Klingons off the Starboard Bow

It seems that resurrection of old kits is a big thing these days, particularly when it comes to old science fiction kits.  Last Christmas, we saw the return of Star Wars model kits from AMT and this Christmas, like Spock on the Genesis Planet, we saw Star Trek kits return from the dead.

 Among them is a little gem (at least according to more knowledgeable folks at my favorite model store) is the Klingon Bird of Prey Scout Ship first seen in Star Trek III ie: the one where Spock is, uh, resurrected from the dead.

 This is what more knowledgeable Trekkies would call the B’rel Class Scout ship.  It was manned by a crew of 12 and is equipped with disruptors, photon torpedoes and a cloaking device (it would be handy to have at work.)

The AMT kit is made up of 27 grey plastic components and two clear parts on eight sprues and a very tiny decal sheet made up of a whopping four decals.  The parts have some flash, but nothing out of the ordinary considering the subject and age of the model kit.

 AMT does not give the scale of the ship, but it is larger than 1/350 scale, probably around 1/200 so it would even dominate the 1/350 Enterprise A.

The instructions are a lot better than the other AMT kits I have bought (especially the painting guide.)  It is a necessity considering the complexity of the paint scheme which probably involves hard masks.  Be prepared to have lots of masking material on hand and plenty of green paint.

May 2006