Klingon ships of the Starfleet Handbook, part 1: Star Trek starship parts kit expansion #27

[Note: You can find an alternative Google Drive location for this project at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aAEtEI0V13o7NobVZ0oJUVT1ZyT-6F2T?usp=share_link]

[Part 2 is here: https://cults3d.com/en/creations/klingon-ships-of-the-starfleet-handbook-part-2-star-trek-starship-parts-kit-expansion-28]

This is the 27th expansion parts kit meant to complement my original Star Trek Constitution Class Parts Kit (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3652210). In this case, I’ve collaborated with Art Braune - a lifelong Treknologist and Trek Archivist, to delve into the depths of old fanon Trek manuals to come up with something a little different. From Geoffrey Mandel’s Starfleet Handbook, Volume 13, the “Class I Equivalent - Klingon Imperial Fleet”.

When originally published in 1978, this article included side profile artwork for several ships designed by Patrick Flannery, and later versions of the handbook would add designs originating from Todd Guenther, Eric “Jackill” Kristiansen, and Marc E. Shamma'a. While many of these designs have had more detailed blueprints or 3d models made over the year, Art and I have attempted to take a fresh attempt at rendering these ships using only the original side profile artwork as a guide.

While this was originally going to be a small kit containing some additional parts to add to my existing Klingon kits, it grew more substantial and with the number of designs increasing, I’ve decided to break it up into two kits. This first kit primarily focuses on larger combatant designs.

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 the following ships:

B-1 “Jul’kar” class battleship

This tri-nacelle monster uses a slightly modified D-7 main hull with a massive command hull bristling with disruptor turrets, disruptor cannons, and photon torpedo launchers.

Kit includes TOS and TMP versions.

D-6 “Raxor” / K-6R “Hyill” (Romulan) / D-7 “Kolode” class battlecruiser

According to the article, the TOS era D-7 was nearly identical to the earlier D-6 cruisers. The model included is nearly identical to the version I released as part of Expansion Kit #3: FASA Klingon Ships, but includes a few small tweaks along with several large improvements to mesh quality.

D-7 “K’t’inga” class battlecruiser

As with the TOS version, this motion picture era model includes improvements over my previously released version.

K-5 “Dupat” class light cruiser

A smaller cruiser with similar lines to the D-7. Kit includes TOS and TMP era versions.

KD-5 “K’t’orr” class heavy destroyer

Marc E. Shamma'a’s K’t’orr is a fairly unique Klingon design, with a large heavily armed command hull paired with a smaller engineering hull.

Zip Files

Zip files are included in the following google drive locations:

• starfleet-handbook-klingons-1_ship-stls.zip – Contains the combined, ready to print, ship files.
• starfleet-handbook-klingons-1_parts-stls.zip – Contains all of the individual part STL files used to create the combined ship files.
• starfleet-handbook-klingons-1_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: This kit was 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 starfleet-handbook-klingons-1_parts-stls.zip file contains all of the part STL model files listed below. Note that part files are not meant to be printed on their own, but instead they are meant to be combined to create new ship designs that can then be output as joined files and printed.

Part - Description

- b1-command-module-tmp.stl - Command module with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-command-module-tos.stl - Command module with TOS style detailing.

- b1-main-hull-tmp.stl - Main hull with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-main-hull-tos.stl - Main hull with TOS style detailing.

- b1-nacelle-center-tmp.stl - Center warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-nacelle-center-tos.stl - Center warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- b1-nacelle-port-tmp.stl - Port warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-nacelle-port-tos.stl - Port warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- b1-nacelle-starboard-tmp.stl - Starboard warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-nacelle-starboard-tos.stl - Starboard warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- b1-neck-tmp.stl - Neck with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-neck-tos.stl - Neck with TOS style detailing.

- b1-pylon-center-tmp.stl - Center nacelle pylon with K’t’inga style detailing.

- b1-pylon-center-tos.stl - Center nacelle pylon with TOS style detailing.

- d7-command-module-tmp.stl - Command module with K’t’inga style detailing.

- d7-command-module-tmp_thick.stl - Command module with K’t’inga style detailing (thickened for small scale printing).
- d7-command-module-tos.stl - Command module with TOS style detailing.

- d7-main-hull-tmp.stl - Main hull with K’t’inga style detailing.

- d7-main-hull-tmp_thick.stl - Main hull with K’t’inga style detailing (thickened for small scale printing).

- d7-main-hull-tos.stl - Main hull with TOS style detailing.

- d7-nacelle-port-tmp.stl - Port warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- d7-nacelle-port-tos.stl - Port warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- d7-nacelle-starboard-tmp.stl - Starboard warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- d7-nacelle-starboard-tos.stl - Starboard warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- d7-neck-tmp.stl - Neck with K’t’inga style detailing.

- d7-neck-tmp_thick.stl - Neck with K’t’inga style detailing (thickened for small scale printing).

- d7-neck-tos.stl - Neck with TOS style detailing.

- d7-neck-tos_thick.stl - Neck with TOS style detailing (thickened for small scale printing).

- k5-command-module-tmp.stl - Command module with K’t’inga style detailing.

- k5-command-module-tos.stl - Command module with TOS style detailing.

- k5-main-hull-tmp.stl - Main hull with K’t’inga style detailing.

- k5-main-hull-tos.stl - Main hull with TOS style detailing.

- k5-nacelle-port-tmp.stl - Port warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- k5-nacelle-port-tos.stl - Port warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- k5-nacelle-starboard-tmp.stl - Starboard warp nacelle with K’t’inga style detailing.

- k5-nacelle-starboard-tos.stl - Starboard warp nacelle with TOS style detailing.

- k5-neck-tmp.stl - Neck with K’t’inga style detailing.

- k5-neck-tos.stl - Neck with TOS style detailing.

- kd5-k't'orr-main-hull.stl - Primary hull.

- kd5-k't'orr-nacelle-port.stl - Port warp nacelle.

- kd5-k't'orr-nacelle-starboard.stl - Starboard warp nacelle

- kd5-k't'orr-neck.stl - Neck.

- kd5-k't'orr-pylon-port.stl - Port nacelle pylon.

- kd5-k't'orr-pylon-starboard.stl - Starboard nacelle pylon.

- kd5-k't'orr-secondary-hull.stl - Engineering hull.

Combined ship STLs

The starfleet-handbook-klingons-1_ship-stls.zip file provides the printable ships created using the parts included in this kit.

Part - Description

- ship-b1-tmp.stl - B-1 with K’t’inga style detailing.

- ship-b1-tos.stl - B-1 with TOS style detailing.

- ship-d7-tmp.stl - D-7 with K’t’inga style detailing.

- ship-d7-tmp_thick.stl - D-7 with K’t’inga style detailing, thickened for small scale prints.

- ship-d7-tos.stl - D-6 / RD-6R / D-7 with TOS style detailing.

- ship-d7-tos_thick.stl - D-6 / RD-6R / D-7 with TOS style detailing, thickened for small scale prints.
- ship-k5-tmp.stl - K-5 with K’t’inga style detailing.

- ship-k5-tos.stl - K-5 with TOS style detailing.

- ship-kd5-k't'orr.stl - K’t’orr class.

Blender files

The starfleet-handbook-klingons-1_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.