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This is the Starcraft's 1/1400 scale Reliant. The kit is comprised of only 4 pieces: Saucer/hull, "rollbar",and 2 nacelle/pylon parts. Castings were decent for the scale, but many tiny bubbles lurked just below the surface of the pieces. I had to use filler putty and super glue to take care of a few of the more obvious flaws. Generally, the kit is quite accurate, though due to the small size, some of the details are a bit off or are coated in resin overflow. Easy enough to clean up.
I acquired this kit via eBay for about $30, shipping included. The auction price also included the JT Graphics decals. In order to get the decals to sit in place properly, it was necessary to fill most of the portholes on the ship. Some of the scribed detail needed to be filled as well, since some were meant as painting guides for the red pin-striping found on most Starfleet ships, but they interfere with the new decals.
I had some trouble with priming this kit, though I'm not sure if it was due to the resin, mold release, or just the paint I was using. Whatever the case, I had to use a primer coat of grey, which meant that I would eventually have to use even more coats of white, which is, of course, the overall color of most Federation Starfleet ships. I found Tamiya white primer to work quite well, and after 3 light coats I was able to do a finishing top coat of gloss white. I airbrushed a very dark gray along the inner sections of the nacelles, and a lighter gray over the exposed machinery areas. All the other painted areas were painted by brush. The decals really bring this ship alive with tiny details that would be almost impossible for most modelers to replicate with a brush. I highly recommend JT Graphics' aftermarket decal sets.
