After recieving my Enterprise-A in the mail I was awestruck by the intense detail done to the model/ As small as it was it had more detail then the AMT/ERTLl kit. Assembly was a breeze, as was painting the model (I was able to paint the whole model by hand).

I recommend painting by subassembly. The only problem I had was with the decals, to me they looked way out of scale and too small. So after a long wait I ordered and got some 1/1400 Enterprise-A decals from Thomas Models . The decals sent were very well made, but if you don't want to wait as long as i did I suggest you try other trek decal sites, as they maybe able to make some in the proper scale.

I'm sorry I dont have pics of my model (no scanner) but for those who are courious e-mail me and i wil tell you the colors i used to finish the model. Keep up the good work StarCraft.

The nacelle/pylon assembly was the worst, with enormous mold seams running along the spines of both nacelles. Another area of difficulty was the engineering section, with a bad mold seam along both sides from the dish all the way to the fantail. This required a good deal of filling and sanding, but once that was complete, it looked fantastic.

The saucer section required removal and rescribing of one of the "landing feet" on the bottom. A minor detail, and easy to correct.

Starcrafts really did a good job with the detail, including the 4 phaser emitters on the bottom of the secondary hull, and the 2 above the shuttle bay. Also present are correct rec room windows on the rear/starboard of the saucer, not a big deal, but these are all details lacking on the much larger ERTL kit.

It test fit went very well. (I didn't really know what to expect here, but was impressed.) If the fit from the neck to the secondary hull had been a little tighter, this would almost qualify as a snap-fit kit.

I am looking forward to building her, as she has all of the details I have grown tired of re-scribing. I also enjoy the fact that this kit is large enough to show off, but not so big as to take up an entire shelf by itself.

The kit is very simple to assemble but in some cases a real challenge to paint. I used a dark aircraft gray primer as a base coat. After spraying the primer and after I let it dry. I then painted over the whole model again but with a light gray paint from Model Master. I found myself using up to three coats at times. Be sure that the paint also gets inside of the grooves in the saucer section as well as other parts that this method should apply.

After painting over the primer, then came the tricky part. I decided to tackle the nacelles first. I used black gloss enamel. Painting the hard to reach spots is not as hard as it may seem. Do not worry about being messy. Just make sure to get the paint in the places that need apply. Once that is done, paint over the inappropriately painted areas that are left over with the light gray paint. This may require up to three coats to cover up the paint that was left over. To give the "blue light thingy", located at the front of the secondary hull, its bright blue color so that it would appear that it is actually being lighted, I first painted it white, then used light blue gloss enamel and painted over that spot gently.

I strongly recommend assembling before painting because I went through a week of correcting the deformities that I found. The reason why I like this model so much is because of its flexibly. Unlike other models this one is able to have its deformities easily corrected. I've always wanted a model of the Enterprise (refit) in this scale for as long as I can remember and now that I have one; it's like a dream come true. My model is 90% completed. All I need now is the decal set that I am waiting for, from Thomas Models. My model will represent the original refitted Enterprise from Star Trek's I- III. Once the decals are applied, She will be ready to leave dry dock!

Otherwise, this kit is a nice addition to anyone's 1400th scale fleet. It would be nice if Starcrafts would pay a tad more attention to casting, so others building this kit may not have had the problems I had.

The profile on the primary hull is a better match than what we've seen in the ERTL offerings. Same goes for the secondary hull. The warp nacelles appear to have the correct length as well - another problem I've had with the ERTL kit.

I've begun placing pins in the nacelle pylons, close to where they attach to the body. This isn't necessary, the parts will fit together and support the structures fine on their own. I personally feel more confident with pinning such a small piece.

JT's decal set is definately worth getting for this model. There are so many details on it that will add to the overall appearance of the kit.

Overall, I highly recommend this kit.

There were only a few resin void and microbubble issues that were fairly easy to fix. Fit was excellent. Detail is very good.

I chose not to use the supplied decals, as the JT Graphics set had more details and options.

This kit started me on my 1/1400 scale Starfleet collection.

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