Enterprise Bridge (adjusted for DST action figures)

[DrMcoy]

my apologies if i've already stated this before, but thought i'd respond to overall remarks the creator makes about things not being 100% accurate from a dimensions and/or design standpoint.

i think that if you were to make the bridge and chairs and individual stations 100% accurate, they would not be suitable to display with the figures.

the figures themselves, while nice, are not 100% accurate depictions of the characters/actors in shows...although very nicely done (I would have killed to have THESE as a kid) they look very toy-like (because they are indeed toys).

to put such toys in a pristine 100% accurate bridge playset would, to me, look awkward. there has to be a balance in overall appearance of toys vs. appearance of bridge set they are displayed within.

that said, the fact that some dimensions on this bridge are a bit squished and that burke chairs aren't 100% accurate is what makes the bridge set more visually agreeable with the toys, if you get my meaning.

a 100% accurate bridge set would require figures that were more statuesque in their appearance, without clunky ball joints and gaps where shoulder joint meets arm.

i think this bridge set represents a perfect balance in accordance with the look/feel/tone of the figures.

my figures saw this post and now just give me the stink eye wondering where THEIR bridge set is. "ain't gonna happen, fellas," I say, and watch as Spock arches his eyebrow in disdain.

 

[Atlanthia]

I agree entirely with you DrMcoy, and I also have to say that, considering the amount that the proportions have been altered, not only is it still instantly familiar but it hasn't really affected the overall aesthetics at all. Superb job Glorbes and thank you for the last post you put up.

I will be shortly starting mine but, with a twist....I am building mine smaller than this one (1/12th scale,) but I won't alter the proportions so mine should come out about the same overall size. My goal, though is to build it for £10 UK / $15 US. I have NEVER built a model before in my life but I want to try this so, sit back and have a good laugh! :lol

Once again, congratulations and thank you for the inspiration. If mine turns out HALF as good as yours,(which I doubt,) I will be happy!

 

[Rikarus]

omgomgomg!!! this is so awesome! can I come over and play with that!!! the effort and attention you poured into this really shows, very very VERY nicely done!

 

[LMFAOSchwarz]

Dr. McCoy is right. The design is amazingly flexible to many proportions, it seems. Even my model, which was used with figures whose legs were only about 1/3 the length of the body, seemed to easily adjust to them.
Reminds me just a bit how the puppets from the mine car scenes in that Indiana Jones film had to be cut off at the legs to fit into the cars!

 

[superDrool]

Completely amazing! I love work like this from scratch. I can't wait to see the completion and how it all comes together.

So far, it's blown my mind. The LEDs and viewscreen backlighting are great ideas. First thing I thought of when you had swapped out the images were to create a grand scale Viewmaster. With just one click you can view through 10 or so cardstock images all having a permanent back lighting to create that viewscreen glow.

 

[FrankDWC]

BRILLIANT JOB !!! I just LOVE IT when I see action figures displayed in their proper environment and built as screen accurate as possible. What a treat to see your diorama display and to see the MAKING OF pics.

Now when are you building the REST of the bridge ;p
BRAVO !!!

 

[LRL]

Really fun project, we have to make a video, just stills cut to TOS soundtrack, send me the material if you don't want to do it yourself, I'll happily edit it. YouTube needs this build!

 

[n0regret5]

I have mentioned before (and I'm SORRY) that I'm not the hugest star trek fan...but I absolutely LOVE this kind of stuff. serious commitment and talent shown here, you're clearly a massive fan and that makes me happy this is really seriously a freakin awesome display. I would high-five you if I could.

 

[Progrocker]

Okay, so I have a moment to address some of the questions here...my apologies for the delay.

The buttons are indeed sliced styrene rod and thin square strips of sheet that have been chopped...I wanted to alternate between round and square buttons...I didn't do any toggle switches though. (This answers youngwm's question as well) I painted the buttons white, then coated them in Tamiya clear colors (I decided to stick to red, blue and yellow for the station buttons). The overall width of the Bridge is 30", the height of the platform is 1 3/4", and the stations are about 8 1/2" tall from the platform. I'll have to take a few measurements of more specific parts, and I'll snap some photos of the template pieces I used so that you can get a better idea of how I constructed this. The Burke chairs are made from styrene with apoxie sculpt cushioning on the backs. These are by far the least accurate element of this playset, since the chairs are much more rounded and curvier in the show...I cut my losses and decided to work with what I had and live with something that at least has familiar elements to the actual chairs.

Progrocker, if you're ever 'round these parts, feel free to let me know! I'd be thrilled to have you over.

LMFAOSchwartz, that video was priceless! I know how much work goes into stop motion...the sets look pretty great actually. Well done!

So cool I would be honored and thrilled to come over, we might even reinforce maritime stereotypes and know people in common. Thank you so much for being so generous with your templates and info (feel free to post more I'm sure I'm not the only one saving every bit of reference from this thread to a folder on their computer.).

 

[Atlanthia]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone...it means a heck of a lot.



Sheet styrene all the way...mostly 060 thickness. I started this in July...I haven't a clue how many hours I've spent on this...too many, no doubt.

I fellow member of a model club was kind enough to do a quick and dirty lighting tutorial, and walked me through the basics of adding LED's to a model. I had purposely designed the 'cove lighting' of my Bridge to be translucent in case I decided to take a crack at it...here's my first foray into the world of model lighting!

Seeing as how this is my first ham-fisted attempt at this, I'm pretty excited! The cove lights do not have the funky colors, because I figured this would be the only lighted element on the bridge (aside from whatever lighting would be happening from above or outside of the playset/diorama). That being said, I could probably coat the light panels in clear color if I decide to make the effect more 'accurate'. So, in a short time I learned postive, negative, 3 volts of raw power, and how to burn myself with a soldering iron...now I have only nine more lights to go!

That is soooo Cool, G! I am in the process of doing the same thing but I was wondering.......what size resistor did you use and what wattage are the LED's please? Actually, ANY info that you or anyone else could pass on to me would be awesome at this juncture.
You see, Even when I am building my own, I am STILL drawn back to this thread!

Plus, This thread is way too cool to sink yet so, this acts as a little bump!

Darren

 

[Atlanthia]

This is just the dog's bollox!!! (that's a good thing!!!)
Finish it , Correct the bits you don't like and make it what you TOTALLY have the ability to MAKE it!!!

 

[Corellianexports]

Great work!

I'm just sitting here shaking my head, wondering why Playmates never produced an accurate bridge playset, but the good news is that a handmade bridge looks better! Now there's some hope for a decent home for all my classic Star Trek figures! :love

 

[opal1970]

wow, excellent work!

 

[Ford W Maverick]

Absolutely incredible! It looks just like the set!

 

[Funky]

OMG! This thread is insane!!! thumbsup

 

[Jsimon999]

Yeah I have to say this is a pretty incredible project.

Really well done. Especially the lighted pictures. Amazing.

:thumbsup
Jon

 

[Hibeesince82]

Awesome project dude!

Gonna show these pics to my dad! Hes a massive star trek fan n used to watch it when it was first out! Im sure he will be impressed!

 

[SofaKing01]

WONDERFUL project! Great job.

 

[TheManthradon]

Im about to begin building...what looks like a very similar kit of the bridge. is this perhaps another version of the same model? Anyway, this looks really cool and im upset I havent started mine where Did you find those action figures? and how tall are they? my kit comes with basic non-posable figures. And I think it would be more fun to "play" star trek with the bridge rather then display star trek heh.

Much love ~The Don.

 

[glorbes]

The Manthradon - It isn't a kit, its a scratchbuild. If you start from page one, you'll get a sense of the construction and process I used. The figures are from Art Asylum/Diamond Select toys, and are about 7" tall.

Thanks for the feedback over the last several months everyone. I'm putting this in a model show (not to compete...just for exhibition) and figured I'd better finish what I started. First step...finishing the cove lights!

More updates to come in the next few days.