Miniature model making: USS 1701-B (Excelsior)

This was one of my trickier builds. Unlike earlier pre-painted models, I had to paint this 1/2500 scale ship myself and apply delicate decals. The work needed careful sequencing: drill, sand, insert fibers, paint, varnish, apply decals, and final varnish. No going back to fix mistakes. Here's the original unpainted model from a three-ship set:

Nacelles

The original nacelles were opaque. I cut them out, hoping to find semi-transparent plastic to replace them later, and added blue LEDs. The wiring needed thin cables routed carefully to avoid interfering with the decals. Working space was tight:

Fibers

Next came fiber insertion in the dish and main body:

Result

Here's the final result: