Jayru (JSnaith's) 3D Trek

[JSnaith]

Right,,,

Busy day today, more parts for the laptop are arriving at some point between now and 1pm (A bezel to replace the one I broke, and 1TB expansion card). The new kitchen is also arriving today before 1pm. The bits of the bathroom that are left over, and in one case the wrong bit, are being picked up before 1pm.

I could make my way upstairs and use the Big Rig and work on the Apollo, but once I am up there, I am stuck there, unless my partner stops work and helps me down. Because I'm waiting patiently for things to arrive, it's going to arrive at the same time, isn't it - at 1pm, lol

Plan of attack when I do get back to the Big Rig, some minor details to be added to the Apollo. Some renders of just how big that deck 1 dome is, and why a TMP Bridge module rattles in it, and work on the shuttles and hanger bay will start. That will be after all these deliveries, which as I say, are likely to arrive at the same time, at 1pm *sigh* *laugh*

So, I guess that means more later.

 

[JSnaith]

Oberth-Class Redesign — Why 250m Is the Better Fit
The oft-cited 120m length for the Oberth-class has long conflicted with both on-screen visuals and internal logic. This 250m reinterpretation restores credibility and aligns the ship with Starfleet’s evolving design language:

• Functional Saucer Shuttlebays: The three saucer-mounted bays are now fully realised — each with enough volume for shuttle operations, maintenance access, and crew corridors.
• Interior Realism: At 250m, the ship supports proper deck heights, viable crew quarters, and modular research pods — essential for a vessel intended as a scientific platform. This brings it in line with other mid-scale ships like the Miranda-class (243m), which balance compact size with mission flexibility.
• Lore-Aware Justification: This could represent a late-model Oberth or a post-refit subclass — akin to how the Excelsior-class evolved into the Enterprise-B variant, or how the Nebula-class adapted Galaxy-class components into a more compact frame. Starfleet’s history is full of iterative hulls under a shared class name.
• Screen-Accurate Presence: Visually, the Oberth often appears larger than its listed specs — especially when docked near stations. A 250m length better matches these proportions, much like how the Defiant-class was later retconned to be larger than originally stated due to similar visual inconsistencies.

This isn’t just a scale tweak — it’s a structural revalidation of the Oberth’s role as a nimble, mission-flexible scientific explorer. It now fits comfortably within the design lineage of Starfleet’s mid-tier vessels, without sacrificing its unique silhouette. It's also very logical. The reasoning behind science ships being tiny has never been fully explored or explained. A science ship, by its very nature, should have multiple labs and additional sensor arrays. It would have a larger science complement in order to carry out dedicated science missions and be geared more towards exploration than anything else. Fitting weapons on the frame does not break canon - most TNG science ships were seen to be armed. Not heavily, but enough in order to defend themselves. Naturally, these ships would have better shields, allowing them to operate near hazardous anomalies. These ships would have to stay out in the field without support from Starbases and other ships, so they would need to have generous fuel supplies and crew facilities.

There is just no justification for science ships having to be small. It is an attitude that doesn't fit with Starfleet's resentedra - "to seek out new life and civilisations."

More later.

 

[JSnaith]

Let's talk shuttles. I have ideas for names that would fit with Apollo, but the question is - which base frame to choose?

Option 1 - TMPish with nacelles;

Option 2 - TMPish (no nacelles);

Option 3 - TFFish;

Thoughts welcome. Ignore the current livery on them, I will, of course, match it with the Apollo.

 

[TOMFAN]

Number 3!

 

[blssdwlf]

Option 3

 

[B.J.]

"Three, m'lord!"

 

[JSnaith]

I'm leaning towards Option 3 myself. I feel I may have overused the other two. And no, I don't plan on building a new shuttle class just for this ship! Scale wise they all sit nicely with the ship, and having three bays to play with is going to be "interesting" - anyways, I shall wait and see if anyone else has anything to say. Not going to be able to do any work on the big rig this afternoon as someone has stolen my chair *sigh*

So, more tomorrow.

 

[Anthony Scott]

Speaking of sizing and scaling, Venom Geek Media put out an excellent treatise on the Romulan Bird of Prey that seems germane to the Oberth:

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[JSnaith]

A gaggle of shuttles for the Apollo, all tidied up, right livery, named, and retextured:

More soon :-)

 

[JSnaith]

The question of size:

All ships (and a shuttle) are shown to scale with each other.

And that led to these:

Comments welcome, more later.

 

[knightgrace]

Yes , she is, coming along nicely.

 

[blssdwlf]

Very interesting. Your scaled up Apollo is about the same size as the large TNG version

 

[caveat_imperator]

I like shuttle option 2.

 

[B.J.]

Appropriate shuttle names!

That three view is almost misleading depending on which one you're looking at. Looks big from the side, comparable from the front, and almost small from above.

 

[knightgrace]

Option 2, with a warp sled. Plus other options.

 

[JSnaith]

Yes , she is, coming along nicely.

Indeed. I'm thinking of adding a few more details above the impulse engine. We shall see.

Very interesting. Your scaled up Apollo is about the same size as the large TNG version

Was there a separate model used in TNG, or was it the TSFS model redressed for TNG? THis is the one of the issues I pointed out early in this build, in TNG the Oberth is a much bigger ship.

I like shuttle option 2.

Well, I've gone with 3.

Appropriate shuttle names!

That three view is almost misleading depending on which one you're looking at. Looks big from the side, comparable from the front, and almost small from above.

Yep, had fun delving through Greek legends to find the right names.

Yes, this build is quite deceptive. She looks massive unto you see her from above, and then you realise just how small she is against a Constitution.

Option 2, with a warp sled. Plus other options.

See option one, which has a warp configuration that would be able to land in the ship. The Warp Sledge, as seen in TMP, is just too big for this frame. Plus, I've gone for option 3 ;-)



More later

 

[JSnaith]

The beginnings of the hangar... and the side cargo holds;

More later

 

[knightgrace]

Indeed. I'm thinking of adding a few more details above the impulse engine. We shall see.



Was there a separate model used in TNG, or was it the TSFS model redressed for TNG? THis is the one of the issues I pointed out early in this build, in TNG the Oberth is a much bigger ship.



Well, I've gone with 3.



Yep, had fun delving through Greek legends to find the right names.

Yes, this build is quite deceptive. She looks massive unto you see her from above, and then you realise just how small she is against a Constitution.



See option one, which has a warp configuration that would be able to land in the ship. The Warp Sledge, as seen in TMP, is just too big for this frame. Plus, I've gone for option 3 ;-)



More later

I wasn't referring to the warp sled of TMP, but a much smaller version, there of.

Somewhere there is a sketch showing various argumentation, for the standard small shuttle.

 

[blssdwlf]

Was there a separate model used in TNG, or was it the TSFS model redressed for TNG? THis is the one of the issues I pointed out early in this build, in TNG the Oberth is a much bigger ship.

It is the same TSFS model with the markings changed for whichever ship she was supposed to be.

In TNG/DS9 as far as I can tell, the Oberth in "Hero Worship" was the small version, the one in "Naked Now" and "Emissary" appears to be the large version. "Realm of Fear" and "The Drumhead" had the version where you can see the added docking port which is the medium-large version like the Apollo. The "Pegasus" was hard to tell.

 

[JSnaith]

I wasn't referring to the warp sled of TMP, but a much smaller version, there of.

Somewhere there is a sketch showing various argumentation, for the standard small shuttle.

I know what you mean. Aridas Sofia and I talked extensively about it and how to achieve it on the TMP Shuttle frame. That was before I lost all my work, and I had to start again from scratch. I do have the sketches that were done back in the day, and it's something I may look at in the future.

In terms of whether it fits with the Apollo - it would be a good fit for the ship to have a modable shuttle. But there is a catch; space. There is a limited amount of space within the hull, and the more "bits" for shuttles you carry, the larger that hanger gets. I have to allow for crew space, labs, etc. I will be doing a set of deck plans (I am such a glutton for punishment). If in the course of doing them I find I have the space... That's a different ball game. I do have a soft spot for the Type J shuttle (my name for the TFFish shuttle), it is smaller and takes up less space - good for a ship like the Apollo. It, too, could have some mods on those tiny winglets on the side. Something to think on.

It is the same TSFS model with the markings changed for whichever ship she was supposed to be.

In TNG/DS9 as far as I can tell, the Oberth in "Hero Worship" was the small version, the one in "Naked Now" and "Emissary" appears to be the large version. "Realm of Fear" and "The Drumhead" had the version where you can see the added docking port which is the medium-large version like the Apollo. The "Pegasus" was hard to tell.

Which proves my point that no one really had an idea about how big or small the ship was. So my rationalisation that it's larger than we think works

More at some point tomorrow. Empting the kitchen for the start of the refit on Monday. It's going to be hell.