Star Trek Enterprise 1701-C

I found the project to be fun to build. Specifications and detail of the model were ok. The only problem I had was adhering the two large round decals that went on the top and bottom of the saucer section. I was able to work around this issue by actually painting the two large surfaces. The lack of a display mount also was a negative. My recommendation is if you can paint the entire model without using the decals (Ships name and call numbers excluded), I think the overall effect would be more realistic.

I was really excited for the cadet series Star Trek models to come out because they were all at the same scale. You had a relatively tiny ship from the original series that was dwarfed by the massive ship from The Next Generation. I thought this was great because usually if you get models or die casts of these ships they make them the same size. This way you get to see exactly how each ship compares to each other in size. Enterprise C may be my favorite version of the Enterprise. I was really excited for this one. My disappointment lies with the decals however. After assembling three previous cadet scale ships (TOS, refit, and Enterprise B) and not having any problems with their decals I started working on C. Assembly was fine. All of the decals were shot. Every time I put one in water it disintegrated. I ordered replacements and they were only marginally better. I eventually finished it but the whole thing frustrated me so much I put the rest of my models in storage. I just started decaling the Enterprise D after a year off and am not having any problems at all. I'm guessing I must just have gotten a bad batch with that particular ship.

I am not a fan of the 1:2500 scale series of Star Trek kits. Most ships in that line are low-detail and you are meant to decal the entire surface. The 1:2500 Enterprise-C, however, is an exception. It is just as detailed as its larger 1:1400 cousin (which is to say, quite detailed) and you can paint in all the hull features you like. On the minus side, the ship has a hole in the lower hull for a display stand, yet no display stand is included. Grrr. Assembly is very quick. Once assembled, the ship looks a little silly, almost toy-like, but I think that is a reflection on the original design and not really on this kit. Recommended for diehard Trek fans only.