# Polar Lights.... NX Refit



## sg-99 (Jan 11, 2009)

Fantastic kit and a look at sprues:thumbsup:


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

I picked one up at the local hobby shop on Friday.

Very nice kit. I'm going to ask Doug to sign the box top.


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

A lot of people complained that the NX-01 didn't seem to fit stylistically into the Trek timeline for the period in history that it occupied--but I can't help think that the refit design would have been accepted so much better, especially with that dish and the pennants on the sides of the warp engines. Just a couple of little things, but it really does make it feel so much more like a TOS ship, doesn't it?


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Fozzie said:


> A lot of people complained that the NX-01 didn't seem to fit stylistically into the Trek timeline for the period in history that it occupied--but I can't help think that the refit design would have been accepted so much better, especially with that dish and the pennants on the sides of the warp engines. Just a couple of little things, but it really does make it feel so much more like a TOS ship, doesn't it?


Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Just like JJTrek, the unstated but obvious mandate was "f**k the past" because all that stuff, all the continuity, all the history was just so BORING and confining and restricting and the darn fanboys make it so...so...annoying!

Yeah, then they still go back to try and have their cake and eat it too. 

"Oh, we can NEVER use the TOS uniforms or set design- it's so bright and goofy and would look TERRIBLE" Yet those two 'mirror universe' episodes looked SO GOOD...

I may have to get this kit. I really disliked the NX-01 but this is mostly in the right direction.


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## Guy Schlicter (May 3, 2004)

I have the kit and I like it. Had Enterprise continued it would have been nice to see the ship evolve into this design.


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

Unfortunately, as it now stands (alternate universe, "get out of jail free card" poppycock aside), NuTREK and ENTERPRISE are now the official TREK canon.

That said, the NX-01 is a reasonable precursor to the NuTREK ships, just as it was for the TNG-era designs.


Unfortunately, TOS, the one that started it all, has been neglected and disregarded at every turn, for decades. Those clean, sleek designs are now dismissed as "cheesy" and "unrealistic" despite being more futuristic than anything seen in any other incarnation of TREK, ever.

As much as I love the TMP Refit, the ship and the tech seen in the TOS movies represent a fundamental step backwards. It's as if there was a galaxy-wide technological crash in-between the series and the movies.


For me, the _Daedalus_ design is the logical precursor to the _Constitution_, which makes sense, because that's how it worked in the real world.

I'd love to see a TOS-style take on the NX-01 Refit. TOS colors, windows, markings. That would go a long way toward legitimizing it as a pre-TOS design, rather than the TMP/TNG precursor that it currently resembles.


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

Gregatron said:


> I'd love to see a TOS-style take on the NX-01 Refit. TOS colors, windows, markings. That would go a long way toward legitimizing it as a pre-TOS design, rather than the TMP/TNG precursor that it currently resembles.


I'm sure that someone will do the refit up in TOS style--in fact, I'm strongly considering it myself. Light grey, no aztec pattern, copper dish, etc. They were refitted, afterall, perhaps they got shields as well and the "hull plating" they relied on for protection in the series was replaced with a TOS style skin.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Fozzie said:


> I'm sure that someone will do the refit up in TOS style--in fact, I'm strongly considering it myself. Light grey, no aztec pattern, copper dish, etc. They were refitted, afterall, perhaps they got shields as well and the "hull plating" they relied on for protection in the series was replaced with a TOS style skin.


That is my plan- Match the TOS hull and detail colors with no aztecing!
Should make a great display with the original ship, I just wish the series had gone another season where we could have seen this version on the screen...


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

I guess I don't understand why it still has the notch and deflector on the saucer. Kind of surprised Dex didn't change that part, unless it was some mandate to keep the original look so it doesn't slip too far into 'classic design' territory. Lordy we couldn't have that happen. 

Still, it's not so tough to fix it I suppose, esp. if one plans to ditch other design aspects like 'hull plating' .


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

I'm sure I'll eventually winde up with one of these, but I never felt that there was anything wrong with the good 'ole NX-01.


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## DCH10664 (Jul 16, 2012)

Fozzie said:


> I'm sure that someone will do the refit up in TOS style--in fact, I'm strongly considering it myself. Light grey, no aztec pattern, copper dish, etc. They were refitted, afterall, perhaps they got shields as well and the "hull plating" they relied on for protection in the series was replaced with a TOS style skin.


If you decide to do the build, I hope you will share some pics with us. I think it's a great idea. I like the NX-01 design. And I like the refit design even better. But never cared much for the aztecing. And for that matter, I don't care much for the aztecing on any of the Star Trek ships,.....I just don't understand what purpose it serves. But maybe someone knows something I don't.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Fozzie said:


> A lot of people complained that the NX-01 didn't seem to fit stylistically into the Trek timeline for the period in history that it occupied--but I can't help think that the refit design would have been accepted so much better, especially with that dish and the pennants on the sides of the warp engines. Just a couple of little things, but it really does make it feel so much more like a TOS ship, doesn't it?


One of the things I miss MOST about post-TOS designs is the pennant on the nacelles. It's such a nice simple graphic element, yet it adds so much.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

Steve H said:


> I guess I don't understand why it still has the notch and deflector on the saucer. Kind of surprised Dex didn't change that part, unless it was some mandate to keep the original look so it doesn't slip too far into 'classic design' territory. Lordy we couldn't have that happen.
> 
> Still, it's not so tough to fix it I suppose, esp. if one plans to ditch other design aspects like 'hull plating' .


The idea behind the NX-Refit is to upgrade the ship with more power and flexibility without massive changes to the primary hull. Keep the old Warp Core and Deflector as back-up and use the new systems in the Secondary hull as primaries. I suspect the ships they would build keel up new would be missing those features and use the space for other systems, but it does make sense to keep them in the refits to me.

My only disappointment is the lack of a shuttlebay unless it is somewhere in the secondary hull as well. I never did care for the four-bay drop ship thing in the series and it appears that is now where the central support for the new hull is attached.
My kit is shipping now- does anybody with the kit in hand know what happened to the shuttle-pod bays?


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I've ordered mine from my LHS and will hopefully be picking it up today. Does anyone know if there will be an aftermarket aztec decal set produced?


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## sg-99 (Jan 11, 2009)

I assume since the refit neck is where the shuttle pod bay is. The refit probably uses the NX's loading bays for the shuttle pod bay.


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## Carl_G (Jun 30, 2012)

John P said:


> One of the things I miss MOST about post-TOS designs is the pennant on the nacelles. It's such a nice simple graphic element, yet it adds so much.


Agreed. I'm glad they brought it back for the First-Contact / Voyager era ships.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Richard Baker said:


> The idea behind the NX-Refit is to upgrade the ship with more power and flexibility without massive changes to the primary hull. Keep the old Warp Core and Deflector as back-up and use the new systems in the Secondary hull as primaries. I suspect the ships they would build keel up new would be missing those features and use the space for other systems, but it does make sense to keep them in the refits to me.
> 
> My only disappointment is the lack of a shuttlebay unless it is somewhere in the secondary hull as well. I never did care for the four-bay drop ship thing in the series and it appears that is now where the central support for the new hull is attached.
> My kit is shipping now- does anybody with the kit in hand know what happened to the shuttle-pod bays?


I believe that they are moved to the rear of the saucer, on either side of the rear docking port as illustrated in the below image.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

I think you nailed it- I remember those doors when pouring over that mesh they posted when the series began, I just did not get the connection to the shuttlepod bay


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

Gregatron said:


> I'd love to see a TOS-style take on the NX-01 Refit. TOS colors, windows, markings. That would go a long way toward legitimizing it as a pre-TOS design, rather than the TMP/TNG precursor that it currently resembles.


Have you seen the pictures from iHobby? The one they had on display there seemed to be painted light grey instead of aluminum--looked much closer to a TOS paint job than the original metallic ST:E paint job. I think it looks great!


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Fozzie said:


> Have you seen the pictures from iHobby? The one they had on display there seemed to be painted light grey instead of aluminum--looked much closer to a TOS paint job than the original metallic ST:E paint job. I think it looks great!


The instruction sheet calls for Tamiya J.N. Grey XF-12 for the main overall color with testors medium gray 1721, Dk Ghost Gray 1741 for details and Copper 1151TT for the deflector dishes. IIRC, the original Drex Files articles indicated that the intent was to have the refit NX-01 painted similar to TOS 1701 with no aztec pattern.


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

I keep finding myself tempted by this kit, despite not being a fan of ENTERPRISE or the NX-01.


I can't help but think of ways to TOS-ify the design. A proper paint scheme, modified details, filing the windows and using TOS window decals, etc.

Maybe a proper NCC number which indicates a fairly late-model ship.


Just can't bring myself to acknowledge ENT as pre-TOS canon!


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## Rocky D (Jul 26, 2013)

I think that's why I have never been a big fan of the prequel they always seem to stray away from the original way too much and dump a bunch of CG into it


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Gregatron said:


> I keep finding myself tempted by this kit, despite not being a fan of ENTERPRISE or the NX-01.
> 
> 
> I can't help but think of ways to TOS-ify the design. A proper paint scheme, modified details, filing the windows and using TOS window decals, etc.
> ...


I can definitely agree with what you're saying. With regards to the paint thing though, I think the raw look of the metal vs being painted helps drive the fact that it's very new in space exploration. They're just getting going so having a nice painted design wasn't on the forefront of their mind. That being said, some TOS style pennants or something on the raw metal would work well I think. 

I'm definitely not a fan of the ship or the series, but this thread has really got my wheels going with the possibilities. 

I'm very tempted to include this ship in my 1/2500 Enterprise set as there's on available in resin. I'd just get to figure out how hollow the thing out to light it.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

harristotle said:


> I can definitely agree with what you're saying. With regards to the paint thing though, I think the raw look of the metal vs being painted helps drive the fact that it's very new in space exploration. They're just getting going so having a nice painted design wasn't on the forefront of their mind. That being said, some TOS style pennants or something on the raw metal would work well I think.
> 
> I'm definitely not a fan of the ship or the series, but this thread has really got my wheels going with the possibilities.
> 
> I'm very tempted to include this ship in my 1/2500 Enterprise set as there's on available in resin. I'd just get to figure out how hollow the thing out to light it.


The paint guide for the NX-01 refit calls for a light gray overall color with a few darker gray highlights and copper for the primary and secondary hull deflector dishes, no aztec pattern. The decal sheet has TOS style pennants for the warp nacelles as well as the sides of the secondary hull.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

BWolfe said:


> The paint guide for the NX-01 refit calls for a light gray overall color with a few darker gray highlights and copper for the primary and secondary hull deflector dishes, no aztec pattern. The decal sheet has TOS style pennants for the warp nacelles as well as the sides of the secondary hull.


Clearly I don't own one yet lol thanks for the info :thumbsup:


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

harristotle said:


> I can definitely agree with what you're saying. With regards to the paint thing though, I think the raw look of the metal vs being painted helps drive the fact that it's very new in space exploration. They're just getting going so having a nice painted design wasn't on the forefront of their mind. That being said, some TOS style pennants or something on the raw metal would work well I think.
> 
> I'm definitely not a fan of the ship or the series, but this thread has really got my wheels going with the possibilities.
> 
> I'm very tempted to include this ship in my 1/2500 Enterprise set as there's on available in resin. I'd just get to figure out how hollow the thing out to light it.




Okay, in terms of design philosophy and such...


Good Idea: It makes sense that a prototype vessel would have an experimental registry (NX) number.

Bad Idea: It makes no sense that said vessel would retain that experimental number after it was operational and commissioned.

(Bonus Bad Idea: In a severe case of prequelitis, not only is the first major starship in TREK history called "Enterprise ", but it's ostensibly also the very first registered Starfleet ship ever--NX-01/NCC-01? 

Also, "NX" is a totally illogical class name.)



Good Idea: It makes sense that an experimental vessel would be unpainted, with bare hull plating showing.

Bad Idea: It makes no sense that said vessel would remain unpainted, and would merely have marking and livery painted onto the bare hull. Of course, the 1701 Refit started this trend, so there is a precedent.


(And, we can only assume that the TOS ship was painted that green-gray hull color. Maybe Jefferies felt that shipbuilding technology of the future would allow for totally seamless welding of hull plates?)



In John Byrne's excellent CREW comic series, we saw this sort of thing done right: The REAL original Starship _Enterprise_ was seen on her shakedown cruise, with a temporary registry number (NX-0002), and her bare hull showing, with only the NX number painted on it. Of course, once she became operational and commissioned, she was christened U.S.S. _Enterprise_, NCC-1701, and got a full coat of paint and livery markings.

(By the way, I've also been tempted to model that version of the Big E.)


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## TIEbomber1967 (May 21, 2012)

Gregatron said:


> Good Idea: It makes sense that an experimental vessel would be unpainted, with bare hull plating showing.
> 
> Bad Idea: It makes no sense that said vessel would remain unpainted, and would merely have marking and livery painted onto the bare hull. Of course, the 1701 Refit started this trend, so there is a precedent.


There are/were lots unpainted aircraft in service, civilian & military. Painting adds weight/mass, more than you might realize. In space there is no atmosphere to oxidize the surface of your craft. Heck, in the future you might have superior composites covering your craft that don't need to be covered/preserved.
Why add needless mass to your ship with paint?


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Cutting the white paint from the external tank of the STS saved a couple of tons (IIRC) and boosted payload.

OTOH, I'm really liking the Refit NX series images being posted for the Enterprise Season 5 on Netflix Campaign with the muted white paint job.


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## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

TIEbomber1967 said:


> There are/were lots unpainted aircraft in service, civilian & military. Painting adds weight/mass, more than you might realize. In space there is no atmosphere to oxidize the surface of your craft. Heck, in the future you might have superior composites covering your craft that don't need to be covered/preserved.
> Why add needless mass to your ship with paint?


In the future paint might have properties beyond just appearance. Solar powered capabilities, luminescence, armor or thermal properties.


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Paulbo said:


> Cutting the white paint from the external tank of the STS saved a couple of tons (IIRC) and boosted payload.


Although this is true, it was mostly the excuse NASA used for the press releases.

The primary reason they stopped painting the external tank was because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changed the requirements regarding overspray because of it's size. By the time they made the paint thick enough to meet those requirements, it was coming out of the sprayers like cottage cheese. In the process of trying to find a solution to the problem, NASA determined it was not necessary to paint the external tank.


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## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

TIEbomber1967 said:


> There are/were lots unpainted aircraft in service, civilian & military. Painting adds weight/mass, more than you might realize. In space there is no atmosphere to oxidize the surface of your craft. Heck, in the future you might have superior composites covering your craft that don't need to be covered/preserved.
> Why add needless mass to your ship with paint?




To clarify, I'm referring to consistency with the ships seen in TOS (and even the conjectural, pre-TOS, _Daedalus_ class, which should really serve as the canonical launching point for any iteration of the franchise. Start with TOS, and work backwards.

It pains me that ENT went with a more pre-TNG vibe. Not Drexler's fault, of course. I'd love to see what he would have come up with had he not been acting under orders.


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