TOS Miranda class: Star Trek starship parts kit expansion #20

[Note: This project is also available on my Google Drive, which can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RGMEg2yTJqFwFyBpE28_lPXLIleUejvT?usp=sharing]

This is the 20th expansion parts kit meant to complement my original Star Trek Constitution Class Parts Kit, providing parts and ship models to support a hypothetical Original Series era Miranda class starship. My rendering intends to emulate a rendering created by TrekBBS user Prologic9’s TOS Miranda that was created all the way back in 2012. Since then, there’s been many fan takes on the ship, and we’ve also seen versions in the Star Trek Online game and in the fan series Star Trek: New Voyages, but I’ve always like Prologic9’s version the best.

My build is far from an exact copy of the Prologic9 rendering but borrows most of the design elements from the original images they posted.

See my Cults3d Profile for the full list of parts kits I’ve released so far. Each of these kits includes combined ships and ship parts STL files, along with blender source files used to create them. Ship files should be ready to print. Part files are provided so you can import into your 3d modelling software of choice to combine and modify to easily create your own ship designs. All parts are meant to be cross-compatible between kits.

Included Ships

This kit includes two variants of the TOS Miranda class.

Rollbar variant

Note the impulse engine is a part of the rollbar mounted combined sensor/tractor/engine pod.

No rollbar variant

In this variant, the impulse module is mounted at the rear of the main hull, as it was on the screen-canon Miranda.

Zip Files

Zip files are included in the following google drive locations:

• TOS-Miranda-ship-stls.zip – Contains the combined, ready to print, ship files.
• TOS-Miranda-parts-stls.zip – Contains all of the individual part STL files used to create the combined ship files.
• TOS-Miranda-blender-files.zip – Contains the source blender files used to generate the parts, as well as files with the parts assembled as used to generate the combined ship files.

Notes on scaling and working with Blender

My target scale for all source files and output STL files is 1:1000, However, I generally recommend 1:2500 or smaller given the detail level of the model. Although these files have not been extensively tested through printing, they are intended to be resized to match common modelling and miniatures scales.

Target scale -- Scale STL files to: -- Notes

- 1/3900 -- 0.25641026 -- FASA miniature scale

- 1/3788 -- 0.26399155 -- ADB Starline 2400 scale

- 1/3125 -- 0.32 -- ADB Starline 2500 scale

- 1/2500 -- 0.4 -- The Trek modelers "Golden scale"
- 1/1600 -- 0.625 -- TOS 3-Ship Set scale

- 1/1400 -- 0.714285714 -- Common resin model scale

- 1/650 -- 1.538461538 -- Modelling scale

- 1/537 -- 1.862197393 -- Common scale for TMP models

- 1/350 -- 2.857142857 -- Large scale

Blender

Blender is free, which to be honest was the primary factor in my decision to learn it. There are many fine video and text tutorials available online if you're interested in learning more. For a basic tutorial on moving and joining objects in Blender(which should be the minimum you need to know when working with these parts), see this instructables tutorial.

You can use File -> Import -> Stl (.stl) and File -> Export -> Stl (.stl) to load or save STL files in blender.

Note: These kits were built using Blender 3.1.

Post-processing STL output

Although all of the STL files included have been tested as valid watertight meshes, joining the parts together and exporting new STL files can introduce small errors that may cause issues with slicing programs. I recommend any STL files you create are checked using a program like Netfabb Basic free edition. Doing a simple "Close All Holes" repair has fixed most of the issues I've run into so far. If you do run into issues with mesh quality, please let me know.

File manifest

Parts

The TOS-Miranda-parts-stls.zip file contains all of the part STL model files listed below. Note some parts will be shared between ships, for instance The Antares uses the same nacelles and pylons as the Sherman, so don’t have their own version of the parts.

Part -- Description

- tos-miranda-hull-impulse-unit.stl -- Impulse engine used in the no-rollbar variant.

- tos-miranda-main-hull.stl -- Saucer with combined extended rear hull.

- tos-miranda-main-hull-no-weapons.stl -- Saucer with combined extended rear hull, with no visible phaser blisters or photon ports.
- tos-miranda-nacelle-port.stl -- Port warp nacelle.

- tos-miranda-nacelle-starboard.stl -- Starboard warp nacelle.

- tos-miranda-pylon-sensor-impulse-module.stl -- Rollbar mounted combined sensor/tractor/impulse pod.

- tos-miranda-pylons-full-rollbar.stl -- Pylons with integrated rollbar.

- tos-miranda-pylons-no-rollbar.stl -- Side pylons without rollbar.

Combined ship STLs

The
TOS-Miranda-ship-stls.zip
file provides the printable ships created using the parts included in this kit.

Part -- Description

- ship-tos-miranda-with-rollbar.stl -- Combined ship model – rollbar variant.

- ship-tos-miranda-with-rollbar-no-weapon-details.stl -- Combined ship model – rollbar variant (no visible weapon details).

- ship-tos-miranda-no-rollbar.stl -- Combined ship model – no rollbar variant.

- ship-tos-miranda-no-rollbar-no-weapon-details.stl -- Combined ship model – no rollbar variant (no visible weapon details).

Blender files

The TOS-Miranda-blender-files.zip file contains parts files, containing the STL parts arranged as used in the sample ship designs, and parts source files, containing the raw blender objects used to create the parts.

License

I'm releasing this under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. You're free to distribute and modify these files (even for commercial use), provided you attribute the creator and distribute your contributions under the same license.