One possible project---the first Ent-D study model? https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wik...Galaxy_class_USS_Enterprise-D_study_model.jpg Looks to have a massive lower sensor dome
I had thought about that, that it could be a proto-Ambassador Class refit... But I would rather steer clear of that and call this a new class Something that properly leads into the Galaxy as we know it. I'm in the process of having to wind-down projects due to an up coming life event. Although officially I won't know if it's happening until Friday 17th... But still I have to be ready, and all indications are that it won't get bumped again like last time. That being said, I built two large segmented notched phaser arrays for the Ranger-A. Which was a complete pain in the backside. I'm sure there is a far easier way to have done it, but I had to select some 4,000 faces per array to create the notch effect . So I'm not likely to want to create them ever again, lol. But they are done now, and I can move forward - I'm going to set up a lot of things so when I come back (and I will be coming back to this project) I can continue and finish her More later.
The upper saucer nearly complete. Just a little more to do, and I can move on to the rest of it... Comments always welcome, more later :-)
That's nice! Been watching this thread with much interest lately and it occurred to me how oddly-placed the Ambassador's impulse engines were, so much so that in order to separate successfully and to allow the primary hull propulsion, one would have to take a piece of the neck with it. Seems counter-intuitive, considering all the other classes to which the Enterprise belonged seem to have addressed that issue consistently. Why was the Ambassador design such an aberration? This most recent variant solves the problem quite elegantly and serves as a more faithful bloodline lineage member leading up to the Galaxy class. Love the swept-back nacelle pylons too. Still not the original Probert design (there can be only one), but this IMO is how the E-C and her sister ships should have looked on-screen. Well done!
It is possible the original design was never meant to separate with impulse engines or it had emergency impulse engines hidden away that only popped out when separated.
I think you're all giving the designers of the physical model of the Ent-C too much credit. They probably had a few weeks tops to draw it out and build it. Things you think about when building a full ship for a show get missed on those timeframes. They missed impulse engines on the Nebula entirely for the longest time.
They did, but they look like they were added as an afterthought, as if someone noticed they were missing right before they started filming for "The Wounded" and said, "Oh, shit!" Horribly out of scale compared to Galaxy-class saucer engines and not even lit up.
Cool, thanks for the images! Impulse doesn't always have to be lit up (see TOS Enterprise) or even have exhausts visible (see TOS Constellation) Why couldn't the areas I marked in red be the impulse exhausts?
True but in the TNG era, they were lit to show operations. Or at least that's how they showed them on the Enterprise and other ships.
^^^ Precisely. In fact, they went out of their way to keep the E-D's saucer-mounted impulse engines dark until, and only until, separation occurred and the saucer went off under its own power. (To me) Those appear to be flat, featureless panels that may have also been added after-the-fact, simply to support the impulse engine greebles. I have no idea who built the original Phoenix miniature (someone at Image-G, maybe?) who might be able to recount the thought processes behind those particular surface details. Since there don't appear to be any other features on the back-end that correspond to engine visual queues, these seem to be the only means of sub-light propulsion that the Nebula has. It may not even have a separation feature, outside of the multi-purpose mission modules on the rear/top.
Not every ship TNG era ship had lit impulse engines though... The TNG Constellation-class has impulse engines re-used from the TMP Enterprise but the exhaust grilles are covered over https://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s2/2x21/peakperformance121.jpg Bozeman has hidden impulse engine exhausts. https://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s5/5x18/causeandeffect414.jpg And the DS9's Defiant's impulse engines aren't really lit either... https://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/4x12/paradiselost_506.jpg So even though the Nebulas do not appear to have any obvious impulse exhaust features it doesn't mean there aren't any. Those areas I marked are as good as any other greeble since they are shaped similar to the TOS impulse, IMHO.
The Bozeman's were actually underneath the 3rd shuttlebay landing deck. They sold that piece off at auction many years ago and I'm still kicking myself in the ass for not getting it. They had no idea what it was, mislabeled it, and it only sold for about $400 at the time. Didn't realize it until after it was gone. I really wish there were better photos of that miniature when it was in that configuration. Everything was so small and fuzzy back then.
One of the sad truths about TNG, DS9 and VOY (early seasons) is that until they started using CGI/3D for FX, they had to make use of what physical models they had to hand. Some of them, like the Ent-C were rushed into use and lots of things were missed off the ship (torpedo bays come to mind) or functional impulse engines such as the case in the early Nebulas. The Ambassador model was such low quality it made few appearances after "Yesterday's Enterprise" - and no CG version of it was built, so hence it only appears in the first episode of DS9. The Ambassador as I built her is not a bad ship, yes part of the neck comes away with the saucer during emergency separation, it's not elegant, but I don't think it was meant to be at time. It was something for emergency use only. The Ranger-A is going to have an impulse drive on the neck (when I get round to building it in) and... All three may be lit. It would give the ship a lot of "umph" when moving, and given how big some of these ships are, that may be a consideration. It's separation may be more elegant, but again, it may also be a one time thing. I want to leave the whole "reconnect by it's self" to the Galaxy - make that the class for that break through. I'll think on it, I will have time. When it comes to the series of 80's and 90's we have to be a little forgiving, as they were working with old school technology, green screens and physical models. Modern Trek uses a lot of 3DCGI and is hence better in the respect that the ships are more designed and complete - and closer to what was originally intended. (Not that I want to start a debate about the merits of current starship design on this thread, that's a debate for somewhere else). Anyway, my two cents. More later.
Upper saucer is no done, and locked down. Moving on the to the rim and impulse engines - Busy day, but I will see what I can do... More later.
There is nothing wrong with the neck coming off with the saucer- that was the thinking of Geoff Mandel for the original ship going back to at least 1980. It was a “third leg” for the landing saucer, and an aerodynamic stabilizer for atmospheric entry. I’m not saying that was the thinking here, because Probert had pretty much sealed the deal on how saucer sep worked with TMP, but the neck going along was definitely in the zeitgeist, and definitely among those guys, and most definitely Drexler, who knew and had worked with Mandel going way, way back.
Yes, it's back there, underneath the landing deck. I can probably go back and try to find the original part on that one auction block (a very tiny needle in a very big haystack). The 1/537 scale vacuform mod kit by Sci-Fi Spaceship Miniatures had it there (not a caonical source, I know) and the Eaglemoss model has something there but it's not painted red like I expect it should if it were an impulse engine, as with other EM ships. Several fan-made meshes have that area lit up as if it were active impulse engines (also not canonical). Here's a good example: The original piece I saw doesn't look exactly like that, but it's close. I found one image from the TNG remastered BRD set and that area is stupid-dark: Apologies for hijacking the thread like this, @JSnaith, with something not related to your project (maybe tangentially, at best). I'm somewhat passionate about the Soyuz class, as it's my top-favorite Miranda mod that has probably the least amount of background information and source material about it.
I'll be sorting out the separation line on the Ranger-A when I come back to this project. I think finishing the saucer is going to be as far as I get this week. Kind of gutted by that, I was going to power through with this one, but loosing the laptop, issues with family and the like meant I had to slow down and I have a fair few meetings this week so I am ready for Friday. Such is life. I agree, how these ships separate has evolved over time, in the case of the Ambassador all the info I found for it states that the model was rushed into service and was quite poor compared with others they spent more time on - hence it's lack of screen time. The separation line I put on the mesh was a detail that's actually on the studio model. I think it was added in that way to be easy. No worries, it's nice to see this thread has life to it :-) More later :-)