posted
This is in response to an email I sent to Okuda concerning the engineering hull of Ed Miarecki's Buran model. I won't use Mike's exact words, but I will give the gist of it.
It appears that the Buran's saucer was made from the Enterprise-D saucer from the ERTL "3-in-1" kit. The engineering hull was made from the same Enterprise model, the main difference being that the hull is on the same plane as the middle waistband of the saucer in a kind of "meshing" between the two hulls. There is a model on Markus Nee's website with a similar construction.
The Galaxy nacelle that was attached to the submarine tower was the upper one. Either Okuda or Sternbach made this modification. The lower nacelle was either there in the original configuration, or it was moved there later. Okuda was kinda vague about this.
Mike's photo of the model has become misplaced, but hopefully he will find it soon. Anyway, this is a much better description than what we had previously. Thanks Mike!
------------------ Captain Tenille: "Oh, Simpson, you're like the son I never had." Homer: "And you're like the father I never visit."
posted
Superb! This seems to virtually ensure our ID of the ship from the BoBW screencaps, plus the ship probably is a beauty despite Okuda's earlier belittling comments.
Just one thing: did Okuda's reply imply that the engines were from the small E-D kit, too, or were they perhaps from the 1/1400 scale model? The nacelles on the BoBW ship seem very long, perhaps even longer than the 1/1400 nacelle would look on a 1/2700 hull.
Also, if the secondary hull is centered on the saucer, then this is the third Miarecki ship to lack a traditional navigational deflector (in addition to Cheyenne and Springfield). Counting in Jein's Freedom and George's Excelsior study models, it begins to look as if deflector dishes aren't all that important to starships after all. We're close to the point where the majority of canonical Starfleet ships lack the dish...
posted
Yes, it should be 1/2500 saucer and engineering plus 1/1400 nacelles. Let's see (hopefully) what actually scale Miarecki intended the ship to be.
As for the deflector, I recently figured that the field for deflecting small particles could be created by a distributed system (the deflector grid?), while the focussed beam for larger objects might be generated by a small "cannon" or a conventional tractor beam emitter. Something like that is on the underside of the Constellation.
------------------ "Species 5618, human. Warp-capable, origin grid 325, physiology inefficient, below average cranium capacity, minimum redundant systems, limited regenerative abilities." Ex Astris Scientia
posted
It's probably the ship directly below the Enterprise-D in this picture. At least the vessel seems to match no other known photographic, study or kitbash model we'd have heard of. And it's a pretty good match of the descriptions of the Challenger class.
Timo Saloniemi
[This message has been edited by Timo (edited July 21, 2000).]
posted
As for the lack of a deflector dish, I agree that a deflector grid is probably what the ships lacking a dish are equiped with. Either that, or they DO have a dish that's just imbedded in null hull space.
------------------ "If I knew you were coming I would have baked a cake...learned to sing....stop me Gage!" --Aurther The Journeyman Project 3
[This message has been edited by Cammodude (edited July 21, 2000).]
posted
That ship in the Wolf359 screencap does have an awfully circular saucer. Even if it were tilted at an angle, I would expect a little more elipticality (is that a word?)...
------------------ "I just measured him. He's about 21"." -Chris Martin, 14-Jul-2000
posted
If you turn an elipse just right on it's side you'll get a circle. And if that is the Challenger then the section sticking out would be a nacelle. Either the top or bottom depending on how big that conning tower was.
------------------ It doesn't matter if you don't know what you're doing as long as you look good doing it.
posted
All Okuda said was that the saucer came from the 3-in-1 Enterprise kit, and the nacelles from the "large ERTL" Enterprise kit. I don't know what the scale was for the 3-in-1 kit. Anyone?
------------------ Captain Tenille: "Oh, Simpson, you're like the son I never had." Homer: "And you're like the father I never visit."
posted
Okay, what about the saucer deflector? Couldn't that be present on the model?
------------------ The world is not enough, but it is such a perfect place to start my love And if you're strong enough, together we can take the world apart my love
posted
Okay, here's my take on the Challenger class. First off,the secondary hull IS definately on the same plane as the primary hull, and the model IS tilted, because both the top and bottom nacelles are visible, and the secondary hull is almost invisible, sandwiched between them. The nacelles are definately the huge 1/1400 scale ones, not lengthened or shortened in any way - to test their size, I pulled out my unbuilt model kits (the exact same AMT ones used by the kitbashers) and held a 1/1400 scale engine over a 1/2500 saucer, and it matches the photo perfectly. The top engine seems to have some kind of custom details though, because there are bumps of some sort visible right on the top surface (unless it's debris or damage of some kind). And as for the nav deflector, it HAS to have one. My reasoning for this is that every TNG (and later ST9/DS9 era) ship has some kind of nav deflector. The only ship we've seen the bottom of from Wolf 359 (the New Orleans class) has one, and given the secondary hull configuration of the Niagara class, it obviously has one also. As for the Cheyenne, Springfield, Freedom, and Challenger classes, where there are no traditional secondary hulls, perhaps they have saucer-mounted nav deflectors in a "cutout" on the underside of some kind? It seems a logical location, especially since the Galaxy-class is supposed to have an auxillary deflector in this location. Just my 6 1/3 cents
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Grapeape
Ex-Member
posted
Also, does anyone have a theory where the hangar bay would be? The only idea I have is maybe at the rear of the secondary hull, between the nacelles...
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posted
Ugh, I don't think I'm going to build this one. Maybe if I change out the 1/1400 engines for some lenghtened 1/2500 ones. We'll see. And yeah, it'll cost to build it. I have some more ideas on how to build it less expensively if you e-mail me Shik.
------------------ It doesn't matter if you don't know what you're doing as long as you look good doing it.
Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
That IS less expensively. That's to compensate me for mucho labor, paint, & existing parts. If I had t'go track down parts, it'd be about $US 80-120 more.
------------------ "Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
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