1:650 Surya Class (final pics page 5)

[Lonewolf]

I've have used Copper, but all I have is Dark Copper, and it was coming out way too dark. I will have to pick up some regular Tamiya Copper when I get a chance.

[Lonewolf]

I'm still plugging away. Last night I got the last of the warp nacelle paint touch-ups done, and the lower main hull detailing is finished (phasers and navigational lights). I also sealed my re-printed decals with Future and let them sit overnight.

This morning, before I left for work, I attached the flux chillers to the inboard sides of the nacelles. Those were the last two pieces to be attached to the model. She's now complete, but still has some paint touch-ups. Tonight I hope to get those done, plus seal the undercoats with Future. Tomorrow . . . decal work begins!

Here are a couple photos from earlier this week, when I completed the upper hull detail painting.





For those who are interested, I'll include a full listing of the paints that I used on this build.

[Lonewolf]

Well, the decals are all applied, and I'm planning on sealing them with Future tomorrow afternoon. A few hours of drying time, and I should be able to apply the final coat of Future/Tamiya Flat Base. Then it's a short session of building the stand, and then it's all finished!

Here are some photos of where the USS Prolaya stands tonight.

[cannon fodder]

Thats looking really sweet.

[Lonewolf]

Finished the final decal work on Saturday night. Airbrushed two coats of Future to lock in the decals yesterday afternoon, and last night the final top coat mixture of Future & Tamiya Flat Base went on.

I sprayed the first coat of black on the stand last night, and a second coat went on this morning before I left for work. Tonight, when I got home, I finished the detail painting, sealed the stand with airbrushed Future, and then applied the final gold trim work.

So . . . . she's finished! I'm going to set up the kit and my camera and get the final photos taken and posted tomorrow night, along with the text of the backstory. Stay tuned . . . . the USS Prolaya, NCC-1855 will be launching soon!

[Lonewolf]

The USS Prolaya (NCC-1855) was the sixth ship in the Surya Class of frigates. Construction was started on April 10, 2245 and she was launched on January 8, 2247.

Following her launch, the Prolaya underwent several months of fitting out, with upgrades being incorporated. The Prolaya’s sensor suite was upgraded extensively, and some experimental equipment was installed for field testing. Although the exact specifications were classified, the sensor range was reported to have been nearly doubled when compared to the standard equipment.

The Prolaya also received upgrades to the hangar area, enabling two additional shuttles to be berthed.

However, the increase in the hangar area resulted in a decrease in her crew compliment. The standard compliment aboard ships of the Surya Class was 55 officers and 265 crew. The Prolaya’s standard compliment consisted of 45 officers and 250 crew.

The Prolaya was officially commissioned into Starfleet service on June 13, 2247 under the command of Commander Vincent Marletti. The Prolaya joined the fleet as part of subquadrant three south, along with its sister ships, the USS Kanaris (NCC-1854) and the USS Andalucia (NCC-1857).

In mid-2248, the Prolaya was instrumental in rescuing colonists in orbit around Vesperian III. The impulse engines of the S. S. Bullinger had overloaded, sending a power surge through the ship that shorted out the shuttlebay doors and rendering the transporters useless. As their orbit deteriorated, the colonists jury-rigged their communications board to send out a distress signal. The Prolaya arrived just as the Bullinger started her descent into the upper atmosphere of Vesperian III. A tractor beam was activated, and the Prolaya succeeded in pulling the Bullinger back into a safe orbit. However, the Prolaya’s PB-47 Mod 3 engines were severely strained, and she had to report to Starbase 26 for a complete overhaul. At that time, her engines, shields and weapons systems were upgraded.

The Prolaya spent the remainder of 2248 and the first half of 2249 engaged in routine patrol and surveillance duties in subquadrant three south. On June 1, 2249, the ship was placed on temporary duty with TacFleet along the Klingon Neutral Zone, where her enhanced sensor suite was needed to investigate reports of increasing Klingon ship traffic inside the restricted area. As her upcoming mission was considered hazardous and was going to be of a longer duration, the crew was given two weeks’ leave at Risa before proceeding to Starbase 37.

On June 27, 2249, the Prolaya departed Starbase 37 on what became her final mission. During her patrol of the Beta Aurigae system, the Prolaya was attacked by allies of the Klingon Empire. In a four-to-one engagement, the Prolaya managed to destroy two of the attacking light cruisers, but was severely damaged. With her warp drive off-line, impulse power down to less than 40%, shields failing, and weapons systems compromised, Commander Marletti informed the crew of his decision to set the warp core to overload. This would serve the dual purpose of destroying the other two light cruisers and prevent any of the experimental equipment carried by the Prolaya from falling into the hands of the Klingon Empire or its allies.

Lieutenant Yoshiro Tanaka, the communications officer, stalled the attacking ships long enough for Commander Marletti to record a final log entry and to include all data from the encounter. As soon as the emergency buoy was ready for launch, the Prolaya spun 180 degrees and threw herself headlong between the last two ships. As her shields collapsed and the hull began to buckle, the buoy was launched. It is assumed that Commander Marletti gave the final overload order before the bridge dome was punctured. The buoy recorded the explosion of the warp core less than 20 seconds later, when it was outside the blast radius.

Two Federation starships, dispatched to the area in response to the buoy’s signal, located the trace wreckage of the Prolaya, with wreckage of two other ships in relatively close proximity. The Prolaya was identified primarily from the residue of its warp core energy signature as nothing really remained of the Prolaya itself.

Commander Marletti and his crew were memorialized in the cathedral at Starfleet Academy. Although no official word has been given, sources inside Starfleet Command indicate that there are plans to commission a new USS Prolaya and possibly also a USS Marletti. There has been no indication of the class of either ship.

[Abram]

What a great little ship and awesome back story too. I enjoyed following the build. Now I need to put more thought into back stories for my ships!

[el gato]

Great job, Rich! That's a neat little (?) ship you got there.

[ulvdemon]

Lookin' good!

[Moongrim]

Well done sir.

A good job, and a good backstory.