Finished Model
&
Final Thoughts

In total, this mammoth project took over 2 years to complete. There were a few periods of downtime where I had to jump over to other commitments and other projects, or where I had to wait for paint samples or casts of missing parts etc, so I would estimate that the actual time to complete the project was just over 14 months, perhaps a little less. Looking back at the sheer scope and amount of work that went into it all, I’m actually quite surprised it didn’t take longer! It probably goes without saying, but this was by far the most challenging project I had taken on up to that point. And, if I’m being completely honest, one that I still managed to underestimate slightly at the outset…! It pushed me well past my limits, forced me to learn new methods and skills, and made me realise I was capable of doing far more than I imagined. I’m extremely proud of the final model and feel very privileged to have been trusted with something so rare and special.

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I also feel extremely grateful that this project has connected me with some of the most renowned professional model makers and Star Trek experts in the world, some of whom I’m very privileged to now call friends. Without their help and generosity, this project would have only ever been my “best shot” at a close approximation of the Enterprise, rather than being the very rare and special piece that it now is.

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I hope that seeing all the work that went into this project has also illustrated what it took for Greg Jein and his amazingly talented team to build the original 4’ filming model all those years ago, with one last caveat – bear in mind that I had a head-start with this project. I had the benefit of having castings already in-hand. Greg and his team had to build all the pattern masters for all the parts, before moving on with any of the other work. And they did ALL of that work in just a matter of weeks………….mind-blowing!

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So, next time you hear someone talking the 4 footer down, calling it ugly, or pointing out all its flaws, please send them to this website and ask them to at least have a peek at the enormous amount of effort involved in creating the studio models from our favourite shows. With any luck, they might re-assess some of those opinions and go a little easier on her…I certainly have.

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Thanks for following along with this journey, I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have re-living it!