Fordo's Models: March 2014

The USS Faragut, NCC-1647. A Constitution Class (Starship Class) fictional spaceship from the original Star Trek series which was mentioned in an episode called "Obsession" where a young Lt. James T. Kirk served on this ship encountering some space-dwelling alien cloud. So here is the ship:

Now for the size - only 7" long!!!

And here's the really kicker, I started this model in 2000! I came across it last year, already built in another model box, with some sections hand painted, long awaiting it's base colour.

This little model was part of an old set which featured a little USS Enterprise, a Klingon Battle Cruiser and a Romulan Bird of Prey.

(original box art - fair use as I don't have the box any more)

It appears that the model(s) were pantographed using the larger 1/650 model kits as the USS Enterprise model contains all of the inaccuracies the larger model has, including raised grid lines. For my build I had chosen (in 2000) to represent this model as a 'pilot version' as you can see with the raised bridge and smooth end caps on the nacelle.

The above picture show one of many times I had to re-glue the port nacelle on the model.

I had to also sand down, and wash the model of any residue, old paint and primed it gray. Unfortunately the model is missing it's deflector dish.

For size comparison, here are 3 scales: 1/650 AMT/R2 Reissue, 1/1000 Polar Lights and this little gal at 1/1600.

One part I had to scratch build was the shuttle bay. The kit part lacks detail and is smooth. Also, I had to add all of the navigational 'bumps' (lights) by using bits of sprue, sanded down.

As this is a 'pilot version' (main differences are an oversized bridge, an oversized deflector dish, different end caps, painted/vs. illuminated windows and 'spikes' on the front caps, AKA Bussard Collectors). I used pieces of fiber optic cable, heated the end to create a bulb and with a micro sized drill bit, drilled through the front of the nacelles with a bit of hot glue to hold them in place. Regular model cement eats fiber optics (learned that lesson the hard way, many times).

Once I was happy with an a car body smooth finish, I started to add the remaining details. For the Bussard Collectors I painted them copper as a base coat and add clear red to the top which gives it some depth. The messy clear red was cleaned up later on.

The decals - custom made with a bit of help using existing plans of the USS Enterprise available online. The font is called Airborne and this was all done in Photoshop and printed on clear decal film. I did get a bit of help using some other decals as reference and adjusting for the size. The trickiest one to apply were the 3 concentric rings on the underside of the saucer.

Printing your own decals is not an exact science, especially in the application. You need to spray decal bonder onto the printed decal film so the decal doesn't wash away. Too much makes a durable decal but will leave a thick layer of film. Too little and the decal will tear. I ended up using close to a whole sheet putting the 100 or so markings (windows included) on this tiny model. I also had to use special magnifying goggles to get everything straight. Once I was happy with that, I still had one remaining task - building the dish.

I used a left over 1/1000 scale 'series' dish and sanded it down to the approximate shape. I then used a piece of 1/16" or 1/32" (unsure) brass as the shaft and needle.

The grey splotches are from a primer can which exploded...

A little bit of hot glue nicely forms a backing. The black 'ring' is a tiny piece of shrink tube, layered over the shaft. For the tip i used a tiny amount of Tulip fabric paint.

In final clean up on the model, I learned a valuable lesson. There were water marks all over the model and rinsing it under cool, clean water wasn't helping. So I thought about using a tiny bit of white vinegar to clean the model. It did a great job, but it removed some decals too...

So back to Photoshop...

These next few images aren't exactly canon with the original series and are contemporary with the feature films, these are to represent a docking port on the port side of the ship. Since on the original series only the starboard side of the ship was ever photographed and finished, we never saw the port side. Watching enough Star Trek over the years, every ship has a docking port on the port side, so these decals are to represent them. (Geeky detail, I know.)