So, it's been a while since I posted this thread. I have slowly been working on these ships, as well as getting new models and assembling them.
Here are some pics of the 1:2500 ships, most now with decals.
USS Enterprise, ISS Enterprise, USS Defiant, USS Constellation, USS Hood, USS Lexington
TOS Connies
Refit Connies
USS Enterprise, USS Enterprise-A, USS Constitution, USS Potemkin, USS Excalibur, USS Faragut
You'll notice these are not the best job, but I always have had trouble with ships these small. You'll also notice that for some of the refits, I actually used the TOS decals. I tried making them look like the Matt Jeffries refit Enterprise, before Probert tweaked it. In my mind I had backstories of these ships.
Shortly after being promoted to Admiral, and after Starfleet saw that the Constitution class ships were starting to show their age when the Federation lost a a handful of border skirmishes to the Klingons and Romulans, Admiral Kirk was put in charge of the Constitution Class refit project. First to be refit, was the Enterprise. Once that refit project was deemed a success, Admiral Kirk, selected more of the aging constitution class ships for refit.
Concurrent with the Enterprise refit project, the namesake of the class, USS Constitution was also refit. Unfortunately, while on a shakedown cruise, the USS Constitution suffered heavy damage and casualties, when it entered warp, and like the events of the USS Enterprise during the V'Ger incident, the Constitution also suffered from an antimatter imbalance and was caught in a wormhole effect, where it collided with an Antares Type Freighter. This resulted in shearing off one of its warp nacelles, the loss of 347 crew members, including its captain and first, second, and third officers, and the complete destruction of the freighter, the SS MacNally's Hope. The USS Constitution was eventually repaired, but due to irreparable structural damage, it was relegated to the status of a training ship.
The Excalibur, after having been nearly destroyed by the M5, sat in mothball for several years. Feeling a sense of responsibility as he was captain of the Enterprise at the time of the M5 incident, Admiral Kirk pulled her from mothball and slated the Excalibur for refit. Captained by Joseph April, son of the legendary Robert April, was the second youngest officer to attain the rank of captain in Starfleet history, after Admiral Kirk. The Excalibur saw 12 years of distinguished service before being decommissioned, having made first contact with 32 different species, and was victorious in 4 separate engagements with Romulan D7 battlecruisers.
The USS Farragut, one of Admiral Kirk's early postings was selected next for refit. Unfortunately, 3 months after her rechristening, the Farragut was destroyed in an ion storm, with the loss of all hands.
The USS Potemkin, which also had a distinguished history, was refit, and selected to be the UFP Presidential ship. Also known as Federation One, the Potemkin was outfitted with an experimental warp drive, which increased output by 33%,over its original configuration, and was able to sustain a maximum warp of 8.75 for 12 hours. It was outfitted with an additional 6 phaser banks more than a standard Constitution Class ship, and its interior was configured for diplomatic missions, with lavish quarters and amenities, unrivaled until the Galaxy class.
