A Shop is born

We spent the bulk of the day Saturday on the first part of this project, making a space for my work. We went through and culled stuff from about 8 or 9 boxes and tubs, then consolidated and rearranged. I had an old desk from the Roosevelt house that we moved in for a primary work space. We also uncovered our triangle folding table. I did some organizing, moved the drill press, and mounted two power strips on the wall behind the desk, as well as mounting my electronics component box on the wall. I spent a little time making a block to hold a few of my specialty drill bits, mostly forstner bits. Though I doubt I will use them on this project, I wanted them to have a place. The final steps were to replace the failing florescent tubes and mount a paper towel holder over the drill press. While I was out taking pictures Valah brought me a little space heater as it gets cold out there, specifically the concrete floor. Now I have a space I can work in. I am sure as this project progresses I will make improvements.

Before

 

After

 

Other Projects

As I am presently waiting for some parts to get started on the Enterprise, I thought I would show some pictures of a few of those projects I mentioned that are in progress. The first is my Klingon Bird of Prey model. This is my favorite ship from the Star Trek cannon, so I began with the idea of creating the ultimate model, with all the lights I could sort out. There are not too many windows, when you compare this ship to other Star Trek ships, so that made some of this pretty easy. There are a number of beacon lights, some I have set up with blinking LEDs. I did not use a 4060 chip set up for this model’s blinking lights, I think just to make it easy. I do have a small board for creating the flickering effect of the engines. This comes from Don’s Light and Magic and is built for this model. I swapped out the red lights for white as I have gels in the engine case to create the color. I also have a fourth LED attached as I built a more accurate engine plate and needed to extend the light a little. At least, I think that is what is going on. I have not touched this model in 2 years. The model also has the BOP wing hinge kit sold by Don’s Light and Magic. This means the wings are posable. I also rebuilt the disruptor cannons on the wings so they will light up. On the case there are two push buttons, one for the disruptor cannons and one for the photon torpedo launcher meaning you can fire the weapons. I do not remember what works and what does not at this juncture, and I do not have a power source as we are out of 9v batteries, and I have lost my old 9v power converter. There is one in the mail, so once it gets here I can figure out what works and how much building is left on this project. 

Klingon Bird of Prey parts

lower hull

upper hull

Bridge section with fiber optics poking through

Engine board using a 555 chip

Rebuilt engine grill

wings up

wings down

disrupters

Next is my modified x-wing, blue leader. The model itself was an ebay purchase and came without the cockpit shield. I found a shield from a helicopter kit, I believe, that would be similar in size, so I opted to do an upgraded x wing. I had a figure from an anime kit that seemed to fit right in on this x-wing, after some modifications like repositioning her legs (she was originally standing). The story behind this x-wing is that Blue Leader crashed on some planet where there was a lot of other crashed ships. She rebuilt her x-wing using components from the other ships. The overall design is now faster and better armed than a standard x-wing. This was all before the new x-wings came around from The Force Awakens.

            The cockpit has a number of blinking lights, as does the R2 unit. In the pictures you can see that both are mounded as a single unit wired to a 4060 chip and board. Once I have a power converter I will take some pics with the blinking lights working. The engines also work, they glow blue if I remember. I have painted the cockpit, and some of the inner details as they would be a hassle to build once the ship is full assembled. The kit-bashed parts come from a number of other kits, some Vietnam era tanks and helicopters, as well as some greebles left over from Gundam kits. The engine cowls come from a sci-fi kit I was reworking to be a Reaver ship from the Firefly TV series. That project is in storage, so it will not be making an appearance here anytime soon. The sci-fi kit is modeled out of glow in the dark plastic. With the Reaver ship I was using UV LEDs to make the ship glow with radiation.

x-wing parts

cockpit with pilot and R2

cockpit from the top

wires and fiber optics

Cockpit in place with shield

wing and engine detail

Finally these are a few projects that I have not started, that as this blog may become more about my projects and less about the 50^th Enterprise project, may show up. These bags house the parts for a number of Star Trek kits. Specifically the Enterprise A, B, and D, and a Klingon K’Tinga and K’vort class ships. Along with the Bird of Prey and the D7 that needs painted (pics once I have the power converter) I have all the Klingon ships that there are commercial kits for. I need to procure an Enterprise NX, C, E, and the reboot 1701 to have all the existing Enterprises. I have always wanted to have them all sitting next to each other, like on the Enterprise E’s ready room. I have toyed with the idea of adding a sailing ship, the Enterprise aircraft carrier, and the shuttle to the collection as well. We shall see.

other Star Trek kits

These kits are part of a project I have been thinking about for a while. Namely to build some ships in the Last Exile universe. Last Exile is a sci-fi anime that has a distinct diesel-punk visual theme. I am both a big fan of the diesel-punk aesthetic, as well as the anime, both series. The core ship is a small 2 seater called a vanship. There is a model of a vanship available, well it is being reissued in April, and I intent to pick one up, but I wanted to play around with making my own. I hope to get 2 or 3 vanships, as well as a larger bomber style vanship from these kits (and my greebles box). 

an assortment of WWII kits

 

Last Exile vanship

Last Exile vanship

A beginning is a very delicate time.

2016, along with being the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, is also the 50^th anniversary of Star Trek’s premier on NBC. Most people who know me know how important Shakespeare is to me. I grew up watching his plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and due to that, and many other factors, I am almost finished with a Ph.D. in English and the Teaching of English which focuses on Shakespeare.

            Star Trek has played an important role in my life as well. Among many other things I credit Star Trek for making me an optimist, as few other Science fiction universes show a future where humanity has evolved beyond the petty bickering that dominates our society now. Though my political views deal with the reality of our world, my underlying liberal philosophy is one shaped by Star Trek, among other things.

            Star Trek and Shakespeare have always shared a bond. Several early episodes have titles from Shakespeare quotes, and one original series episode even shows scenes from Hamlet. So Star Trek and Shakespeare are not all that disparate.

            I have been working with the Marshall Public Library and ISU to set up a number of events to celebrate Shakespeare, but I have not done much of anything to celebrate Star Trek’s 50^th anniversary. This blog is an answer to that. I recently purchased a recreation of the original Enterprise model kit offered in the ‘60s (1:650 scale). This is not the most accurate model, but it is a good one. Over the next few months, hopefully ending in September when Star Trek originally debuted, I intend to build this model, complete with lights.

50th Anniversary box

With the plastic slip cover off

I’ve been building models off and on for most of my adult life. I am just not too good at getting them finished, though often things like a move have caused me to stop work. I am pretty good with the construction and wiring, but painting has always been a bit of a chore, mostly because I do not have an airbrush. Brush painting models always makes them look a bit, well, modeled. So, along with the construction of this model I intend to purchase and learn how to use an airbrush.

I hope to make weekly updates on this project, but as my schoolwork comes first that may not happen. I will try and post pictures of the project as well, though often when I do get into building a model I will sort of zen into the process and not notice that hours have passed. I ask for your indulgence as I begin this project.

Parts laid out

First, as hard core Trekies know, there are several versions of the original Enterprise, the “Cage” pilot version, the “Where No Man Has Gone Before “pilot version, the standard production version, and the recent GCI version used to the remastered collection of the original series episodes. Mine will be a standard production with lighting and painting inspiration from the GCI version. So what I have done so far? Well a lot of pre-construction work. I have pulled out the parts and instructions and looked them over, giving me a sense of the order of construction, as well as how much room I have for wires, circuit boards and lights. The model comes with opaque Bussard collectors and an inaccurate bridge and B and C decks, so I have procured some accurate pieces that allow for lighting from Don’s Light and Magic (see links to the right). I have gathered some reference shots online from the Smithsonian model, as well as screen captures of both the original series, and the recent remastered version of the show, and even a few pictures of other models. I also have some brass tubing and some styrene sheets on the way for the base. Finally I have begun to think about prototyping the circuit board for the Bussard lights and the blinking beckons on the saucer section. 

All of this is well and good; however, to really work on this I need a work space. My first real project will be to convert a corner in our cluttered garage into a work space. This, I hope to have done this weekend.

My present work space

Other projects

As I have a number of models in different states of completion I expect I will tinker with those as well as I work through the Enterprise. Most of these are built, they just need painting, and will offer some good practice before I get to painting the Enterprise. These include an original series Romulan warbird, a Klingon D-7, and a pair of kit bashed First Contact style federation ships. If they turn up while I am clearing out my space I also have a kit bashed Matrix style hover craft, a Star Wars inspired fighter I call the M Wing, and a number of BattleTech like robots I have kit based over the years. Finally I have a plethora of Gundams that I have built over the years, some may get painted. A few need to be built, among them a Klingon bird of prey with a number of heavy modes, as well as a heavily modified X-wing. Both are mostly complete and may end up finished when I have lulls in the Enterprise build.