The 1/350 scale Polar Lights USS Enterprise

The first time I saw this kit, it was over the Internet a very long time ago. I remembered drooling, fantasizing, scheming on how I was going to get my hands on one. I saw pictures of great builds, lightings, they were just simply magnificent.

Then I read that this kit is about 34”/864mm  long. OMG ... that's Huge!!! Starship Modeller reviews' got to me and I nearly bought her, but then I was worried. At that length, where exactly am I going to display her? My display cabinets around my house are not big enough to hold her, and I don't have any spare space to display her even  if I was to had a special display case built for her (without facing the wrath of my wife).

Size comparison with the AMT/ERTL kit which is only 22" long

Size comparison with other brands

And then there was another problem. The Aztec painting .... another headache. The refit Enterprise is not exactly all white, and had aztec markings of shades of pearls on her. Trying to do that with the ERTL 22" model was already a pain.

Lots of masking tapes required

But then, the temptations ... ahhhhhh. Resistance is truly futile. This kit is about the most accurate you're ever going to get if you want the refit movie Enterprise. In fact, at 1/350 scale, such kits tend to be very detailed and accurate. So when a friend offered me an earlier issue (without the brass rod but comes with the clear base pegs) at a very reasonable price, I bought her. Yes, I finally own the 1/350 scale Polar Lights USS Enterprise.

And the good news now is that ... the Aztec Mask are easily available. In fact, I don't even need to paint her. I can choose to settle with the Aztec decals. All these are available at Starship Modeller's Store.

Aztec masking

Then I got to know of a discussion about having the Enterprise D & E in 1:350 scale .. hmmmmm. Exactly how big would these kits be at that scale? Here's a graphical representation to fill your imagination

And the level of accuracy you ask? Check out these images

Man, there's even a detailed shuttle bay and shuttle crafts are provided. Aftermarket parts and lighting would further enhance this kit's when assembled and painted (more on this for another blog posting later). Mine's still in the box ... waiting for a nice display space to appear one day. Yes, one day .. but unfortunately not today