launching

Once the design was chosen, the model had to be built. They chose a smaller scale than the Enterprise or Reliant models. Excelsior was a bigger ship, but a smaller model. It was roughly 7 1/2 feet long, 3 feet wide, and over 15 inches in height.

Once the exterior plans were made, construction began. But as a shooting miniature, the inside had to be designed as well. Excelsior was built of translucent fiberglass around a metal framework that allowed mounding from the bottom or either side. Everything attached to the top plate of the secondary hull. The saucer attached with three bolts through the neck and the nacelle/pylon assembly attached directly with four bolts. The ship was lit with static and running lights and then decorated with the name, registry, the Starfleet pennant, and many other little details to make it come alive and look bigger than the other ships.

Once the model was complete, it was time for her film debut.