# TOS Enterprise Blueprints UPDATE



## Wizardofflight (Oct 24, 2001)

Hello,

The latest revision of the TOS Enterprise drawings (Rev D) are now online and ready for downloading. They are at the end of the interview on their creation located on this site:

http://theomegasector.com/index.php?act=ST&f=45&t=370&st=0

Alan


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Great Interview, Alan. :thumbsup: 

I will not miss getting your drawings. I have a set of your older drawings, and have used them when building the 1701. Now with this update, I will use them to do me latest model.

Thanks for your hard work, and for sharing! Have a great holiday!

Lloyd


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## Nova Designs (Oct 10, 2000)

Hey really nice interview Alan. Just want you to know that I really appreciate all your work. It made it alot easier to do mine.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Likewise.

Of course, now I have to go back and double check some things...


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## Capt. James B. (Apr 5, 2002)

That's a great interview Alan. I was going to post a link, but you beat me to it. Thank for all of your hard work over the years on putting these marvelous prints together. I'll bet I'm not the only one who's seriously considering making a model from these prints. Now I don't have to pay some rediculous price for accurate prints. I'm helping out with the TOS section and I hope everyone here will come over to http://theomegasector.com and sign up and give me your input on what you'd like to see in that section. I hope to talk the guys into starting a gallery where you can all post your magnificent model shots.


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## Rogue1 (Jan 3, 2000)

Great Job on those drawings Alan. The sectioned secondary hull is a great idea. Thanks for sharing them with us.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Great drawings of my favorite Trek ship!
Thanks a million for posting them.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Special thanks for the DWG and DXF files! Now I can kitbash right in CorelDRAW! :lol:


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## ThomasModels (Mar 8, 2000)

Alan,

Your updates look great!

We all know that the model was built well over 40 years ago by a couple of contractors for a television studio. Anyone who can actually lay claim to the constructions plans or design has passed. The design of the model has been copywritten and is now owned by Viacom, while the actual model is on public display to be photographed and studied at will. I could never understand the 'secret information' thing or those holding such information.

It is too bad that some people have felt it necessary to resort to personal attack, name calling in email and on message boards. Where these people the ones with the 'secret information' or other "so-called experts" who wanted to know the same info?

Here are a couple of bits that I haven't seen on any diagrams drawn accurately. The pylon grill panels were actually made of square end rectangular moire stock with each perforation measuring 3.2mm x about 7mm, spaced 1.15mm apart and staggered in rows 1.5mm apart on center. Each of the four panels measure 2" x 4" with 1/4" spacing and were mounted so that the surface was flush with the wood pylon once installed.

The small strips on the forward aft loops should be rounded on the top to the fore edge. The fronts of those strips should also be slightly 'pinched' at the forward/top making them about half as wide as the aft end of the strip.

Also, the starboardside channel and somewhat the bottomside channel on the secondary hull maintained it's flat surface fore to aft and exceeded the thru section diameter of the secondary hull aft of your section D-D. This caused an ever so slight 'hump' upto the flat on the aft rounded ends.

Again, GREAT job!


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## jheilman (Aug 30, 2001)

Excellent Alan! (and thanks for the mention in the interview :thumbsup: )

You have achieved your goal of creating the most accurate public TOS E plans. Congrats.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

ThomasModels said:


> The design of the model has been copywritten ...


 :freak:
"Copy_right_ed" - as in "obtained the _right _to copy."


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Incredible Prints/DXF files! Any chance of you doing an equally detailed set of Klingon D-7 files?


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

John P said:


> :freak:
> "Copy_right_ed" - as in "obtained the _right _to copy."


Anyone else picture Thomas' response ala McCoy?

*"I'm a model maker, not a proofreader!"* :dude:


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## Richard Compton (Nov 21, 2000)

Awesome.

Wow, I got a mention! I think Alan is too kind. All I did was complain (probably in the middle of the night) that someone should do something. Which reminds, me....someone should invent cold fusion!

Thomas, I had heard that the reasoning was there was a hope to publish the work under license, but that nothing had come of it. They wanted to retain the majority of the proprietary knowledge, so that a future work would still be attractive to the market. And I suppose, there's no desire by the copyrighter to do some small poster project for no real return. I can think of other reasons. All it amounts to is being frustrating, though those involved are nice and helpful people. Thanks for the info!


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## Scorpitat (Oct 7, 2004)

Hmmmmm.............tried to open the link, and it says "corrupted".
Oh well, I'm sure the pics are great. Maybe I'll find em on here later somewheres.

Happy ho-ho's to all!

Best wishes,
Scorp!


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

John P said:


> :freak:
> ...as in "obtained the _*right* _to copy."


 or not. :lol:


Alan,

You are a superb draftsman and artist. I thank you for the dedication and hard work that you display and the generosity to share the results which allow others to benefit from it. Many thanks for your many efforts.


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## Wizardofflight (Oct 24, 2001)

Thanks guys, glad that the drawings are a hit. There were a lot of people on this board that helped out and I can't thank everyone enough for contributing to their creation. Richard don't count your contributions short, if it wasn't for your initial request asking for them and your constant encouragement and enthusiasm during the process they never would have happened._ I'd really like to see what projects that folks have used them on. It is always gratifying to see the drawings being used to create 3 dimensional models._

_I am working on the Klingon D-7, but it will be awhile too many other project to complete right now._

_I have double-checked the link above and the files at the end of the interview and everything appears to be working. If any one is having difficulty with them let me know and I can e-mail a set to you. [email protected]_

The timing of the release of this revision is interesting considering the announcement of MR pending release their 1/350th TOS E. It will be interesting to see what they come up with considering the past attempts to produces a TOS E model. I wish them luck it is about time the TOS E gets done right.



Alan


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

I don't know of any physical models, but there have been more than a few CGI models built, and in the area of drawing built on what you've laid out, I've seen at least a couple of cross section drawings, and of course, my never-ending deck plans project.


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## pcumby (Jan 24, 2004)

Wow! I am proud to have helped in a tiny way - thanks for the mention in the article. I would hazard a guess that these plans are probably the most downloaded and pored over set of blueprints on the Internet. No small feat! Awesome work, Alan.


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## DX-SFX (Jan 24, 2004)

> Excellent Alan! (and thanks for the mention in the interview )


Ditto


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## wpthomas (Apr 28, 2005)

Captain April said:


> I don't know of any physical models, but there have been more than a few CGI models built, and in the area of drawing built on what you've laid out, I've seen at least a couple of cross section drawings, and of course, my never-ending deck plans project.


My Enterprise (star of the Tallguy Productions "Scale" animation that seems to be enjoying a certain vogue) is almost 100% from Alan's plans. Now I have to update her to the version 'D' plans.

Alan, any chance you could finish those pilot versions by the end of the month? That'd be swell!  

-- Bill "Tallguy" Thomas


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## Wizardofflight (Oct 24, 2001)

Sure no problem, I whip those right up. 

The scary part is that I have already started the Rev E version of the drawings. It seem that as soon as I think I have it done something else rears it ugly head.

But I have started the pilot versions, but they have got a long way to go before they'll be ready for posting. Right now I am up to my eyeballs in Boba Fett and Star Wars' blaster blueprints. 

Thanks guys for the support, I'm glad folks like my attempt at blueprinting the Enterprise.

Alan


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## Daikaiju1 (Apr 26, 2005)

Wizard, 
I have just viewed your amazingly comprehensive 1701 draawings an wish to congratulate you on you efforts. you are dedicated indeed.

My one concern is the flat rim on the saucer underside. It was in the AMT kits but from the reference I have seen it went from the saucers lower edge into the concave underside radius without a flat rim. Not meaning to nitpick, merely to provide some constructive criticism . Am trying to include a link to one pic from Cloudster that seems to bear out my opinion. 

http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/STEnterprise/ent38.jpg

Thanks, live long and prosper
GS


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## Mariner Class (Aug 22, 2005)

It's really hard to tell the real curvature of the E's saucer, mainly because the difficulty of the vacuforming process and years of hot studio and internal lighting have warped the saucer. It could really be either way from most photos I've seen.

Alan, I am very impressed with the accuracy of your work, and I'm already in the process of converting them into a 3d model. 

I'm "fixing" the length of the nacelles and saucer to match their orginally intended sizes, and tweaking little details to fit into stardard fractional inches (though I haven't seen any rulers that can measure to 1/256ths of an inch as of late, ) as that would probably be the best way to "approximate" a "perfect" model. That, and it'll be easier converting the thing to its real length of 947 with rounded measurements. Ofcourse, it'd be impossible to do this without accurate measurements of the real deal, imperfect or not.

Good luck with Revision E, and the rest of your projects. You deserve it. :thumbsup:


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## X15-A2 (Jan 21, 2004)

Alan,

Your plans are really great, thanks for sharing them with all of us.

About the rim curvature on the underside of the Primary Hull, the vac-formed pieces may have changed shape through the effects of time and hard use but the top of the pylon which was coped to match it has not. The pylon is was made of wood. A good profile view of the top of the pylon wood tell us what the lower outer profile was meant to be, as originally built.


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## Wizardofflight (Oct 24, 2001)

That area has been through much debate and many revisions, let me tell you. Lighting has a great deal to do with how that area is preceived, it is one of the most difficult areas to capture.

Here is a nice shot on Mike Trice's TOS E page of that area that gives you a good idea of the shape.

http://www.mjtsc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/new/images/image74.jpg

Here is the link to his site:
http://www.mjtsc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

Lots of great references pics!! A must for any TOS E fan.

On my last visit to the Smithsonian I studied that area specifically to make sure that I had captured the proper shape.

Thanks again for the continued support.

Alan


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## Daikaiju1 (Apr 26, 2005)

Wizard,

I am more than happy to stand corrected! Thanks for the good work, keep it up it is a benefit to the whole hobby.

Best
GS :thumbsup:


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Mariner Class said:


> I'm "fixing" the length of the nacelles and saucer to match their orginally intended sizes, and tweaking little details to fit into stardard fractional inches (though I haven't seen any rulers that can measure to 1/256ths of an inch as of late, ) as that would probably be the best way to "approximate" a "perfect" model. That, and it'll be easier converting the thing to its real length of 947 with rounded measurements. Ofcourse, it'd be impossible to do this without accurate measurements of the real deal, imperfect or not.


I'm assuming these revisions include kicking the saucer up to a full 60" in diameter. What does that mean for the nacelles?


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## X15-A2 (Jan 21, 2004)

The method I use to check that outer lower profile is by making a 3D computer model and seeing how it looks on screen compared to the photos of the original model. Until one of us can get a contour guage onto the actual model, that is probably the best that we can do.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

My understanding is that the cutout on the lower surface isn't exactly even. A softer-than-desired pull from the vacuform combined with hot studio lights, hot internal lights (inside a shell that really wasn't designed for lights in the first place), and the simple fact that the sucker is over forty years old have all conspired to make that rim somewhat weird.

The clearest shot we've got is that area around the neck, so I'd say go with that curve and extend it around the hull, which appears to be just what Alan has done.


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Captain April said:


> A softer-than-desired pull...


I don't know where you got that from. You sound as if you are describing sloppy work on the part of the model makers.

If a "softer-than-desired" pull had resulted, it would have been rejected and another performed that met spec.

That model _was_ built by professionals, you know.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

You'd be surprised the kinds of things professional model builders get away with when it comes to effects models. They don't have to be perfect, just look good on camera.

You're also leaving out all the caveats I listed, like the lights, internal and external, the age, the fact that the model wasn't designed to have lights in the first place. Plus, we're talking about a vacuform shape five feet in diameter! Who's to say that they didn't try it five or six times and this was the closest they could get with the schedule and budget they had available to them?


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## Ohio_Southpaw (Apr 26, 2005)

Hi Alan

I just downloaded these and plotted them out on D-size here at work. They are beautiful! Thanks!


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Captain April said:


> You'd be surprised the kinds of things professional model builders get away with when it comes to effects models. They don't have to be perfect, just look good on camera.
> 
> You're also leaving out all the caveats I listed, like the lights, internal and external, the age, the fact that the model wasn't designed to have lights in the first place. Plus, we're talking about a vacuform shape five feet in diameter! Who's to say that they didn't try it five or six times and this was the closest they could get with the schedule and budget they had available to them?


Not only am I not leaving those items out, but I am the one who originally mentioned them in another thread: 

*"It would be better served to create a "new" 11-footer. The ravages of time, wear and tear, and abuse have certainly taken their toll on the original model. The saucer, for instance, though perfectly round when originally formed, became somewhat warped and out-of-round after just a few years from a combination of internal lighting and hot studio lights deforming the vacuformed plastic."*


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

And it's been said by those who have actually examined the model up close that the underside cutout is not consistent, apparently from a not-quite-perfect vacuform pull. Whether this was apparent at the time or the years of wear and tear make it grow more pronounced is anyone's guess at this point, just like it's anyone's guess how many times they tried to form the lower half of the saucer before they got something they could all live with.


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## MGagen (Dec 18, 2001)

Captain April said:


> And it's been said by those who have actually examined the model up close that the underside cutout is not consistent, apparently from a not-quite-perfect vacuform pull. Whether this was apparent at the time or the years of wear and tear make it grow more pronounced is anyone's guess at this point, just like it's anyone's guess how many times they tried to form the lower half of the saucer before they got something they could all live with.


I get the impression that TrekAce may be someone who "examined the model up close" back before "years of wear and tear" took their toll. Keep in mind, CRA, that not everything is "anyone's guess," even at this remove...

Mark


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Well, enough with impressions, mine included, let's get some facts on the table. If someone has some first hand knowledge of the ol' gray lady, or can cite some authoritative sources, let's hear 'em. We've all got enough second hand trivia bits and half-remembered interviews and friend-of-a-friend-who-knows-somebody anecdotes to fill a coffee table book.

Alan, now would be a good time to get a few good quotes from Gary Kerr on this. I'm not sure how much Richard Datin's memory can be relied upon at this date, but the more the merrier.


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## scifieric (May 9, 2005)

Wizardofflight said:


> Sure no problem, I whip those right up.
> 
> The scary part is that I have already started the Rev E version of the drawings. It seem that as soon as I think I have it done something else rears it ugly head.
> 
> ...


Like? _Like?_ Oh man, I almost fainted when I saw your first website with your earliest version of the plans! I visit your site multiple times a year to pour over your other published drawings as well. Thanks for the update and I've presumed to send you a few photos and renders as well. Great work and a bit "Thank You" from this fan.


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## jbain (Jan 15, 2006)

Downloaded these and they are great!

There is only 1 area I am not sure is quite right. When looking at the Smithsonian pics of the top of the saucer, the first ring from the outer-most edge seems to produce panels that are slightly wider than the subsequent ones made by the other rings as they move in toward the bridge. The two small yellow rectangles near the impulse engine should have the outer-most gridline pass thru them. That would also make the large white access panels on top of the saucer further in, away from the edge. Not sure if it affects the position of the nav lights.

Great work on these - shows a lot of hard work.


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## Wizardofflight (Oct 24, 2001)

The one thing that I say for sure is that everything that Gary has told me has been incorporated into these drawings. If there are specific questions that I can answer I will, a lot of these same issues came up during the initial stages of the drawings development. I have tried only to represent those details that I have hard documentation on. 

I should also point out that photos can be very deceptive, don't believe every thing you think you see. I have reviewed over 1000 pics of the Enterprise as well as spending some time reviewing the model as it sits today and feel confident that the drawing are very close.

These drawings are not perfect and most likely they never will be unless I can laser scan the original, for that matter even to this day Gary is revising and updating his drawings. There is always room for improvement.


Alan


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