USS Antares - anyone have better pics?

[137th Gebirg]

Hello all - doing a little bit of research on some of the lesser-known DS9 kitbashes, and I think I have most of them nailed down with the exception of the USS Antares Miranda-class variant (not to be confused by the freighter class by the same name).

I've found a couple of partial photos that only show the saucer and a bit of the aft bloc, but not much detail otherwise. This is the general description, as given by its creator, Adam Buckner:

Buckner explained that it was a standard Reliant model kit (No. 8766) with an AWACS pod made from the stand of an Excelsior kit (No. 6630), and the nacelle coverings from the same kit used as torpedo launch tubes. Composited in post-production as multiple deep background elements for the scenes with the ships circling the starbase, the model did not require to be kitbashed or battle-damaged like the ships in the opening of "A Time to Stand", and therefore needed only minimal detailing.

And if Mr. Buckner happens to lurk on this board from time to time, I would love to hear about more details on the subject, specifically how the Excelsior's stand was oriented and what might have been added to it to get the "AWAX" effect he speaks of.

Here are some of the pics that have gone around on this ship, mostly focusing on either the K-7 space station or the bizarre USS Trieste model, but you can see it peeking out in the lower-left corner.

http://imageshack.us/a/img96/5820/008jno.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img703/3492/004rer.jpg
http://johneaves.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/untitled-11.jpg

Any info appreciated. Thx much!

 

[Dukhat]

The model in the K7 pics is not the same one. It has a different registry and is painted differently.

But more important, I must apologize for making a mistake. Buckner sent me lots of photos of the "Bradford" kitbash he built from a Reliant kit and two Saturn V rocket models (which I was able to build a replica of thanks to his generosity in sending the pics to me), but he didn't build the Antares. Those pics were sent to me by someone else, and I mistakenly gave credit to Buckner when I posted the pics at another Trek forum I frequent. I was getting married around that time and simply forgot to make the correction :-(

There were a lot of Reliant model kits (and kitbashes based on them) used for DS9. The 9481 and 4186 Mirandas were just two, while the U.S.S. Trial NCC-1948 was another (although contrary to popular belief, the Trial wasn't used in Way of the Warrior, since the Reliant kit seen in that episode has its rollbar and weapons pod facing the wrong way, so there's yet another model). There was also a four-nacelled Miranda desktop model built from a Reliant kit and nacelles from a TMP Enterprise kit.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Hi. Dukhat - thanks for the quick response!

I have the other pics you mentioned about the reverse-rollbar Miranda and the 4-engine Miranda (you're talking about the one without markings, painted in a pewter color, that appeared in an auction a while back, yes?)

Would the person (not Buckner) who had those Antares, Excel & Trieste pics also have something that shows the AWAX assembly in the back?

And on the other Trek forum - I'm assuming you're speaking about the "Flare Sci-Fi Forum" - I've tried to register there and registry looks as if it's been closed down since December 2010 due to some spam bot issue? I can't seem to find anywhere to sign up, and the most recent message on the subject dates back to November 2011. I would have posted over there first, considering that seems to have been a locale for major discussion on the subject.

 

[Dukhat]

I have the other pics you mentioned about the reverse-rollbar Miranda and the 4-engine Miranda (you're talking about the one without markings, painted in a pewter color, that appeared in an auction a while back, yes?)

The 4-engined Miranda is the pewter one sold at auction, yes. (And coincidentally it too has its roll bar and pod reversed). And while I have a pic of the Trial, I don't have any pics of a Reliant model with the roll bar reversed. If you do, I'd be interested in seeing it.

Would the person (not Buckner) who had those Antares, Excel & Trieste pics also have something that shows the AWAX assembly in the back?

I have several pics of Buckner's Bradford, and some of the Antares and a standard unpainted Klingon battle cruiser. I had them posted at one point, but since I never originally got permission from the people in question to post them, I decided to take them down. PM me your email addy and I'll send them to you.

And on the other Trek forum - I'm assuming you're speaking about the "Flare Sci-Fi Forum" - I've tried to register there and registry looks as if it's been closed down since December 2010 due to some spam bot issue? I can't seem to find anywhere to sign up, and the most recent message on the subject dates back to November 2011. I would have posted over there first, considering that seems to have been a locale for major discussion on the subject.

Yeah, we had a spambot attack a while back and were temporarily forced to block new registers. Obviously they neglected to restore that

I'll talk to the forum administrators about that. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to join. It's an awesome forum for Trek tech talk. It's where the whole BoBW Wolf 359 research started, and I tend to post a lot there about ships & stuff.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I have the other pics you mentioned about the reverse-rollbar Miranda and the 4-engine Miranda (you're talking about the one without markings, painted in a pewter color, that appeared in an auction a while back, yes?)

The 4-engined Miranda is the pewter one sold at auction, yes. (And coincidentally it too has its roll bar and pod reversed). And while I have a pic of the Trial, I don't have any pics of a Reliant model with the roll bar reversed. If you do, I'd be interested in seeing it.

I can do that - give me a day or so to get it uploaded into PhotoBucket and I'll post it here before the end of the week.

Would the person (not Buckner) who had those Antares, Excel & Trieste pics also have something that shows the AWAX assembly in the back?

I have several pics of Buckner's Bradford, and some of the Antares and a standard unpainted Klingon battle cruiser. I had them posted at one point, but since I never originally got permission from the people in question to post them, I decided to take them down. PM me your email addy and I'll send them to you.

Will do...sending shortly.

And on the other Trek forum - I'm assuming you're speaking about the "Flare Sci-Fi Forum" - I've tried to register there and registry looks as if it's been closed down since December 2010 due to some spam bot issue? I can't seem to find anywhere to sign up, and the most recent message on the subject dates back to November 2011. I would have posted over there first, considering that seems to have been a locale for major discussion on the subject.

Yeah, we had a spambot attack a while back and were temporarily forced to block new registers. Obviously they neglected to restore that

I'll talk to the forum administrators about that. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to join. It's an awesome forum for Trek tech talk. It's where the whole BoBW Wolf 359 research started, and I tend to post a lot there about ships & stuff.

Fantastic - I'm kind of surprised with myself that I haven't found it until recently, but better late than never I guess. I particularly enjoyed your April Fool's joke there when you referred to some "newly discovered" kitbashes. Took me some time to read through that it was a joke, as they did look like they could have easily been background ships, new-looking paint jobs notwithstanding.

 

[Dukhat]

I particularly enjoyed your April Fool's joke there when you referred to some "newly discovered" kitbashes. Took me some time to read through that it was a joke, as they did look like they could have easily been background ships, new-looking paint jobs notwithstanding.

LOL. I've actually modified my Ptolemy model since then. Now it has a secondary hull underneath the saucer made from a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea mini flying sub. The submarine hull above the ship is now a starliner able to detach from the main tug ship and fly on its own with the one nacelle. It's an homage both to Franz Joseph's Ptolemy class tug and to Michael Okuda, who had wanted to build a ship with a VTTBOTS sub, and who also bought sub kits for BoBW but didn't have the time to build anything with them other than the Mars defense ship (which I would love to see a photo of).

I'm in the process of building replicas of most of the DS9 kit bashes, and some original designs (including the elusive "sixth Beatle" of the Ed Miarecki BoBW kit bashes, which I will eventually christen the "true" Tolstoy)

 

[HoserTrek37]

Is the ship you're looking for, the same make/model as the U.S.S. Lantree?

 

[137th Gebirg]

I suppose it's loosely related to the Lantree, in that its rollbar has been removed, but the Antares is supposed to have some big AWAX-looking thing made out of an AMT Excelsior model stand, attached to the spine. Just wanted to get an idea of how it's positioned, oriented, and what kind of greebles, if any, were used in addition to the stand to add to the detail.

 

[CharlieZardoz]

 

[CharlieZardoz]

Can't believe I found this!

 

[Praetor]

Well, holy crap. Where'd you find it?

What the heck is that where the bridge should be?

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Looks like a Nilla wafer.

 

[Dukhat]

Well, holy crap. Where'd you find it?

What the heck is that where the bridge should be?

It's putty to support a mounting rod.

 

[Praetor]

Weird, thanks.

 

[CharlieZardoz]

I was browsing memory alpha for random photo's in the Miranda studio model section and while scrolling this pop up with no real explanation.

 

[Praetor]

Ha, quite a find.

In theory I suppose there would actually be a bridge where the "wafer" is and they simply used that spot for the mounting rod since there were no plans to film it from any other angles.

It's funny how the greens of the color scheme match the painting on the Enterprise-B. Perhaps contemporary. I would imagine the purpose of this class to be some sort of border patrol role, hence the pod.