Scale: 1/72 - 3½"/8.5 cm long when built

Parts: 3 Resin

Instructions: 1 page assembly and paint guide

Decals: 1 sheet ALPS-printed, waterslide markings for one shuttle

Molding Quality: 9 - very well cast. Very minor sanding needed to clean up mold seams, no bubbles

Detail: 8 - Looks good to me.

Accuracy: 9 - Matches the studio model quite well

MSRP: $30.00 USD (~$38.69 CAN/ € 23.69 EUR) available from Federation Models

Overall Rating: Nice little kit that should make a fine weekend project

^ Hull

The model retails for $30.00, which isn't bad. In the box were the assembly guide, 3 resin parts, and a sheet of decals.

The parts are cast in a white resin. The casting is great. The seams were kept to a minimum and there were no bubbles to be found. The kit consists of 3 parts, the fuselage and the two engine nacelles. The detail is good. The model matches the photos of the studio model.

Assembly is very straightforward. Each engine nacelle has a stub on it. The stub fits into a hole on each side of the fuselage. The holes and stubs are not keyed so that the engines are only used on one side, but it is easy to tell that the engine is upside down. Once the nacelles are glued onto the fuselage assembly is complete. There are minor seams around the nacelles where they attach to the hull, and with a little putty and they should disappear.

The decals are ALPS printed and are very good. You only get markings to do one shuttle, the Sacajawea from Voyager. Since this shuttle was seen on TNG and Voyager I would have preferred to have decals to make either version. I am sure that someone will create a decal sheet for a TNG shuttle, though.

Conclusions

I really like this kit. It was very well molded, and cleanup will be minimal. The model looks accurate and since it is in scale with ERTL's Runabout kit. Alliance has done a good job with this kit and it's an added bonuus that it can be displayed with the Runabout. With all of the different types of shuttles seen in the Star Trek Universe, I hope we see more kits like this one.