RED ALERT Lost 3 ft TOS Enterprise found????

Gregatron said:
An interesting theory, but it doesn't quite ring true, for me. Looking forward to seeing what y'all think.
Click to expand...

I am in a state of uninformed ignorance with no extensive speculation to offer…I am Captain Dunsel, after all, and serve no useful purpose.

The only thing I know is that the chain of “official” custody was from Gene Roddenberry to Robert Abel and Associates and / or Paramount circa 1978 / 1979. From there, the chain of custody was broken and the model disappeared…and then reappeared in the Storage Unit, in Van Nuys, where it was purchased by the storage unit guys.

Whomever took the model, and kicked-off the broken chain of custody, had to have had access to the production facilities where Star Trek: TMP was being made and that’s a very long list of people.
 
Last edited:
Captain Dunsel said:
I am in a state of uninformed ignorance with no extensive speculation to offer…I am Captain Dunsel, after all, and serve no useful purpose.

The only thing I know is that the chain of “official” custody was from Gene Roddenberry to Robert Abel and Associates and / or Paramount circa 1978 / 1979. From there, the chain of custody was broken and the model disappeared…and then reappeared in the Storage Unit, in Van Nuys, where it was purchased by the storage unit guys.

Whomever took the model, and kicked-off the broken chain of custody, had to have had access to the production facilities where Star Trek: TMP was being made and that’s a very long list of people.
Click to expand...

Precisely. We just don’t know the actual circumstances, either. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that someone on the crew threw it somewhere and forgot about it, didn’t think it was important, didn’t know it had been loaned out and was supposed to be returned, etc. There is (as yet) no real basis to assume that someone with greedy intentions knowingly pilfered it and hid it away.
 
Gregatron said:
Precisely. We just don’t know the actual circumstances, either. It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that someone on the crew threw it somewhere and forgot about it, didn’t think it was important, didn’t know it had been loaned out and was supposed to be returned, etc. There is (as yet) no real basis to assume that someone with greedy intentions knowingly pilfered it and hid it away.
Click to expand...

I’m of the opinion that whomever took the model may have known what it was; otherwise, it would have been returned when people started asking if anyone in the production knew what became of Gene’s model (following his memo asking them to find and return it).

Of course…the more I think about it…Robert Abel and Assoc. were fired from the production and it’s possible that anything they left behind, in the visual effects production facilities, was “tossed”…it’s possible the model was assumed to have been left behind by them and was tossed into the trash and “rescued” by someone.
 
Last edited:
Yeah anything is possible. The truth may have been a series of individually innocent actions, no matter what it added up to or how much the model is worth now.

The storage guy doesn't have a case. If they are offering him $500k then he should go away happy. Technically they owe him nothing and he was trying to sell stolen property.
 
This is the heart of it right here:

The pair claimed that once the model was authenticated and given a value of $800,000, they agreed to consign it to an auction sale with Heritage planned for July 2024, according to the lawsuit. However, following their agreement, they allege the auction house falsely questioned their title to the model and then convinced them, instead of taking it to auction, to sell it for a low-ball $500,000 to Roddenberry Entertainment Inc. According to the suit, Eugene Roddenberry, the company's CEO, had shown great interest in the model and could potentially provide a pipeline of memorabilia to the auction house in the future.

“They think we have a disagreement with Roddenberry,” said Dale Washington, Riach and Rivas’ attorney. “We don’t. We think they violated property law in the discharge of their fiduciary duties.”

The two men allege they have yet to receive the $500,000 payment.
Click to expand...

The above is from the AOL story (who knew AOL was still a thing?). I tried to find the actual pleading, but I couldn't get it without subscribing to a site, so... no.
 
I keep wondering just what would have happened had the Storage Wars guys listed the model with a BIN of $1,000 on eBay and someone grabbed it before the rest of the world had seen it

I suppose it would still be “lost” like the Ark of the Covenant…
 
Last edited:
publiusr said:
That’s right—I should have said “outline.”

The underside may have had two domes?
It was flat, then they tried to bulk it up to match the 11 footer’s saucer underside. So it isn’t just wood—some putty.

A X-Ray or scan would reveal the original outline on the saucer underside.

Speaking of which…, in the old photos, its lines look crisp.

It may have soaked up a lot of water.

How to you straighten it out? Sacrifice the paint—steam it to be more pliable and risk warping? A dry kiln might induce cracking.

Here is where people who restore wooden sculptures might be brought in…a different skill set:

fineart-restoration.co.uk

How to care for wooden objects - Fine Art Restoration Company

How to care for wooden objects. Among the artworks, frames, furniture, and ceramics we work with, we also restore and repair wooden objects.
fineart-restoration.co.uk fineart-restoration.co.uk
Click to expand...

I think what we are seeing is classic “nacelle droop”, occurring over time. The nacelles may be solid wood vs. hollow. The model likely needs a better base that includes support for the rear end of the nacelles to help straighten them.
 
Last edited:
Captain Dunsel said:
I keep wondering just what would have happened had the Storage Wars guys listed the model with a BIN of $1,000 on eBay and someone grabbed it before the rest of the world had seen it

I suppose it would still be “lost” like the Ark of the Covenant…
Click to expand...
It's a convoluted story at best...who collected those reels of old movies...and had, in his possession, the original GR Enterprise? Someone in the know and most probably connected to the studio crowd. If I was a P.I., I would ask the storage facility who was the last client who defaulted on his rental. Should be simple enough...?:unsure::rolleyes:
 
SciFiMuseum said:
UPDATE: Here is what is happening with the Enterprise model.

MSN
Click to expand...
Old news...As for the Auction House "not disclosing the real value of this item"...how do you know, in advance, the final $$ bid?:rolleyes::rolleyes::unsure::unsure:
They'll receive, eventually, mucho $$$ (way more than what they paid for that storage)!
 
Captain Dunsel said:
The latest episode of Inglorious Treksperts covered this topic, this week.


Darin confirmed that someone did, indeed, try to clean the model, somehow.
Click to expand...

Finally got a chance to listen to this. Unsurprisingly, the ever-loony Mark A. Altman is happy to shill for Heritage, and thinks they’re trustworthy, despite the hero phaser forgery auction debacle.
 

Seller Speaks! on USS Enterprise Model Found in Storage Unit!​

"Hi, this is Jim from TrekWorld! Today, I have an exciting update about the legendary 33-inch wooden model of the USS Enterprise found in a storage unit. Learn about the incredible journey of this iconic model, from its discovery by Dustin Raich and his partner to its evaluation at Heritage Auctions. "
 
I really don't follow Jim's logic. Okay, it was in the unit for years in a bag that was covered in dust. That doesn't mean the auction photos are old. They empty the unit, go through the items, and of course open all boxes and bags. Hey, a model. Take some pics and put it on eBay. What's the big mystery?
 
OK I understand a little better after watching the previous video. A picture or two of the model were passed around in April '23, months before the contents of the storage unit were purchased. Jim seems to think the existence of these photos could be significant if they figure out when they were taken.

Regardless of when, there's nothing to prove whoever took them knew it was a production model. Maybe they did, and finding more about its history before being in the storage unit will be interesting, but it really doesn't have relevance to the lawsuit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Tosfan1
TOMY TOS Enterprise from 2023
Replies
4
Views
289
RevelationSpace
RevelationSpace
S
PL TOS Enterprise lighting/painting question
Replies
4
Views
271
Rahn420
Rahn420
real9thdoctor
1/350 TOS Enterprise
Replies
11
Views
1,073
real9thdoctor
real9thdoctor
RossW
My PL 1/350 TOS Enterprise
Replies
11
Views
1,862
RossW
RossW
Chrisisall
Polar Lights 1/350 TOS Enterprise build resumed
Replies
14
Views
2,104
Chrisisall
Chrisisall
Back
Top