original enterprise in smithsonian

Shaw

That is an odd statement... I can tell you where every bulb went on the 11 foot model, and how the original wiring got to them. The model was made very simply, and avoided the overly complicated things that people go through for "display" models. Remember that the model was originally built to be shot from only one side, when she was altered to have internal lighting, this was totally taken advantage of to make her easy to care for as possible.

For example, other than the flashing marker light on the side near the shuttle bay, all other lighting of the secondary hull was accomplished by three standard light bulbs placed inside of two of the four cavities. There were two light bulbs (most likely 100 watt) in the front most cavity and one in the rear most cavity.

This should give you a little idea of how it might have looked inside the aft cavity back in the 1960s.


The major difference between this image above and how the model was when shot was that the wiring was taped to the out side of the model, where as in later years those wires were moved inside.

All the information that one really needs to know about the Enterprise is publicly available... though one just needs to take the time to really look at what they are seeing to get it. There isn't a lot of mystery left to this stuff, it just isn't in a convenient form.

apollo

I had quite a few but they were lost long ago.

Enterprise has been in 3 or 4 different spots at the air and space.

trekriffic

Great pic! I'd heard there was a light on top of the bussard collars but had never seen a picture of it, nor have I ever noticed it on screen.
Does anyone know if this light was actually lit or not?
Thanks for posting this CessnaDriver.

Treadwell

I seem to recall that that light was really a light pipe, meant to transmit light from inside the dome. Supposedly didn't do that very well at all.

CessnaDriver

Is it verified that the grills on the warp engines were indeed something that they wanted to light? Or is that just some lore that has built up over the years?

Seems every other CGI TOS E people do has them glowing.


Another bit of the Enterprise missing is the internal hanger bay model used for shuttlecraft shots. I guess that was lost forever very early on. I have never seen a picture of it other then what was on the show.

Shaw

My guess would be no.

The channel feature on the port nacelle was carved in wood, so lighting would have meant cutting into that. On the starboard side (which only had a painted area to represent the channel for that nacelle) it would have meant cutting into the sheet metal along the seam.

This is an early sketch of my studies of the 11 foot model's nacelles...


Interestingly, one of the consequences of the port nacelle having the channel is that it is heavier than the starboard nacelle... and tends to hang lower because of this.

Also, I've found evidence that the channels may have originally been intended to have been pointed downwards rather than inwards on the original plans.

As for the marker lights on the top of the nacelles, the physical parts were lost before it made it to the Smithsonian. It doesn't look like they light up in any effects shots and there doesn't seem to be a direct path for them to get light from the forward domes.

But I believe that those were always supposed to be there. They seem to have always been part of the 33 inch model, but may have originally been omitted from the 11 foot model in the pilot because of time issues (the 11 foot model was built in three weeks after all).

feek61

I heard the original hangar deck miniature was destroyed. It was huge; at one time I knew the dimensions but it was 15 or so feet long and 10' wide if I remember correctly. It was built using a force perspective and filmed with an wide angle lens to make it appear huge. It had no internal lighting; all of the lighting was done from the outside of the model. Here are a few photos I have of the hangar deck miniature. The shuttlecraft miniature was just under 24" long so that give you an idea of the size of the model.


In this photo you can see the plywood structure of the model and also the cables on the lower right that operated the turntable.

gonk27

.. this may be a dumb question, but where does all the heat from those lightbulbs go?

I don't see much ventilation.

trekriffic

I'm guessing the secondary hull was made from fiberglass and I think it would be fairly heat resistant.

CessnaDriver

I would bet they didn't leave the lights on a long time, probably only during shooting.

I think the heat from the studio lights was pretty stiffling in the summer based on some pics I have seen of the people working shirtless around it.

I think maybe two facilities were used though? I seem to remember that it was moved to an air conditioned studio at some point.

feek61

The secondary hull actually was made of wood (think of a kind of wooden barrel) and yes; I'm sure the lighting was turned on only for filming.

CessnaDriver

If memory serves..
There are features on the front of the secondary hull where the wood has expanded over the years that created subtle scalloped areas not there during filming.

Shaw

Yeah, and this is the basic arrangement of the pieces...


When assembled, it was turned to make a smooth surface, then the fantail was cut out and openings for the supports. When it was still a hanging model, the attachment point was the inside bottom of the secondary hull, with the line threaded up through an opening in the dorsal.

Today they use energy saving bulbs which don't give off as much heat. That is why it is easier to keep it lit while on display compared to when it was used for effects (and the lights don't need to be as bright as a display piece either).

trekriffic

Wow! I never guessed it was made of wood!
This thread is awesome.

CessnaDriver

I have to admit that given the level of devotion of Trek fans and obession we have.
I am a bit stunned why hasn't a true replica of the studio model been done by now?


We have seen it with large Star Wars studio models of course. Star Destroyers come to mind and even the medical frigate.

Commander Max

I have some things to contribute.

Do you guys mind if I join the conversation?

CessnaDriver

If you have things to contribute, it would be sin against TOS Trek to not do so!

trekriffic

It would be neat to recreate the original bluescreen soundstage in miniature with an accurate recreation of the studio model using the same materials as the studio model. I'm surprised no one has done that yet. Or have they?

Commander Max

Thanks CD, I have contributed a few thing things to the STTOS. Those are all other stories.

Yes, there is a SSM of the TOS E in construction. But it took a long time to get to the construction stage.

I have been working on this ever since I finished my NOMAD back in '05'.
That prop taught me a lot about how they did things back then. These guys had no budget, and no time. This stuff is a lot less complex than people seem to think.

I think I know part of the reason why the restoration looks the way it does. Note the bands on the lower saucer, round they are not. I noticed the paint job distracts from this imperfection. But it is the only justification I can come up for doing so. Other than that I only wish the artist would be honest as to why this was done, and not complain about all of the crap he was getting about it.

The other thing I don't get about the restoration is the changing of the grills on the warp nacelles. I found those no problem looking through industrial catalogs.

This stuff is all out there if you look for it.
I even found the gear-motors for the spinners.

That did take some time because they are in surplus, boy are they quiet(The MR E is a real noisemaker compared to those). I could list numbers but wouldn't be of much use, since they wouldn't fit in a 350 e, but they would go into the 66" E. but only with a bit of modification(I plan on doing this as well, if the motors are still around).

The lighting on the E is so simple, it's scary how much effort others put into it. The blinking running lights are called blinkys, really they are panel lights. They used them all over the show, I Used them on NOMAD and to my surprise they matched the show(I must have wired them the same way). Those little suckers are bright, they show right through colored 1/4" acrylic.
If you watch the spfx shots some of the lights will loose sync at the end of the shots. Somebody was watching the timing of the lights and rolled camera when they were close.

I was talking to one of my friends about the E, he told me that the pink lights used in the bussards were very rare. At the time I was going through the Christmas lights I got of the project, I told him they can't be that rare I got a box with them right here. But I will sell him a box for a $100, but they will only cost me $8.

These are a few of the tidbits I have at the moment. I have more, but I will save that for later.

trekriffic

Who what happened to the saucer ? Looks like some major damage there . That must have been a bear to fix.

feek61

This came up before. At that time it was said that is just a rag hanging over the edge; no damage.

CessnaDriver

Do any pictures of the innards of the saucer exist?
What kept the saucer from sagging or warping out of shape?

Commander Max

The saucer was vacuum formed, from what I've read they used plywood gussets(frame).

You can see bits here and there in some of the photos, but nothing really worth much. Other than a lot of wood.

Based on the rest of it, I'm sure it's pretty rough.
I do get a kick out all of the nails under the fantail. Looks like that was a very stubborn part.

alienscollection.com

A similar pic to what's already been posted is up at AICN:



http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/node/46370

Commander Max

Are there any images of the control box?