I see. I might skip the Akula for now. I found several different images of it so I just figured I could do my own thing. But on closer look, there's a clear distinction between the Akula and other variations that use the same nacelle config. That is a larger project. I'll do the Jupp next then.
Sorry if I killed your enthusiasm for it... But when you embark on making an Akula that looks like it's KA counterpart, I have no doubt it will look fantastic!
Oh, no worries! The Saladin doesn't really exist and the Jupp is a weird kitbash. I didn't realize the Akula had a bit more thought put behind it. So I'd rather plan a bit better for it. I'll finish the two I'm working on and then do a proper take. I don't think I'll do it 1:1 to the Klingon Academy model though. That is very low poly. I'll try to adapt that model to look a bit more graceful. When I get to it, I'd appreciate any input
Some updates on the Kusanagi. Inspiration hit me last night about a couple of things. The first was the bridge section. While the old one works, I think this new one is much better. The shape is inspired by the same section on the Miranda class. It also helped make the control room better integrated. The other bit is the impulse engines. I keep getting comments that they are too large. So I came up with this housing. Makes it smaller and also gives better detailing. I'll fill the empty space between the black area and the main hull with spines, or grills, much like the torpedo launchers. And I'll also have some grills on the red glow to break it up a bit.
BTW, I was going to do the ship in a blue color scheme because I thought the green was clashing with the gold in the bridge. Turns out, it was clashing with the blue. I tried several shades of blue and nothing worked, so I just went back to the green and made the bridge bit green as well:
I'll finish the Saladin and Jupp first before tackling the Akula. That one is a slightly large project and I want to get it right. The other two can probably be finished next weekend. For now, did some more work on the impulse engines of the Kusanagi. Also still tweaking that shape from above. You can see the new windows on the bridge as well.
Some relatively major updates. I finally took a stab at doing the panel work for the bridge superstructure. Might have some minor changes to panel layout, but I think this is good. You can also see some placeholder panels for the spine. They'll have a few greebles there. I also did a new shape for the main hangar door. I think this new one looks better. Also added doors to both, but I think I'm going to completely redesign the bottom one. Right now it's just another hangar, I think for cargo it should be different. So I'm going to take a stab at doing something like the Excelsior has. Here are the latest renders:
Oh this is gorgeous, Viper! But that blank engine space on the saucer's aft is crying out for more detail. Lounge windows, arboretum windows, sensors, a robotic arm, a license plate, a Pez dispenser ... something!
I completely reworked the Cargo Bay. This is very much only a concept, so there'll be more detail here before I can call it done. It's based on the Excelsior cargo bay. Now, the back wall will have doors that lead into a actual cargo storage room. What you see is only the place where the containers are dropped off before a crane picks them up and pulls them in. The middle structure will be the control room for the traffic and crane control. Nothing is final, but let me know about shapes and stuff like that. So here are a couple of images:
I ended up not doing much this weekend as I need to take a break. But on Sunday night I did end up opening my old corridor scene and doing a couple more sections. I know I'm missing details on the corridor, namely the metal protection plates that run on the sides and also the light fixtures need work, but I'm trying to block out all the tiles. I established a box of 250cm³ where each tile fits. I also have a half tile which is 125x250x250. This should make doing a large scene a breeze since I can just position everything in a grid. Anyway, here are a couple of images. The white panels is just to test different color schemes for the Kusanagi (a name I'm thinking of changing actually) as I don't want the interiors to be exactly like the Enterprise.
I am trying move forward with the Kusanagi, but I'm hitting some design blocks. While I figure those out, I thought, why not start another project? So I spent about 3 and a half hours working on this: I do have a problem with this one. I have no idea how to tackle my idea of making it look like a starship instead of a studio model, while keeping the look of the ship more or less intact
You're not exactly the first modeler to bump up against that particular conundrum. For starters, what "look" are you trying to keep intact? How the Enterprise looked on TVs in the 1960s? How it really looked on a rare 35mm film clip from the era? Or what it looks like right now, sitting in downtown Washington, DC? And which version are you targeting? The December 1964 version when the model was fresh out of the showroom? Its appearance prior to shooting "The Corbomite Maneuver"? The "Trouble with Tribbles" version (which was the last time the model was modified during TOS production)? I'm going to assume you're at least trying to build a symmetrical model and not trying to replicate the lack of port-side detail on the studio miniature, but I try never to assume these things...! In the end, I think you'll find that the Starship Enterprise is the Rashomon of science fiction. She's beloved by millions of fans (and has been modeled by a decent percentage of them), but they all see her a little bit differently. To me, that's a feature, not a bug. I for one look forward to seeing what you come up with!