Rewrites: March 2016 & December 2018
Moving right along in my resin kit collection, I'd like to next review the 1:1400 NV Class kit produced by Resin Modeller. This ship is seen in Star Trek: Enterprise in a couple of episodes, however, it's first appearance in in the episode called "The Expanse".
Resin Modeller's Recommended Paint Scheme
Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Intrepid type was a starship type in service with the United Earth Starfleet in the mid-22nd century. The class was armed with phase cannons and two torpedo launchers."
If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:
Intrepid Type or NV Class or Neptune Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
Intrepid (NV-01) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
First, I'd like to point out that Resin Modeler calls this ship an Intrepid class, which by cannon sources, would be slightly incorrect. The Intrepid class is what the USS Voyager is. Instead, cannon sources list this ship's classification as an Intrepid-Type which still is a bit confusing if you ask me. Non-cannon sources list the ship as a NV class which makes more sense since it was a predecessor to the NX class in that series. I have also seen some non-canon sources call it a Neptune Class.
The Model
All of that techno-babble aside, this is still a very neat little model of that ship and you can read Adam's write up on the ship and find directions to purchase it HERE in his 1:400 Scale Model Section.
The 1:1400 scale version of this ship measures in at 12cm in length and comes in four pieces. I had the opportunity to speak with Adam, the owner of Resin Modeller and he shared with me that it took him several weeks to produce his master for this ship. He develops a majority of his ships in 3D modeling software and he shared that he was very particular about the level of details that he put into this ship. After he was done building it virtually, he sent the design off to a 3D printing company to produce his master for the molds. I really like this style of building as it creates some very crisp models and you can almost feel the 3D printing in the skin of the ship.
NOTE: Before we get into the review of my model, I feel it necessary to address something that happened in regards to the production of this ship. There was a problem in the first batch of kits that Resin Modeller produced of this model where the resin wasn't setting correctly and this ended up causing the nacelle struts to be weak and warp under the weight of the nacelles. This problem was brought to Adam's attention and he addressed the issue in the only way that can be expected from a business owner. First, he assessed the issue and corrected it by adding support pins into the struts to strengthen them as well as changing the type of resin he was using. I can say with authority that the issue seems to have been fixed as mine did not suffer from this issue. From what I've heard in the message forums, no one else has had the problem since he implemented the changes. He also replaced the nacelles for anyone who contacted him with the issue, at his own cost. In my opinion, that is all you can really ask of someone who produces these kits. Resin kit making is fraught with potential issues, and this was one example of those sorts of things happening. And I think that Adam handled the issue with flying colors.
DeepSpace Pat's Paint Scheme
NOTE: The eye hook is NOT part of the kit. I added that because a majority of my models are hung up on a book shelf to conserve space.
This model build also pre-dates when I starting taking Work In Progress pictures so we will need to rely on my mental prowess when it comes to challenges for building this ship. He, he, boy are you in trouble.
This is yet another pretty solid kit from Resin Modeller. The primary hull section is one solid piece of resin, with the deflector dish being one of the pieces that has to be attached. This ship has lots of fine molded in details that when painted right, make the ship just pop.
It does come with some decals so that you can give it several names. Cleaning up the kit of excess resin was fairly easy as there was very little to deal with. I did not run into any issues of hard to reach nooks and crannies either that required the removal of resin crumbs. Although I didn't sand mine, other more experienced modelers would probably want to fine tune their kit with a light sanding in certain areas. As I stated above, it seems that the warping nacelle struts has been solved. The nacelles assemblies actually mounted very easily as by this time, I had gained a bit of experience in using super glue on resin.
If you are a first timer on building resin kits, then I highly recommend you check out THIS ARTICLE on gluing as it will provide some helpful hints and make mounting the nacelles and deflector dish a breeze.
As I look at my ship and compare it to pictures on the Internet, it appears that there was one other warping flaw. The fins on the back of the nacelles on my model are both curved. When I look at other pictures of this ship, they all seem straight. I'll be honest, the issue is so subtle that I never noticed it until I looked at it now for this review. I do remember them being like that when I built the kit.
This is not something to loose sleep over and the possibility of slightly warped parts are to be expected, especially when dealing with resin models in general. If you do happen to have this issue with your kit, you can easily rectify it using the Hot water trick I describe in THIS ARTICLE.
I subscribe to the Eaglemoss Starship collection and they produced their own version of this ship. You can read my review of that model at THIS LINK.
As you can see, the ships are almost identical in size.
Eaglemoss vs. Resin Modeler
Looking at the back of the saucer section, you can see that it is not as open as Eaglemoss' version.
Eaglemoss (Top) vs. Resin Modeler (Bottom)
And here is a close-up of the deflector dish.
Eaglemoss (Top) vs. Resin Modeler (Bottom)
Eaglemoss (Top) vs. Resin Modeler (Bottom)
Conclusion
Other than my warped fins issue, this is a very high quality kit to get. The craftsmanship is superb and if you take your time building and painting, you will end up with a really cool looking model in your fleet. As for skill level, I would probably not recommend the kit for first time modelers or first time resin kit builders. It would be a good kit do do on your third build though once you get used to working with super glue.
As always, I hope you found this article useful and informative. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to comment below.
So for now, "Live long and prosper!!!"
Additional Links To Photos Of My Collection:
Resin Modeler
Helpful Hint Articles
NOTE: If you are new to my reviews, then please read on. This section talks about the garage kit maker that made this kit as well as a little about why I'm writing this review. If you are one of my regular readers, then feel free to skip the rest of this article as it is a word for word repeat of stuff from previous articles.
Kit Maker Information
Adam who owns and operates Resin Modeller does most of his business through his website. He will also occasionally sell his kits through eBay, however, it is always recommended to go to his website for orders. Although he does not maintain a FaceBook page for his business, he does post his work in progress stuff over at the All Scale Trek forums.
R.M.'s Website: CLICK HERE
R.M.'s eBay Seller Profile: CLICK HERE
A majority of all of Adam's kits are produced via 3D design software and then professionally 3D printed. He then uses these as his masters in the mold making process. In my opinion, this produces a very crisp model.
In my dealings with Adam, I find him to be a very nice guy to chat with. He will usually answer inquiries within a day or two of being emailed. Like most garage kit makers, he has a regular day job, and the kit building business is his way of funding his love of building models. He has shared that he has found a lack of 1:1400 scale ships and since that is his preferred size to build in, he just makes the ships he wants for his collection.
In my dealings with Adam, I find him to be a very nice guy to chat with. He will usually answer inquiries within a day or two of being emailed. Like most garage kit makers, he has a regular day job, and the kit building business is his way of funding his love of building models. He has shared that he has found a lack of 1:1400 scale ships and since that is his preferred size to build in, he just makes the ships he wants for his collection.
DISCLAIMER SECTION
I consider myself an intermediate model maker. I'm pretty good with assembling kits these days and OK on the painting side of things. I ultimately end up with ships that look good enough to me to display in my collection. I've found that there are all sorts of neat ships out there that no one has made a pre-built or pre-painted model of, so, in an effort to expand my ship collection I've turned to building them myself, either by kitbashing or purchasing ready made resin model kits.
There are several smaller garage kit makers out there that produce some very good kits. I've actually developed a good relationship with a couple of them and volunteered some of my time to write up reviews about the kits I've purchased from them. I have already warned them that I intend to be pretty objective, not pull any punches, and these reviews are going to be written from the point of view of an intermediate model builder. If this means that I warn away a first time builder from a particular kit, then they will need to be OK with that approach.
Lastly, due to the nature of resin casting, not every kit is going to be the same. Excess resin and air pockets are a part of the game when you get into this sort of model building. The kit that I got and built may be slightly different than your kit as far as minor quality issues. I will still point out flaws with my kit as those flaws could lead into a lesson of some sort for either you the reader or the kit maker themselves.
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