Star Trek USS Enterprise NCC-1701 3D Metal Model Kit Fascinations

Ignore all the bad reviews. This little enterprise requires patience and good tools. Do not expect a finished product because this comes in two sheets of sheet metal where small pliers are needed to un-clip the parts. I was impatient and used a nail clipper but my next one, the Enterprise D, will be done right. Reserve several evenings and reset your expectations and just enjoy spending time learning hand coordination skills along with tons of patience. Below are my results and I have not done any modeling before. I was frustrated along the way and not all pieces look that great but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Yes it is a bit flimsy but this is not intended as a toy. With some practice and patience, you can do it too. Maybe not perfect the first time around but better with each new little project. Do yourself a big favor and get good pliers and a magnifying glass :)

SO COOL!!! I enjoy putting these together and have done about twenty of them, I am far from an expert and my first three ended up a wad of twisted metal, rage and profanity with a one star rating. There is a special way to assemble because these are not typical models. TIPS AND TRICKS: Don’t waste your time with the special tool sets or needle nose pliers (they didn’t work for me). I recommend getting tweezers with different tips. There are many times where you will be holding a piece with one set of tweezers and twisting/bending/inserting tabs with another and many times you have to reach tabs inside a small piece you have already made. Attempting to assemble this all by hand became impossible for me. Tweezers were needed. Buy some really small, fine point wire cutters. The package says just pop out the pieces for assembly but when they are very small they do not “pop out”. They bend and just make a mess, so snip the points where they are connected and now they will easily pop out. Get yourself some nails of various sizes to help transform flat metal pieces into cylinder shapes. I use different sized nails, cables, pens and markers of all different sizes to round some parts of these models. Whatever you use just make sure you can slide the model part off one end. Trying to round using tweezers is possible but doesn’t look as professional. Don’t get mad if you break some pieces, just keep a small bottle of quick drying, clear super glue. I’ve broken many tabs and pieces. It just happens sometimes, if you fold pieces to many times it will break, read the instructions wrong and have to undo folding and bending they can break. Use small amounts of super glue and apply with a needle and you can hardly notice you used it once it has dried. Some of the instructions are a bit unclear so look at the pictures closely and even the pictures of the next few steps. The directions are not very specific and won’t tell you exactly which way a part is meant to be bent, or engraved side in or out. Putting together a 3D model from 2D parts and directions can be confusing. Green triangle means twist tab and blue circle means to bend tab down. If you get lost using their included flow chart, just know that the parts go on in numerical order. You can see from my video that these are far from perfect but being able to complete them is a satisfying feeling. The rotating display is by Facinations and is solar powered. It works well indoors and works fine with just the lights in the room but do not work well in shady areas but it does take a battery if you want. Take your time, take breaks, have fun!

I was expecting a metal version of a plastic model kit, and it is, but it’s a whole different experience. No gluing…but lots of tabs to line up and rolling of metal to make it curved. Had I managed to do a good job, I think the piece would have looked superb, but despite my experience with models in general, this one didn’t work out for me.

I built this kit in about an hour and a half. There aren't very many pieces, but there are some tricky shapes. It's a good idea to have various sizes of dowels and a good set of needle nose pliers. The joins between upper deck, engineering bay, and warp pilons are very nominal. Avoid excessive adjustments. The stand is very flimsy, but will do the job, if left alone and not handled often. All in all. I was very happy with the finished model and enjoyed the process of building it

Pieces are very small and very difficult to manipulate. We're going for a "space" them in my sons room so I was going to build this model for his shelf. We gave up in a couple of hours. Even my needle nose pliers felt gigantic when I was trying to assemble the parts. This is probably a great model for an experienced builder with multiple tools for removing the pieces from the steel sheet and assembling them, but definitely a little intense for an amateur looking for a decoration.

So cute and great gift! Def follow instructions and get some tools! Tools I used: my husbands electronic repair kit (for tweezers plastic spatulas small tools) a few of my ceramic tools (metal ball and a sponge) the sponge helps make softer shapes and edges on certain pieces and small scissors that can cut metal (my nail clippers worked in a pinch too). I recommend also using plastic or wood tools (like in the kits mentioned above) as to not scratch the pieces. Side notes: I highly recommend a standing magnifying glass with a light so you can use both hands. However, be patient go slow or else you can make mistakes that hard to come back from but seriously just take it slow and have fun!

Way too small and easy to break. I had needle nose pliers, and constructing this thing was still a nightmare. One wrong or accidental bend and the metal is dented or even snaps, requiring more fixing. Connections are loose if precise tools are not used to bend the metal. Ended up chucking the whole thing it got so bad. Avoid if you're not a serious model maker looking for a challenge with a stand, needle nose pliers, and a great deal of patience.

I'm not sure if this review will help anyone else, but here goes. I ordered this to have at my mom's memorial service. She was a huge Star Trek fan and for some weird reason, she didn't have any collectibles or trinkets to add to the tribute table at her services. My husband was very close with my mom and loves to build Metal Earth models. I wasn't sure when I ordered this if it would arrive in time for my husband to put it together, but it got here with light speed shipping, my husband put it together in an evening, and it was perfect amongst the framed photos and other mementos at the service. Thank you for shipping a quality product so quickly. It meant a lot to us.