After sitting in my model stash for 15 years, I decided to finally build the Klingon cruiser that debuted in the Next Generation. I’ve been holding off until my skills and time could hopefully do it a measure of justice. I always liked this design as a heavy compliment to the smaller bird of prey ships that the Klingons were known for.
After deciding to take a break from some of my other projects, I decided to build a quick model to keep my practice up and relax a bit with a kit that I didn’t overly care about. My closet is sadly full of kits that I resist building simply because I don’t feel that my skills are good enough to do justice to the subject. So after around 15 years on the shelf, I decided to attack the Kazon Raider. I have to say I’ve never been a big fan of the Kazon, either as an ‘enemy’ race on Voyager, or in the designs of their ships. I owned the kit simply because it was on a closeout special at a Kaybee Toy’s outlet store for like $5. I’d also heard horrible things about the kit, and so I was curious to confirm them.
First, the horror stories were not misplaced. Every seam on the kit needed to be sanded, and sometimes puttied to bridge the gulf between pieces. Every joint needed to be puttied to fill in huge gaps where the pieces came together. In several cases I needed to sand off tabs and free fit pieces so that I could get them to sit right, especially the long tail fins. I think the only kits I’ve put together that were worse was a couple of small scale Airfix military kits. Now, all of that said, it gave me an excellent chance to work on my putty technique.
Once the putty and sanding was complete, I went to painting it. I decided that I didn’t like the light tan that was used on the show, so I laid down Model Masters Enamel Dark Tan as the base hull color. All the details were painted with Military Brown and Gunship Gray. Finally, I did a rather heavy dry brush of Armor Sand over the whole of the main hull to add texture over the smooth surface. If I were ever to do the kit again, I’d probably try to scribe on some paneling and details as there are few molded details beyond a few stick on pieces and the engine parts. Once the painting was finished, I added a flat coat of Testors Dullcote Lacquer. This was the first time I’ve used Dullcote and I feel much more confident using it in the future thanks to this kit.
Overall, I had fun with the kit, despite its flaws, as much for the fact that I wasn’t looking to make a showpiece. I’ve also gained a bit more respect for the design, with a few adjustments I think it could have been a much more impressive vessel.
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