What's in store for... aw, who's counting?

[el gato]

Couple of others that I finished. The USS Irma: an exploratory vessel equipped with MVM's sensor pod. Custom decal work based on the color scheme in Absolute Model's decals for the Refit. The pod pylon was scratchbuilt based on my harebrained isea:

2017-11-26 18.59.13.jpg

2017-11-26 19.00.53.jpg

Next is the old DQ Phobos jit, now offered by Design Anomaly at MVM's webstore. Honestly I prefer DA's clean decal scheme, but I had already committed to the aztecking in DQ's decal sheet by the time I saw DA's, so there was no turning back:

2017-11-26 18.53.43.jpg

2017-11-26 18.55.21.jpg

As I indicated above, I am going to attempt another Phobos, but this time with an Oberth pod (instead of the photin torp housing) and with DA's decal scheme

[Jason Abbadon]

You could probably add a Reliant roll bar with torp pod across the top of the nacelles if you want the firepower when you use the oberth sensor pod on the ventral side.

I really think the Oberth pod is a great idea, BTW- MUCH MORE in keeping with the exploration role of Starfleet.

[Vahmp]

• Couple of others that I finished. The USS Irma: an exploratory vessel equipped with MVM's sensor pod. Custom decal work based on the color scheme in Absolute Model's decals for the Refit. The pod pylon was scratchbuilt based on my harebrained isea:
  

  2017-11-26 18.59.13.jpg

  2017-11-26 19.00.53.jpg

  Next is the old DQ Phobos jit, now offered by Design Anomaly at MVM's webstore. Honestly I prefer DA's clean decal scheme, but I had already committed to the aztecking in DQ's decal sheet by the time I saw DA's, so there was no turning back:
  

  2017-11-26 18.53.43.jpg

  2017-11-26 18.55.21.jpg

  As I indicated above, I am going to attempt another Phobos, but this time with an Oberth pod (instead of the photin torp housing) and with DA's decal scheme

Kool looking ships there Jose!
Very nice job!

[Tesral]

Just sucking down the eye candy.

[el gato]

Thank you once again, everyone.

You could probably add a Reliant roll bar with torp pod across the top of the nacelles if you want the firepower when you use the oberth sensor pod on the ventral side.

I really think the Oberth pod is a great idea, BTW- MUCH MORE in keeping with the exploration role of Starfleet.

I hadn't considered a roll bar. I'll have to mull it a bit, because I'm not necessarily looking for matching firepower for all of my starships. My thought is that if Starfleet had an exploratory side, some ships by their very nature have to be more functional than military; however, they don't have to be sitting ducks like the Grissom in ST: III (that's a lot of scientists to lose in one "lucky" shot). That's why the Irma is a refitted, um, Refit. She has enough in her to defend herself (or flee) if necessary, but she wouldn't be a ship of the line. This proposed Phobos would be the same.

I need to stop posting via my cell phone. All of these spelling mistakes have me going

[Jason Abbadon]

Well, consider that probes are also shot from the torpedo launcer's rail system....I always figured the small hole/recess at the rear of the Oberth pod must have been a probe launcher.

I don't subscribe to the notion that the Oberth pod is manned- the pylons holding it on aren't thick enough to accommodate a turbolift and taking a ladder up and down several decks worth of climbing would be a nightmare.

On your build, you could always add a sprue that's split lengthwise and run it down the connecting pylon to represent a turbolift.

Or create a new connection point with the pod- maybe something that blends into the Phobos' split secondary hull!
You could make a truly unique class that way. Maybe greeble up the pod too....you could add a third deflector/sensor array!

You could even keep the torp pod and move it to where the planetary sensor is- and move the sensor to the bottom of the pod!

[el gato]

Stop it! You're giving me too many ideas and then I'll want to build them all

I'm with you, I never considered the pod to be manned. I assumed it was used for both storage and for holding scientific equipment. Another assumption I had was that the dark front ventral area of the pod "opened" somehow, and if it did, it would have probe launchers

[Tesral]

It's an ugly ship, I have never liked it and the pod connection, yea, you cannot get down there. Even if unmanned you will need to service the sensors et all.

IF I let that fugly thing into my personal canon I would have to change the pod to a single central pylon.

[MadManMUC]

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I often am), but wasn't this Reliant's original design, but Harve Bennett signed off on the design whilst viewing it upside down?

[el gato]

Yes, you are correct. When the modelmakers received the "approved" design plans, they were unsure of the orientation because Bennett's signature was upside down relative to the drawing. They went with the most conservative interpretation and made the ship conform to the signature.* For whatever reason, a roll bar with a single photon torp housing was used instead of the dual housings. I guess it looked more aesthetically pleasing that way.

Now, just a wrinkle in this whole thing was that the Reliant's original original design was that of a Constitution Class Refit. It was decided to change the Reliant to an entirely different class because TPTB came to the conclusion that audiences would be too dumb to tell the ships apart in the final climactic battle. Because the ILM guys/gals hated working with the Enterprise's filming model, they gleefully supported the idea to changing the Reliant to something else. Incidentally, this is why you rarely saw a Constitution Class starship in TNG (and those rare instances, stock footage was used).

* We had telephonic technology at the time. Why someone couldn't pick up the phone and call Bennett to get it cleared up is beyond me.