PsyBear
Well-Known Member
I have a question about the aft-most Rectangular Window on the Secondary Hull – Was this window always green or was it switched from clear to green after filming WNMHGB? It looks clear/white in all the 2nd pilot photos I’ve seen, but they could just be washed out. Even knowing that this window is green during production, there are some photos even from the Smithsonian where it looks white from external light washing out the color.
Initially I was leaning toward it always being green because Datin had been so careful about cutting out the windows to minimize the damage to the paint. I wouldn’t think someone would risk it again just to pop out an acrylic plug and replace it with a green one even though they were drilling other holes for more lights. Then I realized part the answer had been staring at me for years. The photo of the inside of the aft end of the secondary hull from the Smithsonian 2016 restoration isn’t showing a green acrylic plug. It’s showing a rectangle of green acrylic COVERING an acrylic plug.
So, is the plug itself clear or is it green with the green cover used to intensify the color? I think the plug itself is clear. Even with the internal lights out, there is still a hint of green from the outside, but compare it to the green plug on the shuttle bay fantail which is a much more saturated green.
The question remains though was the green filter there for the filming of the 2nd pilot or was it added after WNMHGB? The back of the model had to be opened again anyway to modify the dome light, add the spine lights, strobe, and other round windows, and replace the bay doors with the version with the control tower. It would have been simple enough to just glue the cover/filter in place at that time to add more color (like adding the orange window on the saucer neck). Currently I’m leaning toward the green acrylic being added after WNMHGB because I’ve seen photos of the aft end of the model with the internal lights on, but with (what I think to be) ambient light illuminating the outside of the model rather than the brighter filming lights and there is no hint of green. Of course, a camera flash could easily wash out the color the same way it does in the display case at the Smithsonian… Plus, except for the tiny red/green nav lights on the saucer, there didn't seem to be any other colored lights on the model at that time.
Does anyone have any photos from prior to the production changes showing the window as green or do people think it was white before the production changes?
Initially I was leaning toward it always being green because Datin had been so careful about cutting out the windows to minimize the damage to the paint. I wouldn’t think someone would risk it again just to pop out an acrylic plug and replace it with a green one even though they were drilling other holes for more lights. Then I realized part the answer had been staring at me for years. The photo of the inside of the aft end of the secondary hull from the Smithsonian 2016 restoration isn’t showing a green acrylic plug. It’s showing a rectangle of green acrylic COVERING an acrylic plug.
So, is the plug itself clear or is it green with the green cover used to intensify the color? I think the plug itself is clear. Even with the internal lights out, there is still a hint of green from the outside, but compare it to the green plug on the shuttle bay fantail which is a much more saturated green.
The question remains though was the green filter there for the filming of the 2nd pilot or was it added after WNMHGB? The back of the model had to be opened again anyway to modify the dome light, add the spine lights, strobe, and other round windows, and replace the bay doors with the version with the control tower. It would have been simple enough to just glue the cover/filter in place at that time to add more color (like adding the orange window on the saucer neck). Currently I’m leaning toward the green acrylic being added after WNMHGB because I’ve seen photos of the aft end of the model with the internal lights on, but with (what I think to be) ambient light illuminating the outside of the model rather than the brighter filming lights and there is no hint of green. Of course, a camera flash could easily wash out the color the same way it does in the display case at the Smithsonian… Plus, except for the tiny red/green nav lights on the saucer, there didn't seem to be any other colored lights on the model at that time.
Does anyone have any photos from prior to the production changes showing the window as green or do people think it was white before the production changes?
