Star Trek: Light-Up Starship Enterprise (RP Minis) Paperback – March 25, 2014

This Running Press miniature kit and book is well worth the money in my estimation. It comes in a surprisingly small box, inside which is the minuscule book and a bubble wrap bag with the three pieces inside. There is a stand, a piece holding the pylons and Nacelles, and the main and secondary hulls that house the electronic components. It isn't a large or eye stunning piece, but for those on a budget like me, or for those with limited space also like me, this is just the thing. It lights up wonderfully with tiny bright pinpricks in most of the windows, and the Bussard Collectors receive reflected light from the saucer that gives them the appearance of glowing red. I've listed specifics about the book and ship below.The book isn't much, but it's also nothing to sneeze at. I admittedly know just about everything inside, but those who are not die hard geeks or Trek fans (I'm avoiding the whole name debate here) will probably learn a few basic factoids about the ship, its factual and fictional history and its place in pop culture. Information is basic and fleeting, but covers a lot of ground in a tiny package. There are a few good pictures of the ship and various people from the show, as well as a nice one of Gene Roddenberry himself. The main draw of this book is its size, which is small enough to comfortably cup in the palm of my medium sized hand. It's not the Haynes Manual, but it's a great conversation starter and something to keep on your desk to flip through or show off.If you are at all familiar with the Star Trek ship ornaments that Hallmark has been releasing evry year since 1991, you have the basic idea of what this is. it's about the same size and proportion, though the lighting uses a different method from the Hallmark ships. Like the modern Hallmark ships, it has a tiny battery cover on the bottom of the secondary hull, in which are three of the tiniest hearing aid batteries I've ever seen. It's a very similar arrangement as the other Enterprise ships Hallmark has produced. Rather than a hook on top as the ornaments have, this ship has a small peg on the bottom that fits somewhat snugly into a stand that looks like a miniature version of something you'd see from Diamond Select or Art Asylum, minus the pesky ball joint. This ship just stands there, with no ability to adopt any of the crazy flying positions that DST ships can. You will need to attach the Nacelles, which just slide into a square slot on the top of the secondary hull. They are a tad loose, but not enough to be a problem. If you are looking for a small ship to hang from the ceiling, this is probably not your cup of tea, as the peg on the bottom is rather unsightly and there is no realistically marked cover like the larger DST ships often come with. Of course, you are paying $10 or so for this, so it helps to keep ones expectations accordingly in check.Behind the peg is a tiny switch, which turns on the lights when pushed toward the front. Since the pylons and Nacelles are separate and must be attached, they do not light up. This may be a disappointment to those who are used to the fully lighted Nacelles on Hallmark and larger models, but the other lights make up for this minor drawback. The secondary hull also does not feature any lighting, but this ship has one unique feature that no other ship of its size has. Many of the windows are pierced and open, and there is a vright white LED inside the saucer that shines through all these tiny pinholes to make the windows light up in tiny specs. It also lights up the bottom sensor dome, the bridge dome and all the windows surrounding it. Not all of the saucer windows are pierced or lighted, but enough of them are to make the ship quite a sight. Unlike any other ship of this scale that I've ever seen, this has lighted windows on the neck between the primary and secondary hulls. Some of the ships lights also shine. The Bussard Collectors are made of some shiny reflective material that glows red when the saucer lights reflect off them, which at least gives the front of the Nacelles a nice lighted effect. All things considered, the electronics in this tiny package are quite impressive for the size and price.As most of you know, but just to clarify, this is the original Constitution Class Enterprise; no bloody A, B, C, D, E, F, J, NX or JJPrise. I hope they do make more ships, but this is a phenomenal and iconic model for its price either way. This review was written to give you the specifics you will need to decide whether this is the ship for you. I am fairly picky about ship models, but this one gets a resounding round of applause and major thumbs up from this geek. It's a beautiful little model that won't be out of place or take up much space on your desk or small shelf. And I can say from experience that it fits right in with the Hallmark ship ornaments. Thanks for reading, and pleasant voyages. Live long and prosper.

The ship is small in size at barely five inches long. But the saucer light up feature is better than my larger version. Too bad the red bassard collectors don't light up too. Still amazing detail (which I added some on) and looks great. For the price, i would recommend it.

Very clever and likeable little product. Love the internal lighting and reasonable price.

Yeah, it's cheesy as heck, but for a true Star Trek nerd, how can you go wrong?A little over 4 inches of plastic with a fair amount of detail and a stand. The interior light lights up some of the windows and looks pretty cool.The book is tiny... just a couple of inches... but fun and cute. You'll read it in 3 minutes or less.But overall, for the price, the novelty, and the cute and nerdy factor, it's a good buy for the Star Trek nerd in your life - or yourself!

Very happy with this purchase! It arrived in great condition with no damage to the box or its contents. It’s well made, detailed, the saucer and its support lights work, it assembled easily, and the stand is properly attached to this one. The lights are quite bright considering their size. The battery hatch is quite small, so it’s probably a very tiny button type. I haven’t opened that yet, and I don’t know how long the battery lasts yet because I just received this. This is definitely *not* a toy for young kids. The book is also tiny but a good overview for those new to the franchise and a pleasant tiny review for dedicated fans.

This is a wonderful little model that really captures the feel of the original. I rarely gush in a review and I was inspired to include some nice images that I hope will be both evocative and useful to others considering a purchase. It photographs so well that I think it can be easy to get the wrong idea about the size, which is why I've included a couple pictures with currency for scale.( I was ever so briefly disappointed when I opened the box and discovered how tiny this little enterprise is , even though the size is in the listing - my error.) However that feeling quickly gave way to delight.I thought this model was bigger because it is so well formed — it has astonishingly good detail! The lights are especially well implemented and give it a production model quality. I didn't expect to be so impressed, especially for a $12 item.Others have noted that the lights are only on the neck and the saucer section and this is correct. The nacelle Bussard's are nicely designed to reflect light and often appear lit, even though they are not — though I would certainly pay more for an edition of this quality with lights throughout.My one tiny complaint is that I'd prefer the upper section of the saucer to be smooth. For some reason models almost always have some version of a radial grid that wasn't there in the original effects. An insignificant nitpick to be sure.I suspect any fan of the original series will get a thrill out of lighting this up. I've gotten a stupid amount of joy out of it and immediately ordered several more as gifts for folks I know are going to love it.

It works nicely, it really does light up!

Great quality for the price. Looks fantastic and accurate. Just remember to take out the batteries if storing longterm because they will eventually expand and damage the model. This is also a very small model. About the size of a standard computer mouse, roughly.