# how to make a perfect USS Excelsior?



## fortress (Apr 1, 2006)

I am reday to start building my
AMT/ERTL USS Excelsior model kit
and already, based on the photos
I have from the actual studio 
model run into a few problems.

The biggest ones stem from errors
in the Secondary hull(lack of detail
and panel lines).Also errors in the
Neck and docking area.

Anyone out there have any ideas?
Are there add-on kits available?

Fortress


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## WarpCore Breach (Apr 27, 2005)

There are a few add-ons available. 

Don Matthys has some replacement and new detail pieces, available over at his site and at Federation Models. I think there's another detailing kit from someone else (also at Federation Models) that offers much the same thing.

I think that's about it, really.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

You're also going to want to correct the photon torpedo tubes. Front and rear both. Back a few months ago starseeker a member on these boards had a thread going on scratch building a 350 scale Excelsior that included blueprint type drawings with the correct location of windows on the secondayr hull.
The thread is on page 14 under sci-fi modeling and is about halfway down.


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## DL Matthys (May 8, 2004)

Article on building the Excellsior Class starships;

http://www.culttvman.com/don_matthys__enterprise_b_exce.html

If your not lighting it at least get this and the decals.

http://www.dlmparts.com/images/229_DLM15.5 Excelsior no ltg.gif


DLM


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

Look here for pictures of the studio model

http://st-bilder.de/html/excelsior2.html


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

Ok another question does someone know if in one decal set are decals for the thrusters for the fins at the end of the warp engines.

The answer would be very important


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

www.federationmodels.com
Don't know if the decals they sell have the thruster decals for the warp engines but they do for the sauser section.


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## DL Matthys (May 8, 2004)

Bridger said:


> ... if in one decal set are decals for the thrusters for the fins at the end of the warp engines.


I supose there could be if I see a bigger picture of it. I see it only in one of my JPG files from Phase Pistol's auction photo's...I'll update that feature on my next printing of DLM-16.5 Enterprise "B" panels and graphics. I can not tell if the yellow thruster box has a red outline for certain. That would demand a decal rather than painting it mustard yellow


An update to that sheet is nearly ready for issue on the market. Panel shades have been matched to the more aqua greens, plus name and registry for the STS9 USS Lakota on the half sheet. (Also clear red resin impulse crystals)


DLM


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Looking at images of the Excelsior on stbilder I can see a red outline for the thrusters on the warp engines.


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

Ok I think my homepage is now very known for reference pictures 

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_004.jpg

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_005.jpg

Don this decal addon is for both the Excelsior-class and the Excelsior-Refit-class


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## DL Matthys (May 8, 2004)

Very good! 


A much clearer resolution and problem solved..
Now...I am off to my art program...Adobe Illustrator
Thanks Bridger.

DLM


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## fiercegaming (Jul 21, 2004)

Hey Bridger, those are some very good reference pics. You have anymore of the nx-2000 or ncc-2000? Also does anyone know how many paint jobs the excelsior studio model got. I mean it filled in for like 5 ships. The Lakota and enterprise B I take it had different paint jobs than the nx-2000? Also was the ncc-2000 version repainted for star trek 6? Any help would be great. Fortress good luck on your build  keep us posted.


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

I am working on new pictures but first you should know the model of the 
Excelsior NX-2000 was later modified to the NCC-2000 for Star Trek VI and than modified for Star TREK VII to the Enterprise-B.
For the Voyager episode Flashback a new model was build in the typical starfleet white. You can see the differnce in the numbers of windows on the ship. But when i look at the pictures i have i would say that also the original model was white i think the colour are differnt because of the time they were made. On some pictures the excelsior is blue/gray and on other pictures she is white I think she is white and i would build here in this colour


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

From what I remember reading somewhere on the net is that for the voyager episode "Flashback" Greg Jein bult a smaller Excelsior model and then using the molds for it made a few more and sold them, and there is an image of one of those that's not exactly painted corecctly and I think that's the image that Bridger has on his web site. For the windows on the filming models they use pieces of precut tape and position the tape on the model then paint and peel off the tape and then they the have windows.


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## DL Matthys (May 8, 2004)

Back in 1998-99 the best online referece used was the Greg Jein model that made the rounds at yhe Hard Rocks and Viacom Store. That's when the Excellsior/ 1701"B" OntheBenchCam and award winning kit was referenced from. (SSM Aftermaket Convesion Kit of the Year)

Pete Savon
www.pedrosshiporama.com

William Mccullers
www.idicpage.com

That thruster decal should be looking like this.


DLM


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## digger1 (May 6, 2007)

I've said it before, I'll say it again, why don't aftermarket companies make a replacement neck for the Excelsior when they have all sorts of other nifty parts for the kit?


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

This would be a very good explanation but this here are pictures of the original 

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_007.jpg

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_016.jpg

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_014.jpg

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_057.jpg

Well i am working on a new planetay-sensor for the excelsior and i will also make a new neck


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## fiercegaming (Jul 21, 2004)

Bridger said:


> I am working on new pictures but first you should know the model of the
> Excelsior NX-2000 was later modified to the NCC-2000 for Star Trek VI and than modified for Star TREK VII to the Enterprise-B.
> For the Voyager episode Flashback a new model was build in the typical starfleet white. You can see the differnce in the numbers of windows on the ship. But when i look at the pictures i have i would say that also the original model was white i think the colour are differnt because of the time they were made. On some pictures the excelsior is blue/gray and on other pictures she is white I think she is white and i would build here in this colour


Yeah the Nx-2000 (star trek 3) and the Ncc-2000 (star trek 6) were the same studio model than it was modified to be enterprise b and than Lakota right? Something like that anyway. Anyway though I guess what I mean is was the NX-2000 style paint job still on the modified NCC-2000 or was it repainted? So you think overall its white? Hmmm, it does look like it has a blue hue in those pictures you have but pictures can be wrong. Well if you come across anymore I would love to see them. I have not started the kit yet, its going to be next summers project (lunar excelsior kit). Thanks .


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

This here is a picture of the new Excelsior model wich was used in 

VOY:Flashback and in sveral DS9 episodes.

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_056.jpg

It is white. This is a picture of the original excelsior model for star trek III and it is also white.

http://www.st-bilder.de/datein/bilder/Modelle/Excelsior/V2/gallery/B_MODELL_EXC_007.jpg

Last but no least she is white and i would build her in this colour


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

Hi digger1 pleace tell me what do want to be changed


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

If you want to make a perfect 2000, it's going to be a lot easier to just scratch build the thing. Well, maybe not a Lot easier, but it certainly won't take any longer. 
The reason (I think) that no one's built a correct neck replacement is that the vanes in resin would be super fragile if the could be molded properly and prone to chipping when done. Easier to do what DLM (I think) did on his site, just layering styrene. The other problem with a replacement neck would be just how accurate to make it. The "real" 2000's neck is recessed into the bottom of the primary hull, surrounded by a nice elliptical trough. So do you produce a neck that modelers could just use with the existing model or an accurate neck that would require extensive cutting and filling and puttying and sanding? 
The other big problem with the kit is that the flat superstructure on top of the Ertl 2000 that extends from the bridge back to the impulse engines isn't the correct width. (On top of that, if you're building the NX, the details are all wrong.) The width isn't that had to fix, either, but it does require extensive surgery and time that could just as easily be spent cutting out 1/4" Plexiglas to hang vacuum-formed shapes from. 
I don't know how many dozens of hours I spent trying to correct my Ertl kit before I realized that I had spent all that time on a teenie little model that I hated anyway. 
Many other things have gotten in the way (a lot of only partially sucessful experiments with home-made photoetch among them. Sigh.) and so far all I've done on my scratched 2000 is get the plexi cut and a skeleton cemented together. Now that autumn is coming, I hope to get back at it, do some quick vac-forming and get some shapes together that I can start detailing. 
But, honest, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to make a "perfect" 2000 out of the Ertl kit. That way madness lies. Been there. Done that. Certifiable now.


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

To build a perfect excelsior is impossible nobody has the exact sizes of the studio model and he only want´s to make his excelsior better


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

digger1 said:


> I've said it before, I'll say it again, why don't aftermarket companies make a replacement neck for the Excelsior when they have all sorts of other nifty parts for the kit?


In order to make a more accurate neck you'll waant to use the neck that comes with what ever kit you're building and trace the out line of the neck and go from there.
According to the auction book for the Christies ST auction the Excelsior refit is 92.5 inches long and has a width of 32 ninches. But according to another article on ExAstrias the length of the original filming model is 88 inches long, hope that helps.


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

Thank you very mutch


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## DL Matthys (May 8, 2004)

StarSeeker.
I never had to make layered sheets to make conecting necks. Or see the need to make a casting from one asembled. My Excelsior / B builds was painstaking puttying and fileing to the two rear seams on back of the neck...for the most part just standard and rutine *modelcraft*. 

But I can understand a practicle need for a cast one piece neck for instant gratification purposes.

DLM


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## Bridger (May 21, 2004)

I am building currently tow Centaur and Shelly-class starships they are Excelsior variants and i wanted to ask you some thing about the Miranda-class warp-engines so my question is how correct are the engine from the sizes and should i replace the fins with them on the amt enterprise-a i hope you will help me.

I will make some new parts for this tow ship classes like the new planetary-sensor and the neck


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