You may not know this about me, but I've been a Star Trek fan since I was a little boy. Some of my fondest memories are sitting down in front of the TV for the closing credits of The Big Valley just in time to catch Capt. Kirk re-runs. When I saw Polar Lights issued a U.S.S. Enterprise/S.S. Botany Bay combo, I had to have it.
It's a neat kit and this makes three Enterprises I've collected but what matters here is the cool little Botany Bay model that comes with it:
Yes it's the very definition of simple, but I see that as a feature, not a bug. It sure makes a great starting point if you want to kick things up a notch with modifications.
That's a little hard to make out, let me get in closer for you.
Most of the Botany Bay kit was used except for the submarine sail, engine, and antenna array. The arm for the stand will be saved for my Ambassador class build which needs an alien emissary's ship alongside.
The new bridge and "crows nest" were made from odd bits and the sensor dish is a 1/72 Fokker D.VII wheel hub mounted on rocket fins swiped from a 1/72 P-47 Thunderbolt. The sensor's antenna was taken from a 1/72 Monogram Curtiss F11C-2 biplane. I really hope I won't need it when I build that Goshawk...
The engine nacelles are 1/72 Heller Texan rocket pods with missiles on the back capped with sub detail parts up front. The atomic propulsion in the stern used one of the missile fin sets left from making the nacelles. The nozzle stuck on the end is sprue cut at an angle. The top detail piece is an engine part from a 1/72 Williams Bros. Douglas World Cruiser. I also added an anonymous rectangular bit as a battery pack on the bottom.
The main mast comm antenna was a spare strut, added just prior to painting
Speaking of paint, the old hairy stick was brought out again and loaded up with Poly Scale Gravel Gray acrylic. They sure named this paint right since the finish came out a little, well, gravelly...
The dish and tiny atomic engine nozzle were done with Model Masters Jet Exhaust and the front of the nacelles were painted Model Masters Gold. The rear of the engine nacelles was given a custom metallic mix. The entire model was then weathered with a combination of washes and dry-brushing.
Decals were all spares and I only used seven: the codes, three tiny hatches & two sets of retro-rockets on the bottom. I was thrilled about this as I had 14 additional hatch-shaped decals ready but the weathering brought out the detail I wanted, so I didn't need them.
Since I don't usually weather my models much, I really enjoyed going to town here and trying to replicate the effects of centuries in deep space.
I started on Friday and finished Saturday. A nice, small simple project was just what the doc ordered to get out of a building slump.
Before I forget, here's the "money shot" (U.S. penny for scale). This is one small model. That pen in your pocket might be larger.
I'd like to thank Bill for sending me the Texan kit whose rocket pods I re-purposed and Mr JCF for bravely moderating this GB. I couldn't do it without you!
I hope you enjoyed the story of the S.S. Crotchety Cay, its cargo of clones and the famous French 3-D film festival even if the so-called "experts" have nothing but wrath for all those Khans.
Brian da Basher
