Unseen TOS....

[aridas sofia]

I think it is inaccurate to say Jefferies came up with his smooth sensibilities for any functional reason related to the limitations of 1960s TVs or his time and material budgets. He argued for smoothness as a means to play lights of varying colors and intensities off the hull. Roddenberry kept asking for more detail, and Jefferies argued against it for these reasons. He rationalized it by saying the ship could be serviced internally. But he was definitely going for his own kind of aesthetic. That aesthetic was attempted in a very big way in the opalescent finish of the TMP Enterprise, combined with Roddenberry’s desire for detail. That’s why, though I prefer the raw functionality of the TOS design, the TMP refit is the purest expression of both men’s ideas.

 

[Warped9]

I have thought of doing a TMP refit with less detail, primarily the aztec-ing. But to an extent I have already a TMP refit hewing more to the TOS E’s design and aesthetic.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

That aesthetic was attempted in a very big way in the opalescent finish of the TMP Enterprise, combined with Roddenberry’s desire for detail. That’s why, though I prefer the raw functionality of the TOS design, the TMP refit is the purest expression of both men’s ideas.

Really? I thought Richard Taylor was the art director we have to thank for the refit Enterprise's opalescent finish...?

 

[Warped9]

We know Roddenberry wanted more detail to the point of instructing the gridlines be added to the saucer which Jefferies disagreed with. But after Jefferies’ initial redesigning of the E refit I’m not sure how much either he or Roddenberry had to do with the refit’s final form. I always had the notion it was Robert Wise who largely directed the miniatures be redone when Phase II became TMP.

 

[aridas sofia]

I’m not sure who was responsible for the opalescent TMP paint job beyond the guy who wielded the airbrush, who iirc was Paul Olsen. I’m not saying Jefferies or Roddenberry directed what was done, because I don’t know that. I am saying Jefferies wanted a smooth, featureless hull with colored lights playing off it for TOS, and Roddenberry wanted scale references and detail. In TMP, there were both, whomever directed it to happen that way. It ended up being a perfect melding of what both men had desired.

 

[Warped9]

Current status. Slowly working things out.

 

[yotsuya]

I’m not sure who was responsible for the opalescent TMP paint job beyond the guy who wielded the airbrush, who iirc was Paul Olsen. I’m not saying Jefferies or Roddenberry directed what was done, because I don’t know that. I am saying Jefferies wanted a smooth, featureless hull with colored lights playing off it for TOS, and Roddenberry wanted scale references and detail. In TMP, there were both, whomever directed it to happen that way. It ended up being a perfect melding of what both men had desired.

One of the things that clouds this is multiple people taking credit. According to Olsen, Richard Taylor brought him in to airbrush the surface using the 4 color changing lacquers. So the decision predated him. It goes back to earlier in the production before the final changes were made to the model. Because when Olsen came on board they had already started painting it. After the the FX team changed, but the pearl finish was already done. And it took Olsen more then 6 months to paint it and he only used half of each of the 4 bottles of pearlescent lacquers.

 

[publiusr]

I do love that design... still, I half imagine that it was Richard Benjamin and the crew of the Quark series that Charlie X spaced. I can’t get that out of my head now. Nah...that ship was a scaled up Seeker. Good thing Armin was at DS9.

 

[Warped9]

I am considering a bit more surface detail before I start windows, markings and colours.

I am hoping this comes across as an older, cruder design than the Enterprise. It’s relatively small, cramped, underpowered, a bit tired and lacking in glamour for its crew. They could indeed see strange things, but they’re not really suited for the kind of things encountered by ships like the Enterprise. The crew of the Antares were not prepared to deal with something like Charlie Evans.

 

[Albertese]

Ah man, I love this design too! I might have to start thinking about even another plastic build of a Warped9 design.

--Alex

 

[tesral]

Current status. Slowly working things out.

Nice. Are you going with some kind of tow pad for larger containers?

 

[Warped9]

Nice. Are you going with some kind of tow pad for larger containers?

I am a bit torn here. If Jefferies had indeed gotten around to designing something like this would he have given consideration to possibly modifying the miniature for another purpose at a later date?

The safest bet, I think, is to consider it could be used for something else later with slight modification. More specifically the pods under the main section could be removed and something else fitted. To that end barring creating a new design later than the Antares miniature modified could be the Woden. Unmodified it could perhaps also serve as the Beagle. If such a miniature as this had ever existed it could also have served as the Huron.

To give an idea of size the main section is no more than three or maybe four decks thick.

 

[Albertese]

Given the Tholian Webspinner => Aurora conversion, I'm almost certain model reuse and modification would be considered.

--Alex

 

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ At least they flipped that one around and plopped some nacelles on it, making some (albeit meager) effort to hide its origins.

They didn't even bother to redress the Botany Bay for use as the Woden!

And lest we forget the Lightbulb-class Orion Interceptor from Journey to Babel!

 

[Warped9]

The Botany Bay reuse was probably just stock footage. The Orion is easier to rationalize as a small and very fast moving target difficult to discern.

 

[aridas sofia]

Was that Orion ship really a lightbulb? I’ve never read that before.

You learn something new around here all the time.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Well, it looked like one at least! (In the original version, anyway)


This was a step up, by any measure:

 

[Professor Moriarty]

And lest we forget the Lightbulb-class Orion Interceptor from Journey to Babel!

No doubt built from plans they stole from the Klingons. There’s nothing more menacing than the feared K’Sunbeam class warship.

 

[Warped9]

No doubt built from plans they stole from the Klingons. There’s nothing more menacing than the feared K’Sunbeam class warship.
View attachment 21832

It might be interesting to try interpreting that. I guess I might have to add that to the list.

 

[BK613]

No doubt built from plans they stole from the Klingons. There’s nothing more menacing than the feared K’Sunbeam class warship.
View attachment 21832

At least you can see it on the screen