Model Shipyard

[ninjabear]

One of the last Cons I travelled to was in Erie, Pennsylvania.
They had one section of the dealer room dedicated to a small fleet of kit-bashed ships, none of which was for sale, dag-nabbit.

I'm not an autograph hound, I have very few photos, but serveral posters of the ships. The tech of Trek---sci-fi in general---has always fascinated me.
I have a complete fleet of Federation ships, many alien and some that just defy description (yeah, the Dragonwraith is a good example).
I'm told a Con is coming to the area next March; I hope to add to my collection of ships and sci-fi small arms.

[ninjabear]

Last year, when my favorite hobby shop closed, I really felt like throwing myself under a bus.

Today I took the bus to their new location, but it's not the same...IT'S BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!

Sure, I have nostalgia for the former location---they were in the same building for over 60 years---but things change. The soulless bastards who bought the old building bulldozed it, a month before it was supposed to be declared a historic landmark.
Like the world really needed another used car lot---what we need are MORE, BIGGER AND BETTER HOBBY SHOPS,
like A. B. Charles & Son in Pittsburgh, PA---now if you'll excuse me, I've got a shopping list to make.

[cooky37]

yes, but what will your lady friend think of your shopping list

Will someone shut that man up
NEVER!

[ninjabear]

Funny you should ask, Cooky monster.
I'm wondering if I'll have to curtail my list to help carry her haul away; Cindy likes hobby shops as well.

[cooky37]

Has any one seen the new/old Enterprise? can't wait till the kit comes out

Will someone shut that man up
NEVER!

[ninjabear]

I've yet to see the re-issue of the Classic Enterprise, but I would love to see some of the alphabet come back to market.
I've been watching ebay, and I'm struck by what passes for "mint condition".
A DS:9 Runabout still in it's original shrink wrap; that is mint condition.
The runabout got one bid for the $10 asking price.

An Enterprise-A kit with open box, pictures cut from box lid, part bags opened and parts removed then replaced, sold for $41 + S&H.

An Enterprise-C with open box, part bags opened, parts laid out for photo shoot then replaced, advertised as "mint".
To me, a long-time collector and model builder, it's worth $5 for kit-bashing purposes; it sold for $45 + S&H.

If people are so desperate for the Enterprise alphabet, there's a market to exploit so you'd think the Ferengi humps at Paramount would've got some company like Polar Lights to bring these ships to market at a reasonable price by now.
I suppose that would clash with their policy of revisionist history.

[ninjabear]

Got the itch to build again.
Ran short of canned airbrush propellant, but made a sad discovery.
Sometime after X-Mas (and unbeknownst to me), Wal-Mart deep-sixed their entire line of model kits and supplies.

Wasn't enough money in it---is it really just Picard, Chief O'Brien, John Archer & me?

[bipolarber (deleted)]

`Hi. I just finished scratchbuilding a DY-100. I found the orthographic views on a site called "subs in space" and thought it might make a fun project. I printed off the plans using a large format printer at work, and pretty much built the ship right over the drawings, for accuracy. The final model, built mostly of pattern maker's wood and odds and ends, is about half the size of the original studio model- about 24" long. About the only things I cheated on a bit were the rear "solar panels" (which I made solid instead of out of mesh)and also I didn't use any model railroad siding for panel detail. (althrough the photos I have of the original show that it is exactly what they used) The reason for this is pretty simple: I'm thinking of shooting my own Trek fan film using the model, and I wated to make sure it would green screen nicely, and not have any morie patterns when shooting it on video.

[ninjabear]

Scratch building?
Haven't done that in years---damn cataracts---but I admire those who do.

My sweetie sez I'm addicted to my creativity...

I do get some peculiar ideas.
Just finished a build.
Ordinary Runabout, straight from the box; but once I found out the Runabout was technically a Danube-Class starship, I had to paint it blue.

[ninjabear]

I was watching the John Carpenter film They Live with my sweetie today, noticed something that got me thinking.
Keith David walked up the hall gun in hand, finger along the trigger guard, just the way I was trained to do---then I realized,
phasers don't have a trigger guard.
Neither does the Babylon 5 PPG.

Without this very simple yet all-important safety feature, I see a lot of accidental discharges.
People shooting themselves in the foot, accidentally shooting each other and forget tucking a phaser into the front of your waistband, you'll burn off your wrench & lugnuts before you know it happened.

www.ninjabearpress.com

[cooky37]

`scratch puilding, Yeah!! much respect to those Craftsmen (Craftpersons) who have the skill and patience to do that

[ninjabear]

Most people are too stupid, lazy and impatient to learn even basic model building skills.
Anyone who scratch-builds for fun? If you're any good at it you should transmit a job application to ILM immediately.

Too many people buy toys or die-cast models because they want all the work done for them.
They don't understand creating, from kit or bits, is most of the real fun.
When I was a cub, Dad and I built airplanes from strips of balsa wood.

Sure I flew it for a while, before it became a display piece for many years; but sharing the build with my Dad was the best part.

[feedback]

Testing the forum system.

[matrix42 (deleted)]

I voted for the 'No A,B,C,D or E' !
However I really voted for the Constitution refit of the movies 1, 2 and 3.
No catagory for that one!
Small complaint I know, but an important point nonetheless!!!
In fact, just to be really picky - if Scotty had asked the 1701-D computer to show him the Bridge of the Enterprise - even saying 'no A, B, C or D' - the computer would still have 3 options of Bridges. The Christopher Pike original, the Kirk original and the refit!
Some people can't make a sci-fi series without getting the continuity wrong!!!

Oh, and yes, I agree with the scratch-building - it's the best, but does take the longest
I'd upload some photos, but the file size is very small for most, if not all, my model pics.

The ship canna take any more, captain!

[ninjabear]

The movie refit and Enterprise-A are considered by most to be the Enterprise-Class.

As I mentioned before, the poll option I left out is the NX-01...oops.
However this accidental oversight has gone largely unchallenged.
It would seem no one prefers what is allegedly the "first" starship Enterprise.
Sure I like Archer's NX-01 just fine but given the choice, most people prefer the Galaxy-Class---sometimes called the cruise ship.

Of course when given all the odds and ends to choose from, I built my own; anyone else into kit bashing?