Enterprise Bridge (adjusted for DST action figures)

glorbes

I haven't collected Star Trek figures for a million years (well...mid-90's). I had purged all of the old Playmates stuff years ago, but with my apparently unending Star Trek kick, I decided to pick up the really reasonably priced DS two packs ($60 and change snagged the main crew minus Chekov...not bad!). But what's the crew of the 'Prise without the Bridge?
First up is the big chair...I know DS made one, but I wanted to make it myself (cheaper this way too):

Pieced together the basic shape of the helm panel and astrogator, as well as the command platform:


Outer ring was mapped out on styrene sheet and cut out...lots of calculations and finagling with this one:



I really hope I have the fortitude to finish this...I'm a little scared about all of the screens and buttons and junk. I may follow it up with an "alien planet" environment (re: styro foam, plaster, and a purple sky background).

hankey01

I had the sound effects CD with a long track of bridge sounds. That, with blinking lights are a must!

Very cool undertaking. I can't wait to see it take shape!

DrMcoy

wow -- now THAT is cool.

if you wanted to take some of the pressure off, you could consider making it the FILMING set, and only build 1/2 to 3/4 of the bridge, with other sections pulled away for cameras/lights etc. -- but I certainly understand how cool it would be if you go for the full build.

having built the AMT model (which is much smaller scale) and adding lighted screens and controls, I know your work is cut out for you -- but at this scale, i imagine you will be tempted to add even more detail and maybe even lights.

will be watching your progress with great interest....thanks for posting pics.

t

allupo

Love it!! Can't wait for progress reports

CB2001

Epic awesomeness. Can't wait to check out the end result for this thing.

Melonpool

Could you maybe make one of the pie wedges out of wood then vacuform it? I understand that's sort of the way they made the original bridge -- and so much of the original design was similar with a few modifications (monitors, viewers, etc.) I think you could get away with it.

Laspector

Oh man, I wish I would've had that back in the 70's when I was playing with my Trek guys. My bridge was just made out of building blocks, legos and tape.

CB2001

Unfortuately, the bridge set he's designing would have been too small for the Mego Star Trek figures. But I know of the brother of a guy who posted a Star Trek video where he made a scale replica of the bridge for a stop motion figure. Unfortunately, this guy's brother passed away a couple of years back, but he did a good job at recreating the bridge and the short.

Besides, when you're a kid, there's nothing wrong with using cardboard, blocks and legos. Hell, I had a small town playset I made that sat on top of my dresser that I made completely out of cardboard when I was little.

Blade90

Love your idea. Will be watching this one.

Blade90

Way to go!

MooCriket

Looking forward to updates

glorbes

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

To be honest, the scale will be a tad underscaled (less room on the elevated walk way), and I do actually intend to construct this in a modular fashion.

New pics...two bridge consoles made to see how I'm going to make this happen:







A little too much spacing between the consoles for my liking...I'll do the turbolift section as well as a the viewing screen as modules, and may try to do two consoles per module instead of one. I do like the idea on constructing this in this modular fashion though...makes it feel like the original set or something.


Thanks for looking!

glorbes

Hammered out the turbolift entrance and Scotty's engineering station:



Turbolift doors have a really rudimentary and crappy track system (they are currently taped in place). Not sure if I will keep them sliding or not, since I have no current plans to make the turboshaft, and the feature barely works. I also bridged the gap between Uhura and Spock's station with some creative and quick finish work.
Lemme know what you think and thanks for looking.

ecl

Man, it's looking really good. This is a fun thread! Really enjoying the updates.

Randy13

I like this a lot. It’s really coming together.

DrMcoy

VERY cool. I can only imagine the amount of "thinking" you are putting into this. One quick question -- what is driving you to build this? Do you intend to make this a permanent display for your figures? I ask, in part, as I built the AMT bridge model a year or so ago and installed lighted panels...it was a lot of work for my modest skills, but I knew where I planned to display it...I likely have a post of it in GENERAL MODEL section somewhere with pics...but it is considerably SMALLER than your effort...and as cool as it is, I am always curious where people plan to display their finished piece.

Something of this magnitude DESERVES to be seen and not stowed away in the attic or basement, so I simply ask if you have already know where you plan to display it once it is finished?

Do you plan to do ENTIRE bridge? This in and of itself presents display problems as you can't take in details unless you have birds eye view which is a bit awkward...maybe you plan to simply do helm and then spocks station to scotty's and leave it at that.

Thanks for posting progress pics -- look forward to more.

t

glorbes

Hey, thanks for the feedback Dr. McCoy! I wish I could say that I had a grand plan for this, but I really don't. My Enterprise build was an easy display...this one, as you point out, is a little trickier. I do plan to build the whole bridge and have it separate into modular sections. If all of them are too awkward to display, I'll decide what to do with them then. I guess the main drive for something like this is because I imagined doing it when I was a kid, and now I can...the power of nostalgia sometimes trumps good sense. I'm sure after a few more builds like this I will (hopefully) get smarter.

I'm thinking of this as a playset that can be assembled to make a complete bridge...sort of what I wanted the Mego birdge set to be when I inherited a much loved and dirty version of it when I was a kid.

TiberiousST

Having a hard board base with some kind of snap-lock system would be ideal if you want this thing to last and still be modular. The stability this would give you might yield some results on your turbo-lift door problem as well, maybe have the frame as non-removable as well and the car as modular adjacent to it's own inner frame. I know you don't plan to do it, but I think you'll kick yourself when you have it all said and done without the elevator.

I have no business making suggestions as I'm all thumbs, but I do think it'd be the way I'd go in your shoes.

Tib

DrMcoy

glorbes,

i understand your drive 100%. I, too, dreamed of having this type of playset when I was a kid. I recall fashioning a transporter room out of cardboard and construction paper for my MEGO Trek figures...and how disappointed I was in the MEGO Bridge Playset...so far from accurate, it was laughable, and yet I still played with it as that's all there was at the time.

not that you are asking, but my suggestion would be to finish out the helm, kirk's chair, spock's station, uhura's station, turbo lift and scotty's station FIRST -- get those done and detailed with control buttons, screens, etc etc as it makes for a very cool display, represents all the major characters, and is containable enough, I would think, to sit out for display.

then, as time allows, finish out the rest of the bridge...this way, you get to have something to set out for display that still looks really cool, and still allows you to complete your childhood dream.

my humble two cents. i think this approach is better in so many ways...as opposed to building entire bridge in steps and not advancing to next step of finish until ALL bridge stations are taken to the next step. at least my way, you'll have more short term results, which always helps boost my energy level for projects AND you won't feel the need to be in as much of a hurry to get it "all" done so you can set it out and/or play with it

The drawback, I know, is that it is often easier to do all of the same thing at once...with my method, you will certainly be going back and doing certain aspects of the build repeatedly...but as I said, sometimes it helps to keep the momentum going if you can see some of the things finished all the way out before the entire project is built.

but hey -- it's your project -- i've been rambling on as though it were MY project...and likely because this is something I always wanted to do and am envious....but the AMT model of the bridge will be it for me.

Again, best of luck...look forward to your progress pics! I think youy need to light that baby up!!

d_jedi1

This is just a thought.. basically how I would do it, nothing more.

I would make the whole thing but build the sections so most can be removed. I would use rare-earth magnets to get them to hold together. That way, I could take any section I wanted off and place them back on with little trouble.

Conversely, you could make it so half (or whatever you deem acceptable) is removeable and the rest can be lit.

Either way, it's coming along beautifully and already looks better than my old bridge model kit ever did.

glorbes

Dr. McCoy, that actually is EXACTLY what I have decided to do! I ran out of styrene about a week ago, and so have switched gears to detailing and finishing what I have constructed. It's a great way to re-evaluate my approach thus far to make sure I like how things are progressing. There were a few mistakes that I have made, and I hope to smooth the process for the remaining modules. Besides, I've crafted 5 Burke chairs in styrene that will have to be built up...that alone will be a project in itself (though a lot cheaper than creating molds and casts...and probably just as quick with the method I've devised).

Stay tuned for updates shortly...I've made progress but need the time to upload the photos.

Thanks for the kind feedback everyone.

CB2001

I've shown my dad this post, since he's a TOS ST fan. And he's impressed with the amount of detail you're putting into it and the accuracy of the bridge. Both he and I are looking forward to seeing the pieces of the bridge you have detailed.

glorbes

Thanks CB2001! Always cool to hear that someone out there thinks I'm doing a decent job.

Okay, here's the latest:

Captain's Chair painted up and with the big man in the hot seat:



The helm and navigation console all buttoned up, as well as an articulated targeting scope for Sulu to watch TV in:




Burke Chairs...flatter than the originals, with with a bit more work and love, will at least cut the right silhouette:



That's it for now! Comments and crits welcome.

DrMcoy

wow.

looking GREAT.

one minor flaw - kirk's chair needs a blue cup of coffee.



thanks for taking time to posts pics -- love this project.

Ruddigger

Kirk's legs can't reach the floor! Poor guy.