Star Trek TOS Miniatures -- Where Are They Now?

[QuasarVM]

I know a lot of the miniatures from TOS still exist as part of private collections and most/all these were on display in the 1992 Smithsonian Star Trek Exhibit.

However, I've always been curious to know what happened to the Imorg ship from Spock's Brain, the Melkotian Buoy, The Melkot puppet, and other items that (to my knowledge) have not resurfaced anywhere.

Does anyone here have any ideas on the whereabouts of these items and other rarities?

The Romulan Bird of Prey from Balance of Terror was rumoured to have been lost or destroyed after BoT was shot...

 

[Green Shirt]

What about "penis rock"???


Oh wait, that's probably not considered a miniature.

 

[KirksFlyingFist]

I've never heard of anything like this.

Were the miniatures as in part of a game, like D&D? Or just collectibles as in model cars and so forth?

 

[Shatmandu]

I've never heard of anything like this.

Were the miniatures as in part of a game, like D&D? Or just collectibles as in model cars and so forth?

The OP means the original models or props used for the special effects.

Joe, who owns the original latex Spock's two-headed penis prop from a deleted scene in "This Side of Paradise."

 

[QuasarVM]

You guys are cracking me up bigtime.

Shat's right...I was talking about the special effects miniatures.

 

[plynch]

What about "penis rock"???


Oh wait, that's probably not considered a miniature.

Shrinkage.

 

[Outpost4]

Re: Star Trek TOS Miniatures -- Where Are They Now?

Michael Dunn died back in 1973, although Wikipedia says his remains were moved to Norman, Oklahoma in 2007 to be buried next to his folks. I assume he's still there.

 

[trevanian]

Re: Star Trek TOS Miniatures -- Where Are They Now?

Michael Dunn died back in 1973, although Wikipedia says his remains were moved to Norman, Oklahoma in 2007 to be buried next to his folks. I assume he's still there.

We're talking miniatures here, not white dwarf stars.
or as Dr McCoy would say,
I'm a modelmaker, not a cosmologist!

 

[QuasarVM]

Re: Star Trek TOS Miniatures -- Where Are They Now?

Michael Dunn died back in 1973, although Wikipedia says his remains were moved to Norman, Oklahoma in 2007 to be buried next to his folks. I assume he's still there.

 

[Ziz]

Personal theory - a lot of them were probably destroyed or torn apart and re-purposed into other things over the years. Back then, studios didn't look at FX models as these "holy grails" that need to be preserved for all time. We're lucky the 11-footer survived, because logically, after the sets were struck, that would have been the first thing to go because of the size.

Of what does remain, there are stories that the items made their way into private collectors hands long before the Christies auction, so whoever has them generally isn't making that knowledge public.

 

[QuasarVM]

Re: Star Trek TOS Miniatures -- Where Are They Now?

Michael Dunn died back in 1973, although Wikipedia says his remains were moved to Norman, Oklahoma in 2007 to be buried next to his folks. I assume he's still there.

We're talking miniatures here, not white dwarf stars.
or as Dr McCoy would say,
I'm a modelmaker, not a cosmologist!

Personal theory - a lot of them were probably destroyed or torn apart and re-purposed into other things over the years. Back then, studios didn't look at FX models as these "holy grails" that need to be preserved for all time. We're lucky the 11-footer survived, because logically, after the sets were struck, that would have been the first thing to go because of the size.

Of what does remain, there are stories that the items made their way into private collectors hands long before the Christies auction, so whoever has them generally isn't making that knowledge public.

Well shame on them! The hoarding bastages!!!!

 

[Search4]

This is a great question. The few famous ones are well known... the Klingon, the Enterprise... but the others would be amazing if still around.

Lets not forget the most famous - the three foot Enterprise prototype, the one Shatner is holding in the publicity photo that made the cover of TV guide, apparently long vanished.

 

[QuasarVM]

This is a great question. The few famous ones are well known... the Klingon, the Enterprise... but the others would be amazing if still around.

Lets not forget the most famous - the three foot Enterprise prototype, the one Shatner is holding in the publicity photo that made the cover of TV guide, apparently long vanished.

All I can say is that if someone has this stuff, I wish they'd quit being jerks and at least take some digital photos of it and put on the web so we can see it.

I've never understood the hoarding mentality.

 

[Shaw]

Lets not forget the most famous - the three foot Enterprise prototype, the one Shatner is holding in the publicity photo that made the cover of TV guide, apparently long vanished.

It wasn't just a prototype... if was used for effects throughout the course of the series. And the model received similar alterations to those given the 11 foot model before series production began.

 

[Harry]

Hmm.. I had always understood that the 3-footer was at least built as a prototype, but the big 11-footer wasn't finished in time, and they shot the smaller model. I could very well be wrong, of course.

The 3-footer is also the one showing up in "Requiem for Methuselah", right?

What happened to the Phase II models? I suppose it's quite likely that the PII Enterprise upgrade was scrapped as the whole concept moved forwards?

The Romulan BoP is probably the most interesting of the lot. The only Wah Chang spaceship in the show, AFAIK, and with very few images and information available.

 

[TigerOfDarkness]

Didn't GR keep the 3' model? I seem to recall reading an interview or something where his son was saying he threw it in the swimming pool at an early age? I've also seen a photo of GR with the 3' model on his desk.

I also recall reading that the Romulan Bird Of Prey model from Balance of Terror was destroyed (sorry - can't remember the source). I assume that's why the Romulans switched to using Klingon designs for S3.

 

[Shaw]

Hmm.. I had always understood that the 3-footer was at least built as a prototype, but the big 11-footer wasn't finished in time, and they shot the smaller model. I could very well be wrong, of course.

The term "wasn't just a prototype" didn't in any way exclude the fact that it was built for that purpose. But the model was still used after The Cage and long after the 11 foot model was finish.

The 3-footer is also the one showing up in "Requiem for Methuselah", right?

I posted a short history of this model just a little while ago in my thread on my reconstruction of it in the art section here. Odds are that most people's questions about the model are covered there, though I am endeavoring to put together even more detailed info.

What happened to the Phase II models? I suppose it's quite likely that the PII Enterprise upgrade was scrapped as the whole concept moved forwards?

Actually, the Phase II Enterprise was modified after TMP to look like the TMP Enterprise. From what I've heard, the modified version was used to make at least 5 replicas which where later hung in Planet Hollywood restaurants. One of those sold on ebay about a year ago.

 

[alchemist]

All I can say is that if someone has this stuff, I wish they'd quit being jerks and at least take some digital photos of it and put on the web so we can see it.

I've never understood the hoarding mentality.

Well...

...I know of a collector that has several miniatures as well as some of the original props. These are sitting in her living room on a table. When Trek ended, she was in the right place at the right time.

Despite my continued pleas, she will not let me photograph them. She is not hoarding, but worried about how the photographs (and their public distribution) may diminish the value of her pieces as collectables. Kind of like the feeling that a lot of fine art collectors have.

And to some degree, I agree with her.

 

[QuasarVM]

All I can say is that if someone has this stuff, I wish they'd quit being jerks and at least take some digital photos of it and put on the web so we can see it.

I've never understood the hoarding mentality.

Well...

...I know of a collector that has several miniatures as well as some of the original props. These are sitting in her living room on a table. When Trek ended, she was in the right place at the right time.

Despite my continued pleas, she will not let me photograph them. She is not hoarding, but worried about how the photographs (and their public distribution) may diminish the value of her pieces as collectables. Kind of like the feeling that a lot of fine art collectors have.

And to some degree, I agree with her.

Dave --

My comments here have much more to do with those like your friend than you.

Pictures do not effect the value of a thing. Is the Mona Lisa worth less if someone puts a picture of it on the internet?

Ridiculous. And yes...she's hoarding. Playing God with what is part of Trek history and something that should be available -- at least in photographic form -- for the fans to view and appreciate.

Whatever she has (and it would be interesting to know, but I doubt we will) should be shared with the fans.

 

[QuasarVM]

Hmm.. I had always understood that the 3-footer was at least built as a prototype, but the big 11-footer wasn't finished in time, and they shot the smaller model. I could very well be wrong, of course.

The term "wasn't just a prototype" didn't in any way exclude the fact that it was built for that purpose. But the model was still used after The Cage and long after the 11 foot model was finish.

The 3-footer is also the one showing up in "Requiem for Methuselah", right?

I posted a short history of this model just a little while ago in my thread on my reconstruction of it in the art section here. Odds are that most people's questions about the model are covered there, though I am endeavoring to put together even more detailed info.

What happened to the Phase II models? I suppose it's quite likely that the PII Enterprise upgrade was scrapped as the whole concept moved forwards?

Actually, the Phase II Enterprise was modified after TMP to look like the TMP Enterprise. From what I've heard, the modified version was used to make at least 5 replicas which where later hung in Planet Hollywood restaurants. One of those sold on ebay about a year ago.

Brick Price's Wonder works alledgedly had/has the Phase II model and they ended up "finishing" it to make it look more like the TMP Enterprise. If so, they ruined it.

The Phase II ship is not nor was not supposed to look like the TMP Enteprise. Even the engines were different.

Judge for yourself. I don't know what to think. It's so bad it's hard to tell if they took the PII miniature and ruined it or just created a really bad model based on both the movie ship and the PII ship.

Whatever it is, it's bad. I know, from looking at the pictures of the PII ship in the books that the original model was nothing like this...