Klingon K'T'INGA-Class 1/350 Battle Cruiser First Look

I should probably change the name of this blog to "The Joy of Hoarding Models". Not a lot of building or finishing going on. I should open the phone lines up on that question. How important is it to build and/or finish? But before that can-o-worms blows up in our faces let's review this new thingie by Lights, Polar:

There are two kits here, Cruiser and Lighting Kit

The KBC (Klingon Battle Cruiser) is a big kit when finished. I have a nearly ready to paint Captain Cardboard one from TOS in the same scale. This design, the D7 platform is one of the coolest well designed spacecraft of all time. As noted by Matt Jefferies it needed to be instantly recognizable on screen as a bad guy. This it does. All sharp and angular like a cobra and manta ray combined to create an weaponized battleship. (I'm listening to CRA OST Money (That's what I want), if you want to bounce along to the beat with me). Uh, where was I? Oh. UH, I like the new smaller and conventional sized box for this kit. The previous kits where harder to get into the hoardin' pile. This one will slip right in. The $$$ is right on these, good value for what you get. Let's hope they sell a ba-zillion of these, as I want a Romulan Bird of Prey, complete with plaster interior.

Here is the guts of the box. My hand is still 1:1, so you can see the relative size. Of the kit.

Sides of the box fold up to give the color call outs. This is a nice way to hug your favorite tree. There are colors listed for Testors Enamel and Tamiya Acrylic. The way this is done assumes the builder is an advanced prop replicator, this kit is not marketed (at least by these color charts) to the general public. I think Lights, Polar should have a page online much like Wingnuts to handle a more refined color application. And yes, there is much controversy concerning all this. Want to start a fight with your significant other, just start talking about the aztec pattern on the TMP.

The decal sheet.

The main hull (for the slaves). Nice to see it in two main halves for ease of construction and strength. The surface detail looks good. I can't figure out why it's molded in black...post shading? The dark color makes it hard to see any of the detail. And thus harder to build. Thanks Lights,Polar.

Since I'm on a complaining bender let's get it all out. The gates to the parts are thin. This model has lots of sharp edges in it's design, edges that are important. So, when you are removing the parts from the sprue take EXTRA care to not mess up the thin sharp edges of the parts. The extra time you spend will pay off later on when you don't have to fix flubbs. I am only giving the nice folks at Lights, Polar a mild hard time about this, because this is really the main complaint I have with the kit. I wish their sprue attachments were better thought out to avoid edge damage during removal.

Still listening...I tend to over indulge and when get into a music thing listen to it for several weeks over and over...

Here is some typical sprue parts. I like that the kit has a reasonable amount of parts which makes it very build-able. After all once you get fed up with hoarding...might as well build, right?

Here is the light kit. Pretty svelt compared to the TOS Enterprise one, but there are no moving parts.

Nice plans on LED placement. Also note the "upgraded" Photo-etch parts. As noted on the Lights, Polar blog these are "controversial". The issue is matching up the injection molded kit parts to the reality of the miniature used in the film. Of course it goes without saying that if your model is not an exact copy of the filming miniature, that you are a lesser person. You should be mocked, shunned and reminded that this hobby is all about getting it exactly right. This is not your model, it's not up to you decide how to build or paint it so it pleases you, no, you signed documents to the effect that it must be completed as an exact copy of a model built years ago. Yes, I have a few issues.

Here is a nice thing: Polar Lights Model Kits: K’t’inga… the colors, man… the colors… (Pt. 1)

Back to the PE issue. On the nose (or cobra head) of the ship are lots of windows. There are LEDs that shine through these and Lights, Polar acknowledges that getting them to match the filming miniature was not possible through normal maturing. The PE is fix for this, but when installed will be slightly proud of the surface, so not an exact match either. After looking at all the reference, I think using a small drill to clean out the plastic window part will work just fine. The way the plastic part is made to flex into place is a nice solution on eliminating draft problems.

I wanted to see how the fit was, especially on the rounded cobra bulb. Here is the top.

I didn't go crazy sanding the parts, to give a feel for how close Lights, Polar got it. I would say they did a great job getting everything to fit on a complex structure.

Here it is. Ready for...building/hoarding/Ebay? 

This is a wonderful kit. I am not looking to get free review samples. (Address available on request).

I am looking forward to building this either battle damaged or being serviced by a tender. Oh yes, I looked, not much on the S4. I am not building a portable dry dock. No. No.

ENJOY.