Taken Care: That Final Eaglemoss Special

First of all... this is a bit weird... but this will be the 1000th published post on this site. It feels somewhat crazy that after 10 and a half years I'm still here and still writing about Star Trek. Thank you to anyone who has followed since the beginning, to all those who read and comment along the way. You've helped keep me going and I've loved meeting and talking to every single one of you.  Here's to the next 1000....!!!!

We were excited, giddy even at the thought that Eaglemoss would be producing the Caretaker Array from Voyager’s pilot episode. 

Hurrah! Prepare the pre-orders! Donate that final irrelevant lung and stand by the post box!

A year later and the landscape is quite different yet somehow, models find a way. That Caretaker Array did finally ship but via Master Replicas who have bought a considerable chunk of Eaglemoss' remaining catalogue including several of their unreleased models (see also XL USS Stargazer).

What is perhaps most surprising is the size of this special. Certainly the smallest space station in the series, the Array is only just twice the length of the familiar black base. It’s virtually all plastic with the two central rings acting as metal ballast. To be honest I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting here nor am I sure what I actually got.

The detailing is pretty minimal and comparing what we have in the box to the item on screen is not the easiest of jobs. I’d even go as far as saying that this gives an air of being unfinished although it’s actually comparable to the station on screen.

Those antennae/sensor arrays are indeed skeletal if you watch the episode back so there is a decent level of accuracy when it comes to the station's extremities.  In fact they're fairly well detailed too in terms of surface greebling if not that strong. There's a fair bit of give in the larger ones in particular yet it is as screen accurate as you would hope.

Both the outer arms and that central core do have a level of grubbiness to them indicating the grand old age of the array. Problem is, it's just not that exciting as a station or as a product.

The top and bottom assemblies aren't that intricate but do at least bear some resemblance to their vaguely seen "real" versions in Caretaker. I guess this one is a bit of a kicker though thanks to its size and the mix of well detailed elements to that rather plain central core. Yes, there is hull panelling but the single tone colour scheme lies a bit flat and the station feels somewhat lifeless.

As to the stand fit, this one's pretty good, clipping right around the lower elements of the central core and holding the whole station very firmly in place. Nicely constructed and provides a stable base.

Ok, it is just a model but Eaglemoss managed to successfully convey signs of life on many of their other products however it falls a little flat here. The lack of an accompanying magazine is conspicuous too and would probably have helped answer a lot of questions about the resulting build however that's one thing that concretely never saw the light of day.

For now the Caretaker Array rests as a tantilising glimpse at some of the possibilities that might have emerged in 2023 but also represents that final crumbling moment in what was once a huge part of the merchandising market. 

Is it a "must have"? Yes if you're a completist or a Voyager fan but no in every other sense. It's only really gained notoriety because it's Eaglemoss' unreleased special. For me it might even rank below the stick that is Relay Station 47 and maybe as the weakest of the space station/stationary structures. Functional - absolutely but just super, super dull and a disappointing way to have closed down the specials series of models. Who knows what could have been next...

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