Aged TREK-heads (like myself) may recall the 1970's Lou Zocchi/GAMESCIENCE Star Trek gaming miniatures, issued in the oh-so-common 1/3788 scale. (These pieces were based on the famed designs of artist Franz Joseph Schnaubelt, from his Paramount-authorized 1975 publication Star Fleet Technical Manual: designs meant to retroactively 'flesh out' the Star Trek universe by providing additional Federation ship designs deriving from more-or-less logical (and clever) extensions of the posited technology. Though eventually declared 'non canon' by the 'official' franchise-holders. these designs remain fan-favorites to this day---frequently modeled and modified in a bewildering variety of refits, updates, and inspiredly-insane configurations.)
Despite their tiny size, the Gamescience pieces were among the most detailed models of TREK ship issued up to that point---and they still hold up surprisingly well, detail-wise.
I confess myself an unabashed Franz Joseph fan---I always particularly liked his designs for destroyers, scouts, and cargo tugs---and I had a modest collection of these pieces when they were new, painstakingly detail-painted and hand-lettered. Those originals long ago went to the 'big yard sale in the sky,' but a few years ago I discovered that not only were those pieces still available...but that a company called Mark's Models and Toys, through their Starfighter Decals line, did sets of decals specifically for them. I was hooked---again---and picked up a few of the ships, and some sets of the decals.
Here's the recently-completed 'task group':
First, the Constitution-class cruiser USS Lexington. (Even non-Star-Trek fans will recognize the familiar shape...the same as TOS's Enterprise....)
Next the name-ship of the Saladin destroyer class...looking a bit hard-used and ready for a refit.
And the slightly-fresher Hermes-class scout vessel USS Bridger---basically the same lines as the destroyers, but with lighter armament (a difference which is authentically replicated in the molding of the game-pieces):
And last...the cargo tug Al Rashid, with its tandem load of cargo pods.
"The Wingnut Wings Sopwith Camel having finally been released...Stardate 4329.7...the Fleet Transport Al Rashid conveys an emergency supply to the desperately kit-hungry, Tenax-breathing amphibian modelers of Eminiar XII...."
And the 'penny' shots, just for reference.
The decal sheets aren't entirely 'accurate' (so to speak, for fictional craft), but they were lovely to work with, and soooo much easier than trying to carve tiny hair-width strips of decal stock, or hand-lettering with a technical pen (even back when the vision was still something close to 20/20).
All in all great fun, and a nice nostalgia trip. It's also whetted my appetite to break out one of the larger-scale kits I have long had resting in the 'stash.' (Maybe it's time to take on the 22" 'cutaway'....)
Hope you enjoy the shots.