Retcon TMP Nacelle (Scanned Drawing)

[CuttingEdge100]

I was thinking of the shape of the TMP Nacelle, and while I thought the basic shape was better than the TOS design, I feel that the large outboard grilles actually makes the design appear lower-tech than the TOS nacelle.

So I came up with a modified nacelle. I drew it in pencil, the scanner barely caught any of it so I drew it in pen and re-did it.

It's a very crude drawing, but it illustrates the following characteristics

• Rather than having large grilles for the bussard-collectors like the TMP design, it would instead have a smooth front-cap. The idea would be for it to be a grayish color that's a sufficiently darker than the rest of the nacelle to make it stick out, but not too dark.
• The outboard grill would be turned into a convex shape similar to the cylindrical section of the Phase II nacelle, however, like TMP the section would be wider, a little flatter, and more elegantly shaped
• I tried to draw a close up in the drawing, but it didn't show up well. If you looked at the TMP nacelle there's a forward grille and an aft grille with a raised flat section in the middle. The idea would be that this section would be recessed instead of raised, and would be diamond shape (I chose the shape because the original shape was angled like a slash and asymmetrical from both side to side and top to bottom, a diamond is symmetrical from side to side and top to bottom so I preferred it), this structure would basically emit the mid-section of the warp field like the Alcubierre model, with space being stretched behind that point and compressed in front of it. While minimizing surface detail is of course a desired goal, even the TOS Enterprise had a small copper-colored ring between the front cap, and the rest of the nacelle. This structure would do basically the same thing as I understand it

What do you think?

 

[sojourner]

I think you should reduce the image size. I couldn't view the whole thing and I have a 24" screen running at 1920x1200!!

 

[CuttingEdge100]

This better?

 

[sojourner]

Better!

As for the changes to the nacelle, I am having trouble picturing it, gonna have to google myself some images of the tmp and phase 2 nacelles.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

I wonder if I could get anybody to do a better drawing, something that looked blueprint like

 

[publiusr]

it is a nice looking nacelles. Jayru had something similar, but he has had health problems. He was the one doing the Ingram evolution.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

publiusr,

Do you have any links to his drawings?

 

[Jimini]

Here ya go http://federationreference.prophpbb.com/topic7.html

 

[sojourner]

^The image links in that forum thread all appear to be dead.

 

[publiusr]

Go to the last page. You might have to sign in. He might draw some for you.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Sojourner,

The larger original image remains... I'll try and find the older image and re-size it into a smaller image

 

[publiusr]

Good deal.
His design has promise.

 

[publiusr]

Double post

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Publiusr,

I'm a she, but thank you

 

[Patrickivan]

I like your idea here. I too found TMP's nacelles to be a little busy. The Phase II nacelles while on the right track, seemed to have too much stuff just glued onto it.

I like your idea to have the grills smoothed. My two cents, the smooth "grills" would be convexed on both sides of the nacelle (as opposed to concaved on side and flatish on the other side of TMP's nacelle). And I would have the end cap glow red. That's just a personal preference for me. Never liked the blue on the E-B and didn't care for the black boring refit nacelle grills...

Perhaps I shall also google up an image when I'm done work.

Noooooooot that I'm on the Trek BBS at work! I would NEVER do that...

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Patrickivan,

I like your idea here. I too found TMP's nacelles to be a little busy.

Yeah, Douglas Trumbull had a seemingly pathological need to glue all sorts of junk onto his models to generate the appearance of scale. I don't like the greebles and stuff either.

The Phase II nacelles while on the right track

From the standpoint of the smooth front-cap and rectangular design, yes. However, I think TMP's nacelles were better shaped overall, but I didn't like the front-grilles, the greebles, and the outboard grilles.

I like your idea to have the grills smoothed. My two cents, the smooth "grills" would be convexed on both sides of the nacelle (as opposed to concaved on side and flatish on the other side of TMP's nacelle)

Well, my idea was to have a flattish/convex shape for the outboard section, and a similar shape along the inside excluding the inboard grilles, with no outboard grilles at all more like the clean lines of TMP.

And I would have the end cap glow red.

I don't know if I'd want the rear of the nacelle to glow, the front-cap, I wouldn't mind seeing that glow, but my idea calls for them to glow only when at warp. They'd be gray otherwise (slightly darker than the rest of the ship's skin), but as the ship would accelerate into the warp-speed range, it would start to glow red and orange.

 

[Patrickivan]

Patrickivan,

I like your idea here. I too found TMP's nacelles to be a little busy.

Yeah, Douglas Trumbull had a seemingly pathological need to glue all sorts of junk onto his models to generate the appearance of scale. I don't like the greebles and stuff either.

It seems to be an odd trait with a lot of modellers. Hell, I just put a person standing on my hulls. That ends all questions to scale. Every space shot should have an EVA scene. Of course that doesn't even help, like when the person got blown out of the Kelvin and bounced off the phaser pod... But I shouldn't go there. I'll piss off too many people.

The Phase II nacelles while on the right track

From the standpoint of the smooth front-cap and rectangular design, yes. However, I think TMP's nacelles were better shaped overall, but I didn't like the front-grilles, the greebles, and the outboard grilles.

Agreed...

I like your idea to have the grills smoothed. My two cents, the smooth "grills" would be convexed on both sides of the nacelle (as opposed to concaved on side and flatish on the other side of TMP's nacelle)

Well, my idea was to have a flattish/convex shape for the outboard section, and a similar shape along the inside excluding the inboard grilles, with no outboard grilles at all more like the clean lines of TMP.

Okay- I get what you're saying. keep the inboards a la TOS... And I completely agree with having the outboard section convexed.

And I would have the end cap glow red.

I don't know if I'd want the rear of the nacelle to glow, the front-cap, I wouldn't mind seeing that glow, but my idea calls for them to glow only when at warp. They'd be gray otherwise (slightly darker than the rest of the ship's skin), but as the ship would accelerate into the warp-speed range, it would start to glow red and orange.

I didn't even think of the aft part of the nacelle glowing... Hmm... Maybe a hint of radiance. Like heated white metal, but not as blatant as a glowy bussard scoop would be.

And the quote feature just messed everything up here, but you can all figure out what I'm saying here.

 

[lennier1]

I didn't even think of the aft part of the nacelle glowing... Hmm... Maybe a hint of radiance. Like heated white metal, but not as blatant as a glowy bussard scoop would be.

I feel kinda dirty mentioning the show but you could combine TMP with one of the Akiraprise elements, namely not having whole stripes on the side of the nacelle glow but frosted translucent areas which let the superheated warp coils on the inside shine through. Kinda like combining the Refit's glowing stripes with those grilles on the inside of the TOS nacelles.

BTW: There's a game model whose simplified nacelles might offer a few ideas as well:

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Patrickivan,

It seems to be an odd trait with a lot of modellers. Hell, I just put a person standing on my hulls. That ends all questions to scale.

Yeah

Okay- I get what you're saying. keep the inboards a la TOS... And I completely agree with having the outboard section convexed.

Well, what I was saying was that I'd want only inboard grilles, rather than just the large outboard grilles. I'm thinking of two thin inboard grilles. Have you ever seen Wicked Zombie 45/FuryofASeraph's Carolina-Class? It has a good inboard grille design that looks like it could be nice.

And the quote feature just messed everything up

I fixed it