XL Romulan Warbird

Debuting in TNG's first season closer, The Neutral Zone, the Romulan Warbird is easily one of the most recognisable starships in the whole of the Star Trek universe.

The big green cloaking machine has the notoriety in the original collection of being scarily unstable when docked on its stand. This one isn't much different so just be cautious where this is displayed and if in doubt, blu-tac/superglue/nail it into place.

As for the step up to XL, it's a positive move. The mould is a simple enlargement when it comes to the physical sections and Eaglemoss have made some improvements to ensure that it's not just a matter of cut and paste.

A common feature with the XLs has been the attention to paint schemes and the Warbird continues this trend. Coated in a lighter tone of green than the original, the darker sections then contrast more strongly against the base colour. That combined with an overall dirt wash do enhance the final visual effect of the model.

Right from the front the definition of the hull sections is a marked improvement. The windows on the nose section are raised and well painted on with, for the most part, colour and dot lining up. The plethora of porthole-shaped windows across the rest of the forward hull section seem sharper and more precisely applied. Right up on that nose there's also a much more detailed Romulan insignia. It's not 100% sharp but again, it's a step up.

Ok, so it's not quite the day-glo green of the TV show - and thank god it's not - but this seems more representative of the original craft and filming model not how it cleaned up for TV. The more apt paint scheme is definitely a major contributing factor but so is the panel lining. The inner surfaces of the neck and oval wing sections were neglected on the smaller issue four model but here there's no way to avoid those surfaces. Join lines are much cleaner with even more razor sharp panelling to be seen that helps bring the Romulan capital ship to life beyond the screen. Those inside surfaces are heavily panelled and just as well marked as the outer hull with Eaglemoss paying attention to add in the windows at the rear curve.

What you do notice is the asymmetrical panel patterning on both upper and lower surfaces. There are silver patches right across the ship dulled off through the dirt wash. That curved hull is very, very strong with every single centimetre of the hull seemingly packed with mechanical detail or some form of internal light.  The choice to dirty the Warbird up was a good one and what you do see more here is the unevenness of that hull finish. Plus it raises the detail to a more visible level. 

One consideration I was surprised didn't make it here are translucent elements in the front of the warp engines which leaves them a little "dead". The inner sides of them also have that lighter green warp grille and would have benefitted with a more energising finish than a coat of paint. 

But that's a minor gripe on what is an exceptional piece of modelling. The build quality of the Warbird is very solid and supported. The metal head and upper wing offer a good level of structure and effectively holds the thing together, also weighing it down slightly to the nose. 

The Warbird magazine offers a standard set of views of the classic starship before diving into the prolific work of its designer, Andy Probert.  Definitely worth the admission alone here complete with sketches and background material on his work. Just hope we get the concept Warbird sometime soon!

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