Oggie Gonzalez’ Classic Enterprise

Well here’s a model many of us have been awaiting for so many years. This is without a doubt the most accurate kit of the 1701….and as Scotty would say, “no bloody A, B, C or D”. Upon opening the box you’re struck with the size and the incredible attention to detail that was given to this kit. The model comes molded in a blue/gray color that’s similar to the miniature seen in the Smithsonian.

The first thing I needed to do was decide on the hull color and eventually settled on Testor’s light gray which I’ve used for a lot of my sci-fi models. I wanted to replicate how the ship looked on screen. I also figured that it would appear more recognizable to people in general. The darker highlights were painted with the Testor’s medium gray, as suggested by the instructions. The second thing to decide on was whether to light it. I was apprehensive since I really don’t know much about lighting but I decided to move forward and purchased the lighting kit. I’m glad I did.

I started with painting and assembling the shuttlebay using Testor’s Sand for the inner walls. The secondary hull was next and upon assembly I found it very challenging to fit the shuttlebay and lights. It was only after thinning the walls (where the bay fits into) that I was able to piece things together, just barely. So this is my biggest critique of the design, it’s just way too tight in that section. It’s because of this that it took extra effort to hide the seams, particularly down the spine of the ship.

The nacelles were next and for the most part the assembly was straightforward. Running the wiring wasn’t that hard either. Most of my time was involved with hiding seams. I did have a little trouble fitting the inner clear piece that is supposed to be the rotating fan blade onto the motor stem and had to order another one from Polar Lights. They quickly sent a replacement out.

Next came the neck and primary hull and again assembly was not complicated. The only problem I had with the wiring was that I didn’t keep the polarity straight and had to fiddle with the lights until they worked. Final assembly was a little tricky as I had to fish the wires from the nacelles through the secondary hull and connect them to the circuit board. Overall I have to say that the wiring is pretty much a matter of twisting connections together then plugging the end pieces into the board. No soldering is required.

As easy as I make this sound, it took me over a month to assemble this as I would try to squeeze in time at the end of my workdays but in the end, I can tell you your efforts are well worth it. I now have a very accurate representation (with running lights) of my favorite sci-fi ship and it looks fantastic!

Check out my videos that give an overview of my build and see the final working model on You Tube.   This is my new youtube channel under the name of Interstellarmodeler. Kudos to Polar Lights!!! I can’t thank them enough for bringing such a project to market. It’s easy to see and appreciate that this was truly a labor of love and there are many of us old Trekkers who are very grateful for their efforts. Outstanding!!!!

Oggie Gonzalez