Filming models, etc.
- Thread starter Bill Morris
- Start date
Selling those models was the ugliest thing they could have done. Now half of them are lost and gone forever, hidden in some fanboy basements, kept in horrible conditions. They could have thrown them away as well.
They should have taken those and put them in a nice museum. On the long run that would have made more money than selling them to nerds.
They should have taken those and put them in a nice museum. On the long run that would have made more money than selling them to nerds.
ST-One
Vice Admiral
Some of these models were in pretty bad shape already.
They would just have decayed further in their crates.
At least now some of them are being restored to their former 'glory'. TMP's drydock being a prime example.
Did you see the list of auction prices in that link, like $12,000 for Captain Janeway's readyroom chair?
Wasn't there a link that allowed you to download all of the pics into a single folder? I could swear there was, but can't find it on the site.
Anyone know about this?
There's a great Firefox Add-on called "DownThemAll!". With that it's a matter of clicking two buttons.
As one of those "fanboy nerds"...
Paramount kept the principal models crated and stored. They have been deteriorating for years, even the major ship models. Only the fans had enough time, energy, and resources to actually "bring them back".
Paul Allen's science fiction museum is probably the key place to collect some items... but they could not handle dozens of models. AND they generally do not restore them. Restoring a model (and some say that is a bad idea, to be fair) is an art form that requires real dedication and technique.
Example: in the process of restoring of Phoenix, from First Contact. The original had been molded and was covered with modeling clay to build a copy, probably for the Exhibition in Las Vegas. As a result, the lights were unwired, the nacelles not functional. When done it will be gorgeous... but the studio could not be bothered to fix it.
Example 2: Earth Station McKinley, from TNG. Obtained it broken / literally ripped apart. Now completely fixed, functional and relit.
Feel free to complain but "should have" is far different than "this is what is in the studio's best interest". The studio would love to make more money. Do you have a concrete proposal?
I agree these are treasures - in fact, agree so much i've taken it on as a personal mission. But at this point, only the fans appear interested. And i can assure you, the conditions in those basements are FAR better than in the warehouse.
Thanks, Search4, for posting your beautiful pictures of the Phoenix model in a previous thread. They were very helpful, as well as being delightful to see. And you obtained and restored Earth Station McKinley, too. Wow! It shows that at least some of those models are in good hands.
I wish that they all could have ended up where everyone could enjoy them, in a museum! BTW the refit Enterprise model is so spectacular to see in person. I have seen it 3 or 4 times including at Christies, and everytime it just takes my breath away. It is by far the best looking version of the Enterprise in all of Trek!
My point exactly. There are scattered all over the world, and most of them won't see the light of day ever again.
All of you who claim to restore the models faithfully: don't stop there, take hundred of high res pictures and post them online, goddamnit!
One wasn't allowed to take pictures of most of the models during the exhibition, now if you have those models, take pictures of them!
Sadly, ILM repainted the model after TMP, so to really restore it to its original glory, one would need to ask Paul Olsen to recreate his original paint job, which, judging from the pictures I've seen, was truly spectacular.
trevanian
Rear Admiral
^^ I wonder if Paul would be willing to paint it again, from what I've read on his website it must have been a big heck of a job..
There's a huge 'restore the NOSTROMO' effort going on that John Eaves is a part of, so some folks do believe in that sort of thing.
Too bad they couldn't have done that with the 2001 miniatures ... the sad fate of the space station, circa mid 70s, at
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=220608&page=2
trevanian
Rear Admiral
There's actually a fair amount of evidence suggesting that notion isn't as true as once believed. He did renege on donating the models to a museum (which sued him over it), but MGM paid to keep the models in storage up till at least the early 70s, which doesn't fit with his wanting them destroyed. Apparently the field those kids found the station in wasn't far from the storage facility, suggesting somebody just forklifted the stuff out and dumped it.
He did have a cow over somebody trying to use his B-52 interior from STRANGELOVE on something else (DIRTY DOZEN?), but I haven't seen anything specifically addressing 2001's props/models reuse, outside of THE PRISONER series (which was right next door to Kubrick at the studio) stealing a starfield for use in the original unaired version of CHIMES OF BIG BEN. And Kubrick sent Ridley Scott miles of SHINING outtakes when the latter needed a shot to end the theatrical version of BLADE RUNNER.
^ If I were the lucky owner of TMP Enterprise, I would not touch it! That would destroy its historical signifigance! Some of TMP paint job is still there because ILM just dulled down the pearlescence of the paint job and changed the strongback but some of the original paint is still there!
trevanian
Rear Admiral
Not much; between the damage done (at Universal, I guess) to it before Ferren got it and had to have people repaint it prior to TFF, and then ILM re-repainting it when they got it back for TUC, there is probably precious little that hasn't been obliterated, and that is all in addition to or on top of the dulling spray stuff.
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