EMvTW 59: USS Relativity NCV-474439-G (Wells class)

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

Rewrites: March 2019

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.

The bittersweet news is that looking ahead, it appears that we will actually see very few comparative articles coming from me in the future.  I'm sad, as it means that my sole purpose for writing these sorts of articles is coming to an end.  But, I'm also happy in that Eaglemoss has far surpassed my wants in a manufacturer who would make models of ships that no one else has produced.   And unlike Hallmark, they are not wasting production time by producing the same model in an updated format every several years.

This also means that writing these reviews has become a rather quick affair.  (Editor's Update: Although re-writing them has become a bit of a production. 😀 )

This brings us to this month's review of the USS Relativity (NCV-474439-G), a 29th century Wells Class ship of Starfleet design.

We are introduced to this starship in the Star Trek: Voyager episode called "Relativity".


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Wells-class was a timeship used by Starfleet in the 29th century to protect the timeline against temporal incursions.  The Wells-class was equipped with temporal transporters, an advancement on transporter technology allowing transport through space and time."  They go on to say this about the USS Relativity, "This timeship was commissioned at the University of Copernicus, and was under the command of Captain Braxton.  The Relativity was involved in a mission to avert the destruction of the USS Voyager, which was destroyed in 2375 by a temporal disruptor.".

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

Wells Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Relativity (NCV-474439-G) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Since I only have the one model to talk about, let's jump right into reviewing Eaglemoss' rendition.

Eaglemoss

 

 

 

 

The Wells class is certainly a new look for those familiar with the more traditional Starfleet designs.  She has been described as having an aquatic look to her with her streamlined and curvy nature and this look is accentuated with that impeller on her rear.  I kind of think she looks more like some of the early stealth fighter designs.

Photo Credit: Hush-Kit

Right off the bat, I want to say that the join seam is is blended it in superbly with the natural lines and paint work of the model.

I particularly liked the sculpting and molding of the metal and plastic parts.

Although at first glance, the model comes off as a sleek ship, it does sport all sorts of nice little details molded into the vessel.  The ship all sorts of panels lines, and her bridge and drive sections are of particular point of interest.

For the most part, the paint job is really well done.  There is a light pearlescent colorization to the main parts of the hull.  I agree with one of my fellow reviewers in that the model has a bit of sparkle to it.

The bridge module and drive module also got some nice detail paintwork as well.  And upon closer examination, I can clearly see some small blue windows as well.  And best of all, the paint work lines up with the molded window details.

The one issue that I found in regards to the paint was a lack decal work.  The magazine clearly shows the ship having Starfleet markings and a ship name and registry number on her hull.

But the Eaglemoss model is strangely bare of these details.  This is another case where I think they could have saved money in one aspect of the ship's details (the sparkle effect was not necessary) and done a decent job in a more important area (like naming the ship).

For those familiar with this series of articles from me, you will know that I typically go in for a close-up of the Starfleet ship's deflector dish.  In my opinion, you can tell a lot about a company's attention to details by just looking at this area of the ship.

This is something that I added to the article from the first time that I wrote this review.  I strangely skipped over this area of the ship.  I am guessing that happened because I was a bit underwhelmed when I looked down here.  I may have mistaken this area for an engine or impeller intake as well.  Sadly, if this is the ship's deflector, then Eaglemoss pooped the bed when trying to recreate it.  All we get is a purple blob of paint, that ALSO is misaligned with the recessed area it is supposed to fill.

Like the Borg Tactical Cube which was also released this month, this Eaglemoss model has no clear plastic parts.  Honestly, I don't think the model needed them.  This ship is a very nice looking model without them.

Conclusion

And that is all I have to share on this ship at this time.  Which brings us to the pricing portion of my article.  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 (March 2019).

Eaglemoss = $26

NOTE: Prices were researched last on March 23rd, 2019.  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.  In all honesty, when I write these, I am trying to give my opinion of which model is the best for the least cost.

I have to do some thinking on how to reword that last paragraph as it seems to have become unnecessary to copy and paste it.  :-)  Eaglemoss has given us yet another very nicely done model.  Even with the missing labels, she is a unique model that would look great in any collection.

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.

Back in May 2016, I discovered a post by one enterprising individual who had taken upon himself to offer a method to us collectors a way to fix our models.

He went by the name of Bobmat343.  I started following his work via his FaceBook Page (at THIS LINK), and his eBay Page (at THIS LINK).

As it turns out, he has made a set of decals for the USS Relativity that fixed the missing registry information.

Photo Credit: Bobmat343

My only real complaint at that time was that he is an overseas dealer (me being in the U.S.), and the added shipping cost droves the costs of his product up a tiny bit for me.  Initially, he also only offered decals as water slide application, and quite frankly, I suck at applying those types of decals.  He has since taken pity on me and other non-skilled applicators and now produces his decals as self-adhesive vinyl stickers too!

While the eBay sales page (found at THIS LINK) does not state this, I was able to verify from him directly, that you can indeed request the decals for this model in a self adhesive vinyl sticker too.  And according to Bobmat343, the cost is the same.

While I have personally never bought a set of decals for this model, I have purchased some vinyl stickers for some of my other models, and I can attest that they do make a major difference.

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   

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