TOS Class F...

Redfern · Apr 2, 2015

There are those Matt Jefferies concept drawings one can find at trekCore. (I'm at the office, so I web activity is rather restricted, thus I can't provide a direct link at the moment.) He presented several ideas, some looking a bit like Jetsons inspired floating "pick-up truck". Another looks a bit like a fishbowl canopy positioned upon a bathtub. While they might have been able to construct models for optical and miniature hangar deck shots, there's just no way the production could have afforded to construct life sized mock-ups.

Given the "wedge" shape of the work bee, a "de-greeblied" version might "blend" with the easthetic of the the Galileo. And while the 'construction yellow" it was given for TMP makes sense given its purpose, ships in TOS didn't tend to be that "bold". Likely, it might have been given far more muted tones. Also, it would not have had those "reaction control thrusters" since no other craft in TOS possessed them.

But I've occasionally wondered the following. What if the production had "redressed" the "time ship" used by Lazarus in "The Alternative Factor"? We know the canopy was recycled, serving as equipment for the disembodied "Provider" brains in "The Gamesters of Triskeleon". If the rest of the mock-up was not "destroyed" (its fate remains a mystery, doesn't it?), I could see the production modifying it to become some sort of Fleet issued multi-purpose, one-man "pod". Maybe remove the Buck Rogers stype stabilizing fin and mount some sort of "grille" at the stern resembling the one on the shuttle. Since the production could afford to film only one launch and landing sequence no matter who flies the pod, they might have opted to paint the bubble opaque with the rationale that it polarizes light.

Actually, I did this with Ptrope's Poser rigged "time ship" 3D model as a "proof of concept". Of course, I could afford to depict a clear bubble. Maybe it's just my ego "blinding" me, but I didn't think it looked too badly out of place as a StarFleet craft.

Sincerely,

Bill

Redfern · Apr 2, 2015

uniderth · Apr 2, 2015

I agree with Albertese. Simplify the existing design and perhaps modify the lines to flow with the shuttle craft lines. And the paint scheme should definitely be grey.

MGagen · Apr 3, 2015

In answer to your question about the curved ceiling of the engineering set, here's something I came up with back in early '05:

The actual ceiling transitions to flat after a bit of the curved area. Once, while pondering the location of engineering, I took the curved portion as a clue that the whole of the "real" ceiling was vaulted this way (the flattened area, I theorized, being a limitation of the soundstage height). Working from photos of the set, and dimension from existing stage floorplans, I put a scale engineering into position within the hull. This was mainly an exercise to see if I could make sense of the conduits behind the "Scotty retaining mesh" being linked through the nacelles to the engines. Here's the result:

It gives us a ceiling concentric with the outer hull, but far removed from it. Maybe this is a consequence of the hull bracing structure for the pylons?

On a whim, I placed the same set into a cross section of the ship as originally scaled (back when it would have been about 540 feet long). At this scale, the ceiling makes much more sense.

Albertese · Apr 3, 2015

Very interesting. Although, I would question the relevance of the second one, as, by the time the Engineering set was being put together for the production (It appeared in neither pilot show) the ship was already very firmly set as 947 feet long. I don't believe there was ever a time in production where the Engineering set was being planned that overlapped a non-947 foot ship...

--Alex

MGagen · Apr 3, 2015

You are, of course, correct. That's why I said "On a whim..."

Irishman · Apr 4, 2015

Albertese said:
Very interesting. Although, I would question the relevance of the second one, as, by the time the Engineering set was being put together for the production (It appeared in neither pilot show) the ship was already very firmly set as 947 feet long. I don't believe there was ever a time in production where the Engineering set was being planned that overlapped a non-947 foot ship...

--Alex

1080' FTW!!

Warped9 · Apr 4, 2015

One of the things I liked with how the shuttlecraft were shown (or at least implied) launching and landing in TOS was how controlled it looked. I also liked the nice tough of having apparent scuff marks on the deck from the shuttlecraft's landing struts. When I was a lot younger I thought those might be tracks or rails the shuttlecraft ran along before launching and upon landing. At the time it made sense because the shuttlecraft didn't have wheels aas part of its landing gear.

Later I realized there were no rails. I admit it did seem odd that the vehicle would just scrape along the deck, but thinking about it this mighn't be far from what actually seems to happen. Upon taking-off antigravity might lift the shuttlecraft only a few inches off the deck and run it out to near the edge of the flight deck where we then see it rise and launch. Landing would be the same in reverse--alight onto the deck (nearly) and then run forward only inches above the deck. The scuffing might be a result of years of wear from shuttlecraft landing struts occasionally scraping the deck or some effect of the antigravity from the landing struts being sso very close to the deck. I can't think of another explanation.

I will say that not only did I find TOS-R's version of the shuttlecraft and flight deck horrid, but the way they showed the vehicle launching looked ridiculously cartoony.

The original approach was very well done.

Warped9 · Apr 4, 2015

Pretty much the final form for the flight deck. I can't think of what else could need to be added.

Albertese · Apr 4, 2015

Looks pretty good to me!

--Alex

Warped9 · Apr 4, 2015

I was just thinking that if one wanted to really emulate the original TOS look for the flight deck one might use frosted glass for the observation deck and control towers. If it appeared frosted from the outside the windows might appear to glow while they would remain perfectly clear from the utside.

Starship · Apr 6, 2015

I liked it a lot.
Good work!

spockboy · Apr 13, 2015

Now THIS would be a great bedroom to have.

SOURCE:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202923182561174&set=gm.639522636147416&type=1

Spockboy

publiusr · Apr 25, 2015

That is nice.

Bernard Guignard · Apr 26, 2015

Yes that is nice :techman:

Phantom · Sep 6, 2015

Warped9 said:
So here is where we stand. I've taken the service deck itself as far as I'm comfortable with for now because it's essentially part of a proof of concept. I've added a few bits of machinery, but please don't ask me what they do because I haven't a clue. I can only say that they probably don't do what their appearance might suggest. (-:

The flight deck has been tweaked a bit although it might be hard to spot. The control towers have each been moved inboard 6 ins. because I thought they looked set back a wee bit too far. And studying the photos of the miniature set it does look like they are a bit more inboard than the towers of the observation level.

There are other differences between this and what we saw onscreen. The observation deck onscreen was very brightly lit from within--unrealistically so although it served its purpose. More realistically, though, if they were that bright as seen from outside it would have been painfully bright for anyone on the observation level. In "The Conscience Of The King" the lighting of the observation deck was much more subdued even accounting that it appeared to be suggested that the lighting was meant to reflect evening or night time hours aboard ship. So the lighting for daytime hours should be brighter. As is I've lighted the deck in a more subdued way and with coloured lighting as befits what we often saw in TOS. As an alternative I could brighten the observation deck, but it would never appear as bright as it did in TOS' miniature set.

Another small tweak I added was some lighting in the alcoves. Onscreen the miniature set was very brightly lighted so it tended to fill the alcoves with sufficient light to make out some detail. On my model where I'm relying soley on realistic overhead lighting the alcoves are cast into shadow largely because of the overhanging observation deck. To conteract this I chose to add a bit of overhead lighting to the alcoves to bring them out a bit more.

The bottom image of the flight deck is also a bit of a cheat to somewhat emulate what we saw onscreen. I've widened the camera's field of view a bit (from 35 to 45 degrees) and after removing the forward wall I've stretched the observation deck on both sides well beyond where they actually end.

On the image I left in, aren't the doors off the deck way shorter than they should be?

Warped9 · Sep 6, 2015

^^ If you're referring to those red panels in the alcoves I don't think they're meant to be access doors for personnel, but rather panels of some kind and that's how made them. There are doors in the end of the alcoves (hard to see in the image) that lead into a between-the-hulls area to access a ladder that goes up to the control tower and another ladder down to the service deck.

Phantom · Sep 6, 2015

Warped9 said:
^^ If you're referring to those red panels in the alcoves I don't think they're meant to be access doors for personnel, but rather panels of some kind and that's how made them. There are doors in the end of the alcoves (hard to see in the image) that lead into a between-the-hulls area to access a ladder that goes up to the control tower and another ladder down to the service deck.

I see. Where are the double-door "airlock" doors that access the deck? Just off image to the left and/or right?

As seen here:

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x10hd/journeytobabelhd0053.jpg

Warped9 · Sep 6, 2015

Those are at the forward wall of the flight deck, one on either side.

Phantom · Sep 6, 2015

I was under the impression, based on the positioning of the shuttlecraft, that they were to one side.

*EDIT* I just rewatched the shuttle landing from JtB again, and yes, the entry IS from the starboard side of the hangar deck.

TOS Class F...

Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Commodore

Fleet Captain

Commodore

Fleet Captain

Fleet Captain

Admiral

Admiral

Commodore

Admiral

Captain

Captain

Admiral

Fleet Captain

Captain

Admiral

Captain

Admiral

Captain

Similar threads

We value your privacy