Wizkids Star Trek Deep Cuts Unpainted Miniatures Cardassian Galor Class

Once of the challenges of running Star Trek Adventures is how to represent the ships. My initial solution involved counters, hand-waving, and imagination. Not being content with that, I decided to use die cast models from Eaglemoss for the "hero" ships - the player character crewed ship and any vessels occupied by major non-player characters. That still left me with the issue of how to represent the other ship that tend to show up in a Star Trek roleplaying campaign - the one-offs, the bit players, and tin cans that show up to provide dramatic tension and the odd space battle.

Front three-quarters view of a ship design that takes more than its fair share of weapons fire in Star Trek.

I quickly ruled out more Eaglemoss models since I didn't want to throw that much money at the problem. Even the ones I own now were purchased on sale. Counters and imagination would be the most practical fix, but I wanted something with more aesthetic appeal.

The prepainted models from Star Trek Attack Wing by Wizkids look good, but the price is still a little too high for my needs. Then I found out about their Star Trek Deep Cuts Unpainted Ships. These are much lower in price, detailed, and even come pre-primed. I ordered a small selection and tucked them away as a rainy day project.

That day came in the form of a literal rainy day. It was too humid to spray prime or paint any new or ongoing projects. And I couldn't decide on a Reaper Bones miniature to paint – my usual go-to for a rainy day project. So I broke open the packaging on a Cardassian Galor Class and picked out some paints.

Rear three-quarters view. In setting, the ship design is modelled after the Cardassian Union's national emblem.

The Process:

I choose the Cardassian Galor Class over the other Deep Cuts models because it appeared to be a relatively quick and easy paint job. The Cardassians seem fond of browns, tans, and grays for their ships.

Primer
Deep Cuts miniatures come primed out of the package, so I could skip that step. The primer works well, holding on to the paint without beading.

Base Layer
I brushed on a couple of coats of Formula P3 Menoth White Base. The color is a little too light to match the reference images I found online. I was planning on using a wash, which would darken the base color.

Details
Certain areas on the Cardassian Galor Class glow red in the reference images I was using. These areas got picked out with Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood.

Wash Layers
A layer of Army Painter Warpaint Dark Tone Quickshade worked well to bring out the recessed details. I used a sponge to wipe off the excess since I didn't want to darken the whole figure. Next I brushed on a layer of Army Painter Warpaint Strong Tone Quickshade to add a little more brown to the base color.

Product packaging and size comparison between the Cardassian Galor Class and Klingon Bird-of-Prey.

Pros:

• Good level of detail for a miniature this size (~2 inches or ~5 centimeters long).
• The titular "Deep Cuts" takes washes well, making those details stand out.
• Inexpensive.

Cons:

• Scale. Wizkids' decision not to scale their Star Trek Attack Wing ships with each other was made long ago - that ship has sailed, but that won't stop me from complaining about it as it disappears over the horizon. The Cardassian Galor Class looks like a single-seat fighter compared with the other Deep Cuts ships I own - the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and Jem'Hadar Attack Ship. It is also too small to be in scale with Eaglemoss models. That's not a deal breaker for me, but does make me wish for an alternative at a similar price.

Overall, this was a quick and fun painting project. My only reservation about this product is the scale. Otherwise, it promises to do the job I bought it to do.