On Patrol: The Official Starships Collection Issues 150 and 151

There's an overpowering sense of deja vu once more with issue 150 of the Official Starships Collection.

That's because we're back in Miranda Class territory again with the fourth (fifth if you count the Bozeman) variant following the Reliant, Saratoga and Lantree.

While choosing to use the Reliant issue 11 model as its basis, the USS Antares featured incredibly briefly in the background in one episode of Deep Space Nine - but somehow constitutes getting a whole issue dedicated to it.

As with the Reliant, the paintwork is brilliant and reflects the changes that the Eaglemoss team decided to make following the USS Enterprise refit disaster from issue two. The aztec work is seamless right across the hull but even at the start there are a few bits that really grind. For one, the name and ship number decals are shoddy - the red outline around the black typeface is all out of alignment and this is something which continues into the positioning of the red striping over the sensor nodes at either side of the half -saucer.

The windows themselves are painted in where applicable so there's no need to line up with any surface detail and while the physical mold is great for the ship it's apparent there's a little bit of half-arsed finishing here. One thing you do spot is the plethora of Starfleet deltas when looking down from the top and again in a couple of instances you can see that the backing red circle is well out of sync with the arrowhead. 

Y'see with the Antares the basics are done very well and there's clear learnings from the four other times this basic configuration was used in the collection but even on the rear pod there's signs of sloppy decal application at the corners with mine displaying red splashes and bugging me to hell and back.

Also, I was disappointed that this one turned up in partial kit form with one of the nacelles and pylon detached. Luckily it was a simple glue job to rectify but it seems this isn't a one off with issue 150 reading a few comments online. That said the detail again on the nacelle is spot on with the grilles and vents all precisely painted in and the registry decals located correctly against the "expected" places on a Miranda Class. With this one you have to take a little bit of leniency since it wasn't exactly seen front and centre so you have to take things as correct to a point. One further point on the nacelles - the central joint lines are painfully obvious and almost gaping. Just offsets the paint and decal work unfortunately that does look ace.

However I suspect that the rear pod wasn't wonky as the one I received was. Classic kitbashing here from back in the day since the top unit replacing the rollbar is nothing more than a repainted and up-turned stand from the AMT USS Excelsior kit, one of which is currently residing in my loft. 

Before I go all 90's nostalgia, let's move on. The sides of the Antares are finished with dotted windows plus ship registries which line up with the shape of the ship. To the rear, there are the obligatory numbers to indicate the two shuttlebays plus a cleanly decorated impulse engine which matches back to that original Reliant model.

Flipping her over that misalignment continues with the blue warp core field generator. The second imprinted colour is grimacingly off-centre with the mold - which would be understandable if everything else around it was out of kilter but the darker grey senor machinery and gubbins surrounding it all line up even if the colour is blotchy...and has bled into the light grey azteced hull in places...but...y'know...

The aztec paint is great, non-symmetrical on the plastic inserted underside and is a perfect covering for the Antares but AGAIN the damn registry decals have their red border totally misaligned to the black letters and numbers. 

I wish I could get to grips with the errors on this one but every single one just goes against the great work on the basics. At this stage in a collection I would have thought these challenges would have been resolved, never to return but nope, not here.

Issue 150's magazine offers scant detail on the Antares aside from its operational duties in the Dominion War coupled with the brief summary of the features well known to the Miranda Class that we have encountered several times before. The issue is laden with images from Deep Space Nine's battle scenes although the Antares is a tad hard to find...!

Whether anyone is just not willing to admit they created this kitbash may be the reason why it has remained a "design mystery" but at least Eaglemoss have attempted to cover the story behind its creation and while they don't come to an answer there are some decent shots of the altered model plus a rare one of the USS Jupp kitbash which never made it to screen.

Finally there's six pages dedicated to Chase Masterson aka Leeta and her role within Deep Space Nine. Originally conceived as a bit part, Leeta became one of the integral recurring characters within the show and here we get the actress' take on her time with the show. Overall a good and varied magazine which is something of an achievement considering the teeny amount of time we got to see this one on the TV.

Over to issue 151 and here's one I had to look up to remember. Seems that the B'omar patrol ship turned up in Voyager's fourth season episode The Raven - and that was it. They probably received more screentime than the blurry background filling USS Antares but it's not one that every fan will be clamouring for to fill that shelf gap. 

But, as always with these oddball entries into the hallowed halls of the Official Starships Collection it looks fantastic. It's become something of a running joke that these guest ships that were almost instantly forgettable actually turn out to be some of the best replicas that Eaglemoss produce - step forward ECS Fortunate, Promellian Battlecruiser, Merchantman... you can complete your own list.

So what works on this one so well? Very evidently the multi-coloured base pattern of cream, grey and beige is a series of decals and being a lot larger than the standard ship registry ones that adorn the Antares, these blocks fit snugly into the gaps on the hull with the additional "upper" coat of the grey/purple panelling at points from the front to back of the ship. These pieces combine the colours not in aztec-style blocks but rather in a mottled pattern that acts to age the ship through its application.

For the most part the geometric pattern is identical left to right but there are one or two exceptions on the nose where its a little bit more uneven around the cockpit. Effectively detailed and a good choice to go with panelled decals rather than trying to colour segments.

As we move front to back the patrol ship has recessed areas of the ship utilised by more add-on pieces such as black quarter-circle inserts and bolt ons. This theme of circle parts echoes on in the sides of the hull curving up to the top of the cockpit. 

Behind that cockpit there is a wealth of lumps and bumps in the shape of the craft appearing to be the coverings for the engine sections or weapons of the craft. Out on the starboard wing there's a probe element which breaks up the symmetry once more and is pretty sturdy since it's made as part of the metal upper hull. There are some gaps between the decals and the paintwork on the topside but they are fairly minor and the painted sections be they purple-toned, black or green, all stay within the specified pieces of the hull and an immaculate look from above.

With the central "bulge" Eaglemoss have toned down the green engine hue you can see in the magazine on the CG and model and gone for a very light expression in the curved venting. It's barely noticable and I only really appreciated what these slits were supposed to be after reading through the accompanying literature.

Flipping it over, the patterning is limited to the outer edges of the hull with the purple mottled panels dominating the mainly metal underside section. These raised pieces do have some paint bleed with a small element of misalignment when the coat has been applied especially if you look towards the back. It's relatively minor but looks like there is more area covered than there needs to be rather than the colour slipping sideways.

The two blocky rectangular elements line up roughly with the pair on the top suggesting some form of weapon since the two topside are labelled in the magazine as torpedo launchers and are incredibly well finished off. There's no bleed and a good mix of colours in only a few centimetres of space. 

I love the little black elements that sit to the sides and rear of the patrol ship and add bits of negative space into quite a flat design. It's not something we've seen a lot of but the finish is clean as are the lines of the ship as a whole. I think this is definitely an underappreciated ship that screentime didn't allow us to get to know enough. It's very 80's spaceship styling and retains a distinct original feel - even more so since this wasn't recycled into anything else during the latter years of Voyager or four years of Enterprise thereafter. 

Again the stand positioning gives the flight impression with the clip fitting over the rear of the patrol ship. The lean to the back means there's no issue of a nose dive but Eaglemoss do need to look at how they are sizing up the plug piece that fits into the black curved base as I'm getting more and more which need a little persuasion to sit properly.

Into the magazine for this one and there's - unsurprisingly - not a great deal to go on. A brief summary of the ship and the episode it featured gives way to potentially the most minimalist call outs on the plan views ever.  Rolling into the designing section I was a little surprised to see that there were similarities between this and the Romulan scoutship which might have indicated that it would have been reused. It's all to brief a piece but it's followed by a bit of an unexpected gem in the form of an interview with Discovery co-creator Bryan Fuller about his time on Voyager back in the 90's. 

As a piece of Star Trek history this interview is a good read and you can see that it's way before there's ever a hint of Discovery in the air. Given this is slotted in to a "one ep" ship magazine it's not what I would have expected and some more casual collectors could well miss these words from an influential member of the writing and production team.

May's editions couldn't be more varied but the B'omar patrol ship is an easy winner in my eyes thanks to its nifty paint and decal finish plus the fact it's not a Miranda Class variant makes a huge impact. Great replica and another fine oddball pitched into the collection. Next month's USS Excelsior concept and Devore warship (from Voyager's magnificent Counterpoint) could offer a similar diversity in quality although both suffered a fate of minimal appearances but for different reasons...

Had enough of Miranda Class ships? Wanting more of those single episode ships? What's your take on these two starships?

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Over and Over...: The Official Starships Collection Issues 120 and 121

The USS Bozeman NCC-1941 is possibly one of the most famous starships in Star Trek history outside of craft called Enterprise.

Going back four odd years the conversations suggested that because this was just a variant on a Miranda Class theme it might never see the light of day. However, due to overwhelming popularity and the continued success of the series itself we finally have the Soyuz Class science vessel. 

The second model to be produced in the series based on the USS Reliant (the first being the USS Saratoga), the Bozeman has the most alterations to its physical form. Indeed the shape of the ship with its single saucer hull and two underslung warp nacelles is immediately identifiable but there's lots of new bits to explore.

The topside of the hull has a wonderful aztec paint scheme that is punctuated with some very precise detailing touches. The panelling is very clear with crisp lines running across the semi-circular front section and also the rear rectangular engineering area. The triple phaser banks are painted in accurately and even the ship registry is almost perfect except for a tiny misalignment of the red bordering to the black lettering - but it's annoyingly close. It's also missing the RCS thruster points that are evident on the Reliant saucer. Right around the edge of the saucer though is an unusual piece of decalling in the form of the ship name and numbers.

The striking inclusion on the top though are the red edging strips which run around the base of the bridge module and also bordering the registry itself. The numbers are a little out of alignment with the strips but the overall effect is very good. The bridge module at the centre of the hull has another strip around its base with a darker ring of grey at its base. There's some minor window detail and the dome has another of those distinct red strips at its centre plus turbolift "Mickey Mouse" ears. Admittedly in the episode we didn't get too clear a glance at the top of the bridge module but against the Reliant and Saratoga there's a difference of detail between all three dependant on what refit we look at. 

Very impressed that Eaglemoss have managed to add in the tiny Starfleet deltas on top of the two weapon units either side of the bridge.

Both the Saratoga and the Bozeman are missing the signature rollbar over the flat rear of the hull which means we get a clearer view of the mechanics in the darker grey banks that run to the back of the craft. There's some good raised engineering works in these two areas although on screen there seemed to be more definition to the height of the components but the scale here isn't conducive to these more fiddly elements.

The biggest addition to the hull is the rear block that connects the deck to two of the outlying sensor pods. That's sensor pods and not guns even though they look like the latter. More great hull detail here with the top arm holding the sensor pod in metal with the pod itself plastic. Also at the back of that block there's a third

On the bottom of the Bozeman the plastic sections carry on with the aztec patterning and has a second set of striping either side of the smaller NCC-1941 registry. These strips line up with the numbers a lot better than the ones on the top and even the red outer of the script is tighter to the black. 

This lighter paint finish really does enhance the detail on the surface of the Bozeman and the underside benefits from this with even more lining all the way round. At the middle of the saucer this time isn't a standard sensor dome but what looks like some heavy-duty gun emplacement. Once more it's a sensor platform bristling with antennae and the number of fine aerials sticking out is not a regular occurence in the collection. 

The plastic inlay sits very well on the ship feeding right to the back with the rear block pod splitting horizontally for the two sections to join with very little impact on the surface finish. 

At the back of the vessel there is a large dark grey section which bears more mechanical gubbins than the two banks on the top. At the middle of this technical section we have the lower warp field generator which is a hold over from the earlier Reliant. 

Attached under the port and starboard sensor pods are the warp nacelles are fully plastic without even a trace of translucent plastic to brighten them up. The warp field grilles are all painted on and not very tidily at the very ends with some signs of gaps in the curves.The nacelles are two clips together halves and what I have noticed here is that some of the points on that join line are quite jagged on the starboard engine. At the back of both of the units there is the ship name and registry while the connecting pylons carry the Starfleet pennant.

In the magazine we have some good CG images of the Soyuz Class ship plus a bit more on its operational life including a couple of "Easter Egg" mentions it received in Generations and First Contact. The design section revolves around how the production team could make this look different with some alterations to the original Reliant model and the purpose of these added extras. 

Finally - and in keeping with the recent choice of articles in the magazines we have a section devoted to the fifth season of The Next Generation touching on key episodes such as Redemption II, The Game, The First Duty, The Inner Light and of course, Cause and Effect.

The Xhosa from issue 121 is a strange one. A ship that was mentioned multiple times in the latter half of Deep Space Nine's run but seen less than a handful of times - in fact twice in The Way of the Warrior and For the Cause from the following fifth season.

Given that its appearances were few (very few) and far between, I can't really get an idea of the true accuracy of the piece in relation to its onscreen counterpart. It also weighs a flippin' ton and must be about the heaviest starship produced for the collection. Is there a lump of concrete in each one?!

First impression here - this isn’t very exciting. It’s fairly rectangular although there is a high density of surface detail from bow to stern. The forward command/bridge section has a raked nose which is covered in multiple raised panels and callouts of some description. 

At the base of it, the Xhosa has a plain grey coat with two shades of darker greys to show off the protrusions and hatches. Some of the detail to either side of the bridge unit does seem washed out and not as prominent which looks due to a machining choice rather than overpainting. There are also a few green ventilation points on that forward section once more breaking up the uniform hull colour. 

Things get a lot more interesting as we get onto the rear section which opens up with a larger, blockier built up unit that also shows off lots of conduits and panelling plus a subspace antenna that sticks forward and is a plastic insert piece into the large metal top section. 

Moving to the main cargo section and the more rectangular slab, the detailhere seems to get better even though it's the same metal as the forward piece. The panelling is particularly crisp with the brown slatted cargo hatches standing out against the hull and surrounded by more light grey highlights. The callouts on the back end are really nice and clear on the Xhosa although the panel details on the slanted sides that drop away to the bottom don't have the definition of the top section. The panel lines are a lot smoother and seem to mould into the hull without a sharp edge in sight. 

At the back we have the triple engines and there's a unique paint effect here with the exhausts appearing to be burnt with an orange/red tone lightly sprayed into each of the units.

Now, to the underside and from the over abundance of detail on the hull, the bottom is terribly underwhelming. First off this piece is a plastic insert that runs from the nose right to the back (just in front of the engines) and it's super, super bland. The detail is not in keeping with the feel of the topside with only a couple of distinguishing features evident in the two darker shades of grey to contrast against the base coat. Problem is that the lack of details means that it looks awfully fake and flat. I would have expected more to be on there but, I suppose, since it's not going to be seen that much it doesn't matter too much.

As for the stand fitting, the clear grip piece fits smoothly over the engines and above and below the rear section but there's still a lot of weight in there all resting back on the slim neck fitted into the black base so just be aware that there could be a balancing act here.

The magazine takes us through the appearances of the Xhosa in the fourth season of Deep Space Nine plus some of its more basic features plus some of the best CG images of any ship I've seen in the collection. Honestly, some of the shots produced for this issue are class and give the ship a lot more wear and depth to its features than you can see on the model.

The placing of the detail on the metal craft is very precise and compares favourably with the plan views contained in the magazine. What the lack of portholes or windows does mean is that you lose a sense of scale against other ships in the collection. Even putting her besides something like the Defiant doesn't real help because the hull is only covered with hatches and access panel-like features.

What I did appreciate after reading this issue is how many times this ship has been used and reused again and again with a nip here and a tuck there, all starting back with the Batris from The Next Generation's Heart of Glory. Whether, as with the Bajoran Freighter, we will ever see some of these variants is open to debate but since we have the Smugglers Ship and also the various modded versions of the Reliant I can't see why one or two of these wouldn't end up as future releases. Indeed, I think the Batris would make quite a popular addition to the series.

Now while some elements of the model are disappointing with the Xhosa, the mag is a different kettle of fish, with six pages dedicated to the work of John Eaves on updating the armaments of Deep Space Nine for The Way of the Warrior. The illustrations are amazing to pour over with both the phaser and torpedo pods examined as well as the reasons behind their positioning and concealment. A great section and makes up for some of the seeming sloppy ventral detail on the Xhosa's hull.

Ok, I love the Bozeman and for the most part the Xhosa is a good model even if lacking in those underside finishing touches. A good pairing that have appeared in other guises over the course of nearly 40 years of the franchise. While my Deep Space Nine love should make me lean more towards Kasidy Yates' freighter I have to say I'm more impressed with the classic lines of Captain Bateson's starship. With previous experience of freighters - Horizon, Fortunate and even the Malon, there have been mixed to brilliant results with these auxiliary vessels. Of the Miranda variants I really do love the Bozeman to the point where it might be my favourite of the three, even over the original version from The Wrath of Khan.

Next month we have the kitbash of all kitbashes with the Yeager Class and another ship which started out in a slightly different form with the Romulan Science Vessel. Refreshing my mind in regards to my anticipation levels, this might not be an especially exciting duo...!

Liking the Bozeman? Fan of the Xhosa?

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What Did First Contact Do For Us (in the future)?

NB: Updated April 5th 2014 - originally written on the 50th (pre) anniversary of First Contact in 2013

Happy Anniversary of First Contact Day to you all!

Wow, is it only 50 years to go? What a thought. Can't wait; April 5th 2063 here we come!

But what's to celebrate in our Star Trek vision of the 23rd and 24th Centuries? As we drain our last glass of bubbly synthehol and attempt to remember the code to get us back into our quarters, let's have a think about just what we have raised a song to in the last few hours - was it all worth the pomp and ceremony? What exactly did we get from this monumental event and was it all good? As we know, according to Riker in Star Trek First Contact, it's the time everything changes and things get better - so let's put that to the test right now.

1. Warp speed

Bit of a given really. But then it's only Warp One so we're going nowhere (relatively) fast for a  hile. Luckily it does attract a passing ship and thus we encounter the Vulcans for the first time. This leads to a whole heap of other problems but the good thing is that at least we can get there a lot quicker thanks to Cochrane and the Phoenix. 

No longer is Earth alienated in some spiral of the Milky Way and so begins the road to the creation of the United Federation of Planets as well as numerous first contacts with new and exciting lifeforms. Now some of these are good and a few are going to be filled with obstacles, wars and death...but not that many...hopefully. Oh...it's also responsible for ripping the universe to bits which isn't such a good thing. Excellent suggestion to impose that warp five speed limit. That solves everything. What warp drove does lead to is the creation of Starfleet and therefore the Federation. Ironically in the real world it's the creation of Starfleet that eventually brings about the creation of first contact as an event in Star Trek....!

2. Zephram Cochrane

The man behind the engine. Legend, pioneer, alcoholic, from Alpha Centauri (according to The Original Series) and able to age in reverse. Nothing like the Enterprise crew expect him to be like, Cromwell's Cochrane is a reluctant, dishevelled hero that you just can't help but like. While we get to see him briefly in the Enterprise pilot Broken Bow, it's his subsequent chronological appearance that really bends time and space. In The Original Series, Zephram is significantly younger and even managed to brush up well for the visit from Kirk and company. Luckily he was rejuvenated by the Companion which resides with him on Gamma Canaris N and saved his life.

While his body is regenerated, it appears that the Companion has erased any references to his previous encounter with at least two ships called Enterprise. Now, here's a thought for you - is the name of the Federation warp five NX Class ship in itself a time loop - was it called that because of Cochrane's own previous encounter with the crew of that starship?! However, when we meet Zephram in Metamorphosis he seems to have developed Scotty (Relics) syndrome and forgotten all about a previous encounter with the Enterprise-E. Let us not forget the statues and schools that get named in his honour afterwards, although whether he wanted to be a statue is all historical conjecture....

3. The Borg

Thanks for this one, Jean-Luc. Due to your inability to make sure that all the Borg were eliminated before you warped out of orbit back to the 24th Century there were some survivors who managed to get frozen in the Arctic, get thawed, evade the NX-01 and Captain Archer and then send a signal to the Delta Quadrant. A signal which will be received sometime in the 24th Century...and one suspect that's what sparks some interest in Sector 001. The speed in which the cube arrives in The Best of Both Worlds suggests that this is not the same ship the Enterprise-D encountered in system J-25 even though the dimensions are precisely the same.

Enterprise's Regeneration implies that it's all a self-fulfilling prophecy and we were always doomed to meet the Borg whether or not Q chucked the Enterprise-D halfway across the galaxy. Could this have all been avoided? Probably not in the big time/space continuum mess.

4. Music and Alcohol

Luckily First Contact Day reassured us that popular music won't kick the bucket until at least April 6th 2063. As we learn, Cochrane has a particular fondness of Steppenwolf and their Magic Carpet Ride (good choice). Roy Orbison will be available on jukeboxes around the same time although it's Oobey Doobey and not Pretty Woman. Tequila will be available for a few years more however its morning after effects appear to be significantly lessened - ask Troi for further details. Whether the beverage is still around in the 24th Century is debatable since the counselor is apparently unaware of its existence. It has been suggested that rock and roll may survive into the 24th Century (see 6) however the longevity of musical artists such as The Beastie Boys is still open for debate - especially in alternative universes.

5. The Vulcans

...and so years of suspicion, logic and a serious lack of humour begin. Now the intrigue here is what could have happened if first contact had been with another race? Humanity's suspicion of the Vulcans is all based on the conjecture that they have held back our development at least until the 2160's and possibly longer. Would we have become a conquered people if the Andorian or the Klingons had got to us first? How would Starfleet and the Federation evolved if Earth's first meeting with people from another world had been the Tellarites?!

It is well documented within Star Trek: Enterprise that the Vulcans assisted in pulling Earth from the shambles it was but what more could it have been as there's always that hint that First Contact was both a good and bad thing - did the Vulcans really hinder our progression to the stars? Were they in turn being influenced without realising it by the Romulans?! What we find out later is that the Vulcans inadvertently caused first contact back in the 1950's in Carbon Creek but we didn't know about it (of course).

From the perspective of our familiar crews though, the Vulcans have given us a great deal - Archer gained a first officer and Dr McCoy was provided with more than one opportunity to win an argument. While Enterprise sowed the seeds of discontent with the pointed - eared ones it would be wise to remember that meeting with them would bring about advances in conditions and technology that humanity would otherwise have been unable to achieve.

6. First Contact Day 

The occasion to remember the day everything changed. A time for rejoicing and revelry and if you're on the USS Voyager then beware because it's like to have been organised by Neelix and Naomi Wildman. From what we can children get a day off school and it's a prime opportunity for Tom Paris to get his 20th Century jukebox out (no sign of Steppenwolf to really authenticate the occasion though). Interestingly the notion that this is celebrated right in the closing closing episodes of Voyager screws the calendar around in line with stardates as First Contact occurred in April. Therefore we can surmise that we're not working on the Julian Calendar but something much more universal.

7. The Bozeman

Bit of a curve ball here, but without the landing site for the Vulcans the Enterprise-D might have avoided spending a few weeks trapped in the temporal causality loop. I'm not sure that first contact in Scunthorpe would have had quite the same dramatic effect.

We could probably go on for quite a while about how, what and why was affected in the long run by April 5th 2063 but I think these above are probably the main culprits. While Star Wars fans have another month to wait for their special day (May 4th), with Star Trek we can at least say that the day has some significance within all varieties of the franchise and it's something with a bit of substance not just a "comedy" date. In the fictional world everything that we know of the UFP, Starfleet, Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway etc stems from this one event and we can assuredly say that it is truly the franchise's Genesis moment (all puns intended). First Contact is the point at which the future starts to become the universe begins is journey towards the vision of Gene Roddenberry. While not everything about the original day was a resounding success as we've seen here, there's a lot to be impressed with - and it gave us Star Trek First Contact which isn't a bad thing now, is it?!

In the real world the question for us all is when will this happen and who will it be with? If we're honest with ourselves we know it won't be with Vulcans and I very much doubt it'll be at a missile silo in Montana (which actually does exist) or that it'll even be linked to the first warp flight but that's missing the point of this occasion. One of the rare chances to have a bit of Star Trek indulgence with some purpose and show your Starfleet pride especially with just a half-century to go!

After all this though, I would ask this - what does First Contact Day actually mean to you today? Is it a chance to celebrate Star Trek or space exploration or even sci-fi as a whole? Is there anything else from that fictional event that we should also recognise it for? Is there anything else that we got from first contact within the fictional universe or in the real production world of Star Trek?

Anyway - let's request just one more glass from the replicator before bed or maybe join Captain Picard for a slice of cake (cellular peptide we suspect) - Happy First Contact Day to one and all!

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