Starship Diorama With Realistic Phaser Effect

#HobbyTime #StarTrek #Diorama
I was asked by my dad to build a Star Trek model as a gift for a friend of his. I haven’t watched much Star Trek, so I felt in a little over my head with the details. I asked for some insight from Interstellar Modeler who was super helpful! I took some creative liberties and I realize there are a few inconsistencies between the finished product and what is seen in the TV series, but I’m happy with how it looks!
Interstellar Modeler:
KZbin - / @interstellarmodeler
Flickr - www.flickr.com...
Materials:
Polar Lights 1:1000 TOS Enterprise amzn.to/3qho0iT
Polar Lights 1:1000 Klingon D7 amzn.to/35pwAnI
3V LED Filaments (300mm) bit.ly/37FhvQG
Super Glue amzn.to/3hj9Pp7
Hot Glue amzn.to/31YqJnm
Solder amzn.to/2Rnrj8K
Plastic Cement amzn.to/3aQ4xPx
Heat Shrink Tubing amzn.to/2ZxjpOB
Brass Tubing amzn.to/3qhpd9V
Nano LEDs amzn.to/3hvpKRe
Supplies and Equipment:
Hobby Tube Cutter amzn.to/3q5BK00
X-Acto Z Series amzn.to/3lpHGPW
Safety Glasses amzn.to/3aJ6a1A
Hand Drill/Pin Vice amzn.to/3mmgGQF
Tweezers amzn.to/3iVlUkW
Nippers amzn.to/2CRDx5O
Paint Brushes amzn.to/2LA6dV3
Air Brush amzn.to/3l76wUt
Compressor amzn.to/3hmTBeW
Ruler amzn.to/2QghRTO
Hot Glue Gun amzn.to/3jvChVR
Utility Knife amzn.to/3gizOM8
Soldering Iron amzn.to/2YmXVTW
Wire Cutters amzn.to/34pvb0u
Helping Hands amzn.to/3hmEZvV
Paint:
Primer - Krylon Gray Primer
Enterprise
99% Vallejo Flat White + .5% Cobalt Blue + .5% Olive Green
Model Master Transparent Red
Vallejo Light Gray
D7
Vallejo Light Gray
Citadel Nuln Oil
Finish
Krylon Matte Finish
Music:
Tangled - Emmit Fenn
Digital Secrets - Unicorn Heads
Instant Crush - Corbyn Kites
Disclaimer: Some of the actions seen in my videos could cause bodily harm. I am not responsible for anything you do while attempting to recreate what you see me do.
Amazon Affiliate links are used above.

[@wmst5065]

When I was in college, one guy on our floor had a bunch of models from Star Trek hanging and positioned in his room. He took string for phaser beams and cotton for explosions and painted them with fluorescent paint. He'd turn on a black light and the effect was pretty cool. People from all over the dorm came to check it out.

[@shatner99]

Did even one girl come and check out the ship?

[@wmst5065]

@@shatner99 Sure did. Lots of them from the whole dorm. Word got around.

[@snakeking5484]

Dude, your ability to make convincing lighting astonishes me. Its a matter of time before you blow up on this site

[@christopherstein2024]

I just got this recommanded and I'm more of a star wars guy so perhaps the algorithm will be with this one.

[@MikeCGannon]

This prediction aged extremely well.

[@tanitatt]

I was going to nit pick the shit out of your build, but then I realized I’m sitting here covered in Cheeto dust while all my kits remain untouched .... so imma just going to shut up and admire your work.

[@jessejohnson159]

No nit picking from me either, but your comment is why a lot of viewers aren't making comments that are 'negative'! Good for you, and them! 😉

[@johnossendorf9979]

It's, cooky crumbs with me.

[@TwistedSisterHaratiofales]

I have a 9 foot German Cruiser hull, and a 13 foot Constellation Star Ship started for like 4 years, so, Yea, I'm not going to talk crap. I just wish the model companies back when would have picked a better scale, like 1/350 and made the 3 TOS in said scale so you could see how they really looked side by side, except, LOL the Romulan BOP in the mini kit would have been tiny. Its cool now so I have a 1/350 TOS Enterprise kit, a 1701A rebuild kit, and a D9 TOS. So far just a Romulan Garage kit I have seen in 1/350 but its to expensive for my wallet. I might have to 3D print one now that I have a couple of new printers that I use for Archery parts. They always made the Romulan ship to big in the shows to ad drama and sensationalism. I need to get out my camera and start docking my Connie build though, and get back on it.

[@hatednyc]

Lol me too...I’m just going to enjoy it

[@YdnarLah37]

Well said sir. Fried chicken grease in my case.

[@craigcampbell5590]

Dude! It doesn't matter one bit if you don't know Trek. You did an awesome job, and any Trek fan would love to receive this!

[@crazexskater]

Old school "treky" and modeler... fantastic build! Forget the nitpicking... you rock. Would love to have seen the Kilingon ship lighted also. Reminds me of the scene that I built as a kid. We didn't have leds... but florescent paint and a black light works pretty well. Kilingon ships vs the Federation. It was cool.

[@michaelmappin4425]

It bothers me that 43 people gave this a thumbs down. I'd like to put an insect from Seti Alpha 5 in their ear.

[@michaelblackwell7408]

God, we're nerds!

[@timfrazee5848]

I never get that. No matter how cool a video is, there are always a handful of asshats who will give it a thumbs down. There are just some men who want to watch the world burn.

[@Projacked1]

xD

[@robd1329]

Khannnnnn! Only Khan fans would know that joke!

[@hatednyc]

I have a rule: unless it’s legitimately awful or ignorant or Just plain LAZY, I give a thumbs up. Making content is hard work and for that, for the effort alone, I’ll usually give a thumbs up. It will truly help the person who has provided me with something to watch entirely for free.

[@phoenix12491]

A borg cube with phaser effects would look so cool! It'd just be a square heap of greeblies but it would have so many places for highlights and shadows

[@lestermcgroogster7193]

This is astounded as a Star Trek nerd myself

[@mrwest626]

respectfully, if you're not a Trek fan, this came out really well, just like always! I'd love to see you do more Trek stuff.

[@ImpendingJoker]

If if you ARE a Trek fan this came out really well. If you are Trek fan and think otherwise you're just a pretentious jerk.

[@Hjerte_Verke]

@@ImpendingJoker Or he can be just an art critic like a lot of people. Lots of different parts of the world are still free. You remind me of these modern day Nazis censoring everything that doesn't fit your way of thinking. Hahahaa

[@tsdobbi]

I don't think he is (i.e. calling the deflector dish a sensor array). Concur though, this is amazing.

[@mertz7305]

Seriously! The finished outcome forgives the your ignorance. 😂

[@gracemosier8401]

Me Too!!!

[@earth2becky]

I'm a Trekkie--you did it justice, brother. Great build!

[@FX_productions]

If someone gave me that as a present I'd be very pleased. What a great piece of art.

[@wallabaatar]

Every time I watch a build of yours, I find myself regularly looking at the time, as if by checking I'll somehow magically keep the video from coming to an end. This one was no exception...so good all the way through to such a satisfying "reveal". Thanks for your commitment to excellence Boylei! I love this diorama!!

[@traviss3913]

Lol agreed. I hardly ever do that with any other channel but with his I'm like no keep going!!

[@MarkLewis...]

I got goosebumps!!! Only a TOS fan would fully appreciate seeing Her fly again in all Her glory... I am that fan. Thanks for sharing.

[@BryoniTV]

I think the yellow looks fantastic. 👍

[@dennismason3740]

I have been a trekker since 66. Good work, kid.

[@robd1329]

This was a masterpiece!!!! I would loveee to own this! More trek please!!!

[@NanoBurger]

It would be a lot of work, but a fiber optic starfield would be the bomb. You could even vary the colors like real stars.

[@voodooness]

using the hand drill then switching to the battery drill gave me a chuckle

[@milanondrak5564]

The finished model looked very effective. Nice job.

[@Driftwood120]

So Simple but so much STAR TREK, I LOVE IT!

[@MisterIkkus]

Radder than hell. I'm amazed by all of your creations, but this is the first one I want bad.

[@jessejohnson159]

Nicely done Sir! Use of the Edison Bulb Filament Lamp Parts LED is GENIUS! That's what caught my attention when I saw the video thumbnail!

[@jimkirk1971]

This build is so good, I’ll just overlook the phaser color error by submitting a backstory where at one point in time the Enterprise was outfitted with a prototype phaser system, which accounts for the color change.

[@jaminova_1969]

3D or not 3D, that is the question. I love Star Trek TOS! Nice job!

[@mantismodels1207]

Great build! Just a suggestion though...in the future if You are gonna add lighting to Your models..paint the inside of the model black. This will help so that light cant leak to the outside when the model is lit up. It's called "light blocking". You can find tutorials about it on KZbin.

[@captin3149]

I must be blind, it doesn't look like light is bleeding from the models? (Except at the seam on the Klingon ship, but black paint wouldn't prevent that)

[@ImpendingJoker]

Well black is an ok method but silver works better as it reflects the light back into the interior and just heat up like black does. Silver is also a better primer because it will pull away from any areas that are too sharp or not clean, and will pull away from incomplete seams so you can see where they are.

[@NeilB.Arnold]

@@ImpendingJoker I used to do black then switched to black with silver over top, nice to know I can skip the black.

[@sonofaredshirt8329]

Absolutely beautiful work! I can only imagine how pleased your Dad's friend was! Excellent job! Cheers

[@HairyHarrisFilm]

Wow, for someone who is NOT a Star Trek fan, this came out great! 🖖

[@rkaidia]

hell yeah dude, as a trekkie I would loooove to have this on my wall! looks fantastic. The lighting on the nacelles looks fantastic. And there is so much goofy science stuff that can happen in Star Trek I am certain there is an episode somewhere where the phasers changed colour.

[@ransom182]

Indeed - we know that in TNG the Enterprise rotates the frequency of her phasers and the colour changes.

[@tarzhay]

yea! but some of us would like the ships reversed.

[@andydawson5587]

Several such episodes in fact. Also, the Enterprise could have lost one phaser due to an earlier hit from the Klingon. So this is fine!

[@madtrucker3757]

I did something similar in my bedroom as a teen. I hung the Enterprise and a Klingon D7 from the ceiling and used yarn as the phaser beams. Mine looked kinda cheapish but I was happy. I really like yours. Turned out nice.

[@PhotoFlight]

This is perfect. I'd been thinking of building a diorama from the "Wrath of Kahn" movie using the 1701-A and Reliant 1/1000 kits. This gives me some ideas how to make that happen.

[@michaelblackwell7408]

Yes, but which cut scene? There were several but I liked when Reliants reactor went pop.

[@luke5767]

Wow, the ultimate kids night light.

[@jamieleung709]

The channel could have 5 million subs and could still be underrated

[@NealTK]

Very, very nice! That looks AWESOME! Be proud of that build!!

[@bomat761]

Not too shabby. Looking past the little details, it is awesome.

[@robertkees6048]

How amazing it is to have the skills, patience, and vision to make such things. You have the lions share of talent.

[@briankistner4331]

As a Trek fan you said you don't know much about Star Trek and that you botched some things. Well I can't even tell. GREAT JOB!!

[@jeffturnbull9661]

Excellent work, really like that the one phaser lights up the bottom of the saucer

[@joeknowz4898]

I don't care what they say about CGI....Model building is an art....fantastic !!!!!

[@karengilchrist9774]

Very well done for a Star Trek virgin! I love it!

[@traviss3913]

Not a big Trek fan but loved watching you build this anyway. You probably already know this but you can get a cool star effect by putting some paint on a toothbrush or paintbrush and wiping your fingers across the bristles. It'll give you a cool random star effect. The "stars" also come out as different sizes.

[@tjhaywood100]

That may very well be the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life!

[@bassdojo]

You should have a museum one day. You have some incredible dioramas.

[@atticus-rex]

Even though I'm all about Star Wars, it's still Hobby Time! Your projects are alive my friend!

[@rayopeongo]

What always makes me smile is that on the bridge, they talk about the enemy being hundreds or thousands of kilometers away, but external shots always show the combatants so close together that they could almost reach out and touch each other. It's makes for a good looking scene on TV or in the movies, but it isn't very realistic. But then again, who am I to complain about "realism" in Star Trek in the first place? You did a great job on this scene.

[@jgood2all]

Fantastic! I was glued to this build. No pun intended.

[@hudsonball4702]

Just a couple of Star Trek terms. Little red domes = Bussard collectors. Propulsion units = Warp Nacelles. And you don't have to worry about using only one light to indicate a phaser beam as they could be fired in pairs or individually. Also Phasers could be set to different settings and as a result they would show up as different colors. Sometimes red, sometimes blue, and sometimes even Yellow. It's still a spectacular display!

[@millenniumf1138]

It was a good idea to start with the Klingon D-7 first, as this would enable it to sort of serve as a "practice model" for decaling and not risk ruining the decals for the Enterprise, which is probably the ship that would draw the eye the most.

[@blacrow7]

Out side of the Phaser beams not being blue, that is a really good build for someone who is not Star Trek fan. Good job man. Also I am shore a lot of Star Trek fan would like something like that one their wall.

[@FearGFX]

BTW I'm a next generation/voyager/ds9 fan so yellow phasers looks great to me

[@Chamindo7]

So you are a true Soy Trek fan. Nice.

[@tsdobbi]

@@Chamindo7 so you stopped watching star trek after TOS and the original cast movies?

[@Chamindo7]

@@tsdobbi Actually, I confess I really did enjoy Voyager. Captain Janeway is my 2nd fave starship captain after original Kirk. 7of9 one of the most interesting characters as well as the holographic doctor. DS-9, I tried and tried and tried to watch it, but it just felt like Mall of America in space. Picard trek was hit and miss, some were awesome stories but it just started to get way too politically correct. I do love Data and his brother Lore. So, my comment was more tongue in cheek and actually unkind to the person who said they liked all the new Trek. I do apologize for being uncharitable. Plus, there were many episodes of TOS that are 100% cringe.

[@hudsonball4702]

@@Chamindo7 Soy ST fans are the ones that watch STD, PIC, and Lower Decks

[@lordofthestings]

Everything after Enterprise is NOT Star Trek.

[@aliensguy4291]

if the lights had been blue for the phasers to match the TOS look, it would have been absolutely perfect

[@bennygarr5468]

I'm so jealous of people who have the talent to do those little intricate details and have the patience to pull it off

[@garybuettner7920]

I’d love if you did more Star Trek stuff.

[@devynsmith5280]

A few things here and there could be touched up to bring up the accuracy, but for a non trekkie, this is astounding

[@adamlytle2615]

FYI, the Enterprise phaser beams were only consistently blue when they remastered the show for HD. When it originally aired (and then for 30+ years) the beams were various colours. Yellow was probably in there somewhere.

[@unchainedwiththecapt]

I think your dad's friend is going to be EXTREMELY happy. As a Star Trek fan, I would be.

[@willardbreedlove5644]

A little tip for you I built both of these ships and what I did was to take some orange yarn and spayed it with starge glued one end to where it would look like it was fired from the enterprise at the other end I made it look like the other ship was hit by spreading the yarn and glued it the ship and hung them both up it turned out real good. You might want to try that.

[@ivanbeals8898]

Amazing work. What the world needs now is Firefly/Serenity dioramas! That would be SHINY!

[@MrApiiinr]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful display

[@MJ-ge6jz]

It's like so 3D... impressive!

[@corbinpearce7686]

I always love when I see people do a model slightly "out of theme." When you're used to seeing the same thing over and over again, slight deviations make the project more memorable to me. I love the yellow phaser and I think it turned out looking stunning!

[@byronstephen2044]

I grew up watching Star Trek in the '60's I made both those kits ( Revell or ATM, I've forgotten now ). Thanks for the memories !

[@robertsettles2180]

First, awesome build! Second, for every one pointing out the phaser is the wrong color, it's also coming from the lower sensor dome, not the actual phaser banks. Still looks damned good!

[@mistac5050]

Another great build Caleb! Your mastery of working with miniature ships and lighting continues. Your Dad's friend will be super happy! Love the glamour shots on the bare concrete wall also, nice touch!

[@self6730]

Beautiful build. I love that this hangs on a wall. I had a few questions if you dont mind. What kind and gauge wire do you use? And where do you find that LED filament?

[@NotoriousNickNorris]

Seconded

[@bobtoerge5497]

Liked this build, simple and easy.

[@stewart8737]

Thats just out of this world craftsmanship... amazing

[@danwingo7512]

Absolutely great!!!!!!!!!! You are one talented builder.

[@nickradell2385]

The yellow phaser light looks better than blue light would. This is a good choice. As far as cannon goes, something like the color of phasers can be endlessly debated. In any case, it is an excellent conversation starter. Some LED stars in the background might be interesting, but all in all, this is excellent work. Bravo.

[@FirstEarlOfHolland]

Amazing!!! Hope to see more trek builds in the future (Enterprise D saucer section crash landing would be epic).

[@neilcressey8189]

Mate are you for real?!? That’s brilliant! What an awesome job 🔥

[@danielburgess7785]

Damn son, that is fine work. You should be pleased.

[@johnnybgoodeish]

Really cool model but little light hearted teasing here -since none of us have actually seen a phaser operate, I don't think anyone could honestly claim the 'realistic' modelling of one! :) I can't wait to see the realistic modelling of a gravitational generator and a transporter beam though! Again -really cool model!

[@bobashby4560]

incredible work! I have neither the patience nor dexterity to accomplish such an incredible build. The ONLY 'edit' I have is that the Klingon ship's nacelles should have been lit in red, but I still would PROUDLY have your build in my collection...AMAZING!

[@normhart3606]

So cool. Wish I had the talent you have. My models never look that fantastic.

[@Th0ughtf0rce]

Dang. That looks better than most TOS shots.

[@zanith56]

This is one of my favorite builds that you have done. Wrong color or not. One beam or not, I love the composition and the the lighting. Really well done.

[@manuelmelchizedek4309]

Totally cool light display.

[@1silkiesmooth]

Very nice piece of art. Never seen anything like it.

[@M_J_Glide_22]

That is absolutely spectacular...

[@jankersten4543]

Oh my gosh! What!? As a Star Trek fan i really love this diorama even if it isn't as correct as it could be. Great work!

[@kyr_taap]

No matter what theme you're picking, the results are always amazing!

[@pepperVenge]

As a Hardcore Trekkie, I literally laughed out Loud when I heard the Warp Nacelle's referred to as "Propulsion Units." xD But honestly though, this is an incredible build! I enjoyed this. I thought the Thumbnail was a real CGI scene, so Very Well Done!

[@pepperVenge]

@@whiteknightcat Right. I'm just not used to hearing them referred to as such.

[@bjw4859]

Your use of lighting for models is incredible, sorry for getting to this video late but I only discovered dioramas last year so I have some catching up to do.

[@BuckJolicoeur]

What a super cool project. Well done!!

[@numberyellow]

Hey man, respect... you knew they were supposed to be blue, and acknowledged that, instead of being like "who cares, nerd. durrrrr, lazers". Beam color aside, this looks really awesome. One little detail though... that's not a sensor array, it's a navigational deflector.

[@MarcoNoPolo]

Watching your other videos and knowing what you're capable of, I am still equally impressed with each new project you do. Your creative imagination is lucky to have your skill to make it possible. I hope that makes some sort of sense.

[@OdeeOz]

That's a pretty neat build. Stop beating yourself up for some minor mistakes. The end product is fantastic!

[@daveshane108]

I now want to see a version of this where the Reliant fires on the Refit Enterprise.

[@frankschipani7682]

That looks really cool. The red lights on the nacelles are a nice touch.

[@traviswoods1868]

Would love to see a Hoth battle Love all the work I’ve been doing! Super cool

[@M_J_Glide_22]

If you look at the phasers installed you will see he he did install 2 banks and fires both if them. When they are illuminated they appear as one. Nice job no matter what. I wish I had it

[@tcemedic100]

Amazing! Your dad’s friend is a lucky individual to get one of your masterpieces.

[@morlockmeat]

Your Dad's friend must've LOVED this!

[@Papai_Pai]

Guaranteed somewhere in the comment someone saying the Phaser is in the wrong place but it's impressive how realistic that looks

[@bgdavenport]

Next build, gloss the model before decaling. Then seal with whatever appropriate finish you like. The decal film will completely disappear even when light is played across it.

[@cinewillp6391]

very cool. captured the flavor of the original series~!

[@Ridgerunner2270]

Really cool phaser idea...

[@FusionAero]

Looks like Jimmy Boy pulled another "Pivot at warp 2". He's a sorcerer, that one.

[@sonykroket]

Your stuff is amazing, dude. Never stop

[@mr.modern4419]

This build is just eye popping... fantastic end result!!! I LOVE THIS !!!!!