Constructing the Secondary Hull
The first thing to deal with before starting any full-on construction was to figure out which windows were to be lit, and which were to remain unlit. Since this was to be a replica of the original filming model, the windows would be lit exactly the same. After a lot of scrubbing through episodes of the show and the usual online searches for screenshots, I eventually ended up with pretty extensive coverage of the entire model and was able to identify all the lit window positions. Looking at some reference photos of the original model, I was also able to identify several windows which were actually painted over and not used as windows at all! I have no idea why. Perhaps they were missed during the building of the original, or they were painted over intentionally for some reason…? Whatever the case may be, I made sure to do the same on this model too, so if you catch them in the finished photos you’ll know why!
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After getting a handle on the lit/unlit window situation, the next step was to create adhesive masks to fit all the various windows over the ship. And there were a LOT of variations! So many in fact, that I had to print a “cheat sheet” to help me keep track of what masks belonged where on the model! For the original model, the window masks were stamped out of self-adhesive vinyl using custom-made punch and die sets. A very laborious and time-consuming job considering there are over two thousand windows on the ship! Luckily for me, modern technology would make the job a lot easier in the form of an automated plotter/cutter. Once all the various window shapes were dialled in, I created all the necessary cut sheets and let the plotter go to work.
Printed "cheat sheets" of all the various window masks, which would be cut from adhesive vinyl or paper masking sheets, depending on what I had to hand
As described in the earlier stages of the project, casting the parts in translucent fibreglass meant that lighting the windows would be a simple job of masking off the ones to be lit, before any primer or paint is laid down on the parts. Then, after all the subsequent primer and paint layers are down and blocking all the interior light, the masks would be pulled up, leaving clean, crisp, lit windows in their place. A simple job, but not entirely easy, and VERY time consuming. But a LOT easier than the alternative of cutting out all those hundreds of lit windows and filling them with some kind of clear material later.
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After all the window masks were applied, an initial coat or two of white primer was applied to the outside of the casts, then overcoated with black. When looking outward from the inside of the cast, the white being the innermost and therefore only visible layer, acts a bit like a lampshade and helps to distribute the light more evenly inside. The outer black paint then blocks any light from passing through to the outside. Eventually, a final couple of coats of grey primer would be applied to the outside of the casts.
After masking all the windows that would be lit, a couple of coats of white primer were sprayed over the areas. No point doing the pylons, no internal lighting there...
A couple of coats of black primer was then sprayed over the white, to block the internal light from shining through to the outside of the casts
For the most part, the window lighting would be handled by 12V DC LED strip. The original used neon tubes, but those were very fragile, ran VERY hot, and prone to failure. Even though LED’s run relatively cool, they do still generate heat, and there would be a LOT of LEDs in this thing. But another benefit of using aluminium for the armature is that the entire structure can act as a giant heat-sink for the lighting, drawing away heat from the LED strips over prolonged periods of use. Most of the windows were then unmasked to make sure enough light was getting to all the areas where windows were supposed to be lit, and to prevent them from being buried under too much paint. This meant I'd need to remask them all again, but that was better than having to touch-up and fix bigger issues later if/when damage was done trying to pull them up through multiple layers of paint.
Lengths of LED strip strategically placed to maximise internal light distribution
Plenty of light getting thrown into all the deep recesses. You can see why the initial layer of white primer is important here - the inside surface is white, and acts like a lamp shade
Under side lighting arrangement
Good, even distribution of light inside the dorsal hull
All the different lighting elements (windows, nacelle grilles, impulse engine etc) were going to be on separate lighting channels, and they needed to be independently operable and isolated from each other so the model could actually be used as a functioning filming model. The main impulse engine posed a problem though. Being an intense red, the slightest overspill from it would contaminate the adjacent windows, making them slightly red too. Not a good look on the Federation Flagship, if you know what I mean…! So, the impulse engine was cut out, and an insert part was patterned, moulded, and cast in clear red resin. A small custom-made red LED bar was placed behind it, and the entire assembly wrapped in self-adhesive foil tape to isolate and trap the red light inside the part. Eventually, a piece of clear styrene would be cut to match the engine shape and used as a lens to hold the inner assembly in place.
Impulse engine insert part, cast in clear red resin
Red LED strip behind the insert, checking for even distribution. The "hot spots" aren't visible to the eye
Impulse engine insert test fit. The insert hadn't been wrapped in foil tape at this point - you can see the issue of red light spilling through the fibreglass and into the nearest windows, turning them pink. Picard would NOT approve of this kind of "activity" on his ship. Riker though....he'd probably be cool with it!
The wiring harness was built-up, with a feed going up the neck to the saucer, one for the deflector dish assembly (which would be installed later) and two more going back along the underside of the pylon wing plate and out to the nacelles. A 7-Pin aviation connector socket was installed at the lower mount point, to connect the umbilical to the lighting controller box. Finally, the aft pylon wing formation lights were added, with plenty of excess wire looped up in the secondary hull in case they needed to be removed and replaced in the future. That area is actually removable on the original filming model; the seams were covered with strips of vinyl tape to hide it!
Lighting installation complete
Original 4' filming model - this section is removable to gain access to the rear marker lights. Strips of adhesive vinyl cover the seam lines
7-Pin "aviation" connector plug, to connect the umbilical to the main lighting controller box
Original 4' filming model - another view showing the removable section. The vinyl strips are easier to see here
​With the lighting installation complete in the secondary hull, the lower pylon wing and keel plate casts were permanently attached to the armature using a polymer-based adhesive and clamped into position using their machine screws and clamps. The lower mount point cover panel was cast in fibreglass, trimmed to fit the opening as cleanly as possible and held in place using magnets when required. The large gap between the keel plate and lower pylon wing cast was filled with epoxy putty and sanded smooth, as was the join around the outer edges of the casts. Once the polymer had fully cured, all the machine screws were removed and the holes filled in. Any further bodywork and fine-tuning would be done after the saucer had been completed and permanently fitted, and that was next…
Lower pylon wing cast clamped into position while the polymer adhesive cured
Lower mount cover panel, held in place by magnets
Gap between the keel and lower wing casts filled with epoxy putty
Filling and sanding all the gaps and seams between the casts
Fully assembled Secondary Hull.
One last "light blocking" coat of black, before the grey primer is applied