FLEETYARD STAR TREK modeling blog: August 2018

23 Aug 2018

Star Trek 2009 & Into Darkness Phaser

New created weapons for the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies (Kelvin Timeline). I bought them a while ago.

Star Trek (2009) Movie Phaser

The replica has been cast from a first-generation master of the screen-used Phaser. Its solid polystone core is precision metal-plated in several finishes: steel, gunmetal, aluminum block and chrome (to create an exact match of the actual hero phaser used in the movie).

At the end the Phaser got a brighter top in the movie.

screencapture by trekcore.com (Star Trek 2009)

Star Trek Into Darkness Movie Phaser

Using the same molds, the manufacturer created a stunning replica. The hero props in the movie have a servo-powered spinner to change the intensity setting from "stun" to "kill." The spinner on the prop replica turns manually and gently locks in place.

The Star Trek Into Darkness Phaser Replica solid polystone core enrobed in metal plating with several finishes: brushed aluminum, gun metal, and chrome.

The Into Darkness Phaser colors are very well based on the original.

screencapture by trekcore.com (Star Trek Into Darkness)

The Phasers in comparison

19 Aug 2018

The size of the Vulcan Cruiser from Star Trek Discovery

The Vulcan cruiser was a type of small starship used by the Vulcans in the 23rd century. It was capable of landing on a planetary surface.

The Starship Collection magazine indicates a length of 142m for the Vulcan Cruiser. This seems surprisingly big in relation to what you see in the DIS episode "Lethe".

screencapture by startrekvulcanology.blogspot (DIS "Lethe")

Sarek is 1.81m tall. Applying this size on the side view of the Vulcan Cruiser, then you get a length of 43.35m for the ship.

schematic by Starship Collection

Considering that the ship can land and can be flown by only one person, this seems much more plausible than 142m.

Due to the height of 1.81m I have drawn a normal room height of 2.5m. This fits very well with the visual appearance of the cockpit and implies that the shuttle could have two decks.

screenshot by memory-alpha.fandom.com (DIS: "Lethe")

8 Aug 2018

How long is the Klingon voDIeH class? (alternate timeline Negh'Var)

The Klingon voDIeH class ship miniature was originally created for TNG "All Good Things", using the central portion of the Vor'cha class model, as the comparison of the dorsal and ventral views of the two ships demonstrates.
The Negh'Var was a modification of the original "future Klingon ship" studio model, which was designed by Rick Sternbach as a modified version of the Vor'cha class model.

redesign sketch of the Vor'Cha class by Rick Sternbach

Distances can be measured by means of the physical laws of optics.
For that I have made a calculation using the vanishing point in the screenshot of the episode from TNG "All Good Things".
With the help of the green lines, I have chosen two corner points on the voDIeH class, which are exactly opposite. Where the lines intersect lies the vanishing point.
To calculate the length, the blue lines (starting from the vanishing point) must run to the Olympic class. The Olympic class should be almost at the same angle and elevation to the voDIeH class.
Because the USS Pasteur flies a bit further ahead, as measuring points I have used the stern of the Olympic class and the bug of the voDeH class.
The blue lines now mark an area on the voDIeH class.

With this marking I have created a size chart to calculate the length of the voDIeH class.

The blue lines mark the area on the voDeH class which is covered by the Olympic class. This results in a length of 495m for the voDIeH class. Incidentally, this fits very well with the identical components of the Vor'Cha class (red lines) which were used to build the voDIeH class studio model.

visual impression on screen:

The voDIeH class can only be seen twice. Once in TNG "All Good Things" and once in VOY "Endgame". The visual impressions also go very well with what you see on screen.

The USS Rhode Island (Nova class variant) is a small short-range science vessel. The size of the saucer section corresponds to that of the voDIeH class.

screencapture by trekcore.com (VOY "Endgame")

6 Aug 2018

Turntable for Model Kits

To paint and airbrush a model kit a TV turntable is a very useful help. With it you can rotate the model without touching it constantly.

Advantages:

you can put your hand on the turntable to paint details with a steady hand (e.g. windows, thin lines, small markings, ...)
a crepe as a base protects the model from scratches
the model can be rotated quickly and easily 360 °
for applying decals, the rotation is very useful

3 Aug 2018

The Size of Deep Space Nine

The cardassian space station Deep Space 9, originally known as Terok Nor, was one of the most historically, politically, and strategically important space stations in the Alpha Quadrant during the second half of the 24th century.

"Rick Sternbach's drawings for a four-foot miniature (six-foot as built) specify a scale of 70 feet to an inch, resulting in a conceptual diameter of roughly 3,360 feet (1,024 meters)."

(drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/05/17)

The premise for all my deck calculations: a deck is 2.5m + 0.5m for EPS cables, power cables, ... = 3m height for a deck. Deep Space 9 has 4m (3m deck high + 1m access tunnel - The Federation equivalent of the access tunnel was the Jefferies tube.)

schematic by Doug Drexler (DS9 Technical Manual)

schematic by universostartrek.com

Cardassian access tunnel:

screencapture by trekcore.com (DS9 "The Muse")

With the information about the position of the decks on the station I have calculated a diameter of 986m for Deep Space Nine.

That also fits with many visual impressions from the show.

schematic by universostartrek.com

Runabout: 23,1m

The Runabout Pad measures 35.8m (with a diameter of 986m for Deep Space Nine). A Runabout is 23.1m long. On the Runabout Pad is a area of 6.35m in front of and behind the Runabout. This also corresponds to the visual impression in the series.