by Robert Morgan

This is the Alliance Original Series Colonial Shuttle, purchased from Federation Models. I wanted to do something different, so she received a nice camouflage scheme, as if she was actually in service as an assault transport. The paints are various shades from the Testors enamel and acrylics line. Weathering was done with a number of light grey washes to really dirty up the previously clean paint job - remember, this is a hard working combat shuttle, not a hangar queen. The boar's head nose art came from a Monogram F-8 Crusader VF-11 decal sheet; I have forgotten where the numbering came from. There are many extra vents and thruster ports added here and there, including vertical thruster ports on the shuttle's ventral side so that the thing could actually take off in real life. I must admit to being bothered by there only being those two big engine bells in the back and nothing else. These are Wave detail parts bought from 'Da Store. The shuttle does not sit perfectly straight, as the landing gear was tough to make consistent lengths all the way around. There is a slight lean to it, I must regrettably admit.

The model is very simple and easy to build, given its relatively few parts. My building time is glacial, and yet I managed to complete it in a mere two weeks - a credit to the model, not me. I would have liked to see a bit more detail in it, but given the scale and the fact that I bought it on sale it was more than acceptable. Overall, if the goal was to update the old original series into something which could just ever so possibly appear in the new series carrying a load of combat hardened Colonial Marines into the fight, I'm happy with the result.

Image: Front/top view

Image: Another

Image: Close-up

Image: Front/left

Image: Right/rear

Image: Detail

Image: Underneath