Smithsonian returns restored Starship Enterprise model to public display
- Thread starter Mudd
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I'm seeing details in those hi-res photos that I never knew existed, like that gun-looking thingie coming out of the bottom dome of the saucer.
The really neat thing about that video piece, besides the "behind the scenes" restoration bits, was the three pictures they showed of the 'Ol Girl when it was on loner display in 1972. Those views have never been published or shown anywhere. The detail is amazing. When folks complain about the streaking and weathering on the ship, the photo's show they were clearly there and a bit darker than I even thought. Wow.
I really hope NASM keeps their word and releases the painting scheme information. I've got the Big-E on my work bench right now and would be very interested in the painting information considering that's something I'll be addressing soon. I'd also love if they were able to get the permissions necessary to share with the world more of their reference material. Model makers around the globe would love to see the resource material!
Q2
Popularly known as "the taliwhacker." I don't think anyone is sure, but it may have been intended to be the phaser barrel.
I wonder what Ed Miarecki thinks about all of his work being undone?
It doesn't matter, even if his restoration was universally beloved (which it wasn't), the model had aged enough to need another full restoration.
There are super hi-res versions of those photos for downloading available on the Smithsonian site.
http://airandspace.si.edu/webimages/highres/15299h.jpg
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Ed was consulted and was most helpful.
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Here's a photo gallery from the Smithsonian site. Lots of pictures of the model prior to restoration and several of the reference images they used. It looks like there are a few missing images, which I'm guessing are images from after the restoration, which seem to have been pulled at some point today.
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/model-starship-enterprise-television-show-star-trek
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/model-starship-enterprise-television-show-star-trek
Was any type of cleaning done to it or any protective coating added? Based on the before photos it looks better, the registry decals look darker, I don't see as many flaws. Maybe just an illusion because the rest of the ship was redone?
True; the model has weight and presence; the human eye/mind knows the difference between a 3-dimensional object and poor, flat rendering. There's no outcome where the CG 1701 seems more realistic than the model.
Then, there's the wonderful restoration--compare it to that astoundingly wrongheaded disaster from the 1990s...
Finally getting the respect and treatment its long deserved.
I guess they removed them for some reason; hopefully the the issue is that the site is being updated with additional photos. Here are some low-res versions of those that were posted from the 1972 exhibit.
In this one if you look between the girl and the post to her left you can see the Galileo miniature in the dark
With respect, given the amazing work by the NASM team perhaps we can put the previous "restorations" behind us once and for all -- no need to keep dredging up the past, right?
100% wholeheartedly agreed!
I saw the high res versions and was surprised to see the bronze shading around the deflector housing and the same color in the lower saucer rings. I've never seen that in any other old color pics.
But this restoration is absolutely beautiful. It's obviously in the right hands now, after being "violated" the last time.
But this restoration is absolutely beautiful. It's obviously in the right hands now, after being "violated" the last time.
Thanks!
I think any appearance of color in the saucer rings must be an artifact of the photo. Not sure.
As I understand it, these 1972 photos at Golden West College pre-date any re-painting or alterations whatsoever. The dish antenna is missing, and the guy who set the model up for display used the wrong voltage and blew out all the original light bulbs, which he then replaced with different ones. But apart from that, it's all original if I'm not mistaken.
