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Hi all,

Recreating models from that movie is not a easy task. What are doing Scott Alexander, Ian Walsh and Times Slip Creations is fantastic, and I see more of a act of memory in this than a simple play of youthful modelers.

But what I am seeing is that everybody is "assuming" this and that and what I am saying is nobody can't tell for sure at least. There are three parts in the problem : 1. What would be the size of a real Discovery ? 2. What were the sizes of the two models ? The only sure data is that the interior sets NEVER match the exteriors, even when they bear the name of Kubrick, and it is the part 3.

What amazes me is the fact that some put so much considerations to the original blueprints (as the ones Scott possesses), knowing that modelers interpret with their manner the drawings. To have been professional model maker, I can say none of the drawings is a Bible, moreover in the SFX field where two men give two (close)result on the same thing. You certainly noticed the differences between the two models of the Discovery, isn't it ?! So one can wonder how Kubrick could let pass such errors, him which was so fastidious

For part 1. I always asked me how big sized actors as Keir and Gary could enter in a 6 feet diameter pod ball, with their boots and big helmet on the heads, not saying the garniture inside the pod ?! It seams the diameter pod to be undersized If Pod is 180cm to 2m diameter, comparing to the command module, this big ball is about 10 m diameter, based on measurements taken from movie stills (I am assuming too myself !). By measuring the size of the CM with the rest of the ship (based on the small and giant models. By this method, if the diameter of the Pod is bigger (that of which I am almost certain despite my critic) , the CM is smaller. You notice that I don't use supposed scale or size of that models), by the way the lengh of the Discovery would be about "only" 90 m ! Far away from the 600 or 700 feet in the advertisings, or the 360 feet coming from some.

Now, for the part 2, the sizes of the models. Those "feet" are English, US or French based ?! It is a joke, but it is difficult to use this measurements since the "metric system" is solid and accurate. No, I do not want especially to be wounding and polemize, but the metric system is easier to use. What were the lenghs of the 2 models ? 54', 55', 60', 11', 13', 15' ? Nobody ever will know, not even people who worked on the original models because none of them took the trouble to measure them EXACTLY at time. What we can have are assumptions and estimates, and not established facts.

Part 3. It is the synthesis of all of that : as the interiors don't match the exteriors, we have three results : a scale for the models, a scale for the sets and a scale for the ones who want to put sets in the models (as recreating pod bay using reference materiel, or the centrifuge which was enough large to be itself a vessel) !

For my part, the simplest is the better : I see a man beside the pod (and I agree with half with Scott : a man of 5,8 or 6' does not a big difference), the pod beside the CM and the CM compared to the remainder of the vessel. That all. To want absolutely to recreate with the millimetre close the supposed dimensions of the studio models is illusory. Knowing that, the modelers are composed of three groups : the ones that want to recreate the "real beast", the ones for the studio models, and the ones that try to put something inside something.

Everyone is right and everyone is wrong at the same time by mixing the kinds. It is enough to find its way to be right !
Thank you for you patience.

Hi Steven,
Thank you for your comments. We agree on the fact that a Pod is higher than adlmit until now, that is a progress. What I would say is that we are more than a way to found the length of the Discovery. But one thing can be sure : the ratio between the pod and the CM diameter. Other measurements or given data are source of errors. For the ratio, I have the chance to possess VERY big photographies of some stills (about 70x40 cm), and specialy the pod facing the CM. I will take new measurements and I will gave you the results. This is, to me, the only way to get the avarage length of the Discovery (average only, because we use TWO models : the big CM and the small entire little one for ratio, and we can accept for sure that the two models were quite different). I repeat, only by this method.
Wait, I come back ! Thank you all.

TMA-01

I come back with the measurements, and I was wrong : the photographie I have is not 70x40 cm but 97x43 ! The CM printed on it is 52cm diameter and the Pod facing it is 10 cm. As the picture shows the Discovery by his side, we can be pretty sure that there is no problem of parallax. By this, the ratio CM/Pod is 52 : 10 = 5,20 (about 1/5), as I statued before, and not 1/6. With such photographie size, we can't be closer for the ratio.
We all agree (including our friend Stargazer) that the Pod is about 2 m diameter (and certainly a little more. But I let you decide the numbers that go after the comma), and the ratio CM/total lenght of 1/9 (or about).

So, we have ; 2 x 5,20 = 10,40 (10,5 to be neat), saying that the CM diameter is not 12 m. And 10,5 x 9 = 94,50 m.

Resume :
CM : 10,5 m diameter (or about)
Lenght : 95 m (or about)

A very good compromise with what Steve statued (in the higher data) and what I thought before (in a smaller data). But this what I think, and I respect your datas and work.

Concerning the size of the original models, I let you polemize. The models disappeared for a long time, and you know what I think of the plans, drawings, blueprints and the lack of rigour of testimonys (I've read the width of the centrifuge was 6 m, and on another source 3 m, this in different books /magazines for the same thing !). By using ratios that are given for sure, the important is to know the (average only) size of the "real" beautiful Discovery, isn't it ? No matter what the super exact sizes of the originals models were, we certainly will never know. What I expect is to found accurate replicas of this majestous ship we are all dreaming on. May our resaarches and work to be usefull for all.

Yours,
TMA-01