I was wondering if anyone out there knows where I can get some decent/acurate profile reference pics of the Excelsior.I'm going to attempt to modify(make more acurte) the Lunar Model 42" Excelior.It's a mutt of a kit(this one has a small start on it,nothng major).There are so many things that are "off" on the Lunar kit it's difficult to know where to begin?I thought getting some acurate b.p's would be a start.I know it just doesn't stop with the proprotions and shape of the hull and everything,even the details(what ones there are) are completely wrong and/or missing on this kit.
Modifying "The Great Experiment":AKA-USS Excelsior
- Thread starter JPolacchi
- Start date
I think there are more photos floating around of the Enterprise B before it went up for auction. You could use that for the correct proportions. Make sure you stay away from any photos of the smaller model, unless you are going for one episode of Voyager look.:lol
IIRC the hardest things to get right are the bottom of the hull and the neck height. Make sure you build a skeleton for that thing. Nothing sags more than the long lines of the excelsior.
IIRC the hardest things to get right are the bottom of the hull and the neck height. Make sure you build a skeleton for that thing. Nothing sags more than the long lines of the excelsior.
Tons of photos here:
http://st-bilder.de/html/excelsior2.html
You'll have to weed out the ones of the smaller version. IMO the bottom just doesn't carry the mass of the original. Its not just the scale; it is the shape.
Going for NX or NCC?
EDIT: Link fixed.
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I know allot of people are really turned off by this ship,but I think I prefer the NX Excelsior,however the NCC STVI christined Excelsior is refined and looks nice too.Be a great kit if it came with parts to build either or.I believe the only difference was the bridge and biotanical garden wasn't it?
Studio Stasis
Sr Member
I love the NX and NCC Excelsior but I have never been so disappointed in a refit as I was in the Enterprise B. I absolutely loved the unique look of Excelsior and the B upgrades literally eliminated 90% of what I loved about the ship.
I particularly love the secondary hull, at the front, and the Enterprise B modification was awful. It removed my favorite part.
As for the Greg Jein model that you sent a link to, be very careful NOT to use that as your guide for the shape of the secondary hull. He was way off on that. Compare his model to the filming model and you'll see what I mean. When his model was used in Voyager as Excelsior, intercut with the scenes from Star Trek 6, I was laughing that it was so easy to spot the new model. The original model was so different that it was obvious even at a glance.
If you're using reference pictures, I'd stick with the films above all else. I have a Lunar 41" Excelsior myself, and I started working on it in 1994. I shelved it when I realized my model building skills were just not up to par. I would sell it to someone if they felt they could do it justice. Otherwise I will just keep working on it in stages over the years. Also, I have a USS Grissom that is relatively to SCALE with this large Excelsior. Anyone doing a Star Trek 3 diorama could really use the Grissom to complete the set. If only they made a Bird Of Prey in this scale.
I particularly love the secondary hull, at the front, and the Enterprise B modification was awful. It removed my favorite part.
As for the Greg Jein model that you sent a link to, be very careful NOT to use that as your guide for the shape of the secondary hull. He was way off on that. Compare his model to the filming model and you'll see what I mean. When his model was used in Voyager as Excelsior, intercut with the scenes from Star Trek 6, I was laughing that it was so easy to spot the new model. The original model was so different that it was obvious even at a glance.
If you're using reference pictures, I'd stick with the films above all else. I have a Lunar 41" Excelsior myself, and I started working on it in 1994. I shelved it when I realized my model building skills were just not up to par. I would sell it to someone if they felt they could do it justice. Otherwise I will just keep working on it in stages over the years. Also, I have a USS Grissom that is relatively to SCALE with this large Excelsior. Anyone doing a Star Trek 3 diorama could really use the Grissom to complete the set. If only they made a Bird Of Prey in this scale.
Thanks for the heads up guys.Yes,I've heard of the inacuracies of Greg Gein's Excelsior.Didn't he build that for the TV episode in record time?Like a week or two with no blue prints?I'm hoping to get good references and go off of the original studio miniature.In some ways...it appears I might as well make new masters for the hull and other parts.Modifying Lunar's Excelsior almost seems a waste of time,but I thought maybe they might be good stepping stones?The resin they used for the cast parts sucks.The saucer section I think is useable with the propper modifications,but I'm not really sure the rest of the kit is even worth taking a crack at and utilizing the parts or assemblies?The neck support will be completely scratched,and I have an idea as to how to go about doing that.What few "kit" parts were used on the studio miniature I have no idea.There are some laser cut parts used to construct the studio miniature,maybe even some photo etch parts?I've acquired some blue prints over the years.I have some made by Jackyl and another I think called Starfleet Ship Yards(or something like that?).I can't tell if they are acurate to the studio miniature or not?
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