The nacelles and secondary hull lights sure looked good in the display room. It's really going to be awesome when the saucer is added. The boards to control the lights is a nice feature to have for all that complicated lighting. I don't think I ever noticed the three painted rings on the bottom of the saucer. Interesting. Have a safe trip!!!!
I have been working on a Large Excelsior project since 2014. The plug n play lightning system I had made ( because my electrical skills suck) has a separate circuit to light the nacelles blue despite no studio model ever had lit nacelles. However, there were scenes in DS 9 and Voyager with lit nacelles from post production add ons. As for this Grey Lady, recent reports from folks on the production team back in the day stated they planned to upgrade the 11ft model for season 4 with more skin detail, and YES, add blue lights in the nacelles. They never got that far.
Greetings and salutations to you Lou. I have been racking my brain since I have been watching you doing this build and Trek Yards working on the 71/72 inch carbon fiber Constitution Class model. I had drawn up plans for a 1/72 scale Constitution Class, that I was going to model as Constitution NCC - 1700. The Enterprise is Iconic, and beautiful, but it is 99.9 % always what is built. When I was 14 in 1977 I built 15 Constitution models of the 1/650 scales. You know, the only ones you could buy at the time. I modeled all 14 that were named on the sheet, and made 1 Defiant as seen in the Tholian Web episode. I had Star fleet in my bedroom. So the Constitution Class Star Ship if built in reality is measured at an overall length of 947 feet exactly. So divided by 72% gives me 13 foot and 7/64th of and inch in length for the model. This is larger than the large second filming model that is in the Smithsonian, which is now reported to be 11 feet, 3 and 1/2 inches long as measured by Mr. Gary Kerr during the restoration of the model over the last few years. They also claimed that it scales out to 1/96th scale which would make the model 1/8th of an inch = 1 foot. This is not correct. If the model is truly 11 foot 3 and a half inches in length then the division of 947 feet once again would most closely come out to 1/84th scale. If you drag it into exact decimal places then it is truly 84.whatever scale but not to get to stupid the 84 scale is so close that the decimal percentages just make it more confusing. The line drawings in the official publications have had the measurements for the filming model wrong claiming about 10 feet or so for years, and some of the publications have claimed the overall length in meters to be at 289.7 meters when 947 feet comes out to 288.6456 meters so making that measurement 11 meters to long. Thank God Matt Jefferies made the absolute scale dimensions in feet to the exacts. this has been the biggest saving grace on the plans. So also after scaling some more math I have figured out that your model at 66 inches is 1/172 scale. You may have already been aware of this. I have been contemplating waiting on the 13 foot monster, and instead making a Klingon D7 either in the scale to go with the 71/72 model and or one to mirror your beautiful build. Your model would need a D7 to be at 52 and 3/16th inches to match the scale. I have also been working with concepts for a TOS Klingon and Romulan shuttle crafts. Those so far are in 3D modeling stages. I made one YT video about it, but I plan to update on it soon. Well happy modeling and get that beauty done, and I'll post some vids when I get the first project going.
Look at it this way. My ship is 1/2 scale to the filming model and 200% larger than the 350 kit. That makes the 350 kit 1/4 scale to the filming model. Now whether the filming model is meant to be 1/84 or 1/8400 scale to a "real" Enterprise isn't my concern and how the builders of the filming model and Matt Jeffries come up with their sizes is between them
@@aztekdummy Yes fair point, and I wasn't trying to cause any trouble, and or get a rise out of you or anything. I was pointing out that your model isn't half the size of the filming model. Its half the size of the perceived dimensions of what they believed to be of the filming model. I thought you might be interested in what the actual scale was. It is to bad that Matt Jefferies is no longer with us, because only God knows what he was thinking and or doing when they built the second filming model. It was thought for many years to be HO Train scale at 1/87ish, and it was also thought that he just threw out sketches and notes to the Model Builders in Burbank, which is a high possibility. Now the Smithsonian Aerospace Museum claims that It is suppose to be 1/96 scale, and they derived this based on the new measurements that a Master Modeler recorded during the restoration. I guess they cant afford a simple calculator though, and or don't know how to use the one on their computer, because if their measurements are accurate, their scale math is wrong. But anyhow, you are not scratch building on this project even though its damn close to scratch building. I have been following along and its really awesome to watch you work your skill. Actually also you can brag a bit because your model is more than 1/2 scale of the filming model. 1/2 scale would be 1/198 scale and measure out at 5 foot 7 and 3/4 inches.
Love the build so far.Just a warning. I work at a body shop. The red putty you are using is a nitrocellulose based product. Not really good if you are using a type of single stage urethane automotive paint. The way the putty dries may cause shrinkage and leave a outline of the repair. That stuff is really good with scratches not to fill holes. For that use a polyester putty like Evercoat. Because that dries with a hardener like body filler it dries harder and faster. I really enjoy your videos. Peace
Faller has a silent motor in it's Giant Ferris Wheel. It would be nice for the Bussard collectors. but it is probably too small or too slow. 180723 Direct current motor with gear
I love how people come in and comment on how you did this wrong and that wrong (eg. the blue nacelle lights). At the end of the day, you are going to have a magnificent beast of a starship replica and they don't. Please give us a tour of your model room when you have the star exhibit in place.
Lou....if u don't mind me asking , I noticed in the background u had a original Galactica series Cylon rifle. I've always wanted one of those. Where did u get it, and can I get one?
Is it the camera, or do the windows lights on the secondary hull seem a wee bit too bright? Love the work/progress on the ship, can't wait to see the finished product!
You are too generous by far, Lou. It's easy for me to chip in an idea-- you are doing the patient, extraordinary slogging. Two images stir the breast! Your test mounting in your display room, all lit up (not you, the ship!) and the two saucer halves gleaming in the gloaming (ahem). Ripples in the fiberglass? Pfah. (Dave Merriman would have sanded it back to fiber and slathered in a whole can of Evercoat whichever-- then made a sanding jig in the contour of the hull... but he's possessed-- I'm with you; a dull coat should hide all sins!) The only crazy idea I have about joining the top and bottom is to fair in some "contour matched" blocks in the bottom half. Perhaps strips of Apoxy sculpt right at the rim. Squish down the top right on the wormy/blocky shapes. I would use Saran Wrap/cling film as a barrier but that would allow any lumps and bumps to be perfectly matched. It peels off clean. Perhaps 6 spots? That way you have a surface to glue to. Any gap filling at that point would be mild. She's looking rather nice! Good luck at the Con!!!
the trick is going to be not adding a lot of weight to the saucer in the process, but yes, I'm thinking of adding blocks around the rim to give the top something more to sit upon.
@@aztekdummy I don't think you need much to get the job done-- weight-wise. But it seems like something has to be done like it otherwise you're gluing an eggshell to an eggshell.
Why why why are you lighting up the inside of the nacelles with blue light? That is not canon. Why would you work so hard to do such a beautiful job making this perfect TOS Enterprise only to add the frickin’ blue lights to the nacelles?? Please don’t do that. There should be no blue illuminated nacelles on any starship before The Motion Picture refit of the Enterprise. It’s one of the pet peeves I had with the NX-01 on the series Enterprise. Why would a less advanced starship a hundred years before the Constitution class have the blue illuminated nacelles when they didn’t come into being until the Enterprise refit!? Urrrgh!!!
I agree. I don't like the blue lit engine grills either. It's not how the filming model looks at the Smithsonian. I know some people think they would have lit up if they had the budget back then but we really don't know that. It's like putting another cockpit on the other side of the Millennium Falcon saying that they meant to do that to make it look more symmetrical but they didn't have the money. Yeah I know you can build a model anyway you want but a huge model like this really deserves to look as authentic to the original filming model as possible.
@@aztekdummy Yep. And that's what I plan to do with my 1/350 version when I finally get around to building it. The beauty of that mod is that when it is turned off, it looks exactly like the filming model did, but if you want to experience the "what if?" version, it's only a flip of a switch away. All things considered, it makes more sense than omitting the capability. Any commercially produced model will also fail to faithfully replicate the filming model's lack of trench detail on the opposite nacelle (it was all done through paint), or production quality finish on one side, with wires and conduit and mounting supports exposed on the other. In short, the additional lighting is a ridiculous thing to complain about, as it is one of the least significant "inaccuracies" in any of the symmetrically constructed and finished TOS models that can be viewed from any angle. All of that aside - Great build! Looking forward to seeing it finally complete, and this reminds me I need to check on masks for that 1/350 Reliant kit I've got sitting in the queue.
So many better things to get triggered over. If you really knew cannon, the TOS ship was built with that intent to light the nacelles but the technology to do so didn't exist in the sixties. Well, hell, the bussards were a string of Christmas lights. Aside from that, if you want a build without the blue lights, build one yourself because this build does not belong to you. Urrrgh!!!
The nacelles and secondary hull lights sure looked good in the display room. It's really going to be awesome when the saucer is added. The boards to control the lights is a nice feature to have for all that complicated lighting. I don't think I ever noticed the three painted rings on the bottom of the saucer. Interesting. Have a safe trip!!!!
Really enjoying the build Lou!
Looks wonderful. The paint mix you used is spot on, and that is through a camera. Funny thing, I see it as blue grey but my wife sees green grey.
Always glad to sniff glue vicariously through your vids.
Just outstanding! This year you have built all my favorite ships!
Such an amazing build series to watch! Thank you for sharing your expertise with us, Lou!
Outstanding job! I'm enjoying following this build, and it's looking great!
I have been working on a Large Excelsior project since 2014. The plug n play lightning system I had made ( because my electrical skills suck) has a separate circuit to light the nacelles blue despite no studio model ever had lit nacelles. However, there were scenes in DS 9 and Voyager with lit nacelles from post production add ons.
As for this Grey Lady, recent reports from folks on the production team back in the day stated they planned to upgrade the 11ft model for season 4 with more skin detail, and YES, add blue lights in the nacelles. They never got that far.
Greetings and salutations to you Lou. I have been racking my brain since I have been watching you doing this build and Trek Yards working on the 71/72 inch carbon fiber Constitution Class model.
I had drawn up plans for a 1/72 scale Constitution Class, that I was going to model as Constitution NCC - 1700. The Enterprise is Iconic, and beautiful, but it is 99.9 % always what is built.
When I was 14 in 1977 I built 15 Constitution models of the 1/650 scales. You know, the only ones you could buy at the time.
I modeled all 14 that were named on the sheet, and made 1 Defiant as seen in the Tholian Web episode.
I had Star fleet in my bedroom.
So the Constitution Class Star Ship if built in reality is measured at an overall length of 947 feet exactly. So divided by 72% gives me 13 foot and 7/64th of and inch in length for the model.
This is larger than the large second filming model that is in the Smithsonian, which is now reported to be 11 feet, 3 and 1/2 inches long as measured by Mr. Gary Kerr during the restoration of the model over the last few years. They also claimed that it scales out to 1/96th scale which would make the model 1/8th of an inch = 1 foot. This is not correct. If the model is truly 11 foot 3 and a half inches in length then the division of 947 feet once again would most closely come out to 1/84th scale. If you drag it into exact decimal places then it is truly 84.whatever scale but not to get to stupid the 84 scale is so close that the decimal percentages just make it more confusing.
The line drawings in the official publications have had the measurements for the filming model wrong claiming about 10 feet or so for years, and some of the publications have claimed the overall length in meters to be at 289.7 meters when 947 feet comes out to 288.6456 meters so making that measurement 11 meters to long.
Thank God Matt Jefferies made the absolute scale dimensions in feet to the exacts. this has been the biggest saving grace on the plans. So also after scaling some more math I have figured out that your model at 66 inches is 1/172 scale. You may have already been aware of this. I have been contemplating waiting on the 13 foot monster, and instead making a Klingon D7 either in the scale to go with the 71/72 model and or one to mirror your beautiful build. Your model would need a D7 to be at 52 and 3/16th inches to match the scale.
I have also been working with concepts for a TOS Klingon and Romulan shuttle crafts. Those so far are in 3D modeling stages.
I made one YT video about it, but I plan to update on it soon.
Well happy modeling and get that beauty done, and I'll post some vids when I get the first project going.
Look at it this way. My ship is 1/2 scale to the filming model and 200% larger than the 350 kit. That makes the 350 kit 1/4 scale to the filming model. Now whether the filming model is meant to be 1/84 or 1/8400 scale to a "real" Enterprise isn't my concern and how the builders of the filming model and Matt Jeffries come up with their sizes is between them
@@aztekdummy Yes fair point, and I wasn't trying to cause any trouble, and or get a rise out of you or anything.
I was pointing out that your model isn't half the size of the filming model.
Its half the size of the perceived dimensions of what they believed to be of the filming model.
I thought you might be interested in what the actual scale was.
It is to bad that Matt Jefferies is no longer with us, because only God knows what he was thinking and or doing when they built the second filming model.
It was thought for many years to be HO Train scale at 1/87ish, and it was also thought that he just threw out sketches and notes to the Model Builders in Burbank, which is a high possibility.
Now the Smithsonian Aerospace Museum claims that It is suppose to be 1/96 scale, and they derived this based on the new measurements that a Master Modeler recorded during the restoration.
I guess they cant afford a simple calculator though, and or don't know how to use the one on their computer, because if their measurements are accurate, their scale math is wrong.
But anyhow, you are not scratch building on this project even though its damn close to scratch building.
I have been following along and its really awesome to watch you work your skill.
Actually also you can brag a bit because your model is more than 1/2 scale of the filming model.
1/2 scale would be 1/198 scale and measure out at 5 foot 7 and 3/4 inches.
Another astounding week on the build. Loving this series on the 66" Enterprise.
Having a great time following this - dare I say - EPIC build! Thanks Lou!
Looking great! I'm watching the build with great interest. 🖖
I truly enjoy your videos. Living vicariously thru you.
Love the build so far.Just a warning. I work at a body shop. The red putty you are using is a nitrocellulose based product. Not really good if you are using a type of single stage urethane automotive paint. The way the putty dries may cause shrinkage and leave a outline of the repair. That stuff is really good with scratches not to fill holes. For that use a polyester putty like Evercoat. Because that dries with a hardener like body filler it dries harder and faster. I really enjoy your videos. Peace
Thanks for the tip! I think I can track some down
Always an ongoing lesson in spot engineering and problem solving...Uber-informative!
Well done Lou, its looking great and i cannot wait to see it all finished.
bloody marvellous Lou, Loving the build log!
Looking Fantastic!
Looking great 😃😊
Great build. Wish I had one of these. I'd like to get my hands on her ample nacelles...
Hey lou great job. I was really dubious about the blue nacelle but now I see it I wish it could have been standard
She's looking magnificent, Lou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Wow!
You're gonna need a bigger house if you build a matching scale Klingon D7.
tecums3h he’s waiting for the scale V’Ger to come out.
@@sdfried4877 Lol! This could get out of hand very quickly but it would be glorious!
Fancy meeting you here :)
@@NewMessage What the................🤯 No way. Let's not talk about this back at the office. Lol! 🖖
Gotta have a Romulan warbird too
Gorgeous! Always nice to see some fundamentals at work (measuring, guides, and what not). Willing to divulge how you are planning the flat coat?
nothing special. rattlecan of Krylon flatcoat
Faller has a silent motor in it's Giant Ferris Wheel. It would be nice for the Bussard collectors. but it is probably too small or too slow. 180723 Direct current motor with gear
Looking great! How does it feel knowing that youve almost completed the build? It is quite an achievement.
God it’s beautiful but is it supposed to be so glossy?
no, thats the auto paint. I'll dullcoat it before it's done
I love how people come in and comment on how you did this wrong and that wrong (eg. the blue nacelle lights). At the end of the day, you are going to have a magnificent beast of a starship replica and they don't. Please give us a tour of your model room when you have the star exhibit in place.
Lou....if u don't mind me asking ,
I noticed in the background u had a original Galactica series Cylon rifle. I've always wanted one of those. Where did u get it, and can I get one?
I got the rifle from kropserkle.com, same place I got the cylon costume
Everything looks amazing Lou!
On a side note, any idea if you might take a whack at the new 1/1000 Enterprise kit from Star Trek: Discover?
Oh yeah!!! Just as soon as I can get one
Is it the camera, or do the windows lights on the secondary hull seem a wee bit too bright? Love the work/progress on the ship, can't wait to see the finished product!
the ones on the neck are too bright. I gotta find a way to tone those down
Why does it sound like a 1976 diesel Mercedes?
Not a fan of the lit engine grills but the rest is fantastic.
If this is a kit, is there a website I can order one!
You need a Battlestar Galactica and the Star Blazers ship
Have you thought about brushless motors?should be quieter
You are too generous by far, Lou. It's easy for me to chip in an idea-- you are doing the patient, extraordinary slogging. Two images stir the breast! Your test mounting in your display room, all lit up (not you, the ship!) and the two saucer halves gleaming in the gloaming (ahem). Ripples in the fiberglass? Pfah. (Dave Merriman would have sanded it back to fiber and slathered in a whole can of Evercoat whichever-- then made a sanding jig in the contour of the hull... but he's possessed-- I'm with you; a dull coat should hide all sins!)
The only crazy idea I have about joining the top and bottom is to fair in some "contour matched" blocks in the bottom half. Perhaps strips of Apoxy sculpt right at the rim. Squish down the top right on the wormy/blocky shapes. I would use Saran Wrap/cling film as a barrier but that would allow any lumps and bumps to be perfectly matched. It peels off clean. Perhaps 6 spots? That way you have a surface to glue to. Any gap filling at that point would be mild.
She's looking rather nice!
Good luck at the Con!!!
the trick is going to be not adding a lot of weight to the saucer in the process, but yes, I'm thinking of adding blocks around the rim to give the top something more to sit upon.
@@aztekdummy I don't think you need much to get the job done-- weight-wise. But it seems like something has to be done like it otherwise you're gluing an eggshell to an eggshell.
well getting thare liker it will see if you post it
Why why why are you lighting up the inside of the nacelles with blue light? That is not canon. Why would you work so hard to do such a beautiful job making this perfect TOS Enterprise only to add the frickin’ blue lights to the nacelles?? Please don’t do that. There should be no blue illuminated nacelles on any starship before The Motion Picture refit of the Enterprise. It’s one of the pet peeves I had with the NX-01 on the series Enterprise. Why would a less advanced starship a hundred years before the Constitution class have the blue illuminated nacelles when they didn’t come into being until the Enterprise refit!? Urrrgh!!!
AW why? Because he can. His build his way.
I agree. I don't like the blue lit engine grills either. It's not how the filming model looks at the Smithsonian. I know some people think they would have lit up if they had the budget back then but we really don't know that. It's like putting another cockpit on the other side of the Millennium Falcon saying that they meant to do that to make it look more symmetrical but they didn't have the money. Yeah I know you can build a model anyway you want but a huge model like this really deserves to look as authentic to the original filming model as possible.
Lighten up, Francis...that's why it has it's own circuit and switch. to quote Dr. Frank N. Furter..."I didn't make him....for YOU!"
@@aztekdummy Yep. And that's what I plan to do with my 1/350 version when I finally get around to building it.
The beauty of that mod is that when it is turned off, it looks exactly like the filming model did, but if you want to experience the "what if?" version, it's only a flip of a switch away.
All things considered, it makes more sense than omitting the capability.
Any commercially produced model will also fail to faithfully replicate the filming model's lack of trench detail on the opposite nacelle (it was all done through paint), or production quality finish on one side, with wires and conduit and mounting supports exposed on the other.
In short, the additional lighting is a ridiculous thing to complain about, as it is one of the least significant "inaccuracies" in any of the symmetrically constructed and finished TOS models that can be viewed from any angle.
All of that aside - Great build! Looking forward to seeing it finally complete, and this reminds me I need to check on masks for that 1/350 Reliant kit I've got sitting in the queue.
So many better things to get triggered over. If you really knew cannon, the TOS ship was built with that intent to light the nacelles but the technology to do so didn't exist in the sixties. Well, hell, the bussards were a string of Christmas lights. Aside from that, if you want a build without the blue lights, build one yourself because this build does not belong to you. Urrrgh!!!