Phil Smith Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 (edited) As I dust off the bench for my next project, a 1/32 F-16C, I thought I would post a few shots of a model I just completed of the Enterprise from Star Trek. I was 10 or so when I saw Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the ship depicted in the film blew my socks off. It was dazzling to me. As I grew older, I began to appreciate even more the thought that went into the design and the craftsmanship of the filming miniature. I've wanted to build a model of the thing for as long as I can remember, and Polar Lights came out with an appropriately large 1/350 scale kit. I decided to make this my own ship, adding my own details and color palette. The vehicle is fictional and I could care less about canon. I wanted the model to reflect how I think such a huge machine might look, and it seems to me metal cladding of some sort made sense (the world of Trek modeling, I discovered, is obsessed with "what color is the Big E?"). Lighting seemed a no-brainer for this subject. The model uses 50 pico-scale LEDs from an excellent outfit called Evan Designs, all powered by an over-worked 9V battery in the belly of the vehicle. Fiber optics and so forth distribute light here and there, and a rod of light conducting acrylic is used in each engine nacelle for the faint purple glow. I wanted the portholes to be bluish and subdued, with variation from one to the other, and the spot beams a warm shade not unlike those seen on commercial aircraft. Four strobes complete the effect. Anyway, it was a pleasure to build and I am pleased with the results. I also got plenty of experience working with metallics and I am now over my fear of working with these wonderful shades (the 1/32 Tamiya P-51K model I recently built also helped mitigate that fear). Edited October 23, 2023 by Phil Smith williamj, Alex, Uncarina and 22 others 24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 So cool ! williamj and BiggTim 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggz Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 Amazing! Now there's one model Mrs Shoggz might actually like - being a Star Trek fan! williamj and BiggTim 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggTim Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 Boy that is really nice! The finish is awesome! T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_C Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 Wow. It's breath-taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denders Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 That is cool! Really, really nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 Super nice! Love the NMF finish. FYI' I have read the studio model was a single color, the Aztec pattern was simply different levels of gloss/flat. Studio lighting created all the various colors/shades everyone argues over. Your lighting is awesome, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 That is stunning! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 16 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said: That is stunning! Kev Agreed on that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepsGunsTanks Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 Majestic!! Uncarina 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrotten Highlander Posted October 23, 2023 Share Posted October 23, 2023 2 hours ago, LSP_Ray said: Super nice! Love the NMF finish. FYI' I have read the studio model was a single color, the Aztec pattern was simply different levels of gloss/flat. Studio lighting created all the various colors/shades everyone argues over. Your lighting is awesome, too. I concur. Looks much more real this way too, and in line with the more modern interpretations of space craft surface finish since Star-Trek Enterprise (where CAD models were used instead of physical models) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Smith Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 Thank you everyone. Much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 That looks just great. Real nice job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrish Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Holy crap! that’s perfect! just…wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 That is so spectacular! Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now