I finally decided to jump back into modeling after about 5 years away from the craft. Seeing so many great models online inspired me to give it a try again. First up: the Polar Lights 1/1000 USS Enterprise, with a little twist. I saw another modeler's version of this ship and really liked that he had chosen to use an Aztec pattern on the hull. I thought the final look was really interesting, so I did the same.

I first built the major assemblies (saucer, engineering, nacelles) and then primed them with camouflage gray. After a coat of clear gloss, all of the decals were applied. I custom made the decals from some images that can be easily found online. Luckily I printed them all off at the same time, right before my PC died. Yep, all that work, and the files are gone. Guess it was the tribbles! But at least I had them printed. I also decided to add some extra decals and mix and match the various versions available with this model to give the ship a unique look.

Ultimately I'm really happy with the final product. A few issues here and there can be excused as great learning opportunities for my first model in half of a decade. The next model will be even better!

Note, the last picture is Photoshop edited to enhance the contrast. This allows you to see the Aztec decals much more clearly.

Left Front

Left

Enhanced Saucer Image