Adam Savage's Hands-On with TOMY's 1:350 USS Enterprise Refit Model!

[@tested]

Learn more about the TOMY die-cast Enterprise model at: tomyplus.tomy.com/startrek2024

[@GopherBaroque61]

I already have the TOMY+ TOS Enterprise (I received it in October 2023) and I already ordered the TOMY+ TMP Enterprise Refit the day the campaign began and within hours of when it started. The website was so flooded, that there was delay for so many people because everyone was trying to order at the same time. LOL

[@Jason-mk3nn]

While I love the idea of the models and the enthusiasm of the three of you, I want to let those considering this expensive model know that the company making it is also the very same company that killed multiple factories in Dyersville, Iowa area and took nearly all of Ertl to bottom dollar cheap overseas labor. It is a story that Tomy has found every way in the book to avoid talking about, while taking nearly every job and put it in the cheapest places on Earth to bring you that expensive model that probably paid its workforce sub-cents on the dollar to produce. They devastated the area, while doing it with a broad smile on their faces.

[@Jason-mk3nn]

If Ertl/Tomy would have been more honorable in how they handled things, it might have made it easier, but they didn't. They worked at break-neck speed to outsource nearly everything, except for the upper levels of management that benefitted financially. Everyone else that had become masters in their crafts got stuck in small town in rural America, with specialized expertise and experience in an area that had no similar jobs to absorb the massive layoffs.

[@drunisa]

@@Jason-mk3nn fair point but were they the first or the last to leave? If you are a company and all your competitors go to cheaper production you are in trouble if you dont go too. Blame the first that went, or the government that created free trade treaties with uneven economies.

[@Jason-mk3nn]

@@drunisa I understand your argument, but I also suggest that if these stories are not told, then the value of products and services is only how cheap people can get them. Ertl, Monogram, Revell, etc., were the largest in the industry, and few companies could ever put a dent into their position. What bothers me most is that consumers never get the opportunity to voice whether they would continue to pay a premium for the products to keep them local, versus going overseas. Big business plays (and plans) on the fact that most will not care where it is made, as long as they feel they got a good value for their purchase price. Even if consumers would choose to pay a premium, I doubt many corporate boards would even care, as the higher the profit margin, the more bonuses they are inline to getting. Those same boards don't even give a chance for the consumers to know what was going on before it being done and over. It just happens and the c-suite gets a bonus and thousands are without a job before the holidays.

[@chrislehmier]

Man, the refit Enterprise just tickles my brain like no other Trek ship design.

[@Bnio]

Somebody somewhere once said that the refit Enterprise "has no bad angles" to photograph it from, and it's so true.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Style and elegance !

[@nbsmith100]

@chrislehmier... the refit is a reimagine done extremely right.

[@brandonbrooks2845]

I used to draw that ship like crazy back in the 80's. Too damn cool.

[@TheRealOtakuJoe]

@@brandonbrooks2845 The first ever plastic model I built was AMT's Star Trek IV version. I lost count as to how many times I built that as a kid.

[@colinmontgomery1956]

40+ years on, she remains the most beautiful ship in science-fiction.

[@JC-fd9zt]

How about the Millennium Falcon?

[@FirstFloor27]

That's the 'cool' ship.

[@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf]

looks gorgeous from any angle.

[@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf]

@@JC-fd9zt The Falcon is iconic, but pretty?

[@tonebone7449]

@@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf The Falcon is like the A-10 Warthog... cool as hell.... but the Enterprise Refit is like the SR71 Blackbird... sleek and beautiful.

[@luckyflyerclub8970]

Watching Adam geek out over something he's passionate about will never fail to bring a smile to my face

[@NicoleMellott]

Indeed

[@ExPRazor]

A suggestion to forward to TOMY if you guys see this about the support for the refit enterprise: The filming model had a metal rod that ran the vertical length between the impulse crystal in the saucer, down the neck (behind the vertical stripe), and just behind the deflector dish. This rod was used to support the ship from both above and bellow from the filming rig, and was able to support the entire ship without it tipping due to structural stiffness in that one spot. Might be something to consider, as it could solve the need for the saucer supports.

[@GuyMarsdenMakesStuff]

@@ExPRazor while working on STTMP someone told me that the LA based company that welded the internal aluminum structure for the Enterprise also welded the aluminum nose cone for the space shuttle!!

[@TerryTrowbridge]

The Refit is my favorite spaceship of all time. It’s so beautiful and its reveal in the motion picture is perfect.

[@sivalon1]

It really solidified the concept of the Enterprise as a character of its own.

[@BHGKURAMA]

I'm working on a 1/350 Enterprise refit project myself. Gathering all the materials to make it as good and accurate as I can, so I appreciate the work TOMY is putting in to try and get as good of a refit model as possible.

[@trekkiejunk]

Just curious...Is your goal to make it accurate to the filming models, or accurate to what it looked like on film? I find most people want to replicate the filming models, which look so different to how it appeared on film, partly in detail, mostly in colors. Details were more subtle on film, and you don't notice those bright blue paint colors, either. They look so subtle on film, and blend so well.

[@BHGKURAMA]

@@trekkiejunk all my reference photos for the detailing are of the studio model itself. But I’m replicating the lighting as seen in the films as much as possible. But some of the details of the 350 kit needed to be removed and redone because they were incorrect anyways.

[@billbucktube]

It was emotional for me to remember how I felt when I saw the refit beauty shot in the theater! I was seeing an old friend that I thought was gone forever…

[@JF-lt5zc]

I remember clearly watching Wrath of Khan in theatres as a 10 year old. Just re-watched again when they had a theatre run a year or two ago. Good times!

[@EvanAdnams]

I’m impressed that they got so much of it self lighting, given the original relied on many lights that weren’t actually attached to the ship.

[@TheRealOtakuJoe]

I have to say that 699.99 for a 1:350 scale mostly metal refit Enterprise is not too bad. I have a 1:350 scale first release Polar Lights still in the box and the cost for electronics, after market decals and parts, paints and time to build would exceed Tomy's pricetag. The refit has always been my favorite iteration of the Enterprise so I will be ordering this.

[@GuyMarsdenMakesStuff]

I worked on the VFX for STTMP and one of my vivid memories was walking by the model shop and watching model maker Ron Gress using an airbrush to mask off every single panel on the Enterprise and spray it with different colors of pearlescent paint. It took him weeks! Incidentally my contribution to that movie was creating the wormhole effect. That took months! Nowadays it could be done in a few days with computers, but back then it was all done with lasers and a motion controlled camera.

[@peterbirdsall366]

That effect holds up to this day. Incredibly effective.

[@hberg321]

Ah! Maybe you can confirm a suspicion I've always had. I know the canonical explanation for the deflector dish changing color from soft white to blue is "well, it's different at warp power", but I've always wondered if it was originally always going to be blue till they set up for the first test shots in spacedock, brought in the guy that was going to have the nightmare job of bluescreen compositing this thing and he took one look and said "if you don't take that ******* blue light bulb out of there I'm walking off this job!!!" Any chance that's how it went down?

[@GuyMarsdenMakesStuff]

@@hberg321 no, I wasn't aware of that story. But we didn't use blue screen on that film. Everything was shot against black. All the VFX stages were draped floor to ceiling in heavy black cloth.

[@hberg321]

@@GuyMarsdenMakesStuff Ok. Just to be clear, this wasn't a story I heard but rather a theory I had. But if the shoot didn't use bluescreen, then the theory makes no sense. Got a question for you, if you know. I've heard that the spotlights washing the underside of the saucer section (which appear to come from the sensor dome) were projected by dental mirrors. I assume the same was done for the spots washing the top of the saucer, but, if so, how did they shine through the spacedock structure without casting shadows when it was rolled back?

[@GuyMarsdenMakesStuff]

@@hberg321 The dental mirror idea was something I came up with and the crew ran with it. I'm not sure how they ended up using them exactly because I wasn't on that team. You are a real detail nerd to have spotted that though! :)

[@bigsarge2085]

All the Enterprise interations are cool, but the refit has always been my personal favorite!

[@rev.raymondrodriguez3491]

Beautiful! I’m so happy that this is happening. I hope they figure out how to get rid of the supports for the saucer. There has got to be a way to do that!!

[@antonalerte1189]

Putting aside how awesome this model is, can we get some love for how good an interview this was? We went over fan expectations, design, concept, production, and manufacturing all in the context of the best looking ship in sci-fi. Great job!

[@richardb.7054]

Love it, but I agree with Chris, I don't really want the saucer supports either. That's a real technical challenge, but I'm hoping they find a way to counter weight it somehow and eliminate the supports. Looks fantastic, great work.

[@scottlyttle5586]

"Gary Kerr", "Karl Tate", "Mark Myers"... enough to know this thing is going to be awesome..

[@THETHIRDMODELSMM]

Sincere thanks! Proud to have been a part of this...AND the original ship!

[@Bassistking]

@@THETHIRDMODELSMM 😳Thank you for your service! 🫡

[@stevenboyd5044]

Takes some balls as a maker to bring it to Adam and the tested team. Love it. x

[@dmbolender]

Not only is the 1701l incredible, but so is the customer service. You guys are awesome.

[@THETHIRDMODELSMM]

Again, It was great to be part of the consultant team Chris put together. Here is a rather boring video of my personal 1:350 Refit build. It's the model I sent Dozens of pictures of that they asked for.I sent TOMY Every angle and viewpoint they requested. What color Iridescent paints I used. How I did the meticulous AZTECKING and how I did my lighting.Again, very humbling to have been part of this(AND the original ship, which I did the same for) Sincere thanks, Mark Myers kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHWXnqGkg8Z_bpo

[@Levi_Skardsen]

I'd really love to see a galaxy-class Enterprise like this.

[@cjc363636]

Make it So!!

[@sivalon1]

It won't be 1/350 scale, that's for sure! Be dang cool though.

[@vengeance1701]

That balance point, though...yeah. They'll have to put some extra weight in the engineering section just to prevent it falling over.

[@jackcampbell4465]

Holy Toledo! Normally I would be smitten by the lighting details, but the paint! The subtle shifting colors as light moved over the surface of the model looks so amazing.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

22:53 - That look was 100% Adam telling Norm "Guess what we're doing as soon as the camera shuts off..."

[@Xedgehog1]

Seeing the Enterprise in both forms makes me want to see a D7, and a Reliant.

[@TheRealCobraBurnout]

Thank you Adam for showing this offering from Tomy! My order is placed. I was lucky to grab the TOS Enterprise and look forward to the Refit. Die-cast metal ships at this scale is epic!

[@jamesonweimann4720]

These are the voyages of Adam In search of new models and new model makers to boldly go where no Savage has gone before

[@TK42138]

The Enterprise refit is just the most gorgeous, aesthetically pleasing scifi ship design ever to have been depicted on film. I never get tired of looking at it.

[@milanondrak5564]

I'd like to own the refit Enterprise. Tomy should make a Reliant to the same scale.

[@JF-lt5zc]

Problem with that for me is then I'd have to do battle damage/weathering!

[@marchills4131]

13:52 "I always say I have the best job in the world." Chris indeed does and I'll break it down exactly why. In a world of manufacturing and selling products that are designed to accomplish useful tasks, or look good as part of decor, or perform discrete functions, you are involved in making and selling products that do one thing and one thing only: make people happy. I don't care whether your four or seventy-four, a toy exists to make the owner happy. These exquisite models that faithfuly connect us to a lifetime of entertainment, that nurture the vernacular of our collective imaginations - they bring joy and happiness to the people who buy them. That's what you do Chris - you get paid to bring happiness and joy to people. So I'd agree: you have the best job in the world.

[@chrishuisman769]

You nailed it. Thank you.

[@Collection_Obsession]

TOMY! PLEASE INCLUDE THE TRANSPORT POD THAT SCOTTY USED TO SHOW KIRK THE REFITTED ENTERPRISE. IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THAT REFITTED ENTERPRISE SCENE.

[@jetsandblades]

In the FB forum, Tomy briefly mentioned that there would be a "surprise" for the backers. Hopefully this is the travel pod, or at least a shuttlecraft.

[@ZGryphon]

Heck yeah. They could put a magnet on it so it clicks into the little airlock recess properly. _Pod secured._

[@stephanrosos4957]

Back in the 70s I had a diecast original Enterprise that had a STRONG spring loaded firing mechanism that ejected plastic disc "photon torpedoes". Ah, the days before toy safety standards....

[@JRL3001]

I still have one of those!

[@PumpkinHoard]

Lol, toys were more fun when someone could get hurt. Safety vs fun is always going to be a concern for companies, but really.... what young boy WOULDN'T prefer the toy that can actually do some damage when it fires its plastic torpedoes?

[@stephanrosos4957]

@JRL3001 I had 2 Holy Grail toys in the 70s: one was the Enterprise and the other was a '79 Milton-Bradley "Big Trak" six wheel programmable robotic battle tank. (still on eBay). Ultimately cool.

[@writerpatrick]

Those were the days when playground equipment was made of metal.

[@raultebelin5354]

It fires a white disc like alka seltzer tablets. you have to turn a lever clockwise for firing sequence and the stand can be open from the bottom of the ship.. yeah i have one those too hehehe

[@Jondrinkswoodford]

Backed it on day 1. I have no doubt this model’s success will lead us to their next project being an Enterprise D!!!!!

[@jasonbundy7600]

I'm a backer since the day they opened it for purchase! Ordered one.... thinking about maybe another. Can't wait to see the finished ship! The retrofit is by far my favorite Enterprise! What a time to be alive... now I just need Tomy to do a highly detailed large scale AirWolf and I can go in peace! 🤞

[@johnsledge3942]

I bought mine minutes after the presale went up, can’t wait! I’m building my own 1/350 TOS enterprise to go with it.

[@JustAboutTime]

Beautiful. I ordered mine a few weeks back. Can’t wait to have it. TMP is the BEST Enterprise❤ My only concern is that they make sure the warp nacelles don’t droop. But I imagine when it’s made of metal (which this prototype isn’t) that this won’t be an issue.

[@cjmarsh504]

The first enterprise, and the refit are very beautiful specimens. I love Star Trek ❤

[@Dakiraun]

Oh wow, gorgeous work, and these are at least much more affordable than some of the other studio-quality replicas that have been covered here too. I hope at some point the USS Excelsior gets done (such a gorgeous class of ships).

[@MarkLLawrence]

I was there at STLV with the Trekyards guys getting all the info about this thing. Awesome that they hit their sales goal so fast.

[@thespacesbetweenstudio3346]

No spaceship in fiction has ever looked as good as this version of the Enterprise. It's perfect. Anyone would love to travel the stars in this.

[@awilliams1701]

I made my own refit model in 2017. It was one of the first 3d prints I worked on. I was aware of the balance. So I printed the saucer with lower infil and the rest with higher infil to try to balance it. It helped a little.

[@sivalon1]

Just a little?

[@awilliams1701]

@@sivalon1 yeah just a little. lol I also printed a high density base for it as well. It was slanted back by like 5-10 degrees. It works! but......if you remove even 1 nacelle it flips forward. It's just barely balanced enough at 5-10 degrees with the density changes. It really is an awkward object to work with.

[@FinnSolterbeck-q7f]

I love that Star Trek is such a big part of Tested at the moment - keep it coming. 🖖❤️

[@mysterymayhem7020]

I already have my number for the preorder of the tmp enterprise and i cant wait.

[@DorifutoRabbit]

Even through the D was my Enterprise, the Refit is really on another level and it's a design classic

[@leetana8888]

OMG! Chris of Tomy, you are a rock star and a golden god!!! 💙🖤💙🖤💙

[@carmineg]

I love that Adam keeps saying, "I'm curious.... I'm curious....I'm curious"

[@michaelsanders5815]

Yes Adam! Tampo printing blew my mind.

[@paulpisters668]

I just love geeking out over these models.

[@elishmuel1976]

22:09 Sooo beautiful! A true piece of art ♥

[@ryanbaker7404]

The Constitution Class refit is the perfect combination of form+function. It looks like you could walk inside to a real Star Fleet crew and join the crew on their missions. I'm almost 48, and this design is seared into my brain. The Wrath of Khan is the first projected film I can recall seeing.

[@tri0xin]

Really cool. Went to the Smithsonian/Space and saw the real Enterprise and couldn't believe how close it looked to my TOS Tomy model. They really did a good job duplicating. Ridiculous almost missed this preorder. I was always frustrated I missed the first and had to pay 1000k for my TOS TOmy.

[@ZGryphon]

That " _Enterprise_ lights come on" sequence from TMP was so iconic, they straight-up re-used the footage in _Star Trek II._

[@ricksgamemisc10]

Some of the most beautiful models I've ever seen. I'm both mad that I didn't know about the TOS project and happy I missed it. Because I would have scarped and scraped to buy one. I can basically avoid buying the Refit because I *don't* own the first, and therefore wouldn't have the set. Whew! But I'm still mad!

[@robertgarscadden]

Wow.i think that model is amazing.the attention to detail is astonishing!it,s a work of art.

[@lauramaeda7214]

Love Tomy products. Love all my Star Trek and Star Wars stuff. Love the Takara Tomy Space Opera. Still need one piece to complete my set. Because I am a completionist.

[@slysneakly6465]

I would love to see Adam take an off-the-shelf model, and do a tutorial (series?) of how to work that model the professional way.

[@tjf7101]

Can’t believe how nice this is. …and this is the prototype 😮

[@terrylong8894]

Starfleet has the most aesthetically beautiful ships in science fiction.

[@andyodab]

Absolutely love it and the one thing I will change is I'll install a longer rod so it sits higher.

[@TheAdmiralkrunch]

A Reliant ship would pair nicely with the rift!!!

[@johnn.4407]

5 or more years ago, I would have ordered this so fast (maybe the classic too), but today I just can't justify it with current finances and the uncertainty in the next year. Darn it! Still super cool and glad they're making it.

[@ocramocram1]

I hear you, but to get a 1/350 Refit Enterprise in die cast, at this level of quality for $750, including shipping; this is the best deal in the collecting hobby at the moment.

[@PedroLopez-cy1kl]

@@johnn.4407 also, at any time you can commission a pro modeler to build this ship.

[@sivalon1]

I understand this position. But this will be the best opportunity you'll get for a piece this size and quality, and it'll only get more and more expensive as time goes on. Get it now, flip it next year if you must.

[@Riceball01]

@@sivalon1 Very true, but sometimes life gets in the way and things like paying the rent/mortgage, car payments, eating, etc. tend to take priority. It's like, do I pay my rent this month or do I buy a shiny toy instead?

[@johnn.4407]

@@sivalon1 I realize it is actually an impressive value (I almost bought a commission build one 10 years ago for 4 grand!) but I am at that age (61) where it is time to start paring down my collectables, not increasing them due to finances and likely tighter living quarters in the future. I hope everybody loves the one they get.

[@PupOrionSirius26]

The Reliant should be next!

[@Matt.Thompson.1976]

"I just feel so good, with Enterprises in front of me..." Preach Mr. Savage, preach!

[@JANDERSO5554]

My favorite Enterprise. So sleek, as if it's in forward motion. Very neo-Art Deco mixed with "International" style.

[@shaynecoventry8894]

Gorgeous. I know a lot of people do not like it but, I would love to see an ambassador class.

[@pyootchnich]

I’m a fan of the series, but not a legit “fanboy“. Yet, I see this as something truly special and unusual, so I ordered two of them. One for a Superfan I have yet to meet.

[@ed_halley]

It's mind boggling how many products and the tooling required across Tomy and their parent business group (Takara Tomy, Tomytec, TOMIX) have built. Thousands of toys, major collection models, hundreds of model train cars, over a hundred Japan city buses, it's crazy.

[@chrishuisman769]

Thousands of toys and billions of smiles. This is why we do it.

[@mroxion8271]

The refit enterprise is tied as my favorite Star Trek ship design (I love the Sovereign for completely different reasons). It has a timeless design which looked good in the 70s and looks good today. Honestly, if I didn't know anything about Star Trek and you asked me when this was designed, I think most people would get it wrong because it doesn't "smack" of an era. Maybe a tad 80s but that design language has come back recently.

[@RyanCameron]

Such a beautiful model. I wish it was in my budget to add it to my collection.

[@Waltzforzizi02]

I hope it doesn't have to struts holding up the saucer in the production version.

[@ulysseswhiskers7046]

That’s addressed early in the video. This is the resin prototype. The production version will be diecast like the TOS 1701 next to it.

[@Waltzforzizi02]

@ulysseswhiskers7046 yes it's a prototype, bet he also mentioned the metal will be heavy, the center of gravity is not where the mounting pin will be and that they may have to put struts, I'm hoping no, that what we all want 😁

[@PatrickJernigan]

I've been a fan of Star Trek my entire life I would love to have the Enterprise sitting on my shelf

[@willv7868]

Cool models. I think the saucer supports would look better if they were clear acrylic.

[@nelsonc6173]

Those supports are only there for this plastic version. Chris and his team are working to get rid of them for the diecast.

[@quinncide]

⁠​⁠@@nelsonc6173They’d *prefer* to get rid of them. He literally says in this video that they’re not sure if the production version will contain saucer supports or not.

[@green_clover7373]

Think about this. “Transparent Aluminum”

[@sivalon1]

@@green_clover7373 It''l take years to figure out the dynamics of this matrix!

[@cbspock1701]

I didn’t back the TOS one that has so many issues. I did back the refit can’t wait to get it

[@quinncide]

Besides the screw caps and seam lines being more visible than people liked, what other issues were there?

[@jeffg360]

Love my TOS Enterprise.

[@kennethng8346]

Suggestion: trip to his shop to show the tools, and maybe how it started through the versions.

[@sivalon1]

Seconded.

[@christianzilla]

Tomy's Zoids were the best toys of the 80's and early 90's. Amazing designs visually and they all moved and worked mechanically really well. Plus, you had to build them from a kit so you learned some engineering along the way.

[@sportsmedia25]

Those supports holding up the primary hull look terrible. If it costs 700 bucks they better figure out a way to not have those there it's an eyesore

[@glyndaley5844]

And the wonky nacels and droopy soucer

[@stelliocantos4639]

While I love all Enterprises, the refit is my favorite and the one here is absolutely beautiful. Well done all around.

[@UncommonOrchids]

I was so happy, got mine reserved the first day!

[@jamesfaulk-bg2bd]

I sure hope to get the original one and love the way the lightning works

[@gumbomudderx7503]

That refit looks AMAZING! 😮

[@gaber.5600]

Love this! Pre-ordered mine the first day the campaign came out... can't wait! 🖖

[@Radioman-pv5np]

Normally, these videos end up costing me a lot of money. However, I've already backed this on Day One so ha! I'm ahead! Or behind, as my wife might say. :D

[@tomrenjie]

I'd be over the moon if I had this. Grew up building the budget Ertl kits with some basic testor paints from the drug store.

[@Bucketroo]

Wow, TOMY has gone a long way since Zoids and Lensman toys. Also, they bought ERTL? Cool! I still have a bunch of ERTL jet fighters and an '89 Batwing!

[@acerjuglans383]

This is ASTOUNDING. Literally artwork. NEED.

[@tpjv01]

I saw a KZbin video of a model maker who took one of the 2 lights on the front of the nacelle to shine a spot light on the secondary hull where the starfleet emblem is. He placed the led in a tube to direct the light to hit the emblem perfectly. TOMY should look into this instead of placing lights in the base.

[@draggerlane04090]

You're talking about trekworks. Boyd was the master of the refit. Also yes the tube trick does work cause I did it in my refit.

[@brianburgess7733]

Looks great, wish they would ship to Australia

[@glenaleksis4589]

I have 3 on order, can’t wait till oct 2025!!

[@thewestfallmusicgroup9207]

Nice work so far guys!

[@ToddRay-i6v]

When deeds and words are in accord, the whole world is transformed.

[@JoseMoreira-vo8cu]

THAT SHIP IS BEAUTIFUL!

[@dgaustad]

It's obvious that releasing another version of the TOS Enterprise with lessons learned would blow away the sales that TOMY had 2 years ago. Hopefully someone worthy pulls that off. Since it was a one time U.S. release perhaps commission it for the European market as a work around. So those like me here in the U.S. who canceled our order unsure if it would be as great as it was will now be able to get one. Highly confident this Refit will Rock given the quality of the TOS ship sp no hesitation this time. Scottie would be so proud.

[@MajorMagna]

Absolutely love the Star Trek kick the channel seems to be on.

[@glennac]

Tampo pad printing may be older than you think. I remember seeing this process demonstrated at CES in the very early 80s. Maybe 1980, 1981?

[@quinncide]

Definitely older. It’s been used in watchmaking for ~100 years to print dials. It expanded to other industries in the 1950s and 60s with the advent of more durable silicone rubbers. I’m actually a little surprised to hear them say they’re using it here with the refit enterprise containing such a myriad of angles and irregular shapes. There are methods to account for such things but they’re imperfect and require much higher precision of ink application to the stamp. It’ll be interesting to see how the production version turns out.

[@Zeaiclies]

@@quinncide Pad printing, also known as tampography, has been around for over 200 years. While crude forms of the printing method have existed for centuries, it wasn't until the 1950s and 1960s that engineers and inventors in Switzerland developed a new method to print on irregularly shaped objects. The first applications were for watchmaking, where the method was needed to print on small, curved, and intricate watch dials and cases. The first offset type of hand printing used a bag of soft gelatin material to transfer the image onto copper plates that were engraved by hand. This early method was used to transfer images onto dinnerware and "blue" china plates. In 1968, Wilfried Philipp invented the silicone pad, which laid the foundation for industrial pad printing. Philipp's idea was to replace gelatin pads with silicone pads and automate the process. He believed he could print ink on materials and bodies that were curved or uneven, and keep improving the quality. In 1971, Philipp presented the first silicone pad printing machine at the KraussMaffei exhibition booth and received 30 orders. The process proved to be a quantum leap for the plastics industry and helped pad printing become popular in the 1970s. Silicon tampons are more practical, consistent, and last longer than natural rubber. The ability to print on surfaces that were previously unprintable caught the attention of designers and engineers, and pad printing exploded into the mass production marketplace in 1980 with the Tampo Pad Printing company named Tampo Print Inc.

[@Zeaiclies]

@@quinncide Pad printing, also known as tampography, has been around for over 200 years. While crude forms of the printing method have existed for centuries, it wasn't until the 1950s and 1960s that engineers and inventors in Switzerland developed a new method to print on irregularly shaped objects. The first applications were for watchmaking, where the method was needed to print on small, curved, and intricate watch dials and cases. The first offset type of hand printing used a bag of soft gelatin material to transfer the image onto copper plates that were engraved by hand. This early method was used to transfer images onto dinnerware and "blue" china plates. In 1968, Wilfried Philipp invented the silicone pad, which laid the foundation for industrial pad printing. Philipp's idea was to replace gelatin pads with silicone pads and automate the process. He believed he could print ink on materials and bodies that were curved or uneven, and keep improving the quality. In 1971, Philipp presented the first silicone pad printing machine at the KraussMaffei exhibition booth and received 30 orders. The process proved to be a quantum leap for the plastics industry and helped pad printing become popular in the 1970s. Silicon tampons are more practical, consistent, and last longer than natural rubber. The ability to print on surfaces that were previously unprintable caught the attention of designers and engineers, and pad printing exploded into the mass production marketplace in 1980 with the Tampo Print company.

[@robertkees6048]

Hey Tomy, you guys should send a film crew over to the factory when they start the manufacturing process and make a documentary for the fans to see "How It's Made." I'd love to see the process when the time comes, I'll wager there a lot of people that would love to see how their prized possession took form. Make it so!

[@AndrewInTO]

This is going to be a thing of beauty.

[@JolynBowler]

Oh boy...Thanx for this one y'all. There will be one on my shelf next year. 💙🌻💙

[@THEOUTCASTSCREATIVE]

amazing job guys

[@GaryNeumann]

Amazing! As Always

[@ninefive0]

The fan service and attention to detail that Chris and TOMY are putting into this piece are really putting it over the edge. Hopefully they can engineer the forward supports away.

[@ulysseswhiskers7046]

You probably missed the part early in the video where they explain that this is the resin prototype, and not the diecast model. The TOS 1701 next to it is the production diecast version.

[@ninefive0]

@@ulysseswhiskers7046thanks but I didn’t miss anything. They spoke about how the prototype refit needs the supports and they’re not sure if they’ll be needed on the die cast production model. I hope they can figure out how to make it without them.

[@sivalon1]

I'll give 60/40 odds against them removing the supports. Fron what Chris was saying about the center of gravity, it'll need them. What I think they will do is reposition them and make them out of clear acylic to make them as unobtrusive as possible.

[@ninefive0]

@@sivalon1I’m just a humble artist, not an engineer, but I’d rather use strong thin wires connecting the rear to the base, to counter the forward weight like a suspension bridge. But I can likely rig that up myself. 👌🏻

[@ulysseswhiskers7046]

@@ninefive0​​⁠I goofed and missed the line toward the end about the struts. If it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure one of the early prototypes for the TOS 1701 had supports for the same reason- but obviously the internal reinforcement wound up sufficient.

[@raycooper3463]

Hope they get the nacells straight and parallel in all 3 axise before finalizing the concept design for the refit, besides that, it looks INCREDIBLE!!

[@Riceball01]

That's a beautiful piece, I love that the lights turn on in same sequence as they did in the movies. They should have included a sound chip where it plays your choice of the music used in that scene from TMP or ST II. I just wish that I had $700+ to spare, but being able to eat and pay bills kind of take priority.