• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador kit!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Rick Sternbach said:

...I developed the Ent-C by looking at the Ent-B and Ent-D with my plain old Mk. I eyeballs and sketching. No superimposing of drawings, just melding elements I saw in both ships and adding them to the solid foundation provided by Andy's color sketch...
Rick
www.spacemodelsystems.com

Please don't hurt me, Rick, but I am new here, and I didn't like your Enterprise C... at first. I understand more now than I did as a kid, about limitations of budget and TV production schedules.

At the time, I thought the executed model was clunky. The navigational deflector dish was "droopy" - pointed downward instead of parallel to the ship'c centerline.

I thought the nacelles were big, bulbous, stubby pod-thingies, and I thought that the way the nacelle stut roots blended into the secondary hull all the way back and around the shuttle bay doors made it look like the "C" had a fat butt.

But as I said, I didn't like it, at first. I love it now because I've discovered by accident that the basic hull has beautiful and elegant lines.

Please let me explain! I had an AMT kit of the C a few years ago, and I had just pulled the box out of storage this spring to resume work on it. Alas, the engines were missing, as well as the deflector dish and impulse engine parts.

I decided to salvage the kit by bashing it with an Enterprise B and E that I had sitting around, that had ALSO lost too many parts.

To the C, I added the E's engines, significantly lengthening the model and making it appear less stubby.


I used the B's impulse section, and grafted it to the saucer, and sealed the hole in the neck strut. I also grafted the B's bridge and lower sensor dome to the C's saucer.

I decided that the nacelle struts needed some work, so I cut away all of the struts that wrapped around to the shuttle bay. The remaining struts look slender and truly aggressive and sexy! (I'm trying to decide now if I should leave them flat or add curvature.)

Finally, I removed a most of the windows along the upper and lower half of the secondary hull, and I used a small plastic egg to create a recessed alcove for a deflector dish. The dish is now perpendicular to the secondary hull horizontal cenetrline, and it looks pretty good "hooded" by the alcove.

Indeed, with the new, longer engines and smoothing away of clunky details, your basic design really IS a very sexy and well-proportined masterpiece!

My best, Eric
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Probert said:
The God Thing said:
Updated! Andrew, would it be at all possible - for those of us who have not been blessed with either the time or talent to effectively assemble and paint model kits - to purchase from you the actual digital meshes and texture maps in order for a third-party contractor to fabricate a USS Ambassador miniature to the customer's preferred scale?

TGT

While I sympathize with your time/talent dilemma, and appreciate the complement of your request, I am running a business here with my partner 'Federation Models' and can't be sharing this kind of data. I do, however, understand the desire to own a perticular model that matches one's favorite scale size, which is why I announced the Ambassador will be released initially in 1:1400.

Having said that, however, I will prepare a poll question regarding scale preferences. Please understand that 1/72 scale is not even a possibility... right now.

Andrew-

If you release a 1/350 scale to match my Polar Lights Enterprise A, I think I may scream like a girl and faint dead away...
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

FalTorPan said:
In most shots of TNG, the much larger Enterprise-D came off looking like a toy rather than an humungous yet graceful starship. I suspect this was a combination of uninspired cinematography and the overexaggerated details and chunky proportions of the four-foot filming miniature.

Which, IMHO, is why the 6-footer looked so FAB when lit & filmed so lovingly in the feature film.
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Probert said:
dru said:
I'm excited to see the Ambassador finally come to life.
I must say,... I'm really glad there's been such a positive response to this ship........ so far.

Yes, creating a lightable version has been discussed and is possible, but not locked in. There are cost factors to be considered (yours/ours) as well as how we would do it, etc. Stay tuned.

I don't remember if I ever saw any Phase II nav deflector indications beyond Mike Minor's painting, but it was my impression that it was to have been close to the TOS Enterprise configuration.

And I'm still a couple of days away from another update, sorry. That dorsal-receiving 'collar' on the engineering hull is a bit tricky (for me).

Andrew-
It's easy to cast the model in water-clear resin.

The problem with that approach is that water-clear resin cannot, by definition, have any "filler" materials added.

Pure resin tends to be far more brittle than filled materials. My favorite material to work with is something called "Alumilite" which is a polyurethane resin filled with aluminum powder. It's a VERY robust material... not nearly as tough as metal, obviously, but relatively lightweight and VERY strong relative to straight resin.

The problem is that it's also totally opaque. Oh well... :rolleyes:

Maybe they can make some "transparent-alumilite?" ;)
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

erifah said:
Probert said:
The God Thing said:
Updated! Andrew, would it be at all possible - for those of us who have not been blessed with either the time or talent to effectively assemble and paint model kits - to purchase from you the actual digital meshes and texture maps in order for a third-party contractor to fabricate a USS Ambassador miniature to the customer's preferred scale?

TGT

While I sympathize with your time/talent dilemma, and appreciate the complement of your request, I am running a business here with my partner 'Federation Models' and can't be sharing this kind of data. I do, however, understand the desire to own a perticular model that matches one's favorite scale size, which is why I announced the Ambassador will be released initially in 1:1400.

Having said that, however, I will prepare a poll question regarding scale preferences. Please understand that 1/72 scale is not even a possibility... right now.

Andrew-

If you release a 1/350 scale to match my Polar Lights Enterprise A, I think I may scream like a girl and faint dead away...
Remember, though... for anyone who doesn't intend to make their ENTIRE LIFE rotate around a model... anything longer than, say, 18" is WAAAAY too big... and something like 12" is just about ideal for the typical shelf or desktop.

I know that if the kit is more than a foot and a half in length, I won't have anyplace to put it. So if I WERE to buy it, it'd just sit in a box, unbuilt.

Just a lil' reality check. ;)
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

I love how Andy's Ambassador is shaping up.

However, please permit an uppity whippersnapper to suggest a change to the master!

I think the impulse section looks good, but it seems to be sitting ON the saucer rim. May I respectfully recommend that the impulse section be embedded into the saucer, as this crude drawing shows:
[image]http://bisbeetimespicayune.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/ambassimpulseengine.jpg[/image]
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Cary L. Brown said:
erifah said:
Probert said:
The God Thing said:
Updated! Andrew, would it be at all possible - for those of us who have not been blessed with either the time or talent to effectively assemble and paint model kits - to purchase from you the actual digital meshes and texture maps in order for a third-party contractor to fabricate a USS Ambassador miniature to the customer's preferred scale?

TGT

While I sympathize with your time/talent dilemma, and appreciate the complement of your request, I am running a business here with my partner 'Federation Models' and can't be sharing this kind of data. I do, however, understand the desire to own a perticular model that matches one's favorite scale size, which is why I announced the Ambassador will be released initially in 1:1400.

Having said that, however, I will prepare a poll question regarding scale preferences. Please understand that 1/72 scale is not even a possibility... right now.

Andrew-

If you release a 1/350 scale to match my Polar Lights Enterprise A, I think I may scream like a girl and faint dead away...
Remember, though... for anyone who doesn't intend to make their ENTIRE LIFE rotate around a model... anything longer than, say, 18" is WAAAAY too big... and something like 12" is just about ideal for the typical shelf or desktop.

I know that if the kit is more than a foot and a half in length, I won't have anyplace to put it. So if I WERE to buy it, it'd just sit in a box, unbuilt.

Just a lil' reality check. ;)

I know, I know, but I waited SO LONG (since 1979!) for a decent Enterprise refit kit to come along, and now that I'm building the Polar Lights 350 scale, its almost a religious experience.

I think a matching Ambassador would be positively orgasmic!
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

erifah said:
I love how Andy's Ambassador is shaping up.

However, please permit an uppity whippersnapper to suggest a change to the master!

I think the impulse section looks good, but it seems to be sitting ON the saucer rim. May I respectfully recommend that the impulse section be embedded into the saucer, as this crude drawing shows:
ambassimpulseengine.jpg

That's a pretty cool variation. I'm not sure which version I like better!
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

erifah said:
I think the impulse section looks good, but it seems to be sitting ON the saucer rim. May I respectfully recommend that the impulse section be embedded into the saucer, as this crude drawing shows:
ambassimpulseengine.jpg

Assuming for a moment that the primary hull is homogeneous when it comes to internal mass distribution, the impulse engines as Probert located them would appear to generate a "default" thrust vector projecting through the (separated) saucer's center of gravity. This is as it should be if one wishes to have a spacecraft that is actually controllable. :)

TGT
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

The Gored Thing said:
erifah said:
I think the impulse section looks good, but it seems to be sitting ON the saucer rim. May I respectfully recommend that the impulse section be embedded into the saucer, as this crude drawing shows:
[image]http://bisbeetimespicayune.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/ambassimpulseengine.jpg[/image]

Assuming for a moment that the primary hull is homogeneous when it comes to internal mass distribution, the impulse engines as Probert located them would appear to generate a "default" thrust vector projecting through the (separated) saucer's center of gravity. This is as it should be if wishes to have a spacecraft that is actually controllable. :)

TGT

Controllable?!? Bah! What's important to ME when I'm driving my fine ride is, "do chicks dig it?"
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

erifah said:
Controllable?!? Bah! What's important to ME when I'm driving my fine ride is, "do chicks dig it?"

I am quite ashamed to admit not considering that single overriding issue when critiquing the design evolution of the NX-10521. Needless to say, from now on I shall defer to your superior wisdom in all matters vehicular. ;)

TGT
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

erifah said:
I know, I know, but I waited SO LONG (since 1979!) for a decent Enterprise refit kit to come along, and now that I'm building the Polar Lights 350 scale, its almost a religious experience.

I think a matching Ambassador would be positively orgasmic!

Ahem.

Size comparison

Edit - I changed the image to a link because it was stretching the thread. - Unicron
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Thanks for that 1/350 Graphic it really gives you a good idea as to how much room would be needed to accomidate ships of that scale. :D No wonder I prefer paper drawings :lol: Has some one done a similar graphic but for
1/1000 ships ?
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Okay, then... I want a 1:350 Borg Cube. Hey, they can always use it to stand in for the "allspark" in the Transformer movie sequel. ;)
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Captain Robert April said:
erifah said:
I know, I know, but I waited SO LONG (since 1979!) for a decent Enterprise refit kit to come along, and now that I'm building the Polar Lights 350 scale, its almost a religious experience.

I think a matching Ambassador would be positively orgasmic!

Ahem.

Size comparison

Edit - I changed the image to a link because it was stretching the thread. - Unicron

Hmmmmm.

Well, I have an extra bedroom we're not using for anything, I could display a 1/350 Ambassador class there.
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Loved the size comparison. Made me sad again that they never did side by side ship shots or the interior sets of the 1701-D properly to give a sense of the scale of it.
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Bernard Guignard said:
Thanks for that 1/350 Graphic it really gives you a good idea as to how much room would be needed to accomidate ships of that scale. :D No wonder I prefer paper drawings :lol: Has some one done a similar graphic but for
1/1000 ships ?

Ask and ye shall recieve...

1000enterprises.jpg


By the way, in case y'all haven't figured it out, the pics are courtesy of TallGuy.
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Awesome!

I haven't been this excited about a fictitious spaceship since... well... I designed one myself. :p

Great job, Andrew! Keep up the great work!
 
Re: Andy Probert releases prelim plans for USS Ambassador ki

Something has been bothering me. I saw this size comparison somewhere --

ambs.jpg


Looking at the depth of the two saucers, and of the nacelles, it looks that it should be more like this:

ambs2.jpg


Or perhaps Sternbach's version would be even shorter. Am I right, or would these two versions of this ship really be about the same size?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top