Overall Impressions.

USE COMMON SENSE WHEN BUILDING RESIN KITS (or any kits, for that matter)! SANDING PRODUCES A VERY FINE DUST THAT GETS IN EVERY CREVICE - INCLUDING THOSE OF YOUR LUNGS. GLUE AND PAINT VAPOR AIN'T GOOD TO INHALE EITHER. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR - BUILD IN A WELL LIT, WELL VENTILATED ROOM - AND WATCH WHERE THE HOBBY KNIFE BLADE IS POINTING!

First off - wash the parts thoroughly in warm, soapy dishwater to get all the mold release residue off - worth the effort as this makes the paint adhere much better down the road (some folks say soak parts in "Blech-White" wheel cleaner overnight - it works, but be careful as the stuff is highly caustic.

The instructions consisted of an exploded drawing (not really necessary as part location was intuitive), a hand drawn painting guide, and a resin model assembly/finishing guide. Assembly was straightforward; the only difficulty I had was fitting the top dome ... the gap for it was too small once the cabin and "wings" were glued together (using regular Loctite "QuickTite CA superglue - all I had at the time and I was too lazy to hit Wal-Mart for 5-minute epoxy). I set the dome on top and filled the gap with putty - a better way would have been to use my motor tool to expand the opening until the part fit and putty any extra gaps. After sanding lightly with 320-grit wet-and-dry paper the ship was ready for painting.

Painting.

Like the assembly instructions, the painting guide is ... spartan - just some hand drawn notes with generic color notes pointing to a diagram of the underside. The box art provided an acceptable quide, however. I finished the ship overall with Rust-O-leum Satin Finish "Putty" #7772. The yellow "tail" and circular ring were Krylon Interior/Exterior Yellow. The yellow ring was made by masking off the top of the "cabin" with regular masking tape, drawing the inner and outer edge of the band with a compass, slicing the demarcation lines with a sharp No. 11 blade, and sealing the edges of the tape with a clear flat spray to prevent "bleed-under" by the yellow. Testor paints completed the detailing (including Model Master"FS28915 Flourescent Red" for the warp engines and underside "grille", Gloss Red spray paint for the upper and lower "domes", and airbrushed Gloss Black for the "windscreen"). After allowing the paint to cure for several days, two coats of Testor's spray Dullcoat were applied. After this dried, the domes were given a coat of Future floor wax applied with a Q-tip. Finally, the ship was weathered with a wash of dark grey/black and a few strategically placed airbrushed smears and stains.

Display/Mounting.

With no undercarriage to rest on the ship is pretty much limited to an "in-flight" pose. It comes with a brass rod and a nice base. For this kit, I took a small, rectangular wooden plaque I bought for $0.59 (US) at the local craft store, stained and finished it, then added a felt pad to the bottom surface. I mounted the ship on a clear acrylic rod, 1/4" in diamer and 4" long, that started life as a child's softdrink stirrer I found at Wal-Mart (lop off the colored plastic fruits at the end with a razor saw and voila - a sturdy, inexpensive stand). I also have used these things on my Kazon cruiser, USS Excelsior, and two Klingon cruisers.

Where to Find This Kit.

If your local hobby dealer doesn't have one, you can order it from Thomas Models, 1723 Bailey St, Lansing, MI, 48910-1744. The catalog I have lists it at $40 US, but you'll want to write first to check availability and price. You can also write directly to Federation Models at PO Box 725165, Berkley, MI, 48072-5165, or call (810)-540-7908.