Shaw

Here is a collection of shots of my model (all taken with day light in my apartment). And here is a comparison of my model with an image of the original model taken back in 1968. Slightly off topic... Back in 2019, when I finished this model, I decided that I wanted to (at some future date) modify/upgrade my study models to incorporate many of the details of my final model that were inaccurate or missing on the earlier models. I started by disassembling my

Thanks guys! So, full disclosure, I've never seen a 1/350 model in person. I have seen the boxed kit at a hobby shop, and I assume that the completed model weighs about the same or less. I bring this up because my model is pretty heavy, and the gooseneck arm has a hard time supporting the weight. I had put a thin (quarter inch diameter) wood rod inside the arm to help re-enforce it, but after about a year displaying it that way, the rod snapped and the model fell over. I believe that most of the damage to the original model between the first season and the end of

Thanks guys! My reservations weren't just me doubting my abilities. By 2007 I had seen a number of people attempt a 1/350 scale version with mixed results. The worst being the Unobtainium models which generally ended up like these... What changed my mind was watching Thomas Sasser work on a 1/350 scale model in 2007 and Steve Neill working on a half-studio scale model in 2010. Between what I learned from them and a few strategies I had come up with, I figured I might have a chance at building a decent model. One tool I developed was an alignment box. I used

Introduction This is going to be a little backwards... I'll start with images of the finished model (completed back in 2019), and then I'll hit on some of the interesting aspects of building it. It should be noted that I had tried out a lot of the techniques I used on smaller models to make sure that they would actually work before trying with this one (models like my USS Columbia and Phase II Enterprise). The project itself started out more as reverse engineering plans of the original 33 inch model (back in 2007), mostly in the hope that someone with some real talent would att

Thanks a ton for the encouragement guys!

Introduction This is more or less a snapshot of my understanding of this subject, an understanding which is evolving with each day I spend researching this topic. This research started in ernest in 2007, but my passion for this model goes back to my first viewing of "Requiem for Methuselah". Throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's, all my models of the Enterprise were measured against the image of the 33 inch model on the table in Flint's lab (and they always fell short). While my main focus in this thread is on the 33 inch model of the Enterprise, the broader subject at hand is all

This looks stunning! I'm wondering... in your research have you come across the reason for modifying this area on the original model for the NCC version? The images I have of the model when filmed for TNG don't show any damage to this area that might require repair/modification... and the changes weren't all that visible in STVI. Just curious if you had heard anything about it.

Still waiting on some stuff I need, but here are a few shots of my progress on the Enterprise...

So the one-sixth scale and 1/500 scale were chosen mostly for mathematical convenience. The primary hull of the large studio model is approximately 60" in diameter, and my model's primary hull is 10" in diameter... making it one-sixth the size. The fictional starship's primary hull is 5004" in diameter, which means my model is also about 1/500 scale (so the Enterprise would be just under 23" long). Because I wanted to make the model match the real life studio model (missing elements and all), yes, I've entertained the idea of making a diorama with effects and camera crew members workin

So I was slowly able to piece together enough silicon rubber to make molds of the M2 parts. The next step is getting the resin I'll need. I had enough resin to make a test canopy, here is that part with the other M2 masters... I had also been plugging away at the SV-5 masters (which are nearly done). But I still wanted to do something more than deal with fixing surface imperfections on that model, so I started in on something else... the Enterprise. I've only ever seen one space shuttle in-person, and that was the Enterprise back in 1978 (it had stopped

Like a lot of kids my age, my friends and I would play Star Trek. But we had a rule... no one could command the Enterprise. So we each picked a different ship from the Technical Manual, kit-bashed a model of our own ship (no one picked a heavy cruiser) and designed our own insignia. I had picked the scout Columbia, which was cool as when we all saw Star Trek: The Motion Picture we heard it specifically called out in the background communication chatter, and later the first Space Shuttle to go into space was named Columbia. In 2015 I was working on a one-sixth scale scratch build of th

Okay, so here is another kit (that is also a work in progress)... This is the pre-TMP refit Enterprise. A bit of background on the studio model... When the Star Trek II television series was transitioned to The Motion Picture, all of the models were started over from scratch. Magicam (under the direction of Robert Abel and Associates) built the new Enterprise model, and when finished it was put into storage while waiting to go before the cameras. Unfortunately, the model was stored under a leaky air conditioner which damaged the upper primary hull (including the bridge/B/C deck structu

Thanks guys! It is funny to think that because I couldn't afford this... I attempted to build this... Even though I wasn't going for hyper accuracy, I did have a few goals in mind. I wanted the Tricorder to look like the leatherette version of the props, so I used vinyl fabric on the masters. I also wanted the communicator to have a texture similar to the props, but scaled down... I found something that I could spray on the master to get that. There is still a ways to go on this, but I'm pretty happy with the results so far. My wife s

So, anyone who knows me is aware that I'm a big Trek fan. And that I've made a lot of artwork relating to Trek (mostly the original series). I'll most likely get around to making some threads highlighting pieces I've invested time and effort in, but there is also stuff that really doesn't need their own thread... so I'll put them here. Today's topic... scratch built TOS Phaser. A few years ago I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to build a kit from my childhood... the AMT Star Trek Exploration Set. Round 2 had recently re-released it, so I was hoping to find it at a p

Thanks for the replies!

Why are the Apollo and Orion command modules covered in a mylar-like film? And why wasn't it applied on the first Orion flight or the SkyLab missions? At first I thought it might have something to do with the Moon missions, but it was included on Apollo 9 and (I think) Apollo 7 (both Earth orbital missions).

Thanks! Sometimes I'm not sure what to include as far as build details because I figure you guys have so much more experience at this stuff than I do. Here is a quick family portrait of the masters... The SV-5 has had its first puttying and second primer pass, and I made the X-24A center fin master out of styrene. They're darker because my wife couldn't find Rust-Oleum so I'm using Krylon primer on this one. I believe these are all of the masters (bodies, fins and the M2-F3 canopy) I'll be making molds of. I'm still working out how I'm going to appr

Thanks! I'm still waiting on some supplies I need to move forward, but here is the first primer coat on the SV-5...

Quick update... A couple weeks ago I started in on the primer/putty stuff on the M2-F3, and I started building the fins for both models out of styrene. Because I'm getting close to the last primer coat on the HL-10, I figured this would be a good time to sketch out the canopy details on the model. I'll use clear packing tape to lift the pencil lines off the surface and place the tape on a sheet of paper to scan it in. From that image I can create a clean version for making masks (windows) and decals (hatch outline). I've gone throu

Thanks! Yeah, for me the effort of recreating things like this is an important part of learning the subject. It is similar to how I used to study surfaces back when I was doing mathematics. I would sit down with a pencil and paper a draw surface like an immersion of the real projective plane... Doing it this way (starting with only what I knew about the topology of the surface), I had to really under stand the nature of it. And the drawings of the surface could be different depending on how I envisioned the immersion... I have applications

Thanks! So I've been doing some research on the SV-5 program, mostly trying to flesh out the SV-5D (X-23). Below is a sketch I drew up with some notes. Nailing down the details of the rear panel has been my main focus because there are surprisingly few good reference images. I have been slowly plugging away on the SV-5 body. Here it is mocked up as the SV-5P (X-24A) with stand-in center fin and flaps. And here it is mocked up as the SV-5D (X-23) with stand-in rear ramp. On the M2-F3 body, I decided I wan

Thanks! These models are, in the truest sense, study models. I'm learning about the shapes by building them and hoping to incorporate that info into my plans. It would be great if the HL-10 model works out perfectly, but I did a lot of sculpting so I'm not expecting a high level of precision with this one. With that having been said, like you I'm a fan of the HL-10. So I am going to draw up more detailed plans... and plans really are meant to be built. I'd love to take a stab at a 1/18 build, but you might find that I'll have included enough data in my plans to render a

Thanks for the encouragement guys! Its styrofoam cut to the general shape using a hot wire. I then applied spackling and sand to get the shape more refined. I then started glazing the model with Elmer's glue to get the surface sorta "plastic", which is about where I need it to be to start applying Rust-Oleum auto primer. Honestly, I only planned on making the HL-10 and M2-F2/3. But because it is best to let the Elmer's glue on the surface dry for about a week, I decided to build the SV-5 body to keep me occupied. So sometime this week I'll start

Wow, that is really cool! Even though it isn't part of the technical research I've been doing, learning about the guys who flew these vehicles has been really interesting. Like seeing that Fred Haise had been involved before moving to the Apollo program, which made him a logical choice for flying the Enterprise. I've had a great time reading Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story (on NASA's site, HTML or PDF). It has some great stories, including Gentry's experiences with the M2-F1. Thanks!

Forward Hello. I'm new to posting here, but I've been following the site for a while... mainly to keep up with the progress of Tracy's (Vidar_710) incredible Excelsior project. I don't build a lot of models, and usually only when I'm actively studying a subject. Consequently, I'm not nearly as skilled as someone who practices the craft on a regular basis. That having been said, I figured that my current subject of interest might be worth sharing. My study models I've always had a fondness for the lifting body program of the 60's and 70's (similar to my love of