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Marklin Class

Madkoifish

Commander
Red Shirt
To note this is not for Axanar.

Ok giving this it's own thread as it really is not part of the Project. I might use it with those ships but I think it is different enough to justify kicking it out of that thread.

I am only working from the FASA top down view. I am not considering any other fan designs or images. I am loosely using any data that I see works with existing canon. Stuff like lasers and the like just make no sense with ENT having phasers etc. Also given the time frame of within 10years of the connie I see no reason to let old ships like the NX influence this build.

I have also decided to take this into my own verse so it will have more influences from the LETHE and my RERECONNIE than any TOS canon look. It does not mean I will not try to make it fit TOS or have a TOS feel. Note, this is not JJVERSE either.

Currently I have just made the struts as part of the main hull and have refined some elements of the ship. Ignore the deflector housing and lack of sensor dome those are areas I still need to nail down.

In regards to known stats (think they are from the FASA manual itself) I have decided to ignore the length given @ 260m this thing would have nearly 2 times the girth of the connie. So I am thinking a max of 240m. I think it is short of that right now as I repositioned the nacelles when replacing the struts. Given the classification of Destroyer I really want to scale it down to 200meters and stuff some huge impulse assemblies on it. But some of those notes say they are not maneuverable etc, the opposite of a Destroyer by definition.

Impulse engines are placeholders as I have not decided where I will locate them. In all likely hood they will remain where they are but the elements will be replaced with something more inline with the rereconnie. I have yet to decide if I will do something like I did to the rereconnies nacelles on this model or stick with the round nacelles seen on the LETHE. I would love the excise that rear butt bump but for now I am retaining it for the sake of the top down view.

To note the 3d model that was floating around the net I think is a derivative of the Marklin as some of the stats mention another class of ship based on the Markin with a larger bridge. This is part of why I am sticking ONLY to the FASA image. Not to mention a bridge of that girth would be HUGE. Something on the order of 200ft in dai.

Anyhow this all is just an attempt to give a primer for what I am doing with this thing and what to expect from it as it progresses. I am basically having to take and leave data and do my own thing here and there while retaining some sort of resemblance to the FASA image.

On to the images.

To start a repost of the doodles. None of these are final works just suggestions of where it is going.


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Now for the current WIP images. TO see block in visit the "The Project" thread.


The ugly view


Size comparo to the lethe





 
Feddie ships should always have that swoosh to them--you have captured that very well.

This feels as if it belongs in the same universe as that Planet of the Titans ship with the graceful curves we saw some time ago.
 
Very exciting to see a not-oftenly-seen design like the Marklin being given the modeling treatment!

And as she is right now, she is a beauty!

I actually think that initially, the Marklin and her first batch would start out with Phased Lasers or Phase Cannons, or something like that, and then upgraded with Phasers.

Now, a design like the Marklin is interesting because unlike other FASA designs such as the Larson and Loknar classes, not much in the way of detail was given, so it is up to fans to speculate on stuff such as weaponry and ship registry and names.

What this first means is that you don't exactly need to make her look exactly like a TOS ship, especially since she is most likely just before the Constitution, if not a little bit earlier.
She might even be a little bit earlier then the Potamos class, but this doesn't mean that they wouldn't or shouldn't share similar parts. The Marklin could be a bit of a predecessor for all I care (and for that matter, I consider the Saladin to be one, based on her registry).
And she could still belong to the Prime-Verse, even based on the details you give her. I know that FASA sure didn't do much in that department!

And I can't blame you for wanting to downsize her. I'm not exactly happy with how big the Kelvin was supposed to be.

Regarding weaponry, it has been speculated that she has at least 3-4 Laser/Phaser Banks, and I've seen one publication give her a maximum of 8 Torpedo Tubes.

From the aft weaponry that you've given her so far, I'm confident that I'll feel comfortable with what ever weaponry you see fit to equip her with.

I've already seen the registry for the Xenophon herself as NCC-1214. This does contradict the registry for the Invincible, a Lancaster class (one of Masao's designs), though OTH, Invincible seems to be a name that seems to be commonly used in fandom.

There is also the Marklin herself, who I've seen as having the registry of NCC-1200, though given that this contradicts a fan registry of the Brenton (not to mention the registries any other members of the class that are behind that), so maybe the Marklin herself could have a registry in the late-mid 1100s, which aren't currently used in fandom or canon (NCC-1151 for example, which AFAIK isn't used by anybody).

Though the latter is taking into consideration that your model is even to carry the Marklin name-plate.

And for the nose, maybe you should just forget about the black stuff, because I kinda just thought of an insane idea? I kinda fancy a pair of inset torpedo tubes, mounted like how they are on the Excelsior and your Connie, but that isn't the crazy part.
The crazy part is giving the bow a grinning shark pattern or something like that, you know, like what has been done with some fighters, amongst other things. Hiding amongst this grinning set of teeth are a pair of torpedo tubes.
Call it the "Four Years War Special" if you want. :D
 
According to what I have found that seems to come from the Manual and is speculated with canon comments dates etc is that the Marklin is within a 10year period from when the Enterprise is built. Because of this I cannot see her outfitted with 80+year old tech. Hence why I am ignoring weapons types from the ENT era. I am however letting ENT influence in regards to not putting LAZORZ on the thing. I am imagining something like what the Connie had but maybe not as efficient or able to sustain a constant beam. Maybe pulsed to avoid burn out? I am thinking the ability to generate power will far surpass the connie of course this could justify the GIRTH. Though is this is a warship vs a exploratory ship. However the connie has been called a battleship more than once in canon. . . . . . lol

Registry, really I have not even thought about it, or the ships name. These are things I do not (hate to say it) care about much, so it is not on the agenda this early in the work. It is just stuff I handwavium up at the last minute when modeling gets to the point I need to add it.

Potamos would be about the same period as the Marklin 10yrs MAX senior to the constitution. I do not remember the exact info I made up back in 2006? for them but in my thought process I just cannot see starfleet cranking out ships in the hundreds within a 4 or 5 year period. TOS era I always saw maybe half a dozen a year max. Hence the 1600 numbers for the Potamos classes. When I choose a reg number it is based on them being fairly consecutive, it falls part if not.

I do have to say I set up all the Potamos stuff based only on screen canon as I do not generally adhere or research books games or fanon. I do try to avoid fanon registries but likely I am stepping on SOMEONES toes when I choose one, as numbers near canon are often eaten up by fan work. And not all of it is documented on the net. Anyhow if the 1200 numbers are semi canon IE mentioned it would contradict the Potamos registries. However one could argue the Potamos came off the line at the same time the Constitution did as a smaller frigate or line filler for the losses in the war? It could just be Starfleet skipped numbers or really did manage to crank out some 500 ships in such a short time. ANYHOW, I think I read there were 23 ships of this class so I have plenty of room to choose something.

Ship size in jjTREK is irksome at most. Inconsistent at best. It is one reason I tend to just stay away from that universe. Though I will let ideas and design hints leak in.

The black stuff I figured was some detail, torps, mega phaser, deflector or what not. I am mucking about with ideas for that at the moment as it will affect what I do with the subdivision mesh. In the end the nose will contain some system or other, be it weapons or deflectors/sensors. I will not put the bridge there. That will most likely be submerged in the hull with MAYBE some detail on the surface to denote it visually for the viewer. Like maybe hints of a officers lounge or turbo lift details. As for fighter paint, I had some thoughts about that when I did the prelim drawings. I figured Id wait on it until I made a decision on what I was going to do with the nose.

Anyhow some of the doodle overs that show some ideas. Torps in the nose I think placing them lower down if I go with them would look nicer than what I have doodled in.

 
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Well, if your not interested in registry numbers, that is something I'll be happy to focus on, while you focus on modeling.
And who is to say that the Marklin wasn't a design from the same era as the Kelvin, or earlier? Maybe the reason she shares design elements with the Potamos was because she was upgraded as things began to flare up increasingly with the Klingons, or maybe she pioneered the design elements that the Potamos took for granted.

And I don't see why she necessarily uses phasers, at least not the ones that were common by 2260. I kind of seeing her using either Phased Lasers (not to be confused with the mere lasers we are familiar with, but better engineered for a specific purpose, such as better penetrating shields), or more advanced Phase Cannons. The NX class didn't use modern phasers, and they were never called as such.
I'm kinda recalling a publication listing earlier starships as using lasers, but maybe these are way more advanced and different from any mere laser that we are familiar with, and are anything but normal lasers, perhaps having something in common with Phasers, a step in between lasers or plasma cannons and phasers?
 
Not a bad take (especially since Sketch Up was crashing on him).

I still like the fact that Koi here actually does the weaponry.
 
This is a really beautiful and sleek take on the Marklin. Too many of them overly chunk-ify the secondary hull, and I don't think it looks right at all. Yours is great.

Though I'm starting to think I'm the only person who interprets the bit at the rear of the hull as a detached sensor pod a-la the Nebula class.
marklin_by_aalenfae-d82me7f.jpg
 

Really hate how I cannot dig these up through stupid google anymore. LOL really like how he dealt with that top end of that aft lump. Underside of it not so much. The deflector thing oddly is very close to something I was thinking about but lacking in how it blended with the saucer. Mine is a bit on hold as I have taken to another project sort of. I also need to rethink my marklin as I really like how this one above is so TOS flavored. It almost makes the pixels STINK of TOS. I just love putting all those TOS decals onto the hulls.

Funny as I LOVE TMP era design but I keep modeling TOS era ships lately.

I have to wonder if there isnt some novel about this era that references a Marklin as this is the second model I have seen now that has windows up in that dip. I was planning some sort of venting or related mechanics as space there exp on the above model would be nearly non existent with the impulse rack there. The other is much more ENT like and is over at SFM (sorry no link at hand)


This is a really beautiful and sleek take on the Marklin. Too many of them overly chunk-ify the secondary hull, and I don't think it looks right at all. Yours is great.

Though I'm starting to think I'm the only person who interprets the bit at the rear of the hull as a detached sensor pod a-la the Nebula class.
---

I tend to avoid pods etc I never liked them unless it was some sort of mission pod specific to a science ship or that like. I could name other things but in the end it is a preference I suppose as many do like to utilize that feature. Same goes for roll bars on ships for me. HOWEVER you observation is the same as mine in the fact I imagined it not as a under slung secondary hull floating below the upper hull but something growing out of it's arse. I did not see a pod as the body lines do cut across and continue up the struts. Either way it adds more flair to peoples interpretations!

Anyhow I should have updates to this "thing" before the end of the week I think. I think, that is if things pan out and ideas move where I want them. I rebuild might be in order as well. Who knows.

teaser:

 
I tend to not bother with pods either unless I'm making a design based on a configuration (the Falken class for example is based more on the Miranda/Avenger class, but I like the Sparrow's cleaner lines. Same thing goes for anything I would base on the Nebula, Akira, or Abbe class).

It seems to me that you prefer the cleaner hulls of the TOS era, but like the details of the TMP era, which suits your skills quite well.

I happened to see that you already began your design influenced by my Sparrow class on Foundation 3D. Genio has it's uses.:D
 
Yeah F3d is getting infrequent posts of it. When it is finished though i'll of course render out some comps of it. I should get some work on the Marklin in today, at least get some of the ideas I have had into 3d but I dunno if I will.

I have always liked TMP design. TNG and after not so much, but TNG and TOS seem to be eras I model for the most. I have started to lean towards TOS more over time. I dunno maybe it is TNG burn out? or just not as explored as much. Maybe there is less defined details to it so it allows more exploration of parts. TNG era stuff got annoying because a transporter emitter is a transporter emitter a phaser strip is a phaser strip. TMP I dunno why, but I have only really modeled 2 ships for it. (the Laevatein and the Mughi )

Maybe I should look at developing a MKF re-imagined TMP era stuff and TNG stuff. But I really want to explore non FED designs and well do NON trek stuff even non scifi stuff. Hell I got a pile of B5 and Blakes 7 stuff that needs finishing. (sadly I think the b5 stuff is long dead due to version issues in max)




AH crap those size codes do not work here. That or do not work with DA crap. UGH. Hopefully this new code works. Click for the image. She is a pretty ugly model though.

abfa27ac27274b93dd45d9671ae1372f-d3oorlx.jpg


Heck the mughi really is not even a finished model. Even the Onimaru is unfinished.
 
Early update as I try to work that a$s end into something more tos/trek.

This sorta shows the deflector idea I had that I mentioned was similar to that thread that was linked above. What I envisioned though was more like a traditional cyl hull deformed into the central hull but I let the above link influence me a bit as what I wanted to do I just do not think in the end would be very TOS like. It would look much more like something from TNG. THIS is the issue I have been having with this model in totality right now is the TNG feel it has. The whole rear end is just not saying TOS to me.





Clearly this whole area is one of the reasons I took a break from this model.
 
Ok, now I actually believe Starfleet is a multi-species endeavour, and that it actually shows in their designs, rather than everything being regurgitated Earth ships. Which is a super-rad thing.
 
Yeah, I guess the rear end is more like what you'd find in a TNG-era design.
But until you or someone else thinks of something better (or closer to TOS aesthetics), what're gonna to do?:shrug:

Maybe Drexler had to tackle the same problems when he had to take the Akira class, and make her look like a much more primitive design.
 
We always speak of TOS-era design, but we really only have two ships to look at: a Constitution-class, and a Class F shuttle. So many fan-made TOS designs seem to feel like they NEED to swap out Constitution-class components and kitbash a new design, but in reality, TOS-era ships could have any number of design hallmarks that we simply never saw. TNG-era ships weren't all kitbashes of the same components, after all. We had some pretty unique designs, saucer shapes, and hull configurations.
 
Well we have all of Jefferies preliminary drawings K7 and a few other ships grain carriers (even if it was penned in TAS) all the TAS stuff FASA and extended stuff out there not to mention esthetics within the ship sets etc buildings the original matte paintings etc to go off from. My point is to keep inline with the general FEEL of TOS as seen on screen but still retain the look I have brought to this era of ship with my builds. ATM my complaints stand as the elements I dislike do not conform to this aesthetic.

Yeah, I guess the rear end is more like what you'd find in a TNG-era design.
But until you or someone else thinks of something better (or closer to TOS aesthetics), what're gonna to do?:shrug:

Maybe Drexler had to tackle the same problems when he had to take the Akira class, and make her look like a much more primitive design.

Well that is sort of the point to hammer it until it conforms to what you want. Sometimes though getting there is a battle and often ridiculous as when the answer comes it was plain as day.

Anyhow I have done something to this area of the ship but have not really rendered out any major progress images yet. Closest one is this and I have yet to address the whole backside of that one element. I could almost eliminate the warp cutout as is is far enough in to not really do anything as it is no longer the lowest point on the ship. All it does is look the part. There is likely a rebuild to come of that whole central hull as I have pushed it about so much that it is a bit of a mess.

 
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