U.S.S. Potemkin • NCC-1657 • Constitution Class Heavy Cruiser

 

Model by Stephen L.

 
Box Stock

AMT/Ertl kit 8790 (Cut-Away U.S.S. Enterprise), Evergreen plastic, sheet styrene

Model Specifications:
Scale = 1/515
Length = 56.0 cm
Width = 24.8 cm
Height = 13.2 cm
 
This is a box stock kit of the cutaway version of the Enterprise. I made my own markings with Adobe Illustrator so I decided to call this one USS Potemkin.

The Potemkin was mentioned in the final TOS Episode, "Turnabout Intruder", and was involved in a gravitational study in the Beta Aurigae system. It was previously involved in the M-5 Computer trial war games.
 
The kit only had some minor corrections made to it. A few additional windows were Dremeled into the surface and the ribbed details near the aft end of the nacelles were replaced with Evergreen styrene.

The basecoat was spray painted Flat Gull Gray, one of the nearest non-mixed paints available that closely resembles a paint chip I have from the color test done at the Smithsonian to verify the color of the original 11-foot filming model.
   
The detail hull color was Dark Gull Gray. The windows that were 'on' were painted White and the 'off' windows were simply penciled in. The deflector dish and its housing were painted Copper.

The nacelle domes were spray painted the same Flat Gull Gray that the basecoat was and I hand painted a random pattern on the domes themselves using a Gunze-Sangyo Clear Orange tint.
   
Since the cut-away components were not terribly accurate for the scale, I decided the ship would look better whole, so some additional internal bracing was devised with styrene sheet to reinforce the interior of particularly the saucer and the starboard nacelle.

The saucer's port and starboard navigational lights were tinted using Gunze-Sangyo's Clear Red and Clear Green.
   
The aft nacelle caps were painted Steel as was the impulse engine housing, and the inboard details on the nacelles.

The aft nacelle ball was painted Light Gray as was the main bridge dome and the lower sensor array.

(I painted this up in the winter so I can't use my airbrush. I may add some weathering and redo some aspects of the model at a later date.)
 

Photos by Stephen L.