EMvTW 46: USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C (Ambassador class)

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

Rewrites: June 2016 & December 2018

Issue #46 of my Eaglemoss vs. The World articles is a bit of an exciting one for me.  With it, we take a good look at the Ambassador Class, which we all first learned about in the form of the Enterprise C.  We were introduced to that hero ship in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "Yesterday's Enterprise".  With this ship being added to my collection, I am now just one Enterprise away from having all of the hero ships that Eaglemoss has produced to bear that name.  It was also cool that I finally got to this point in my collection considering Hallmark just produced the same ship this year for their collection.

My current collection now consists of an Eaglemoss, a Furuta, a Hallmark and a MicroMachine model.


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Ambassador-class starship was a type of heavy cruiser in service with Starfleet during at least the mid- to late-24th century."  They go on to say, "One of the most notable Ambassador-class ships was the USS Enterprise-C. In 2344, while under the command of Captain Rachel Garrett, the ship responded to a distress call from a Klingon colony on Narendra III. Four Romulan warbirds had surrounded the colony. The Enterprise responded to the attack, and despite being destroyed there, defended it long enough to impress the Klingon High Council; this act of bravery in combat was seen as extremely honorable, thus securing a treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation."

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

Ambassador Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Galoob actually produced a MicroMachine version of this ship.  For a tiny little model, they did a nice job of making it.

 

Since I write these articles with larger scale models in mind, that will be all that I share about the MicroMachine models.  Sorry.

Eaglemoss vs. Furuta vs. Hallmark

I write this particular series of articles to give a good side-by-side comparison of the various pre-built and pre-painted small scale starships available to a collector.  I found that there was a serious lack of material showing what they looked like next to each other thus not giving me a good informed choice on what to buy.  I decided to start providing this information myself since I ended up buying the different manufacturer renditions of the same ship.

As we get further into the Eaglemoss Collection, these side-by-side reviews are coming further apart because Eaglemoss is producing more and more unique ships that no one else has done.  Luckily, with this particular ship, we have some good stuff to look at.

So now I present to you what I like to call "the gravy shot", a series of pictures I wished I had seen long ago, and the main reason I started this blog.

Eaglemoss vs. Furuta vs. Hallmark

Eaglemoss comes in as the largest of the three models, with Hallmark and Furuta being closer in size to each other.

Let us jump into looking at each of the manufacturers as each model has their own pros and cons.

Eaglemoss

 

 

 

 

As I said, Eaglemoss brought us the largest of the small scale versions of this ship.  And I want to say that it's also the most detailed of them.  HOWEVER, as you'll soon read, not everything is as it seems.

For the most part, the molded plastic and metal details are phenomenal. All the key elements of the ship are present.

Their attention to the painting was really good too and in fact, I found very few misalignment with paint and windows or escape hatches.  In fact, they crammed a lot of painted detail onto this ship.

The clear red and blue plastics on the nacelles just plain pop!  The nacelles in fact are awesome to look at with molded and painted details.

All this attention to detail would have made this a fantastic choice for anyone;'s collection EXCEPT that they really didn't do a good job.  Their detail painting does a good job of trying to distract you, but I on the other hand caught a few discrepancies.   When you really start scrutinizing the model, there are some very blatant mistakes that could have easily been avoided if Eaglemoss had taken their time.

Probably, the most glaring of issues is the fact that this model is missing it's impulse engine housing on the back of the neck.

From what I've read, one of the physical filming models was missing this detail too, but personally, I want my model to be accurate to the "real thing".  All they needed to do was stick a small square of red plastic, or a dab of red paint back there and I would have been much happier.  And while we are now focused on this part of the model, we can see that the back of the neck is devoid of a LOT of details.

While the shuttle bay doors got some nice molded details, they lose their interest because of the lack of paint.  This lack of paint also draws attention to the odd join and seam that runs down the middle of those doors, and up the back of the engineering section.

From what I can see from various pictures, in the magazine and on the Internet, the lifeboat details on the top of the saucer section are incorrect, thus not making this film accurate.

The lower sensor platform (the bit in the middle of the bottom of the saucer) is also incorrect with the actual Enterprise model.  This part is correct for other Ambassador classes that later appeared in the shows.

Whenever I do a write-up on Starfleet ships, I like to take a closer look at the deflector dish areas of the ship.  I feel that this area can give you a really nice idea of how much a manufacturer cares about details.

I have a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to Eaglemoss' work on this area of the ship.  I like that they used a piece of clear blue plastic that was molded to represent the dish.  Those molded details are crisp.  It looks great from that aspect.  HOWEVER, they made the dish plastic circle a bit too big and it overwhelms that part of the hull.  Had it been a bit smaller, they would have had extra bonus points from me.  Lastly, while the clear plastics were a cool touch, they also work against Eaglemoss in that you can see how the dish was attached to the model and this just doesn't look all that appealing.

Looking closely at this part of the ship though, then points out another flaw and missed detail... where is the torpedo launcher?

Overall, it's a good model, however, it does have a lot of flaws in the form of missing or incorrect parts.

Furuta

 

 

 

 

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.

Up until November 2015, Furuta had the only small scale Enterprise C that came in a pre-built and pre-painted format.  And quite frankly, from a distance, this model looked great when lined up with my Hallmark and other Furuta models of the Enterprise line of ships.

Up close though, you knew right away that it was a cheap little toy.  Of all of the Furuta ships, this one was by far the most fragile and had the most issues staying together.  The nacelles and saucer section constantly fall off the model unless you glue them down.  I've actually broken the neck on two of these Furuta ships while putting them together so you might as well have your glue handy when un-boxing it and assembling it.  I would have to say that this is a common issue with this ship because it occurred on two different models that I've owned of it.

As for looks, they actually did a pretty good job of keeping it proportionate.  The molded in details are actually really good for a cheap little toy.  They even have the correct sensor assembly on the bottom of their saucer section.  

The paint work was not all that bad either considering the original price of the model.  

Honestly, the neck that supports the saucer section is my only real complaint for this particular model.  It is too thin.  Not only does this cause the saucer section to suffer from instability, but it just makes the ship look like it is starving.  HOWEVER, they did dab some paint on the back of the neck to represent the impulse engine so kudos to them.

In fact, Furuta did a lot more painting of details, including the shuttle bay door.

While the paint work was a bit dark, it still highlighted the important parts of the ship, including the nacelles.  The big issue here though, is that Furuta painted the warp grills red instead of blue.

The front of the neck is missing the photon torpedo launchers.  

Turning our attention to the deflector dish, we see that the paint is a bit sloppy, and the molding and joint seam are a bit rough.  HOWEVER, they did get the proportions correct.  And it looks like a deflector dish so I'm happy with this part.

While it was not a perfect model, the Furuta choice made for a nice inexpensive contender when it comes to collecting the Enterprise C.

Hallmark

 

 

 

 

In 2015, Hallmark had finally deviated from the NuTrek stuff and went back back on track with producing other ships from the various series.  I was thrilled when I learned this.  My hopes is that they do will eventually do the Enterprise B to give us the full lineup of the ships named Enterprise.  Unfortunately, it looks like next year (2016), we are going to be treated to yet another rendition of the TOS enterprise, and at that time it will be all gold and done up as it appeared in the pilot episode.  BOO  Hallmark!!!   BOO!!!

While un-boxing this model, I became slightly disappointed right from the start.  She just looks too shiny and new.  I don't think I've ever seen one of the hallmark ships that looks so bright and cheerful as their Enterprise C.  Unfortunately, this bright look, makes the model look toy-like.  Had Hallmark toned the brightness down a tiny bit, or better yet, giver her a weathered look like they had done with the Kelvin, I would have been more impressed with the model when I first glanced at it.

The plastic molding was well done, showing off the important details of the ship.  The power button for this model has been cleverly hidden as the bridge module.

Hallmark did a decent job of painting her too, although, like I said, it could have been slightly darker.  The shuttle bay doors recieved some extra color too, thus keeping them from blending into the rest of the ship's color scheme.

They did a great job on the neck area too, and although this model is also missing the torpedo launchers, they did include the impulse engine.  As an extra bonus, the impulse engine does glow when the model is powered on.

They did a fantastic job with the deflector dish.  Of all of the manufacturers, I feel Hallmark did the best in this area.  And like the impulse engine, this part of the model also glows when it it powered on.

While the battery compartment is noticeable if you look for it, it has been stuck in a location that is normally out of sight.

Hallmark continues with their self-powered ornaments with the 2015 entry.  People have mixed feelings on whether the Hallmark ornaments to should be hard wired or battery operated.  Since I display mine all year round, I prefer that they are self powered.

 

Editor's (2018) Update:  In 2017, Hallmark must have heard the cries of the fans, because they re-released the Enterprise C ornament in a limited edition fashion as a battle damaged ship.  

Photo Credit: eBay

Honestly, the model is exactly the same as it's 2015 predecessor, except that it looks like someone took a partially dry Sharpie marker and they then drew "X" marks all over the model.

Photo Credit: TrekCore

Given what the costs of this limited edition model will no undoubtedly be on eBay, I really don't think that the model will be worth the money.

Conclusion

And now, let us do a quick check on eBay to get some prices of the ships I've shared with you.  I typically will just round up the most inexpensive Buy-It-Now prices (with shipping included in that price) from eBay at the time of this article's (re)writing (December 2018).

Eaglemoss = $27
Furuta = $15
Hallmark = $50
Hallmark (Battle Damaged) = $67
MicroMachine = $14

NOTE: Prices were researched last on December 17th, 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).

We now come to the part of my article where I like to give you my opinion of which ship gives you the "best bang for the buck", which is my rough way of telling you which one is the best one to get, for the best price.  To put this in a nutshell, when I write these, I am trying to give my opinion of which model is the best for the least cost.

When I rewrote this article back in June 2016, prices were all over the board.  They seem to have stabilized which is forcing me to rethink my original recommendation of going with the Hallmark model.  Price does play a big part in my recommendations and since the Eaglemoss model is no longer a "rare" model to get, I really do have to begrudgingly give the the winner trophy to Eaglemoss this time around.  While the Hallmark model is very well crafted, and I dare say, better crafted than the Eaglemoss model, and it also has the added bonus of lighting up, it can't be considered the perfect model for the budget minded collector.  That being said, if price is not really an option, then I would still put my money on the Hallmark model.

BONUS ROUND!!!

Every once in a while, I'll have a little extra stuff to share with you that sort of fits in with my comparison articles.

USS Ironman

(NCC-26714) 

[1:2500 AMT Round 2 Kit]

 

 

 

 

Every once in a while, I like tho throw in some bonus from my collection.  Although this really isn't small scale, it is at least small enough to my liking.  This thing belonged to me until sometime in 2014 when my oldest son inherited this 20 year old model.  I had built the model, but never glued or painted it.  My son is a big time Ironman fan from the Marvel universe and decided to paint her up in that motif.

Andrew Probert Concept

 

It was inevitable that Eaglemoss would eventually make a model of Andrew Probert's concept for the Enterprise C.  To can read my review of that model at THIS LINK.

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:

AMT     Eaglemoss     Furuta     Hallmark
MicroMachine     Comparative Shots

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