Image: Bow-on view

Image: Port side

Image: With cruiser detached

Image: Closer look at the cruiser

By Bruce Rollins

Earth's military presence in space really hit its high point once the interstellar colonies became able to produce and support their own shipyards. This made it possible to create much larger vessels that did not necessarily need to be able to reach all points of conflict since every system could maintain its own fleet to protect itself and other nearby systems. These local fleets often adopted minor design and color variations to distinguish themselves.

Such was the case at the Esperanza colony. The native alloys that were used for the hull plating on the newest Supremacy class battleships had a uniquely gold tint to it. The Admiral in charge of construction could not bring himself to use the ordinary gray paint that was common among other Earth warships to cover the regal gold metal, so they kept the hull its natural color. The first vessel of the class to roll off the line was named "Aguila" (eagle in English) and was known throughout the fleet as the Golden Eagle.

The unique aspect of these versatile battleships is the cruiser class vessel that rides on its back. Capable of operating independently for long periods of time, the cruiser is used for recon, support and planet fall operations.

About the Model:

The model is in 1/2000 scale and is about 18 inches long. I had the idea to build a large vessel with a piggyback ship for several years before coming up with a design that I liked.

The primary materials used were cardboard and bashed kit parts. All cardboard surfaces were given a coat of Liquitex matte medium varnish to provide a hard surface suitable for painting. Most of the parts came from a Moonbus and a Millennium Falcon. Actually, I kind of wish I still had those kits... being a scratchbuilder comes at a price sometimes.

The gun turrets turn and the scratchbuilt sensor assemblies also turn. The cruiser attaches with a rear coupling assembly and a locking clamp that slides on to the front.