Star Trek: Starships Model/Magazine Subscription

[Dukhat]

I can't say I agree. While not the largest model of the collection, it's still reasonably large, its saucer being roughly the same size as its parent ship U.S.S. Clarke. And even then, I'd argue that it's one of the most detailed model of the Discovery collection thus far. The paint job is pretty sweet and the level of detail in even the obscured places below the saucer inbetween the nacelle struts is rather astonishing.

I also think it photographs rather well …

The great thing about this model is that you actually get two ships in one: the Zimmerman type tug from DSC, and the coincidentally identical late 24th century tug from PIC!

 

[thribs]

The great thing about this model is that you actually get two ships in one: the Zimmerman type tug from DSC, and the coincidentally identical late 24th century tug from PIC!

Ha! God they were so lazy in Picard. They should let the fans design the ships if they can’t be bothered.

 

[DimesDan]

According to analysis in the Facebook fan group, the Section 31 model may be larger than Earth Spacedock, perhaps as tall as the Sarcophagus is long.

Before I picked mine up and looking at photos online, I expected Spacedock to be larger than it actually is.

Ha! God they were so lazy in Picard. They should let the fans design the ships if they can’t be bothered.

Given how long Excelsior and Miranda class starships were in service, I see no issue that a ship designed to act as a tug boat would still be in use for longer than those two classes.

 

[Michael]

Here are some of the other new models I got. I hope you'll indulge me; it's just so much fun photographing them.

First up is little Jonny Archer's starship model. Eaglemoss did a pretty good job with this, I think. I love the fact that it really does sort of look like a toy. And that they actually went all the way and created a cockpit with two pilots behind the window is awesome. Hard to photograph properly, though.

Then there's the Xindi-Insectoid scout ship, which just straight up is a really cool design. The large Insectoid cruiser was one of the earliest designs in the collection, so I think it's fitting that its smaller variant is one of the last in the collection. Models adapted from Enterprise have always been some of the best in the collection, and this one doesn't disappoint either.

And then there's the Section 31 drone ship. I haven't been the biggest fan of the Section 31 storyline in Discovery's second season, but I think their ships are just awesome designs. I love the geometric, minimalistic shapes, which almost make it look like they belong in the Star Wars universe. What I also love is the fact that they managed to make them of the same design lineage.

 

[thribs]

Nice photos. Is that with photoshop?

 

[thribs]

Given how long Excelsior and Miranda class starships were in service, I see no issue that a ship designed to act as a tug boat would still be in use for longer than those two classes.

I mean with all the Picard ships. TNG had the excuse of using models which were expensive to build with their budgets. Picard has no excuse.

 

[t_smitts]

Here are some of the other new models I got. I hope you'll indulge me; it's just so much fun photographing them.

First up is little Jonny Archer's starship model. Eaglemoss did a pretty good job with this, I think. I love the fact that it really does sort of look like a toy. And that they actually went all the way and created a cockpit with two pilots behind the window is awesome. Hard to photograph properly, though.

Much like with the Captain Proton ship, I'd personally prefer that this spot was taken up by an actual ship from one of the shows or movies, rather than a model of a model, but, that said, it looks pretty good. If I ever got the chance to have Scott Bakula sign something, it would probably be the magazine for the NX-01, but this might be a close second.

Then there's the Xindi-Insectoid scout ship, which just straight up is a really cool design. The large Insectoid cruiser was one of the earliest designs in the collection, so I think it's fitting that its smaller variant is one of the last in the collection. Models adapted from Enterprise have always been some of the best in the collection, and this one doesn't disappoint either.

With the ships from "Enterprise", the likely had the advantage of going on relatively recent CG meshes, rather than going by CG recreations of physical models that were sold off a while ago.

I have the larger Insectoid ship, and I'll probably get the smaller one, at some point, but I'm still puzzled, with all the Xindi ships they did, we never got Degra's ship.

 

[DimesDan]

I mean with all the Picard ships. TNG had the excuse of using models which were expensive to build with their budgets. Picard has no excuse.

Digital assets take time and money to build.

 

[Doom Shepherd]

My Doomsday Machine has developed a fault. The LED somehow, seemingly spontaneously, no longer turns off. I can press the button that would normally turn it off, bit now it only clicks and makes the light less-bright. I tried loosening the screws in case something was pressing on it, but even with the light assembly taken out and in my hand, it doesn't turn off.

 

[thribs]

Digital assets take time and money to build.

And? So does everything else.

 

[DimesDan]

And? So does everything else.

TNG had the excuse of using models which were expensive to build with their budgets.

 

[thribs]

They are not as expensive and Picard is supposed to have a higher budget than TNG.

 

[DimesDan]

They are not as expensive and Picard is supposed to have a higher budget than TNG.

Apples and Oranges.

 

[DS9forever]

I admire The Orville for using a physical model for some VFX shots. And for hiring expert DS9 & TNG's Rob Legato.

https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/orville-a-new-seth-macfarlane-enterprise/

 

[Dukhat]

Ha! God they were so lazy in Picard. They should let the fans design the ships if they can’t be bothered.

I'm pretty sure laziness wasn't the reason that they used the Zimmermans in "Children of Mars." Rather, they were under time constraints and/or didn't have the Wallenberg model ready in time, so they used the production assets they already had for a five second establishing shot. If they were just being lazy, we wouldn't have seen any ships in CoM.

 

[thribs]

I'm pretty sure laziness wasn't the reason that they used the Zimmermans in "Children of Mars." Rather, they were under time constraints and/or didn't have the Wallenberg model ready in time, so they used the production assets they already had for a five second establishing shot. If they were just being lazy, we wouldn't have seen any ships in CoM.

That would have been preferable in that case.

 

[Dukhat]

That would have been preferable in that case.

Yes, I also would have preferred that they just not use any ships (especially since we don’t see that this Short Trek actually takes place during the PIC era until we see Picard’s face on the news screen), but I at least can’t accuse them of laziness for their attempt to show something as an establishing shot.

 

[thribs]

They could have easily taken some established ships from the First Contact era and used them. I’ve watched many videos from people who are professionals at CGI and they say it wouldn’t be that hard to do.
They might have got people more excited about it if they used a Akira or Prometheus Class vessel at the shipyards

 

[dantini]

I noticed that the EM Miranda class models have different nacelle lengths (compared to the saucer section). They're short on the regular and XL Reliant models, but long in the corresponding magazine renders. All other Miranda class ships I own (Lantree, Antares, and concept Reliant) also have the long nacelles, both on the models and in the rendered images. I think the Reliant models are based on the screen-used CGI model from DS9, while Fabio Passaro's model may have been used for the magazines because it's more detailed. Passaro also seems to have created the meshes for the other Miranda class variants and presumably based those on his own model too. But I wonder which version is accurate to the original studio miniature? The early concept sketches show the long nacelles, but I don't know if the final filming model was built to these exact specifications.

 

[t_smitts]

I must confess, I'm starting to feel a bit left behind in this area. The main line is coming to an end. While there's still a few specials I've gotten in the last few months (Cardassian weapon platform, Klingon D4 concept, Conestoga, Enterprise-F, Bonaventure, Phase II Enterprise) and a few more I hope to get soon (Reliant concept, Friendship One), there's not a heck of a lot left to look forward to.

I've never seen Discovery and don't play STO, so I don't really have any urge to get those ships. There's still a few back issues like the Prometheus, and possibly another shuttle set or two that I hope to eventually get, but it's hard to relate to everything people have been talking about here for the past few months

I don't mean to sound like I'm wallowing in self pity, of course. I've got 117 ships (counting shuttles individually and not counting the extra Enterprise-D) that I can look at, pick up, and maybe even reenact a battle or two with, whenever I want. I don't think I'd care to calculate how much I spent on these guys over the year (especially the truly horrifying amount I spent on the Enterprise-F and Bonaventure), but looking over this collection as its grown since I got my first one off ebay just about five years ago, I can honestly say they still bring me as much joy now as they did from the beginning.