The Federation Kearsarge-class New Light Cruiser, and stablemate Heavy Cruiser, are good-looking starships. At right, paired with a Battlecruiser (future USS New Zealand) for scale, I like the tucked-in and chunky look of the new Cruisers. I also really like the modular, logical, concept of fielding starships that use common components like these.

They strike a profile that says they're ready for combat and mean business. I knew I wanted to christen my first NCL USS Repulse, NCC-1503, even before I got one in Mongoose Publishing's Squadron Box #7: Federation Reinforcements. It wears custom waterslide decal markings created by Tenneshington Decals.

As with my War Destroyer gaming mini, I didn't have a great deal of work to put into assembling this pewter Starline 2500 item. In fact, it was the best one I've purchased to date. Sure, you do have to remove seams and surface artifacts left over from the creation of the casting masters, but it's quick work with a couple of flexible fine grit sanding sticks and a wire brush in a battery-powered Dremel Tool to polish them up nicely for painting and finishing.

My New Light Cruiser's hole for mounting on a stand was a perfect fit to the Gamescience item. As with my War Destroyer too, this is my first miniature in any scale of the Federation New Light Cruiser., and everything about putting it into service in my mini fleet went quick and without a hitch.