EMvTW 20 - Klingon Vor'cha class

NOTE:  You can click on most pictures to get a larger view of them.

Welcome to article number twenty of my Eaglemoss vs. The World series.  This article is focusing on the Klingon Vor-cha class attack cruiser and continues with my comparisons of Eaglemoss to other manufacturer's pre-built ships.

We were first introduced to this type of starship in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled, "Reunion".

My collection currently consists of an Eaglemoss, a Furuta and two MicroMachine models.

Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Vor'cha-class attack cruiser was one of the largest and most powerful mainstays of the Klingon Defense Forces during the mid- to late-24th century.  The Vor'cha-class attack cruiser first appeared around 2367, when it was essentially limited to the disposal of the Klingon Chancellor and various other ranking officials. The class would eventually become fully integrated into the Klingon Imperial Fleet over the next five years.  For a time, one even served as the flagship of the Imperial Fleet, until the Negh'var warship was introduced in 2371."

If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:

Vor'cha Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

For those that like to see better pictures of the MicroMachines model, here you go.

 

MicroMachine #1

 

MicroMachine #2

Since my articles are written to focus mainly on a bit larger scale model, this will be all that I share on those two mini-models.

Eaglemoss vs. Furuta

As is usual, before I get into my personal takes on each of the larger models, here is what I call the gravy shot picture.  These pictures are really the whole purpose for these articles.

As I started getting into collecting and wanting to expand my collection, I found a serious lack of  comparative data out there showing the various small scale pre-built and pre-painted ships available to the collector.  And so I set out to provide this information myself and hopefully help someone make a wiser decision in which model to buy.

Furuta vs. Eaglemoss

Furuta vs. Eaglemoss

As you can see by these pictures, the Furuta model is smaller and the Eaglemoss model also seems to be more detailed at first glance.

Eaglemoss

 

 

 

 

This turned out to be one of the higher quality models from Eaglemoss in thier collection so far. Aside from adding a very cool looking Klingon ship to your fleet, the details are very good as well.  This model seems to be more metal than plastic, making it one of the heavier Eaglemoss models too.

The sculpting and the molding for this model, both on the top and bottom of the ship are very well done.  We are treated to all sorts of feathery like panel lines and grill work.

I originally wrote this article back in January 2015.  And then I rewrote it again sometime later.  For both of those rewrites, I never noticed that Eaglemoss did a great job of also molding in the beam emitter at the very front of the ship.  That is a very cool piece of extra greeble work to have included on the model.

I am also impressed with the paint work for this model.  Eaglemoss gave the entire model a nice weathered look to it.  They did this evenly across the entire hull too.  That fact, coupled with the sprinkling of white windows and other yellow details makes the model look fantastic and gives you a truer sense of the actual size of the ship.

One last cool feature is the Klingon logo and writing that was included on both on the top and the bottom of the main hull.  

Eaglemoss did a great job of hiding the joins and seams along the underside edge of the ship.  I had to look closer to find it on mine.

Eaglemoss has also chose to include red clear plastic parts for the impulse engines which is just icing on an already tasty cake.  I much prefer this tactic over just painting them red.

The grand finale would of course be the fact that Eaglemoss also included those awesome clear red plastics on the warp nacelles as well.

I really could not find anything to dislike about this model.

Furuta

 

 

 

 

Until Eaglemoss came along, Furuta was the only player when it came to this ship at this size.  

I always like to point the following out for my first time readers.  Furuta is a Japanese company that produced a series of gashapon toys.  Gashapon toys are meant to be nothing more than cheap little $1 to $5 bubble gum machine prizes.  I like to remind my readers of this fact so that they can take any critical reviews I may make in the spirit it is given.  I am in no way expecting these toys to be on the level of a Hallmark, Eaglemoss or Hot wheels toy.  I found a neat video about these types of toys and you can check that out at THIS LINK.

My first thought when I look at this model is that it is slightly off-portion.  Some of the parts just don't quite look right when you compare it to on screen pictures.

The molded details are actually pretty decent on this model.  Furuta managed to squeeze a lot of those details into this cheap little toy.

While Furuta did squeeze a lot of details into the model, thier front end disruptor did not turn out as well as on the Eaglemoss model.  In fact, the front end module is a bit rough looking.  And be sure to add a dab of model or super glue when you assemble the model so that the "head" does not fall off and become lost.

The paint job is a little too light in color, making the model look more like a weird Klingon party favor.  Furuta, just like Eaglemoss, managed to squeeze in the Klingon logo and writing on both of the top and bottom of the model.

Furuta painted thier impulse engine which added to the overall complete look of the model.

I fell like Furuta did a fine job with thier warp nacelles.  Even without the glitzy clear red plastics that Eaglemoss uses, this model still has some great looking nacelles.

Until I got the Eaglemoss model, this Furuta model was my only real version of this starship.  And quite frankly, it fulfilled its purpose for quite some time.  If Eaglemoss model had never come into my collection, the Furuta version would continue to be a satisfactory addition to my fleet.

Conclusion

And that wraps it up for the comparison and review part of my article.  Which brings us to the pricing portion.  As usual, I will continue with the tradition of rounding up the most inexpensive Buy-It-Now prices from eBay at the time of this article's (re)writing (May 2018).

Eaglemoss = $30

Furuta = $15

Micro Machine = $6

NOTE: Prices were researched last on May 1st, 2018.  As of the writing of this article, you can also currently order the Eaglemoss model right from the company themselves for around $23 (shipping unknown).

My articles always conclude with me giving you my opinion of which model would give you the "best bang for the buck", which is my rough way of telling you which one is the best model for the least amount of money.  Normally, Furuta models are usually a lot higher priced than thier Eaglemoss counterparts.  Given the low cost of the Furuta version though, this made my decision slightly harder.  Honestly though, I would have to recommend that you just tighten your belt, and spend the extra money on Eaglemoss' ship.  For the money, you are going to be getting a superb model for your collection.

As always, I hope you found this article useful and informative.  If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to comment below.

So for now, "Live long and prosper!!!"



Additional Links To Photos Of My Collection:

Eaglemoss     Furuta   
MicroMachine (v1   v2)
Comparative Shots

Other Reviewers Take On The Eaglemoss Model:
Some Kind Of Star Trek
Star Trek Starship Collection