This was my second build of Polar Lights' 1/1000 scale TOS U.S.S. Enterprise kit. My original intention was that this was going to be a first pilot Enterprise model, but before the painting stage, I decided that I was still not skilled enough to name the model Enterprise, and so used this build as R and D for later efforts.

I decided to do a clean and unweathered first pilot-style build, and labeled it as the Constitution (NCC-1700), theoretically the first ship in the STAR TREK canon with this configuration. The model reflects the Constitution as she might have looked at the time of her launch--very clean and pristine. The base color is Testors' Flat Gull Gray, applied by rattlecan. Dark Ghost Gray was used for various detail bits, and the nacelle endcaps are Dark Red mixed with a bit of Flat Black and Copper. The other details were hand-painted. The decals are stock, execpt for the name on the upper saucer, lower saucer triangles, and bridge, which come from JT Graphics. Unfortunately, there was some silvering of the decals, particularly on the upper saucer.

This build went very smoothly, with only a few minor issues. The detail painting didn't go as well as I'd hoped, and I forgot to install the nacelle spikes prior to fitting the front ends on. As a result, the spikes stick out more than they should, since they were installed on the outside. The base is a simple custom job--a few brass rods and a cheap wooden plaque colored with wood stain.

Saucer Top