Resin Kit Review: SciFi4Real 1:2500 Phase II Refit Nacelles

NOTE:  You can click on most pictures to get a larger view of them.

This is going to be a bit of a different kind of kit review.  This particular review won't be about an entire model, but rather about parts that can make it MUCH easier to build a certain type of ship that never made it to the screen.

Editor's Note: I have sadly confirmed with the garage kit maker that at the time of this article's re-writing (March 3rd, 2018), that he is no longer producing this item.


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "Star Trek: Phase II, also known by its official title Star Trek II (not to be confused with the earlier 1975-1976 revitalization attempts bearing the same title), was planned to be the first live-action spin-off television series of Star Trek: The Original Series. While ultimately not realized, it did serve, in more ways than one, as the starting point for its immediate successor Star Trek: The Motion Picture."  They go on to say, "The Enterprise was to be refit, and new characters were to be introduced."

Planning ahead, the series producers figured that the ship would have gone through some changes from when we last saw her.  They went and did some major discussions and eventually came up with this slightly new looking design.  They had even gone as far as starting to build an actual studio model for her.  After the series idea was dropped in favor of the movie, the designers made even more changes and brought us what is now known as the Constitution Class Refit.

If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship and the series that never was, feel free to check out the following links:

Star Trek: Phase II Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
     There is a second article at this Memory Alpha LINK as well.

The parts we are going to take a look at are from a company called SciFi4Real.  He is a super talented model maker and he has created some parts that I have been anxiously trying to find.  And that would be a pair of resin 1:2500 scale nacelles for the Phase II Enterprise.  

 

I particularly like his packaging.  The packaging is simple, yet very helpful at the same time.  The front of the packaging shows off the parts and company name.  The back of the packaging gives away all of the important helpful hints to a would be first time resin kit builder.

The parts themselves, which go for $17 (shipping included) are of superb quality.  

I had a chance to talk with Michael, who owns and operates SciFi4Real and asked him about the time it took to produce these.  

It took him about 6 to 8 hours to build up the master nacelles.  He started with a pair of AMT 1:2500 scale Constitution class nacelles and then modified them to reflect the differences.

It then took him about 8 to 12 hours to make the molds.  Most of this was tied up with waiting on the rubber to set.

After he had the mold done, it only takes 2 minutes to pour in the resin and work out bubbles, 10 minutes to cure, 5 or more minutes for clean up.  

So it basically takes about 20 minutes to produce a set that would be sold to a customer.  However, due to the nature of resin kit making, Michael shared that only 1 out of three sets ever turn out to be good enough quality to be sold.  His perfection for this phase definitely has shown through with my set of nacelles.

Conclusion

If you are looking to build an accurate 1:2500 scale version of the Phase II Enterprise, then SciFi4Real's set of nacelles are just what the doctor ordered.  And the price, at $17 is a really good bargain for keeping the price of building this kitbash down to a reasonable rate.

BONUS ROUND!!!

Every once in a while, I'll have a little extra stuff to share with my readers that sort of fits in with my articles.

USS Revenant (NCC-1944)

Constitution Class Phase II Refit

1:2500 Scale AMT/SciFi4Real Kitbash

 

The whole concept of creating these nacelle parts is because I decided to finally share my build of the Phase II Enterprise as well as give some instructions to my readers on how to build one.  I asked Michael at SciFi4Real if he could come up with some inexpensive parts to help people with this build and the rest is history.  You can read that article on how to build your own Phase II Enterprise by checking out THIS LINK.

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:

The Model (v2)    v2 Work In Progress

Helpful Hint Articles

Washing     Warped Parts     Gluing     Filling The Gaps     Making Stands     Decals 

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

Michael who owns and operates SciFi4Real showcases all of his work through his FaceBook page as well as the Star Trek Modeler's Group on FaceBook.  And let me tell you, he does some really cool stuff.  Besides building parts, he is also well known for his commission builds.  He also sells his work through eBay so be sure to check that site regularly.  I find Michael to be a great guy to do business with as well as just chat modeling with.  Feel free to ask Michael questions through either of the following sites as he is always more than happy, as well as quick to respond to inquiries.

SF4R's FaceBook Page: CLICK HERE

SF4R's eBay Seller Profile: CLICK HERE

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.