AMT’s Star Trek “Klingon Battle Cruiser” Model Kit

AMT’S “Klingon Battle Cruiser” model kit, in collectors tin.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve picked up modeling as a hobby again – after a multi-decade break. It’s nice to come home after a busy day and work on something enjoyable, that involves your mind and hands, but not too much. I re-introduced myself to modeling with AMT’s USS Enterprise model, from Star Trek. It’s one that I build several times when I was younger, and it was a blast reliving that experience. Now that I am older, I can build these kits over the course of weeks, if needed, and not be in a rush. So far, I’ve been pretty happy with the results. Certainly not professional-grade, as I haven’t been concentrating on ultra-realism, filling in seams between pieces, etc. But, I always have a great time with the builds As a  left over, I go to have a fun item to put in the office or den.

The assembled Klingon Battle Cruiser, by AMT.

Perusing Amazon recently, I found AMT’s Klingon Battle Cruiser (D7) model, in the collectors tin, for under $17. That’s less-than-half of what I’d paid for the Enterprise model. So, I grabbed one. Enterprise needs a foe (…“hauled away AS garbage!”). As with the Enterprise kit, this one is molded in light blue plastic. It’s all molded well, without a lot of extra plastic that needed to be trimmed away. The fit of the pieces is generally good, but the boom and main hull need care to get them to look right. The instructions, as seen above, are simple, and too simple really. It consists of a single page and three steps, including decal placement. There didn’t appear to be paint color suggestions either, so I just my own way there.

The Klingon D7, coming atcha.

Probably the must frustrating piece is the torpedo tube (antenna, on the instructions). It fits inside the two boom pieces, but their isn’t a notch or mold to secure it in place. You just have to hold-and-wait.

The boom/main hull attachment on the Klingon Battle Cruiser kit is not great.

The same goes for where the boom connects to the main hull. The notch is not very deep at all. You just have to be patient. The stand, however, is great. I like it much better than the one included with AMT’s Enterprise model kit.

Port wing, on the main hull of the Klingon Battle Cruiser.

The decals are colorful, without bleeding. And the few chrome bits add a nice touch to the kit. I did find there were a couple of chrome pieces for the sides of the warp engines, but the notches shown on the instructions were not to be found on the actual engine pieces. It’s a bit of a shame, but does not detract from the model for me.

Starboart-Aft view of the Klingon Battle Cruiser model by AMT.

Aside from a quibble here and there, the AMT Klingon Battle Cruiser model kit was a lot of fun to build, and gives me a great foe to display alongside the model of the Enterprise. Given the kits low price, I would not hesitate to recommend it to Star Trek and modeling fans alike.

AMT’s Klingon Battle Cruiser from Star Trek Model Kit¹ –

Pros:

• Great entertainment value for the price.
• A fun collectable that you build.
• Low-difficulty kit that results in a good looking model.

Cons:

• Instructions should be more than 3 steps.
• Doesn’t feel like as much ‘love’ went into the creation of the Battle Cruiser model, as opposed to Enterprise.

Verdict = Recommended