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Production Enterprise Diagrams |
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by Agatha Chamberlain
Version 3.0 2/22/98
Before I get into the notes I want to include the only disclaimer you will get with this project: I graduated as an
English/Library Science Major. Not Drafting or Art. A lot of the window locations and some of the
dimensions are guesstimates from looking at photos. As are some of the dimensions such as the width of the fantail. As such I can only say that this is as close an approximation of the 11 foot miniature as resources will allow.
A lot of the "fine tuning" of these drawings were done with the help of Mike Trice's proofreading them and pointing out several details that I missed.
DRAWING NOTES (Click on the images to see larger versions)
Some are obvious but I am including all of those details the are lacking in the "out of the box" kit.
GENERAL NOTES
The location of the
windows: These were done by watching videotaped episodes of Star Trek. In fact this was the basic reason for the project. The first thing that I noticed about the kit was that most of the windows
were wrong or missing. I started out by using the kit to make a basic outline of the model. Since there were basically two versions of the ship viewed through-out the series, I made two sets. Whenever the ship appeared on screen I paused and made notes on the appropriate drawing. This involved watching many hours of Star Trek. (It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.) I made no notations as to where corrected windows are since most, if not all, of them are repositioned somewhat.
The warp engines: THEY DO TAPER! Compare the fore and aft endcaps .
Decals: The decals used are a mixture of those from the ESTES rocket kit and ones from Thomas Models Although Thomas'
set has the markings that are along the keel they are mostly the outlines with no fill color. They do provide a pattern for handmade ones.
Send comments to Agatha at mikecham@unm.edu
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Upper view
1) Aft dome light.
2) Red stripes.
3) Running lights. These are made from pinheads. The middle one
appears red at times. The rest of the running lights that are not red or green I am painting a light yellow to further distinguish then from round windows.
4) Painting note: The impulse
engine and the structure forward of it are much darker than the rest of the hull.
5) I haven't tampered with the forward endcaps. Some commentators suggest that they should be larger. My
gripe has always been that they were molded on opaque plastic rather than clear. Thomas Models has a set of translucent ones. I've got some things
ordered from them. If I am satisfied with the product I may order these.
6) I think that these are lights and are treating them as such.
7) Red light on left, green on right. (Underside counterparts are light yellow.)
8) The kit required massive reshaping of the superstructure. The little square is yellow with red border.
9)
It took me a long time to even acknowledge that these markings exist. I never could see them in an actual episode. They appear to be just borders with no interior color, The two smaller rectangles
can be either red or yellow since both colors have been observed. Just not by me.
10) The forward flat piece should be flush against the engine as well as having two raised
dots on it (see side view).
11) Note fins forward of intercoolers.
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Side view
12) Square off the slanted sides. I reinforced the inside with putty. Be careful and apply
a little at a time. The putty that I used (Squadron Green) softened and distorted the plastic when done too heavily.
13) Painting note: the groove seems to be the same darker shade of grey as the
impulse engines.
14) Bridge should be rounded with no trace of flatness to the walls. The dome bubble is more pronounced.
15) These are of five little numbers that run along the lower
hull. The one at the fantail is
1837 with a small vertical line above it. The one up by the warp pylon is 1384, the next lower one is 1300 then 705 and 102 up at the forward end. The rectangle aft of this is a grey panel with "TAIL PIPE SOCKET ADJUSTMENY ACCESS".
16)This is a running light. If you are into electronisizing kits, they flash.
17) These are along the leading edge and there are just the three of them. I don't know if they are windows
but they always appear black.
18) There are two ridges represented in the Thomas Models decal as lines. The lower one is longer than the upper. Also the panel area where the pennant is located as
well as the one on the underside are recessed.
19)The front piece projects past the rim of the hull.
20) This is a more accurate view of the contour of the underside of the saucer. Note
that the flat rim is not there and that the leading edge is more at an angle. The area around the sensor array is also more curved.
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Underside view
21) Currently, these are red on the restored model. When viewing the television series, they appear black. Other times,
especially when well lit, they appear to be red. This is the modeler's choice. No color inside other than hull color.
22) Corrected shape of fantail. The hull in the kit tapers a bit to much. As
near as I can tell the fantail width should be approximately two thirds that of the width of the forward hull.
23) White with red border. These, as well as the following two, are hand made.
24) White with black border.
25) Medium grey with dark grey border.
26) Yellow with red border. From the ESTES decal sheet.
27) The front edge of the secondary hull is
chamfered. That's a word that I learned from
Mike Trice. Basically what it means is that the edge tapers down pretty much the same way that the forward ends of the warp engines taper before the round part.
28) Red. ESTES decal.
29) More running lights. (Come to think of it, This kit would look great lit.)
30) These were a real pain to figure out. None of the available photo's showed anything other than that there
was something there and it was not a window. Jeff Brown filled me in. They are grey panels with the inscription "INSPECTION DOOR VENT SYSTEM
CONNECTION" written in two or three lines. Print is too small to duplicate.
Also note that the saucer underside windows are NOT symmetrical. This is probably due to the fact that when
the refurbished after the pilot they only added details to the side that would be facing the camera. I like the look. The rectangle on the port side inside the inner ring is yellow, the one in the
forward area appears to be grey.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: The outer of the three rings intersects with the saucer pylon, the middle ring is 1/4 inch smaller in radius and the inner ring is 5/16 inch
smaller than the middle ring.
31)Medium grey with black border. Photos suggest that the grey area lightens up in the center.
32) In the pictures of the Enterprise as she exists now at the
Smithsonian has only one of these panels on each engine. There are supposed to be three but some were lost.
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Aft view
33) The three horizontal bars are red, green, and red. The verticle ones are orange. They are lights. (See comment on note
29)
34) If you look closely, you will see that the pylon joins the warp engine much lower than the kit has it.
Bow view
35) There are two little bumps on the sides of the bridge.
When I first saw them in I don't remember what episode they looked like antenna. They were unlit. Current commentary suggests that they are red lights.
THE GRID
The "grid": I have heard all sorts of
accounts about the grid pattern on the upper surface of the hull. I am willing to admit that there are dividing lines in the hull of the miniature. They appear throughout the outer surface and not
just on the upper saucer. As a separate drawing, I am using the weathering patterns on the Enterprise as she now stands to define the grid pattern since the pattern seems to be where commentators
describe faint grid lines.
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