EMvTW 131: Arctic One

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

And we come to the last review from me for this month.  Seven fresh models and two Throwback Thursday reviews is a lot to write in a two week time-frame.  We will close out that run of reviews with Arctic One.

We are introduced to in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode that is titled, "Regeneration".  Wait... I feel like I've said that before.  Oh yeah!  I have!  In Eaglemoss' attempt to bring us a complete collection, they introduced us to this ship once before, however, it was in the form of it's assimilated mode.  If you want to check out my review of that model, feel free to check out THIS LINK.

During the conclusion of that review article, I had this to say about the Assimilated Arctic One, "In the end, I am forced to admit that with what I know now, that I probably wouldn't buy this one.  UNLESS... I knew that Eaglemoss was definitely going to produce the un-altered Artctic One.  Then the completionist in me would want to buy it and display it next to her un-altered state."

I am willing to eat my words when I'm wrong, so here I am, saying that I need to go update that other article when I'm done writing this one.


Which also means that I am copy and pasting the exact same information from tat last article.

There really isn't much information on this ship other than the relatively small article found on Memory Alpha, which says, "Arctic One was the designation for an United Earth Arctic One-type transport that was in service in the mid-22nd century. In 2153, this starship was assigned to the A-6 excavation team, an Arctic Archaeology Team, a branch of the Earth Sciences Institute, for an exploration of Earth's Arctic Circle.  During their exploration of the Arctic Circle, the A-6 team discovered a craft of unknown origin. As they investigated the crashed vehicle and its crew, later identified as Borg drones, the members of the team were assimilated, along with their ship, into the Borg Collective. The new drones then attempted a journey in Arctic One to the Collective's territory in the distant Delta Quadrant."

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

Arctic One Information: Memory Alpha LINK and NO Memory Beta LINK

I had one hope when I read about this model coming out and that was that we would be treated to two models that were the exact some size.  Unfortuneatly, that was not the case.

 Arctic One: Before & After

I get why the Borg version was smaller.  When Eaglemoss added all those Borg extensions, it made the model longer, and they needed to shrink the whole thing a tiny bit in order to fit it into the Standard Sized box.  And it works to our advantage that the un-Borg-afied model is larger because we are treated to all sorts of cool looking things.

 

 

 

 

I am going to do this article a little out of my normal order.  We will firs talk about the paint work on this model.  I actually was very impressed with this rendition of Arctic One.

While most of the model is done up in a drab green color, there are some panels done up in a slightly darker color that helps break up the monotony.  There are some windows that have been pained so that you have a better sense of the actual size of the ship too.  The Arctic Exploration Logo is a neat addition to the model that caches the eye right away.

The engine exhausts have been given a blue paint job so that stand out as well.

I think the neatest paint feature is actually hidden when the model is being displayed.  When you turn it over, you are treated to some neat eye candy.  First, the lift thrusters have also been painted with the exhaust blue color.  But the coolest feature is that the ship is also covered with a bunch of dark green exhaust scorch marks.

And now, let us talk about the sculpt and mold work.  I have to say that I was equally impressed with the model from this point of view.  There is tons of details that have been molded into this model.  Windows, panel lines, vents, etc.  Eaglemoss went to a lot of trouble to put in the tactile details.  And they are all crisp and clear.

 

The bottom of the model is just as cool to look at, maybe even more exciting.  The joins and seams follow along the natural lines of the ship and it took me a second look to realize where they were at.

 

And yes, I've been dodging discussion of the landing gear.  These are a testament to how good o a job Eaglemoss did with representing this ship.  The landing gear are all nice and spindly, showing off the hydrolic system that make them function.  The only thing that they could have done to improve this any, would have been to apply a little paint to those hydrolic systems on the rear landing pad.  But even without the paint, they all still look amazing.

 

Eaglemoss did a really great job of lining up the molding details for the front gear and the area of the ship where they retract into.  I was able to carefully push the gear up as if they were retracted, and they fit snuggly in thier appropriate locations.

I finally was able to put my finger on why I am so enamored with this model.  The landing pads on the ship remind me a lot of the landing skids on the Drop Ship from the movie called "Aliens".

I have to admit that I wasn't really sure what to expect of this model.  What I ended up with was a wonderful surprise.

And that is all I really have to share at this point on this class of ship.  As for pricing, 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 (August 2018).

Eaglemoss = $37

NOTE: Prices were researched last on August 31st, 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).

I have sated quite a bit in past articles, that when I have bought the Standard Line of Eaglemoss models from eBay, I typically feel comfortable paying around $25 to $30 per ship.  Right now, the eBay price is way higher than my comfort zone, and that is probably because there are no U.S.based sellers right now that have the model in stock.  Which is why I am glad that you can order it direct from Eaglemoss themselves.  (Yes, I did steal that same paragraph from my Borg Probe.  😀)

I'm not going to beat around the bush.  If you can get this model for under $30, then I highly recommend doing so.  The model was very well done.  Enough said.  While it is not ne of the more glorious capitol ships of Starfleet, this model has a nice little old fashioned charm to it that will look great in your display case.  If you already own the Assimilated version, then you would be foolish to not get this one to round off that part of your collection.

And now I'm off to do a slight re-edit of the Arctic One (Assimilated) article.

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

Other Reviewers Take On The Eaglemoss Model:
Some Kind Of Star Trek
Star Trek Starship Collection [NO REVIEW YET]