New Original Series USS Enterprise

[Tallguy]

So some observations on the paint job. I have been looking at clearer clips of both the "day of delivery" photos as well as the on shot of the 11 in The Cage. The blue dorsal is much clearer in the delivery photos. However, I think it looks like it was painted over by the time it was shot. Also the bridge and upper saucer have no markings (other than windows and registry) in the delivery photos but they do in The Cage. I'd guess that the dorsal was painted at the same time the markings were added. (Total guess, of course.)

Along the same lines, where do you see the red ring around the bridge dome? I'm not seeing it in The Cage. Is it elsewhere?

 

[Warped9]

I thought I saw that red ring on the decal sheet of the 1/350 PL E model.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Polar Lights hired Gary Kerr to meticulously research that model, but I have to admit in the 50 years I’ve been staring at the Enterprise I’ve never seen that red ring before, either. But if it really was there, I believe Gary. He’s arguably one of the world’s foremost experts on the 11-footer.

 

[scifieric]

So some observations on the paint job. I have been looking at clearer clips of both the "day of delivery" photos as well as the on shot of the 11 in The Cage. The blue dorsal is much clearer in the delivery photos. However, I think it looks like it was painted over by the time it was shot. Also the bridge and upper saucer have no markings (other than windows and registry) in the delivery photos but they do in The Cage. I'd guess that the dorsal was painted at the same time the markings were added. (Total guess, of course.)

Along the same lines, where do you see the red ring around the bridge dome? I'm not seeing it in The Cage. Is it elsewhere?

You are correct in many of your observations! When Datin's crew delivered the Enterprise 11 foot model, she was pretty plain Jane. The blue neck was there, and the signs under the Engineering Hull were there, but not much else. I think the FX crew added detailing (and probably weathering) to the model before filming.

Here is a shot where I think you can see the red ring. It's from the History site that kept being flagged as a virus source. But the images are pretty good.

And you can see it pretty clearly here, on the right of the top image (below).

I thought I saw that red ring on the decal sheet of the 1/350 PL E model.

Excellent!

Polar Lights hired Gary Kerr to meticulously research that model, but I have to admit in the 50 years I’ve been staring at the Enterprise I’ve never seen that red ring before, either. But if it really was there, I believe Gary. He’s arguably one of the world’s foremost experts on the 11-footer.

I agree. Gary has been extremely lucky. He has had actual access to the model more than twice!

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Well I'll be damned.

 

[scifieric]

Well I'll be damned.

Gerry Kerr had much the same reaction when he found out about the metal ring around the lit bridge dome. He asked how many people knew it was there. I said I did and that I had always modeled my Enterprise bridge with it since I saw The Menagerie as a kid! It was right there in the swoop up to the bridge!

 

[Warped9]

Many years ago when I was on the Hobbytalk forums we followed Gary Kerr’s research of the Enterprise for the Polar Lights 1/350 model kit and it was amazing to learn of so many details many of us completely missed all those years.

One of the strangest was learning that a rather small thingy extended down from the tip of the lower sensor dome on the series production version of the 11 footer.

I also recall how disappointing it was to learn how inaccurate the original AMT model kit was from the Enterprise we saw on television.

 

[scifieric]

Many years ago when I was on the Hobbytalk forums we followed Gary Kerr’s research of the Enterprise for the Polar Lights 1/350 model kit and it was amazing to learn of so many details many of us completely missed all those years.

One of the strangest was learning that a rather small thingy extended down from the tip of the lower sensor dome on the series production version of the 11 footer.

I also recall how disappointing it was to learn how inaccurate the original AMT model kit was from the Enterprise we saw on television.

Yeah, you're talking about the phaser nipple. You'll notice in The Cage and in Where No Man Has Gone Before that the lower saucer planetary array sensor (white dome) is just a hemisphere. However, during the run of the series, it got a little round bubble on the very bottom. Out of that was a rather penis-like extension ... a phaser turret.

You can see it on this page: https://www.quora.com/What-makes-th...Original-Series-so-beautiful-as-a-work-of-art

And here:

And a closeup of what it looked like:

You could see it in a couple of episodes where we got REALLY close to the underside of the saucer section, including in The Immunity Syndrome when Spock was in sickbay.

When I make a production version of the Enterprise, I include a phaser turret, but since we never saw it clearly, I tend to make it look a little less like a penis and more like a phaser.

 

[fireproof78]

And a closeup of what it looked like:

That is a very odd little detail.

 

[Warped9]

Candidly it’s a detail I don’t really care for. I feel it really looks out of place.

 

[scifieric]

That is a very odd little detail.

Agreed.

Candidly it’s a detail I don’t really care for. I feel it really looks out of place.

Yep. I never liked it. I only ever include it for the sake of completion.

 

[Henoch]

Even though it sort of looks like a small turret with a gun poking out of it, the FX effects show the phasers and photon torpedoes coming from the silver ring area. I prefer that the penis is some sort of radio antenna (subspace radio or transporter antenna), the glowing dome houses the sensors (weapon targeting or planetary sensors), and the ring is the weapon array for phasers (forward, port, starboard and aft directions). The three nubs could each be dual photon torpedo launchers, giving six photon torpedoes per load. YMMV.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Everyone thinks they know what's best for the penis.

My, but this thread took an odd turn.

 

[scifieric]

Everyone thinks they know what's best for the penis.

My, but this thread took an odd turn.

I'm trying to remember when I've last laughed THIS HARD! LOL! (Perhaps that was the wrong phrase ... )

 

[aridas sofia]

Candidly it’s a detail I don’t really care for. I feel it really looks out of place.

When I did my cross section, I made that a targeting sensor. It is part of what is a sensor array, after all. The problem with it being a phaser is that other phasers are mentioned as being on that ship - aft phasers, phaser number two and three, etc - and yet that’s the only place we see an enraged penis.

 

[Tallguy]

Annnnyway...

One last harp on the red ring on the bridge: In the reference you've provided I'd say that the ring is both significantly narrower (which is why it's so hard to see) and also follows the intersection between the bridge and the BC deck.

Isn't it great that your model is so perfect that it comes down to this?

 

[scifieric]

Annnnyway...

One last harp on the red ring on the bridge: In the reference you've provided I'd say that the ring is both significantly narrower (which is why it's so hard to see) and also follows the intersection between the bridge and the BC deck.

Isn't it great that your model is so perfect that it comes down to this?

That made me laugh! Bill, you're great! Thank you for the observation. I will think about it.

 

[scifieric]

When I did my cross section, I made that a targeting sensor. It is part of what is a sensor array, after all. The problem with it being a phaser is that other phasers are mentioned as being on that ship - aft phasers, phaser number two and three, etc - and yet that’s the only place we see an enraged penis.

Very interesting (and logical) line of reasoning.

 

[Tallguy]

That made me laugh! Bill, you're great! Thank you for the observation. I will think about it.

"Captain Kirk, I shall consider it."

 

[scifieric]

"Captain Kirk, I shall consider it."

Damn it! I should have used that quote!

Well done!