USS Enterprise (TOS)

“What is a man but that lofty spirit, that sense of Enterprise, that devotion for something that cannot be sensed, cannot be realized but only dreamed, the highest reality?”

-James T. Kirk (TOS Episode ‘Mudd, I)

This is the USS Enterprise. No bloody A, B, C, or D.

Unlike my models of the Enterprise-B, Enterprise-C, and Enterprise-D, this Enterprise is NOT 1:2800 scale and is instead scaled up to be about the same size as the other vessels in my Little Ships Collection (If you would like to print the 1701 in its tiny 1:2800 scale version, you can do so Here). The larger size allowed me to add more detail to the inner nacelles and add windows.

If you have an AMS, use the AMS or H2D profile to make the model really pop. I found that Bambu PLA Light Gray was pretty close to the onscreen color but I used some weathering powders to add some wear and tear to make it more like the filming model. I have also included a single color profile that you can display as is or paint to your liking.

Challenges:

One of the real world design requirements for the 1701 model was to build something that would only work in zero gravity. After printing dozens of prototypes, I can tell you Matt Jefferies nailed it. This was the most difficult model for me to cut and print in a reliable way that maintained quality. The result has more parts and seems than I would prefer, but assembly is still pretty straightforward.

Pegs are unique and will only fit into the parts they are designed for. (Saucer peg is a rectangle, Stardrive peg is a large triangle, nacelle pegs are tiny triangles). You WILL need glue. The pegs are only to help you align the parts of the ship to make gluing easier. The pegs alone will not hold the ship together.

The nacelles taper slightly inward, meaning the front nacelle parts are NOT interchangeable. To help avoid confusion, I inverted the triangle peg hole on one so that the left will only go on the left and the right will only go on the right.

You should not need glue to attach the ship to the base, so you can skip that if you want to retain the option to remove the Enterprise and fly it around your office. (Please note: the warp core on this model is NOT operational and the model will not move under its own power).

Assembly:

Tolerance Advisory: I recently replaced my P1S with an H2D. I discovered that the gaps for assembly pegs that I had found effective with the P1S are now far too loose when printed with the H2D. I reduced the gap somewhat but did not 100% dial it in out of concern that the pegs would not fit when printed on other machines. As a result, the pegs may be loose, but should still function as guides for gluing parts together.

1. Assemble the saucer by inserting the rectangle peg. Test the fit prior to adding glue, rotating the peg to find the most snug orientation.

2. Insert and glue the to Nacelle pegs to the Aft Stardrive section. One triangle will point up, the other will point down. Both are identical so it doesn’t matter which triangle goes where.
3. Test fit the front nacelles before applying glue. If the nacelle front has the three ridges (circled) pointing down, it is in the right place.

4. Insert and glue the large triangle into one side of the Stardrive (it does not matter which side)
5. Test fit the two Stardrive sections before applying glue.

6. Apply glue to the saucer and attach to the Stardrive. Hold together to ensure saucer remains straight while drying.

7. Remove the brace from the nacelles. This should simply twist off.

8. Press the nacelle inserts into each nacelle. They are identical and can be installed in either nacelle. You may use glue but probably will not need to.
9. Boldly go.