Scale: 1/1400 - 27"/ 686mm wingspan when built

Parts: 29 Resin

Instructions: Four page assembly guide

Decals: 3 ALPS-printed waterslide Romulan logos

Molding Quality: 8 - Very well cast. There was no flash on any part.

Detail: : 7 - Some of the detail and the edges are soft.

Accuracy: : 8.5 - The model matches the Valdore type Warbirds seen in Star Trek: Nemesis very closely

MSRP: $240 USD (originally); out of production now, but you may find a copy on eBay from time to time.

Overall Rating:

2005 was the year of the BIG model. First Polar Lights released their 1/350 Refit, then in May, Starcrafts released their 1/1400 Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser.

Shortly thereafter Nova Hobbies released their 1/1400 Negh'Var. Last but not least Ravenstar Studios brought us their 1/1400 Valdore.

I really wanted a Valdore. I thought the ship was one of the better designs from Nemesis but after having bought Starcrafts Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser I had to do some gentle arm-twisting before I convince my wife to let me buy Ravenstar's Valdore.

The model consists of 29 resin parts. The parts arrived wrapped in bubble wrap. All of the parts are solid cast. The largest parts of the kit are the main body and the wings. When fully assembled the model has a 27” wingspan! The kit is well cast. I was unable to find any holes, or bubbles, and there was absolutely no flash. While examining the warp nacelles I noticed that the edges are a little soft. The wings however, are covered with a very crisp feather pattern. The details on the rest of the model are good. Some of the windows are a little crooked.

A quick test fit of the model shows the parts fit very well. The four-page instruction guide explains assembly and is easy to follow. It also recommends areas were pinning the model might be needed. Assembly looks to be pretty straightforward. Several parts fit overtop of seams so filling will be cut down. The only area that appears that may cause an issue is where the warp nacelles meet the wings. This will need to be epoxied and pinned. There is no paint guide, however I don't think one is needed: Romulan ships are green, just green.

Conclusions

I like this kit. I always thought this would be a great model. To bad PL did the Scorpion instead of the Valdore. Ravenstar has done a great job. It's unfortunate that they have decided to close down. Because of that the Valdore was discontinued on November 30th. I'm glad I got mine. I'm really looking forward to building it. I do have some concerns about the wings drooping over time because of the weight of the warp nacelles. Because of this I will have to mount the model to provide the wings more support.

I like the design of this ship and the fact that it is in 1400 scale. I would have liked some of the parts to have crisper edges, but other than that, it's a great kit. Now the only question I have is; where do I put it?