You've seen the ads in the magazines and on the web - but are those garage kits and resin update sets really worth the money? Wonder no longer - we pull no punches, and since we ain't selling anything, we like to think our objectivity is a pretty sure bet.

Got something you want to contribute? Have a kit that we don't and are just itcin' to tell the world about it? Drop us a line!

• NEW! Lamar Brown took Kip Hart's Battlecrab and went one step further - making a diorama of the Shadow battle fleet.
  
  
• NEW! R/M's B5 Station Preview. For what it is (a model aimed at kids) it's not a bad kit. Full build-up review coming soon.
  
  
• AoG's Metal miniatures cover a wide range of ships - some we've seen on screen, some not. Terry Meisle tells us how to build and paint them.
  
  
• Jack Wendt has built excellent Scratchbuilt Omega- class Destroyer and Hyperion-class Cruiser models.
  
  
• Kip Hart brings us an in-depth look at building the most menacing ship ever filmed - the Shadow 'Battle Crab'.
  
  
• John Karpiscak has started a Scratchbuilt Babylon5 Station.
  
  
• Back before Monogram ever thought of a kit, John Hayes' scratchbuilt his own Starfury.
  
  
• Revell-Monogram's Starfury Mk 1. The first in what we hope is a long line of mass-market injection molded kits. Simple techniques and a bit of patience can make this into a great display model (plastic).
  
  
• Spacemam's Whitestar. Guest reviewer Steve Sloan likes this one - and he's done an excellent job. Another UK import (resin).
  
  

• NEW! Victory Productions' USS Centaur In-the-box preview of a conversion kit to make a bit player in Deep Space 9.
  
  
• Monogram's Kazon Torpedo Unwanted and unloved, this kit may be the best engineered and easiest Trek kit to build. Joe Hank tells us how he built it.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's Cardassian Galor-class Warship One of ERTL's better effort, this kit is easy to build and provides lots of room for imagination. In a tag-team effort, Aaron Smith, Joe Hank and Micah Rogers tell how the built, painted, weathered and lit the kit.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's Enterprise-E Check out guest reviewer TrekFX@aol.com's preview of this kit (40 pieces, styrene).
  
  
• Thomas Models' Scout/Destroyer is a gem of a conversion. While there are a few flaws, the final product looks really good on the mantel! (resin - and what good resin it is, too).
  
  
• Monogram's Maquis fighter depicts a Peregrin- class courier converted to a commerce raider/ warship to fight Cardassians. It's a decent kit, with few of the flaws typically found with AMT kits - but it looks a whole lot more impressive with windows and engines lit and nav lights flashing. Nigel Scott, of Australia's SF Horizons, shows us how.
  
  
• Revell/Monogram's Voyager limited edition reissue is available - and flying off the shelves. The decals alone are worth the price of the kit! Check out guest reviewer Jay Chladek's preview of this gem (75 pieces, styrene).
  
  
• FXM's Nebula-class Starship - If you *have* to get a small Nebula to go with the AMT Enterprise 3-pack, this is the kit. Unfortunately, it's the wrong scale and pretty much sucks. (resin)
  
  
• Federation Model's Cardassian Scout (resin). An excellent, easy to build ship, perfect for getting your feet wet with resin models.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's Enterprise-B/Excelsior - sure, they're two different kits - but they're virtually identical ships (plastic). Tips for building and finishing in addition to QSFM's decent article.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's Enterprise-A - Books have been devoted to fixing the glaring innacuracies of this kit. For the moment, we've posted a list of these deficiencies and some suggested home remedies. In the not too distant future, we'll expand this to a step-by-step guid for fixing the errors and lighting the model.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's Klingon K't'inga - While not as blatantly inaccurate as the Enterprise-A, this kit has its share of problems. A step-by- step examination of these is offered, as well as painting and detailing tips. This review will be expanded in the near future with further detailing info as well as lighting tips.
  
  

• A Wing - Probably the best of AMT's line of Star Wars kits - which is no doubt why it's not sold in the US. Here's a kit you can build and paint over a rainy weekend - and get impressive results.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's TIE Interceptor - The basic kit is almost a toy, a snap-tite that is perfect for your six-year old's first plastic model. There's potential in this little model though - and it's relatively simple to scratchbuild a new cockpit, fix the poorly fitting canopy pieces and innacurate details, and even light the interior!
  
  
• Steve Neisen brings us an outstanding Scratchbuilt 24" Y-Ying and an awesome Scratchbuilt TIE Bomber, built from the same materials used by the ILM team. Learn new and exciting uses for common household items. Stay tuned for his AT-AT project!
  
  
• AMT/ERTL (nee MPC)'s X-Wing - There are at least four different variants of this kit out there - all of which suffer from poor to really, really poor detail and fit. I have an old kit, re-released with RotJ back in 1989 (the same almost-1/48 scale fighter found in the current AMT X-Wing Flight Display kit) that I pulled out of the closet not long ago. I've decided to convert this to a two-place, dedicated electronic warfare ship. This involves stretching the fuselage for a new cockpit, adding jamming pods and such, as well as fixing all the flaws I would if I built the kit 'straight'.
  
  
• Detail Set Falcon Kits' Millenium Falcon cockpit and exterior detail sets (for the AMT/ERTL kits). Check out our detailed analysis of this super offering.

• Bandai's Patrol Cruiser. Part of the EDF's rebuilt fleet after the Gamilon attack of Earth, the Patrol Cruiser plays a vital role in Earth's revitalized defense. (plastic).
  
  

• NEW! Fans of the British sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf have wanted a decent kit of the Starbug for a long time. Jack Wendt tells us if the Comet Models kit fits the bill.
  
  
• Lindberg's Independence Day Alien Attacker is a great idea spolied by really poor fit and clunky molding. Still, with some elbow grease and a lot of paint, you can build something to wow the contest judges.
  
  
• Andromeda's Kaitos Spaceboat looks like a dog - most of the parts are from a line of 1/350 scale Warsaw Pact patrol boatsand look it. With a bit of imagination and a well stocked parts box, you can change that !
  
  
• John Douglass shows us how he built two very different ships inspired by the Star Wars millieu- the 'Mantee-class' Assault Lander and a Long-Range Escort Fighter.
  
  

• NEW! EVA's Lunar Roving Vehicle is a multi-media materpiece of detail. Rob examines what you get in the box - and is working on a build up review.
  
  
• EVA's Astronaut Figuresare finely rendered, well detailed kits of real and fictional astronauts. Here Rob examines the Kevin Yeager figure - but this review could be about any of their line.

• NEW! The ABC War Robot was one of the best things about Judge Dredd - and of the models depicticing characters from that movie. Though molded in Tsukuda's infamous soft vinyl, it nevertheless builds into a well detailed replica with a little care. Sadly, it's now out of production, though the sharp-eyed modeler can still find it at conventions and some hobby dealers.
  
  
• Halycon's Aliens APC kit was a state-of-the art kit in it's time. Rob built and weathered it - and tells us how in this review.
  
  
• The ORX-05 Gaplant was one of the many prototypes "mobile suits" introduced in the animated television series Zeta Gundam, which was shown in the sequel to the popular show Gundam. Marc Vezina examines Bandai's kit in this review.
  
  
• Polar Lights' Lost in Space Robot is a faithful reproduction of the old Aurora kit, right down to the cheesy lightning bolt and otherworldly base. It's a decent model that builds up easily.
  
  
• AMT/ERTL's Speeder Bike. Ok, it's not a starship ... but it is sci-fi and can be built and painted in just a weekend - a long weekend!. (plastic).
  
  

• Erin Lantz shows how to Scratchbuild with Promat, a bakeable clay that can be sculpted to form figures and vehicles alike.