EMvTW 52: USS Centaur NCC-42043 (Centaur class)

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

Rewrites: February 2017 & February 2019

It's the beginning of the month which means that I've gotten my next batch of Eaglemoss ships and it is of course time for another round of Eaglemoss vs. The World reviews.

The USS Centaur holds a close record to being seen for the shortest amount of screen time.  Yet that didn't stop Eaglemoss from being the first to produce the ship in a pre-built and pre-painted format for your collection.  The only other way you can get this ship is either through an expensive resin mode or Shapeways print or built it yourself.

Currently, my collection consists of an Eaglemoss model, an AMT (Round 2 Kitbash) that I did myself and a tiny Shapeways model that is supposedly 1:2500 in scale.


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Centaur-type was a Federation starship design operated by Starfleet during the 24th century.  Its overall design was compact, featuring only a saucer section connected directly to a small secondary weapons pod, which housed four photon torpedo tubes. The ships's nacelles were connected directly to the pod. The weapons pod was of the same configuration as the pod on the Miranda-class line of vessels."  They go on to say, "The USS Centaur (NCC-42043) was a Federation starship operated by Starfleet. In 2374, the Centaur was under the command of Captain Charlie Reynolds."

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

Centaur Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Centaur (NCC-42043 Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

I love the art of kitbashing.  Most models that I build are some sort of kitbash.  This art form gives you the ability to make a very unique looking starship.  And the art form has been used by the movie and TV industry for a very long time.

The Centaur class came about due to kitbashing.  The Eaglemoss magazine tells an interesting story about how and why this ship was made.  I'm not going to spoil the story, sorry.

Eaglemoss vs. My Models

Normally, when Eaglemoss is the only contender, I just jump right into reviewing their model.  But I do have some stuff to show with it to help with size comparisons.

AMT vs. Eaglemoss vs. Shapeways

I'll talk more about the AMT and Shapeways models a little later in this article.  For now though, I'll point out that I used a 1:2500 scale Enterprise B saucer for the AMT build.  The Shapeways site claimed that the model I bought was 1:2500 scale.  Hopefully that means something to someone.

Eaglemoss

 

 

 

 

I don't usually build models of ships that I can easily buy in a pre-built and pre-painted format. It seems pointless to me since in most cases, the manufacturers can do a far better job with their models than I can.  However, Eaglemoss still hadn't created their model when I built my AMT kitbash.  It took me quite a while to haggle with people to finally get the parts I needed to build mine.  Had I known back then that I would eventually be able to get one through Eaglemoss, I wouldn't have bothered trying to build my own.

At this point in the collection, Eaglemoss has really pulled ahead of every other manufacturer in providing unique and affordable ships for the average collector.  It is my opinion that Eaglemoss continues to, for the most part, provide us with very intricate and well made models too.

The Centaur is no exception.  This model is one of their more detailed ships in the collection.

I know I sometime sound like a broken record, but Eaglemoss does a great job of molding when it comes to the plastic and metal parts.  There are all sorts of greebles that are present on this model.

And for the most part, the paint job is excellent as well.  The top side of the ship is chock full of great little painted details.  It also sports a nice light aztecing that makes it really stand out.

The shuttle bay doors are painted gold and really stand out nicely.

And there is a nice red paint scheme going on for the impulse engines.

The bottom side is painted a bit less.  The bottom still sports the aztecing painting, and the phasers and RCS thrusters are painted as well, however, the bottom just seems to be lacking on the details a bit.  They could have gone a little more on the paint for the bottom.

They used the clear blue plastics on the nacelles and I thought this was a nice touch.

One of the most talked about parts of the Centaur class is it's low slung weapons pod that the nacelles are attached to via their long struts.  Eaglemoss did a great job with their representation of this piece.  The mold work is crisp and the paint work looks fantastic.  They even painted in the torpedo launchers.

 

If you are a long time Eaglemoss collector, you will know that sometimes, the joins of parts between halves would be noticeable.  Not so on this model.  They did a very good job of piecing her together.

Conclusion

At this point in my articles, I like to 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 (February 2019).

Eaglemoss = $30 (02/2019)     $35 (02/2018)     $25 (01/2016)

NOTE: Prices were researched last on February 3rd, 2019.  Unfortunately, at the time that I am re-writing this, Eaglemoss does not have this ship in stock on their website, so we are at the mercy of the eBay sellers.

Typically, I would then tell you which ship I think gives you the best deal for the cost, but since there is only one, that seems kind of silly.  It IS however, a very nice little model with lots of awesome detail.  And since the price hasn't climbed to badly over the last several years, I'm going to stick with my original assessment and say... at the price it goes for, you would be foolish to pass it up.

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.

AMT

USS Centaur (NCC-42043)

Centaur Class Refit

1:1000 AMT Kitbash

 

I did not realize that Eaglemoss would eventually release their own version of this ship.  I typically build my own models to flesh out my collection and I had wanted to make an attempt at building this ship.  Honestly, had I know that Eaglemoss was producing it, I wouldn't have bothered.  Rather than rehash everything here, if this model intrigues you, check out my write-up about the build at THIS LINK.

Shapeways

USS Centaur (NCC-42043)

Centaur Class

1:2500 Shapeways 3D Print

 

 

 

 

This is the 1:2500 version of the Centaur Class from Shapeways. Had I realized how tiny this scale was, I would have probably gone with a larger scale.  I mean, she is TINY and the molded details are not as crisp.

My painting scheme for this model did get the attention of Paul Lewis over at the Star Trek Modelers Group FaceBook page and he did up these nice photoshops of my model in space.

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     Shapeways

AMT ( Model     Work In Progress )

Comparative Shots

Other Reviewers Take On The Eaglemoss Model:

Some Kind Of Star Trek

Star Trek Starship Collection