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| A Klingon Bird of Prey flying over the black felt of space. |
The Klingon Bird of Prey first showed up in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The model was built by Industrial Light and Magic, who did the effects for the film. The Star Wars influence appears in the exposed guns (most weapons on Star Trek are understated and recessed into the hull), lack of prominent warp nacelles (just where the warp drive on this thing isn't obvious), and greeblies protruding from it (Star Trek ships outside of TOS aren't completely smooth, but lack the chunky details seen in close ups). The outline of the ship - a command pod connected by a long boom to a broader main body - evokes prior Klingon ships. The feather details on the wings and cloaking device imply a Romulan connection.
Overall Appearance
This model is close enough in terms of detail. The overall shape is right, but it is not screen accurate. That would be overkill at this scale. Many of the details of the studio models (physical or CGI) wouldn't be visible on a model this size. On the other hand, some of the shapes just don't match any of the reference materials I was using. I feel that one more detail pass on the sculpt would have pushed this from "good enough for tabletop" to a display piece.
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| Side by side comparison with Eaglemoss USS Phoenix. |
Scale
Wizkids made no effort to scale its Star Trek miniatures with each other. This model is enormous compared to the Cardassian Galor I painted awhile back. (See that post for a comparison of the two still in their boxes.) However, it looks pretty good alongside my Eaglemoss USS Phoenix. It's still too large for something commonly depicted as a scout, raider, or small cruiser. However, Star Trek scaling isn't consistent. This is especially true of the Klingon Bird of Prey.
Preparation
Deep Cuts miniatures come pre-primed, so I was able to skip that step. I had to remove some flash with a hobby knife. There's also some mold lines on the edges of the wings that I wish I spotted before painting. This was a disappointment since the Cardassian Galor I painted last year was ready to go straight out of the box. It might be the more complicated shape of the Bird of Prey or just that I got one from a bad batch.
Paint Scheme
The colors of the studio models seemed to be different on almost every image I saw during my research for this project. The best single source I could find was a page on Ex Astris Scientia. On screen, the Klingon Bird of Prey ranges from green to yellow-green. I decided that an olive color could be close enough and convey a military feel.
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| Side view. |
Hull
This took some experimentation.
My first attempt - a mix of Reaper 09011 Leaf Green and Reaper 09009 Lemon Yellow - produced a bright green. The color seemed too cheery for a Klingon warship. However, I will keep it in mind for any forest, elvish, or Christmas themed projects in my future.
Further trial and error produced the following mix:
Reaper 09177 Camouflage Green (2 parts)
Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold (1 part)
Reaper 09291 IMEF Olive (1 part)
The Camouflage Green and Palomino Gold produced a bright yellow-green. The IMEF Olive darkened it down, but the yellow hue was still strong. More green or less Palomino Gold would've produced a color closer to what's on screen. However, I was planning on hitting the model with a coat of wash later. That's when the decision to stick with the brighter, more yellow mix paid off - a more screen accurate color would have ended up too dark with a wash over it.
Underside Feather Pattern
Reaper 09070 Mahogany Brown (first coat)
Reaper 09072 Rust Brown (second coat)
Used for the feather pattern on the bottom of the wings and the circular band around the command pod. The Mahogany Brown provides a good base coat for the following layer of Rust Brown.
Technical Details
Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey
I picked out the hinge-like cowling at the top of the model and a few other details in Stormy Grey. Some renditions of the Bird of Prey use gray to break up the feather pattern on top of the wings. I might have put in that effort if this was intended to be the main ship of our Star Trek Adventures game. A "hero" version of this miniature might be an interesting project for another time.
Wash Coat
Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade Dark Tone
No subtlety here - I slapped a coat of slightly diluted Dark Tone over the whole model. It darkened down the bright yellow-green hull color into an olive. It also brought out details like the feather patterns on the wings.
Impulse Engine
Reaper 09070 Mahogany Brown (first coat)
Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood (second coat)
Reaper 09009 Lemon Yellow (final coat)
Used for the impulse drive. These were layered on top of each other, leaving some of the previous coat showing towards the "cooler" areas. A better job blending the colors together or a coat of red wash might have helped with the gradations, but what is on the miniature is good enough for tabletop.
Conclusion
This was an inexpensive option for getting a Klingon Bird of Prey on the tabletop, but seems to be harder to find these days. I'm not sure if Wizkids has discontinued the line or if stocks are just low. I like how mine turned out and will likely pick up another if I can source one.
This took some experimentation.
My first attempt - a mix of Reaper 09011 Leaf Green and Reaper 09009 Lemon Yellow - produced a bright green. The color seemed too cheery for a Klingon warship. However, I will keep it in mind for any forest, elvish, or Christmas themed projects in my future.
Further trial and error produced the following mix:
Reaper 09177 Camouflage Green (2 parts)
Reaper 09074 Palomino Gold (1 part)
Reaper 09291 IMEF Olive (1 part)
The Camouflage Green and Palomino Gold produced a bright yellow-green. The IMEF Olive darkened it down, but the yellow hue was still strong. More green or less Palomino Gold would've produced a color closer to what's on screen. However, I was planning on hitting the model with a coat of wash later. That's when the decision to stick with the brighter, more yellow mix paid off - a more screen accurate color would have ended up too dark with a wash over it.
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| Three quarters view. |
Underside Feather Pattern
Reaper 09070 Mahogany Brown (first coat)
Reaper 09072 Rust Brown (second coat)
Used for the feather pattern on the bottom of the wings and the circular band around the command pod. The Mahogany Brown provides a good base coat for the following layer of Rust Brown.
Technical Details
Reaper 09088 Stormy Grey
I picked out the hinge-like cowling at the top of the model and a few other details in Stormy Grey. Some renditions of the Bird of Prey use gray to break up the feather pattern on top of the wings. I might have put in that effort if this was intended to be the main ship of our Star Trek Adventures game. A "hero" version of this miniature might be an interesting project for another time.
Wash Coat
Army Painter Warpaints Quickshade Dark Tone
No subtlety here - I slapped a coat of slightly diluted Dark Tone over the whole model. It darkened down the bright yellow-green hull color into an olive. It also brought out details like the feather patterns on the wings.
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| Aft view. |
Impulse Engine
Reaper 09070 Mahogany Brown (first coat)
Reaper 09279 Fresh Blood (second coat)
Reaper 09009 Lemon Yellow (final coat)
Used for the impulse drive. These were layered on top of each other, leaving some of the previous coat showing towards the "cooler" areas. A better job blending the colors together or a coat of red wash might have helped with the gradations, but what is on the miniature is good enough for tabletop.
Conclusion
This was an inexpensive option for getting a Klingon Bird of Prey on the tabletop, but seems to be harder to find these days. I'm not sure if Wizkids has discontinued the line or if stocks are just low. I like how mine turned out and will likely pick up another if I can source one.
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| Sometimes the interests of allies don't align. |
This particular one will represent a sometimes helpful, sometimes not complicating factor in our Star Trek Adventures campaign in the starting campaign year. Things will get a little more confrontational after 2372 rolls in.