Stage 1 - Refurbishment & Repairs
Due to their condition, it was decided that the raw parts should be repaired and restored as accurately and sympathetically as possible back to their original condition, before moulding them to create new casts for the actual build. The original parts would then be returned to the museum to be preserved in their archives. In general, the parts were in good shape and had faired quite well over the years, but there were a number issues to correct due to several factors. Aside from the expected wear and tear from years of being handled and moved around, there were some significant problems inherent in the parts that occured during their original casting and demoulding decades earlier. These kinds of issues were to be expected due to the very tight timelines and budgets the FX teams were up against during production of the series, so things had to be done EXTREMELY quickly.
The upper secondary hull was cast in one piece - not an easy task, considering the complex shape of the part. The original silicone mould jacket appeared to have been slightly mis-aligned during the casting process which resulted in significant scarring along the seam lines (seen in the photo's below). There were also large areas of the surface where the raised panel details were all but obliterated and needed to be recreated as closely as possible to the original. Finally for this part, some slight warping (no pun intended!) needed to be corrected, and a number of fairly large holes needed to be filled.
The upper secondary hull and dorsal hull, cast in one piece.
A scar from the mould mis-alignment can be seen quite clearly here
A large scar from mould mis-alignment during the casting process
The scar extended up along the starboard edge of the dorsal hull
A second scar, running along the leading edge of the dorsal hull can be seen here
The mis-alignment is quite pronounced along the upper dorsal surface. The scribed detailing is quite badly off-set from one side to the other.
Proving the authenticity of the casts, one of those scars can be seen on-screen in many of the effects shots featuring the original 4' filming miniature
The lower pylon wing and keel parts were in slightly better condition than the upper secondary hull, although the wing in particular had warped quite a lot. The phaser details on every part had suffered some damages over the years, as well as having many tiny voids from air bubbles forming in the surface coat during the casting process, all of which needed to be repaired. The upper saucer part was in fairly good condition, generally. There were some scars on the surface, the expected voids from air bubbles, and some general warping in some areas. The recessed sensor band detail around the outer rim was pretty much obliterated where the original mould had deteriorated and perished. In some spots there were even lumps of old rubber torn away from the original moulds still lodged in place, which needed to be carefullt removed. The part in worst condition though, was the lower saucer. There were large deformations in the castings which needed to be rectified, along with restoring any lost detailing. There were also a lot of problems arising from general mould fatigue at the time these casts were pulled, and other damages sustained over the years.
The underside of the nacelle pylon wing, showing a little twisting
The sculpted phaser details were in need of repair
The rear sensor band recess on the pylon wing part. The detailing is almost non-existent, the original moulds were clearly in bad shape when these parts were cast
An example of the deformations found in a few of the parts, this one seen on the lower pylon wing
The damaged phaser strip detailing on the keel part.
Sensor band recess on the upper saucer part. Remnants of the original RTV rubber mould still lodged in place!
Aside from some slight general warping and wear & tear, the upper saucer was in pretty good shape.
Some examples of the deformations and damages on the lower saucer part. This part was in the worst condition by far and needed a lot of work to repair all of the issues. A lot of surface details needed to be repaired, or totally recreated in some cases, as close to original as possible.
The Repaired and Refurbished Parts
