The original USS Enterprise was the first ship ever made for a Star Trek series. It was designed by Matt Jefferies, who had a background in military design. That is why the Enterprise contains details that made it believable to a 1960's audience. Its design would be the basic blueprint for Trek ships for the next 40 years.
The model is a Polar Lights kit, and it is painted but unlit. It belongs to my brother, who learned a great deal during the building process. I benefitted because I can put-off building the dreaded 22-inch AMT model for a while longer, having just built the Enterprise. All of the detail painting is done by hand with a brush; much was learned in doing so.
The most difficult part about the buildup was the decals. Each of the surfaces is essentially covered in them. They are usually not a problem, but with so many of them containing so much "white space," silvering is completely inevitable.

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