This is the Constitution Class U.S.S. Defiant NCC-1764 from Star Trek: TOS and more recently reappearing in Star Trek: Enterprise. It was the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly" which inspired me to create this ship.

The model itself is the Polar Lights 1/1000 TOS Enterprise kit. This is actually the second time I've put together this kit, though my first attempt was little more than following the snap-together instructions plus kit recommended painting. I was inspired by other builders on this site to bring my model making skills above the novice level. So for the first time with the Defiant I began cleaning up parts, filling and sanding gaps, and choosing the best paints.

The hull is painted Model Master Light Grey, but because I was using a brush, it also has been lightly sanded and buffed to smooth out the brush strokes. For this I recommend the finest sand paper you can find. Most of the rest of the colours are per the kit instructions, except I followed others in the colouration of the bussard collectors and painted the inside white with a clear colour on the caps. Since I had Stop Light Red, I used it but I think next time I'll be mixing in some oranges in order to better mimic the TOS style. I'd like to eventually seal the decals with a clear coat as they are visibly offset of the hull. Finally the base is homemade from a cut block of 2x4 sanded down, and wire hanger.

Image: Forward port quarter

Image: Dorsal from port