Refit Enterprise Color on film

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies I-X' started by ConRefit79, Apr 8, 2017.

  1. ConRefit79

    ConRefit79 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2008
    I love the Refitted Enterprise in the movies. Every model I've seen has it colored pearlescent white with aztec paint job. But on film in TMP and TWOK it looks more like a very light grey to me. Why is that?
     
  2. Vger23

    Vger23 Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2014
    Location:
    Enterprise bowling alley
    I think it is just the lighting. If you look at images of the studio model, it is definitely pearlescent white. The paint (especially in TMP) was designed to sort of pick up the surrounding lighting.

    Even worse, in Search for Spock, it looks grey/blue through the entire movie...but more blue than grey. I hated the way the ship looked in TSFS compared to the other movies.
     
    saddestmoon and Qonundrum like this.
  3. Firebird

    Firebird Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2005
    Location:
    On the Cinerama screen, in glorious Technicolor.
    The pearlescent finish was only used on the model for TMP. When ILM got the model for effects work on TWOK, they found the pearlescent finish was a nightmare to use with bluescreen, so they had to dull the finish with a grey paint to flatten the look.
     
    saddestmoon and Qonundrum like this.
  4. trekfan39

    trekfan39 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Not grey paint just a flat clear coat was used to dull the models finish down.
     
  5. ConRefit79

    ConRefit79 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2008
    So the blue grey color is probably from the blue screen.
     
  6. trekfan39

    trekfan39 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    It could be because of the blue screen or just the way the model was lite. The Excelsior for example always looked a little blue on screen even in Star Trek 6 but the model it's self was white in color, Since the Enterprise didn't look blue in ST6 I'd say it has more to do with the lighting then the blue screen and was probably done on purpose.
     
  7. Maurice

    Maurice Snagglepussed Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2005
    Location:
    Real Gone
    No. Bill George told me (in his kitchen in fact) exactly how he dulled the ship down. Every time they saw a hotspot/reflection, he'd spray the area with Dullcote and then use a puff to pat talcum powder (IIRC) into the Dullcote to take the shine off. Over the years more and more sections of the model got retouched or repainted, but small areas of the pearlescence were still visible when the model was auctioned off.
     
    saddestmoon, Qonundrum and Firebird like this.
  8. publiusr

    publiusr Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2010
    Location:
    publiusr
    In the spacedock scenes it almost looked deep blue--a fav.
     
  9. CuttingEdge100

    CuttingEdge100 Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    While this was a long time ago, I was kind of curious when the pearlescent paint first came out. I remember that was said to be fairly new...
     
    publiusr likes this.