Die Cast Lighted 1/350th TOS Enterprise (TOMY crowd funded)

[ulinepro]

Here's a good close-up still from the model during renovation.

(Source: Home > Other Galleries > USS Enterprise Model Renovation at the Smithsonian - TrekCore 'Original Series' Screencap & Image Gallery)

 

[Gregatron]

 

[Miles Kendig]

With regards to the motors, when I was holding the secondary hull in my hands, the motor sounds were extremely quiet. So quiet I had to put it right up to my ears to really hear them well. But once I placed it on the base, the motor sounds increased quite a bit, as I’m assuming it’s vibrating through the base and the IKEA furniture I had it on top of.

Would having the base on a rubber pad (or, for elevation, a platform of yoga blocks) help minimize that increased noise?

Maybe I'm being naive here and underestimating just how much work this will entail, but I see patching, sanding, and re-painting.
Possibly not even a full repainting, if the exact color match(es) can be found.
I would definitely like to dial back that checkerboard look, along with some of the too symmetrical weathering. If I can find a close match to the predominant gray, then it would seem to be only a matter of generally misting over to knock some of that back.
Even overspray on decals shouldn't necessarily require replacing them. They are all hard edged lines. Can't they too be edge masked and touched up, if need be?

About the only thing that truly disappoints me in what I'm seeing here, is the saucer support. It makes the base far more predominant in the display than it was before (and it was always significant), which hugely impacts the overall aesthetic for me. And it also forces the side with the plugs to be least obstructed for viewing.
I guess there was no way of getting around it in hindsight, since it's a heavier metal contraption rather than lighter styrene.
Always drawbacks no matter which way you go, it seems.

 

[Gregatron]

Here's the reality of it:

We all want some kind of high-end, "ultimate" model. When the news came in regarding the low-ish price and features like the detachable saucer, I suspected this would end up being closer to the Diamond Select toy than the Master Replicas model. A nice display piece, maybe, but not "ultimate", or even high-end.

For the price, and for what it is, it doesn't look that bad. But the obvious inaccuracies and glaringly obvious seams and plugs are not what was advertised, and not what one would expect from even a mid-priced model.

If I had bought this, I'd be crushingly disappointed. But that's just me. YMMV.

 

[Fett_Ish]

I can’t wait to see the community fill sand and paint this. So close on the lighting, and details/proportions but those seams are yucky. The saucer one had always been my worry. For many, this is their pride and joy and for them, I am happy. For the price it’s what it can be. If I paid myself minimum wage to build mine, it cost way more than 600 bucks!

 

[Jamesfett]

I can fill and sand, but I have never been able to perfectly match paint.

Should I decide it's worth keeping can anyone here offer matched paint for sale?

 

[animator]

This might be stupid, but I'm thinking about trying to mask the sides and top of the base Chevron and filling the underside of the plastic Chevron with expanding foam to give it a little more structure and maybe some vibration dampening.

 

[Ant1988]

I can fill and sand, but I have never been able to perfectly match paint.

Should I decide it's worth keeping can anyone here offer matched paint for sale?

To be honest. I would not bother. It's a decent representation of the Enterprise. It's all metal and this I suppose was the tradeoff in the end. Even though they (the chuckleheads Chris and DAN) apparently didn't realize it. I'm guessing that if you bondo it, it's still not gonna be perfect. It's metal and you are filling holes and cracks. I could see the bondo especially if not done correctly cracking with temperature change. I could be wrong. But I'm not going to attempt it. I think I could paint the basic color correctly but filler work....??? I don't think I would make it not noticable and I don't think it would last.

 

[Jamesfett]

To be honest. I would not bother. It's a decent representation of the Enterprise. It's all metal and this I suppose was the tradeoff in the end. Even though they (the chuckleheads Chris and Mike) apparently didn't realize it. I'm guessing that if you bondo it, it's still not gonna be perfect. It's metal and you are filling holes and cracks. I could see the bondo especially if not done correctly cracking with temperature change. I could be wrong. But I'm not going to attempt it. I think I could paint the basic color correctly but filler work....??? I don't think I would make it not noticable and I don't think it would last.

Yeah, you are probably right.

I had faith. I thought everyone was panicking over nothing, that these guys were gonna be true to their word and fix eveything.

In addition to the problems that idiotic saucer support really pisses me off.

Having said that, and being really angry at first seeing the pics from those that have received theirs, if I can fix that saucer support nonsense it may be worth keeping. We shall see now that I have calmed down.

If not, and not wanting to pay to return it, what B.S. that is, I think these will go up enough in value that anyone wanting to ditch theirs won't lose any money.

BTW the Adam Savage video on the original model is well worth watching.

 

[Ant1988]

Here's the reality of it:

We all want some kind of high-end, "ultimate" model. When the news came in regarding the low-ish price and features like the detachable saucer, I suspected this would end up being closer to the Diamond Select toy than the Master Replicas model. A nice display piece, maybe, but not "ultimate", or even high-end.

For the price, and for what it is, it doesn't look that bad. But the obvious inaccuracies and glaringly obvious seams and plugs are not what was advertised, and not what one would expect from even a mid-priced model.

If I had bought this, I'd be crushingly disappointed. But that's just me. YMMV.

Well it's only similar to the Diamond select in that it has Seams and Plugs. Besides those two things it's closer to the Master replicas version.

That said if they had done it in Styrene I bet it would have looked just as good as MR. They wanted to do something bold and make it diecast because it's never been done in the 1/350 scale before. For $600 and the nice detail of the shuttle bay/bridge etc....I'm just gonna live with it and sell the one my brother doesn't want anymore. It's not like I'm gonna stick my face up to it every minute of the day.

Again the Polar Lights pre-build was styrene and almost as much at a full metal. No seams of course but it's weathering affect was no better then what we see on this one and collectors have gotten past it and want that one now. So I have zero worries about moving one of these....

It's just not worth worrying about or taking the thing apart, stripping it and hoping a filler and new paint job will make it look perfect. I'm sure there will be those that try and be successful but I'm not going to bother.

 

[Phoenixblazes]

This might be stupid, but I'm thinking about trying to mask the sides and top of the base Chevron and filling the underside of the plastic Chevron with expanding foam to give it a little more structure and maybe some vibration dampening.

That might not be the worst idea to try.

I might just put a rubber mat under the bases to see if it helps any. However, keep in mind that while the sound is noticeable when the ship is on the base, it’s not that bad at all.

But then again, like most light up functions, I doubt I’m going to be switching it on all the time anyway, especially over the long term.

 

[Ant1988]

Yeah, you are probably right.

I had faith. I thought everyone was panicking over nothing, that these guys were gonna be true to their word and fix eveything.

In addition to the problems that idiotic saucer support really pisses me off.

Having said that, and being really angry at first seeing the pics from those that have received theirs, if I can fix that saucer support nonsense it may be worth keeping. We shall see now that I have calmed down.

If not, and not wanting to pay to return it, what B.S. that is, I think these will go up enough in value that anyone wanting to ditch theirs won't lose any money.

BTW the Adam Savage video on the original model is well worth watching.

For some reason that support doesn't bother me. I can remove it for a time when I'm in the mood (maybe when I'm watching TOS..lol ...) and then putting it back on and knowing I won't have issues in the future. It's a very heavy model and that's support is another tradeoff due to it being metal....

I have to remember I specifically wanted this because it was metal. I just didn't know Chris would oversell it and go back in his word.

And yes there will be people that want this. Again it's unique in the fact that it's metal. Look at less accurate versions of the ship like that cutaway clear through one from about 10 years ago (which goes for a pretty penny) and the playmobile playset one. Both not particularly accurate but just different representations of the ship, and fans WANT them.

Yeah I did watch that. Video. It's great. And I think Adam bought one of these Tomys. I wonder what his thoughts will be....

 

[Phoenixblazes]

Yeah, you are probably right.

I had faith. I thought everyone was panicking over nothing, that these guys were gonna be true to their word and fix eveything.

In addition to the problems that idiotic saucer support really pisses me off.

Having said that, and being really angry at first seeing the pics from those that have received theirs, if I can fix that saucer support nonsense it may be worth keeping. We shall see now that I have calmed down.

If not, and not wanting to pay to return it, what B.S. that is, I think these will go up enough in value that anyone wanting to ditch theirs won't lose any money.

BTW the Adam Savage video on the original model is well worth watching.

If you were to remove the saucer support, there’s probably two areas that would need to be seen to. First the secondary hull attachment is nothing but plastic, and that the saucer is connected to the secondary hull with nothing but a single screw/bolt.

 

[Jamesfett]

If you were to remove the saucer support, there’s probably two areas that would need to be seen to. First the secondary hull attachment is nothing but plastic, and that the saucer is connected to the secondary hull with nothing but a single screw/bolt.

I will look at that, but also it will be on a shelf against a wall, so I may have some type if hidden support between the saucer and the wall.

 

[Jamesfett]

Can someone possibly do a quick walkaround video with the lights on?

 

[Phoenixblazes]

For some reason that support doesn't bother me. I can remove it for a time when I'm in the mood (maybe when I'm watching TOS..lol ...) and then putting it back on and knowing I won't have issues in the future. It's a very heavy model and that's support is another tradeoff due to it being metal....

I have to remember I specifically wanted this because it was metal. I just didn't know Chris would oversell it and go back in his word.

And yes there will be people that want this. Again it's unique in the fact that it's metal. Look at less accurate versions of the ship like that cutaway clear through one from about 10 years ago (which goes for a pretty penny) and the playmobile playset one. Both not particularly accurate but just different representations of the ship, and fans WANT them.

Yeah I did watch that. Video. It's great. And I think bought one of these Tomys. I wonder what his thoughts will be....

I’ve been wondering if they only found out about the weight tolerances, due to their prototype collapsing under its own weight during production.

Was the prototype even made out of diecast?

 

[Phoenixblazes]

Would having the base on a rubber pad (or, for elevation, a platform of yoga blocks) help minimize that increased noise?

Maybe I'm being naive here and underestimating just how much work this will entail, but I see patching, sanding, and re-painting.
Possibly not even a full repainting, if the exact color match(es) can be found.
I would definitely like to dial back that checkerboard look, along with some of the too symmetrical weathering. If I can find a close match to the predominant gray, then it would seem to be only a matter of generally misting over to knock some of that back.
Even overspray on decals shouldn't necessarily require replacing them. They are all hard edged lines. Can't they too be edge masked and touched up, if need be?

About the only thing that truly disappoints me in what I'm seeing here, is the saucer support. It makes the base far more predominant in the display than it was before (and it was always significant), which hugely impacts the overall aesthetic for me. And it also forces the side with the plugs to be least obstructed for viewing.
I guess there was no way of getting around it in hindsight, since it's a heavier metal contraption rather than lighter styrene.
Always drawbacks no matter which way you go, it seems.

It might, and I might give it a try over the weekend. But I’ll probably use an entire mat, rather than the usual little circular pads.

 

[Ant1988]

I’ve been wondering if they only found out about the weight tolerances, due to their prototype collapsing under its own weight during production.

Was the prototype even made out of diecast?

No the prototype before metal production was styrene.

 

[Phoenixblazes]

No the prototype before metal production was styrene.

If that’s the case I think someone needs to suggest that maybe their engineers may need to take a refresher course at their local college, on how to correct account for weight tolerances.


Though this isn’t the first time I’ve seen something like this. Prime 1 Studios Jetpower Optimus Prime ended up needing two support rods to hold up the back wings and thrusters etc.

 

[Gregatron]

Hope the rest of the animated Short Treks won't suck like that.
It's a show's 50th anniversary and they decided to mark the occasion by producing and broadcasting THAT mental diarrhea???

Well it's only similar to the Diamond select in that it has Seams and Plugs. Besides those two things it's closer to the Master replicas version.

That said if they had done it in Styrene I bet it would have looked just as good as MR. They wanted to do something bold and make it diecast because it's never been done in the 1/350 scale before. For $600 and the nice detail of the shuttle bay/bridge etc....I'm just gonna live with it and sell the one my brother doesn't want anymore. It's not like I'm gonna stick my face up to it every minute of the day.

Again the Polar Lights pre-build was styrene and almost as much at a full metal. No seams of course but it's weathering affect was no better then what we see on this one and collectors have gotten past it and want that one now. So I have zero worries about moving one of these....

It's just not worth worrying about or taking the thing apart, stripping it and hoping a filler and new paint job will make it look perfect. I'm sure there will be those that try and be successful but I'm not going to bother.

Really, I think the only solution would be to strip and/or repaint it. Some very brave people have done that with the MR model, after all.

I have no doubt that eliminating the toylike seams/separating saucer and doing a proper custom paintjob would provide excellent results.

It's just a shame that such an endeavor would even be needed to begin with.

I think a lot of people would have happily paid double the price for a metal model with MR's level of quality in regards to the finish.