Galactica Class

NOTE:  You can click on most pictures to get a larger view of them.

This ship was one of those projects that came about from trying out different scrap pieces of model with other scrap pieces of model.

USS Montgomery Scott (MSD-2015)

Galactica Class, High Speed Repair Vessel

[1:2500 Scale Cozmo Heavy Industries Kitbash]

 Extended Mode

I built this model with two versions of the spacedock.  One of the versions is in the extended mode and is actually large enough to house my other 1:2500 Constitution Class and Miranda class ships. I also built a retracted spcedock to show what it would look like while traveling. The docks are not glued on which allows an easy swap out.

Retracted Mode

Dimensions
Length: 400 meters
Width: 181.25 meters
Height: 87.5 meters with collapsed gantry / 200 meters with extended gantry
Specifications
Decks: 11
Crew: 450 to 550
Speed: Cruise: warp 7 / Maximum: warp 9
Armament: 15 Dual Phaser Banks, 2 Forward Facing Torpedo Launchers, 2 Aft Facing Torpedo Launchers
Defenses: Deflector Shields
Auxiliary craft: 4 Workbees, 4 Sphinx Workpods, 4 Shuttlecraft

Designer Name: Patrick M. Dougherty Sr.

In Universe Story:

During the heyday of the refit (TMP) era, Starfleet begin to produce lots of starships to serve various purposes. To say that shortcuts were made during those times was an understatement. The initial woes that the crew of the newly refitted Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) encountered during her shakedown cruise were testament to this time in starship builds. This was also a slightly more volatile time in Starfleet history and ships were sometimes attacked without provocation. That being said, it was not unheard of, a starship breaking down and being stranded far from a repair spacedock. In an effort to assist in these situations, Starfleet turned to its core of engineers to look at a way to bring a repair spacedock to stranded starships.

There was one particular hull design that stood out. It has been used in another starship class for use as a potential shuttle and fighter carrier.  After designing a retractable gantry/spacedock frame, this new design became known as the Galactica class.

Transit Mode

 

 

 

 

Deployed/Repair Mode

 

 

 

 

Hard At Work Mode:

Two of these class of ships were built. The most notable one of the fleet was the USS Montgomery Scott (MSD-2015), named after the famous Starfleet engineer known for his miracles in the engine room. Although, she is now a very old ship, she still runs in pristine condition. This is because she travels with some of the best engineers and dock workers in Starfleet on board. When the Excelsior Class finally became a staple in the Starfleet navy, the Scott was the only ship of the two to undergo some refit work. During the refit, two sections of the saucer were filled in to give the ship more crew/worker quarters and office space.

The lower nacelle pylons changed to become variable geometry. This was done to allow them to rotate upwards to give the repair berth more room. The spacedock/gantry was fitted with extra pivot points at its base to allow it to expand outwards to accommodate Excelsior class saucer sections. At this time, the warp cores were also upgraded with newer technology.

The ship is made up of three sections. The front section, besides having the bridge, serves as crew and worker quarters as well as administrative offices. The center section of the ship serves as main engineering. The ship does sport two warp cores, although the second is usually only used to generate extra power during repairs. The gantry/spacedock is also situated underneath the engineering section. This repair dock is capable of retracting and folding itself underneath the ship in order to cut down on the ship’s warp profile. The rear section of the ship, besides sporting two high powered impulse engines, is made up of shuttle bays. This area is used to store shuttles, workpods and any parts that are needed for repairs of stranded ships.

Although it is not recommended, the ship can theoretically tow another vessel that is docked inside the repair berth. This is only done under extreme circumstances as it puts a heavy strain on all of the ships systems. When towing a ship in emergency situations, the second core will also be fired up to give some extra boost to the warp fields. In an emergency, the repair berth can also be jettisoned, however this would rarely be done as it would be extremely costly to replace this specialized piece of equipment.

During the Dominion war, the Scott was temporarily modified by removing her spacedock frame. She was then used as a personnel and shuttle/fighter transport during certain missions.

 

This modified design, gave way to the later Agena class transport ship.

After the war, the dock was reattached and she resumed her normal repair duties.

Real World Notes:

Parts Used: CHI Agena Class Hull, 2 Miranda Class Nacelles, 2 Constitution Class Refit Nacelles, sheet styrene, and a bunch of sprue.

When I do kitbash projects, I will often see pieces and parts and start to formulate an idea in my head on what a ship might look like.  I'll then commence to build that ship and see where my creativity takes me.  Often times, the build goes in new directions and comes out better than I originally thought.  This was one such ship.

I built this model with two versions of the spacedock. One is in the extended mode and is actually large enough to house my other 1:2500 Constitution Class and Miranda class styled ships. I also built a retracted spacedock to show what it would look like while traveling. The docks are not glued on which allows an easy swap out.

I had this hull in my parts box for a while and had been contemplating building something from it.  It is the primary hull to a Cozmo Heavy Industries kit and according to his catalog is for this ship:

C.H.I.'s eBay Advertisement

"1:2500 scale Agena Class Shuttle Carrier/Battlestar.  A Federation Battlestar is a no frills attack craft carrier. Armored more heavily than other starships with over sized protected nacelles to take punishment as well as dish it out.  It is also in scale with the 1/9600 scale Battlestars if you wish to build it out as a BSG kit."

Basically, you can do some modifications to the kit and either build a ST or a BSG model from the kit. So the kit I got was missing the AWAC dish and the side mounted hanger decks/warp nacelles that typically come with it. The nose was badly bubbled but I was OK with this.

This defect later became the main deflector dish.

Since the back end was already molded to have several shuttle bays, I decided the the center section would serve as the main engineering part of the hull.  At this point in the build, I was still on the fence about whether I was going to build her as a ring ship or as a traditional Starfleet vessel.

Someone over at the Star Trek Modelers Group FaceBook page suggested that I make a high speed repair vessel. I had never done something like that so wanting to challenge myself, I rolled with that idea.

This settled the decision of what type of nacelle tech I would use.

 

The main idea for the ship was that it would travel to the vessel in distress and enact repairs there.  However, in an extreme situation, it could serve as a high speed towing vessel as well.  That gave me the idea of doing the four nacelles.  The lower two nacelles would be used to extend the warp field around the second ship.

Ideally, this sort of ship would have a flexible "dry-dock" or gantry so that while traveling through space, it would not be so bulky.

Since I didn’t have the skills to make a movable drydock, I’m decided to build two separate drydock sections that can be swapped out for display purposes. The first one would be in a collapsed state, tucked underneath the engineering section. The second would have the drydock in a deployed state. I built the docks from the tons of leftover spue that I’ve saved over the last two years. It took me two attempts to finally make a spacedock that I liked. The first attempt featured a crooked extended mode and the retracted mode was too big to display properly.

 

After doing some consulting, I decided that the supports could retract into themselves, allowing me to compress the dock down a bit. I also learned from that first attempt that holding parts in your hand while the super glue set was comparable to having your teeth pulled. I then employed a new trick that involved laying down scotch tape on a plate and setting the parts flat and applying the glue. After the glue dried for an hour, I was able to peel up the tape and cut it and the excess glue off of the sprue.

 

 

 

This was also my first work with filler putty as there were other parts of the ship that needed some filling as well.

 

 

 

And that is all I have to share on this unique build of mine.  It was a enjoyable build that presented me with some new challenges that were fun to overcome.

I hope you found this article as useful and informative as I did while writing it.  Please feel free to leave any comments, questions or suggestions below.

And as always, "Live Long And Prosper!"

Additional Links To Photos Of My Collection:

The Ship     WIP Pictures