Mini Cubes and Octahedrons - Borg Expansions

As Dan has noted in our Tactical Cube take, the Borg are a formidable foe in the show and in the game. In fact those recent changes almost put me off expanding into their fleet. However, I finally reneged and decided to take the plunge.

My first addition was the small Borg Scout Cube first (and last) seen in The Next Generation's I,Borg from the fifth season. As you would therefore expect, the expansion is heavily themed around that episode with two Third of Five options in the set but more on that in a sec.

As to the ship, the movement is the expected Borg "straight-line" process and dependant on whether you're playing original or revised rules, that's spin and move or move then spin. Having played out both the latter makes you extremely predictable and does reduce the element of surprise but gives the opposition a better chance of kicking you into oblivion since they know where you're heading next. As for range of moves, the scout is manoeuvrable, giving you a full range of 90 degree moves on ranges one to four (with the top speed all causing the addition of an auxiliary power token) plus a very, very useful maximum of a three reverse.

The model itself is detailed all in black with the surface covered in a non-repetitive circuit-like pattern plus some fancy little corner accessories just so you can tell it's different from the massive main cube vessels. The images used for publicity have some great green highlights but that's all missing from the retail model.

As to the stats, she doesn't appear that strong and in the first head to head I ran her in she didn't take long to receive her marching orders although for note I was taking on the flying heavy weapon known as the Scimitar. Starting out with a three for offence and for defence, a two hull and four shields for 24 points, Scout 608 can also perform an additional green or white manoeuvre at the cost of discarding an upgrade. Choose wisely my friends, choose wisely!

For captain of your tiny cube you have Third of Five who provides you with an extra defence die at the cost of a Drone token. Pretty useful but it's best I also talk about these token thingys. Each Borg captain has a certain number of tokens assigned to them at the beginning of the game which is usually determined by a number on their card. This indicates their starting captain skill which will change during the game depending on the number of Drone tokens used/regenerated in the game. I really like this Borg feature as it plays as though they are relentless and virtually unstoppable without being, erm, unstoppable.  Third of Five starts off with three of these but there is also a second choice of a Tactical Drone if you don't want to spend too much on a captain for your geometric vessel.

That Drone allows a revenge attack during a defence roll for the cost of one Drone Token (for details on the use of Drone Tokens take a look at the Tactical Cube post) and the opposition don't get to defend it. Great feature that only costs a single squadron point. The third captain option is an average Drone that allows you to prep a single Drone Token but won't cost a single point.

As for crew, there's an unusual double in the form of Third of Five. Make your choice though since you can only have one version active nor can you equip him on the same ship or in the same fleet as Hugh which comes with the Borg Type Three ship. This crew option is a discard to target a ship at range one or two with the ability to disable all the crew upgrades on an enemy vessel even if they're cloaked. That's a big hitter for five squadron points especially as you'll be close enough to pop a shot at them in the Combat Phase.

While you don't get a complete set of five crew drones, the Scout Cube does supply both Second of Five and Fourth of Five, both of whom are represented by images from The Best of Both Worlds. Less expensive is Second at just three points and a discard but he does let you take away an enemy upgrade of your choice so no limiting to Crew as with Third. Fourth again allows you to act within that one/two range and to disable up to two enemy shields AND two upgrades of your choice. It's a double-play with serious benefits for a discard and a five point cost. I'd consider sticking this on a lot of Borg ships just for that two-way tactical advantage. Interestingly all three of those crew cards allow you to use them on cloaked vessels. 

As for tech, Long Range Scan operates at a more distant range three at a cost of four points. A disable card, it lets you convert one damage result into an Evade or Battle Station should you have the Scan token active on your ship. Nice for additional defence and I wish I'd used this more effectively when my cube was hammered. Secondly there's Subspace Beacon which is also a disable card operating up to range three, allowing you to perform Scan as a free action. Clearly something you can couple with the other tech upgrade and a no-brainer to pair up I would say. Again, should have used this!

Compared to the Tactical Cube 138 there's just one Weapon upgrade with Scout 608 but it is the Magnetometric Guided Charge (with a picture of the cutting beam; duh). Using the scout's primary weapon total of three dice, it lets the player convert a Battle Station into a Critical Damage and stops the opponent from defending. Why did I not play this ship properly?!?! I could've won if I'd used the upgrades much more effectively although with the new Tactical Cube I've acquired I can see a dreadnought being constructed.

Finally the Borg upgrades are pretty cheap. There's the standard Borg Alcove to allow regeneration of your Drone Tokens (cost of four points but does give you options for later in the game) and the I, Borg themed Scavenged Parts card at just two points which acts to replenish your Drone Tokens when you discard an upgrade. At least you're getting something for losing a feature but it does restrict you on when you can regenerate your drones.

My final addition to date is the tragically misspelled (on the cards anyway) Queen Vessel Prime aka the Borg Ocatahderon Octahedron. Nearly double the squadron points of the Scout just on the ship (24 to 42), the Queen's personal battleship just falls short of the Tactical Cube (46 points) but only on hull and shield points and then just by one on each. In comparison to that ship it also exchanges one weapon upgrade for a crew slot. Boasting a painful six in attack, zero defence ability, eight hull and seven shield points it's still more than formidable in any situation. Not wanting to spend quite so much? You could sacrifice a crew slot and a shield for just 40 points.

Unsurprisingly the Borg Queen is your main captain choice. She can switch onto another ship if required and comes with a starting skill/Drone Token number of seven. I'd have expected something a bit higher but it really limits more activity of your Drone Tokens than anything else since the ship has so much fire-power as standard. The Queen can also syphon an action from another friendly ship at range one/two as a free action which could mean pairing a couple of vessels so she can utilise a larger arsenal effectively.

Mr Tactical Drone returns as a second command option with a starting skill of five and a cost of four points but he will hinder your enemy if you choose to spend a Drone Token to force them to roll one less defence die. Certainly with the weaponry at your disposal using this captain could cut your offensive time substantially. There is the no-cost option with a skill of one but I doubt he'll ever see combat unless you're desperate to save points. Oh, hang on...Point heavy ships...

Queen Vessel Prime comes with two Elite Action upgrades that only the Queen card (in this pack) can take advantage of. We are the Borg comes into play during the Defence Dice step of the Combat Phase and provides up to three Evade results at the cost of up to three Drone Tokens. Not one you'll be able to use again since it's a discard but with zero defence I would think it's critical to have something you can use to halt the inevitable battering. Six points for this might appear steep but is it worth paying to keep you in the game?

Alternatively there is Resistance is Futile costing one more point at seven. An attacking move which costs up to three Drone Tokens to stop up to three dice from being cancelled, it's one more card that will play havoc with anything non-Borg on the board. You'll probably lose friends too.

One crew upgrade here as well with just Magnus Hansen getting a look in. I had expected more generic drones to be shuffling around the pack but at least it's a named and recognised character we have here and one specific to an episode in which the Octahedron appeared (Dark Frontier). He does reduce the number of Drone Tokens required to complete an action but does get discarded although with a cost of one point he's a good choice if you're looking to fill than last tiny gap on your ship.

The Power Node tech upgrade drops in at three points and lets you disable the card plus two active shields to avoid an Auxiliary Power Token if you perform a red manoeuvre. For reference the ship can move at speed four forwards and three in reverse with only the left and right "fours" and the reverse "three" as red. Not a particularly essential upgrade for your ship given it's innate ability and strengths and there are certainly more appetising tech upgrades with other Borg vessels.


Unusually for the Borg though we have one and only one weapon upgrade with the very, very expensive ten point Multi Kinetic Neutronic Mines. A one-shot minefield deployment card, any ship entering the field rolls four attack dice and suffer the consequences. If you're unlucky enough to be in range one of the token then you don't even get to defend. Boom, another victory for the cybernetic perfectionists. 

What you do get a few of to play with are the Borg upgrades. At four points you can select Transwarp Signal which lets you remove an Evade, Battle Station, Scan or Target Lock from an enemy ship and also hurt them with an Auxiliary Power Token. Additional note here that it doesn't work on those CG Species 8472 types but seeing as they have a minimal presence in the game I don't think it'll worry a lot of people.

Borg Assimilation Tubules is a reusable card letting Borg players steal a crew, tech or weapon upgrade from an opponent. Clever twist on the favoured Borg recruitment technique which doesn't affect flippin' Species 8472 and does mean you could get some juicy freebies from another ship. Cost is a pricey eight points but the benefits are considerable if you pick the right upgrade to nick. Cloak from the Defiant? Quantum Torpedoes? Grapple from the Vidiians? Lots of goodness.

Last up is the Borg Shield Matrix that is accompanied by its own instruction card. On the base of it you just add a shield matrix token to the card (maximum of three) each time you're damaged. But what does it do you're asking? Simply put it adds an extra defence die for every matrix token you have and if an enemy attempts to affect the captain or one of the assigned upgrades then you get to roll one attack die for each token on the card. Whether you have to "spend" these tokens isn't stated but I assume that you should only add one per turn to the card up to the three and that they are used to take advantage of the benefit. Otherwise after three rounds you'd be constantly at a certain level.

Fancy playing out a scenario then the Queen's ship comes with Collapse the Transwarp Conduit once more pitching the pack at those familiar with Dark Frontier. A one-on-one Borg versus Federation set up, the latter is tasked with destroying the final Interspatial Manifold (an Objective Token) and get the hell out of Dodge before the Octahedron reigns fire and brimstone. I'd certainly pick a pimped out 70 point USS Voyager against the Borg but whether that makes a big difference will depend on your style and risk taking since the cybernetic assimilators are massively points endowed at their basic level. Not a mission I've played yet but I'll have to put some careful thought into the upgrades on that Federation ship.

So that's the second of our Borg ship reviews while we've been waiting for Waves 19 and 20 to appear from across the water. My only major missing faction now are the Dominion (shocker seeing as I'm a huge Deep Space Nine fan) but the Borg are certainly very interesting to play if potentially game killers. I love their upgrades, the different plays you can implement and even the neat use of the Drone Tokens but playing them can make you either look like someone who can't bear to lose or a total amateur simply because of their starting stats. The only good thing is that the starting points for the Octahedron and the Tactical Cube mean that very little can be added on.

Are they worth getting? Debatable since a lot of tournaments ban their use. If you look at the world championships the first and second place used Borg Spheres so you can see the impact of the faction even at that standard of play. One for beginners perhaps more than others to get them into the game with a good chance of success while still offering more experienced players a chance to develop their anti-Borg tactics.

Borg fan or are you still avoiding the faction?

Wave 20 is available now with all ships recommended to retail at £11.99 each. The Borg ships here usually retail around the same price. You can track down your local stockist HERE

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Impossible Threat? Borg Tactical Cubes in Attack Wing

What’s worse than a Borg Sphere? A Borg Tactical cube! The armoured nightmare, making its only appearance in Unimatrix Zero, has actually received two versions for Attack Wing as Dan and Clive explain...

The first version, Tactical Cube 138, was released last year into retail and, while we only ever saw one cube on screen, Wizkids have released a second, Tactical Cube 001. This edition however was given to overall winners of their Resistance is Futile OP event. So let's take that retail version first. 

What is immediately apparent before you even open the packet is the size of the cube itself. Significantly larger than the standard ships but still a fair margin off the oversize cube, the Tactical Cube is a formidable and intimidating presence in Attack Wing and that's before you take a look at its features. The plastic base is also larger than normal to accommodate that armoured shell and increased size.

Weighing in with six attack and zero defence you might think that WizKids have made the Borg noticably arrogant (and overpowered) in their gaming form but with nine hull points and eight shield points to beat it certainly balances the fact that they can't stop an attack on basic ability alone. It weighs in at a colossal 46 points (more than every other ship bar the two oversize craft) so playing a 50 points-per-ship game doesn't give you a lot of room to move here so it's likely to be played in a one vs two (or more) scenario to even the odds.

As with all Borg ships the cube offers Target Lock, Scan and the vital Regeneration plus the unique feature that the Borg Ablative Armor upgrade in the pack costs three less points to equip. Along with that Borg upgrade you can add on three weapon, one tech and another Borg card to your ship. For smooth moves you have everything forward and at 90 degrees between speeds one and four plus reverse up to speed three which is certain to play a part given very few other ships can manage such feats. The higher end forward and back speeds do lumber you with an auxiliary power token but given your fire-power and upgrades there's not a lot you're going to worry about here.

If you're looking for a detailed model then I would push you more towards the recent Eaglemoss cube. Although a bit smaller it's a better replica with much finer attention to detail on the surface and, I suspect, a closer tie to the screen appearance. Leading your charge there are a couple of choices. At the head of that queue is the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson version).

What you need to appreciate with the Borg as we look at the captains is the use of Drones. Each Borg captain is assigned a certain number of Drone tokens at the start of the game and these can be spent during the game. It might be a free action or the level to which an upgrade can be effective but we'll come to each as we meet it on each ship. What spending a token means is that your Captain Skill decreases every time one is used.

So to the Queen because she allows you to spend one of those tokens to perform a free action. Also if the ship on which she is assigned gets destroyed then you can switch the Queen over to another Borg vessel in your fleet replete with her full compliment of eight Drone tokens. Starting with eight tokens the Queen costs a high six points but does have that amazing flexibility plus an Elite Action slot.

Your other option is to take on the Tactical Drone at a cost of four points and a starting skill of six. With this captain you can spend three of those tokens to maintain your target lock after it's been spent. Not sure how big an advantage this is compared to some of the other Borg command options and I'd rather spend another two points for the Queen.

The solo Elite Action is Assimilated Access Codes which comes at a cost of five squadron points and a discard. Up to three Drone Tokens can be used here to disable an equal number of enemy shields or you can flip a cloak token. Handy little upgrade but a hefty cost for one use when it would be cool to have it for a couple of goes at least. Definitely one for use against Romulans or Klingons I would hazard.

You kind of get the feeling this pack was designed with one thing in mind and that's more obvious as you only get one crew card, Four of Twelve, who, once more, is a discard for a more appetising two point cost. You'll need to spend one of those scarce Drone Tokens too if you want to remove an Evade, Scan, Battle Stations or, more enticingly, a Target Lock token from beside your intended victim. Considering the lack of defence on the cube this would be one to keep in the back pocket when things start to look a bit grim since it might mean the difference between escape or defeat especially if you can remove offending target locks.

Also solus to the pack is Self Destruct Sequence as your only Tech upgrade. Cancelling the chance to move or act it comes into play at the end of the Activation Phase once everyone has moved. You then roll the number of dice equivalent to your hull value (a staggering NINE in this case) which then damages every ship within range three. Nor can the enemy defend against this unless it has a Scan token assigned. Undeniably a huge endgame suicide move I guess this is a big decision especially if you're firing all nine results at each ship individually. Thing is the card doesn't specify if you need to split the result or not. I'd say not but heck it's not one many will walk away from.

The larger number of upgrades with the ship come in the Borg and Weapon upgrades (surprise, surprise) and if you're looking for inexpensive and reusable the best start is Borg Alcove. An Action card it allows you to add a Drone Token back to your captain but no more than the original starting number. No catch either and no discard or disable so you can effectively use this every single round and it only costs four points. Just have to wonder if you'll have enough slots/upgrades to utilise this properly. Secondly there's Borg Ablative Hull Armour. Additional defence plating is a bit of a recurring theme in Attack Wing with Voyager, Defiant and Prometheus being three ships I can immediately think of that carry the card or its near-as-dammit equivalent. Converting critical damage hits into normal damage will keep your cube going a bit longer without too many technical hitches and increases your shielding/hull by a further four points. Worth it for a ten point super-cost? Probably since your came might keep running a bit longer BUT you are taking a huge point hit for the feature.

The killer Borg Tractor Beam we first saw in Q Who makes a slicing appearance here and costs a large seven points but you don't need to disable or discard this either after just one round. Effective at the rather close-for-comfort range one there's no condition to its activation. If you want it, stick the included tokens next to your Borg ship and the target vessel. 

Notably it works against cloaked ships and disables two the craft's shields. Nor can shields be raised or a cloak initiated while the beam is active. But what else does it do? It restricts the enemy movement to just speed two and allows you to implement the stupid-weapon-of-total-destruction, the Cutting Beam. Now talking of huge costs with the Ablative Hull Armour, this takes eight points BUT you'll have to have the seven point Tractor Beam as well. This makes the ability to use this ten dice attack at 15 points all-in. Luckily it's "only" a disable and not a discard or there would have been blood and is an unusual two-card combo which relies on a high price. However, it's going to be ridiculously effective even if you are going to need to be at touching distance to use it.

Rounding out your Tactical Cube are two cards each with a six point cost and part of your Weapons choices. Borg Missile drops a four dice attack within range two but before you wonder why you would drop two dice from a primary attack for this, hear me out because this one is probably worth a shot. For each normal or critical damage result you get to slap an Auxiliary Power Token and obliterate an active shield plus there's no defence roll so you're almost guaranteed to do some damage. It's a fine example of how over-powered the Borg are in Attack Wing and certainly something to make them feared. I'd hate to run into a cube armed with this and that Cutting Beam - but considering the massive costs that's not very likely. 

Final Assault does equal your primary weapon roll with six dice and insists (yes, really) that you split the result between two or three different ships. Big revolutionary move allowing a double/triple attack on one shot. Worse is that if you play this on the Tactical Cube you get to use nine - I said NINE - dice to throw around. Blub. You're dead.

Closing the expansion is the Deliver the Nano Virus scenario which takes its lead from  Unimatrix Zero. While I don't enjoy that two-parter that much the mission is great to play as your Federation player hops on and off the cube to thwart the Collective. Having a two-on-one scenario is a must or the Federation player would be screwed in about four goes. Luckily having backup means there's a fair chance for success especially if you choose to play by the amended Borg rules which I did to see how they would work. For note I stuck the Thunderchild and the Defiant against it and won. Just.

So, Dan...what's the deal with this prize cube?

The second cube, the prize expansion, has a lot of cards that are themed around First Contact. Firstly in command is the Borg Queen, based on Alice Krige’s portrayal of the role. Like most of the Borg captains, she comes with a set number of drone tokens, the starting number (in this case nine) represents their Captain Skill.

You spend a drone in order to do the actions on the relevant card, thus reducing your Captain’s initiative. For example, this Queen card allows you to spend six tokens in order to disable two upgrades on an enemy ship. A nice ability, however, it’s fairly situational. You have to be in range one, and it maybe that the target ship doesn't have any upgrades to disable. Also, by spending those drone tokens, it does reduce the Queen to a skill level three, meaning that unless you have an upgrade that allows you to increase drone tokens, she will be a level three for the rest of the game.

Another upgrade is a Borg version of Data, representing our favourite android during the 0.68 seconds when he was tempted by the Queen. In this pack, he allows you to spend a token in order to disable a nearby captain and take a free scan action. A nice upgrade, and one that works very well with the Queen who has nine tokens to spend. The elite talent (command interface) lets you discard it to re-roll a single dice.

I don’t like this one as five points seems like a steep price for re-rolling a single dice once per game, especially when Interplexing Beacon lets you do much the same thing, but at range 3 for 3 less points and 1 to 2 tokens for 1 to 2 dice respectively. Finally, rounding out the pack is the Borg Maturation Chamber. This Borg upgrade allows you to regenerate all of your drone tokens. At six points, it is a bit expensive, but its nice if you need to get your Captain’s drone levels back up. Lastly, versions of the Borg Tractor Beam, Borg Cutting Beam and Borg Missile are included here. 

The ship itself allows you to discard your Borg upgrades to cancel opponents hits or critical hits. A nice ability for a last ditch situation, but if I were playing Borg in a situation like this, I would try to get away from my opponent and use the regenerate ability before returning to the fray. 

The ship physically differs from the retail cube in that it is made of translucent green plastic. It’s difficult to convey in photographs, but it looks different enough from the previous version. Online videos have shown many hobbyists breaking their Borg ships open and installing green lights in order to give their ships a green glow. While I would never dream of attempting this myself, this cube is probably more conducive towards that end. 

How does this ship play? Well, her high points cost puts her in the same bracket as Deep Space Nine, meaning that you get to put up to eight points of upgrades on there (if you're playing 50 points per ship), hence my unhappiness with the high cost of the various upgrades on here. 

The ship is further hampered in tournament play by changes to the overall rules that affect the Borg. Firstly, ships with a base 360 degree firing arc can now only fire at a maximum range of two. Secondly, the Borg movement mechanic has been changed so that instead of spinning and then moving, ships move then spin, meaning that a Borg Cube will usually only go backwards or forwards. 

Having run this ship in tournament play, I can confidently say that she is still a formidable beast. With 8 shields and hull she can take a pounding, and with six attack dice she can give them out too. However, with no evade, she won’t last forever...

There we have it - the two available Tactical Cubes. Horribly over-powered and under-defended but hey, at least it gives the other players a bit of a chance to win.

Borg fan? Borg hater? What's your stance with the Attack Wing behemoths?

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The Good, the Borg and the Opinion: The Official Starships Collection Issues 58 and 59

I'm getting London bus syndrome this month.

Y'know you wait for one ship delivery and three turn up within the space of 24 hours. Saturday morning (and early, thanks Mr Postman) brought issues 58 and 59 plus the fifth special, the USS Kelvin and on Friday a total shock when after nearly two years of waiting, the issue nine (yes, honestly) USS Defiant arrived.

Atrociously this second wave edition did not have the decal correction on the port engine that I was expecting and is still wrong. Why they can get the errors on the USS Enterprise-D decals amended but not this is puzzling me - and if you have got one that has a corrected decal I have a thought that I've got a wave one version...

Right, to business. We'll leave the Kelvin for a separate review since it's the special which leaves me to introduce the second of our geometric ships and the by default the first Borg ship since issue ten; Unimatrix Zero's Tactical Borg Cube. First thing's first, this is 100% plastic so don't be expecting the armour to be a metal overskin. I suspect that would have driven the price up again and that extra £1 per issue is already getting flak.

What I can say is that the detail on this is stunning. Well, OK, on three sides it's stunning because as you look closer you realise that this is three panels duplicated to create the cube. The surface detail is very clear and even slightly weathered in metallic grey with the grey/blue patch-painted armour seemingly slipped over the top as a second coat to the deadly starship. The armour looks great saying that, receiving that two-tone paint scheme and clear plating lines across the board and making it look that bit better than the sphere.

Visually comparing it to the sphere, it does eclipse the earlier ship even though that one was one straight surface with varied detail and those green glowing Borg highlights dropped in for effect. Sadly the cube doesn't replicate this and while it does have some superb finishing work, it doesn't quite "come to life" as much as it's rounded counterpart although not to its detriment as the workmanship is certainly higher.

The stand too is a new design and rather than clipping onto the cube, your new Borg acquisition just sits on a little plinth - watch a few of these go sliding around (but being plastic there might not be too much damage) and there are four little raised pieces to help locate it centrally but there's not a lot of resistance.

This is particularly hard to review as a model since it's totally plastic and repeats in it's 3D format. On a good note the joins are near-perfect and the end result is great to look at if a little plain. It certainly eclipses that freebie light-up cube subscribers received. A couple of the projectile weapons are missing from the sides when you compare it to the magazine images but that doesn't take away from the product. Odd thing is that while it's not as plain as the Romulan Bird-of-Prey it's nowhere near as exciting, maybe due to that repetitiveness or maybe because it's not quite as classic. I know for the new, slightly increased price this might seem like an expensive model due to its lack of metal construction but I can understand that a lot of work will have gone into the process to create such a finely detailed ship surface.

This time's magazine runs through the events of the two-part Unimatrix Zero and Tactical Cube 138's only screen appearance (guess the story that's discussed in the Appearances section) which was key to some of the events plus there's some nice shots from the story plus the standard views which do highlight some small weapons position omissions from the model and also how well the surface detail has been reproduced. However, the main pull here is to read into the design process that took the regular cube into its more bad-ass state. 

Certainly a cube wasn't the only shape considered nor was just whacking on some armour so this does make for a good diversion as does the evolution of the Borg themselves which is also covered in this magazine. It does seem to focus on the inclusion of the Borg Queen for First Contact a bit more than I might have wanted but there's also information on how the race were "kept interesting" through the later years of Voyager which you may or may not have agreed with!

Moving swiftly on to issue 59 we have the, again, once-seen-in-Voyager USS Relativity. Immediately my mind screamed out that we haven't heard a glimmer about whether we'll see the USS Aeon which appeared in two episodes of season three but the later and larger Wells Class vessel clearly had priority.

Taken from the season five story, Relativity, the 29th Century ship is a marked departure from the standard saucer/hull/engines design of the 23rd and 24th Century Federation craft. It's also a bit of a departure for Eaglemoss with the ship sporting a rather fetching pearlescent paint job. Oooooh - sparkles.

Thing is, this ship has already raised a few grumbles from the collectors' community for a couple of inconsistencies so we'll come to those shortly but let's stay positive for the moment.

The Relativity is a very streamlined design with a very thin profile and does look really great when docked on the rear-grip stand. The colour scheme looks a little less purple than she did on screen but on the flipside the Eaglemoss team have managed to bring out some of the tones and hues that were not very evident in the episode. It also seems that there was more of a colour change from fore to aft than we get on the model but is shown in virtually every image. Probably a hard to reproduce technique for the cost and scale and I would imagine that getting the balance between CG model and actual onscreen appearance is, as usual, a pain to get right for everyone's approval.

Sadly there aren't any translucent sections either to make the temporal field generators or the temporal warp core stand out against the hull. That does seem a shame although I can tell that the intricate framework around the core would have been lost if that had been chosen instead. One missed point for a purple translucent section could have been that underside intake but again it's just painted in.  To the rear is the central temporal impeller which I guess is one big time turbine if you will and finishes off the unique design with a very different piece of technology. 

The big issue I have with the Relativity though is the total absence of any decals. According to the images in the magazine there should be two which run down the sides of the hull and bear the ship name and registry. Now I'm not convinced this is a production problem since we've seen some very, very small decals on Thunderchild and recently the Yeager. Seeing as these would be the 29th Century symbols it would have been great to have them on an unusual Federation ship and why we haven't is a bit of a mystery. If we take it in a slightly bigger context, this month's two ships actually have zero decals and zero translucent elements - probably a first.


Given that there's no images available of the underside of the Relativity and none I could see from a scan of the wonderful internet, I'll have to take the design we have here with a pinch of salt. The underbelly is a single piece of plastic locked into the top, metallic hull. It's a very good fit. As with the top the ship is pretty well streamlined and Eaglemoss have managed to pull some detail onto her with panel lines, windows and added sections of the temporal drive shown.

As a product the Relativity is nicely produced. There's no gaps, a crisp paint job, some nice texturing effects on the grey wings and some very well defined hull features such as the drive elements. Yet because of those missing decals it's a little subdued and certainly falls mid-range. A nice one to include but it does make this month's delivery 100% Voyager heavy.

The magazine addresses the fifth season episode as well as some of the key features of the Relativity which were shown on screen. Trouble here is that the CG work is markedly better than the model showing a lot more surface texture and variations. It just seems this is one of those that almost got there but didn't quite make the grade as expected. 

We also get a character overview on Captain Braxton who appeared (played by two different people) in Future's End and Relativity. There are no big reveals here since it's all direct episodic info that most fans will be at the least aware of. What I can't understand is why they didn't ditch the Braxton feature in favour of a longer section to discuss Voyager's best special effects. This is easily the best article of the month covering - briefly - everything from Timeless' crash-sequence to the Borg Queen and Species 8472. I know the Braxton piece keeps the magazine linked to the shop but the effects piece is a mere taster to something that a lot of readers would want to know more about - a second part in the future perhaps Eaglemoss?

As with the Tactical Cube the issue appearance page is dedicated to the lone episode in which the ship appeared; again no surprises and a shame that such a big chunk of magazine is taken up with repeating the same details of Relativity/Braxton's back story.

Next month (end of November) we have two issues that will keep a lot of people happy. A rare visit to The Original Series and a true classic with the Botany Bay (oh no...we have to get out of here...!) and the final entry for your First Contact fleet with the Norway Class USS Budapest.

Keep checking back as this week we'll also have the full review for the fifth special, the USS Kelvin from the 2009 reboot movie. Later in November you can also expect the full review of the Shuttle Pack.

What's your opinion on this time's starships? Hit or miss?

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Star Trek: Voyager - Protectors - Long Awaited Return...?

Since the announcement of a new Star Trek: Voyager book I had been unable to contain my excitement, especially as I was asked by +Clive Burrell to do the review. 

I eagerly awaited its arrival looking forward to spending some time with my favourite characters in the Trek universe. I anticipated it would take me a week tops to read this book being one of those obsessive people that when I start something I'm like a dog with a bone. 4 weeks later I finished the book, and that's only because I spent six hours on a train with nothing else to do.

Let's start at the beginning....

That appears to be an ironic statement in itself as unbeknownst to me this is book four? of an on-going series. Not normally one to be phased by this situation, like my colleague +Mark Thwaite  I love Star Trek and have never had any problems jumping into the middle of a storyline before. With this book I felt like an original series red-shirt, beamed down to a planet to face my impending death.

The book beings with Vice Admiral Janeway; having been offered command of the Full Circle fleet, or what remains of it following the events in the previous books, she has been ordered back to Starfleet headquarters for a review following her assimilation by the Borg, her death and subsequent reanimation by Q. This storyline centres more on the political aspect of Starfleet command and their attempt to remove Janeway from service. 

Her time is spent with various counsellors discussing her actions following the destruction of the transwarp hub in the series finale Endgame; her mother and sister; and a subplot involving the Paris family whereby Tom Paris' mother is attempting to gain custody of his daughter Miral and Janeway is attempting to resolve the situation.

This plot explores the vulnerable side of Admiral Janeway and her insecurities in leading the fleet. Feeling responsible for the devastation by the Borg following Voyager's return Beyer shows a different side to Janeway, one which didn't sit right with me. I don't know whether this was because I've always seen Janeway as a strong character who plays a motherly role to her crew and now she is doubting herself and all the decisions she has made. Is this something Janeway would do? I don't think so. Can I also add that the relationship between Janeway and Chakotay... Really, did no-one else watch seven seasons of Voyager because there was no chemistry there!!!

Meanwhile in the Delta Quandrant, the USS Voyager commanded by Captain Chakotay and USS Demeter commanded by Commander O'Donnell have travelled back to a system that was referenced in the season two episode Twisted. In order to prove to Starfleet that continuing exploration in the Delta Quadrant is worthwhile, Harry Kim convinces Chakotay that the waveform first encountered nine years ago downloaded a distress call into Voyager's database which wasn't discovered until years later after Harry had deciphered the message. Voyager sets course, with the aid of the newly installed slipstream drive, to find the waveform and offer assistance. However, nothing can be that straight forward can it? 

This was an interesting take by Beyer on what really can only be described as a classic Star Trek episode, something weird happens and that's the end of it. Not really exciting enough to continue, Ms Beyer would disagree. I think Voyager encountered a lot more interesting species that could have been continued in a novel but it seems that opinion isn't shared.

Discovering a cloaked area of space inhabited by the titular "Protectors" who are trying to save a dying ecosystem called the Ark Planet, both Chakotay and O'Donnell must decide whether to help the Protectors and if this violates the Prime Directive. The relationship between O'Donnell and his first officer is quite strange with O'Donnell spending most of the time in his quarters while his first office is in his place on the bridge. This may be explained in a previous book but is very confusing to a new reader to the saga.

This is the main arc of the book and centres around what can be described as a first contact mission and finding ways to circumvent that pesky prime directive in order to help the waveforms. Sound boring? Yeah it is. It's one of the 'nothing really happens' episodes in the middle of the season and is forgotten quite quickly. In fact I've got the book to hand as I type this because I'm struggling to remember what it was actually about.

Can things get more interesting I hear you ask? Well.... there is another plot set in the Beta Quadrant that involves a Borg who has been severed from the collective. Starbase 185 encounters a ship heading towards them with unrecognisable life signs. The occupier of the ship is beamed to the Starbase and it is later revealed to be Axum, last seen in season seven's episode Unimatrix Zero. A former love interest of Seven of Nine, Axum was able to experience Unimatrix Zero whilst regenerating. Following the destruction of Unimatrix Zero, Axum became a resistance leader in the Beta Quadrant and was never heard from again. How will Seven of Nine react to this news I wonder.....

Being near death there is only one person in the universe they can call to save the day, and that would be Voyager's very own Doctor. This is where I imagined things would get complicated, the classic love triangle comes into play, but the Doctor's behaviour wasn't right, he was indifferent to Seven of Nine. At first I thought the translation of the character onto a different medium couldn't match the talents of Robert Picardo, but it seems that someone has been playing with the Doctor's programming which is explained towards the end of the book.

Meanwhile on board Voyager Seven of Nine is having vivid dreams of Axum which doesn't sit too well with her current beau Counsellor Cambridge. (That's right, the budding romance between Chakotay and Seven of Nine didn't develop following the conclusion of the season finale, one of the many changes that Beyer has introduced into the series that I struggled to follow).  A new Borg concept is explored here, drones severed from the collective contain technology known as 'catoms'. This isn't explained particularly well, it seems that they play a part in healing an injured drone, something which Starfleet Medical are very interested in. As Seven of Nine has these catoms in her body Starfleet Medical have requested her presence in the Alpha Quadrant.

Another thread to this plot is a disease that Starfleet Medical believe is spread by these catoms hinting they have ulterior motives for both Seven of Nine and Axum, something which isn't explored in this book but looks set to continue in the next instalment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The book moved at impulse speed right up until the end when we suddenly jumped to warp seven with an ambush and a space battle. This was as exciting as the book got and it wasn't until this point that I actually wanted to continue reading. Split between space exploration and the personal lives of the crew I felt like something was missing..... excitement maybe.

Phrases such as "Like most expectant mothers, B’Elanna had been hoping for ten little fingers and ten little toes. The rest, including the child’s gender, was gravy. But something in the knowledge that this was her son, Tom’s son, filled her with awe." Didn't endear me to the book.

This quote is taken from the first chapter of the book and using the phrase gravy in a Star Trek book isn't something I expected and filled me with a preconceived notion of where it was all heading.

 I wanted to love this book but found myself deeply disappointed with ninety per cent of it. The redeeming feature was the last couple of chapters where something exciting finally happened. Would I go back and read the other books in the series?... No, I'm afraid Beyer hasn't drawn me into the series with this book which felt very much like a filler to tie the readers over until Acts of Contrition will be released in September. Although this is something that can be done in a television series I don't believe a book should be setting the scene for the forthcoming instalments. A television series is commissioned for a season so filler episodes are expected but a viewer only has to wait a week for the saga to continue. With a novel the reader has to wait considerably longer and may have forgotten about the sequel altogether, something that is likely to happen with this book.  Will I read the forthcoming continuation? I think I will, the last few chapters peeked my interest and I'm hoping that the author was just setting the scene for the upcoming epic battles about to happen. Looking at the synopsis for the sequel it seems I might be in luck. Janeway has taken her rightful place in the Delta Quadrant commanding the full circle fleet and several of Voyager's old adversaries have come together to form a pact to bring down Voyager's new alliance with the ominous Confederacy of the Worlds. Sounds promising to me.

Star Trek: Voyager: Protectors is available now from Simon and Schuster priced £6.99 ISBN 9781476738543