Ray's TOS shuttlecraft....

[Warped9]

The earlier threads had gotten a bit jumbled. And now I can get back on track because I've been able to get my program of choice going again (Illustrator and Photoshop CS4) and I've got some free time without distractions.

Anyone interested in reviewing how this all got started can simply search for threads called My TOS shuttlecraft...

Now this past weekend I began by correcting a couple of small errors in my exterior views and I next plan on getting back to work on the interior and between hulls stuff.

That said there is one other decision I've come to: I've decided to stick with the familiar Class F for this first set of plans and not yet introduce any conjectural designs. My thinking is that if TOS had continued then we most likely would have seen the familiar Class F used and not any new designs. Furthermore if TAS episodes had been shot as live action then the shuttlecraft seen in "Slaver Weapon" and "Mudd's Passion" would also have most likely have been the familiar Class F. So for now that's what I'm sticking with. I'll consider conjectural designs when I tackle the "real live-action" versions of the TAS vehicles.

This also makes the current project more manageable because I'll have a set of 16 sheets as opposed to the 31 sheets planned initially.

Here's sheet 14 OF 16 to illustrate my point.

 

[BolianAuthor]

YAY!!! Great to see work being done on this again. Very much looking forward to following the progress.

 

[Kaiser]

YAY!!! Great to see work being done on this again. Very much looking forward to following the progress.

Me to

 

[Warped9]

I had to dial back my ambition. Initially I wanted to cover a lot of ground to make the set as comprehensive as possible, but in truth I was simply aiming too high and the amount of work to be done to reach completion was kind of daunting. I not only wanted to illustrate a variant of the Class F to represent a possible TOS version of the shuttlecraft seen in TAS' "Slaver Weapon" but I also wanted to do its interior and maybe even tackle the hangar facilities.

And so when the Class F is done and complete then I can start the next project with a fresh mind and clean slate. Note, too, that I'm also trying to work on my own original non Trek stuff.

Another thing I'd like to see happen (since I doubt any company is going to produce a kit) is try my hand at a scratchbuild of my adapted Class F. The next best thing would be to collaborate with someone with 3D modeling skills to create a 3D render of the craft.

But presently I want to freshen up and revise my work on the Class F's interior which is six sheets, numbers 7-12, then do a mild rewrite of the project notes to get everything finished up.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Regardless of how far you take things with this... I know it'll be good... and worth it.

 

[Bill Morris]

Well, for the one I did I scaled the whole thing according to the interior set, disregarding how big it looked from the outside with people standing next to it, which is what I assumed the studio would have done if not for the cost factor and how it should have been if real. That's different from your previous approach, but if you are starting over, it's at least something to think about. Otherwise, even at a glance the seats end up looking a bit large in a cross section. And if that makes it too big for the shuttlebay, tough.

 

[Mytran]

Personally I've always felt that the larger (to fit the interior set) shuttlecraft would make a lot more sense, at least from a rational in-universe POV. As we saw in Metamorphosis, these craft are used to make fairly long trips sometimes, you'd need to stand up straight now and again!
Also, from what I can work out a 30' shuttle would in fact fit in the TOS shuttlebay, but it would be a tight fit! Similar to how the first TNG shuttle looked on set.

 

[Warped9]

Well, for the one I did I scaled the whole thing according to the interior set, disregarding how big it looked from the outside with people standing next to it, which is what I assumed the studio would have done if not for the cost factor and how it should have been if real. That's different from your previous approach, but if you are starting over, it's at least something to think about. Otherwise, even at a glance the seats end up looking a bit large in a cross section. And if that makes it too big for the shuttlebay, tough.

No, I am not starting over and I stand by how I arrived at where I got. I meant to say I'm fixing up a few things and getting back on track. Candidly when you take all things into consideration a 30-32ft. shuttlecraft as designed doesn't work for TOS or for the ship's hangar facilities.

 

[Mytran]

Not to mention the dramatic imagery of people crouching in a tiny shuttlecraft as giants hammer on the exterior!

Shame someone forgot to tell the set builders

 

[Warped9]

Not to mention the dramatic imagery of people crouching in a tiny shuttlecraft as giants hammer on the exterior!

Shame someone forgot to tell the set builders

Well we have to remember a couple of things. If you look at some of the initial sketches of the shuttlecraft it's clear Matt Jefferies had something relatively small in mind in terms of personnel not likely able to stand upright inside. And note that in my design anyone over 5'-7" will have to stoop some to keep from bumping their head on the ceiling lighting panel. And the episodes (particularly "The Galileo Seven" which really shows off the shuttlecraft most) are full of clues to suggest a smaller interior or at least lower ceiling height.

But more so in the '60s the filming cameras were big bulky affairs. There were no such things as handycams like today where a cramped interior wouldn't pose a serious problem for filming. That's the real reason the interior set seen onscreen is the size it is.

But in trying to reconcile the interior set and exterior mockup it was necessary to reach a compromise: allow enough space inside for what we saw onscreen to still be credible and yet fit it within a manageable exterior so that four of the craft can be accommodated within the Enterprise's hangar facilities.

My exterior is larger than the exterior we saw onscreen (but not drastically so) while my interior is somewhat shorter and lower in ceiling height (but not greatly so).

What would really be fun would be to actually build a full scale replica of my adapted design, both exterior and interior) to see what it would really be like. Note that when I was considering the step up height of the foot plate that folds out from the nacelle I actually used a set of stairs and boxes to get more of a real world feel for the ease of entry. And for the interior I used kitchen chairs to simulate the seating positions and size of the interior cabin, again to get more of a feel for the actual size.

 

[Mytran]

...And the episodes (particularly "The Galileo Seven" which really shows off the shuttlecraft most) is full of clues to suggest a smaller interior or at least lower ceiling height.

Yep, that's what I was thinking of too (click for larger pics):

But more so in the '60s the filming cameras were big bulky affairs. There were no such things as handycams like today where a cramped interior wouldn't pose a serious problem for filming. That's the real reason the interior set seen onscreen is the size it is.

Well that's true of course and the "real world" reason behind the nightmare that is the TOS shuttlecraft. From an in-universe POV however...

I do like the approach you've taken BTW, it is a very good interpretation of the data we're given.
Incidentally, where did the name "Magellan" come from?

 

[Warped9]

Incidentally, where did the name "Magellan" come from?

Back in the '70s I had exchanged a few letters with Geoffrey Mandel who at that time did blurprints of the TAS freighter Huron from the episode "The Pirates Of Orion." Doesn't matter now that his drawings were off in many details. Anyway at the time he was planning on drawing the TAS shuttlecraft (and I don't know if he ever did) and one of the names he was using was Magellan for the shuttlecraft seen in "Mudd's Passion." Well since I decided to keep Copernicus (which like Galileo was also used in TFF) I chose to keep Magellan as well.

 

[FalTorPan]

I don't remember if I've ever commented on your effort to reconcile the TOS shuttle's interior and exterior, but either way, I'm uber-impressed with what has resulted. Awesome work.

What would really be fun would be to actually build a full scale replica of my adapted design, both exterior and interior) to see what it would really be like.

Yeah, that would be pretty cool. In the meantime, once you consider your drawings more or less finalized, perhaps an interested CG modeler could put a 3D virtual rendition of the shuttle together.

 

[Warped9]

What would really be fun would be to actually build a full scale replica of my adapted design, both exterior and interior) to see what it would really be like.

Yeah, that would be pretty cool. In the meantime, once you consider your drawings more or less finalized, perhaps an interested CG modeler could put a 3D virtual rendition of the shuttle together.

I'd love this, partly because it would make it seem more "real" and I could possibly include some images with the set. I'd also love to see it animated in some fashion. Perhaps a fly-by sequence and a landing or take-off from a planet surface. And accompanied by appropriate TOS era music and sound f/x.

 

[Praetor]

I'm so glad to see this project is still alive and kicking.

 

[Warped9]

As part of this project---well an offshoot really---I'm setting about making a 1/24 scale scratch-build model of my version of the TOS Class F shuttlecraft. That means it'll be a bit over 13" in length.

 

[Warped9]

^^ I mentioned I was planning to make a scratchbuild. Well I'm definitely doing it and planning it out at this very moment. But as I'm doing this I will be working on both that and the drawings that started it all seeing as there some crossover in terms of thinking and drawings for the model.

The change in the model (as I've mentioned elsewhere) is that it will be a bit larger, in 1/16 scale and will come out a bit under 20" in length. I decided for a bit larger because it will facilitate fashioning some of the detail parts. I would love to do a 1/12 scale model, but that would simply be too big for me to store and display with the room I have available. A 1/16 scale replica is an acceptable compromise.

I mentioned that I was tweaking my plans and the crossover aspect is that I also needed to do some cross sections for the model. And so here a longitudinal cross section of the shuttlecraft incorporating some of my tweaks. This drawing will now only need me to add the internal details for me to use it in my set of plans. The major difference between this and my previous cross section is that the rearward part of the underbelly is curved outward a bit more. This allows for a little more space under the deck right around the area where Scotty was working through an open floor panel as seen in "The Galileo Seven."

It's a little amusing how deceptive this design is. On the face of it it looks rather simple and straightforward yet I can certainly attest that there are numerous subtleties in the design that preclude a simple and straightforward build...except for perhaps a master model maker which I certainly am not.

And please note that I'm only building the exterior.

 

[Warped9]

Here's a little something. If you peeled away the port side exterior hull you'd then see...the inner hull. This is what the inner hull or lifeshell would look like in place.

 

[Solarbaby]

What font did you use for the shuttle names?

 

[Warped9]

I didn't use a font. I made them myself based on the original Galileo name.