The best reference I've found for this subject is Star Trek: The Magazine June 2000. It has CGI profile views of the ship: top, bottom, side, front. It's clear from that reference that a few details are innaccurate, but it's all minor stuff - easily fixed or ignored. It also points out the fact that a couple of markings (those for the underside of the nacelles)are missing from the decal sheet.

By looking at the size of the libeboat hatches, it seems like this model may be a bit smaller than 1/1400. On the other hand, maybe those are 1-2 man lifeboats, where larger ships have lifeboats of larger capacity.

I can't give this kit a solid five star rating, but it's definitely a four-plus job. I got mine through Federation Models and rec'd it 3 working days after I ordered it. That's service!!!

I really, REALLY wish I had received a casting worthy of a 4 or 5 star rating like most of the other reviewers seem to have gotten, but alas, mine has a plethora of problems.

Mine has air bubbles numbering well past a hundred. Mold seams which are very large considering the size of the model, especially on the secondary hull in front of the nacelle pylons. Behind the pylons on the secondary hull, the word "resurface" fits better than "filling and sanding". There were chunks missing from the impulse engine and the top-center portion of the secondary nav. deflector, as well as the leading edge of the pylons and portside bottom edge of the primary hull. The nacelles were pointed wildly downwards and, although this was the easiest thing to fix, it made the little ship look absolutely ridiculous as it came out of the box.

All in all, it'll take a good two days work just to get it ready for a base-coat of paint. However, it really is a beautiful little ship, if one takes the time to fix everything. The accuracy is amazing and the amount of detail superb, too bad I'll have to rescribe most of the panel lines in order to remove all the little bumps from them, and create panel lines in the spots where they seem to have disappeared. The decals are pretty bad as well, and I'm planning on getting an aftermarket set from McDaniel's Models, which include a whole lot of stuff missing from the original set, and hopefully are of much better quality (the kit-supplied ones are best characterized as blurry).

But, I still think all the work is worth it. It is just such a cool design and can be built into something truly beautiful. Don't let me discourage you (too much) from getting one of these.

The port nacelle pylon was a little warped, but was easy to repair by heting/reshaping. Nothing to gripe about, considering I had nothing to assemble!

The only complaint I have about this kit, is painting. I have yet to find a primer that really works well with Starcrafts resin kits, the paint seems to chip off really easy. Anyone out there have a primer they've used successfully?

This is a fun, detailed model, which really challenges you to give it a good paint job, since you don't have to assemble anything!

Oddly enough, the nacelles on my example are perfectly straight. There is also little flash. Mold lines are present along the pylon edges and midships on the engineering section, but they're modest and don't infringe on real detail.

Unfortunately, much detail is marred with open air bubbles. Lights, phaser strips, lifeboat covers, and even just plain flat stretches of hull are riddles with small gaps. There are a couple of notable gaps in the framework around the Bussard scoops, on both nacelles. Both pylons have multiple pinholes in their rib-like sections, and one rib is completely gone.

Another problem is the thickness of resin in several places. The aforementioned ribbed pylon sections, the hull in front of the smaller deflector dish, the projecting lip of the hanger bay, and the fins on both nacelles are all paper-thin, making clean-up dicey at best. The relatively small scale has something to do with this, of course, but I'm still going to coat those areas with a layer of thin super glue.

Overall, the kit's engineered well. I just wish there'd been more care in the execution.

I did however fill in the sensor areas and sand them flush with the surface because I bought the JT Graphics Nova Class detail sheet which included decals for the sensor areas. If you are going to buy this model, then get an aftermarket sheet! JT's is by far the most detailed, so I reccomend that one.

The panel lines were well scribed, and the mold seams were very minor and easy to fix with an x-acto knife. The only problem with my kit at all was that the escape hatch at the rear of the bridge on the port side seems to have disappeared with my model.... but no big deal since the JT decals come with lifeboats.

Painting was a cinch, and went fast. I actually completed and detailed my model within a 48 hours period of off and on work. It's a fun and fast project that you can display next to your Monogram (or Alliance) 1/1400 Voyager kit (or hang it from the ceiling as I did)

So thumbs up Starcrafts! This was my first model from them, and I am definately getting one of theirs next time I feel like doing a ship model.

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