Klingon K'Tinga 1/537 Study Model Build Update 1

Greetings!

This is a new series of entries on the larger project I mentioned in the Retro Review of the K'Tinga kit, and is a pre-cursor for something else.  The whole purpose of starting this build is to have a paint subject for my 1:350 scale Klingon K'Tinga which I got for Christmas.  What a beautiful model kit!!  But this is the kit that came before and I'm building up a Round 2 re-pop that came out a few years ago.

UNBOXING

The parts didn't change at all with this kit from the original except for the stand and the socket for the rod in it.  I first opened this up 5 years ago in case anyone is keeping track with the previous entry.

This is what you get, 3 bags and a small decal sheet.

Part count like many kits of this era are low, 31 parts exactly plus the base and rod for the stand.

COMPARISON

I decided to compare this kit with TOS Klingon D7 (1:650 scale) model I have...

I built both of these models as a kid in the 80's and 90's and I remember their proportions were similar, but just how similar.  The K'Tinga is listed at 1/537 scale where as the D7 is 1/650.  Essentially the K'Tinga is a upgraded version of the D7 for the films much like the TOS Enterprise was refitted for the TOS movies, but the lines of the hull were much different.  Let's see how the K'Tinga and D7 compare...

1/650 D7 on the left, 1/537 K'Tinga on the right

I was pretty surprised how close the main body of the Klingon ship of both classes are basically the same.  Light blue is the TOS D7 and the green one is of course the K'Tinga.

The engineering section of the K'Tinga model appears greatly bigger but I always felt this was disproportional to the studio model.

The neck for both has the same girth but you can see the K'Tinga is elongated by about at least an inch!

The 'bulb' which I think is the most inaccurate section of this model is virtually the same size in profile as the D7.

From the bottom you can see how disproportionate the K'Tinga (top, old broken model I built in the late 80s).  The K'Tinga bulb isn't as wide as the D7 version.

The Bridge section is virtually identical (ellipsis and domed cylinder) meanwhile the D7 is actually larger here!

From the bottom, you can really see the size difference.

Using a bit of math here and photoshop, I've compared what 1:650 should look like to 1:537 and how it should size up.

It's pretty close.  You can see that scaled up, the D7 is larger than the 1:537 scale K'Tinga which is what I hypothesized.

1:350 K'Tinga comparison...

As I previously mentioned, the purpose of building this model is to test painting techniques for the larger 1:350 kit which was released in November 2018 by Round 2.

1:350 K'Tinga, 1:537 K'Tinga, 1:650 D7

What's really noticeable is how the neck droops on the old AMT kit.  This was a problem with many of the models of this era, very difficult to built them aligned properly without heavy modification.

Comparison of the engineering sections.

And the bridge section.

Scaling up the 1:537 to the 1:350 K'Tinga you can see the differences.  The 1:350 is supposed to be 1/2 scale model of the studio model, making it 1:187 scale at about 4 feet long.

The 1:650 scale D7, sized up is pretty much bang on to the 1:350 K'Tinga which is what I expected it to be.

CONCLUSIONS

I think the 1:537 K'Tinga and 1:650 D7 are the same size as the K'Tinga studio model was supposed to be, but the proportions are quite off.  The 1:537 K'Tinga has a special place in my heart as it was the only 'movie' version of the Klingon ship for decades and I grew up building it many times.

Despite it's flaws, it does build a nice, highly detailed model, one that was even used in DS9 as background ships supposedly.

That will wrap up this entry, until the next time!  To see the pre-update, check out this link:

https://fordosmodels.blogspot.com/2019/01/retro-review-klingon-battle-cruiser-pre.html

Happy Model Building!

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan blog (production) is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made blog intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.

Retro Review: Klingon Battle Cruiser!! - pre-build update for a BIG project...

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Did you have a good New Years?  I did!  Thank goodness 2018 is over, although it was largely a good one, time for a renewed sense of optimism for the future.

So this is a bit different, it's not an update but a review of a kit I recently acquired, a 1979 Vintage Klingon Cruiser from Star Trek The Motion Picture.  About 2 years ago I did a similar entry for the Vulcan Shuttlecraft https://fordosmodels.blogspot.com/2017/01/retro-review-vulcan-shuttlecraft.html

I feel this entry is appropriate as this year will be the 40th anniversary of the release of Star Trek The Motion Picture.

The callout on the front of the box.

'Quality molded in a way which will allow the younger modeler to build an attractive model without painting.'  Well, when I was a young modeler, this was true, but I think both Round 2 and Bandai have really cornered the market I feel in terms of releasing kits with multiple coloured sprues.

A sign of the times with the hanging method as a display option.

And the best part of this box art is pictures of the studio model, but truncated.

And this I love, a picture of Spock and Kirk with an early version of the Enterprise Refit, also known as the Taylor/Dow Refit Enterprise which doesn't have the internal spotlights and TOS styled bridge and sensor dome on the bottom of the primary hull.

Inside the box, the first thing that stood out for me was the vintage promotional art.  I have one of these from an old USS Enterprise AMT Refit from TMP, often referred to as a smoothie.

So here are the parts laid out.  What's interesting to me is that it's molded in battleship grey.  The kits I got in the 80s (in Canada) were a light blue, much like the TOS Klingon D7.  I had heard some of these kits were released in many different colours, even including black, much like the current 1/350 K'Tinga.

And the instruction sheet which at the time used to show the parts layout, much like Revell kits.

And of course, the rub-down transfers and the holographic stickers.

THE COMPARISON...

So here is the vintage kit in comparison to current Round 2 re-release.

Here are a direct comparison of the parts.  No changes here, but anything missing here just fell off the sprue.

This is the only sprue/part that did change, the lower main hull.

The new part omits this part, the burnishing tool for applying the rub-down transfers.

The other major change is the new stand system for the model vs. the original one.

The original stand is on the left and the standard large Round 2 stand on the right.

vintage K'Tinga

new re-release K'Tinga

You can also see a dramatic height difference too.  

Here are the decal comparison with the new version on the bottom.

Instructions comparison

original

re-release

original

re-release

That will wrap up this entry, until the next time!

Happy Model Building!

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan blog (production) is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made blog intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.

Retro Review: Vulcan Shuttlecraft

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Did you have a good New Years?  I did!  Thank goodness 2016 is over, time for a renewed sense of optimism for the future.  I shoulda known 2016 would be a challenging one with personally the worst New Years Eve celebration I've ever been to a year ago, but thank god that is over and so much so, the past...history...over!  2016 wasn't all bad, it's been the best professionally in years, and personally gratify too ;) (from February onwards)  and challenging in a good way with my coolest build to date, USS Olympia which I started back in December 2015.

So this is a bit different, it's not an update but a review of a kit I recently acquired, a 1979 Vintage Vulcan Shuttle from Star Trek The Motion Picture.  Earlier this year, I did a similar review of a 1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A model kit here.

Listed below are it's 'features':

And photos of the studio model

 

side box art

Although not stated, this is 1/187 scale, which is half of a 1/350 scale, or double depending on which way you would be looking to size up or down.  Good reference for anyone building a 1/350 Refit and wishing to sculpt a 1/350 Warp Shuttle to go with it. ;)  This particular kit is made by Matchbox, in conjunction with AMT, prior to AMT merging with Ertl the following year.  A dead giveaway that it's a Canadian release are the required by law English/Français language on the packaging and the dual measurements in both Imperial and Metric.  As a 'Canuck', I use both, mostly feet and inches for building material measurements (including models), and the metric system for everything else (temperature, weight, distance, etc.)

When you open up the model, this is what you get.  Yes, I opened up this originally sealed model.  I believe it was factory sealed as the condition of the plastic is really good.  If I didn't open it, it would hardly be a review.  Also, I look at these vintage kits as something that needs to be both honoured and used as intended.  I photograph all of my builds (I have been since I was a long-haired, guitar wielding teen), so that and my blog entries are how I document this.  At the end of the day, this is a hunk of plastic, in a cool form.  In terms of building this kit, I'm not sure what my plans are currently.

this is what you get when you open up the box 

Back in the day, AMT experimented with rub-down transfers vs. waterslide decals.

And 'rainbow effect' stickers.  These are actually cool in their own right.  Not appropriate for a studio accurate model.

FAST FORWARD TO...2009

In 2009, Round 2 re-released this classic kit, and would continue to each and every year release a classic vintage AMT or Polar Lights Star Trek kit as they acquired the license to reproduce these kits.  And they've done an amazing job largely speaking.  Their original kits, like the 1/350 TOS USS Enterprise is a work of art, as is Space 1999's 22" Eagle Transporter (both future builds on this blog).

1979 on the left, 30 years later, 2009 on the right

When you open up the primary bag in the kit and lay out all the parts, you get four 'trees'.  I'm comparing it with the 2009 kit which was moulded in mauve.  (There was a article on Round2's website called 'Pretty In Mauve' which detailed the assembly of this model.)

the original model was moulded in white; the new release moulded it in mauve (pink)

The first tree is identical which holds main body of the warp sled, the docking port and the 'burnisher' for the rub down transfers.

the new kit prints in ink the copyright info

this is the burnisher

which is broken off in the 2009 kit

Here is a direct comparison of the 2nd tree.

The old kit contained the 'standard base' of it's time, a triangular 2-piece base, vs. the 4 piece base with metal rod and articulating connection.

here is the new kit tree overlaid over the old

The 3rd tree has a modified part.  The newer kit uses a set of magnets to keep the crew cabin attached to the warp sled.

These are the indentation for the magnets.

The 4th and final trees.  At a glance these are the same.

On closer inspection, the old kit has soft details for the warp engines.  It looks like a re-sculpted part.
Looking a some studio references say the original may be more accurate that way.  It would have been nice to have a clear version, but that's what the aftermarket Trek modellers are for.

Looking a some studio references, the new version is a dramatic improvement.  It would have been nice to have a clear version to light it up, but that's what the aftermarket Trek modellers are for.

from Star Trek The Motion Picture

DECALS

Clearly the new sheets which come with the Round 2 repackaged model is considerably far more detailed than the original rub down transfers and stickers.

The new kit gives you names for three Vulcan shuttles: Surak, T'Pau and Sak Ar.

The original transfer only has the name for Surak.

 In addition to the Vulcan names, the newer kit also has Federation markings for shuttle Herschel and Hailey, from the Refit Enterprise.

When I built my Warp Shuttle in 2010, I named mine Shepard, after Alen B. Shepard who was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts and the first American to be launched into space.

INSTRUCTION SHEET

The instruction sheets back in the 70s were quite simple and standardized.

One thing I really liked it showed a layout of the model kit parts with callouts for each part number.

On the inside, it's quite primitive but straightforward.

There were no instructions for painting or decal placement as you referred to the studio model pictures on the box as a guide.

Comparing the two instruction sheets, I noticed that it appears Round 2 has basically photoshopped the original line drawings and adapted them to the new instructions.

Original on top, new on bottom

new instructions on top, old on bottom

Final assembly is quite similar - even the opening for the rod/peg is the same diameter, funny enough.  The original instructions gives you a suggestive 'thread' hanging display option.

And finally the instructions for the decals.  Very Detailed.

This is what you get with the original for decal placement and paint guide.

Overall, if you ever come across the original model kit, it builds a very nice kit.  You can get upgraded decals online from Starship Modeller in their download section and print off on decal paper.

Happy model building!

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan blog (production) is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made blog intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.  Any and all pictures, screen caps used are for educational uses under fair use.