This is my Polar Lights NX-01 Enterprise. I had seen this model online and in stores for anywhere from $55 – $75, so when I found it for $40 I knew I had to grab it. When opening the box and looking at all of the pieces inside I knew that it was going to be a beast because of the sheer size. There were many trees of both clear and solid colored plastic and the saucer sections were the size of the box. I placed a dvd case next to the model so you could see the size of the model and see how big it really is.

It took me about a month or so to complete. To start with, I painted all of the pieces flat white as a primer. I had some trouble trying to find out what color I wanted to paint the hull. I had seen people use aluminum and steel as the hull colors but I didn’t like the metallic look of the hull. It looked too shiny to me. So I eventually went with dark gull gray for the aztecing and light sea gray for the main color of the hull. I painted the entire model using acrylics, which was a first for me as I had always used enamels for all of my previous models. Using the acrylics was quite an experience and I’m not sure how to take it. I will probably continue to use the enamels as my paint of choice as I feel they coat better, but the acrylics will always be there for a backup paint.

I first painted on the dark gull gray, which was the color of the aztecing. This took 2 coats as the first spray went on very blotchy and didn’t coat very well. I had to re-spray to get all of the thin spots. After this was left to dry for 2 days or so I covered all of the places that were to stay dark gull gray for the aztecing with masking tape. I did this with both the top and bottom saucer sections. Then I sprayed the light sea gray onto the model and when that dried I peeled the tape off to get the effect you see here. I glued the rear half of the hull to the top and bottom saucers first and then when they were dry glued the two halves together.

They went together rather well and the pins that slid together made putting the saucer sections together a real joy compared to the usual chore it is gluing saucer sections together. I also wasn’t able to find any titanium gold paint so I replaced this with copper. I like the color copper and feel it looks good in space and it goes well with the model as well. The decals went on rather smoothly. I really don’t like using decals. I would rather paint the details on the model, but since the model came with decals I used them. I like how this model came together at the end. I didn’t have any trouble with putting this model together and I can’t wait for the Polar Lights Enterprise A to come out.

Image: Stern view

Image: Starboard forward

Image: Starboard aft

Image: Saucer detail

Image: AVST?