Kastang Ramblings of a Geek

Star Trek NX-01 1/1000 Scale Model

Today I built my 1/1000th scale Star Trek Enterprise NX-01 model kit that has been sitting on my desk for a few weeks. As I am new to model building, I was originally hesitant to purchase this kit after reading the not so great Amazon reviews. Eventually I decided to take the risk and purchase it because the NX-01 is one of my favorite ships from the Enterprise series. This model is the first Star Trek related model I have built, but certainly won't be the last. Other then a few hiccups, the few hours it took to assemble were enjoyable.

What I liked:

• The attention to detail is very impressive. Round2 really took their time to capture as much of the NX-01 detail as possible.
• Most of the pieces in the kit are numbered somewhere on the actual piece.
• The kit includes extras of the extremely small pieces. This was a live saver for myself personally. While assembling the kit, I dropped a piece that I could hardly see in my hand on the rug, there was no chance I would find that piece. Luckily that piece in particular had an extra included in the kit.
• The kit includes decals for both the Enterprise (NX-01) and Columbia (NX-02). The different deflector dish for the NX-02 is also included in the kit.
• The directions are on one large sheet of paper and for the most part very easy to understand. On the back side of the direction sheet is the decal instructions and placement diagrams. They are also clear and easy to understand, no need to guess where to place the decals. The direction sheet also includes an optional color chart for the minor details on the ship to add more details.
• For the most part, the pieces snap together without any issue.

What I didn't like:

• The kit does not detail how to paint the pattern for the saucer displayed on the box.
• While the ship is possible to build without glue, a few pieces almost require it. For example, the nacelles will not stay in place without the addition of glue.

Some Tips:

• A modeling knife and tweezers are an absolute must. Many of the pieces in this kit are less then 1/8th of an inch long. They are very difficult to handle especially if you have fat fingers like I do. Some holes on the saucer are not completely cut through, they need to be cut with the modeling knife before inserting the pieces.
• Modeling glue is also handy. Even though the kit says it is not required, some items such as the nacelles really need to be glued to keep them from falling off if the slightest movment to the model happens.
• The nacelles go on after the top and bottom saucer are snapped together. (This was the only confusion on the directions I experienced)
• Don't try to force any piece in, most should go in without issue. If you put a considerable amount of pressure on any piece, there is a good chance you will break the saucer. If you are having trouble fitting any pieces in, try trimming it with a modeling knife.

Additional Pictures:

Overall, for the price of the kit I am not disappointed with it one bit. Fully assembled, the model is around 9 inches long. I am still deciding if I want to paint the model, for that reason I have decided not put the decals on yet. If I do decide to paint it and it turns out nicely, I may buy the same kit again and put the Columbia deflector dish and decals on it.

My next project will most likely be the much larger 1/350th Star Trek USS Enterprise A (around 32" assembled) unless I can get my hands on a larger scale model of the NX-01. I estimate my next project to take a few months to complete as I plan to attempt to incorporate lighting in it if at all possible.