There are a few models I have always wanted to make. The Millennium Falcon is near the top of that list, but the Enterprise-D beats it. I grew up watching syndicated episodes of The Next Generation with my mom and dad. They came on every day at 6:30, and I would eat my dinner from the ledge of the fireplace while keeping one eye on the Television. It all looked so real to my eight-year-old brain, then I saw an episode of a different show that changed the way I saw every installment. Levar Burton took Reading Rainbow viewers behind the scenes of The Next Generation, revealing that the huge ship is really just a model.
I had made models before that point, but obviously nothing to the quality or scale as a professional would make. It is now decades later, and I think I am ready to give it my best shot. It has also been several decades since the last time I’ve put together a model kit of any kind.
Getting Started
The clear pieces looked odd to me at first 
A few layers of black primer to block out the light 
Took a while to scratch the paint off all the windows 
Neat to see the work paying off so quickly
The Model I went with is the AMT 1/1400 scale clear kit. The clear plastic allows me to try lighting the model from the inside. At this point, I did not know how to get started with either airbrushing or soldering. I looked up what others have done online, and found a wonderful YouTube channel called TrekWorks. That channel also includes a lot of other great builds, including ships and vehicles from other franchises.
After watching almost the entire build, I started by priming the entire outer hull in black. I just used a rattle can for this, but decided to go a different route when adding the final color. After learning how to mix the paint with thinner, I practiced with my new airbrush a few times on a piece of paper, then got to work on the model itself.
The paint went on smoothly, but slowly. It took several coats before I felt good about the coverage. A good thing about the paint going on so thin is that it dries very quickly. Within a few dozen minutes I was able to touch it enough to move the pieces back inside and start scratching off the windows with an X-Acto knife. This is a tedious process, but I think it looks really good afterwards.
Wiring comes next
Running wiring to the necelles is a bit tricky 
My first try at soldering went pretty well 
all main pieces painted and windows scratched off 
running the wiring to the engines went better than expected 
A test fit and lighting 
I remember being pretty proud at this point 
helping hands are helpful
There is not an opening for wiring to get up into the engine compartments, so I had to make my own. I used a Dremel router to carefully eat away some of the plastic leading up to the nacelles. After that, I ran the wiring and filled in the gap I created with some Milliput two part epoxy. It was easier to work with than I imagined, and using a little water helped me smooth it out. It dries really hard in a matter of hours, then I sanded it down and painted over the top.
Adding the decals
This thing came with a lot of decals 
No way I was going to try airbrushing this pattern 
adding the decals to the curvier pieces is a bit tricky
This process was time consuming, but not as much as it would be trying to mask and airbrush a similar pattern. The whole process went pretty well, only getting particularly tricky for the thinner pieces. I used a pair of products called Micro Sol and Micro Set, which is supposed to help the decals sink into some of the crevasses in the plastic. It mostly worked, but I am sure I did something wrong. I will go into why a little later.
Finishing touches
The lower section is on the base and powered up 
Had to come get creative to keep some of the pieces in place while gluing 
and it’s all together now 
nearly done at this point
After getting all the decals on and all the LED lights where they go, it was time to do the final wiring and assembly. Gluing the main hull to the saucer section took a little creativity. I did not have clamps of any kind at this point, so I just used whatever I had on hand. I was a little worried at first that the stand I made would not be strong enough to hold up the disc section. Glad to have those concerns proven unnecessary.
Done for now
Everything is all put together 
I commissioned the plaque
So I am posting this a few years after I actually made the model, and I realize I don’t actually have a photo of it all done and lit up. I tried plugging it back in, but after sitting and collecting dust all this time, it seems to not want to work anymore. I am still really happy with how it turned out. The base is just a wooden plaque I picked up at a local arts and craft store, and the pole is a hollow brass rod which I connected at each end with a threaded nut and bolt. The decals do not look as good anymore. air bubbles became more visible as soon as I put on a clear coat, and they never really went away.
If I could go back and fix anything, it would probably be the decals. I would also scratch off less of the windows so it looks a little bit more realistic when it is all lit up. Maybe I’ll make this one again someday so I can see her lit up again.