There is an old cliché that says ''imitation is the sincerest form of flattery''. If that's true then Galaxy Quest flattered Star Trek to no end. The film was the ultimate Star Trek parody. The 1999 movie starred Tim Allen as a has-been actor who, along with the rest of the cast members from a defunct sci-fi TV show, attend numerous conventions filled with loyal, fanatical followers. The movie poked fun at all kinds of things from the Star Trek universe. It had humorous takes ranging from the majestic dry dock scenes to the captain bravely fighting monsters with a ripped shirt. They even paid homage to the poor doomed 'red shirted' character who always ended up dying in many of the episodes.

Over 10 yeats later, fans of the movie finally have a chance to add the NSEA Protector to their collection. No doubt a very distance cousin of the famous USS Enterprise, this 1/1400 kit measures about 12.5 inches in length and as far as I can tell is pretty accurate.

The model has a very straightforward paint scheme but I've come across several variations, particularly with detailing the removable shuttle. I decided to duplicate the studio miniature and used some great pictures of the actual model as a guide. Unfortunately I've misplaced the link I used but there are several sources that can be easily found online. Simply search 'NSEA Protector studio miniature' and you'll see what I mean. Basically I painted my kit white highlighting the darker parts with Testors Dark Ghost Gray. A fine tipped black permanent Sharpie was used to fill in the windows.

Now here's my kit critique: The final product is a great representation of the ship but I have to note that I did encounter some difficulties with this kit. Some of the main pieces simply didn't fit well together. The lower wing assembly, for example, is supposed to slide right into the bottom center of the hull. This was just not the case. The piece is a little oversized in the middle and the prongs that were provided to help place it were useless. I used a dremel to make some alterations and putty was then necessary to cover the ugly seams. In addition you'll find that the rear exhaust ports don't fit well together either. I think you'll be satisfied when it's finished but just be prepared to do a bit more work with this kit.

Let me just say that I think it's awesome that companies like Pegasus and Moebius are coming out with such unique kits. They're fun to build and make great additions to your collection. I certainly hope they continue to produce them.

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