FINALLY – STARSHIPS AT YOUR DOORSTEP!

I've been collecting Star Trek ships for almost as long as there's been a Star Trek. When I was a kid, I got one of the very first Star Trek items ever made – the USS Enterprise Model kit from AMT. I was incredibly excited. After all, this was back in the day when there weren't a zillion versions of the Enterprise to be had – it was the one and ONLY version out there. I was in heaven!

Since that time I've had starships from Micro Machines, Dinky, Mego, even more model kits, Franklin Mint, Playmates, Hot Wheels and more. Some were great, others, not so much. So when I was recently contacted by a company I had never heard about regarding their new product line of Star Trek starship models, I was a bit skeptical because, in my opinion, for every great Star Trek item out there, there's ten lousy ones. Anyway, this company – Eaglemoss Collections – proceeded to made me an offer. They'd give me a free subscription to their model line if I promoted the product for them.

These are my own photos. Check out the amazing details!

Now that's a sweet deal, right? Your basic quid pro quo. It was a very generous offer, but unfortunately, I couldn't accept for one simple reason: my opinion is not for sale. It's not for sale for access or props or toys or anything.

But their product looked interesting, so I made a counter-offer. Instead of giving me a free subscription, I asked them to send just one example of their product so that I could give an honest review, beholden to no one. They accepted, and within a few days there was a package at my door. I have to admit, I was a bit anxious to see what the deal was, so I tore the box open and pulled out the contents. It was a small box that was sealed in transparent plastic on top. And through that plastic, I could see what looked to be the most detailed version I've ever seen of the NextGen Enterprise-D. I stared at the little starship for several moments, marveling at the amazing paint job that included a two-toned "aztec pattern" painted on the entire surface of the hull. Windows, lifeboats, insignia – all were there in a tiny, impossible scale. Amazed, I carefully removed the little gem from its box.

Even the underside is rife with detail.

I held it gingerly as I was afraid of hurting it – it just appeared to be too precious to not handle carefully. I turned it over and was delighted to find the same level of detail on the underside. I proceeded to hold it at different angles (you know the ones!) and imagined it flying through space. It wasn't hard!

The model is a combination of die cast metal and plastic and came with a nice, simple display stand that, again, was very different than anything I had seen before. Instead of the usual post that sticks into the bottom of the ship (a connection that inevitably gets loose and won't hold the ship up!) it came instead with a small cradle which holds the model firmly in place. It also came with a very cool booklet – a 20-page color brochure that includes tons of great images, a history of the original filming models and a ton of background stuff, all in one place.

One thing to keep in mind: these are not large. The Ent-D is 5.5" long and 4" wide. It's similar to the size of last year's Hot Wheels boxed Star Trek ships, but that's where the similarities end. The detail on the Eaglemoss piece far exceeds anything on any previous version. You could use these babies as background pieces in an actual film and they'd hold up! And they can easily sit on a desk or bookshelf.

Also, these are only available through Eaglemoss' subscription program. The first ship – the Enterprise D – is only $4.95 with each subsequent ship costing $19.95 each. Every ship comes with its own booklet and stand.

There's also some freebies that come with the subscription including the Future Enterprise D from "All Good Things" and a Borg Cube. If you're a Star Trek ship nut like me, you're going to want to check this out at:

The Official Star Trek Starships Collection

I've got a feeling you'll be as impressed as I am!

LLAP

Don