Russ Simpson

Russell "Russ" Willard Simpson was a model maker employed in 1978 by Magicam, Inc. who contributed to the production of . Partaking in the construction of the various studio models the company was tasked to build, such as the work bee, his most signature contribution was the build of the new drydock model after the Star Trek: Phase II version was discarded. Simpson was appointed lead modeler on its construction. 
==Career outside Star Trek==
Having only one other recorded motion picture credit to his name, as "miniature window manufacturer: miniature effects" for The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Simpson left the motion picture industry in the early 1990s. A train enthusiast, he started his own business around 1993, Simpson Products Company, that was located in Placerville, California, designing and manufacturing scale train miniatures. 
He first started his own business, producing miniature trains to scale as a teenager, at 14, according to his wife. This continued through the rest of his life. He was producing various products at his Placerville location several years prior to the start of the above-mentioned business in 1993. One of his products was custom pool cues; he was a masterful pool player. He did custom work for those around the globe who knew of him, such as specific train models and other custom items, and helped consult on problems for other model-makers (such as in the movie industry). Per Nancy A. Gilbert, Simpson was an independent and understated genius at what he did, and ran his company until his death.
Russ Simpson died from a cerebral hemorrhage after many years of self-treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes, with associated problems.
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Category:Special and Visual effects staff