NCC 7100 Stargazer - From Picard's Ready Room

[TheRealMcFly]

Yes were definitely speaking of the same part on the underside. Framelike on the yellow model, and a cutout on the larger studio version. I am only speculating, but perhaps this part will be in the tank kit we require.

As for the decals, they are on the top of the saucer close to the back of the bridge dome. It looks like an outline of a circle with a black stripe through the center. This decal is not found with any of known donor kits so far, including variations of the Valkryie. I am hoping it will help us verify a specific kit.

 

[stevielewis]

I received the Revell 1/72 M48 Patton tank and it uses the same T80 tank tracks like those in the UM M4 Sherman HVSS kit, so I'll be using those as well as those from the UM kit I have purchased.

As for the decals you mentioned near the bridge, I zoomed in as close as I could using the pics from the Drex Files, and it appears to me that those look like shark mouths, but that could be due to the pixellation from zooming in. I don't see anything on the Orguss kits or Valkyrie kits I have that come close to these decals, so they may be from another kit entirely. Just another piece in the puzzle of this model to unravel. :wacko

 

[stevielewis]

Hey Nighteyes....it's been a month since the last post to this thread. Any new progress on your build?

 

[TheRealMcFly]

All I've been up to has been trimming parts from the refit and the donor kits. I'll snap a few photos a little later.

 

[stevielewis]

Ok...no hurry. I was just wondering what happened with your build. Looking forward to seeing your progress when you have something posted. Thanks.

 

[stevielewis]

Nighteyes...I have identified the two parts on the warp nacelle crossovers that ProfKSergeev has colored hot pink and labled number 4 with a question mark on the partsmap on his build thread...they come from the Guramu-zan 1/2600 Aoshima Space Runaway IDEON Series ship. I was surfing on eBay and found and bought the kit. I should have it in a couple weeks as its coming from Japan.

 

[STpropguy76]

Here are a couple of pictures I took when the Star Trek Tour was here in Louisville.
It is the Stargazer Filming model but is shown as the U.S.S Valkyrie.

....Jeremiah

 

[TheRealMcFly]

Nighteyes...I have identified the two parts on the warp nacelle crossovers that ProfKSergeev has colored hot pink and labled number 4 with a question mark on the partsmap on his build thread...they come from the Guramu-zan 1/2600 Aoshima Space Runaway IDEON Series ship. I was surfing on eBay and found and bought the kit. I should have it in a couple weeks as its coming from Japan.

I don't know what else to say but, you rule! Do you think this kit also comes with that frame thing on the forward part of the saucer underside?

Can I get ya to ID some parts on the Star Wars X Wing?

 

[TheRealMcFly]

And thanks for those shots STpropguy76! I don't recall the Stargazer being on tour when I saw the exhibit in Philly.

 

[stevielewis]

Nighteyes...I know which part you are speaking of...and to be honest...I have no clue if this newest kit has that particular part on the bottom of the main hull. I'll let you know once I have the kit...which the seller messaged me he is sending via airmail...so I may have it in a week if lucky.


As for IDing parts on the Star Wars X Wing model...I can try to see if I can find it for you. Post a pic of what the part is on the X wing, so I know what I need to look for. I hope that makes sense to you.

 

[batmmannn]

I wasn't at all aware of this ship, but I always noticed the scale model ships in crew quarters throughout the series. Thought it was a real humanizing touch to add to the Decor.

 

[STpropguy76]

Not really the model you are going for, Just thought I'd post.

U.S.S. Stargazer built by The FX Company
• June 12, 2009

......................Jeremiah

 

[TheRealMcFly]

You know every time I see a model like that I wonder if yellow is the way to go.

Still, it's gotta be the ready room model for me.

 

[JMChladek]

You know every time I see a model like that I wonder if yellow is the way to go.

Still, it's gotta be the ready room model for me.

That will ultimately be a judgement call. Do you want it to be your Stargazer or a replica of Picard's? If a replica, yellow. If your own, you can always alter the plan a little, going with it in a white/gray shade and maybe the NCC number quoted in the episode as opposed to the 7100 which was pieced together from the AMT decal sheet.

I don't think any of us will think any less of you if you opt to go a direction different from a straight bang on replica to Picard's.

 

[TheRealMcFly]

Well I don't exactly have padded maroon walls for it to go with, but I do have the Bodum teacups.

Every time I reconsider the color I always come back to a replica of the set piece. It was easier before when I was going to kitbash the details from what I had laying around. What a thrill to find the great research here by ProfKSegreev and stevielewis. With the now complete or nearly complete list of IDed kits, I am even more determined to create an accurate yellow replica.

Too bad Andy Probert couldn't remember the exact color.

 

[JMChladek]

I'm pretty certain that Testors Model Master Afrika Mustard (only available in spray can form) is the proper color. When I ask Rick about it recently in an email exchange, he was thinking it was a "tank" color and his paint buying habits apparently gravitated around Testors at the time. He also remembers it was a spray can. It was one of those "find something that looks good enough" (my term, not his) buy it and go moments.

Matching to colorscheme of the ready room set was more a priority, so this paint is the likliest candidate since it was readily available at most hobby shops, it was a spray can (meaning it was easy to apply in a quick pass or two, important with pre-production schedules running on a tight deadline where the art department is likely doing 20 things at once), dried quick (since it was flat) and the Model Master racks were being heavily promoted by hobby shops at the time since they were a relatively new thing only coming out a couple years previously. Plus, it matched that slightly yellow lighting motif that the ready room set had.

I do admit with my own experience with the color that under normal house lights, it looks slightly dark. But, factoring in that the set would be under stage lighting and blends into the background somewhat anyway, the color seems like a dead on match to my eyes. If you want to go lighter so it looks brighter under normal house lights, Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow would be a good candidate since it is another one of those weirdo German tank colors.

 

[TheRealMcFly]

I really appreciate the input on the color. The drexfiles photos are very side-lit, perhaps outdoors and with the white background does appear much darker than on-screen to my eye. Then again the very nature of the ready room, with a darker than the model background, of course makes it look like a shade of lightly yellowed raw hobby resin.

This same side lit reference material also results in a very high contrast photo, perhaps exaggerating the surface detail and highlights, making it look semigloss. I do not think this is the case, and would assume given the slapped together under deadline nature of the set decoration means no clearcoat.

Big thanks for the confirmation on the spray can application. I will be picking up a can of the Afrika Mustard. Originally I was worried my final model would be too light, so I am glad to hear your impression of the color being darker than what we see on the show. Plus it probably looks darker on the new TNG BluRay transfers.

 

[JMChladek]

Well, if it was clearcoated in glosscoat (which would at best make it semi-gloss given the flat texture of spraypaint), that would darken the color ever so slightly as well compared to dead flat. They likely had to shoot some kind of clearcoat over the top to seal in the decals (since they are kit waterslide type) since the occassional dusting of the set would potentially cause decals on an unsealed model to flake off over time. It doesn't look like it was dead flat coated at least. Granted it could be some other form of artists sealing spray, but if I were to do my own Stargazer ready room prop replica, I would go with some form of clearcoat over the top, just for long term durability sake.

 

[stevielewis]

I received the GURAMU-ZAN model in the mail today. Woohoo! I already have the parts from that kit off the sprew and into my parts pile. Hopefully someone will find one of the Blue Gale Superdeformed XaBungle and make a mold of it so it can be cast and sent on to anyone who is building a Readyroom Stargazer model. Looking forward to seeing your progress on your build when you have a chance to snap some pics. I need to get some taken as well, to post.

 

[JMChladek]

An entire kit of the more obscure Stargazer bits in resin would be nice. I have been eyeing these projects with the intent of doing my own (after seeing how successful my Doomsday Machine Constellation turned out) and while I intend to get many of the original kit bits, some of those kits are getting pretty scarce these days (or the prices are increasing enough to make it not very cost effective to raid them for parts).

In the meantime, I am also starting to obtain bits to do a couple of the Wolf 359 "Best of Both Worlds" creations (Challenger and New Orleans classes specifically). I probably won't go all Borg ginsu beam on them, but I might.