I thought I'd finally take the plunge and try building this kit. It's a new kit but the parts are from old molds and sadly shows its age in some areas.
The pylons were always part of the nacelles I believe. What they changed was the attachments to the secondary hull. It used to be like a key that was inserted through a hole in the tab for the pylon. It didn't really lock in the pylon, but just retained it instead, thus the sagging.
I built my first Enterprise model while Star Trek was still on NBC TV. The original bussard collector covers were translucent amber colored and the kit came with lights. Single grain-of-wheat lights in each engine front and in the clear green covers for the top and bottom of the primary hull. 2 AA batteries were in the engineering section and you twisted the front navigation deflector cover as the light switch. This was my night light on the top shelf.
I built several of these from the early 70s to the 80s. The first had the nacelle pylon lock blocks. They allowed a lot of sag, and the too thin loops they fit in broke. Another model had a 2 piece v piece to receive shafts at the attachment of the nacelle pylons. Didn't break but still sagged. I solved the sag problem in later models with binary hardening putty. The early models had rice grain light bulbs for the green clear plastic bridge, and ventral domes. But they burned out after a couple of minutes use. Had a support structure in the secondary hull into which you had to assemble the battery connections. But there was so much weight, and levers on the hull it was pulled apart by all that. The pylons pushed into the hull holes. The first one had a 4" triangular base supporting the model with an angled 3" triangular pylon attached under the secondary hull aft of the center of mass so it had to be glued. Still tended to tip over. Later models had a 3 piece base of 2 v legged stands connected. The model sat on its secondary hull in a curved holder with a little hole into which a little pin on the stand went. But it wasn't stable either because the front of the stand was still just forward of the center of mass, and it tended to rotate off the pin that fit the hole.A little house vibration, a bus going by caused such bending leverage on the secondary hull the little pin was pulled out. Found the best balance point for hanging was through the primary hull through engineering just forward of the impulse drive. In the 90s I was a machinist in an aerospace shop that had some of the largest mills, and lathes in California. I could have, and wanted to make a full size or larger replica of the shooting model. But the economy went bad, and the owners cut down the number of days the shop was open to 3 days a week. It would have been beautiful. We had the machines to make a precision 20 or 30 foot wood, and fiberglass replica. We had a temporary boring mill installed for a while that we used to machine the fixture for making the fuselage of the Boeing 777. I could have used that to turn a 20 or 30 foot primary hull making a 50 or 60 foot replica. Sigh.
Wow! You remembered a lot about this kit! I barely remembered building it the first time! 😆 That would have been amazing if you could have made that large sized Enterprise! The 11 footer is pretty big in person.
I built that AMT kit from the 1970s, and had it hanging from my bedroom ceiling as a kid. Later I was really into KISS, and I had big bottle of butane and was (dangerously) learning to blow ever bigger flames from my mouth. Finally, I was able to lay on my back and blow a flame all the way to the ceiling. I melted the fishing line that was holding up the Enterprise, and it did a kamikaze dive for my face.
I remember the first time I built this (I built it many times trying to get it better) it was actually the one that came with red tinted bussard collectors, green tinted upper and lower sensor domes, and some grain of wheat bulbs to light it. I was quite young, and didn't have the knowledge to get the lights to work. I was completely unaware of the inaccuracies of the kit at the time, but now I'm much more picky. Nevertheless, it is good to see they made some changes like the stand, the warp pylon mounting, and those hideous lines on the primary hull! Nice build, and thanks for the video! : )
Thank you very much! I appreciate that! I only recently found out one version of the kit came with lights. It was a clunky kit at the time. This one turned out way better than I expected. I'm glad I decided to give it another try!
That came out really nice for a basic kit, the decals really do make it pop. I really liked what you did with the base too, will have to steal that idea. 👍
Your video inspired me to do this kit. Your results turned out beautiful, and if mine is half as good as yours I will be well pleased! I’m doing a white version with orange nacelles and deflector or whatever the front spike is called, so it will look like how my mom remembers watching it in the 60s!
I had one in 1967. We had no color tv, so I guessed at the colors. Found out later how the colors are, bought another model to do the colors corrected. The second model had lights. At age 12, I did an ok job, but later realized better ways to build it.
You know Outsider, you really made this worth your time, especially it being mostly a nostalgia build. It ended up looking great in the video. I did build an AMT Enterprise in the seventies and I too remember it as being larger, but maybe it's because we were smaller!! I also remember my mom breaking it up with her hands, and I mean snapping the nacelles and everything during one of her insane house cleaning/clutter purgings. I was a bit bummed, but I didn't really care because I'd lost my enthusiasm for it by then. Bacon all week indeed! Snouty should grab on to the saucer section with his snout the way Appollo did with his hand in "Who Mourns For Adonais."
Haha! Yes, it's been fun incorporating Snorty into some of the videos! I made another slightly different piggy that I'll be showing in an upcoming video as well. Thank you for the kind words. I got into building this kit way more than I thought I would. I really didn't feel that motivated to build it but once I got started, I kinda got into it. I was surprised to hear that your mom broke up your model. My mom knew better than to even touch the models my brother and I made! Haha! You can always build another one for old time's sake! I should have made Snorty bite the saucer like you said! Haha!
The original nacelles/pylons were one piece (per half) but the flimsy attach point to the Engineering hull consisted of a hole through the hull, a rectangular hole through the tab on the pylon, and an oddball curved "wedge" that you had to insert through that rectangular hole from inside the hull. This means the entire weight of the nacelle was essentially held by two tiny strips of styrene on either side of the wedge. The Bussard collector domes were one-piece with the (ACCURATE!) three curved Feinbergers on the lower half, white plastic. (This nacelle attach point looks *really* robust by comparison!)
Ah, very good! I just couldn't remember that far back how the nacelles were attached. I just knew it was not very good. Yes this new retooling of the connection point is 100% better. They're still not sagging! 😁
I built several of these as a kid and those curved engine wedge mounts were the bane of my existence. One engine always drooped horribly. Not always the same one either… But always one of them.
Very well described. Exactly right. The nacelles originally (1st run) didn't even have the plastic lug anchors...and all fell off. The saucer was also notorious for falling off. The old kit had gridlines in the saucer if I recall. I bought two, because the first one fell apart. Maybe the first one was smooth, but I don't think so, but I was 8. This kit is retro new. Most of the assemblies and joints are very different.
I remember in '72 the enterprise kit i bought came from a store called k-mart . The engine nacelles stuck through holes in the engineering hull and had curved clips that went through the ends of the nacelle struts . The instructions were vaugue . It worked lousy . The stand was a triangle base and a single clear plastic arm . The box was large maybe 19" × 16" x 4"
I watched TOS in B&W. it wasn’t until I got the VHS tapes that I saw it in colour! The model looks great! Even with its flaws. I painted my 1/1000 scale with a white/dolphin blue combo. Made it look like I remembered!
Thank you! Yeah, haha! I remember asking my dad what it meant when the title card of a show came on and said "In Color" back then. When he explained, my siblings and I kept pressuring him to buy a color TV! 😆 It was like a whole new world when we got to see our favorite shows in color for the first time. I think mixing your own color for the Enterprise is probably the best since everyone sees it differently. I needed a rattle can version that was the concrete color I was looking for. The model turned out better than I thought. I didn't go into very confidently. Haha!
They came out with a couple of versions. I built my first one when I was 10 or 11. The original stand I had was a large, smokey clear, triangle piece. You had to glue the ship to the support connected to the triangle.The buzzard/engines did sag. There were holes in the part that fit into the body and you had pieces of c shaped plastic that fit into the holes to support the engines. You could never get them to be strate. It was moulded in white. There was always a gap between the neck of the main body where the saucer connected. It was not a flush seam. My other kit I bought when I was a little older had 4 small rice bulbs. The buzzard collectors were orange clear plastic and the saucer dome on top and bottom saucer light/phaser were clear green. The main body was made to hold 2 large c cell batteries. When turned the sensor dish would activate the lights. I built my first one in 1968. I was just over 10 years old. You did a nice job.
Thank you! It was definitely a walk down Memory Lane. I didn't realize they had so many versions of this kit. I like the way this turned out and I'm glad I decided to revisit it.
Thank you! That should work out just fine. Really, the color can be whatever looks good to you. Gray is always difficult when it comes to the right shade.
My older brother built one around '75 and built one around '78, and I remember there being some slight variations. One of us had clear dome/sensor and the other had green. The decal sheets had no where near the number of options seen here; definitely no windows, no screens for the pylons. And if I recall, my decals for the registry number weren't curved, so I think I really had to depend on those saucer grids to line the decals correctly!
Very interesting. I know what you mean. It was so long ago I don't remember all the details of the kit. I just remember the green sensor and bridge domes for sure. I'm glad you mentioned the decal sheet. I was pretty sure it didn't originally come with all the ones that it does now. The new decal sheet is fantastic.
Oh! I didn't know they had a lighted version. This kit would have looked good with lights for sure. I actually like this kit way better than I thought I would.
@@outsider238 Yes, yes yes, on the various Constitution class decals- still the wet ones though. I must have done two of these kits.. One with battery and one not. As well other TV shows. By Next Gen I finally got much better with paints and sanding mold mark and such. -lol. Those were peel and stick decals, on the "D" , but you had one chance to get it correct. That kit was rock solid, heavier plastic and an overall better planned kit. At least with the wet one's you could at move them around for a couple of seconds.
Bought this at hobby lobby last year and was super excited to put it together but it was missing parts unfortunately. At least i got to see someone else doing it.
Man, you want to talk about weathering ?? You haven't seen over kill on weathering until you see some of mine.. A 1/2 pound model , ends up being around 2 pound's with some of my work.. Not everything I built , but I've got a few that I just didn't stop . They're pretty sad ..🤣😂🥲🤤 Hey, it's all about enjoying the build. Really appreciate your sharing your build , and it turned out pretty sweet .👍 I remember mine back around 1972 or 73 . Yeah , what a train wreck.. Good times... Keep up the great work , again : really nice job.
Haha! Thank you! I know what you mean. I start out light with the weathering and it somehow gets heavier as it goes! 😆 Ah well, like you said, it's the joy of the build. Thank you for the kind words! 😁
The original model had lights in the naucelles and bridge top and bottom powered by a D battery in the lower hull and the switch was turning the dish on the front.
@@outsider238 - Yeah lights! That that was a feature too- Maybe I did two of them? I had one hanging in my bedroom and I would listen to music with the lights off and just stare at the lite up ship. (with battery lights shining through the cracks and all .) I still kit bashed it and blew it up with firecrackers eventually. lol
@@corribyrne1481 Hahaha!!! I blew up the Invaders flying saucer with fireworks. The only models I remember building that had lights was the Millennium Falcon and an Enterprise A.
@@outsider238 - I kit bashed everything and blew them up. Drove my mom crazy for wasting money. I had dreams of being a special effects guy when I was a kid. Dreams..... I did sailing ships and airplanes too. Never cars. Cars were boring to me then and now mostly.
@@corribyrne1481 Haha! I wanted to do special effects too. Miniature model building for movies and TV. I know a guy (now retired) that did that and he said that when CGI took over, everyone was out of work. Very sad.
The deal with the decals on the BC deck of the upper bridge......The decal sheet looks to me to be scaled up from the 1/1000 PL Enterprise kit. The BC deck is the proper tear drop shape on the 1/1000 and more oval in the 1/650
I built many of these in the early to mid-80s. The warp engines and pylons were always a problem. They sagged and also easily broke. Now I know a lot more about building models and what to do to avoid the problems of 40 years ago. The decals AMT supplied were very basic, were in the wrong font, and probably the wrong size. The best we can do with this kit now is follow what the Smithsonian discovered regarding paint and details, get some accessorizing parts, and do our best. Just replacing the bridge and B/C deck does a lot.
This version of the kit was a lot better than I thought it would be. After building it, I actually really like it now. You're right though. It could use some tweaking to make it much better.
When the model was released in the 1960s, it did have lighting. Then after 1970 it didn’t have any more lights. just like the 1979 issue of the refit. That one had lights. And then after 1982, it did not have any lights.
Omigod, you got the intercoolers backwards... throw it out, start over! I made this kit in the late 80s, great to see it done so well! I think it's based on the Franz Joseph design which accounts for the inaccuracies.
That's not an Original Enterprise kit. I have a original issue (with opaque collectors) and saucer green dome covers with a lighting kit. The second issue has also has transparent orange collector domes, which the included additional lights in the lighting kit. Also the original kits were much more detailed, to include ribbing on the top of the saucer section, and the plastic was not shinny. One more thing, the Bases in the original kits had triangular-shaped like the Enterprise Crew patch. So that kit is a poor reproduction of the original kit to include box cover. The only good thing about the reproduction kit is the new decals.
Nice build. The kit has its flaws but i still have a soft spot for it. It was probably one of the first models I ever built. I wonder how many of those kit's AMT has sold over the years? It has to be one of their all time best sellers because it's been in constant production for over 50 years. Not many models can match that.
Thank you! Yeah, it was definitely a walk down Memory Lane! I didn't know it's been in constant production all these years. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it is AMT's all time best selling kit. I think anyone that's any Star Trek fan has probably built this kit. It's a classic among them all!
I remember the green domes for sure. As a kid I never liked them but seeing that picture of the original filming model with those green, I understand why they did it originally.
In water coloring, there is a masking glue that is painted on and removed like a rubber. Can’t remember what’s it’s called. Might work on this to cut around circles
Looks like it’s been tried. Link to a dissatisfied customer. It could work as long as there are lines or structures to hold the fluid’s shape. 3 years old video linked or search “liquid masking plastic” ua-cam.com/video/2GALHYC720c/v-deo.html
Revell(Germany) had a chance to do the ultimate 18" Enterprise kit but they screwed up theirs WORSE than AMT and Revell had the advantage of 40+ years and all the research done on the 11' model! I don't know what their thinking but those incised lines ALL OVER the kit were worse the raised lines on the AMT 18" model. They had very good window cuts and clear inserts that lent themselves to lighting but with those incised lines and the disproportionate details on the saucer sections I think it would be far easier to accuratize the AMT kit even today! I would personally build the 11" version Polar Lights introduced. That's pretty darn accurate. I wouldn't have the space for or the patience to build the 1/350 scale Enterprise, pre-painted or not! The painted version of the 11" version that I saw was pretty nice still...
There have been so many kits now. I don't remember the Revell version. I built two of the 1:350 Polar Lights kits. They are huge and require a lot of room but it's probably the best kit on the market today. I would've liked the pre-built one for collectability reasons but the price was way too high.
@@outsider238 The Revell version is out of print now. It was released around 10 years (ago) or thereabouts. It really wasn't a very good kit. The Revell TOS Enterprise is better engineered than the classic AMT Enterprise but the accuracy shortcomings are WORSE than the AMT model in my humble opinion. They also had a D-7 Klingon battlecruiser released by Revell that was actually pretty good. I think I read somewhere that the detail on the model (it was more detailed than the classic D-7 model used in the original Star Trek TV series) led some people to believe it was based off the D-7 model Greg Jein built for the 30th Star Trek anniversary DS9 episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations." I could see that. Both Revell TOS kits are out of print. It doesn't look like they'll repop them anytime soon.
@@AvengerII Very interesting! Seems I can't get enough of the Enterprise. I'd still like to get the pre-built one just to have it but the price keeps going up. I may have missed the window of opportunity to get that one.
@@outsider238 I looked up the pre-painted version of the 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise and I saw one listed on e-Bay for $700. Too rich for me but still not that bad considering they originally pre-ordered for around $500 in April/May. They're harder to find now and will only get worse through next year. The unbuilt, unpainted 1/350 TOS Enterprise kit is $150 minimum, closer to $200 now. You can expect to pay at least another $300 in hardware (Dremel, airbrush, snippers), electronics (closer to $200 if you want bells and whistles), and at least $80 in paint to finish that 1/35 scale kit on your own. That's probably at least $500 unless you have the tools and paints already. Lowball estimate -- I'm sure people have spent closer to $700-$900 building their own 1/350 scale Enterprise. The $1500 average commission for a pro-build with lighting for one of these kits doesn't seem so bad now!
@@AvengerII Haha! I already built two of the 1:350 scale TOS Enterprise. One with lights and one without. They can be pricey when lights are added. I don't really do lights in models anymore because of the hassle, cost and the fact that I rarely ever turn on the lights ever again once the model is built. Seems hardly worth the cost and effort afterward. I think if I ever had a model custom built, I'd have Boyd on the Trekworks channel do it. He's fair with the pricing and he does amazing work.
I think so. An experienced builder would do more with it than I did. There are probably more accurate kits of the original Enterprise out there though if the recipient wanted a more accurate model.
I used black pastel. I found a really nice brush in the makeup department at my local grocery store that was angled and flat which was perfect for streaking and getting into corners.
There were two “hero” models made for filming the original TV show, a 3 feet and a 11 feet long models. AMT got the blueprints of the 3 feet model, not the 11 feet model, to design their 1/650 scale model we have enjoyed for over 50 years. It is as accurate to the version they had available to them. The 3 feet model and 11 feet model are not identical, and to suggest ATM design is wrong is unfair to them. And to add to the accuracy of this model, it was actually used to represent the Enterprise and other Constitution class ships on three different episodes. How accurate can you be, being used on three episodes?
The original studio mode that now is on display at the Smithsonian was not weathered in fact if you watch the original series you will not see any weathering if any. The model that is now on display was deliberately weathered thanks to the restorers working on it.
The top of the saucer on the 11 foot model has never been repainted. It is heavily weathered. As mentioned in the video, that detail wasn't visible because of how washed out it was since they had to over light things back then since the speed of the cameras were so slow.
Yeah I must have sat in the paint aisle at the hobby shop for 30 minutes looking at grey paint! After a while my eyes couldn't see straight anymore! 🤣😅
He said repop at the end of his presentation....however there are some changes to the castings and the pocket for the Warp Struts into Engineering is fully new. AMT may claim it is original molds, but either they lie/fib or we're in a parallel universe. Best way is to look at an original c1970 (middle runs) still alive or in box. One good way is to look at Doomsday with original VFX. There's a lot of closeups.
Look at the original VFX for season one...and see if there are naval nav lights. It's in the 21st cen CGI to try and match the movie details...but I'd have to look again at the pure broadcast views.
@@STho205 - It is a Space Navy after-all. Many Navy traditions used in the show/shows. I love the piping aboard and at a couple of the burials at Sea/Space.
@@corribyrne1481 but Jeffries and Roddenberry (both pilots) were laying it out as Civil Air Patrol initially. NC-9991 is the first tail number in a series. Over time it became more and more space navy...but it was clear that AMT saw it that way.
@@STho205 Yes yes- thanks. Many, Many anachronistic Navy references of both American and British origins in all the TV series. I love it. Airplanes have P/S and nav lights too- So other pilots can tell directs of oncoming planes in the dark. The same would apply in the darkness of space, if the sensors were down and the navigator HAD to look out the window- lol. Some traditions never die.
I know you did a sweet job of it but the whole ship back then was always so trashcan lid and drain pipe looking that Desilu should have been fined for littering. Subbed and liked regardless. 👍
Hahaha!!! Thank you my good man! I appreciate it! Yeah the budget really showed on some of the things on there but we loved it nevertheless. For me it's definitely part of the charm of that show and others like it from the day.
The pylons were always part of the nacelles I believe. What they changed was the attachments to the secondary hull. It used to be like a key that was inserted through a hole in the tab for the pylon. It didn't really lock in the pylon, but just retained it instead, thus the sagging.
Aha! Thank you! I couldn't remember how it was originally designed. I just knew that the way these ones went on was much more solid than before.
That's what I remember too.
I remember if you lined up the pylons the engines were off. I remember best guess medium and sanding.
I built my first Enterprise model while Star Trek was still on NBC TV. The original bussard collector covers were translucent amber colored and the kit came with lights. Single grain-of-wheat lights in each engine front and in the clear green covers for the top and bottom of the primary hull. 2 AA batteries were in the engineering section and you twisted the front navigation deflector cover as the light switch. This was my night light on the top shelf.
I wonder if my enterprise had lights but i was too dumb to know it ?
@@rocketshipsandrobotsinterg2184 I doubt that. Later kits (the blue plastic ones) were issued without lights.
I built several of these from the early 70s to the 80s. The first had the nacelle pylon lock blocks. They allowed a lot of sag, and the too thin loops they fit in broke. Another model had a 2 piece v piece to receive shafts at the attachment of the nacelle pylons. Didn't break but still sagged. I solved the sag problem in later models with binary hardening putty. The early models had rice grain light bulbs for the green clear plastic bridge, and ventral domes. But they burned out after a couple of minutes use. Had a support structure in the secondary hull into which you had to assemble the battery connections. But there was so much weight, and levers on the hull it was pulled apart by all that. The pylons pushed into the hull holes. The first one had a 4" triangular base supporting the model with an angled 3" triangular pylon attached under the secondary hull aft of the center of mass so it had to be glued. Still tended to tip over. Later models had a 3 piece base of 2 v legged stands connected. The model sat on its secondary hull in a curved holder with a little hole into which a little pin on the stand went. But it wasn't stable either because the front of the stand was still just forward of the center of mass, and it tended to rotate off the pin that fit the hole.A little house vibration, a bus going by caused such bending leverage on the secondary hull the little pin was pulled out. Found the best balance point for hanging was through the primary hull through engineering just forward of the impulse drive. In the 90s I was a machinist in an aerospace shop that had some of the largest mills, and lathes in California. I could have, and wanted to make a full size or larger replica of the shooting model. But the economy went bad, and the owners cut down the number of days the shop was open to 3 days a week. It would have been beautiful. We had the machines to make a precision 20 or 30 foot wood, and fiberglass replica. We had a temporary boring mill installed for a while that we used to machine the fixture for making the fuselage of the Boeing 777. I could have used that to turn a 20 or 30 foot primary hull making a 50 or 60 foot replica. Sigh.
Wow! You remembered a lot about this kit! I barely remembered building it the first time! 😆 That would have been amazing if you could have made that large sized Enterprise! The 11 footer is pretty big in person.
I built that AMT kit from the 1970s, and had it hanging from my bedroom ceiling as a kid. Later I was really into KISS, and I had big bottle of butane and was (dangerously) learning to blow ever bigger flames from my mouth. Finally, I was able to lay on my back and blow a flame all the way to the ceiling. I melted the fishing line that was holding up the Enterprise, and it did a kamikaze dive for my face.
Oh my gosh! Good thing you didn't set the house on fire! 😱
OK that was exceptionally stupid and does a great job of showing how vile rock bands destroy kids' minds.
I remember the first time I built this (I built it many times trying to get it better) it was actually the one that came with red tinted bussard collectors, green tinted upper and lower sensor domes, and some grain of wheat bulbs to light it. I was quite young, and didn't have the knowledge to get the lights to work. I was completely unaware of the inaccuracies of the kit at the time, but now I'm much more picky. Nevertheless, it is good to see they made some changes like the stand, the warp pylon mounting, and those hideous lines on the primary hull! Nice build, and thanks for the video! : )
Thank you very much! I appreciate that! I only recently found out one version of the kit came with lights. It was a clunky kit at the time. This one turned out way better than I expected. I'm glad I decided to give it another try!
That came out really nice for a basic kit, the decals really do make it pop.
I really liked what you did with the base too, will have to steal that idea.
👍
Thank you very much! Yes the decals really save this kit! Haha! I'm glad you liked the base! 😁
Your video inspired me to do this kit. Your results turned out beautiful, and if mine is half as good as yours I will be well pleased! I’m doing a white version with orange nacelles and deflector or whatever the front spike is called, so it will look like how my mom remembers watching it in the 60s!
Thank you very much! I appreciate that! I hope yours turns out looking fantastic! It's not the best kit but a little finessing goes a long way!
I had one in 1967. We had no color tv, so I guessed at the colors. Found out later how the colors are, bought another model to do the colors corrected. The second model had lights. At age 12, I did an ok job, but later realized better ways to build it.
You did better than I did! Haha! I actually enjoyed building this kit. Made me feel like a kid again.... but with better modeling skills. 😁
They are hard to find and expensive but some dummy was selling one and I grabbed it but it's too good to build you know
You know Outsider, you really made this worth your time, especially it being mostly a nostalgia build. It ended up looking great in the video. I did build an AMT Enterprise in the seventies and I too remember it as being larger, but maybe it's because we were smaller!! I also remember my mom breaking it up with her hands, and I mean snapping the nacelles and everything during one of her insane house cleaning/clutter purgings. I was a bit bummed, but I didn't really care because I'd lost my enthusiasm for it by then.
Bacon all week indeed! Snouty should grab on to the saucer section with his snout the way Appollo did with his hand in "Who Mourns For Adonais."
Apologies. I now realize the porcine red-shirt is named Snorty. 🐷
Haha! Yes, it's been fun incorporating Snorty into some of the videos! I made another slightly different piggy that I'll be showing in an upcoming video as well. Thank you for the kind words. I got into building this kit way more than I thought I would. I really didn't feel that motivated to build it but once I got started, I kinda got into it. I was surprised to hear that your mom broke up your model. My mom knew better than to even touch the models my brother and I made! Haha! You can always build another one for old time's sake! I should have made Snorty bite the saucer like you said! Haha!
@@outsider238 Aye, laddie!
Your mom must've been part Klingon! 😆
The original nacelles/pylons were one piece (per half) but the flimsy attach point to the Engineering hull consisted of a hole through the hull, a rectangular hole through the tab on the pylon, and an oddball curved "wedge" that you had to insert through that rectangular hole from inside the hull. This means the entire weight of the nacelle was essentially held by two tiny strips of styrene on either side of the wedge. The Bussard collector domes were one-piece with the (ACCURATE!) three curved Feinbergers on the lower half, white plastic. (This nacelle attach point looks *really* robust by comparison!)
Ah, very good! I just couldn't remember that far back how the nacelles were attached. I just knew it was not very good. Yes this new retooling of the connection point is 100% better. They're still not sagging! 😁
I built several of these as a kid and those curved engine wedge mounts were the bane of my existence. One engine always drooped horribly. Not always the same one either… But always one of them.
@@ajn465 I hated those droopy engines! Yet that's how my Enterprise looked hanging on the ceiling for decades! 😆
Very well described. Exactly right. The nacelles originally (1st run) didn't even have the plastic lug anchors...and all fell off.
The saucer was also notorious for falling off. The old kit had gridlines in the saucer if I recall. I bought two, because the first one fell apart. Maybe the first one was smooth, but I don't think so, but I was 8.
This kit is retro new. Most of the assemblies and joints are very different.
@@STho205 It definitely is a much better kit. I ended up enjoying building this way more than I thought I would.
I remember in '72 the enterprise kit i bought came from a store called k-mart . The engine nacelles stuck through holes in the engineering hull and had curved clips that went through the ends of the nacelle struts . The instructions were vaugue . It worked lousy .
The stand was a triangle base and a single clear plastic arm . The box was large maybe 19" × 16" x 4"
It was a lousy way to do the nacelles. I'm so glad they improved them on this kit!
I watched TOS in B&W. it wasn’t until I got the VHS tapes that I saw it in colour! The model looks great! Even with its flaws. I painted my 1/1000 scale with a white/dolphin blue combo. Made it look like I remembered!
Thank you! Yeah, haha! I remember asking my dad what it meant when the title card of a show came on and said "In Color" back then. When he explained, my siblings and I kept pressuring him to buy a color TV! 😆 It was like a whole new world when we got to see our favorite shows in color for the first time. I think mixing your own color for the Enterprise is probably the best since everyone sees it differently. I needed a rattle can version that was the concrete color I was looking for. The model turned out better than I thought. I didn't go into very confidently. Haha!
They came out with a couple of versions. I built my first one when I was 10 or 11. The original stand I had was a large, smokey clear, triangle piece. You had to glue the ship to the support connected to the triangle.The buzzard/engines did sag. There were holes in the part that fit into the body and you had pieces of c shaped plastic that fit into the holes to support the engines. You could never get them to be strate. It was moulded in white. There was always a gap between the neck of the main body where the saucer connected. It was not a flush seam. My other kit I bought when I was a little older had 4 small rice bulbs. The buzzard collectors were orange clear plastic and the saucer dome on top and bottom saucer light/phaser were clear green. The main body was made to hold 2 large c cell batteries. When turned the sensor dish would activate the lights.
I built my first one in 1968. I was just over 10 years old.
You did a nice job.
Thank you! It was definitely a walk down Memory Lane. I didn't realize they had so many versions of this kit. I like the way this turned out and I'm glad I decided to revisit it.
The most elegant lady of the enterprise line.
Good idea for the colour of the ship. I had planned to use the base coat colour for my 1/350 2nd Pilot version. Looks good!
Thank you! That should work out just fine. Really, the color can be whatever looks good to you. Gray is always difficult when it comes to the right shade.
My older brother built one around '75 and built one around '78, and I remember there being some slight variations. One of us had clear dome/sensor and the other had green. The decal sheets had no where near the number of options seen here; definitely no windows, no screens for the pylons. And if I recall, my decals for the registry number weren't curved, so I think I really had to depend on those saucer grids to line the decals correctly!
Very interesting. I know what you mean. It was so long ago I don't remember all the details of the kit. I just remember the green sensor and bridge domes for sure. I'm glad you mentioned the decal sheet. I was pretty sure it didn't originally come with all the ones that it does now. The new decal sheet is fantastic.
I got the Playmobil release of the Enterprise and I just modded the model and added more lights. Is a massive model and worth the money.
It's huge! If I had the space, I'd probably get one. It is very cool. 😄
My kit had decal veriation for all 12 starship including holes for windows when the lights were turned on. The batteries were in the lower hull
Oh! I didn't know they had a lighted version. This kit would have looked good with lights for sure. I actually like this kit way better than I thought I would.
@@outsider238 Yes, yes yes, on the various Constitution class decals- still the wet ones though. I must have done two of these kits.. One with battery and one not. As well other TV shows. By Next Gen I finally got much better with paints and sanding mold mark and such. -lol. Those were peel and stick decals, on the "D" , but you had one chance to get it correct. That kit was rock solid, heavier plastic and an overall better planned kit. At least with the wet one's you could at move them around for a couple of seconds.
Bought this at hobby lobby last year and was super excited to put it together but it was missing parts unfortunately. At least i got to see someone else doing it.
Oh man! You'll have to refund that one and get another. It's a nice kit despite its flaws.
Man, you want to talk about weathering ?? You haven't seen over kill on weathering until you see some of mine.. A 1/2 pound model , ends up being around 2 pound's with some of my work.. Not everything I built , but I've got a few that I just didn't stop . They're pretty sad ..🤣😂🥲🤤 Hey, it's all about enjoying the build. Really appreciate your sharing your build , and it turned out pretty sweet .👍 I remember mine back around 1972 or 73 . Yeah , what a train wreck.. Good times... Keep up the great work , again : really nice job.
Haha! Thank you! I know what you mean. I start out light with the weathering and it somehow gets heavier as it goes! 😆 Ah well, like you said, it's the joy of the build. Thank you for the kind words! 😁
@@outsider238 Thank you for your videos.👍
Hahaha Back in 2017 I went to see it and touched it too, made me laugh when you mentioned that.
It's hard to resist when it's right there! 😆
Very nicely done! 👍
Thank you very much! 😁
The original model had lights in the naucelles and bridge top and bottom powered by a D battery in the lower hull and the switch was turning the dish on the front.
I wish I would have gotten that one back then. The only one I ever saw was the regular version.
@@outsider238 - Yeah lights! That that was a feature too- Maybe I did two of them? I had one hanging in my bedroom and I would listen to music with the lights off and just stare at the lite up ship. (with battery lights shining through the cracks and all .) I still kit bashed it and blew it up with firecrackers eventually. lol
@@corribyrne1481 Hahaha!!! I blew up the Invaders flying saucer with fireworks. The only models I remember building that had lights was the Millennium Falcon and an Enterprise A.
@@outsider238 - I kit bashed everything and blew them up. Drove my mom crazy for wasting money. I had dreams of being a special effects guy when I was a kid. Dreams.....
I did sailing ships and airplanes too. Never cars. Cars were boring to me then and now mostly.
@@corribyrne1481 Haha! I wanted to do special effects too. Miniature model building for movies and TV. I know a guy (now retired) that did that and he said that when CGI took over, everyone was out of work. Very sad.
The deal with the decals on the BC deck of the upper bridge......The decal sheet looks to me to be scaled up from the 1/1000 PL Enterprise kit. The BC deck is the proper tear drop shape on the 1/1000 and more oval in the 1/650
That would make sense. The curvature for those windows are off. I probably should have cut them in half to make them line up better.
Mine had clear parts with light bulbs wire and battery holder
I wish I had known about that one. I would have bought it. Maybe they'll re-release it someday.
I built many of these in the early to mid-80s. The warp engines and pylons were always a problem. They sagged and also easily broke. Now I know a lot more about building models and what to do to avoid the problems of 40 years ago.
The decals AMT supplied were very basic, were in the wrong font, and probably the wrong size.
The best we can do with this kit now is follow what the Smithsonian discovered regarding paint and details, get some accessorizing parts, and do our best. Just replacing the bridge and B/C deck does a lot.
This version of the kit was a lot better than I thought it would be. After building it, I actually really like it now. You're right though. It could use some tweaking to make it much better.
I love the old star trek enterprise
I do too!
It's a nice job! I like it. I think the molds were from the original and the decals were produced by a farmed out company.
Sorry for the late response. Thank you! Yes you can definitely tell it's from the original molds for sure.
I have this kit unassembled!
Well get crackin' on it! Haha! 😄
I have 2 that are rockets, little hard on the paper and plastic but it is so cool to see her fly
That's so cool!
@@outsider238 The D7 Klingon battle cruiser flys well too
@@jeromemartinez5603 I've seen the Enterprise at the hobby shop but not the D7.
@@outsider238 only got the kits 32 years ago 😂
I wish the kits have 2 sets of decals I've done a good job on the ship only to have a decal rip
When the model was released in the 1960s, it did have lighting. Then after 1970 it didn’t have any more lights. just like the 1979 issue of the refit. That one had lights. And then after 1982, it did not have any lights.
Oh wow. I don't remember it having lights. Still not a bad kit considering its age.
Omigod, you got the intercoolers backwards... throw it out, start over!
I made this kit in the late 80s, great to see it done so well! I think it's based on the Franz Joseph design which accounts for the inaccuracies.
Are you sure? They look the same on my 1:350 scale as well.
That's not an Original Enterprise kit. I have a original issue (with opaque collectors) and saucer green dome covers with a lighting kit. The second issue has also has transparent orange collector domes, which the included additional lights in the lighting kit. Also the original kits were much more detailed, to include ribbing on the top of the saucer section, and the plastic was not shinny. One more thing, the Bases in the original kits had triangular-shaped like the Enterprise Crew patch. So that kit is a poor reproduction of the original kit to include box cover. The only good thing about the reproduction kit is the new decals.
Yes I mention it's a repop version of the original kit. This is a 50th anniversary edition.
Nice build. The kit has its flaws but i still have a soft spot for it. It was probably one of the first models I ever built. I wonder how many of those kit's AMT has sold over the years? It has to be one of their all time best sellers because it's been in constant production for over 50 years. Not many models can match that.
Thank you! Yeah, it was definitely a walk down Memory Lane! I didn't know it's been in constant production all these years. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it is AMT's all time best selling kit. I think anyone that's any Star Trek fan has probably built this kit. It's a classic among them all!
the collectors use to be yellowish clear with lights, and green domes
I remember the green domes for sure. As a kid I never liked them but seeing that picture of the original filming model with those green, I understand why they did it originally.
Fun fact: I came here thinking you are making an bank atm.
But it is nice and cool
Hahaha!!! That's hilarious! Well I'm glad you enjoyed it after all! 😁
In water coloring, there is a masking glue that is painted on and removed like a rubber. Can’t remember what’s it’s called. Might work on this to cut around circles
Art Masking Fluid
Winsor & Newton
Looks like it’s been tried. Link to a dissatisfied customer. It could work as long as there are lines or structures to hold the fluid’s shape. 3 years old video linked or search “liquid masking plastic”
ua-cam.com/video/2GALHYC720c/v-deo.html
Beautiful
Thank you so much!!
Q: What did Spock find in the Enterprise toilet?
A:The Captains log! 👍
Hahaha!!!!🤣😅
I bought one in Jr High School back in like 1974 for like $5.
Revell(Germany) had a chance to do the ultimate 18" Enterprise kit but they screwed up theirs WORSE than AMT and Revell had the advantage of 40+ years and all the research done on the 11' model!
I don't know what their thinking but those incised lines ALL OVER the kit were worse the raised lines on the AMT 18" model. They had very good window cuts and clear inserts that lent themselves to lighting but with those incised lines and the disproportionate details on the saucer sections I think it would be far easier to accuratize the AMT kit even today!
I would personally build the 11" version Polar Lights introduced. That's pretty darn accurate. I wouldn't have the space for or the patience to build the 1/350 scale Enterprise, pre-painted or not! The painted version of the 11" version that I saw was pretty nice still...
There have been so many kits now. I don't remember the Revell version. I built two of the 1:350 Polar Lights kits. They are huge and require a lot of room but it's probably the best kit on the market today. I would've liked the pre-built one for collectability reasons but the price was way too high.
@@outsider238 The Revell version is out of print now. It was released around 10 years (ago) or thereabouts. It really wasn't a very good kit.
The Revell TOS Enterprise is better engineered than the classic AMT Enterprise but the accuracy shortcomings are WORSE than the AMT model in my humble opinion.
They also had a D-7 Klingon battlecruiser released by Revell that was actually pretty good. I think I read somewhere that the detail on the model (it was more detailed than the classic D-7 model used in the original Star Trek TV series) led some people to believe it was based off the D-7 model Greg Jein built for the 30th Star Trek anniversary DS9 episode, "Trials and Tribble-ations." I could see that.
Both Revell TOS kits are out of print. It doesn't look like they'll repop them anytime soon.
@@AvengerII Very interesting! Seems I can't get enough of the Enterprise. I'd still like to get the pre-built one just to have it but the price keeps going up. I may have missed the window of opportunity to get that one.
@@outsider238 I looked up the pre-painted version of the 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise and I saw one listed on e-Bay for $700. Too rich for me but still not that bad considering they originally pre-ordered for around $500 in April/May. They're harder to find now and will only get worse through next year.
The unbuilt, unpainted 1/350 TOS Enterprise kit is $150 minimum, closer to $200 now. You can expect to pay at least another $300 in hardware (Dremel, airbrush, snippers), electronics (closer to $200 if you want bells and whistles), and at least $80 in paint to finish that 1/35 scale kit on your own. That's probably at least $500 unless you have the tools and paints already. Lowball estimate -- I'm sure people have spent closer to $700-$900 building their own 1/350 scale Enterprise.
The $1500 average commission for a pro-build with lighting for one of these kits doesn't seem so bad now!
@@AvengerII Haha! I already built two of the 1:350 scale TOS Enterprise. One with lights and one without. They can be pricey when lights are added. I don't really do lights in models anymore because of the hassle, cost and the fact that I rarely ever turn on the lights ever again once the model is built. Seems hardly worth the cost and effort afterward. I think if I ever had a model custom built, I'd have Boyd on the Trekworks channel do it. He's fair with the pricing and he does amazing work.
Would this kit be good for an inexperienced model maker to try and assemble as a gift?
I think so. An experienced builder would do more with it than I did. There are probably more accurate kits of the original Enterprise out there though if the recipient wanted a more accurate model.
just finsihed this kit last week, I still have my orignal big box kit and this one is way baddddddd, that 3 part secondary hull was a pain
It definitely is a rough kit. A product of its time for sure. But the nostalgia got to me! 😅
Anyone ever think of putting Aztec phaser Banks maneuvering thrusters?
I think I saw one time that someone put Aztecing on the entire thing.
Do you guys remember the Estes Model Rock version? It flew - once. lol.
I do remember that! A friend of mine had it and it pretty much blew up into pieces!
Hey dude thanks for the vid. Whats the total height? Ie how tall is it from bass of dome to top of model?
It's about 9 inches or around 23 centimeters tall.
@@outsider238 rad thanks
it's not supposed to have that copper band around the part where the deflector dish is...
Yeah I found out it was heavy weathering on there. Oh well, I'm not going to repaint it now.
looks cool, though. I'm building this same model right now myself. Trying to get the puttying and sanding just right.@@outsider238
How did you do your weathering steaks?
Streaks*
I used black pastel. I found a really nice brush in the makeup department at my local grocery store that was angled and flat which was perfect for streaking and getting into corners.
Those are all new decals. The old kit had no windows, nothing for the underside of the secondary hull, and more .
That's what I thought. These new decals really make the kit so much better!
My kit from then were not as bad as that one you have.
My fav model has the clear green bridge dome Hard to find
Yes that's the way I remember it as well. I haven't seen one in ages!
The green dome model was my first like 6 bucks in the big box
@@markmadonia2867 Yes! Sure brings back memories! 😁
There were two “hero” models made for filming the original TV show, a 3 feet and a 11 feet long models. AMT got the blueprints of the 3 feet model, not the 11 feet model, to design their 1/650 scale model we have enjoyed for over 50 years. It is as accurate to the version they had available to them. The 3 feet model and 11 feet model are not identical, and to suggest ATM design is wrong is unfair to them. And to add to the accuracy of this model, it was actually used to represent the Enterprise and other Constitution class ships on three different episodes. How accurate can you be, being used on three episodes?
The original studio mode that now is on display at the Smithsonian was not weathered in fact if you watch the original series you will not see any weathering if any. The model that is now on display was deliberately weathered thanks to the restorers working on it.
The top of the saucer on the 11 foot model has never been repainted. It is heavily weathered. As mentioned in the video, that detail wasn't visible because of how washed out it was since they had to over light things back then since the speed of the cameras were so slow.
I use flat gull grey
Yeah I must have sat in the paint aisle at the hobby shop for 30 minutes looking at grey paint! After a while my eyes couldn't see straight anymore! 🤣😅
I built an entire fleet worth of these
You have more stamina than I do! 😁
It's not a repro - it's a repop. The original molds were used.
Yes, that's what I meant. Although they did retool it.
He said repop at the end of his presentation....however there are some changes to the castings and the pocket for the Warp Struts into Engineering is fully new.
AMT may claim it is original molds, but either they lie/fib or we're in a parallel universe.
Best way is to look at an original c1970 (middle runs) still alive or in box. One good way is to look at Doomsday with original VFX. There's a lot of closeups.
Just a little disappointed that there was no PIGS IN SPACE joke
🤣😅
Navigation lights are Missing:
RED... PORT
GREEN .... STARBOARD
Look at the original VFX for season one...and see if there are naval nav lights. It's in the 21st cen CGI to try and match the movie details...but I'd have to look again at the pure broadcast views.
@@STho205 - It is a Space Navy after-all. Many Navy traditions used in the show/shows. I love the piping aboard and at a couple of the burials at Sea/Space.
@@corribyrne1481 but Jeffries and Roddenberry (both pilots) were laying it out as Civil Air Patrol initially. NC-9991 is the first tail number in a series.
Over time it became more and more space navy...but it was clear that AMT saw it that way.
@@STho205 Yes yes- thanks. Many, Many anachronistic Navy references of both American and British origins in all the TV series. I love it. Airplanes have P/S and nav lights too- So other pilots can tell directs of oncoming planes in the dark. The same would apply in the darkness of space, if the sensors were down and the navigator HAD to look out the window- lol. Some traditions never die.
Good Job.. However
The Daedalus: ua-cam.com/video/bHD3o2LFMgU/v-deo.html
I know you did a sweet job of it but the whole ship back then was always so trashcan lid and drain pipe looking that Desilu should have been fined for littering. Subbed and liked regardless. 👍
Hahaha!!! Thank you my good man! I appreciate it! Yeah the budget really showed on some of the things on there but we loved it nevertheless. For me it's definitely part of the charm of that show and others like it from the day.
pin me i comment first