Tag Archives: Star Trek

Collectible, Featured, Star Trek

UnBoxing | Star Trek Starships USS EXCELSIOR | XL Edition

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The classic hero ship gets super-sized by Eaglemoss for their line of XL Editions and the model captures the majestic spirit of the vessel that shares in the final adventure of the Original Series crew as captained by Hikaru Sulu.

There are but a handful of ships that stand out in the minds of fans of Star Trek and among them, the USS Excelsior has as an impressive legacy as that of the ship it was designed to replace, the Constitution-class USS Enterprise. It’s first introduced on the big screen in Star Trek: The Search for Spock and then it was still in the testing stages of its career, hence the registry number NX-2000 and it was the first of its class. The Excelsior had earned the impressive moniker even then and was known as “The Great Experiment”.

Larger and sleeker than the Constitution-class ships the Federation had then had in service for decades, the Excelsior bolstered experimental propulsion called a “transwarp drive” and begun its shakedown in later years of the 23rd Century, before entering into full-active duty under Captain Hikaru Sulu in 2290. Abandoning the experimental drive and returning to more traditional, albeit more powerful, warp system, The USS Enterprise’s legendary helmsman captained the properly registered USS Excelsior NCC-2000.

The USS Excelsior would distinguish itself alongside with its captain and crew and engage along with the crew of the USS Enterprise to prevent the assassination attempt on the President of the Federation at the peace conference at Camp Khitomer; an event that began to mend relations between the Klingons and the Federation after the Klingon moon Praxis exploded and nearly plunged the warrior race headlong toward extinction. If not for the intervention of the Enterprise and Excelsior a renegade faction of terrorists would have succeeded in preventing peace talks.

The model measures 10-inches in length and is not a repaint of the previously released USS Enterprise-B (also an Excelsior-class ship).

Ship of the Line

Part of the continuing line of models in Eaglemoss Collections very own Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection XL Editions the USS Excelsior NCC-2000 is spectacularly presented and will make a wonderful addition to any true fan’s collection. Measuring at an impressive 10-inches, this model isn’t a repaint of the previously issued USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B which is also an Excelsior-class ship (and much heftier than its predecessor). Made of a mix of die-cast and quality ABS materials, the sleeker Excelsior is more trimmed around the edges.

When comparing the two models, what immediately jumps out, is the significant depths of the secondary engineering section. The Excelsior drops more naturally and its silhouette is that of a space-faring luxury liner. The Enterprise-B has a more muscular appeal, especially given the added impulse engines and additional decks. The Excelsior-class of ships impressively endured well into the 24th Century and many ships in the class were still in service during the Dominion War which ended in 2375.

The streamlined design is right out of the vessel’s appearance in STAR TREK VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu, the USS Excelsior quickly achieved its own level hero-worship among fans, and the ship even appeared in a landmark episode of Star Trek: Voyager which revealed that the Voyager’s own Second Officer Tuvok, had served aboard the Excelsior early in his career in Starfleet. The USS Excelsior has been carefully recreated to capture it as it appeared on the big screen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country which was also significant as the final mission of the Original Series crew. The model includes a detailed 20-page magazine.

Check out the model of the USS Excelsior here:

USS Excelsior NCC-2000 | Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection XL Edition | Eaglemoss Collections | $74.95 available from Eaglemoss Collections here.

USS Excelsior NCC-2000
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Collectible, Featured, Star Trek

UnBoxing | Star Trek V’GER Special Edition from Eaglemoss

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Counted among one of the strangest and largest starships in the line of vessels that the USS Enterprise has ever confronted, the alien V’Ger is finally recreated by Eaglemoss Collections as a Special Edition release.

A threat so enormous that Admiral James T. Kirk personally undertook the mission, captaining the USS Enterprise which was still in the midst of a refit, to intercept an alien presence on a collision course with Earth, V’Ger the alien spacecraft introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture made quite the cinematic impression on the wide screen. The starship was the first ship that faced off against Kirk and his crew when the Star Trek franchise was brought to film in 1979.

The model of V’Ger is expertly detailed to match its onscreen counterpart.

The vessel was making its way across the cosmos on a trajectory towards our solar system. Its final destination? Earth. Although the USS Enterprise met V’Ger head-on, the starship itself was so big that on screen audiences hardly got a good view of it; it wasn’t until the eventual release of the “Director’s Cut” of the film that V’Ger was fully realized. Eaglemoss Collections now features as part of its Star Trek The Official Starships Collection a “Special Edition” of the model — beautifully detailed and sculpted from plastic and die-cast metal parts.

V’Ger’s engine up close.
A close-up of the vessel’s maw that swallows up the Enterprise in the movie.
The model measures approximately 8.5 inches.
Close-up view.

Special Edition

Although Eaglemoss had announced earlier this year that it would be extended its line of models to a total of 160 individual pieces, the “Special Edition” releases which stand outside of the original line and the XL Edition ships may continue beyond the limits of the run. V’Ger comes in at just about 8.5 inches and includes a display stand to pose the model sturdily on your shelf. The package also includes a 16-page magazine that covers the design ideas and approaches behind the ship that would appear in the film.

V’Ger | Speical Edition | Star Trek The Official Starships Collections from Eaglemoss Collections | $44.99  available on the Eaglemoss Collections website or as part of the subscription service.

Collectible, Featured, Star Trek

UnBoxing | Star Trek Starship KOBAYASHI MARU from Eaglemoss Collections “Special Issue”

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Eaglemoss Collections latest “Special Issue” release is a tribute to one of Star Trek’s most storied vessels, though its legend far outweighed its on-screen time!

In the annals of Star Trek legend there is no ship more well known outside of the USS Enterprise than the USS Kobayashi Maru. The ship a Starfleet cargo freighter is at the center one fo the most difficult challenging exams at Starfleet Academy. It’s a test given to all aspiring cadets on the leadership track, and meant to gauge their ability to make a life and death decision, ultimately a no-win scenario. Captain Kirk is famously known as the only Starfleet cadet ever to beat the test, though he rigged the program in his favor.

Reminiscent of the Oberth-class science vessel that was also in service during the 23rd Century, the ship first gleaned on screen in director J.J. Abrams reimagining of Star Trek (2009) is only partly visible during the scene where Kirk is actually partaking of the test in the alternate Kelvin-timeline. The USS Kobayashi Maru ECS-1022 is under attack by three Klingon Battle Cruisers and if Kirk doesn’t act immediately the freighter will be lost with all hands aboard. The test is meant to test the mettle of its potential candidates, who must make tough decisions in the captain’s seat.

Eaglemoss Collections has just memorialized the USS Kobayashi Maru ECS-1022 in a “Special Issue” release as part its high-end line of die-cast and plastic models in the Star Trek Official Starships Collection. It follows the larger-size replica of the Klingon Battle Cruiser (which was also profiled on our site). The model itself is highly detailed (as illustrated in the photos below) and measures an impressive 7 inches in length and is in the style of ships that appeared in the 2009 film. The basic shape was inspired by a design by John Eaves and elaborated on by Ryan Church.

Though the ship was mentioned in the opening moments of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan it didn’t appear on screen and was canonized many times over in novels and subsequent episodes of the Star Trek television series. The Eaglemoss Collections model is the first realized representation of the ship in a hero form; the accompanying magazine celebrates the ship’s unique history and it’s evolution in design. An additional chapter focuses on the visual effects used in the 2009 reboot, including recreating the virtual test of the rescue of the Kobayashi Maru.

With Star Trek: Discovery returning for a second season early in 2019, perhaps the new series will further elaborate on the fate of this ship, and how it became a standard by which cadets are measured in Starfleet. The model is available through the Eaglemoss Collections and is ready to ship so long as supplies last.

Collectible, Featured, Star Trek

Unboxing | Eaglemoss Collections KLINGON WARSHIPS

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The Final Frontier’s Klingon armada takes shape in two recent releases from Eaglemoss Collections for the Official Star Trek Starships Collections.

In the Star Trek universe the Federation has nary faced an adversary as unpredictable and cunning as the Klingons. Since the series very beginnings, the plagued the peace loving Federation with war at ever conceivable corner, in fact the Klingons inadvertently had a huge part in Earth’s first journey into the final frontier as explored in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. It’s no surprise the Klingons play a crucial role in the newest series Star Trek: Discovery which takes place during the Federation’s war with the Empire.

With Captain Kirk’s crew behind the controls of Starfleet’s flagship the Enterprise, it only makes perfect sense that the Klingons would themselves charge to the space ways with a vessel that is formidable and impressive as its Constitution-class contemporary. In fact, there’s perhaps no other ships in the Star Trek universe that are more popular or as distinct as the Klingon Battlecruiser or the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. The basics silhouette and shape of which is as recognizable as the Enterprise’s own saucer, engineering section and twin nacelles.

Regardless of which iteration of Star Trek one follows, the Klingons have basically kept their starships to a very similar design since first introduced in The Original Series episode “Elaan of Troyius” although they made their broadcast introduction in the episode “The Enterprise Incident” and were depicted as Romulan ships. This would eventually be corrected in canon explaining that it made perfect sense that the Romulans would be seen using Klingon starships since the two species were in a treaty to share technology. The D7 Battlecruiser was designed by Matt Jeffries.

The Klingons Get a Reboot

When the Star Trek franchise was revitalized for its theatrical release in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture the familiar Klingon ship would get a much needed overhaul for it’s big screen introduction. When Star Trek was again rebooted in 2009 by filmmaker J.J. Abrams not only was the new vision dependent on giving ships like the Enterprise much more of a muscular presence for the more contemporary and sophisticated audience, Abrams also wanted to reveal that the Klingons also mirrored their adversary’s ambitions.

Although the ships make a less than dramatic appearance on screen as part of Kirk’s infamous training mission to rescue the imperiled Kobayashi Maru the Klingon Battlecruisers that appear in the reboot, have been recreated by the die-cast modelers at Eaglemoss Collections as part of their continuously expanding line of models for Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection. The impressively sturdy 8” model captures much of the spirit of the original fearsome D7 Battlecruiser and reveals the subtle detailing to give that classic a more robust and deadlier profile.

Abram’s design team did not deviate as dramatically from the original Klingon Battlecruiser as they did with the Enterprise, although the Bird-Of-Preys that appeared in the sequel Star Trek Into Darkness did go further to insist upon the predator and carrion-like appearance for that ship design. It’s a very nice nod to the classic that this new model stays true in many ways to the original that has often proven a fan favorite, although many of the distinct shapes that can be connected to the reboot’s Klingons can be seen in the vessel’s bony plates and surface details.

A New Discovery

For the newest series Star Trek: Discovery the Klingons were evolved a little more than any of its previous iterations, and given that the series marks the beginnings of the fabled Federation/Klingon war of the 23rd Century, the series’ designers decided to reintroduce the Klingons as far more alien and unfamiliar to the audience. These Klingons are actually working to reconstitute their various houses, preferring to adhere to a more xenophobic attitude and return the Klingons to their former place as powerful conquerors. Their ships are far more “organic” looking and ceremonial.

Recently released as part of Eaglemoss’ Star Trek: Discovery The Official Starships Collections Issue 4 (re)introduces the Klingon Bird-Of-Prey first seen during the epic Battle at the Binary Stars. The new version, which is in every way a predecessor of the more familiar design that takes out the Enterprise in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is as eerie as it is deadly. The ship promotes the Klingon ethos that lives up to the ship’s name, but is much more ornate and gives the impression that as it glides through space it carves out a bloody path.

Being able to handle the newly designed Bird-Of-Prey and compare it to its other contemporary reimagining is a wonderful gift for fans. Though both represent very divergent interpretations of the Star Trek universe, they both inhabit the path and pride of the Klingon species. Both models are packaged with display stands and detailed magazines featuring never-before-seen designs and reference material detailing the inspirations behind the most feared ships in farthest reaches of the final frontier.

Goto www.startrek-starships.com and star your collection now.

Collectible, Featured, Star Trek

UnBoxing | Eaglemoss Collections STAR TREK Concept Ships

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Expanding on the fan-offering and expectations Eaglemoss Collections opens the door to all-new, all-different possibilities in the STAR TREK Starships Collection with its look at the lens of the “Concept Series”.

With the advent popularity of the CBS All Access Original Series Star Trek: Discovery validating into canon and heralding Starfleet’s “experimental age” of warp flight, Eaglemoss Collections has capitalized (somewhat) on the idea of populating its world of the high-end collectible models in the series of the Star Trek Starships Official Collections with an entire offering of starships celebrating “what could have been”. The collection of models is uniquely crafted from die-cast metal parts and plastic with an eye for incredible detail. 

The Starfleet of the 23rd Century is populated with the hot-roddery heft of the Walker-Class and the elegantly styled Crossfield-Class — these ships appearing less tradition than any starship audiences have experienced in the Star Trek franchise’s history. The major components are still most prevalent and familiar: a saucer section, nacelles and engineering component, although most of the ships in the line appearing in Discovery feature more angular lines and longer-length nacelles — the reason of which is still being explored in the series’ narrative.

Now Voyager!

Longtime Trek designer Rick Sternbach was among the senior development team during the 1990s working on the syndicated series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and when Star Trek: Voyager was going into pre-production there were several approaches to the shape the “hero” ship would take. Sternbach went to work on Captain Kathyrn Janeway’s ship. The USS Voyager was commissioned for deep-space exploratory missions penetrating the most hostile interstellar territory and equipped with an alternative-energy source to power its drive.

It was also a multi-functional vessel with a modest sized crew; not as big as the Enterprise it was also able to make landfall on planets to resupply or take in the sights. Sternbach’s first-pass at the Voyager featured one of the most progressive designs for a Starfleet ship of its era. In the past most fleet vessels incorporated a saucer and distinguishing “neck” that connected the two parts of the ship. The Voyager was presented with a dart-like configuration that made it appear more agile. Sternbach’s original design appeared to take inspiration from a Runabout shuttle.

The engineering hull is much more compact and designed to closely fit to the primary “arrowhead” hull which supports the bridge; the nacelles are also uncommonly long on Sternbach’s early version of the Voyager and protrude similarly to the aforementioned Runabout shuttle design hanging low and aligned to enhance the more streamlined approach. The Voyager ship design would evolve further and would incorporate a “rounder” more nautical-looking body. Sternbach’s Voyager also had its own designation of NCC-73602 before the official NCC-74656.

At the time that Sternbach was hard at work finalizing the look of the USS Voyager his colleague John Eaves was assigned to give Picard’s USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E a polishing for TNG crew’s next big-screen appearance in First Contact. Without sharing any of their preliminary sketches with each other, it appeared that both conceptual artists were on a similar tangent. The each had designed the next generation of Starfleet vessels with a new approach to the saucer, changing the shape to suggest speed and also bring it in tighter to the secondary hull for heft.

Concept Collection

The model recreated for the Eaglemoss Collections line is well-crafted representation of Sternbach’s own larger-scale model which he used to present to the studio. The design was ultimately scrapped in favor of the now most-iconic look of the USS Voyager but it is undeniable to insist on the merit of the ship’s look especially now that collectors can add them to their own fleet. The “special edition” model come with a detailed magazine that profiles the evolution of the Voyager with rare photos and illustrations.

Sternbach’s Design Realized.
The Eaglemoss Concept Design of the USS Voyager by Rick Sternbach.
Top View
The Voyager that could have been.

With the release of its latest model, the USS Voyager (Sternbach Concept) which is only available as a “shop exclusive” from the eaglemoss.com site, the “concept series” has expanded. Previous releases include the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C (Probert Concept) and USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (Phase II Concept). The collection has also included the “Special Issue” release of the Enterprise NX-01 (Refit) which finally reveals to fans what could have been the evolution of Jonathan Archer’s revolutionary warp ship.

With Star Trek: Discovery now continuing the adventures and pushing the boundaries of the Final Frontier, the possibilities have truly become limitless. Starfleet’s “Age of Experimentation” is now at  the forefront of the mythology. 

Coming Soon, Featured, iEditorial, Primetime Series, Star Trek

STAR TREK | A New Five Year Mission

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With STAR TREK: DISCOVERY a certified hit on CBS All Access the network pens a deal with Alex Kurtzman for further exploration of the Final Frontier!

Some seasons ago, it had appeared the Star Trek brand had hit certain fatigue, enough so that it needed an infusion to resuscitate the franchise. Handed into the capable hands of J. J. Abrams and his creative think tank Star Trek emerged a hit getting the reboot treatment and ushering it into the hands of a new generation. Since then and two theatrical sequels later, CBS the network that owns the rights to the long-lived legacy, the request came in that Star Trek should return to television!

The network had turned to Alex Kurtzman part of Abrams team of collaborators to help inspire the next phase of the franchise’s resurrection and since its debut Star Trek: Discovery has won the hearts of fans and newcomers alike. The profoundly popular first season served more twists and turns than even the feature films could have delivered, and left fans truly handing on when the cliffhanger guaranteed that when Season 2 debuts it will reintroduce the classic into the mainstream.

The new season of Star Trek: Discovery is currently in production, and following some very exciting casting notices fans gear up for its return in 2019. Even the current creative shake-ups behind-the-scenes haven’t deterred anticipation, but most enterprising (if you’ll pardon the pun) is the news that veteran writer-producer Alex Kurtzman and series co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery has entered into a five-year creative contract to bring more Star Trek to television. Kurtzman who has assumed the roll of showrunner for Season 2 will also be adding to the Trek universe.

CBS has given the creative lease to produce at least one new series, animation and some mini-series set in the world of Star Trek. Among some of the more exciting news is the speculation that Patrick Stewart the actor who appeared as Capt. Jean Luc Picard in the spin-off Star Trek: The Next Generation may return to the captain’s chair headlining in Kurtzman’s new series. Whether that’s true remains to be seen, but it is exciting news that potentially will bring about a renaissance and return to the 24th Century of Star Trek lore.