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U.S.S. Centaur • NCC-42043 • Starship

Model by Stephen L.

 

Kit Bash

AMT/Ertl kit 6630 (USS Excelsior), 8766 (USS Reliant), Monogram kit 3605 (Maquis Raider), 3604 (USS Voyager)

 Model Specifications:
Scale = 1/1021
Length = 35.2 cm
Width = 21.3 cm
Height = 6.5 cm

 
This model of the Centaur represents the ship commanded by Charlie Reynolds who inadvertently fired on a Jem' Hadar ship commandeered by Captain Sisko and crew.

The filming miniature was a simple kit bash made from off the shelf model kits. The primary parts are the Excelsior saucer and engines, and the Reliant for the secondary hull/pylons.

The basecoat is Light Gray to allow the Gloss White windows to show on the hull. 'Off' windows are Gloss Black.
   
The addition of the Excelsior shuttlebay in the front of the ship would've hidden the Excelsior bridge from view. By adding the Reliant bridge (at Excelsior scale) is 3 decks high and the sensor dome of the Reliant becomes the 'bridge'. It is completely visible from the bow point of view over the forward shuttlebay.

The shuttlebay door and many other detail parts on the model were painted Copper.

 
The spar leading directly aft of the Excelsior bridge would interfere with the Reliant's bridge docking port and so is not actually there. The aft torpedo launcher was placed above the impulse engines.

The windows were marked in their proper positions based on the filming miniature and etched into the hull with a Dremel tool.

The blue hull panel tone is a new Model Master color Azure Blue. The RCS Thrusters and part of the aft torpedo launcher is Zinc Chromate.
 
Four bottom nacelles from the Excelsior kit are required to produce the Centaur's warp engines. The light blue warp grille is actually the piece of detail that sits directly under an Excelsior nacelle. Using only bottom nacelles is also why there are three fins at the back.

I made the markings with Adobe Illustrator. They even include the small gray rectangle details on the lower sensor array.

The Warp grilles are Flat Light Blue with a light coat of fluorescent Horizon Blue.
 
The bottom details come from varied kit pieces. If I can determine the actual kit parts used on the studio miniature, I'll replace them.

The ones I've used on the model so far include Enterprise-B deflector dishes, bits of TIE Interceptor landing legs, TIE Interceptor wing attachments, and truck mirrors.

The impulse engines were painted fluorescent Fire Red.

I am missing most of the small copper colored bits that are all over the filming miniature. As I find out what pieces were used and can track the parts down, I'll continue to accurize my Centaur.
 
There is a debate as to the scale of the Centaur: Reliant or Excelsior. I think the bulk of the evidence points to Excelsior-scaled components. This is an illustration of the deck structure for a vessel in scale with the Excelsior and Reliant. Despite the larger Reliant Bridge module, the vessel cannot be scaled with the Reliant. The shuttlebay door would be only 7 feet high...barely enough for a person to walk through. The bay would also be bisected in the middle of the deck. There aren't any major problems if the vessel is Excelsior scaled.
 
This is a photo of the actual filming miniature which had a similar construction to my model. It is available from Bernd Schneider's Star Trek fan site Ex Astris Scientia.

This diagram documents all of the confirmed kit parts I've identified on the studio model so far. I will update the list as new information becomes available.

Thanks to Nick for some more parts identification!
 

Photos by Stephen L.