Star Trek: Search For The Enterprise

Paul Olson, the guy tasked with painting the refit Starship Enterprise for The Motion Picture is on a new mission, to seek out the original studio model and restore her to her former glory.

In 1978, Paul was working in Los Angeles as an airbrush artist, having acquired the skills through his friends, Peter Lloyd, Bob Hickson, and Ed Scarisbrick. Through a mutual acquaintance of Scarisbrick, Olsen was introduced to Jim Dow of Magicam, who had devised a paint scheme for the The Motion Picture Enterprise, but who did not have the staff capable enough to apply it.

Olsen readily accepted and for the next six or seven months was deeply immersed in applying the paint scheme onto the model. In the process, Olsen got to know the modelers at Magicam quite well, a few of them he befriended, especially Mark Stetson, and among others his close co-worker, responsible for the secondary hull paint application, Ron Gress.

Upon completion of his work on the model, Olsen was asked by Douglas Trumbull to stay on to help out with visualizing some of the V’Ger effects. Olsen did, as a graphics artist (the function for which he received his credit), working alongside Production Illustrator Tom Cranham and Animation and Graphics Artist Alison Yerxa, causing his total involvement to last for sixteen months.

Once the model was complete, the lighting technicians locked it away for 3 days while setting up the Enterprise for filming, after which, Paul was invited onto the blackened stage where he saw the ship sat in drydock – he was struck with awe at the sight.

Since the filming of  The Motion Picture, the models paint scheme was dulled down for the next three movies before being re-christened NCC-1701-A for the following two movies.

During the course of filming the movies and during it’s long spell in storage, the model suffered alot of cosmetic damage, chipped surfaces and deterioration of the paint scheme before being auctioned off at the 2006 Christies sale.

This is where the whereabouts of the ship was lost. The model was sold to an anonymous bidder and has never been seen again, so now Paul is requesting the help of all fans to find the owner and restore it with a new paint job and lighting kit.

Paul also has other plans for the model. First up, he wishes to document the restoration project, which he believes will take aroung 12 months to complete, but more excitingly, Paul has written a movie screenplay that has gathered a lot of interest featuring the ship.

So, if you or anyone you know may know the location of this iconic ship, please contact Paul (details below) where you may become part of the documentary itself.

Please share this post with all fellow fans and spread the word far and wide and get this project underway!

You can contact Paul at paul@startrek-enterprise.us

Paul also urges you to purchase his book Star Trek: Creating the Enterprise as proceeds from this book will be used to part fund the project. You can purchase this book at Paul’s website www.startrek-enterprise.us

U.S.S. Enterprise Refit Model – Battle Damage

It has been a while since I posted anything about starship models so I began to scour the interweb and came across many new impressive examples.

None impressed me more than this model of the USS Enterprise -1701-refit complete with lit battle damage.

This model does not represent one movies worth of damage, but two, that from the Wrath Of Khan, with engineering damage and a couple of scorch marks on the saucer and The Undiscovered Country, the massive hole inflicted on the USS Enterprise-A by Chang’s Bird-of-Prey.

I managed to get the low down on this model from it’s creator, Dave Windham, and here he explains the process behind the model.

 

This is my build up of Polar Lights 1/350 U.S.S. Enterprise Refit. It was done as a special commision with some sepecific instrutions. Basically to f*** up the Enterprise. He wanted a combination of Star Trek II damage and Star Trek 6 damage. So, here’s how I did it…

The main model pretty much followed the instructions. I used photoetched detail sets from Paragrafix and PNT in various places. The lighting system is a combination from several different manufacturers and for the main control board I used the Model# S-XYZ-1 Gen 2 Weapons board from Starling Tech. I had it customized to only fire the starboard torpedo since the port side was trashed. I went with this board because it has a great torpedo system with sound and will also control the nav/strobe lights.

Now for the damaged areas. The Engineering section was pretty simple. Using reference photos I determined where the damage was supposed to be and used a dremel to carve it out. Then I went back with a woodburning tool and gave it all a little metling. [pic_01,pic_02]

Pic 01

Pic 02

The saucer section damage was a bit trickier. The kit parts were way too thick to be in scale. I fixed this by using mold making putty to create a mold of the sections [pic_05].

Then I carefully cut out the panels from the saucer parts. The panel lines worked great for realigning the mold [pic_06].

Poured in some Allumilite to make a thinner section [pic_07]. Dremelled out the holes and made some small panel sections using the aztec pattern and .14mm styrene. Gave those a bit of melting, also [pic_08].

Pic 05

Pic 06

Pic 07

Pic 08

 

Since this is a big hole we needed to see some of the bulkheads and interior rooms. I used strips and sheets and followed some on-line blueprints and created an interior section [pic_03] and then melted it out [pic_04]. Gave it all test fitting [pic_09] and threw in some quick lights for a test [pic_10].

Pic 03

Pic 04

Pic 09

Pic 10

For the flickering lights I just pulled LEDs from cheap flameless tea lights and integrated them into the wiring on their own circuit for optional lighting. The whole in the saucer also has some white fibre optics connected to a flickering LED for a sparking powerline effect.

For overall finishing I used the Aztec decals that came with the kit. I went with the on screen grey theme. I’m a bigger fan of on screen appearance rather than matching studio models (If that’s blasphemy, I beg forgiveness).

I am very happy with it, overall. It is due to be delivered to the client next week.

Visit Davids Facebook page here to see other models and videos of this ship.

 

Cutaway Refit Enterprise

Back in 2003 Stuart Forrester built this refit Enterprise with a cutaway look. There is a wedge taken out of the saucer so we can look inside the ship, and the same has  been done to the bridge.

Also the engineering hull has had some panels removed, taking a look at the inner workings of the ship.

This is the first proper cutaway of the refit, we have seen the original with this look before. There is no word on the scale, but it looks like a 1:350

I would like to see some of the less popular ships given this treatment too, maybe a full side of the Defiant could be cutaway, wouldn’t that be cool!

Think Geek Trek Items

Christmas is fast approaching, so here are a few things to put on your Santa’s list (but only if you’ve been good). All the items listed are available from those cool guys at Think Geek.

First up is this cool USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D model, which is 17″ long, highly detailed, lights and sound, and a separating saucer section. Even the stand is pretty nice too.

Product Specifications:

• Recommended ages: 16+
• Detailed 17″ U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D model
  • Standard Version – 2 engine design(photographed)
  • All Good Things Version – 3 engine design from the final 2 part episode(not photographed)
• Sound and light effects and magnetic separating saucer section
• For discriminating fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Officially licensed Star Trek collectible
• Batteries: 3 AAA batteries for main, 3 LR44 batteries for saucer (included)
• Dimensions: 17″ long
• Weight: 4.76 pounds

$59.99 – $69.99 / £38-£45

Click Here

If you prefer the classic look of Trek then why not opt for the Orignal USS Enterprise – in HD. This one is 16″ long and also has the lights and sounds and cool stand, but with high definition paint work (whatever that means).

Product Specifications

• Star Trek Enterprise replica with light & sound effects
• Highly detailed and painted, perfect for collectors
• Display stand included
• Dimensions: 7.6” H x 5.2” W x 16.8” D, 1.6 lbs.

$59.99 / £38

Click Here

There is available, a piece of Trek, that can adorn pretty much any room in your home, but the bathroom always seemed to be forgotten…until now. A Star Trek transporter room shower curtain and bath mat. I suppose the water has the same shimmering effect of the transporter beam, so why not?

$49.99 / £31

Click Here

As per social media protocol, this next item has to begin with “I know it’s not Star Trek but…” a Death Star tea infuser. If you like your cuppa freshly stewed then this is for you, of course Picard wouldn’t approve  – he prefers the convienience of the replicator…Tea, Earl Grey, Hot!

Product Specifications

• Tea infuser molded to look like the Death Star
• Fill with your favorite loose leaf tea
• Officially licensed Lucasfilm collectible
• Materials: Stainless Steel
• Yes, it’s dishwasher safe!

$19.99 / £13

Click Here

If your thinking about buying your favourite Star Trek blogger a nice little prezzie for crimbo, I would like the classic TOS Enterprise please.

Refitting The Constitution Class USS Enterprise – Model

I don’t know how many of you guys have seen this model, but here we have a mock up of the original USS Enterprise in drydock undergoing her refit.

The images show the starboard engine has been replaced and new hull panels added over the top of the original saucer section. Also the deflector dish has been replaced and the bridge module has been changed.

It is an interesting concept, although I doubt Starfleet just slapped on a few new panels over the existing ship.

These are photos of a USS Enterprise NCC-1701 undergoing refit in dry dock. This diorama represents the original Enterprise after about 5 months of refit. The topside new saucer is nearly complete, the bridge, the deflector , the sensor dome on the bottom have all been replaced with new ones, and finally one new warp engine has been installed. The dry dock is completely scratch built. I used the DVD of Star Trek The Motion Picture for reference.

Baker Shannon

Guest Post – Liam Dillon “I Want To Build A Starship”

This post was written by a chap I met at a Star Trek convention in London. Liam is a Starship models fan and wanted to share his thoughts and experiences in this tough but satisfying field of Star Trek devotion.

I want to build a starship!

Or a robot, a UFO, or even an alien!

When Star Trek first appeared on tv in the sixties every boy (and many girls) wanted to have their own Enterprise, Romulan Bird of Prey or Klingon D7. In the USA, model kit company AMT brought out a couple of models, of the Enterprise and the D7. The kits were crude and simple to build but made many fans very happy including myself. We stuck them together with glue and ended up with sticky fingers and an even stickier model. We couldn’t light them or paint them accurately but even so we were happy.

Roll on forty five years and the modelling world has moved on. A search on YouTube for Trek models will bring up a multitude of resources and modellers producing duplicates of all the ships from all the of the series and movies.

The kits available today are much more accurate and there is a massive after market in add ons for the kits to accurize them or make variations on the original design.

They can all be built straight from the box, requiring various skill levels depending on the complexity if the kit, however with care and experience the kits can be lit or even motorised to duplicate all the features of the original.

For example, this build of the Refit Enterprise built by Boyd at TrekWorks, http://youtu.be/UE935wwW4Pc. This a 1/350 scale model, so that every inch equals 350 inches of the full size ship, which when built is 33 inches long, so it will need a bit of space to display. The kit costs about £105 in the UK but only $90 in the USA, go figure! Boyd has painted and lit the kit to produce a masterpiece that any Trek fan would be happy to possess. His level of finish means that he is asked to build these kits as commissions for fans, but the price is not low due to the amount of time and effort involved.

Almost every popular ship from Star Trek is available, runabouts, all the variations on the Enterprise A through E, Klingon and Romulan ships, Deep Space Nine station etc. there are some quite reasonably priced kits like the Revell Voyager kit available from various suppliers for about £25. This will build into a very nice model without extreme skills or knowledge being required. With time and effort though you can achieve something like this, www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d1var6CXg7k built by Daniel Beck.

Should you be interested in starting your own Utopia Planitia shipyard I have listed some resources below that will assist in either returning to the hobby or helping in getting your first steps on the road to your own masterpiece! You will find guides on how to prepare the parts of the model. How to paint it using an airbrush, light it with strip LEDs and smd LEDs to make it look almost real. You can also add soundboards and effects controllers so the whole ship can achieve the finish you want.

Resources I’d recommend:

YouTube channels:

Search for any of the following: Steve Neill’s Garage, Trekworks, Simon Mercs. A search for 1/350 enterprise will also bring up a massive selection of builds of this model.

Forums:

There are numerous forums which specialise in sci-fi model building, these include Sci-FiModelAction.com, starshipmodeller.net, and amazingplastic.com. There are also groups on Google+ and Facebook which specialise in sci-fi models with Star Trek often the most popular.

So why not practice your best Scottish accent and get your engineering coveralls on and get building now!

STID: History of Starflight Models – QMx

During Kirk’s mission briefing in Admiral Marcus’ office, we see a whole bunch of models displayed which showed the history of starflight, similar to the image display of ships named Enterprise in The Motion Picture and the gold models in Picard’s display case in First Contact.

QMx, the Artisan model making company, built all the models seen and has a nice section on thier website, reblogged below.

When you build starships for a living, there really is no greater honor than to be asked to build one for a major motion picture. Much less for a Star Trek movie. Much less 14 of them.

For Star Trek Into Darkness, Quantum Mechanix’s Artisan prop and model shop, QMx FX Cinema Arts, was asked to illustrate the history of starflight in the new Star Trek timeline with models. The 14 filming miniatures we created can be seen stretching across the credenza in Admiral Marcus’ office starting with the Wright Flyer and ending with the U.S.S. Vengeance.

While they get lots of screen time in that scene, we thought some of you might like a slightly closer look at some of those models. It’s with that in mind that we offer the gallery below.

Only the Vengeance isn’t pictured here. For that we suggest you take a look at our collector’s scale replica elsewhere in this newsletter or wait for the official unveiling of our Artisan replica of that same model (more on that soon). It was fun helping stitch together old Trek and new with this set of models. We were very happy to see some venerable (if obscure) ships from Trek make it into the new timeline:

Wright Flyer

It was Dec. 17, 1903 when humans first shook off the shackles of Earth. The flight may have only lasted 12 seconds and traversed just about 37 meters, but it still stands as one of humanity’s greatest leaps forward.

Spirit of St. Louis

It’s hard to say who is more famous – Charles Lindbergh or the single-seat monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Together, these two icons of flight made the first successful nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927.

V-2 Rocket

Proof that war often spurs the greatest scientific leaps forward, the German V-2 rocket (1944) was both the first long-range ballistic missile and the first human-made artifact to enter outer space.

North American X-15 Rocket Plane

The North American X-15 rocket plane boasts several firsts, chief among them being the first reusable space vehicle. It exceeded an altitude of 50 miles, qualifying it as a suborbital spacecraft and its pilots astronauts. It also holds the world’s record to this day for the fastest-recorded manned flight.

Vostok

The Russian Vostok holds the distinction of being the first vehicle to put a human into space (that flight on April 12, 1961 predates the X-15’s first suborbital flight by months). Our replica of the Vostok took a beating on reentry from the movie set, and several of its signature antennae are now missing from the model.

Gemini Capsule

The Gemini capsule was the first spacecraft to carry two passengers into orbit. It was also first to allow for space walks and to be able to practice orbital maneuvers necessary to achieve docking, thus paving the way for the Apollo space program and landing humans on the moon.

Space Shuttle

It’s all well and good to send people up in rockets for brief periods, but to make human habitation of space a reality, we needed a way to ferry crew and supplies to permanent orbital stations. The U.S. Space Shuttle supplied the solution to that challenge for more than two decades. It also has the distinction of having the first spaceship named “Enterprise,” which ironically never actually flew in space.

Ares V Rocket

The Ares V rocket is the first model in the History of Spaceflight collection that dips its toe into fiction. A real NASA project that was scrapped in favor of the SLS (Space Launch System) program, the Ares V would have been the largest of several modular Ares launch vehicles designed to make the transport of people and materials to space commonplace and cost-effective.

XCV-330 Ring Ship

Matt Jefferies, he of Jefferies tube fame, originally designed the XCV-330 with its distinctive ring-shaped engines for Gene Roddenberry’s planned follow-up to Star Trek: The Original Series. Sadly, that show was never greenlit, but we still have this amazing retro ship design to enjoy. In the History of Starflight collection, the XCV-330 (also named “Enterprise”) fills the role of Earth’s first sub-light, interplanetary and interstellar space vehicle.

The Phoenix

The Phoenix – the brainchild of warp-drive inventor Dr. Zefram Cochrane whose exploits are well-documented in Star Trek: First Contact – takes her place in our lineup as humanity’s first warp-capable ship.

NX Alpha

The NX Alpha was one of three test ships that sported Earth’s first Warp 5 engines. If successful, the Warp 5 engine would open up the possibility of exploring deep space to humanity. After a failed first test that destroyed the Alpha, Jonathan Archer took her sister ship, the NX Beta, for an unauthorized flight test and broke the Warp 2 barrier, thus proving Earth’s warp tech was up to the task.

NX-01

The NX-01 was Earth’s first Warp 5-capable, long-range exploration vessel. Commanded by Jonathan Archer, the same brash pilot who proved the viability of Earth’s Warp 5 tech, it was the first ship to adopt the saucer-and-nacelle configuration common to all Starfleet ships that followed.

USS Kelvin

The U.S.S. Kelvin (NCC-0514) was based on a single-nacelle Federation starship design that was the workhorse of Starfleet in 2233. The Kelvin herself was destroyed fighting off the Nerada, a 24th century Romulan vessel that came from the future intent on destroying the Federation. The sacrifice of acting Captain George Kirk not only saved most of the crew, but did enough damage to the Nerada to forstall its attack and allow the Federation to develop far more powerful vessels.

USS Vengeance

Why this model of a secret ship that Starfleet knows nothing about sits with the other models is beyond me, but there it sits, in full view of Captain Kirk.

U.S.S. Vengeance: KRE-O Style

Hasbro’s KRE-O U.S.S. Vengeance is due to hit stores soon and will also make an appearance at the San Diego Comic Con.

This beast will measure 18 inches long, boast a cockpit that opens and can fit a Kreon figure inside to navigate the ship, and will include “Lighttech Illuminated Stealth Light” and warp engines. Further, the Vengeance will be able to fire two on-board projectiles, and will come with four Kreon figures, namely Scotty and three villains.

Available from Toys R Us for $49.99, approx £35

QMx Starships – TOS and ENT

First up is this very cool Original Series Enterprise plush toy, which has some amazing detail. It has the aztec paint job on the saucer and a moulded deflector dish.

Made from polyester and plastic (the dish), and 10-inches, this has got to be a must have for any trekkie…im ordering mine as soon as possible.

Pre-orders in July, $16.95. Click here for more.

Also due this year is the Artisan Enterprise NX-01, the starship featured in Star Trek: Enterprise and designed by Doug Drexler.

With breathtaking grace, the dual-nacelled Enterprise established United Earth as a legitimate interstellar power and was the first human-made starship to hit warp 5. Now the ship under Captain Jonathan Archer in the Star Trek series, Enterprise, can be yours.

QMx is pleased to offer this starship built to the exact specifications and dimensions of the CG studio model. Our screen-accurate Artisan replica is 1:350 scale and measures 23.5 inches long x 16 inches wide x 5 inches high (11 inches high when mounted on the base).

 And, as an added bonus, each NX-01 will come with a dedication plaque – including the signature of the ship’s creator Doug Drexler, one of the best-known, most-prolific and most-admired designers in science-fiction television.

As with all QMx models, it comes with custom electronics and lighting, with over 150 LED’s including:

• Warp and impulse engines
• Rotating Bussard collectors
• Navigational and deflector arrays
• Anti-collision and formation signals
• Interiors

Purchasers may request the following customizations of the base:

• Change of Color — Champagne, steel, copper or bronze, or a combination of these colors.
• Center Insert — May be mirrored, gloss black or white.
• Custom Engraving — You may have the base inscribed with a phrase of your choice, for an additional charge.

As with all QMx Artisan replicas, the Enterprise NX-01 is made to order in our U.S.-based model fabrication facility by special-effects artisans (who build models for movies when they’re not working on your replicas). Not only does this allow us to offer you a replica of great intricacy and beauty, it also allows you to make your Enterprise NX-01 uniquely your own.

It takes six artisans approximately 115 hours to create an Enterprise NX-01 replica. This Artisan ship is made entirely in our shop, from the rapid prototyping parts, creating mold patterns, casting of parts, electronics assembly, replica assembly, detail painting and graphics.

How much? a cool $3,995.00. Click here

Cloaked Bird-of-Prey Model

Those guys at Diamond Select have unvield it’s newest edition of it’s Star Trek ships collection, this fully “cloaked” Klingon Bird-of-Prey, exclusively made for the San Diego Comic-Con.

The cloaked Bird of Prey is cast entirely in transparent plastic, with all of the electronics removed, making it nearly invisible

Like the standard edition, the product measures 12 inches long, with a 19-inch wingspan, but it also features a transparent display base and translucent landing gear.

These have been limited to 200 pieces and can only be purchased at the convention!