Star Trek USS Enterprise Space Seed

I built many version of the classic AMT/ERTL 18 Enterprise, so building this kit was a welcome experience for me. It is actually more detailed than the other version. Plus the design of the kit makes more sense. You appreciate details like the Buzzard Ramscoop at the front of the warp nacelles are molded in clear plastic, not solid. That's cool. Another nice feature is that you are given the option to build FOUR different versions of the Enterprise: the ship as she appeared in the TV series, in the first pilot, in the second pilot, and most awesome of all, the Mirror Universe version of the ship! You get a lot of extra pieces to do this, which helps contribute to you kitbash pile after your model is completed. Coooooooooooool. This kit also includes the Botany Bay, a nice touch. My only complaint about this kit is the connection between the warp nacelles and their support pylons. Simply put, the connection is very poorly designed and the only way to connect the nacelles is to physically bend the connection tabs into the right position. Its hard to describe verbally, but you'll see it if you build it. Its not a showstopper, but an annoyance to what is otherwise a beautifully designed kit.

I purchased this kit as a test of what skills i may have had after a five year break. This kit was a great to rekindle everything. With some minor adjustments to get the seams right - it went together very nice. Build time was part time and still had it together in a couple weeks. Id even go so far as to recommend this for first timers or those with limited experience.

While the Enterprise model it a re-pop of an existing kit adding the Botany Bay from the Space Seed episode of TOS really was nice. It was the first Enterprise I have built in this scale and was a nice kit for the small size. Others complain about the warp engines and struts but for this size they aren't a problem as long as you are modestly careful building and displaying it. The Botany Bay is a very simple ship but perfect for this kit from the episode and makes for a nice display. For ST fans and especially those of us old enough to have seen it when it was first broadcast this is a very nice kit which is easy to place on a shelf in the smaller scale.