# TNG style borg cube



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Here's a few pictures of my attempts to deal with all my left over model sprue and kit parts from over the years.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01926.jpg

The 'cube' is about 16"x 16" - not really a cube just 2 front panels and half a top and bottom - the cube being cut along the diagonal to save on size.

I opted for the larger size because most of my sprue would have looked out of scale at anything smaller.

Under construction

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC00811.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC00808.jpg

sides glued together and given a base coat of grey:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC00827-1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01494.jpg

From the rear
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01498.jpg

Taking shape and sprayed in putty to hold it all together a bit better

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01519.jpg

More detail on the top and base 
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01503.jpg
then after a 'hair cut' to trim back the sprue
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01504.jpg

florest wire and evergreen strips start to make up the finer detail
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01528.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01524.jpg

Another base coat to check on the detail level
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01599.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01602.jpg

Needs more detail!
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01633.jpg

Very basic lighting test set-up
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01668.jpg

basic white light
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01665.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01662.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01657.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01655.jpg

Still needs more detail and although the colour when lit up is okayish I'm going for a more alien green.

more details glued on inc PE rails and radar equipment for model ships.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01630.jpg

And finally complete....i think!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01897.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01910.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01892.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01908.jpg

And a small - out of scale enterprise just for fun

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC01919.jpg

Thanks for looking!:wave:

Steve


----------



## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

What an awesome project! And, out of scale or not, that last shot with the Big E really sells it! :thumbsup:


----------



## Solium (Apr 24, 2005)

That's amazing. It actually looks like a studio built model that was photographed for TNG!


----------



## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

yea. Studio model! What he said **DROOL**..............


----------



## Xenodyssey (Aug 27, 2008)

Cool. I agree with Fozzie, the little Enterprise D really makes it better.


----------



## Dr. Gonzo (Oct 3, 2000)

Excellent job!!!


----------



## Landru (May 25, 2009)

Wow! That's the best borg cube I've ever seen, by far! Really looks like the studio model.


----------



## AF1963 (Aug 28, 2010)

With a "star field" background your model could pass for a screen shot from the show.


----------



## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

Wow! What a great job! Well done!


----------



## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Now that's recycling!


----------



## mikephys (Mar 16, 2005)

I've seen attempts to use sprue to create a Borg cube, but this one is the best! Awesome scratch build!!


----------



## BolianAdmiral (Feb 24, 2009)

Wow, man... you REALLY did a great job with this! The last shot with the Enterprise looks great!


----------



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Thanks for the kind words guys, I really appreciate it!

It was fun to build - its very heavy though. i made it to be fixed to a wall but its just too heavy!

Great way to get rid of old sprue - I left a lot of parts on the sprue - stuff I coudn't find a use for and it really helped bulk out the details.

Thanks again 

Steve


----------



## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Missed this one first time around - thanks to *checksum* for posting the link to this thread! (thus the NecroThread Raising)

I think that it turned out looking _really_ nice! Excellent use of left over sprue for your build. Much better than some of those I've seen done by others in the past. :thumbsup:


----------



## wrk-N-prgrss (Mar 31, 2007)

awesome build lol. looks great!


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I concur with the others above. This looks like a studio quality build. 

Top notch! 

:thumbsup:


----------



## MLCrisis32 (Oct 11, 2011)

"DITTO" to everyone else. The green lighting makes it go from awesome to OMG! :thumbsup:


----------



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Ah thanks very much guys - I appreciate the comments!

I've taken the lights out of it and was only gazing up at it the other day wondering if it would catch fire with an incandesent bulb inside.

I need one of those rotating colour gadgets that look like a UFO with loads of FO coming out the top stuck inside.

Cheers,

steve


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

I only hope that my cube can look half as good as yours bay7. I've mentioned it elsewhere but your cube is the reason I decided to finally try mine.


----------



## GKvfx (May 30, 2008)

As someone who actually worked on that Borg cube, I can say it is probably *better* than the studio model. 

I don't fault the original builders - it was done really quick and there was a deviation from some of the designs I saw due to budgetary constraints. When we dug it out of storage for Season 3 (it was originally built for Season 1, I think), parts were falling off and it was a sold mass of color. 










I was an intern on the show at the time and they had me spend a day painting in silver a gold highlights on two sides to give it some contrast. Gary Hutzel rigged up a photo flood light (the thing was made out of gatorboard, and when a brite enough lite was indie the cube, it would glow and the light would filter out. We also laced it with some grain of wheat bulbs to give some additional kicks of light.










These are about the only photos I have of the thing. Took them during a matte pass with (gasp!) a film camera. Ahhhh..... the pre-digital camera days.

Anyways - good job.

Gene


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

GKvfx, thanks big time for those pics. I only wish there were *more* highly detailed pics of the cube. 
So what is that gatorboard? Just basically like foamboard but much stronger and expensive?


----------



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Oh wow, I love how this forum has such a collection of unique members.

I did the gold highlights on one side but kept the other shades of grey ala "Q who".

Q who was my introduction to the next gen - its still one of my favorite starship designs. IMO the first contact and voyager versions lacked the visual punch of such a complicated looking ship.

checksum, I may have some sprue for you - been clearing out some boxes and found lots of stuff I missed when I built mine.

I'll photograph it, box and weigh it and if you'd be good enough to cover the shipping I'll send it your way. Hopefully it won't be too expensive!

Cheers,

Steve :thumbsup:


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

bay7,
Most definitely. I can always use as much as I can get. So far I have had 1 person donate a medium size box of completely empty sprue, 1 person who is gonna collect some from a hobby club, and you. Plus some the 5 models I've bought for this. So I can definitely use some. 
I will PM you because I had a few questions I wanted to ask you anyway...
Matt


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

I didnt really see a forum section I could ask this question so Im gonna slip it in here. MODS, if its too off topic please delete this post.
I am looking for a Hasegawa Trytool TP-1 scribing template. I can only seem to find one place that has them online and they seem to be in Japan or China. By the time I have the TP-1 shipped it comes to something like 29 bucks. Is that right? Or can I find the same thing much cheaper. I appreciate any info or help...
/Matt


----------



## swhite228 (Dec 31, 2003)

checksum said:


> I didnt really see a forum section I could ask this question so Im gonna slip it in here. MODS, if its too off topic please delete this post.
> I am looking for a Hasegawa Trytool TP-1 scribing template. I can only seem to find one place that has them online and they seem to be in Japan or China. By the time I have the TP-1 shipped it comes to something like 29 bucks. Is that right? Or can I find the same thing much cheaper. I appreciate any info or help...
> /Matt


Your local hobby shop should be able to order it for you, or try ebay


----------



## Grumpy Popeye (Apr 5, 2002)

That is by far the best TNG Borg ship I've ever seen!


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

GKvfx,
so what exactly was the BOBW cube made of? Gatorboard which is similar to foamboard but much stronger and expensive? And then lots of Sprue or did they actually use something else? 
Being able to ask someone who was there when they actually made and filmed my favorite ship ever is also very cool...


----------



## FlyAndFight (Mar 25, 2012)

Excellent project, all around. The subdued lighting looks great.


----------



## GKvfx (May 30, 2008)

checksum said:


> GKvfx,
> so what exactly was the BOBW cube made of? Gatorboard which is similar to foamboard but much stronger and expensive? And then lots of Sprue or did they actually use something else?
> Being able to ask someone who was there when they actually made and filmed my favorite ship ever is also very cool...



Gatorboard is similar to foamcore in that it has two surfaces with a expanded foam in the middle, but Gatorboard uses a different, stronger material for the outer surfaces. (Foamcore uses paper.) It's not styrene per se, but similar. You can't bend it at all, and you need multiple passes with a knife to score the surface unlike foamcore, where you can cut through the whole thing with a knife in one pass (if the knife is new enough). It's just as lightweight, just better to use on props/models that will take some abuse. I think the basic "box" structure used 1/2" thick sheets. (I didn't work on the initial construction of the model, just the "rehab".)

Based on some sketches I was shown, the surface of the cube was to be a series of raised and recessed panels with various surface details. Imaging the Deathstar surface tiles arranged as a cube and you get the idea for the base structure. On top of that was supposed to be the grid. For whatever reason, the underlying structure wasn't made and they just used plain old Gatorboard. Since the Gatorboard they used was white, when we stuck a photoflood bulb in the back of the box (it was built on 5 sides), it glowed in areas where the paint didn't get all the way down to the base. It was a nice effect, actually. We had to rig two fans in the back of the box. One sucked the hot air out, and the other brought cool air in, so the thing wouldn't catch fire.

The grid and details weren't made out of model sprues. Maybe in a couple of areas, but not the majority of model. They used a series of bits of wire that were either welded or glued together. There were some cast greeblies that were stuck in there at various depths, and there were model parts all over the surface. I found a close-up photo. Sorry for the crazy lighting, but it was taken under UV light - 










The thing was, obviously, very fragile. I was there when we uncrated it and lifted it out. Dan Curry and Ron Moore had shot with it during Season 1, but during Season 3 ("Best of Both Worlds") it was going to be Rob Legato and Gary Hutzel's turn. They were very underwhelmed by the model (and the parts that were left in the bottom of the crate) and figured out a quick rehab while they were plotting out moves. Literally, as I'm drybrushing this thing with silver and gold, parts are falling off. After a while, I stopped gluing them back. I think I still have a couple of pieces. The model's color was a metallic blue. The grain of wheat bulbs are just 12 volt bulbs. We used an aircraft drill bit (which is longer than a regular hardware store drill bit) so we could bury the bulbs towards the base of the model. That way, all the grid stuff would be in front of them. That was Gary's idea.

Overall, it was a nice look. The thing that gets me is that the original design, if carried out to spec, would probably have looked cooler. At least it would have looked like a cohesive design. We made the remark that it looked like they took a box, sprayed it with Super 77 spray glue, and rolled it in model parts. Obviously that wasn't what they did, but it did have that hodge-podge look. 

Greg Jein's models for Trek would vary in surface finish and paint & detail depending on what it was needed for and how much time they gave him. (I wound up working for him for a while after the show - a great perk of that internship.) Tony Meininger's models always had a precision about them that made them look like they were milled from a single piece of acrylic. I never saw a seam or a edge cut or a blemish. Even on the weathered stuff.

I know wish I had taken more photos......

Gene


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

GKvfx,
That last pic is Awesome. I think I've even located it in the other full pic you posted. Upper left hand corner. 
That really helps ALOT. I thought that there was more sprue or wire (that I thought was sprue) covering everything up but it doesnt look like it. I wonder if they soldered some of those wires with solder?
Got anymore awesome pics to pull out of your but? And does anyone know what ever happened to the real cube after they were done filming with it? Did it get auctioned off at that Christies Auction thing a few years back?
Not trying to hijack the thread. But I have an update on my cube for those that dont know about my twitter and facebook pages @theborgproject 
Im getting close to starting with some real Sprue. And I need to do some highlighting of stuff cause its too black.


----------



## spawndude (Nov 28, 2007)

Is there any explanation in the Star Trek "Universe" (series/movies/books) about how the Borg cubes were constructed?

Seems like I remember hearing they were just a hodge podge of ships they took over. Or was that V-ger?


----------



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Nice job checksum - already looks menacing!

Sorry about not replying quickly (PM), been so tied up with work that I haven't been able to get by here often - got all the time in the world now!

under the harsh glare of the flash you can see how the florists wire is laid (and where it needs more paint! :freak at the edges.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0003.jpg


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0005-1.jpg

i worked in some S shapes here and there but the majority are [ with the prongs facing into the model to give it depth

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0006-1.jpg

you can see that patch of mosqeto net with bits glued on it - cheaper than PE parts:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0002.jpg

Overal effect - warts n all 

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0001.jpg

Here's the inside - looks kinda funky but isn't meant to be seen:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0007.jpg

the wire at the top was part of an anchor system to hang in but its just too heavy!

The Yellow is spray putty - its very dense and I kept it yellow to affect the interior lights - got some milky plastic with some crude lines in perm ink - just incase there's too much blank space behind a detail from the front

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0006.jpg

You can see that the solid detail has been added to the outer layers, so its build from the outside in - I needed a mid detail layer in place before I could see where heavy or fine detail was needed:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0005.jpg

Tape was used to hold it in place - it was tricky knowing where to add glue to bulky details that weren't flat - I was too lazy to take it off after:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0004.jpg

I'm not sure if these came across in the PM I sent you - I had to break the message up and then it crashed!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC02046.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC02045.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC02044.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC02040.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC02039.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC02038.jpg

Oh, and if in doubt - spray it all one colour and it shows where detail is needed.

If you need anything more, I'm done with work for a bit so I'll be able to respond faster!

Sheesh, I need to paint in - I don't think i finshed it, I remember paint an glue fumes were getting the better of me - be great to see yours, hows it coming along?

Cheers,

Steve


----------



## checksum (Mar 31, 2012)

Steve thanks for all that info and pics. It will take me some time to study it all. 
I do have to say that I like your cube better. It has better texture and looks more accurate than mine. I do have enough sprue to make a second attempt and will probably follow how you did yours as close as I can...

Here is mine so far. I have just started to add detail pieces like Stair-Rails and Hand-Rails from model trains and a few Plastruct beams. I need to get some Photo-Etched Brass but that stuff is expensive for what you get. Ive also just started to work on the top and bottom thats why I strategically took the photo at that angle...









Thanks
/Matt


----------



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

wow, that looks great!

I reckon it just needs some florists wire to finish it off.

To hide the more obvious sprue-like features, like names, numbers and corners, I glued rectangles of mesh with small details glued to them.

Sorry if this is teaching you to suck eggs but this was how i did the florists wire - i can't find the thicker green stuff I used, so here's some horrible finer stuff:

I'd lay the wire over the span i wanted to cover so I could bend it to size:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0038.jpg

Then using pliers, I'd make a bend in both ends:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0039.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0040.jpg

So I've got a basic [_______ the long bit needs trimming:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0041.jpg

after trimming, I lay it on the sprue and CA it in place:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0043.jpg

I made some random shaped parts - it doesn't matter if the shape isn't exact, you can make other strips intersect it:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0045.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0046.jpg

steve


----------



## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Oooo I meant to say, if you plan to display it resting on its bottom, i'd leave the detail light or work in some sort of base before you have to work round mounds of tiny tubes and fragile plastic mess!

The white rectangular object in here is there just so I can lift it!

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d134/maximumUK/DSC_0007.jpg


steve


----------

