EMvTW 54: USS Appalachia NCC-52136 (Steamrunner class)

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

Rewrites: March 2017 & February 2019

I decided to buy myself a birthday present and get another month's worth of Eaglemoss ships.  Next up in the fleet is the Steamrunner class.  The Steamrunner class is part of a series of ships lovingly called the Borg Busters.  We first get to see one of these ships in the movie, "Star Trek: First Contact (1996)".   We then get to see a lot more of this type of ship in Deep Space Nine episodes that focus on the Dominion War battles.

This particular article for my Eaglemoss vs. The World series breaks a few regular procedures for me.  While I was proof-reading it, I noticed that I wrote "Normally I don't..." several times.  I am sort of glad though that I went this route this time with the article as it breaks away from the NORMAL short articles that these single ship reviews would give me.

As you can see from the above picture, Eaglemoss has yet again brought us a new offering that no other company has produced in a pre-built and pre-painted format.   There is a company that makes a resin model that you can build and paint yourself, and normally, I wouldn't have bought the resin model, but I didn't know at the time that Eaglemoss was going to get so popular and actually produce their own version of this ship.  In hindsight though, I'm glad I did because it points out a couple little things that I can pick on Eaglemoss about.

Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Steamrunner class was a type of Federation starship in service with Starfleet during the late 24th century. Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards was one of the sites this class was constructed at in 2371.  Entering service some time during the early-2370s, the Steamrunner-class was a common fixture in Federation fleet deployments, appearing on the front lines of numerous engagements, including against the Borg and the Dominion."  They go on to say, "In 2373, the Appalachia defended Earth against the second Borg invasion at the Battle of Sector 001.".

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

Steamrunner Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Appalachia (NCC-52136) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Normally I wouldn't do this, but I wanted to fluff this article a little bit more, so here are a couple side by side comparisons of the two models I have.  The resin model is a 1:2500 scale kit.

 Eaglemoss vs. Odyssey Slipways

Let us take a better look at the Eaglemoss model...

Eaglemoss

 

 

 

 

Here comes another one of those "Normally I don't..." statements.  I normally don't like to talk about the stands or the magazines as they are not the physical model that I'm reviewing, and I try to focus on just the model itself.  But I am not liking the stand for this ship.  It is rather wonky in it's design.  It actually clips to the rear of the ship near the deflector assembly.  The weight distribution is way off, and this leaves the ship a tiny wobbly.  This has a cumulative effect and eventually the ship will wobble off the stand and take a nose dive onto the shelf or worse yet, off the shelf or desk and onto the floor.

For a ship that had a tiny amount of screen time, this model is chuck full of details.  It probably is one of the most detailed models in the Eaglemoss fleet, so far.

The molded in details on the plastic and metal parts is superb all over the ship EXCEPT for the rear of the saucer section and the actual deflector dish.

The painted on details is excellent all over the ship EXCEPT for the rear of the saucer section and the actual deflector dish.

The window painting aligns perfectly with the molded window details.  There is a slight aztecing all over the ship.  And there are tons of lifeboat details molded and painted onto the model.

And the use of the clear plastics are perfect and do nothing but bring out even more awesome detail to the ship.  I particularly like that they did this for the recessed bussard collectors on the saucer section since the model I built was such a bear to do this with.  Even the impulse engines were given some of this clear plastic to help them stand out more.

The secondary hull section of the ship is just as detailed as the main saucer EXCEPT for the deflector dish.  We'll talk more about this in a minute.

 

I love the level of detail and the colors of this ship.

EXCEPT...

The ship is a marvel to hold and look at.  As you slowly turn it in your hand, you can't help but be wowed by it.  Until you look at the rear of the saucer section.

The section tucked right between the impulse engines seems to have been forgotten by the ship's designers.  The shuttle bay doors are a bit lack luster.  They seem to just be painted on rather than being recessed like in all the pictures in the magazine.  And the area right above the shuttle bays seems out of place with no real detailing done to it.

The join seams are a bit noticeable on the underside of the saucer section.  In fact, mine seems to be slightly off flush when I run my fingers along it.  The seams are even more noticeable when you start looking at the nacelles and nacelle struts.  And then you look at the deflector assemble and there is a nice big join seam that runs right through the dish.

Anytime I review a Starfleet ship, I like to hyper-focus on the deflector dish as it usually gives me a good idea of the level of attention to details that a manufacturer puts into their models.  Let's face it, this is a very important part of the ship and should be accurately represented.

Did I mention the join seam that runs through the dish?  Yes, I know I did, but I wanted to make sure you catch how annoyed I am about this.  I guess this issue is irrelevant as Eaglemoss chose to represent the dish with just a blob of blue paint.

What a disappointment.  With how detailed the rest of the ship was, when I looked at this, I was really let down.  Why spend so much attention on the entire ship and then miss such an easy part?  They would have been better served to just have glued in a clear plastic part.

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 = $24

NOTE: Prices were researched last on February 1st, 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.  Even with my gripes, it IS a very nice little model with lots of awesome details.  I am used to paying anywhere from $25 to $30 on eBay for the standard line of starships.  It seams that the pricing is right on track with that, so I really have no issues with recommending the model.  Honestly, if you don't want to build and paint your own model, this is a really nice option.

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.

Odyssey Slipways
1:2500 Scale Resin Model

 

 

 

 

I use model building to help fill in gaps in my collection.  So normally, I would not have purchased a resin version of the Steamrunner, however, at the time of this purchase, Eaglemoss was still working out what future models they were going to do past issue #50.  I had some extra money at the time and decided to give it a go and add it to my collection.

I have made it a habit to review resin kits separately, HOWEVER, I had a hard time getting in touch with the kit maker to interview them.  And by hard time, they never responded to any inquiries I made so they lose out on a full fledged review.

I found this model to be a bit plain in the molded details on the saucer section.  It would have been nice if the kit had come with some decals as well, to add in all those lifeboat details.  I also ran into some issues with the recessed bussard collectors.

For the rear of the saucer, they moved the shuttle bays up and made them one large shuttle bay.  At least, it filled in a relatively blank area.

I loved the deflector dish on this thing.  The model maker included a small oval piece that you painted and then glued into the alcove.  It added a nice touch to the model.

If you are looking to buy one, you might find it still available HERE.  If the link doesn't work, they are probably sold out.

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     Comparative Shots

Odyssey Slipways ( Model     Work In Progress )

Other Reviewers Take On The Eaglemoss Model:

Some Kind Of Star Trek

Star Trek Starship Collection