Review: Bandai's Refit Enterprise Model Kit

The refit version of the USS Enterprise unveiled in Star Trek: The Motion Picture has long been my favorite Star Trek ship. When I first heard that Bandai was going to be producing a fully painted model of it, my curiosity was naturally piqued. After having gotten my hands on it, I can safely say that this model nicely recreates the sleek lines of the ship.

This model shares a lot in common with Bandai's Enterprise-E kit, such as being lit, pre-painted, and of snap-construction. The paint on this model is very well done, including a lot of details that were barely visible on screen, such as the patterns around the base of the connecting dorsal. The markings, unfortunately, leave a little bit to be desired. For example, the red stripes extending from the Starfleet logo on either side of the primary hull do not taper as they do on the studio model, and the lower stripe is too long. Additionally, the red stripes girding the base of the bridge model are not in exactly the right spot. None of these discrepancies are so glaring as to detract from the overall look of the model, but they are slightly annoying to an obsessive fan such as myself ;).

The parts of the model all fit very tightly, but getting that fit can be difficult because of the wires from the light bulbs inside tend to get in the way. This is especially a concern with the primary hull. The wires must be carefully aligned and routed so as to not interfere with the post or hole of one of the pieces. It took some considerable doing for me to get my model's parts to seat right, so those with little patience beware. The lighting effects are well done, but for some reason the lens for the deflector comes in clear as opposed to blue plastic. I tinted mine, in order to avoid the same "flashlight" effect that Bandai's Enterprise-E attains.

With the recent increase in the number of model Star Trek ships available, comparisons are inevitable. Comparing this model to Bandai's Enterprise E is telling, because the release of this model actually preceded that of the Enterprise-E. Consequently, this model has many shortcomings that the Enterprise-E kit does not. In addition to those mentioned above, this kit's parts fit wasn't as rock-solid as the E's was. The warp nacelles in particular have a tenuous hold at best on their sockets in the primary hull. The refit Enterprise kit, like the E, can only be lit when it is attached to its base. Also, the lighting scheme makes no attempt to recreate the self illumination employed by Federation ships on screen. The lack of this effect is much more noticeable on the Refit Enterprise because it featured more of it than the E did, and it was displayed much more prominently in the movies, as well.

I'm also tempted to compare this model to Art Asylum's Enterprise-A toy. While Art Asylum's offering is an affordably toy and this is clearly intended to be more of a pricier desk model, Art Asylum's A features a number of surface details that are strangely absent from Bandai's kit. This difference is especially noticeable on the housing of the warp deflection crystal. However, the paint and markings on Bandai's ship are far superior to those of the Art Asylum toy. And while both ships feature a representation of the Aztec molting pattern on their hulls, I thing I prefer the painted-on patterns of Bandai's Enterprise to the cast-in approach taken by Art Asylum.

Yeah,  this kit does have its shortcomings, but if you like the design of this ship as much as I do, you will still find it a worthwhile investment.  Just watch out for the wires!

By: Andy Rucker, 14 July 2004