# One-Sixth Studio Scale TOS Enterprise, and...



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

What if... now go with me on this, what if I made a model of the Enterprise?

I know what you're thinking, "*Shaw* building a model of the Enterprise? Preposterous!"

Here is the thing. I was at my local hobby store, and there was this model kit of the TOS Enterprise, very accurate with the options of adding all sorts of _bells and whistles_. Being an impulse buyer, the next thing I knew I was at the cash register with my arms full of stuff.

So my wife, the saint that she is, came home to find this new project laid out on the floor...








Okay, enough playing around. Here is where this is going...

I'm building a one-sixth studio scale (or about 1/500th scale) model of the 11 foot Enterprise. This model will be similar to my Phase II Enterprise model in that it will be a study model for a set of plans of the 11 foot studio model _as a model_. Also, this model will be similar to my Phase II Enterprise model in that it will include (at a slightly smaller scale) techniques I'll be planning on using when building my _one-to-one_ scale replica of the 33 inch Enterprise (which I'll most likely rent a garage to build that one in next spring).

_So what will be different about this model (and the plans) from other models (and plans) of the Enterprise?_
This model will be intended to show what the studio model looked like from the blue screen side while it was being filmed for TOS. I'm planning on documenting (and replicating) what was (and wasn't) there on the side we didn't see in TOS (and was painted over by the first Smithsonian restoration).

_What will be used for plans?_
Back in 2009 I started working on a set of plans for the 11 foot model (primarily in it's first pilot configuration). Even after I put that project on hiatus, I continued to make notes and refine the contours. I plan on using those elements as a starting point and using the building of the model to help bring together a set of plans. What I'll most likely do is a generalized set of plans to start with and then address the specifics of the first pilot, second pilot and series configurations... though maybe not as a single set of plans when released (most likely a set of plans for each configuration). These plans may not be good for those wanting drawings of the idealized fictional starship Enterprise, but for those interested in the actual physical artifact these plans should be at least be entertaining.

To give you an idea of where I was at in that work back in 2009 on this, these elements are still up on my site...First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 1
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 2
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 3
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 4
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 5
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 6
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 7
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 8
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 9
First Pilot Enterprise Studies, Example 10​
_What does the *and...* in the title mean?_
At the same time I'm working on this model, I'll be making some _upgrades_ to my two-thirds scale 33 inch Enterprise. While this model has been great (and I love it very much), there are some issues with it. This isn't surprising as I was using it to find issues with the second revision of my plans of the 33 inch Enterprise. But I figure I can address some of those on this model before starting in on a _one-to-one_ scale version based on the third revision of those plans.

Here are a couple of examples of angles I'd like to match up better on that model...


_Click to enlarge_


_Click to enlarge_​
I guess we'll have to wait and see how this all turns out. Right now I'm starting in on the master for the top primary hull, bottom primary hull and bridge/B/C deck. After that I'll make masters for the front and rear nacelles, and building (or modifying in some cases) the rest of the model's parts.


----------



## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

This is nuts. Amazing, but nuts. 
And I'm also not sure what I'm more envious of: your skill at All things modelling, your Enterprise collection, or a wife that comes home to find that on the floor and finally doesn't shoot you.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*Looking at those comparison pics of your 33 incher I can see what you mean . It's way off; in fact, I think you'd have to make so many changes you'd be better off starting from scratch. Why don't you jmuts box it up and send it to me? I'll put it somewhere safe from prying eyes so no ones else laughs at it's inaccuracies. *

And yes... that tug on your pant cuff is me pulling your leg...


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks guys!

Yeah, I think my wife is where I'm most lucky.


I spent some time today making the foundations on which the masters for the top and bottom primary hull parts will be made. I also got started on sculpting the B/C deck structure.








The reason I'm pushing this along so fast is that I need to make molds of some parts for the Phase II Enterprise and it would be less expensive to buy a bunch of the silicon rubber and do all of this together.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I'm done with the foundation boxes, and should be ready to turn the primary hull shapes tomorrow. The bridge/B/C deck master is also coming along pretty good. I know there isn't much to show, but here is another few shots...


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Little more progress on the primary hull. I got the basic shape for the lower primary hull done (it took two steps to get it to this point, so I included a shot after the first step). I now need to give it some time to dry/cure for a couple days and then I can finish working out the surface flaws.

I have also been plugging away at the bridge/B/C deck structure. The part is about a third taller than it needs to be because it hangs over the slope of the top of the primary hull. The final part will be trimmed to the right height. I've included a couple shots of the master with a piece of foamcore board set to the approximate edge the final part will be trimmed to.


----------



## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Wow! Looking great, so far! :thumbsup:


----------



## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Amazing


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks guys!


Started in on the upper primary hull and continued to work on the surface of the lower primary hull.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Spent a little more time on getting the surfaces to about 99% of where I wanted them, then brushed over both masters with Elmer's Glue (watered down by about 50%) to help seal them. Applied two coats and let that dry, then gave them their first primer pass to see how things were standing (about where I wanted, so no surprises so far).

Here is a few shots of the parts after I hit them with primer.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Someone on another forum ask me to go into more detail on the process I'm using to make the primary hull, so here is the process broken down a little more (I just wasn't sure if anyone was really interested in that much detail... though I've covered a little more in this thread compared to some others).

So the starting point was the contour of the primary hull, which I divided into a top and bottom curve. From those I printed out copies and used them to cut pieces of styrene with those shapes (I used a safety pin to trace the contours and then broke the plastic along the etched curve). Because I wanted to get the edges as clean as possible, I used pretty thin styrene (0.02") but re-enforced it so it would be rigid enough for my needs.

I attached the pattern piece to a thin styrene tube to pivot the pattern around when making the shapes.

The boxes in this case are made of foamcore board. Ideally you'd use wood or thick plastic... something firm to make sure the base surface stays perfectly flat. I live in an apartment so I improvised. To keep the main surface flat (because foamcore board can warp) I built it up on a 1 inch base wall with additional supports underneath to keep it flat. I also added support for the styrene tube to make sure that it was sticking up straight out of the top surface at 90 degrees.

Because I was planning on turning the surfaces out of hydrocal and wanted them to cure in a reasonable time period, I built up an approximation of the final shape out of additional pieces of foamcore board. So in this case I'd only need enough hydrocal to fill in the stair steps and complete the surface.

Before I used the hydrocal, I sprayed on a number of coats of Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss over the boxes and the foamcore approximations so that they would be protected from the water in the hydrocal (otherwise, I'd have had problems pretty quickly after applying it).

As I started to apply the hydrocal, I turned the styrene shapes to help form the surface contours. after a couple passes I got to within about 80% of the shapes I wanted, so I set them aside to cure for about 24 hours. After that I went back and used HobbyLite Filler to address the additional surface imperfections (again using the shapes to help reach the contours I wanted).

Once I felt like I was really close (about 99% of what I wanted) that was when I coated the model with Elmer's Glue to seal and even out the surface. After I was sure that had dried fully, I started in with the first primer coat (I use light gray Rust-oleum Automobile Primer). I'm now going back and working on the surface with 3M Bondo Glazing & Spot Putty to get the surface to 100% of what I want.

From there I'll add some surface details (not much though) and then build up a wall around the final surfaces to pour the silicon rubber into. Once that sets I'll build up a jacket shell (most likely using AMACO Sculptamold, a cellulose-based paper maché, because it sets very strong but is not very expensive). I should be able to pull the whole thing (silicon rubber molds and jacket) away from the box and I can make my final model parts from them (using Alumilite White similar to how I made my warp nacelles for my Phase II Enterprise).

So this is how the setup looks with the turning shapes in place (even though I'm currently working on the putty/sanding aspect right now).








The thing is, the technique for getting this type of shape isn't a new one. In fact it is basically the same one used to build the original 11 foot Enterprise model back in 1964 (check the bottom set of images on the linked page). And in their case the primary hull is almost 60" across compared to 10" for my model.


Time to start in on the secondary hull.

So looking at the progress I've made on the primary hull in less than two weeks, I think it becomes clear why I look at the primary hull of the Phase II Enterprise model I'm working on as a mistake. I spent almost 4 months reworking the AMT/ERTL Refit primary hull (mainly because it wasn't that close a match to the actual Refit's contours) when I could have gotten what I wanted much faster starting from scratch (with the caveat that it would have added on almost $100 extra to the more than $500 I've invested in that model). And the secondary hull of that model was arguably worse as far as sucking up time and energy (though I am very happy with how both hulls turned out in the end).

Given that, one might suspect that I would avoid going down the modification path again. But here is the thing, the AMT/ERTL Cutaway has the best nacelle pylon support attachment setup I've seen. I have made three models using this secondary hull (in various degrees of modification) and I've never had to glue the support pylons to the secondary hull. So on both my first attempt and second attempt at a two-thirds scale 33 inch Enterprise the nacelle support pylons aren't glued into place. And the same was true for my Constellation model which was made up of spare parts from when I built my first attempt at the Enterprise.

So I'm going to use the AMT/ERTL Cutaway secondary hull and nacelle support pylons as a foundation for this model's secondary hull. Where am I going to get these parts?

Remember I mentioned the Constellation above. Almost since the day I started putting her together she has served as a _guinea pig_ for things I wanted to try out but didn't want to risk on one of my major builds. For example, when I wanted to see if drawing grid lines in white pencil would give me the effect I thought they would, I tried it on the Constellation first before doing it to the Republic. Well, she is the donor for the secondary hull and nacelle support pylons (and fronts of the nacelles themselves). I removed the nacelles and supports (again, they weren't glued in, so not a big deal) and then cut the model apart at the base of the dorsal (which I don't need). I then cut apart the secondary hull along the front (because I'll need to lengthen the secondary hull by 0.6 inches), then broke the pieces apart to remove the internal cutaway elements and cut off the hangar deck and fantail (which I'll build from scratch).

One of the things I can't use in this case is the deflector assembly because there isn't any part that is even close to the right size. So all that has to be scratch built as well. And I have to remove the pendant channel on the left side because it wasn't there on the 11 foot model (and create a channel on the bottom which was missing from this kit's design).

The support pylons also need modifications. While they are almost the right width, they are a little thin. This is actually a good thing as the right side support I need to remove the physical grills (on the 11 foot model those were just painted on) and I need to reconstruct the ones on the left side support.

Right now there isn't really a lot to show, just a bunch of pieces cut apart. I haven't started to add on the modifications yet.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I've been plugging away on a number of areas, mostly nothing visually interesting, but I did start in on the rear end cap for the nacelles. It is a fun challenge to try to match the correct contours and sizes. As with the front of the nacelle, I'll make one master and then cast two for the model.

Here is a side view looking at the contours and hemisphere size (so I can compare against my references)...


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Getting styrene to keep the shape I wanted was an interesting challenge. Turning a flat piece into a tube isn't much of a problem; bending, heating and in the end gluing. The nacelle end caps aren't tubes because most of them don't make it all the way around to be attached, so those areas want to revert to a more flat shape. The solution I found was to cut out circular pieces of styrene the size of the inner diameter, then trim them to the hight I needed and glue them in place while the outer part is in the correct shape. Those pieces would provide the tension needed to keep the main part from bowing out. And by adding in another couple flat pieces I was able to make a stair step interior, so when I filled the opening to make the end surface, I didn't use as much material.

Here is my end cap next to a DLM end cap for sizing comparison (which explains why I needed to scratch build rather than modify an existing part)...


----------



## johnF (Aug 31, 2010)

I find it absolutely fascinating watching your work progress. I especially look forward to seeing the changes needed to make a “filming” model rather than a conceptual model. Keep up the good work
John F


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!

I started in on the dorsal today.

This was a bit more challenging than previous dorsals in trying to match the geometry. The 33 inch dorsal was very straight forward, and while a bit more of a challenge, the Phase II dorsal had the advantage that I was able to find a styrene tube that was the right diameter for the leading edge.

In the case of the 11 foot's dorsal, I'm taking two pieces of styrene tube that are close to the correct diameter and spreading them by making a cut along an edge and putting a sheet of styrene into it. It seem to work and helps hold the pieces in the positions I need while I cross check the geometry.

I think I made pretty good progress.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Put some time in on the secondary hull yesterday and today. Most of that time was researching the deflector assembly. It wasn't one of the areas I had spent much time on in the past, so I needed data before I could start building the parts. While I have lots of photos, as it turned out the best reference for taking measurements was the x-rays commissioned by the Smithsonian back in June of 1999.

Once I had the measurements I started cutting out the pieces I needed from styrene. After applying a little heat to get them to bend nicely, I assembled the parts to see how they worked together.

During this time I also started in on modifying the rest of the secondary hull... which at this stage is more about removing elements rather than adding them. The most significant alteration is the lengthening of the hull by more than half an inch.

I was curious to see how all these smaller elements were going to plug into the bigger picture of the secondary hull, so I assembled what I had (mainly letting gravity hold it together). It feels like it is coming together as I had planned.


----------



## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Wow!  Fantastic_* model building*_, man! :thumbsup:


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!

I decided to re-sculpt the front of the secondary hull to get the contours I wanted. Here is where I'm at so far...








The deflector assembly is still just a bunch of pieces set together (part of the reason I photograph it on end), I most likely won't glue the rings together until I'm closer to painting them.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I put a little more time in on sculpting the rear of the secondary hull yesterday and then hit a bunch of the parts with primer to get a feel of where I'm at. This is the result (again, things aren't glued together, they are either held together by fit or by gravity)…










So I'm wondering, how much of this is _more than you'd want to know_?

As with my research on the 33 inch model (which was mainly trying to nail down how that model looked by the end of the first season of TOS), it is important to understand the physical changes to the 11 foot model as it transitioned from the original pilot version to the second pilot version (the inclusion of internal lighting) to the series version… and then how the elements had to be arranged based on how the model was being shot during the series.

For example, I know that there has been some debate on whether the model was originally intended to be shot from both sides in it's original first pilot configuration. Some people believe it wasn't, some people believe it was… and they are right, both sides. Some of the physical features were not replicated on both sides, but some elements were added (or replicated by painting) to allow the model to be filmed from just beyond the front or rear center lines and panned back to her good side. The registry number and pendant on the port nacelle and the pendant on the port side of the secondary hull were originally there in case the camera got that far around. Similarly, the inner nacelle channel on the starboard nacelle was elaborately replicated as a painted feature (which was sadly destroyed by the first Smithsonian restoration and hadn't been fixed fully in the 1992 restoration), which I'll be doing as a decal (because it is easier that way).

This is the type of narrative I was planning on holding off on until I put the plans together, but it might be something you guys are interested in while watching the build. Specially when you see me purposely leaving features off this model that most people would add in.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Pardon me if you've already stated this but, I gather that this is meant to be an accurate representation of the production studio model as used in filming? 
Is that why I see a hole in the port side of the secondary hull for wire pass-thru like on the studio model? 
Will you be taping wires to the side with duct tape as well?


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Trekkriffic said:


> Pardon me if you've already stated this but, I gather that this is meant to be an accurate representation of the production studio model as used in filming?
> Is that why I see a hole in the port side of the secondary hull for wire pass-thru like on the studio model?
> Will you be taping wires to the side with duct tape as well?


Yes, duct tape and everything... it will give people an accurate look at the 11 foot model's non-filming side as it would have looked during the first season while being filmed.

All the holes and the wires going in and coming out, will be replicated. Wires will run up along the port sides of the supports and along the port sides of the nacelles, and an array of wires will be coming out of the port side of the dorsal, with a couple placed along the bottom of the impulse housing entering a small hole just to it's lower port side on the primary hull which was how that hull was powered. There will be (replicated) duct tape and duct tape residue because the wires were moved from time to time depending on where the model was filmed from (it is just another form of weathering). The nacelle grill channel on the starboard nacelles will be a decal (replicating the original painted features) along with the grills on the starboard support pylon (because those were only painted on on the original model as well).

Windows won't be lit, but the windows that would have been will be a different size and color from the windows that were painted on (because that was true of the original model). The decals are tracings of the original decal sheet rather than someone else's version. Images of this model should be able to be seamlessly dropped into any of the old backstage photos of the original model and be completely believable.

So yeah, you know how everyone always jokes about someone so obsessive one day doing a model accurate to the 11 foot model to the point that it has the wires on the outside... this is that build (and the plans will cover these aspects when I'm done as well).

And because this is a model based on my research, it should be pretty much all scratch built (or, as in this case, more than 95% for what will be showing will be scratch built) to see if I know what I'm talking about. It is the last truly interesting aspect of the 11 foot Enterprise that is worth doing at this point. The only real unexplored territory with elements that still need uncovering and documenting.

And all that in a non-kit build.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*"HOT DAMN YOU'RE HEROIC!"*


untitled by trekriffic, on Flickr

Seriouly this is just an awesome project, no two ways about it!


----------



## Scotty K (Mar 21, 2011)

If you are going to make this a true representation of the studio filming model, what I think would be really neat would be for you to put the lettering decals on backwards, as if they were filming to show the port side, like they did in the show.

Just a suggestion....


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks *Trekkriffic*! Hopefully it'll actually turn out as cool as it potentially could be. Of course that will depend on...
the quality of my research and data analysis,
my ability to translate that into usable drawings, and
my ability to build a model that matches both of those.

Hopefully I'm up to the task. 




Scotty K said:


> Just a suggestion....


That would be a cool idea, and they had reverse decals on hand for just that purpose… unfortunately they didn't use them during any of the effects footage shot during the series. The only time they used the reverse decals was during footage shot for the second pilot.








Now, if I was doing a second pilot version, not only would it be cool to have the nacelle decals reversed, it would have been interesting to replicate the mistake in arranging the registry numbers on the underside of the primary hull as had happen during those shots.


----------



## Moderbuilderzero (Mar 29, 2013)

Are there any shots of the unseen side of the studio model, with the exposed wiring shown? Just curious. Don't think I've ever seen that shot.

MBZ


----------



## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Moderbuilderzero said:


> Are there any shots of the unseen side of the studio model, with the exposed wiring shown? Just curious. Don't think I've ever seen that shot.
> 
> MBZ


Yea. I'm curious about that , too.
Nice work, btw.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Star Trek History added some shots of the port side, and the Smithsonian has a shot of the secondary hull in the shipping container (here) and there is one during it's test assembly shortly after that (here) which is before the restoration team painted over some of the original details.

Shots during the 1991 restoration (here) give plenty of details on where holes were drilled in the model to allow wires to enter and leave. And the x-ray images released by the Smithsonian (here) give a good feel for the interior arrangement (as long as you remember that they linked the aft cavity to the front cavity internally, which wasn't how the model was originally setup).

There are other shots, but looking at those that are publicly available in the links above I think you can piece together a pretty good idea how the lighting was done on the model when originally filmed.




A little more on the building of this model...

I know I brought up the fact that I compromised in using foamcore board to build the foundation boxes for the primary hull halves, but I realized that it might be interesting to see what I did in constructing them to avoid having the top warp.








Oh, and I don't think I brought this up in the Phase II Enterprise thread, but I was so happy that I only needed to scribe a single ring on the underside of that model's primary hull. Three is a real pain (which I should have remembered from the last time I did it and the time before that).


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Spent a little more time on the secondary hull yesterday. Most of it was on the rear section. I'm pretty happy with where it is going, so I'll most likely spend some time on the front and mid sections this weekend.

Generally, when sculpting this type of stuff I aim at hitting key features and then go back and work on overall finish (while trying not to undo what I've achieved to that point). I've been doing essentially the same thing with both the top and bottom primary hull masters, working out small imperfections while not losing the larger scale contours I worked hard to get.

Here is some shots of the secondary hull with a few parts in place so I could do comparisons with reference images…








I still need to start the front nacelle master and finish off the rear nacelle master (which needs the ring part before where the main nacelle body starts). At this point I'm planning on making molds of those, the primary hull halves, the bridge/B/C deck structure and the intercooler loops. And I'm close enough on all those that I'll have my wife order the silicon rubber this weekend (which will mean I'll also be starting back up on the Phase II Enterprise again).

I did split my time up yesterday between this and another project… I wanted to see if I could make a reasonable tribble. I had been playing around with ideas for a pattern and tried it out yesterday. Here is the result (my new tribble with our old one)…








The old one has a sound box in it that makes a cute tribble noise when you squeeze it, which my new one doesn't. But at this point I just wanted to see if it would come together nicely.


----------



## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

You're a mad genius, sir, but I think I've told you that before. Following the progress of your projects is about as much fun as a person can have, at least with their pants on. Thanks for posting!


----------



## harristotle (Aug 7, 2008)

Love the tribble!


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks guys!

I forgot to point out that the larger tribble is the one I made. I based the pattern on that of a baseball and I printed off several sizes to make a bunch of different tribbles. I'm also going to get several other types of fur to use.



So two questions have come up, and both are asked quite a bit and both have answers that are related to each other...
Are you going to be making parts for other modelers from these masters/molds?
Why are certain areas of the parts left rough?
Part of the reason for leaving things rough (or raw) on the ends (specially where pieces come together) is that it gives me some margin for error.

A good example would be the top and bottom of each of the nacelle support pylons for my Phase II Enterprise. Even though I had a good idea how all those parts are to come together, I'm still hand building these parts. If they were machined or 3D printed, then I'd be more sure of how they would all come together, but when doing this by hand I'm not sure how far off the mark I might end up. In the case of the supports, it is better the get the primary hull, dorsal and secondary hull into the position they need to be in, put the nacelles in the positions they need to be in, and then finesse the ends of the supports to get them to connect everything the way I want.

Along similar lines, I don't expect the parts from my molds to fit together nicely. The nacelle halves I made for the Phase II Enterprise model didn't have nice straight edges that fit together for a nice seam. Those were messy and had to be worked to get them to come together, but I got hollow nacelles that didn't weigh much, so it was worth it. Still, it isn't like those are parts I think anyone would be willing to pay money for. They were still missing many elements and would require a lot of work to get them to a nice looking final product... work that I had planned for while I was building the master, so it wasn't something I was surprised to have to deal with.

Even now with my primary hull, I'm working to get the larger surface areas nice, but I'm fully expecting the joining of the top and bottom halves to require some work. Because of that, I'm not adding in any details close to the area where they will join because it would be a wasted effort.

A good example from this weekend's work is the pendent channel on the secondary hull. I spent a lot of time on the secondary hull sharpening up many details, but not around where the channel parts will go. I had to cut out those areas of the original plastic before I knew how the over all secondary hull was going to turn out, and the side channel was off slightly. Once I had an idea of how off, I was able to remove what I needed to and determine what would need to be added in to get everything to align the way I wanted.

Here is the secondary hull after those additional cuts with spacers in where needed...








So yeah, I'm totally use to a messy process where I don't expect anywhere close to ideal fits, but I can't imagine pawning that type of stuff off to others. Even now (with most of the model finished) I wouldn't expect someone else to be able to _assemble_ my Phase II Enterprise because if you just glued everything together the parts wouldn't line up right as they are.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Not a lot new to report, most of what I've been working on isn't worth taking shots of. But I thought it might be interesting to see a side-by-side comparison with my lower primary hull and that of the AMT Cutaway...








Obviously the scale of the two is different, but I think it is also clear why I decided to scratch build this rather than attempt a modification.

The silicon rubber came today and the transparent amber coloring yesterday, so I'll most likely be putting more time into the Phase II Enterprise than this model in the short term. I'm getting pretty close to having the upper and lower primary hulls of this model ready so I might kick them out soon, the nacelle parts will require more effort and might have to wait on the Phase II Enterprise.


----------



## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Looks great, Shaw! I love this work (as well as your Phase II E)


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!

I was playing around with the sensor domes for the primary hull recently. I know I don't need them right away, but I was still trying to mock-up some pieces that would help me establish the size/shape I need. The domes are an issue because the original domes on the 11' model were lost and replaced during the first restoration in 1974. So I'm cross checking against both screenshots and photos of the model during filming to try to nail down how I need them. The lower dome still needs more work.

Anyways, I did a quick series of shots of the parts collected together…








Nothing that new, mostly images I can use to cross reference my parts against shots of the original model.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

So progress slowed a bit this week because I was sick. I really thought I'd be further along (and also back working on the Phase II Enterprise), but I did get a few things accomplished... including building the containment box for the silicon rubber around the lower primary hull and started in on some of the main pieces that will make up the front nacelle master.








So yeah, I'm still plugging away at this stuff.


----------



## Photoman77 (Feb 7, 2014)

Are you going to go with the Luftwaffe blue on this marvelous model, or your originally intended colors?


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Well, I had always used Testors Gull Gray on my models because it had always looked good to me (I started using it back in 1985 for my Enterprise models). And as time went on what I found was that Gull gray had a number of nicely spaced (in brightness) companion colors that made it easy to paint an esthetically pleasing model. Camouflage Gray is about 10% brighter, Light Sea Gray is about 10% darker and Aggressor Gray is about another 10% darker, but they all have about the same hue.

Even with Paul Newitt's data, I wasn't going to trust either my screen or printer to give me a good color sample, and I wasn't able to find one of the ones he suggested. Given that, I stuck with what I had been working with (even though I was able to determine that Gull Gray was about 10% lighter than it needed to be).

So a couple years ago I started realizing that the grid line thing might be better solved by using white pencil rather than black. But I wanted to make sure, so I applied it to a test model (my USS Republic, which has grid lines all over it). What I found was that while it was nice in that the lines were understated, they might have worked better on a darker color. So I had decided on using Light Sea Gray for my Phase II Enterprise (which needs grid lines because they really were supposed to be there on that model).

When I read about Behr UL220-15 Frozen Pond being a good match, I ran out and grabbed a couple sample sheets. With one in hand I started looking at the Testors and Tamiya paint selections to see if any matched. When I spotted Tamiya AS-5 Luftwaffe Light Blue I bought a can and decided to run a test (both to see how the color worked and if the white grid lines would turn out the way I wanted). Sure enough, the actual paint matched up nicely with the sample, it looked good and the grid lines (and weathering) turned out the way I wanted.

And because the Phase II Enterprise color is based on the 33 inch TOS Enterprise which was painted the same color as the 11 foot TOS Enterprise, I now had the color I needed for this model as well (and my upgraded 33 inch study model).

What is left is finding companion colors that will work nicely. I'm planning on using Tamiya AS-26 Light Ghost Grey, AS-25 Dark Ghost Grey and AS-29 Green Grey at this point. Here is a quick diagram of where I'd apply them (they make awful colors for filling in a drawing, but nice colors for a model)…








I plan on running a few more tests, and I have some time before I get to the painting part of this model, but this is the approximate direction I'm leaning in currently.


----------



## Photoman77 (Feb 7, 2014)

Sounds like a good plan! Like you I haven't trusted how colors look on my monitor. I live about 85 miles from anywhere that sells anything but Krylon, and have tried ordering paint with little success. I was able to deduce that Luftwaffe Blue might float my boat for the Enterprise, but a number of other colors were also candidates, and I can't afford to order everything I want to try. I've seriously considered Model Master Helblau, but need it in a spray can. It's been rather nerve wracking researching not just the alleged "true" color of the ship, but what sprays will closely match that, plus the fact I'd probably prefer the slight green tinge to be more blue, as well as the cost of pills and therapy for my apparent OCD. lol


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Yeah, if I didn't review every step in my model building a couple dozen times before doing anything, I'm sure I could build a lot more models (or at least the one's I'm working on quite a bit faster). As it is I have two speeds... geological and glacial.

I've done a little more work on the front nacelle master and started getting some wooden spheres ready to have silicon molds made of them (I want them slightly more than hemispheres because it is easier to reduce the final clear acrylic part than to build it back up). Sorry about the blurry shot, I didn't realize it was out of focus until I had already started back to work on the parts, so I couldn't try again right away.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Here are a few more shots of the secondary hull, mainly to double (or triple) check the alignment/placement of things before I move forward. I've also included a shot of the nacelle end cap masters.








At this point I'm feeling the same way about this secondary hull as I did about the Phase II Enterprise's... so much of this is now my own sculpting that I wish there was a straight forward way of making a mold of it. Unfortunately I've passed the point where that would have been easily possible.


----------



## Gregatron (Mar 29, 2008)

Shaw said:


>




Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't that gray stripe along the rear edge of the dorsal been debunked? Or is it just a detail you're taking some artistic license with?


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

No, it is actually there. It is a discoloration off of the hull color that is fainter on the filming side, but more prominent on the non-filming side (before the Smithsonian re-painted the model in the first restoration).

If I was to venture a guess (and only a guess) as to why it is there, I'd say it was a repainting of the rear edge for repair/patchwork. Most likely to fill the hole along the rear edge that was there from when the model was built (it was originally intended to hang from a single wire that entered a hole in the rear of the dorsal and passed through a channel to the inner base of the secondary hull).

What I was planning on doing was masking off the dorsal except for the rear spine, and then ghosting it with another color (mostly from the non-filming side) to replicate the effect of the original model.

What is on the model now is way over done (sorta like the gridlines). My guess on that (and again, only a guess) is that Ed Miarecki was using a view of the non-filming side of the model as a reference for how prominent it should be.

I'll be testing this on spare parts to try to get the effect right long before I start painting the actual model. I was hoping that Light Ghost Grey would be close enough to the Luffwaffe Light Blue to give the effect I need. If it doesn't look right, I'll try again on the spare dorsal until I get something that works. This should be easier than replicating the outline of the original pendant on the non-filming side of the secondary hull (but I'm considering that a weathering issue).


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Some more progress shots of the nacelle end cap masters. The stand-in sphere isn't cut down to size because that part isn't really part of the master (and it takes a long time to cut one of these wood spheres down). The sphere for the rear end caps has been glued into place, but everything else in these shots are just sitting together because I'm still working on sharpening up the part's shapes.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Small update…

Most of what I've done this week hasn't been very visually interesting, but I did do a test of how the rear nacelle parts might look assembled with the nacelle body…








I need to close up the gaps a bit and the nacelle body is a stand in as I won't start those until I have the final front and rear elements. The main thing I'm going for is that the ring needs to be slightly narrower than both the rear end cap and the nacelle body. And at this scale it can be challenging to get that feel from the parts.


----------



## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

Wow! Great project idea and execution!


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!


So this has been fun... I've been working on reverse engineering the details of the top of the primary hull.


_Click to enlarge_​
So I originally thought that my tracings of the original decal sheet would be helpful. After all, those decals proved very helpful in my work on the 33 inch TOS Enterprise as the graphics for both models are the same other than scale. I quickly realized that on the 11 foot model the letters for "U.S.S. ENTERPRISE" were not added to the model as a single piece, so the spacing of the letters was different from the actual decal sheet spacing.

Still, it gave me something to start with and I used the size of the decal letters to reverse engineer the grid pattern's concentric circles. That information let me reverse engineer the placement of the lettering and the lighting access ports. And then there is the fact that none of this is on a flat surface and was all hand placed by the artists.

I actually enjoy doing this type of stuff. And this part of my plans still needs some additional work, but I figured I'd share my progress on it.


----------



## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Another masterwork coming together. This is such a pleasure to watch. Thank you for sharing!


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Yeah. So good. It's like science.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks guys!

Here is a comparison I did between one of my early nacelle drawings and the test assemblies of my nacelle end masters...


_Click to enlarge_​
Both the drawing and the masters need work, but I'm getting them closer to what I'm wanting.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Quick update...

A little more work (though not much) on the nacelle end masters. I took some more shots with the cutaway kit versions next to the masters for reference/comparison purposes.

Also I just finished building the containment box for the top primary hull master and applying a second coat of Crystal Clear Krylon to both the top and bottom primary hull masters. Along with the bridge/B/C deck, I think I'm pretty close to ready to start making the silicon rubber molds of these parts.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I actually got around to attaching the containment boxes to the masters today... so maybe I'll pour the silicon rubber tomorrow.








And I might start in on the impulse engine housing tonight. It isn't all that different from when I did it for the Phase II Enterprise, and that didn't take very long.


----------



## johnF (Aug 31, 2010)

Looking great. I’m curios what the three V shaped pieces on your containment box are for?


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

johnF said:


> Looking great. I’m curios what the three V shaped pieces on your containment box are for?


Well, when I was building the box I knew it wasn't a perfect octagon and that I'd need keys to help keep it lined up when I put the rubber mold back into the mother mold. On the top primary hull box I accomplished this with a set of three irregular shapes on a few of the walls. But in the case of the lower primary hull, the walls are all pretty high to deal with the height of the master… which means we are talking about a large volume that is going to be filled with an expensive material. So rather than small keys, I made large overhangs that would help reduce the overall volume needed to cover the master.

Originally I was going to remove the box structure and coat the silicon rubber mold with hydrocal to make the mother mold. But then I realized that the boxes themselves are actually pretty strong, so now I plan on just covering the top openings with hydrocal (which will attach to the side walls) and that will create the mother mold.

A lot of this stuff is me taking techniques I've seen outlined and doing variations on them to fit my needs (and/or budget).


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

So I poured the molds today. The silicon rubber set up quickly, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to open the top and bottom primary hull parts because it takes the mother mold longer to cure.

But I did open up the bridge/B/C deck mold and it turned out great. Here is a comparison shot of the mold and master with the Phase II mold and master...


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I decided not to wait.


----------



## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

Very clean job!


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!



Here is the last of the molds, the top primary hull...








So what I have left to make molds of are the nacelle domes, the front and rear nacelle caps, the intercoolers and the front nacelles from my Phase II Enterprise.

Most of the remaining masters just need a little more time invested in them, but I've been stalled on the intercoolers for quite some time. The problem with them is that five out of the six I need to have with ridges. And to complicate things a little further, I wanted to use these on upgrading my two-thirds scale 33 inch Enterprise, which needs six without ridges. I'll most likely do a mold of the master without ridges and then modify the master to add them and make another mold later on.

I need to clean up my work area a little, but I'll most likely get started in on making the parts from the molds I currently have. Once I have them I'll come up with an attachment/anchoring setup for the dorsal and lower primary hull. When I'm happy with that I'll attach the top primary hull to the lower one and then attach the bridge/B/C deck. And I also need to add the turbo lift tube to the bridge, but I should be able to do a good test assembly with the primary hull, dorsal and secondary hull in the near future.


----------



## johnF (Aug 31, 2010)

That looks like a lot of RTV. What kind are you using, tin or platinum based?

John


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I'm using _Mold Star 16 FAST Gallon Unit_, and the three molds I just made used up about 35-40% of that. I had used the _Mold Star 16 FAST Trial Unit_ for the Phase II Enterprise parts and it was just barely enough to make those molds. To close in the remaining open volume of the containment boxes I used Woodland Scenics C1201 Lightweight Hydrocal (which is also what I used to help build the masters) and gauze bandages.

This is mainly a test (at two-thirds scale) of what I've been planning on doing when I attempt my one-to-one scale build of the 33 inch TOS Enterprise. I figured that this model and the Phase II Enterprise provided a scaled down way of testing out ideas I had before investing a lot more money on a larger project. It is one thing to think that a plan might work, but getting to test it once or twice on a smaller scale first helps remove the worry that I didn't plan it out correctly.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Pulled my first part... the bridge/B/C deck. I did a rough cut to get it to the right size, but I'll wait for the final top primary hull before doing much more.

Still, here it is on the top primary hull master...








It still needs some work, but its a start.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Quick update...

I made the upper and lower primary hull parts. I also added the turbo lift to the bridge and gave all of the parts a first coat of primer. In the shots below I included the AMT Cutaway upper and lower primary hull parts for a scale reference.








The dorsal and bridge/B/C deck parts are just set in place, I haven't started gluing anything together yet.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

*Wow! You totally put that 22 incher to shame Shaw!*

:thumbsup:


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!

To give credit to AMT/ERTL, they did do an excellent job matching their primary reference for that model, the Alan Everheart plans. I remember when the kit came out (a few years after seeing an article on David Merriman's build which used those plans) and thinking we had struck gold (other than the sub-par decals and it being a cutaway model).

Sadly I couldn't afford it at the time and had stopped building models.

Ah... nostalgia.  




So I took a series of shots of the primary hull put together (all parts are just sitting in place, no gluing yet) so I could do comparisons with reference images I have. I'm not expecting perfection at this point. The parts have been pulled from their molds, trimmed a little and hit with a coat of primer, but this is the first time I've been able to see the parts all working together (something I couldn't do with the masters).

Here is a selection of the ones that looked the best (as in worth sharing)...








I generally don't show the messier side of these parts, but someone asked if I was making these parts solid, so I figured I'd show what the insides of them looked like.








So yeah, these aren't solid or even very thick, but they are pretty strong. This is the same method I used for making the bridge/B/C deck and nacelles of my Phase II Enterprise.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Spent some time making adjustments to the primary hull parts today (mainly the edge of the lower primary hull). Here are a series of images with the parts set in place so I can see how my work has progressed. 








I know it isn't a big difference from the previous series, but I thought I'd share some of the images anyways (in case anyone was interested).


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Some more adjustments to the primary hull parts and testing the anchoring system I'll be using to join the primary hull, dorsal and secondary hull. Here are a couple of images with the primary hull parts and dorsal together (nothing is glued yet). 








The anchoring system is the same as I used in the Phase II Enterprise (coat hanger wire anchored in both the primary and secondary hulls fed through the dorsal), which is over kill for this model as the primary hull weighs a fraction of that of my Phase II primary hull.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Second quick-n-dirty color test... this time with a spare warp nacelle. This was done (like the upper primary hull) with stuff I had on hand (including decals that are too old... which was why I didn't have all the numbers on the primary hull). So this is actually the second test, I didn't get what I wanted with the colors I used the first time, so I changed it up a bit.

So here is the test...








The base hull color is (again) Luftwaffe Light Blue (AS-5). The rear parts are done in Ocean Gray (AS-31) and I added on the same styrene I used for my masters so I could see how the color would work under the same conditions... and I'm happy with the results. The gray area under the front of the nacelle was why I started over. I first tried Medium Sea Grey (AS-11), but it was too dark and stood out way too much for the 11 foot model. For my second attempt I used Light Ghost Grey (AS-26) and that blends in the same way that the original color did on the original model.

I'll most likely do more experiments with this spare part, but I figured I'd share my progress so far (now that I'm getting what I wanted out of it).


On the actual model, I made the silicon rubber mold of the nacelle domes today. I'm hoping to test some ideas for how I'm going to make them in the next few days.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Those colors look pretty good to me.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!

Yeah, I'm feeling like I've gotten most of the colors that I want (and now a few cans of colors I can use on other projects), though I'm still going to use a spare dorsal to test out my choice for the leading edge.

It is funny though… I keep wanting to put more into these test parts than I really should as they aren't going to be part of a finished model. I have to keep reminding myself that I still have actual parts for the real model that need attention.

I was able to put a final coat of gloss on the test nacelle and then took it back with a couple coats of matte finish (basically the same steps I used on the top primary hull color test). Here is the color test nacelle as it currently stands with the top primary hull included for color comparison/reference.








These were shot in daylight… cloudy/snowy daylight, but daylight none the less.

As for the model itself, I made molds of the nacelle domes and did a quick test run to see how they'd turn out as far as size/shape (the mold was thick, so I wasn't expecting any distortions).

Below is a shot of the master spheres, the mold and the first test pulls, and a test dome with my front nacelle master.








The clear resin isn't as straight forward as the Alumilite White that I'm using for the rest of the parts, so I'm taking some time to get familiar with it.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I like the fact the domes aren't water clear. Translucent with a slight amber tint should look really nice lit up. Or are you not lighting it?


----------



## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Shaw - is that really AS-5 you're using for the hull colour? Does it only come in a spray can? If in a bottle, are you lightening it at all? I have to say, the colour in your post above looks great!


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks guys! :thumbsup:



Trekkriffic said:


> I like the fact the domes aren't water clear. Translucent with a slight amber tint should look really nice lit up. Or are you not lighting it?


In this case, I'm not lighting. Sorta like the Phase II Enterprise model I'm working on, this model's main purpose is to help nail down physical elements so I can put together drawings.

But there isn't any reason I couldn't build this model again with the intent of lighting it. The only thing I'd need to scratch build on a future version would be the secondary hull. I should have molds for everything else I'd need.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the test domes came out though... I wasn't expecting much from them.




RossW said:


> Shaw - is that really AS-5 you're using for the hull colour? Does it only come in a spray can? If in a bottle, are you lightening it at all? I have to say, the colour in your post above looks great!


I don't recall seeing a bottle version, but I'll check the next time I'm at the store. I'm still amazed at how this color changes so much depending on the light source. But I'm happy to have found a straight forward color that came so close to my reference sample. At the same time, I can now see why people have been using Light Ghost Grey on their models in the past.



I closed up the primary hull today. I'll start in on fixing surface flaws and sharpening up the primary hull's edge tomorrow.

I wanted to see the primary hull with more than just the dorsal, so I added in the secondary hull in this series of images...








And please keep in mind that this is being hand made by someone with very little experience in building models. I'm sure I could do better with more practice. :freak:


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I finally finished with the front and rear nacelle masters and made the molds. Here are the parts that I pulled from them…








I'm not sure if those are the final domes or not, but they do have the effect I'll be attempting to achieve when I do the 33 inch Enterprise replica. With those parts ready I can start in on making the nacelle bodies.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I drew up a template for the nacelle bodies and threw together a mock-up to see how it worked with the parts I made. Here is how that test turned out…








I then used the templates to cut out sections from an Estes model rocket tube and pieced them together (not glued, just taped for now). Here is that first nacelle body test with the front and rear nacelle parts in place (and the spare nacelle from the 22 inch Cutaway kit I used for the color tests).








I'm still considering my options at this point as I do need to make one nacelle with the inboard channel as a physical feature.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I made the initial cut for the inboard channel and glued the body pieces together. It still needs internal support (I'm using a couple stand-in pieces of styrene in the images below), but it'll need to be designed to work with the channel elements (which I haven't started yet). To get a feel for how the final elements will all work together I added on the DLM intercoolers (I'm still a ways from making those parts) and mocked up the front box features. Nothing is glued together, I'm mainly using double sided tape to keep the elements in place in the series of images below.








I'll build the other nacelle body today. It should be easier than the first as it won't include the inboard channel.

Once I have both nacelle bodies essentially done I'll go back over the project and take an inventory of what has been made, what needs work and what hasn't been started yet. This should make it easier to plan out making/finishing additional parts that need to have molds made of them (most of which can be grouped together).


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I put some more time in on the nacelles, though the bodies still need a lot of work.








I also started adding in the additional details to the front nacelle parts.

I meant to share this, but forgot that I had done it. About a week ago I added in the holes on the backside of the dorsal that correspond to where the wires will enter.








One of the things that is important in doing this research is figuring out what was there originally and what was added later. In the case of holes in the model, there are a lot of additional holes seen in these images that weren't originally there when the model was being filmed for TOS.

There are a number of large holes in the secondary hull and nacelles that were added during the 1974 restoration. These holes correspond to locking bolts that anchored the nacelles to the support pylons and the support pylons to the secondary hull. The reason this became a necessity was that the model was going to be displayed hanging from the ceiling. The holes for these bolts were covered and aren't visible while the model is on display.








Originally the support pylons slid tightly into place in the secondary hull, and the nacelles slid tightly into place on the support pylons. This tight fit was all that was needed for how the Enterprise was filmed... even early on when it was filmed hanging from a wire (that was anchored in the base of the secondary hull and threaded through a hole in the dorsal's spine).

Just thought I'd share that even though it doesn't directly effect this model.


----------



## johnF (Aug 31, 2010)

I find this kind of information interesting and very helpful.
Although not in your league by any means, I've been working on Polar Lights 1/1000 Enterprise, making it into the filming model mounted on a camera stand. Luckily the kit has extra parts to cut out and fill in the “trench” in the starboard nacelle. 
I did not know the extra holes were post production.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!

Within the next few weeks I'll be putting together the decals for this model, which will include the painted elements that represented the missing features. I'll dig out my 1/1000 model (I think I know where it is at) and double check the scale difference. If I got my model right, it should be about 1/500th scale, so any decal graphics for it printed at 50% should work on the 1/1000 model. If it turns out to be something less straight forward, I'll make a special version of the decal graphics at the right scale for those wanting to replicate this with a 1/1000 model.

For scale I generally use the primary hull diameter (at 5004 inches), so my model has a 10 inch primary hull (1/500) and the 1/1000 model should have a 5 inch primary hull. I didn't trust overall length because there are four major elements that have to be arranged correctly to get the right length, but any of those elements by themselves would make a good gauge (I just like the fact that the primary hull is almost exactly 5000 inches across because it makes things easier to calculate).


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

So someone had asked how I arrive at some of my measurements. Basically, what type of steps do I use in analyzing (usually visual) data. Honestly, it is a bit of everything when picking stuff apart. But in the last couple weeks I had to work on something that sorta helps illustrate how I work backwards to find a gauge and then work my way forwards applying it.

It is funny, there were some parts of my plans I thought I had addressed back in 2009/2010 that, as it turned out, I hadn't. I think part of the problem is that that was about the time I did my second revision of my 33 inch Enterprise plans, so I remember working on these areas, just on a different model.

One such area was the intercoolers. I needed to start this part because I need to make a mold of it to cast six copies for this model, and I realized I didn't have any solid analysis of it. I also needed to start in on the nacelle support pylons and realized that I needed additional data on those as well. Neither of these parts do I have ideal reference images of (images with the parts next to a ruler), so I started looking for something to use as a gauge for measuring them.

I realized that a good reference source was the x-rays of the model. The model hadn't been fully disassembled for the process, and the nacelle support pylons were still in place in the mosaic of the secondary hull that the Smithsonian had released. While I'm willing to trust an x-ray to give good data, I'm a little skeptical of error creeping in when a series of images are worked together. So I needed something that I could find in the rear secondary hull part of that mosaic that I knew (or could find the dimensions of) to use for making measurements.

Then a light bulb lit up… or more to the point, was sitting right there in the image. That was most likely a standard light bulb, which means that it is most likely an E26 light socket (26 mm in diameter). Using that information I got approximately 5 inches (4.94 inches) for the width of the nacelle support pylon. I have another image that shows both the nacelle support and the intercooler in the nacelle channel (which is the same length as all the others), and from that I got an approximate length of 14.75 inches (or 2.46 inches at 1/6th scale).

From there I knew the general shape… but something had always bothered me. I knew (because one of the intercoolers was put on backwards) that the part for the 33 inch Enterprise was taller towards the front. I had assumed that the 11 foot model had a uniform height for it's intercoolers, but I wanted to be sure. The first hint that it had the same type of profile as the 33 inch model's came when I saw those parts stacked next to each other in a restoration image, with a pair going in one direction and another pair heading in the other. So yes, they sloped down towards the rear. Now I needed to figure out how much. The grating used on those parts started at the rear with five rows and ended in the front with six, so the height had increased by about 20% over the length of the grating, which helped me figure out the approximate slope.

And that was enough information to at least throw together a drawing that I could use to start building the master part I needed.








That isn't the only way to determine the measurements I needed, and I actually tried a couple other ways to see if any significant errors popped up, but they didn't.

So while I'm more than happy to take some of the larger scale measurements that have been published on faith, I'd still like to go back an work out many of the finer details by my own analysis. I'll add this type of stuff to my notes and I'll most likely redraw the intercoolers a few more times before I decide to finalize them for my plans. But I was able to put enough data together to move forward on both the intercooler and nacelle support pylons for my model.

With the drawing in hand, I used it to cut out a number of pieces of sheet styrene and stacked them together to give me the thickness I needed. I then used putty and sanding to get the part rounded off the way I wanted.

The master is pretty close to being ready to use for making a mold, but I figured I should see how the master looks when in place on the rear of one of the nacelles…








I'm pretty happy with the results. Hopefully I can make six copies that work as nicely. But more importantly, this helped fill in a gap in my research I hadn't realized I had before I started working on this part.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Such attention to detail. Love i!


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Thanks!


Small update...

I'm happy enough with where the intercooler master is at to make a mold of it. As with most of my parts, this is more like reaching a point on an illustration and hitting _save_ before going forward. It isn't done or perfect, but I'd rather have this as a starting point than try doing more and messing it up.

Here is a couple more shots with the nacelle assembled with other parts. Both nacelle bodies need to be shorten by a little less than a quarter inch in the front, so I'm not too worried about the front edge not being smooth yet.








And I figured as long as I took the time to put one of the nacelles together, I might as well put all the major parts together to see how the model is doing. This is actually the first time I've done this with this model, so it was something I was curious about.








It still has plenty of rough spots and still needs a lot of work, but I think I'm headed in the right direction.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I'd say you're headed in the right direction generally speaking.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

So I made the mold for the intercooler and I've pulled two of them (out of the six I'll need) so far. I sanded down the bottoms, but haven't done anything else yet... here is how they look just set in place.








So I made note of any differences in the ribbing on the original model so I can modify the final parts I pull to match. In the illustration below we are looking at them from the top with all of them heading to the right (I point this out as the starboard side inboard channel intercooler is upside-down from how it would be on the actual nacelle)...


_Click to enlarge_​
I'm guessing that this is how the ribbing was originally added to the model for the second pilot as any thought of filming too far past the model's center line was removed by the addition of wiring to the back side's surface.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

This isn't going to effect this model, but I figured I'd share this anyways. Here are my notes on the approximate screw positions on the nacelles of the original model. The reason this isn't going to matter with this model is that the screws were well hidden on the model while being used for filming during the original series. They started showing up on the model after it was put on display by the Smithsonian and for some reason no attempt was made to cover the rear screws during the last restoration of the model.

Like figuring out the plank arrangement for the secondary hull, this is information collected for my plans, not this model.


_Click to enlarge_​


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Screw positions on the studio model nacelles? Now THAT's meticulous.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Yeah, I figure I'll put as much detail into these plans as possible and then let others decide what they want to include as far as details on a fictionalized version. Plus studying the model in this way is interesting from a model builder's perspective... in it's original configuration it was basically built by three guys in about a month (50 years ago this December). That is amazing to me.



Small update...

I pulled all the intercoolers. I removed the flash from four of them, and the screen from two of them (that will be used for the inboard ones). Otherwise, they haven't had any other work done on them.

Here is how they look...








If I have any time this weekend I'll most likely start the impulse engines. I don't really know why I haven't done this part yet, the last time I did it it was pretty straight forward.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

So I went back through all my reference images and remeasured everything for the impulse engine housing. I think this is pretty close to the studio model's part… though I might be off a bit on how it intersects with the primary hull rim, but I don't need that aspect right now.


_Click to enlarge_​
I noted the placement of the screws that hold the part to the primary hull, though they shouldn't be visible as they were filled in on the studio model during production. I didn't include the fabric (other than the boundary lines) because I'm working on the main shape of the part first.

Now to see if I can build that.


----------



## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Shaw - does your research show that the impulse engines sit below the piece that sticks out from the top of the primary hull (linear accelerator?)? I just noticed that when building my 1:350 kit and had to add a strip of styrene to the bottom of the linear accelerator to make it flat and sit closer to the impulse engines.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

On the original model the impulse engine housing rests below the upper edge the same thickness as the plastic that makes the upper surface. There is a hole cut into the upper surface that the linear accelerator piece rests in and the part that extends out should be flush with the top surface of the impulse engine housing.

To do this on the kit, there should be a part on the linear accelerator piece that over hangs the edge so it meets flush with the impulse engine part.

Looking at a couple finished builds, I see the gap you are talking about. I would guess that this goes back to the trouble Gary was having getting the engineers in China to understand how the pieces needed to fit together. But yeah, adding the strip of styrene to close that gap looks like it would help.

Also, the linear accelerator piece on the kit doesn't look the same as the one I've seen in photos of the MR model (which meets the impulse engine housing correctly), so I know it isn't a shortcoming of Gary's work. This was something that was most likely lost in translation.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Okay, after a long delay (because of work commitments) I have finally made some real progress on the impulse engines. The part should be done in the next day or two as it only has some small issues that need addressing. I did a test earlier with the fabric on the sides and it looked great. Here is how it looks right now...








Also in that picture is the deflector assembly. Those are the final rings, I ended up making a mold of the original ones in case I decide to build this model again in the future. And because I painted the rings, I wanted to try out some ideas on the deflector dish... but I'm still working on that part, so the one in the picture is a stand-in. Basically it is painted the same color as the rings and then I added weathering to it (using silver and steal). I did it in a number of steps to see how far was _too_ far, so on the final part I will stop before I get to this point... but I was happy with the effect I got.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I finished up on the major aspects of the impulse engine. Here are some shots of it in place (held there by a single piece of tape)...








I need to let it finish drying/curing for a while and then I'll hit it with a final coat of primer.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

I felt like I wanted to work on something a little different, so I started in on the master for the name plate (which assumes I'll actually finish a model to the point it'll need a name plate).








It is still a work in progress, but I think it shows what I'm aiming for. The final parts will be painted either brass or copper.


----------



## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

So I have been working on this... slowly, without doing much that was visually interesting. But I figure that this is a good step to post. I joined the primary hull, dorsal and secondary hull together and put in the mounting tube, so now they can be photographed together as a single piece.








Still a lot of work needed, but at least it is supporting itself.


----------



## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I so love the TOS Enterprise. Your builds are like candy to my eyes!


----------

