By Michael Putnam

IKS Martok: Klingon Tactical Attack Cruiser

When it became necessary for the Klingon Empire to rebuild from the rubble of the Dominion War and Gowron's selfish waste of resources, Chancellor Martok pressured the High Council into actual research and planning. Into strategically designing a new breed of attack cruiser, larger than the NegH'Var, as agile as a Bird of Prey, and more heavily armed than ever before. A cruiser that incorporates the most advanced technology taken as the spoils of war from the Dominion, the Jem Hadar, the Breen, and the Cardassian. And even from their allies the Federation and the Romulans. Martok's single demand of the designers, "Give me a ship as graceful and deadly as a BahtLeth, or give me your lives." The vessel, similar to Federation vessels, is designed with a separation mode. The command deck can detach from the neck and utilize its auxiliary impulse engines or supplemental warp nacelles for attack if the main ship is crippled. The two can also fight together, in dual vector assault mode. The Imperial Fleet is now steadily growing, led by more and more RaM'PahK class flagships. The appearance of the this new line of vessel in the Empire has several heads of Starfleet concerned about the Empire's intentions.

About the model:

This was about as happy as I've ever been with the outcome of this model. It's kind of what I wanted the VulK'Tar to be... It started with an AMT/Ertl Cardassian Galor kit, a Batwing kit, leftovers from a bird of prey kit, odds and ends and lots of sheet styrene. Using the Galor as my armature, I scratch-built hollow-cored styrene wings designed to fit the profile of the Batwing's engines, (which have now become my ominous nacelles), and saddle around the Galor. I scratch build the command deck the same way and added pieces from a SW battletank and other odds and ends to create the command bulb, weapons pod and aux. impulse engines. I detailed the top of the Galor with elements from the Bird of Prey, including its impulse engine. I used various thicknesses of styrene to create the plating on the wings and neck. The model was painted with MM medium green and the aztecing is done in various shades of Zinc Chromate and Field Green. The contrasting plating is Metallic burgundy and Graphite Metallic. All in all a great project.

Image: Top/rear view

Image: Port side

Image: Top view