We've been conducting an extensive amount of research into the history & construction of the 11-ft Enterprise as part of the Smithsonian's restoration of the original model. We've had access to unpublished, privately-held photos, as well as interviews with eyewitnesses to the pre-restoration model. More information will be forthcoming as we continue the research, but I can share this about the nacelle domes:
Both the inside & outside of the original domes were sandblasted, giving them a rough texture to the touch. The inside & outside of each dome was lightly sprayed with a transparent coating of orange Pelikan-brand ink, resulting in a frosted orange appearance. The clear nacelle tabs were also frosted and sprayed with orange ink.
Each tab was held in place by a single brass cap nut with a silver thread screwed into it. If you want the exact color, just visit your nearest big-box hardware store and look at a brass cap nut.
There were way more than 10 light bulbs inside each nacelle, and we're still working on the exact number. The 5 steady amber lights in the Polar Lights kit give basically the correct appearance, but you could safely add a half-dozen more blinkers, if you can squeeze them in.
Like I said, more info will be forthcoming as we complete our research, so stay tuned.
So the domes themselves had an orange tint to them originally, or this is what is being done to the replacements? If the former, I would not have realized the domes themselves were tinted. I thought all the effects was just due to the lighting and fan blades.
It was the same with me. According to our eyewitness who disassembled the unrestored domes, they had been painted so expertly (probably by Matt Jefferies) that they looked like orange plastic that had been sandblasted. On your model, you'll want to duplicate a frosted, light orange appearance - not an orange orange. The ILM people and the experts on the museum's staff (many of whom are Trekkies) are going to duplicate whatever was on the original model, except with archivally-safe materials.
Cool information, though when I clicked on the thread, I was thinking you were speaking of the original wood domes that were on the pilot(s) version. Those were apparently painted with Pelikan inks as well. Perhaps you are aware that one of those sold on Ebay recently; based on lack of any mention on forums such as this, I got the impression that the sale of that remarkable artifact flew under most people's radar.
That may or may not be an accurate quote. One of the articles even credited Rick Sternbach with designing the Refit Enterprise. Like I said before, stay tuned.
A few articles I read mentioned a "reversible metal collar" to be placed in the seondary hull to stabilize it; can you elaborate Gary on how that would work, exactly? When I first read it, I was picturing a collar on the outside of the hull to keep it from peeling apart (akin to the bands on a barrel), which would be visible of course. Thank, Scott
You've got the the right idea, except the bands will be on the INSIDE. Malcolm Collum at the museum had the idea had the idea of putting bands inside the sec hull, through the openings in front & back, and museum's ingenious machinists came up with a couple of internal collars. I can't emphasize too much that the Smithsonian is staffed with a number of very bright people! Here's a photo of one of the collars inside the hangar bay, not installed permanently yet.
Would screws then be used from the outside, and countersunk and covered up? However it works exactly, seems a clever way to ensure it holds together for many years to come.
Fantastic info, Gary--thank you most kindly! Everything I've seen coming out of the NASM shows nothing but the utmost care and attention to detail being put into the restoration. This is truly an exciting time!
I'm also very glad that I haven't finished my 1/350 build, since more nuggets like this nacelle dome thing will surely be trickling out, in the months to come.
All I can say is DON'T do any painting on that sucker until we make some final decisions! Here's a hint: despite all stories to the contrary, the base color of the 11-footer was NOT greenish-gray.
There were way more than 10 light bulbs inside each nacelle, and we're still working on the exact number. The 5 steady amber lights in the Polar Lights kit give basically the correct appearance, but you could safely add a half-dozen more blinkers, if you can squeeze them in.
But you think 5 amber steady-on lights are right for the 1:350 kit? I'm reworking my custom circuit board for the engines now (with 5 blinking LEDs) so I can easily add a few more blinkers; are you saying 10-12 in total blinkers would be right for that scale?
I've been reviewing a number of MP4 film clips that Doug Drexler compiled, and I've been counting the frames of various blinking lights so we can determine the ratio of on/off blinks for each blink cycle (regardless of the speed at which each clip was filmed) - and, not surprisingly, there were several different styles. We can program the LED lights to blink in whichever of the patterns/speeds we decide.
To answer your question, in the clips, it appears that the 5 steady ambers are there most of the time - with small multi-colored blinkers all over the place. The original lights were the mini-bulbs that plug into a socket (not C7's), so you want to squeeze as many as you have room for into the model. Long story, but we're still trying to count the exact number of bulbs - but I estimate you could have at least a dozen *small* blinkers in each dome, if there's room. Remember, the original domes also had a number of approx 1" mirror fragments glued to the wooden back of the nacelle.
To answer your unasked question - yes, I am quite mad. Mad as a Hatter!
Gary - Not that I don't trust Doug (because I do!), but be certain to check the properties of the MP4 clips that he provided to verify that they are time-based at either 24 fps or 23.976 fps to match the original film frames. That way you can be certain that each video frame equals exactly one film frame - where 24 frames = 1 second of screen time.
Counting on a 30-frame (or 29.97) "video" base will throw off the timing significantly (25%) when trying to determine the correct blink rate of the lights.
Thanks for the info, but I know how the 24 fps filming rate gets screwed up when it's transferred to video, and how timing on Blue-rays is different from conventional video. At the present time, I'm not all that concerned with timing since they ran the camera at different speeds when they filmed the spfx footage in the 60's, and the model's motors were supposedly on rheostats. I'm beginning to think they did this on purpose, just to confuse us. The Okudas have found some fascinating written documentation on the spfx shots, but nothing regarding camera speed or rheostat settings.
I'm currently counting the ratios - that is, 36 frames on, 9 frames off, 36 frames on, 9 frames off, etc. No ratios in any two sequences are exactly the same, but I'm noticing some patterns that are in the same ballpark. For example, the blinking light on the side of the hangar bay has been doing its best impression of a strobe in all but one of the shots I've checked. In fact, it's hard hard to find a frame with a fully-lit "strobe". In the vast majority of frames, the light is just starting to come on, or it's fading off.
Once I settle on a few common ratios for the various lights, we'll settle on the timing, which is a whole 'nother ball of wax. We're thinking that some of the spots in which the model isn't moving much (eg. the classic blue phaser-firing shot, or the one in which the camera isn't moving and the model is slowly rotating on its stand) appear to have been filmed in (or close to) real time. We're still in the data-collecting stage, but I suspect that the final timing will come down to what "looks" and "feels" right. As usual, stay tuned for further developments.
I respectfully decline the nomination, and if elected, I shall not serve. After all, the king always has somebody trying to dethrone him. I'm just just trying my best to satisfy my anal retentive nature by answering all the questions that have been bugging me since 1966.
Thanks - I'm working on it. Actually, I left the TV off all Super Bowl Sunday, and spent the day doing restoration-related stuff. And not a drop of alcohol nor a bite of nachos - truly pathetic.
I don't know what the Smithsonian's plans are re. any books, but I could probably whip up at least a mind-numbingly detailed article or two geared more toward modelers. I've got so many additional measurements of the model, plus a bunch of hi-res reference photos of the model in its various iterations, that I'll be revising my plans for months!
The full answer is - it's complicated - and we're still working on the full answer. Paint darkens with age, multiple coats of shellac are yellowing, etc. The museum is carefully cleaning years of grunge off the saucer so we can get a better look at the existing paint. I know it's hard to do, but just sit tight until all the examinations have been made.
Gary, you've opened yourself up to being endlessly pestered!
Is anything being done regarding the control console? I can't remember if that even exists now. Part of me wonders if some of the answers being sought might lie in that thing.
And I completely understand your feelings regarding this job. It's always exciting to find answers to long-held questions, REAL answers and not just someone pontificating regurgitated rumor that actually doesn't know any more than you.
It's especially nice when that truth ends up being something you've long suspected but had no proof of.
We have photos of the control console that were taken when 3 cratefuls of Enterprise parts (and the Tholian ship) arrived at the museum in April 1974. Today there is no trace of the console anywhere. That would NEVER happen today. I think part of the problem is that back then, the Enterprise was regarded more as a novelty, and not as the historic icon that it's regarded today.
I've been trying to let go of my preconceptions regarding the model, and go where the evidence takes me.
This is the first time the paint has really been thoroughly examined at the source. Thanks for keeping us informed, Gary K! I hope you can psychically feel the waves of gratitude washing over you. This is fascinating information and I know a lot of people here are going to be eating it up.
That's the console that is visible in some behind-the-scenes photos from the 60's. It arrived at the museum in 1974, and if I had to guess, I'd say somebody at the museum decided that the console was superfluous because they wouldn't use once the 11-footer was on display. The console is probably in the basement of somebody who used to work at Rogay, or it's deep in a landfill in the DC area.
And I'm thinking much could be learned from the switches and rheostats, the voltage and amperage and tolerances, how many operations were controlled, maybe even an operational guide or notes taped inside a door or something.
Sorry, but that's one of the photos that are restricted for the museum's use only. The console has slider controls for items such as saucer lights, pod lights, pod motors, nav lights, etc.
Agreed, which is why long ago I had suggested that was the way to display the Enterprise at the museum. Context. Show 'behind the curtain' and all that, even if that means the left side has the visible trench and wires held to the model with gaffer's tape.
I don't think that's what we're going to get. I suspect they'll finish the left side. Maybe not.
I am totally enthralled by this thread. I'm not an over the top Trek fan, I do enjoy it and love the ships, so this is more of a historical pop culture fascination than a "I can model a kit perfectly" interest. I'll be staying glued to it (pun not intended nor implied) :thumbsup:
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