I just received a pleasant surprise in the mail the other day. I had purchased this a few weeks ago and then forgot about it because it was a pre-order sort of thing. Imagine my surprise when Eaglemoss' third set of shuttles graced my desk at work.
Inside the box, we receive yet another 4 small models of shuttlecraft as well as 4 smaller magazines and 4 of those neat little Okudagrams. I'll take more about the Okutagrams shortly.
I say that these ships are smaller, because these models are not your standard size Eaglemoss ships. And the accompanying magazines are equally smaller than thier standard issue counterparts, and thus contain a lot less information.
This shuttle set comes with each of the following types of ships: Type 17 (Argo Type), Type 11, Mark II-B Travel Pod and a Cargo Management Unit (AKA CMU or Workbee).
This is not my first set of shuttles from Eaglemoss. I did purchase and review the other two sets and you can read those reviews at these links:
My one big complaint throughout this new side series is in regards to the mini-magazines. For the cost of the entire set, and the size of the models, I have always felt that they could provide us with a LOT more of a magazine with a LOT more information. And this frustration becomes even greater with the fact that you CAN NOT store these magazine in your binders.
Luckily for me, I'm a Mr. Fix-It kind of guy and I eventually modified a standard binder so that it would hold the shuttle magazines.
You can read up on that little project at THIS LINK.
The stands for the models are much different than other models from Eaglemoss. They are basically tiny little tables that the shuttle rests on.
An Okudagram is essentially schematics of each shuttle created by Mike Okuda. He was famous for his designing these for ship's computer displays.
The shuttle sets are another great example of what Eaglemoss is capable of bringing to the collector. To my knowledge, I have not seen or heard of anyone else producing these 4 vehicles in a pre-built and pre-painted format at this scale. And that makes them a bit of a one of a kind and a valuable asset to a collector like me who doesn't like to build and paint a model if he or she can get away with it. AND, because Eaglemoss has scaled up an otherwise small vehicle, they USUALLY can cram in all sorts of great details onto thier models.
To be honest, I had some mixed feelings about this set. While I was super excited for the two Type Whatever shuttles, because they looked really cool, I was unsure how I should feel about the TravelPod and Workbee. There isn't much to those types of ships so I wasn't sure what Eaglemoss was going to be able to do with thier models.
And so, let's jump into the shuttles and take them for a spin.
Type 17 (Argo Type)
The first of the shuttles in the set is the Type 17, or better know as the Argo which we are introduced to in the movie "Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)".
Photo Credit: Eaglemoss
Per this Memory Alpha LINK, "The Argo was designed with recessed warp nacelles and fold-down wings. These wings were designed to assist in atmospheric maneuverability. The shuttle was equipped with an all-terrain buggy that could transport up to three passengers over rugged terrain. The buggy was secured aboard the shuttle's cargo bay via wheel clamps. The shuttlecraft could also be remote controlled from a device on the buggy." Although the magazine doesn't say so, the Memory alpha article does call this a heavy transport shuttle and also gives it the official designation of a Type 17 shuttlecraft. This Memory Beta LINK has a little bit of information on this craft, but it seems to all be covered in the Alpha article so you can save your time and skip the Beta article completely.
This model looked cool in the promo pictures, and it is definitely cool to check out up close.
The sculpting and molded details are crisp and clear giving the ship a very edgy look and feel. The model has lots of panel lines and little details etched into it.
Although the majority of the ship is painted gold, there are plenty of other colors spread across the ship to make it interesting to look at. The ship's registry is plastered in clear lettering all around the ship and the Starfleet pennant at the tip of each nacelle is a nice touch. I am particularly glad that the cockpit window paint is aligned correctly as well because, sometimes Eaglemoss has a hard time with that sort of thing.
The detailing for the passenger and rear cargo door is well done and didn't need any extra paint for you to clearly make them out.
There is no use of Eaglemoss' clear plastics on this model, and instead, they opted to paint the ram scoops on the recessed nacelles. Although this is slightly disappointing, Eaglemoss did get the paint lined up, so I will have to live with this.
The joins and seams blend in well to the molded details which gives you the impression of having a nice solid model.
I'm going to say that I think that is a very well done model. I could not come up with any real complaints about it.
Type 11
The next shuttle in the set is the Type 11 which we get to see in use in the movie "Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)".
Photo Credit: Eaglemoss
According to this Memory Alpha LINK, "This type of shuttlecraft had two engine nacelles attached to the ventral sides of the main body of the shuttlecraft. The cockpit had one large forward facing window and two smaller windows on each side of the craft. This shuttle type was also equipped with dorsal docking clamps and an airlock. Shuttles were also able to fire tachyon bursts from the rear of the craft." This Memory Beta LINK has a little more information regarding this type of shuttle so feel free to check out that article if time permits.
This model was well done with a few small issues. The sculpted and molded details are good but not as crisp as on the Argo. Sometimes, Eaglemoss models suffer from what I like to call the melted wax syndrome where some of the details have a softened or have a rounded look to them. This usually has to do with the material, where metal parts are usually softer looking and plastic parts are crisp.
That being said, there still is a lot of neat little details molded into the model. The very prominent docking ports on the top and bottom of thee ship are present along with all sorts of panels and some phaser strips. Because of all this attention to details, I am willing to forgive the melted wax syndrome this time around.
The paint job on this model is really well done. The light grey highlighting on the top and bottom really accentuate the panels and make the model stand out. The pin-striping, Starfleet pennants and ship's registry are all crisp and clear. Having the detailing on the bottom of the nacelles is an awesome, but hard to spot (due to location) detail as well.
I am super impressed with the nacelles on this model. The molded details are nice and crisp on this area of the ship and those clear plastics for the grills and ram scoops just pop out with some vibrant colors in the right lighting.
Eaglemoss even squeezed some clear plastics in the rear end of the nacelles as well.
The only real issue I can find with this model is that the joins and seams are slightly noticeable on the nacelles. However, the rest of the seam lines on the rest of the ship blend well with the natural curves and panel lines of the model.
And once again, I'm going to say that I was very happy with this model and how it turned out.
With the addition of the Type 11 and Type 17, our Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) collection is starting to really fill out. You can go back and read my reviews on the Enterprise E at THIS LINK and my review of the Captain's Yacht at THIS LINK.
Mark II-B Travel Pod
And next in line for this shuttle set is a Travel Pod. We first get to see this ship in the movie "Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)".
Photo Credit: Eaglemoss
There is surprisingly a lot of information on these types of vessels as seen in these Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINKs. For example, Eaglemoss was just advertising it as a Travel Pod while these sources called it any of the following: Mark II-B Travel Pod, S10 Class, S11 Class, and S12 Class. Those articles go on to say, "A travel pod was a small Federation shuttlepod predominately used during the 23rd century by facilities like the San Francisco Fleet Yards to transfer personnel to drydocks or spaceships without having to use transporters. These vessels had a flight crew that could include one pilot and up to seven passengers." They apparently are also capable of planetary landings.
This was one of those models that I was unsure of. After all, look at it, it's so tiny and I never really thought much of the ship after I saw it in TMP. But I have to say, Eaglemoss did not disappoint.
This model has a TON of details that have been sculpted and molded into it. The top side of the model is crisp with all sorts of panels and other do-dads sticking off of it. Even the RCS thrusters are clearly shown. The bottom half of the model suffers from the melted wax syndrome I spoke of earlier. If you look at the above picture and compare to the picture below, you can see that the details seem almost blurred and rounded off. However, there are so many details that were represented, you have to forgive this and move on.
Once again, the painting of the model is really well done. Those previously mentioned thrusters are even painted it so that they really stand out. Instead of a white bulbous blob of a model, we are actually treated to a very colorful little ship
The only technical issue I had with my model is a paint mistake on the main window. Other than that, I couldn't find anything else wrong.
The docking port and rear hatch are an interesting part of the vessel. Eaglemoss did a very nice job representing this important area. The docking ring was executed very well by Eaglemoss and the doors have just the right amount of detail.
The joins and seam line were positioned in such a way that they just blend in with the natural edges of the model.
As i stated earlier, my initial thoughts when I bought this set was that I was going to be disappointed with this particular ship. Instead. Eaglemoss handed me a very nice surprise that looks great in my collection. Even with the windshield blemish, it turned into a rather nice display piece.
Workbee
The last ship in the latest shuttle set is the Workbee. This little ship has been around since "Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)" and goes by several names, including; Cargo Management Unit, or CMU.
Photo Credit: Eaglemoss
According to this Memory Alpha LINK, a workbee "was a small utility craft in use by the Federation from the mid-23rd century to the 24th century." That's right, these little buggers were even around during the TNG era. Memory Alpha goes on to say, "The CMU was a single-occupant vehicle with seating for the pilot only. Generally, the pilot needed to be spacesuited, especially if the pilot was planning to perform a space walk. The front of the CMU featured several large windows. The craft also had a large headlight at its extreme forward end for illuminating a work area. As the CMU was primarily a maintenance craft, it could be equipped with a variety of tools, including a set of dual remote manipulator arms called the Grabber Sled. The CMU could also serve as a tug for cargo modules with the Cargo-Train Attachment. The CMU could operate both in the vacuum of space and within the atmospheric and gravitational conditions of a starship cargo bay or planetary surface. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)" This Memory Beta LINK also goes into some information and history about the craft as well.
Although this is not the perfect model, it still holds the WOW Award for the entire set.
For the first time ever for an Eaglemoss model, we are treated to a view of the inside of the ship via the use of clear plastics in the cockpit window. The single seat also has some handles on it for controls. Although that is all we get to see of the inside of the ship, as there is a serious lack of control panels, it is still cool that we get to finally have an open cockpit design.
The reason that I say that this isn't a perfect model is because of the paint. Although the ship is bright and there are lots of painted details, some of the paint is misaligned or just painted over as seen in the top of the following picture.
The sculpting and molding of the model is awesome though. Eaglemoss has squeezed a lot of detail into such a small ship.
It is a very busy little model as far as the details go.
The joins and seams for the model follow along naturally with the edges of the ship which allows them to blend in nicely.
On a side note, wouldn't it be cool to see Eaglemoss produce a bonus pack for this little craft? The bonus pack would include a Grabber Sled Attachment that you could set the Workbee on to give it the look of actually performing some sort of articulated duty. And the other item in the bonus pack could be the Cargo Train Attachment that the Workbee model could sit in/on.
Grabber Sled Attachment Cargo Train Attachment
Photo Credit: Memory Beta
In all honesty, I thought that this model was going to be the biggest disappointment of the set when I got it. But I am so happy to say that Eaglemoss made me eat my words with thier rendition of the Workbee. This thing looks great and makes a great addition to your Spacedock fleet of shuttles.
My Spacedock fleet now consists of the Workbee, a Travel Pod, a Micro Machine Spacedock, a Micro Machine Orbital Shuttle and an Eaglemoss Type SD-103 shuttle. You can read my review of that last vehicle in my review of the 2nd Shutle Set at THIS LINK.
Conclusion
We now have reached the part of my articles where I give you my thoughts on whether this set is worth the money you are going to pay for it. I do write these reviews though with a budget in mind and I try to help my readers decided whether they should try to obtain the models I review. Lately, it seems to me like the standard size Eaglemoss models go for around $25 to $30 on Ebay. So I use that price as a guide when making a decision on my recommendations. I understand that some ships are more popular and thus, thier price goes up, however, I still need to keep my judgement grounded with some sort of price.
So what is the Shuttle Set #3 worth these days? At the time that I am writing this article, I found one set on Ebay for around $140 (shipping included). Eaglemoss is still selling the set for $100 (not sure on shipping costs). So let's split the cost of the Eaglemoss purchase and say each ship is costing $25. Which is about right for thier standard size line of models. But remember, these are not standard size. They are actually smaller which means that you are technically getting less model for a higher price.
OK, enough about prices. In my opinion, this is the best of the three shuttle sets so far. The types of ships, as well as the quality of the builds surpasses the other two sets. Given the cool factor of the first two models, and the amount of details on the the last two, I actually feel comfortable with that $100 price tag this time around. I think that Eaglemoss earned thier money with what they are giving us. The shuttles look great I highly recommend them.
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:
Type 17 (Argo) Type 11
Travel Pod Workbee
Since these are the smaller vessels from Eaglemoss, I wonder if they will make the whaling ship from The Voyage Home?
ReplyDeleteHi there and thank you for commenting. Sorry it took so long to respond but as my post in June of 2019 stated, I needed to go on an extended hiatus.
DeleteWith Eaglemoss winding down the original collection, it's hard to guess the answer to that. If you mean the nautical boat, my guess is that would be a No. I would be interested in the Whale Probe ship though since we have no had a Doomsday Machine and a V'ger.
---DS Pat