TOS Enterprise Bridge build

Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Hi all,
I recently built my TOS Enterprise bridge model for my nephew and am posting the build process that I used.

I can definitely tell that my building is suffering due to gradually weakening eyesight (old timers). Had to use a magnifier on a lot of it. Man the camera REALLY shows all flaws that can't really be seen on the actual model! I found a few problems in the model (an errant line across one of the stations, and I need to make the outer wrap a bit longer to allow it to fit better) so you may want to let me upload the revision before downloading it.

First some preliminary stuff.

000: I bought these watercolor pencils just recently and wanted to try them out for edge coloring. They have soft leads and do not crush the edges (but you still have to be careful and move across the lead so you don't "cut" into the lead and create a groove. I also used felt markers for this project. A black and red are pretty essential for the railings, step sides, and console. You can get away with a light blue highlighter on the chairs.

001: Use a very sharp blade and cut an "X" in the small white circle for the insertion of the station chair posts later in the build. There are two intersecting red lines to use as a cutting guide.

002: Note the slight indent on the raised deck (part 3). This is to allow the insertion of optional viewer screens to fit your mood and the model's appearance.

003: On the raised deck (part 3) there are narrow white lines radiating across the black inner ring. This is used to help locate the railing supports (parts 23) later in the build. There are also white lines (picture not shown, sorry) on the two deck inside edges (parts 1 and 2) as well as on the sunken deck (part 4), the step sides (parts 14), and the stair sides (parts 17). These are used to locate the parts to form the assemblies and glue to the raised/sunken deck assembly.

004: Note that on the deck inside edges (parts 1 and 2) the end tabs are shorter than the height of the part. This to to allow for clearance of the upper tabs on those parts.

Ok, enough of this, on to the build!

Ron Caudillo
 

Attachments

  • 000 Watercolor pencils.JPG
    000 Watercolor pencils.JPG
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  • 001 Cut a small X.JPG
    001 Cut a small X.JPG
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  • 002 Cut the slight indent.JPG
    002 Cut the slight indent.JPG
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  • 003 Note the white lines for railing.JPG
    003 Note the white lines for railing.JPG
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  • 004 Note small tab.JPG
    004 Note small tab.JPG
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Last edited:

Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
The build begins...

ALWAYS TEST FIT PARTS SO YOU KNOW HOW THEY WILL FIT PROPERLY.

005: Form the deck inside edges (parts 1 and 2), bending the top tabs BACK. Glue one of these one tab at a time to the inside cutout of the raised deck (part 3), making sure you have the top of the inside edges EVEN with the cutout of the raised deck. The raised deck should not overhang the the inside edges. If you start with part 1 and glue the long part under the edge for the main viewer and work your way around, you will not mis-align it.

006: The completed first steps.

007: Fold up the sides of the sunken deck (part 4) and join them together with the joining tabs to the outside. Fold down and INWARD all of the top tabs.

008: Turn everything upside down and test fit the raised and sunken decks (if you turn them right side up, you can see what the final result will be, but they will not stay together. You will note that the top tabs of the sunken deck will fit EXACTLY inside of the raised deck inside overhang. Once you understand how they should fit, separate and glue all of the top tabs at the same time and reassemble. You will not be able to press the tabs of the sunken deck to the underside of the raised deck , but with light pressure, I have never had a problem getting a good bond.

009: Turn over and check the appearance of the two joined decks. The overhang should be evenly distributed around the inside edges.

010: Place a moderate flat weight on the assembly to help keep it flat while it dries.

Ron Caudillo
 

Attachments

  • 005 Bend tabs back.JPG
    005 Bend tabs back.JPG
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  • 006 Edge in place.JPG
    006 Edge in place.JPG
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  • 007 Sunken deck tabs face in.JPG
    007 Sunken deck tabs face in.JPG
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  • 008 Decks joined.JPG
    008 Decks joined.JPG
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  • 009 Decks joined.JPG
    009 Decks joined.JPG
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  • 010 Weight down to flatten.JPG
    010 Weight down to flatten.JPG
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Rhaven Blaack

!!!THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
It looks like you are off to a good start. I like how you are chronicling this build thread. I will be following it closely.
 

Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Next- The Command pedestal/platform and the Navigator/Helmsman console base.

011: Be sure to cut the red "X" in the white circles for the chair posts of the pedestal (part 6). Assemble the pedestal and glue into place, making sure it is set back against the inside vertical wall of the sunken deck and apply glue to the bottom, rear, and the the top of the support. Be sure all of the white of the sunken deck is covered. Fold in half and glue the platform support (part 7) onto the pedestal where indicated. Allow this to dry a bit.

Assemble the chair platform (part 8). Form the column into a cylinder and join together. Note that there is a slight dip in the top of the column, this goes to the rear when you edge glue the flat bottom of the column to the top of the platform, making sure to cover all of the white circle.

014a: Note that there are 5 fold lines that fold UP. Three of them are pointed out at the top by the knife blade and the other two are on the lower area.

014b: Fold on all of the lines and start wrapping/gluing the side.

014c and 014d: Continue on the side, matching up the top of the side with the folded up part of the top and glue in place.

014e: Continue around. I have drawn lines on this photo because it was hard to see the tabs/edges. The base is turned upside so you can see that the tab that joins the top of the front side is folded inward and glued to the underside of the top. The other side has been matched up and gued as well.
 

Attachments

  • 011 Command pedastal and support.JPG
    011 Command pedastal and support.JPG
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  • 014a Note lines to fold up.JPG
    014a Note lines to fold up.JPG
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  • 014b Fold on lines and start gluing around.JPG
    014b Fold on lines and start gluing around.JPG
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  • 014c Match up and glue side top.JPG
    014c Match up and glue side top.JPG
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  • 014d Another view.JPG
    014d Another view.JPG
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  • 014e Lines drawn for clarity Continue around tab goes inside.JPG
    014e Lines drawn for clarity Continue around tab goes inside.JPG
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  • 015 Completed console base.JPG
    015 Completed console base.JPG
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Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Next- The Navigator/Helmsman console top.

016a: Note that five of the fold lines are not very visible for the console front and sides and for the bottom of the sides that will fold up. Be sure to score them.

016b: Fold down the front and two sides and glue the side seams.

016c: Turn the console top over and fold in the bottom of the sides.

016e: Glue the insides in place.

017: The console top.

018: When assembling the console front piece (part 12), notice that there is a small protrusion on the front of the side at the bottom. This will overhang the command pedestal (part 6).

019: When I build the Red Alert indicator (part 13), I don't cut it off completely so that I hold onto something and can fold in the sides and edge glue together. (This also helps to color the edges!) When it is dry, I cut it off and then attach it to the top of the console.

021 and 022: glue the parts of the console together as shown.

023: Glue the completed assembly to the command pedestal, making sure to completely cover the white area.

Ron Caudillo
 

Attachments

  • 016a Note 3 fold lines on the black area.JPG
    016a Note 3 fold lines on the black area.JPG
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  • 016b Fold and glue down sides.JPG
    016b Fold and glue down sides.JPG
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  • 016c Fold sides inward.JPG
    016c Fold sides inward.JPG
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  • 016e Inside of console top.JPG
    016e Inside of console top.JPG
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  • 017 Console top.JPG
    017 Console top.JPG
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  • 018 Console front piece side has bend.JPG
    018 Console front piece side has bend.JPG
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  • 019 Red Alert assembly.JPG
    019 Red Alert assembly.JPG
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  • 021 Completed console.JPG
    021 Completed console.JPG
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  • 022 Completed console.JPG
    022 Completed console.JPG
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  • 023 Console in place.JPG
    023 Console in place.JPG
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Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Next- the Captain's chair (Kirk's throne...lol)

024: The three parts of the Captain's chair after assembling each of them. Notice that on part 20, the tops of the arms are not folded and glued down yet. Notice also that on part 21 that the black triangles are not folded over and glued yet either.

025: Parts 21 and 22 glued together first to form the seat. The black triangles of part 21 is now folded and glued down.

026 and 27: Glue the seat assembly down onto part 20.

028: Glue the tops of the seat arms down. The brown "wooden" portions that point back are slightly bent up to rest on the tops of the black triangles and glued down and to the sides of the seat back.

029: Apply glue to the top of the Commander's chair column (part 9) and press the chair into place.

Ron Caudillo
 

Attachments

  • 024 Captains chair parts.JPG
    024 Captains chair parts.JPG
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  • 025 Captains chair in work.JPG
    025 Captains chair in work.JPG
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  • 026 Captains chair joined.JPG
    026 Captains chair joined.JPG
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  • 027 Captains chair fold down arm tops.JPG
    027 Captains chair fold down arm tops.JPG
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  • 028 Completed captains chair.JPG
    028 Completed captains chair.JPG
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  • 029 Captains chair in place.JPG
    029 Captains chair in place.JPG
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Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Next- The steps (hope you have good eyes, a steady hand, and some good tweezers).

030a: Note there will be "notches" cut out (later) on the steps.

030b: Cut out the parts for the step assemblies (two of parts 14, one of part 15, and one of 16 for each of the side step assemblies. Two of parts 17, one of part 18, and one of part 19 for the step assembly under the main viewer. Fold each part in half and glue together. You may need to place weights on them to ensure they remain completely flat as the glue dries.

031: Cut out the steps and sides. Cut out the "notches" of the steps. This only needs to be as wide as the double thickness of the sides.

032: The parts of one of the side step assemblies. The parts for the steps under the main viewer are similar. Notice that the UPPER step is LARGER. The white lines on the side show where the steps are to be glued. Start with the side step assemblies to follow the photos then use similar procedures for the step assembly under the main viewer.

033, 034, 035, and 036a: Glue the step steps to the sides by inserting the side into the step notches. Check these photos for proper alignment of the parts. The steps should be parallel to each other and to the bottom of the sides. I find that if you let the glue set (but still remain "slightly" pliable will help you to glue the assembly into place and get the alignment correct. This way you can "adjust" the joined parts as required to make them look correct when glued into place.

036b: Glue the steps into place. The bottoms of the sides should be on the white lines of the sunken deck and the back of the steps should go over the white lines of the raised deck overhang.

037: All three step assemblies in place.

Ron Caudillo
 

Attachments

  • 030a Note notches to cut later in steps.JPG
    030a Note notches to cut later in steps.JPG
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  • 030b fold and glue steps ensure flatness.JPG
    030b fold and glue steps ensure flatness.JPG
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  • 031 Cut notches in steps.JPG
    031 Cut notches in steps.JPG
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  • 032 parts of the steps.JPG
    032 parts of the steps.JPG
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  • 033 Ensure steps are parallel with bottom.JPG
    033 Ensure steps are parallel with bottom.JPG
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  • 034 Parallel alignment.JPG
    034 Parallel alignment.JPG
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  • 035 Ensure fronts are parallel.JPG
    035 Ensure fronts are parallel.JPG
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  • 036a Completed steps.JPG
    036a Completed steps.JPG
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  • 036b Steps in place on white marks.JPG
    036b Steps in place on white marks.JPG
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  • 037 All steps in place.JPG
    037 All steps in place.JPG
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Last edited:

Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Next- The hand rails (not as bad as the steps, but can be tricky). Then the Turbolift doors, MUCH easier!

038a: Cut out the 4 small white rectangles on each of the four handrails. It is better to make them longer rather than shorter as they are used to help locate the railing supports. All of the rails are identical as are all of the railing supports.

038b: As you did for the steps, fold the parts in half and glue together. Place weights on them to ensure they dry completely flat. Then cut them all out. Be careful cutting out the railing supports, especially at the top (to make sure it is not too wide) and at the bottom to assure a 90 degree angle.

039: Working from the underside of the railings, glue each of the railing supports into the cutout notches. Make SURE the railing supports are oriented the correct way! I find that if you let the glue set (but still remain "slightly" pliable will help you to glue the assembly into place and get the alignment correct. This way you can "adjust" the joined parts as required to make them look correct when glued into place. Glue each of the rail assemblies into place onto the top and sides of the raised deck overhang where the white lines on them show where they go.

040: All rail assemblies in place. You can breath now, the worst is over!

041 and 042: Nothing special about the turbolift area except note that the vertical folds are in teh middle of the vertical black lines and to fold in the proper direction around the top and bottom faces.

Ron Caudillo
 

Attachments

  • 038a Cut out 4 small rectangles.JPG
    038a Cut out 4 small rectangles.JPG
    1.8 MB · Views: 11
  • 038b All Railing parts ready to assemble.JPG
    038b All Railing parts ready to assemble.JPG
    1.6 MB · Views: 11
  • 039 Rail assembly in white cut rectangle cut outs.JPG
    039 Rail assembly in white cut rectangle cut outs.JPG
    1.4 MB · Views: 11
  • 040 All rails in place.JPG
    040 All rails in place.JPG
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  • 041 Turbolift wall.JPG
    041 Turbolift wall.JPG
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  • 042 Turbolift wall.JPG
    042 Turbolift wall.JPG
    1.9 MB · Views: 11

Rhaven Blaack

!!!THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
This is really coming together beautifully!
The stairs that you made for it gave me an idea for the flight ladder for the original Colonial Viper (MK-I).
 

zathros

*****SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR*****
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
This model is a Gem, and to have you do a build thread for it, well, that makes it a "Sticky". :)
 

Tonino

Well-Known Member
WOW!!! I always loved this model and having the chance to see it builded by its own author... well... it's a rare opportunity!
This is the Zealot I love!
Thanks for this thread Ron, you are a Master and I'm looking your work in religious silence :)
 

ASC Mclaren

Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I recently built my TOS Enterprise bridge model for my nephew and am posting the build process that I used.

I can definitely tell that my building is suffering due to gradually weakening eyesight (old timers). Had to use a magnifier on a lot of it. Man the camera REALLY shows all flaws that can't really be seen on the actual model!

Your weakening eyes are way better then mine, because your camera showed me no flaws in your build!
 

blake7

Well-Known Member
I was totally surprised to see Ron Caudillo building his TOS Bridge! I have been watching his build since the first post in amazement. As Tonino said "it's a rare opportunity" to watch a designer of such a great model building his own model. I will keep watching till the end.
 

Ron Caudillo

Creative Advisory Consultant
Staff member
Moderator
Thanks all for the nice comments! I have the other pictures ready to continue, just need time to continue, just went on vacation.
 
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