The Forgotten Starship: Unveiling Star Trek’s Lost AMT Model🚀

Embark on a nostalgic voyage with Jim from TrekWorld, unraveling a hidden gem from the golden days of television - a once-lost AMT model starship from the Star Trek universe. In a time when CGI was non-existent, Star Trek, like other sci-fi shows, relied on model photography for that cosmic allure 🌌.
The tale unfolds with the original orders of an 11-foot and a 3-foot model to grace the scenes of the Enterprise's adventures, yet a twist of fate led to the need for a depiction of a heavily damaged starship. The solution? An easily damageable off-the-shelf model kit from Aluminum Metal Toys (AMT) 🛠️.
Dive into the captivating alliance between Desilu Studios and AMT, orchestrated by Stephen Poe, leading to the birth of model kits mirroring the Star Trek series 🤝.
As we reveal pictures of a pristine 1966 model by a collector, and a publicity photo showcasing the potential beauty of a professionally built 18-inch kit, the saga of the AMT models in the series unfolds 📸.
Discover how two distinct AMT models starred in Season 2, each meeting the series' varying demands, from portraying severe damage in "The Doomsday Machine" to a pulsing nacelle in a serene orbit scene 🌌.
The narrative takes a thrilling turn with the revelation of a third model, its journey from "The Ultimate Computer" episode to a Viewmaster disc, and its final rest at Paul Allen's Science Fiction Museum, now known as the Pop Culture Museum in Seattle 🖖.
As Jim delves into the extraordinary legacy left by Matt Jeffries, the designer of the Enterprise, and how the AMT model’s existence was a precursor to the iconic Galileo Shuttlecraft and Klingon D-7 Battlecruiser, you’ll find yourself at the crossroads of nostalgia and the enduring allure of Star Trek's tangible cosmos 🌠.
Join us in this second episode of our series on Star Trek shooting models, as we continue to explore the tangible magic that built the visual spectacle of the Star Trek universe 🛸.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on our future voyages into the heart of sci-fi history 🔔.
1. #StarTrekHistory 🖖
2. #AMTModel 🚀
3. #TrekWorld 🌌
4. #VintageSciFi 📺
5. #ModelPhotography 📸
6. #DesiluStudios 🎥
7. #StephenPoe 🤝
8. #MattJeffries 🛠️
9. #StarshipEnterprise 🚢
10. #TheDoomsdayMachine 💥
11. #TheUltimateComputer 💾
12. #GalileoShuttlecraft 🛸
13. #KlingonD7Battlecruiser 🛡️
14. #PopCultureMuseum 🎨
15. #SciFiNostalgia 🔄

[@dannyreed2887]

What attracted me to Star trek: TOS was the scene of the Enterprise in orbit. I was bored with the rocket ship models and here was something to look at. I bought every star ship model. “Lost in Space” rarely piloted their Jupiter 2 anywhere. Enterprise had the projected nacelles and the Saucer Section. Brilliant! Now it can rise through the atmosphere or hide under water. My little ships were Action Figures to me and EVERY MODEL WAS BROKEN. I had Bird of Prey, D7, Galileo, The Bridge which didn’t really go anywhere but it suffered my first attempt at spray painting the scene. Then I built the three piece Phaser, Communicator and Tricorder. In 1979 the University’s computer had the Kobayashi Maru and my solution was Maximum Warp out of the Galaxy escape. Sadly we promptly lost Warp Drive and had to accept the fact it would take over 300 years to reach a Star base on full Impulse. Now Janitor James T. Kirk is no longer canon.

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

I got one of those AMT models back in about 1976. It actually looked pretty good, but I can assure you that Testors model glue did NOT hold those damned warp engines up. I'm not sure even today's best super glue would have done the job!

[@scottspilis1940]

Me too!. I tried Testors glue, epoxy and went as far as to build a jig to try to align the warp nacelles with the rest of the ship. Finally realized it was not a glue problem more than it was a structural problem. The thickness (or lack of it) of the plastic was not adequate to provide enough structural rigidity to maintain the alignment once I removed the Enterprise from the jig.

[@Donleecartoons]

That was a problem with the engineering of the kit, with the nacelles molded together with the pylons. Expecting those things to stay aligned while the glue set down at the base of the pylons was an exercise on futility, even with the changes AMT made to that joint over the years. The small Polar Lights "snap" kit does it better: The pylons attatch as a unit to the back of the secondary hull, and then the nacelles fit over pretty substantial tabs on the upper ends of the pylons. You don't even really need to glue the nacelles to the pylons (or the saucer to the upper end of the neck) because, being engineered as a snap kit (it also helps that the model is smaller than the AMT 18-incher) , the friction fit is enough to anchor the parts. Comes in handy, too, if you want to temporarily disassemble the model for moving or safe storage.

[@fractalelf7760]

Oml… that comment takes me back to my ten year old self… I totally forgot about that nacelle problem.

[@tedcharter4804]

The memories! I remember having the same issues with this kit in the 90s. I had to hang it from the ceiling with the engines each having their own strings. It still bothers me today and even knowing the newer 350 scale model is made up of stronger plastic I'm still worried that it won't be enough. Those old nightmares still haunt me. 😂

[@CoachOta]

I had three of the AMT Enterprises as a kid. One was my older brother's, which he turned into the Constellation with matches or possibly a lighter. It looked pretty good! The second was a blue plastic edition which I painted the details and lights but left the hull overall as unpainted blue. I also eventually turned into a Constellation / damaged version with a wood burner. The final model was built by my mom who did pretty accurate paint job but with a white hull base color. She applied a clear coat to protect the decals but over the years the clear coat really yellowed. Between hand-me-downs from my brother and my own models as a kid, we had quite the fleet of various AMT Star Trek ships by the early 1980s.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Hi David!!! So nice to hear from you again. I remember playing with the models as a child. They were probably one of the better toys we had as it really encouraged imagination.

[@msh6865]

Same here! In fact I still have both the original white version and the later blue kit. I really should try to salvage at least one as they are both so old now and look pretty rough. Also had a Klingon Battle cruiser, Romulan Bird of Prey as well as a Space Station K-7. I eventually disassembled the K-7 kit and used its pieces for a school science fair entry as a lunar moon base. Won 2nd place! 😁

[@Bargle5]

I got one of the AMT kits for Christmas in either '67 or '68. Mine had an oddity. The globes on the forward end of the engines were solid white, not translucent red or orange like the series.

[@inkermoy]

All this talk of the original models, and I'm seriously loving my Tomy replica. Despite some fans griping, one must admit the thing is frikkin' sturdy (not so much the stand).

[@TREK-WORLD]

I love mine as well. So glad I as able to get the preorder in last year.

[@davidvega1212]

Good one. I was at that museum in Seattle several years ago. They have or had the original Captain Kirk bridge chair. I also remember the ship from Land of the Giants.

[@cwill1098]

I'm going there tomorrow.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Have a great time! If you can take photos, I would love to see them. You can drop them at submit.trek-world.com. Thanks!

[@NCMA29]

You didn't mention that the very first release of the AMT USS ENTERPRISE had excellent and accurate decals. Unfortunately, all subsequent releases, including the early model you showed in this video, had the revised decals where for some reason AMT changed the numbers and letters into an incorrect font. That model is probably a later model, not the 1966 version since it has the later, incorrect decals. Incidentally, by their very nature decals are quite fragile which is why they were coming off the model's port nacelle. When initially put on, they would have looked fine, but the model was no doubt handled afterwards and part of the decal came off when it was touched. Professional model makers will use a clear coat over the decals to protect them from being damaged and to help blend them in with the paint scheme. This is still the case, even for modern models.

[@JMChladek]

The decal sheet looks to have changed in the early 1970s and corresponded with Franz Joseph's Blueprints and the first printing of the Star Fleet technical manual. With those, we had names and NCC numbers of other ships in the class.

[@anthonylowder6687]

“You didn't mention that the very first release of the AMT USS ENTERPRISE had excellent and accurate details”???? No they didn’t…..absolutely none of the AMT Enterprise model kits were accurate even the very first ones to be released to the public. I know because I had one of the very first kits that hit the market in the 1960s

[@TREK-WORLD]

You know, I was surprised that they still were used 50 years later. I hated the things. Of course, my model building skills have always been non-existant.

[@Donleecartoons]

@@anthonylowder6687 The first issues of the kit had decals whose fonts matched the filming models' much more closely than did the super-bold fonts of the later issues. Can't think of any reason why the change would make sense -- or, given that AMT had a hand in building=designing the studio prop, the baffling and gross inaccuracies of their Galileo model.

[@tiberius1701]

@anthonylowder6687 Sorry you are absolutely incorrect. The first iterations of the Enterprise kit had correct screen accurate fonts (as well as a rudimentary light ‘kit’ consisting of two wired grain of wheat bulbs and a battery fixture in the secondary hull) The changes to the decals came around 1970 when the sheet contained all of the 12 ship names and numbers so, according to AMT you could ‘Build The Entire Fleet’. Around 1973 when Estes released their flying model rocket Enterprise it contained an excellent screen accurate decal sheet which many modelers used when building their replicas.

[@jime6688]

Fascinating stuff. I’m happy that all these years later, there’s still things to be discovered from these old series.

[@TREK-WORLD]

You and me both!

[@markgraham2312]

This is an excellent video. I have spent the last two years studying Star Trek and reading all the best sources I could find. Everything you state is accurate. This video is of great value. Thank you.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Wow, thank you!

[@blockmasterscott]

6:28 OMG, I had that disk set!

[@JMChladek]

A few years ago I had a go at doing a replica of the 18"Constellation from Doomsday Machine, trying to mirror the damage done to the original studio used model. My videos documenting it are up on KZbin. I also did the history of the AMT kit article for CultTVman two decades ago. Right now I am working with a couple other researchers on a AMT book project which we hope to finish next year. So some interesting stuff is in the works for fans of that 18" kit and everything it helped to spawn.

[@vengeance1701]

Oh shit, I love that article about the AMT kit's history! That was some great work!

[@user-be2dt8eg2x]

Great article series. I'm looking forward to getting your book. Hope there's some stuff in there about the Aurora/AMT relationship; maybe Aurora's planned Trek kits?

[@JMChladek]

@@user-be2dt8eg2x yes there will be some Aurora coverage

[@NCMA29]

What're the titles of the KZbin video about your USS CONSTELLATION? I'd like to see them.

[@JMChladek]

@@NCMA29 look up "18" Constellation Project" under my name. You should find them.

[@ed056]

I had the Enterprise model. My younger brother threw it out our second story bedroom window thinking it could fly!

[@user-un9go4qe5i]

Did it...????

[@mnfrench7603]

Those decals were a pain in the butt to get straight.

[@dmprdctns]

Love it! When I heard about this filming model 4 years ago... and not having a USS Enterprise model since childhood... I simply HAD to build this filming model... And I regard it as a Filming Model Replica... not a model of the Enterprise... something I feel brings a much higher homage and connection to what Star Trek had contributed to ... well... society... civilization, frankly... So... and thank God for eBay... I located and purchased a 1960s vintage model (there was never an S921 Model Number... in my opinion... which I feel was a false presumption made up or misconstrued as a rumor gone wild...) and did the build, matching window for window - detail for detail... even to incorporating lights and glass nacelle caps. ...and intriguing to think that the model I obtained could just as well have been the model purchased off the shelf for TOS production... I have it sitting prominently in the office. Always a stirring sight... being in film production, myself. But wait... There's more... I had learned, as I'm sure you know... That for filming Star Trek: Wrath of Khan... they did precisely the same thing with the 1980s AMT 22 inch, 1:537 scale refit Enterprise model... to which I obtained a correct vintage "smoothy" and did that one up as well, timing the nav light blinking to Search for Spock... the film that most highlights the use of the refit AMT model. It was used in nearly every original cast film, for scenes where the ship is seen further off... but, that goes without saying... But, again... a Filming Model Replica, as opposed to an attempt at a Starship model... brings so much more a gratifying and I think, much more potent, sense of connection to the actual world of Star Trek... It's production. Thanks... Well done and always enjoyable... Liked... Subscribed...

[@TREK-WORLD]

You know, this is kind of crazy. I was just talking to someone about why I've never seen an 18" AMT Enterprise fully built out. It's always the 33" models that they do. Would you mind sharing some pics of your model and maybe a quick smartphone video? I would love to see how you did it; and I would love even more to include it in an upcoming video package about custom builds. Your story is even more memorable since you actually went out of your way to do it with a vintage model. You can submit videos, files, docs etc at submit.trek-world.com. Also, you can email me direct at [e-mail]. Thanks for stopping by!

[@dmonkz71]

I have seen this model at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Mich. It was during a special exhibition of the World of Star Trek. This was back in 2018 if I remember right. Love your videos. Keep up the excellent work sir.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm glad you are enjoying the videos.

[@lonster3000]

It’s a shame AMT didn’t at some point offer to provide a studio model of a new class of Federation starship in return for the rights to make a model kit based on it. We could have had a Reliant or some other non-Constitution class ship onscreen 20 years earlier!

[@TREK-WORLD]

Believe it or not, that’s how we got the Klingon Battlecruiser. The model and design was done by Matt Jefferies from AMT, not Desilu. However, AMT made two of them and gave one of them to Desilu to use in the series. AMT figured they needed it on screen if it were to be a good seller.

[@lonster3000]

@@TREK-WORLD I know, that’s what gave me the idea.

[@nowhereman1046]

Maybe if TOS had made it into a 4th season or a 5th season that could've happened. But a non-Constitution ship happened many years before Wrath of Khan and the Reliant. It was the robot cargo drone ships seen in the 1973 Animated Series "More Tribbles, More Troubles", and then the crewed USS Huron in "The Pirates of Orion". Huron is still a unique design and the registry of NCC-F1913. The cargo drones had also a unique registry of NCC-G1465.

[@lonster3000]

@@nowhereman1046 I forgot about TAS. I should have specified a live action appearance.

[@Starshipsforever]

@@nowhereman1046 Yeah, I always point out the Huron to folks who hate modern Trek designs that keep the general layout of the bridge but depart from the "Enterprise bridge" look dramatically, since the Huron bridge keeps the same basic positions, much of the TOS styling, and even has a viewscreen similar to the Enterprise's, but is very different in a lot of the details so that the audience knows it's not Our Heroes' Ship. Huron also departs greatly on the exterior, except for the nacelles. So, when certain fans whine about designs that don't have the "Starfleet aesthetic" or whatever, I bring up the drone ships and the Huron.

[@logandarklighter]

Looks like this model is in reasonably good shape at the current museum display. With the exception of the nacelle pylons drooping. Not totally unexpected. But I wish the owner or the museum in Seattle might consult with the restoration team at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for expertise in restoring this kit to proper "flying" trim. Maybe carefully take apart the engine pylons, run a metal armature through them for support and put it back together again with her nacelles at the proper angle to last ANOTHER 50 years!

[@rjl57]

I have that AMT model right now. Mine lights up. I also have the Klingon cruiser. It lights up too. I bought these kits at an antique show in the 1960s. I kept them all these years. I wish I could say I had the boxes for the kits. But… I cut them apart in the 1960s. So I could hang the images around my bedroom. I never see anyone discuss the Enterprise kit from about 1976. It’s more of a toy versus a model kit. You can take it apart and re-position the warp nacelles in different parts of the hull.

[@raythackston1960]

AMT got the rights to build the plastic models from Star Trek but telling Desilu Studios they would build the Galileo Shuttle outside and seperate interior set for Desilu for free if AMT could have the rights to build the plastic kits. A deal was struck and that is exactly how things turned out and happened.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Actually, check out my first Galileo video : kzbin.info/www/bejne/oomXpGBsqa2kfNk I actually show the contract documents which laid out exactly how the AMT Galileo was built. AMT already had the license for the Enterprise. Stephen Poe then worked on the rights to the Galileo, which included Desilu splitting the cost with AMT. The actual documents from the Roddenberry Archive are shown and it very clearly spells out the math. The "free" Galileo theory has always been an urban legend. But no one actually uncovered the contracts to review them. It was born from truth, like most legends. AMT paid 100% of all upfront costs for the 3/4 sized mockup and the interior set. Then they were given a credit on royalties of the AMY shuttle kit until 50% of the cost was recovered. So they paid 50% and it cost Desilu 50%. But they waited almost 7 years after they built the set before they introduced the model. So the "they built it and never charged for it" legend was born.

[@artkhristie5189]

I remembering building this model and remembered the sagging engines but for my first kit it was alright. Eventually AMT fixed the problem but when Polar Lights started making Star Trek models.

[@MrCocg1]

I had those View Master discs.... Was totally enthralled with them then.. The Color! The detail.!! ..!!! (We had B&W TV.....) I wish I knew what happened to them.. (???) No way I would ever have thrown them out....

[@tomshappyland2741]

I once burned an AMT model to try to make my own Constellation. I remember the distinctive smell of the plastic to this day.

[@TREK-WORLD]

😀 Me too! I heated a flat-head screwdriver to make the surface damage. And I can still smell it in my mind today. 😀

[@JamesEzell]

I was a the grand opening of the Star Trek exhibit at the Pop culture museum. Saw Denise Crosby and Brent Spiner. Don’t remember this model being on display.

[@cbspock1701]

Fascinating

[@adamkorin5863]

Wishful thinking time: The Constellation saved by someone who took it out of the trash. Shows up in the shows 60th anniversary along with The Original Space Station K-7 model. Well even 1 out of 2 would be thrilling.........

[@gavc6442]

Wow!!! That’s fascinating, I actually had no idea that existed. I’m gonna head for a visit to the pop culture museum to see this next year because of this vid.

[@TREK-WORLD]

They have quite a bit of Star Trek props there. The original Captain's Chair, costumes, etc.

[@user-un9go4qe5i]

I had the Aurora version of the kit here in the UK. I had forgotten about the water-activated transfers until now.. but now I can remember dipping them in a saucer of water to get them wet before applying! I had no idea that the ship in the episode (Doomsday Machine) was a kit, likewise I had no idea the photo on the box was of the kit, I had assumed it was a still from the series!

[@user-un9go4qe5i]

...I also had the Klingon Battle Cruiser, Mr Spock and the Viewmaster set. Over half a century ago! Time flies!

[@Mythteller]

A real hardcore trekkies wanted to do a miniature Starfleet Battles game session would be buying available AMT models in 1960s and set up glass or plexiglass stands or special ceiling hanging adjustable stands in darkening ballroom, hangar, or gymnasium with an artificial starfield light set or have the room floor covered by durable rubber canvas black hexagon sheet😎

[@Starshipsforever]

Star Fleet Battles didn't exist until the mid-70s.

[@msh6865]

Any info on the status or whereabouts of the K7 space station model or the Romulan Bird of Prey? I've long suspected the Bird of Prey was destroyed while filming the Balance Of Terror episode and that's why the Romulans supposedly used the Klingon D7 design in The Enterprise Incident.

[@TREK-WORLD]

I have seen pictures of K7 in pieces; but I'm not sure if they were taken before it was assembled, or afterwards. The BoP was destroyed by the man who made her : Wah Chang. He did a bunch of work for Desilu, and about halfway through the series they told him they were not going to pay him for anything that they still owed him.

[@JMChladek]

@@TREK-WORLD the main factor is Wah Chang wasn't a member of the union governing effects workers at the time. So after "Balance of Terror" he wasn't going to get any more work on Trek.

[@TREK-WORLD]

The union was how they were able to stop him working with Desilu. Justman was shocked when he found out that the union would not allow Wah to join. Justman had used him for years, starting with Outer Limits. But the full story of how Hollywood constantlyThe union was how they were able to stop him working with Desilu. Justman was shocked when he found out that the union would not allow Wah to join. Justman had used him for years, starting with Outer Limits. But the full story of how Hollywood consistently excluded Wah is extremely tragic. I cover the whole story; from Disney to Dennis the Menace in a video I did for our Hall of Fame.

[@MattDeckard]

I’ve been through about 3 of these, and a dozen of the refit

[@TheodoraBrass]

Any more news on the 3’ Datin model that was just discovered? 👀

[@TREK-WORLD]

Not a word since the auction. I'm thinking it may be a few months before we get a clear direction on what will happen next.

[@jphilb]

I have the Franklin Mint original Enterprise. Apparently those did not become as collectible as I thought they would be. I wonder how many were made.

[@JohnFourtyTwo]

Chances are they made too many for them to become collector’s items. They simply made their money marketing them as collector’s items by mass producing them thereby ruining any value they may have had to the customers as collector’s items. The same thing happened in the comic book industry in the ‘80s and ‘90s when comic book publishers began mass producing “collector’s editions” of comics and the customers bought them up until they realized the only reason older comics were valuable because there weren’t many left due to most were destroyed by mothers cleaning out their children’s bedroom when they went to college or they were simply thrown away because no one thought of their value in the future.

[@TREK-WORLD]

I didn’t go into it in the video, but there is a really active collector community built around the very earliest versions of the Enterprise model. The version version actually featured working lights in the saucer and nacelles.

[@TheShornak]

I used to have that viewmaster set and I always wondered why they included the scene of the you ships and not used shows from the show. I wonder if it was doe copyright purposes?

[@michaelhall2709]

No, the reason was because the original model shots were not stereoscopic, which obviously they needed to be to be compatible with View Master. I had that set myself, and it was the pride of my View Master collection, though even back then I wished they had chosen a better episode.

[@ka1sun]

I had that kit in 1973 or so the nacelles had the worst way to glue then they drooped on my oh well was still a great memory

[@dalebachman2892]

Ugggh!…. They thru the Constellation into the garbage!😢

[@Starshipsforever]

Very typical of the times. It was a quickly and cheaply put together off-the-shelf model and couldn't be used for anything else, unlike the other AMT model. A lot higher quality props and models in movie and TV history have been lost to us this way.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

Another question whatever happened to Enterprise model from Requiem for Methuselah?

[@TREK-WORLD]

Amazingly, after being lost for 50 years, it finally showed up again about two weeks ago! Here's a link to the story I did when it showed up : kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHe0nat_dpqjnrc

[@rikp]

Was there a separate model AMT used as the "master" for the Enterprise model kit? At 3:40 you mention the Klingon battlecruiser filming model being use as a master for the model kit. What was the master for the Enterprise kit? The 3-foot model? Another (presumably now lost) model?

[@nowhereman1046]

There were two Klingon model master prototypes. One was used for 3rd season FX filming, the other was used for plano-graphing the kit as the master. There appears to be no existing master of the AMT kit, just drawings based on the Jefferies plans for the studio models from which the 3 and 11 footers were made off of.

[@Starshipsforever]

@@nowhereman1046 Yup, but there's slight differences between the two master D7 models, most notably the one used for the model kit had strips on the top of the engineering hull, and a different nacelle detail arrangement.

[@nardpuncher]

Why does the model you show at 8:00 look so much sturdier and better then when we see the model in Trouble with Tribbles and the ultimate computer? I mean in both of those episodes it looks all floppy and loose

[@Starshipsforever]

The Constellation model was damaged up while the separate one used for Trouble With Tribbles was built as a proper, clean representation of the Enterprise. The model was never filmed close up, just seen off in the distance behind K-7 or through the station's office windows, so you never get a clear look at it. In hi-res screencaps, you can see there's detail on the model, such as the pennant strips, but the lit windows and nacelle hemisphere caps are too blurred out to make them out.

[@NesconProductions]

Design may have cut it in space but due to Earth's gravity models warp engines weight wasn't supported sufficiently & would droop 🙄. Built more than one of them.

[@B9M3]

NCC-1701. No bloody A, B, C, or D.

[@NCMA29]

I realise that this is Scotty's quote when he was rescued by Capt Picard. But, from a realistic point of view, no Navy in the world attaches a pennant number permanently to a warship's name. And distinguishing between different iterations of the same name is unnecessary, since the one will be retired before the next is commissioned. So there can't' be any confusion, since NCC-1701A was long gone before NCC-1701B came into being. It's handy for fans of the fictional universe, but silly in the real world. As an example, the Royal Navy has had five ARK ROYALs, the first two had no pennant, and the last three had pennant numbers 91, R09 and R07 respectively.

[@JohnFourtyTwo]

@@NCMA29I know what you mean and made the same argument with the US Navy not reusing hull numbers with a letter suffix to denote a new ship with the same name. Hull numbers are never reused within the same class ship and there have been a few instances of ships having the same hull number but they were of different class and different name. I don’t know what Gene Roddenberry’s reasoning was since he was ex-military but in the Army Air Corps instead of the Navy in WWII but he could ask a military advisor for clarification. The only time a suffix is used in the military is to denote different models of the same aircraft like F/A-18A, F/A-18B, F/A-18C, F/A-18D, F/A-18E, F/A-18F, and so forth.

[@NCMA29]

@@JohnFourtyTwo I read somewhere long ago that Gene Roddenberry was an avid aviator and he believed that forays out into space would be a natural extension of terrestrial aviation. He thus decided to make the "registry number", aka the pennant number, of his starships similar to civilian registry numbers for aircraft. That's why the ENTERPRISE has such a long and complicated number - "NCC 1701". As much as I love his creation, if this is true its rather faulty reasoning. But then I think one of the biggest mistakes the producers of Star Trek have always made is not to have a Naval consultant to ask, "does this make sense in the running of a ship?" That is how they ended up with weird pennant numbers, "night shifts", the XO always sitting around on his arse on the bridge when he ought to be getting on with his job elsewhere, lack of control of the con on the bridge, the gobsmackingly awful ENTERPRISE-D bridge - the list goes on.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Actually, the registry numbers did not come from Gene. Matt Jefferies chose the numbers when making the design . He reasoning was that since "NC" being one of the international aircraft registration codes assigned to the United States; he would just add another “C”. The 1701 numbers were chosen as the best example of a 4 digit number that could be clearly read at a distance. Numbers like 6,8,9,3 etc were too easy to confuse at a distance.

[@RichardEKranz]

So Amazing. Anyone know where the 1978 Battlestar Galactica 6ft. model is?

[@misterlyle.]

Look around; I recall somebody posted a video about its restoration years ago.

[@RichardEKranz]

Yea, I recall something like that too. I do have a ton of black and white images of the sorry state of the model posted many years ago. But with RDmoore's bastardization of BSG there'll never be a chance that the 1978 BSG would be continued.

[@Starshipsforever]

It was bought at auction in 2017 after a restoration.

[@RichardEKranz]

@@Starshipsforever Many thanks for the heads up. A private collector?

[@misterlyle.]

No mention of the recently surfaced 33 inch model?

[@TREK-WORLD]

Here's my video on the discovery of the 33inch model last week. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHe0nat_dpqjnrc

[@jeffjames4064]

I built several of those models, at least one with lit domes. It was great fun, but the worst production and structural design of a model I've ever seen.

[@grafton3073]

👍🏼👍🏼😎

[@Wrongway346]

Good job....mike m

[@stevec.7017]

I had the AMT Space Station. Was the AMT Space Station in the TV show?

[@anthonylowder6687]

No the AMT K-7 Space Station was produced in the mid 1970s with a small Enterprise included. Both were lousy and very inaccurate models as was the Romulan Bird Of Prey, Galileo 7 Shuttle Craft, Star Trek Exploration Set ( phaser, tricorder, and communicator). These were very flimsy and disappointing for the price you paid however unopened and sealed boxes are a high prized commodity for collectors today.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Actually, the K7 station was hand built by Richard Datin, the same fellow who did the Enterprise studio models.

[@stevec.7017]

Thanks

[@Starshipsforever]

@@TREK-WORLD Actually, Datin modified a station concept model that was kindly donated by the then Douglas Aircraft Corporation. It was not a from-scratch model.

[@TREK-WORLD]

Correct... Sorry about that. I didn't mean to imply it was from scratch. 😀

[@davebooshty299]

6:45 The Jefferies Tube Too Was because of him.

[@edwardevans7219]

HAD 2, FIRST,BROKE, ALL OTHERS STOLEN IN MOVE.