Star Trek: Picard - Production Accurate Starfleet Combadge (2390s) - V1

Note: Build photos coming soon!

This replica of the Starfleet Combadge from Star Trek: Picard is the perfect addition to any cosplay armada or combadge collection. This combadge is notable for following the trend of Discovery having full-metal badges, and would be best printed in metal if you can. However, it's possible that a solid chrome paint job can sell it as the real thing!

This model was produced thanks to the Picard auction hosted by Prop Store, which featured a bevy of high-resolution photos showing several production-made replica combadges. The star of the show for me was seeing the main Starfleet badge up close and personal. What was once thought for almost two years to be a sharp edge around the delta of the badge actually turned out to be an almost flat, “hammered” sort of texture that created the look of ridges, but was actually soft and bumpy! Thus, I felt obliged to take all this new information and create my “definitive” version of the combadge. However, I'm calling this “V1” because I know the moment I get a chance to get my hands on one of the production-made replicas sold at auction, I'm gonna circle right back and adjust this as necessary.

This model is built to as high-spec as I possibly can, even forgoing some things that might make it easier to print, such as a bridge connecting the two backplates together, as the original production model had. However, I did include a version of that just in case you wanted to mess around with it. Even the magnets are placed where the combadges' magnets are supposed to be!

I'll be completely honest, I haven't printed this badge out yet, so I'm calling this one “V1” until I've had a chance to test it out myself. YMMV! I'm waiting on getting a resin printer before I can call it complete. However, testing the ridges out in Blender using a metallic shader, it appears that it will be able to sell the look on it's own. Obviously, if you have the ability to cast/print in metal, do that!

Build Notes:

• Resin/SLA prints are basically required if you want the ridge effect to even show up after painting.
• Print out “PIC-DeltaFront”, “PIC-Clasp”, and one of the sets for “PIC-DeltaRear”:
  • “PIC-DeltaRear_Full” is both “wings” of the backplate, separated physically but in the same file. 
  • “PIC-DeltaRear_LeftWing/RightWing” are the wings separated for easier placement on small build plates.
  • "PIC-DeltaRear_FullBridge" feature a production-inaccurate bridge between the two wings so it can be printed as one piece.
• Fully printed, the badge should measure 2.75in x 1.4in, measured tip to tip. The .STLs are exported in mm.
• Make sure to print at an angle! Even subtle layer lines would kill the ridge effect.
• THE BACKPLATES ARE CURVED IN THE REAR. This may make it difficult to print flat on a build plate. However, the part that connects to the Front Delta is flat.
• The magnet holes are sized for 1cm wide, 1mm tall cylindrical magnets, but there isn't any clearances, so it may actually only be good for 9mm x 1mm cylindrical magnets.
• To paint, use the shiniest chrome/silver paint you've got for the delta (DeltaFront.) Use a matte gunmetal grey (aiming for a dark-blue tint) for the backplates. I suspect Alclad II would be an excellent choice for the chrome. Look up some guides on how to finish/clear coat chrome paint, as you can easily dull your beautiful chrome finish with the wrong clear coat!!
• Adhesion's gonna be tricky. The trick is to line up the backplates perfectly with the front delta. They should look flush when finished. V2 might include some register points to make printing easier, but I want to do some testing on tolerances first.
  • I'd also recommend gluing magnets on first before adhering everything else.. You can then use the clasp as a guide for putting the delta on.

Like Star Trek props? Feel free to check out my wiki, Replication Ops, for detailed breakdowns and archives on Star Trek props. And feel free to contribute, we're just getting started! https://replication-ops.com/wiki/Main_Page

Feel free to throw me some bucks if you like the things I do. Thanks! I love you. https://ko-fi.com/caseytube