USS Enterprise D
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4' Filming Miniature
Project
4' USS Enterprise D filming miniature replica...and me!
At the end of 2020, I was given the opportunity to get involved with a dream project. Whilst swiping through my Facebook news feed, a post from The National Film & Sci-Fi Museum caught my eye. The trustees of the museum, which was still under construction at the time, were asking for help to bring some of the rare items in their archive to life, so they could be put on public display. I almost swiped past the post, but the attached photos caught my eye. They showed 2 rough, raw and dusty parts of a large unbuilt model. As soon as I saw them I knew exactly what it was, and what it represented. These parts were not just a large scale fan-made model kit of a famous starship, they were parts cast from the original production moulds of the 4' filming miniature of the USS Enterprise D, from Star Trek: The Next Generation!
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One of photo's that caught my attention in National Film & Sci-fi Museum's social media post. I recognised that this part was a cast of the 4' filming model saucer and not fan-made
The original filming model's upper saucer part, being prepared by Greg Jein's team
The museum's goal was to turn these decades-old, raw, dusty fibreglass parts into a fully functional, faithful recreation of the original 4' filming miniature. This was a big deal. Not just in terms of the physical size of the model, but the chance to handle authentic casts from the original production moulds. I was green with envy towards whoever would end up being lucky enough to land this incredible opportunity, having assumed that the museum (and these EXTREMELY rare casts) were somewhere in the U.S, and that I had zero chance to get involved. I was wrong in that assumption. As I continued to read the post I realised that not only was the museum based in the U.K, it was less than 30mins from where I live...my jaw hit the floor! I didn't hesitate and threw my hat into the ring, offering my services in any way, however small, to help bring this project to life.
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2 weeks later I was sitting at my desk...and there they were in my hands. Somehow, I had won that lottery and had been entrusted to create a fully functional 4' filming miniature of the Enterprise D, as close to a twin to the original as possible. To say I was excited, and perhaps a little intimidated, would be quite an understatement....!
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I would like to say a very heartfelt and sincere thankyou to Jason Joiner, Lee Stringer and all of the trustees of the National Film & Sci-Fi Museum, for giving me this opportunity and trusting me with this very special project!
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HUGE thanks also to Gary Kerr, John Goodson, Lou Zutavern, and Karl Tate. Your generosity and input raised this project significantly, making it something very special indeed. Thank you gents!
Raw cast of the upper saucer
Raw cast of the secondary hull / stardrive section
Raw cast of the lower saucer
Raw casts of the keel plate and lower nacelle pylon wing
The Plan
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A project of this magnitude needed to be broken down and tackled in several stages, each requiring a huge amount of work.
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1 - Refurbishment
Due to their condition, it was decided that the raw parts should be repaired and refurbished as accurately and sympathetically as possible, back to their original condition. Moulds would then be taken of the restored parts and used to create new fibreglass casts for the actual build. The original parts could then be retired and preserved in the museum archives. There were a lot of issues to correct, due to several factors - age, wear, casting issues, etc. A lot of work was going to be required to get the parts back to their original condition for moulding.
2 - Moulding and casting new parts
Moulding parts of this size would require a lot of silicone rubber and strong fibreglass mother mould shells. The new parts would then be cast in clear/translucent fibreglass to allow easier lighting of the many hundreds of cabin windows.
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3 - Fabrication of an internal armature
Since the fibreglass parts are only the outer skin of the filming miniature, they would need to be assembled around a heavy-duty internal armature, made from aluminium. The armature would need to be extremely strong and stable, able to withstand the weight and stresses of supporting the finished miniature for many years to come. All of the internal electrical and lighting elements would also need to be designed and integrated into this structure. It was decided to provide several mounting points so the model could be displayed in a variety of different ways, just as the original filming model was.
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4 - Construction
​The goal was to create a fully functioning filming miniature with multiple mounting positions and access panels, featuring an extensive lighting system to replicate the original 4' model as closely as possible. Several parts of the model were not procured by the museum - both warp engine nacelles, the main bridge module, main deflector dish, saucer impulse engines and all three shuttle bay doors. These missing parts would eventually be sourced and very kindly donated during the process of building the model.
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5 - Paint and graphics
​The final stage would be to decorate the surface of the model with paint detailing and recreate the complex 2-tone "aztec" pattern that was seen all over the surface of the ship. Colour data of the main hull colours, scanned directly from the original filming model, would be used to manufacture custom paints which matched the original as accurately as possible. Finally, the hull markings and graphics would be redrawn from original production artwork, to maintain as much authenticity as possible.
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I'll be uploading a LOT of information about this project over the coming weeks and months. For now, here's a short teaser video showing some of the work that went into this huge project. Enjoy, and check back soon for Part 1....
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