| The following are reader's opinions of the Steamrunner-class made by Starcrafts. |
| Reviewer | Randy Hobbs |
| Date Reviewed | Jun 21, 2000 |
| Overall Rating | 
Well worth getting.
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| Comments | As far as detail and overall appearance of the model. I give it a 5 star rating. The problem was a bubble which has been fixed. This is a very nice starship and will be a handsome addition to my models of Trek. The painting pantone colors appear to be a perfect match according to the CGI rendering and the suggested colors. I am very impressed with this kit. She is a beauty. Starcrafts has done a great job on this model. The bottom does looks like thats the way it should look, even though I've never seen the bottom. It compliments the overall detailing on the ship. Now, I need the newly made Akira to add to my comletion as well. Starcrafts, Thank you for your great work!!! -Randy Hobbs |
| Reviewer | Eric Harrold |
| Date Reviewed | Jun 25, 2000 |
| Overall Rating |
Well worth getting.
|
| Comments | Starcrafts does it again. This kit is their best yet- it is of the same quality as all of their previous resin kits, plus they have done slightly better in most respects. The scribed lines are done especially well, they are all straight and even, which wasn't the case on some of their earlier releases. Especially welcome are the red nacelle caps included- it dramatically improves the look of the model, and I hope they do this for all of their kits. The casting quality remains the same- there are the occasional bubbles, and there are some rough casting lines which will require some clean-up, but otherwise, it is very good. The bottom of the model might not be 100% accurate due to a shortage of pictures of it, but they got the Nova-class about 95% accurate with less references, so I'll trust them. This is definitely worth the money. |
| Reviewer | Mike |
| Date Reviewed | Oct 26, 2001 |
| Overall Rating |
Well worth getting.
|
| Comments | Great! Ii love this model. It is the best model i have got the $70.00 was well worth it. This is the model for people who like the other ships of trek |
| Reviewer | Jack Cieminski |
| Date Reviewed | Dec 20, 2001 |
| Overall Rating |
Well worth getting.
|
| Comments | This has been my favorite design ever since I first laid eyes on it, and the kit is no disappointment either. The main hull is wonderfully detailed both top and bottom, with excellent panel lines and straight, consistent windows. There is some minor cleanup to do around the edges of the hull, and the two "trenches" that run from front-to-back on both the upper and lower surfaces required a lot of filling and sanding to get a smooth bottom edge on them. This isn't much of a problem because there isn't much detail in those trenches.
The warp nacelle / pylon units had rather large mold-release seams around their circumferances, which required a lot of cleanup; but again, there is very little detail in those areas. The main deflector housing has the same mold-release problems, and the detail on the sides (looks similar to transporter emitters) will have to be removed and hopefully recreated using brass Enterprise D transporter emitters. There is also a bit of warpage on one of the nacelle pylons, which will have to be straightened in order for the deflector housing to be positioned properly. A bit of work, all in all, but well worth it I think. |
| Reviewer | Tom Allison |
| Date Reviewed | Mar 29, 2002 |
| Overall Rating | 
Average. Get it if on sale or you love the subject.
|
| Comments | I am putting together one of the Steamrunner kits right now. After taking it out of the box, the first thing I noticed were parts of the bridge area were filled in, because of an apparent mold tear. There were also undercuts on the secondary hull where the mold wasn't registered properly. I also noticed the surface of the kit has what appears to be either dimpling from a liberal application of mold release, pebbling from the use of talc as a substitute mold release. The clear red parts were also not vaccum chambered as they had a few bubbles in each. Which brings me to air bubbles. The surface had a lot of them. This is caused by the molds not being properly de-gassed. In my honest opinion, after seeing this kit, which I did not purchase, I would say that the price is not worth it.
I could have easily taken the original pieces, made better quality molds and made probably half a dozen copies for a little more than $250.00. My molds wouldn't have taken a dive on me for at least 50 castings. If they had, I would have replaced them. The resin that was apparently used is either SC-300 from smooth on, or some odorless white quick set resin. I would also guage that this resin was quick setting with a potlife of about 30 seconds, or up to 3 minutes which would explain why the main pieces weren't vaccum chambered to collapse the bubbles. As a guy who makes molds and casts resin, as well as sculpts for a living, my review might seem harsh. These are the things I look at in any kit, especially since I know I could have done a better job of casting it myself. The ship itself was pretty well done, it's the casting that I have an issue with. Tom |
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This page copyright © 2000 Starship Modeler™. Last updated on 9 May 2007.