee
USS Marvel

NCC-81962  (Cover date, Amazing Fantasy #15, Aug. 1962)
NCC-6562  (Release date, Amazing Fantasy #15, June 5, 1962)

[seadude]

This model is kicking my butt.     
It might look good for now. But I feel like I'm almost ready to give up and throw in the towel.