# 1/6 scale Star Trek TOS bridge crew chair



## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

I am new here and would like to ask for your assistance. I am building a TOS bridge chair for Spock and other bridge officers (yes, I got the Qmx Kirk's chair). What light blue colour would you recommend (I prefer the original colour, not how it appeared on screen)?. RAL 5024, MM2048 Mat RAF Azure Blue (ANA 609), ... or? 
And the biggest issue is how to change the round base into an X stand (Kirk is showing it). Thank you.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Welcome!

Just to be clear, did you scratch build the chair or is it a produced/found item?

I would probably try and scratch build the base with styrene square stock, sand to shape, then some epoxy putty to smooth it all together. For the support post 2 things come to mind. Either find plastic or wood round stock and sand/lathe it into the correct shape. O find a support post that is the thickness of the thinest point on the support and build up the flaring/cone shape with epoxy putty.

when using the epoxy putty keep rubbing alcohol available to smooth things out.

Does that help?

I love that you are doing this! please post more photos!

EDIT:

What Spock figure is that? The DST one?


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Welcome to the boards @Captain Koloth

For your chair build are you only going to depict the upper visible surfaces or do you want to also show the 'channel' detail on the bottom legs as well?


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

So, this is the original set chair from the Paul Allen collection in the science fiction museum in Seattle.



















The blue looks WAY to blue. I suspect they were repainted along through the years.

This is from the Ticonderoga sets. VERY accurate to the original sets.



















Much more subtle blue.

Screen shot from "The Corbomite Maneuver":










Kind of blue...
Screen shot from "The Changeling"










Less blue, and the back details are the same color.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Looking at your posted photos the main support of the chair base immediately brought a golf tee to mind for me. The would be easy to shape and scaled down to the size you need as well.

It may also be possible that the blue tint to the chairs maybe from the carbon arc lighting used back then. Anything pure white would have reflected back the blue light that they emit.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Star Trek's cinematographer, Gerry Finnerman, liked color. He liked to "paint" with light. I suspect thats why things seem to change colors. They were lit with different colors, It was subtle but it was there.

I like your idea of golf tee's!


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Thank you all!
To answer your questions:
This is the QMx/Nanjin Spock, looking much better in real than on the photos.
I transformed a 1/6 scale tulip chair found in the web to mount the custom faux leather back. Chair and back rest are exactly 1/6 scale. The cushion is also made with faux leather.
Although I am a purist I am not going so far to make the X visible from underneath. I'd be happy to build it accurately to be seen from above. The golf tee is a pretty good idea, however I'd prefer to use the existing chair base which is properly mounted to the seat with a screw, and transform the lower part by adding plastic parts and epoxy putty and lathe it, just as you suggested.

You wanted another pic, here it is (I did not take photos while doing the scratch building). It shows the transformation of the back rest and the chair found in the internet. It is exactly the kind of tulip chair Eero Saarinen designed back in 1955 that Matt Jeffries transformed to the iconic Enterprise TOS chair ten years later to be used in the series after the pilot.










First I did not want to build the TOS bridge, but now that I have Kirk's chair (QMX Nanjin) and the crew chair (in progress) I'd like to build at least Spock's and Uhura's station behind Kirk (and maybe the lift door) as a partial 1/6 diorama.
If you have any suggestions and recommendations please share them. I am especially interested in how I can do the monitors and multicolor displays.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

It's awesome that Spock is holding the chair back cushion as if he just pulled it off! 🤙


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Milton Fox Racing, you were talking about golf tees to build the chair base, only now I understand you meant the X and not the "column".


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Thats the best Spock figure I've seen! Very nice.

The only idea I have for the screens is enlarging the decals from the newer R2/AMT bridge kit decals. A member over at Trek Prop Zone, Feek61 did the decals for the kit, maybe he can upscale them?
I think Paragrafix has an aftermarket decal set. He might be able to print some upscale them for you.

Great job on what you have done to the chair so far!
Please keep us posted on your excellent work!

EDIT:

This is Feek61's web site:









TOS Graphics and Bridge Displays - Information


TOS Graphics and Bridge Displays




www.tapatalk.com


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Thank you, Mach7. Spock looks "in natura" even much much better than on the pics, he is Quantum Mechanix Version 2.0, designed by Nanjin Tam for QMx.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Mach7, I just applied to tapatalk, thank you.


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## alensatemybuick (Sep 27, 2015)

That photo up Spock posing with the chair back off is hilarious. On my own converted Burke Chair, I siliconed it on the chair back, as I found having it come off easily to be a nuisance.

In this clip, Rojan rips off a chair back. presumably by accident:


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Good catch! I never noticed that before.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

alensatemybuick said:


> That photo up Spock posing with the chair back off is hilarious. On my own converted Burke Chair, I siliconed it on the chair back, as I found having it come off easily to be a nuisance.
> 
> In this clip, Rojan rips off a chair back. presumably by accident:


Can you indsert a pic of your chair, please?


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Here you can see the dark grey color of the seat post, and the pale light blue seat.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

mach7 said:


> Here you can see the dark grey color of the seat post, and the pale light blue seat.


Ah, you mean the chair, I was concentrating on the lovely lady with the dark grey kind of bra thing...


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Chair? I noticed a black belt....


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

there's a chair?


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Honestly, I was posting a photo of the chair........
Yah, sure, Odana just sort of got in the way.


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## alensatemybuick (Sep 27, 2015)

Captain Koloth said:


> Can you indsert a pic of your chair, please?


See attached photo of my “communication station”  
Ralph Miller built this chair for me. He’s something of the expert on these chairs, and the “Burke“ chairs they were based on.


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## Spack (Sep 5, 2020)

Hi. I researched this years ago to complete my own lifesize chair. The closest commercially available spray paints in today's market are "duckegg blue" for the chair and "Gunmetal gray" for the base. Here is my chair in those colors.


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## alensatemybuick (Sep 27, 2015)

My understanding is that first season chairs had black painted bases and after that, they were painted grey. However I must admit, I have not laboriously studied screengrabs to confirm that fact. Also, even among TOS set recreations, the exact colors for the chair shell and base considered to be correct varies. Lighting certainly plays an issue, and my own feeling is I'd rather have something that looks like it did onscreen than it may have "in-person" (YMMV). My bridge chair is painted duck egg blue and black. My "dress" chair (below) is painted Krylon "peekaboo" blue (which I really like, but some have said is too "electric") and grey.


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## Spack (Sep 5, 2020)

Beautiful piece. In regard to the lighting,as you can see a little in my shot,that the Duck egg blue comes off a bit gray in the pic, as does your duty station chair. This is congruent with what has been said about about the actual set chairs. Similar to the gold/green controversy of Kirk's shirt.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

it seems that exo-6 would be making TOS crew chairs in 2021, so I stopped my chair project waiting for Nanjin’s production.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Captain Koloth said:


> it seems that exo-6 would be making TOS crew chairs in 2021, so I stopped my chair project waiting for Nanjin’s production.


Hopefully Nanjin will finish the TOS crew as well. 








-Jim G.G.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

JGG1701 said:


> Hopefully Nanjin will finish the TOS crew as well.
> View attachment 313195
> 
> -Jim G.G.


That's for sure, at least the prominent crew members Chekov, Uhura, Chapel... (and most probably a new range of what QMx produced before, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, Sulu, and maybe even Khan)


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Captain Koloth said:


> That's for sure, at least the prominent crew members Chekov, Uhura, Chapel... (and most probably a new range of what QMx produced before, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, Sulu, and maybe even Khan)


I just hope that they match up to what I have now 
-Jim G.G.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

JGG1701 said:


> I just hope that they match up to what I have now
> -Jim G.G.


I guess, they'll be even better than QMx


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Captain Koloth said:


> I guess, they'll be even better than QMx


Yes, but I do not wish to have to start all over again. I'd rather keep what I have.Then add Chekov and Uhura 😃
-Jim G.G.


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## Spack (Sep 5, 2020)

Captain Koloth said:


> it seems that exo-6 would be making TOS crew chairs in 2021, so I stopped my chair project waiting for Nanjin’s production.


I am sorry. I am not familiar with exo6 or nanjin. Are they one in the same? And where can I get their productions?


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Nanjin is CEO of Exo-6 and they are on facebook. You can sign in at EXO-6 | Hyper-Realistic Official 1:6 Star Trek Collectibles and get news from the company.
Nanjin is the former designer of Star Trek action figures (see my Spock here, it is Nanjin design) at QMx and now runs his own company. The best Star Trek action figures worldwide to come.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Captain Koloth said:


> Nanjin is CEO of Exo-6 and they are on facebook. You can sign in at EXO-6 | Hyper-Realistic Official 1:6 Star Trek Collectibles and get news from the company.
> Nanjin is the former designer of Star Trek action figures (see my Spock here, it is Nanjin design) at QMx and now runs his own company. The best Star Trek action figures worldwide to come.


I'm just hoping (for starters)that Nanjin finishes up the main TOS line with Chekov and Uhura!








-Jim G.G.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

I wouldn‘t mind Chekov, but I want Uhura! She is one of the most important of the bunch although she rarely had a bigger part in the show.


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

Yah, Uhura would be good!


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

To whom it may concern:
Today Nanjin launched his first Exo-6 product: Lieutenant Commander Data.








PRE-ORDER: Lieutenant Commander Data


Engage, Lieutenant Commander Data! Introducing Star Trek™ EXO-6 must-have hyper-realistic 1:6 scale Star Trek™ collectibles. From Star Trek™: First Contact – Lt. Commander Data. Click to view the Data Action figure!




exo-6.com


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## LGFugate (Sep 11, 2000)

I love Data, but this figure....no thanks.

Larry


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## mach7 (Mar 25, 2002)

He looks good!

But if it's not TOS i generally won't buy it.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

There seems to be a lot of extras with this one. Are all their figures optioned that well?


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> There seems to be a lot of extras with this one. Are all their figures optioned that well?


For almost $200.00 each ,they should walk and talk. But then again QMX charged just as much. 
I thought Nanjin mentioned that Exo-6 figures were going to be be more affordable. Or am I wrong?
-Jim G.G.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

TOS forever! I am waiting just for an Exo-6 TOS release.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> There seems to be a lot of extras with this one. Are all their figures optioned that well?


Not sure if Exo-6 plans on extra heads for all of their figures but, QMX didn't. The only thing that QMX done was have 3 sets of hands in various poses. No extra heads. 
-Jim G.G.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Nanjin has been working on a TOS Uhura for a couple of years now and he was speaking of different hairdos (during seasons 1 to 3 obviously). So in my opinion when releasing her in the hopefully near future she will be coming not with different head sculpts (although she looked different during the 3 seasons, her best look being in season 2 IMHO) but with different (plastic) hair "pieces".

As I am not an action figure or toy collector but only a TOS fan since my adolescence, I am only interested in TOS, Kirk, Spock, McCoy (I have the QMx models of the 3), Scotty, Uhura, a red shirt, Trelane, Mira Romeine. No mirror. And of course chair and bridge and shuttle interior and equipment.

And since I have been making my own TOS Klingons and Romulans I`d be curious to see how Exo-6 would be interpreting Koloth, Mara and the Romulan Commander. IMHO they'd never make Koloth (starring in "Trouble with Tribbles" but a short performance though) or Mara (only supporting actress) , maybe the Romulan Commander.

We`ll see what the future might bring us. I am perfectly relaxed since in the meantime I am developing my own figures.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

I am now approaching another way to create the chair. I have been much inspired by MarineBoy who once posted some interesting pictures of his making of the chair on sideshowcollectors.com. Although he used styrene painted black for the back I am going to try some upholstery by applying faux leather on the styrene back.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Bad news. I am going to realize that faux leather cushions are to complicated for the delicate back. I do not know anybody who builds the seat with faux anyway (I would have liked to do it since the QMx captain's chair got faux leather, too).

MarineBoy did it with paint, and Nanjin said he would be using plastic and paint for Exo-6. 

I am going to consider black semi gloss paint now.

The base is not ready yet, nor is the rear of the seat with the three triangles.


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

Strange enough, I think I've found a solution after all to do the chair with the "same" faux leather as the QMx Captain's chair. It is a considerably softer one than I used before. And the assembly method is very different.
Here is a detail shot of the back.









We'll see.

And here are the triangles. The edges still need to be rasped, of course.


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## jameskirk (Jun 21, 2011)

Are the triangles 3d printed?


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

jameskirk said:


> Are the triangles 3d printed?


no, scratchbuilt. I followed the instructions of Marine Boy on Sideshowcollectors.com. Here is what he recommended:
_"Cut each triangle from plasticard, i can't remember if it was 1 or 1.5mm. Score the "Y" within the triangle. Gently bend it inwards to create the indent. Don't snap it!! Heating it gently with a hairdryer should help. Turn it over, and gently file down the peak that is formed on the back of the indent. This helps it glue to the chair back. Cut 2 strips of plasticard, 3mm wide and use these to join the 3 triangles together into 1 shape. Glue to the back of the chair. Fill the gaps around the triangle sides with putty, then file and sand to tidy up._"

I used plasticard 1 mm and would recommend it.


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## jameskirk (Jun 21, 2011)

Thank you!


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## Captain Koloth (Sep 27, 2020)

jameskirk said:


> Thank you!


I have no experience with 3D printed stuff, however, all I see when it comes to Star Trek 3D printed "furniture" the surfaces are not smooth at all.


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