Star Trek Enterpise - Scale Question

[DS Operative]

Forgive my ignorance please--

I am aware of the Polar Lights 1:350 Enterprise kits, both TOS and Refit, and the 1:1000 scale Refits. But I was wondering if there was something in between that is available?

I'm having difficulty determining the scale of various kits that I see offered.

Can somebody who is familiar with the various kits please offer a list of brands, scales, issues & quality, lighting, upgrades, etc of the various kits? I'd love to know what's out there. I'm specificcally interested in TOS and the Refit, but welcome discussion about other variations if more people are interested in those as well.

 

[wannab]

The AMT is in the 500+ scale range.


Doug

 

[Blackbirdcd]

The four Polar Lights kits you've identified are by far the best offerings to be had in any scale. And in this Star Trek model builder's humble opinion, the latest TOS Enterprise in 1/350 scale pretty much beats any previous offering.

If you absolutely must go for a scale in-between you'll have to settle for models that have their own unique interpretation of the Enterprises. They can all be built into beautiful kits, even straight out of the box, but if you're an accuracy freak (like some of us, myself included), they will all require work.

The recent Revell Germany Enterprise model (TOS) in 1/600 scale is probably the best bet if accuracy isn't a concern. It's a well-engineered kit, with window inserts and decent detail. Of course the re-issue of the old AMT Enterprise is such a classic, and reasonably inexpensive.

For the refit I can't offer you much in between the 1/350 and 1/1000 Polar Lights kits. Honestly, the ERTL kits released after Star Trek The Motion Picture have a such a dreadful brick-like pattern on the hull that it's most often puttied, sanded, and otherwise filled by anyone who builds it.

 

[DS Operative]

I would love to build one of the 1/350 kits, but honestly-- I don't think I'd have room to display it.

 

[E Williams]

Bandai made a 1/850 refit that is pre-painted/pre-lit. It's pretty nice.

 

[Blackbirdcd]

I forgot about the Bandai kit, E Williams, and you're correct - it's really nice and a fun build. If you can find one, definitely go for it. It even has lighting!

 

[Michael Bergeron]

I would love to build one of the 1/350 kits, but honestly-- I don't think I'd have room to display it.

Not stopping me! :lol

 

[DS Operative]

I might tackle the 1:350 some day, but with all of the lighting and detail options out there and my obsession with getting every detail perfect-- it would probably drive me insane.

Is there a 1:600 or 1:650 version of the Big E out there?

I really need to pick models that I really don't like or care about-- I tend to do a better job on them because I don't obsess or feel the need for perfection on those. They just come out looking better.

 

[Bryancd]

The AMT is going to be as close as you get.

 

[Smiling Demon]

The AMT kits are 1/537 scale and can be made to look real nice!!


Kenny

 

[Michael Bergeron]

The AMT kits are 1/537 scale and can be made to look real nice!!

And there's a Reliant to match... :love

 

[Southern OR]

I have a thread going on the old 1980's AMT Refit in 537. It's more work then it looks like and for display I'd opt for a retooled one if they make it. The 850 Bandai refit is prone to nacelle droop, but it's pre painted and comes with it's own lighting kit. Their Voyager, Enterprise E, and NX-01 are pretty good however.

 

[JMChladek]

The old AMT 18" Enterprise is about 1/650 (closer to 1/630 actually) scale. The AMT movie Enterprise, the Cutaway TOS Enterprise and Reliant are all around 1/537 scale. So they would probably work best for the "in between" size that you are looking for. The nice thing is the upcoming JJ Abrams movie Enterprise from Revell of Germany is going to be 23" long and is reportedly 1/500 scale. So, it is close enough to 1/537 to work IMHO (and should make for some really cool kitbashes with movie Enterprise and Reliant parts).

 

[Southern OR]

I don't know about the scale difference for the old AMT kit. It's Saucer and nacelles are so close in size to the new release of the Reliant that it really isn't worth mentioning. Kit quality and fitting differences are another story since the reliant build was easy and I'm once again ripping off a pylon to refit it to the Enterprise. If it wasn't for the PL 350 begging me to be built I'd be scouring the web for a mk1 AMT smooth side kit from TMP or a retooled rerelease, but from what I've seen the PL 1000 refit looks pretty good too.

I almost forgot, the Bandai refits have external wiring for the nacelles that are covered with a painted metallic sticker. If you get it right it looks good, but I had to spend a lot of time trying to align the wires with the wholes during assembly while feeding the slack into the secondary hull.