The second model for this month's Eaglemoss vs. The World series is a ship we finally get to see in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "Unification - Part 2". I am talking about the Vulcan made Apollo Class starship.
While this type of ship is mentioned several times throughout TNG, it isn't until this critical episode that one actually makes its appearance on screen.
Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Apollo-class was a class of Federation starship in operation during the 24th century. They were in Starfleet service by the 2320s through the 2370s. They were used on missions of deep-space exploration. The Vulcan National Merchant Fleet and the Maquis also utilized them as freighters and transports. These vessels were partially constructed out of dentarium alloy." They go on to say this about the T'Pau, "The T'Pau (NSP-17938) was a Vulcan Mahl'kom group Apollo-class transport that was in service with the Vulcan National Merchant Fleet in the mid-24th century. T'Pau was named in honor of the Vulcan matriarch T'Pau. The T'Pau was decommissioned in 2364, and was later sent to Surplus Depot Z15 at Qualor II, where it was registered on stardate 41334.2, and stationed at Section-18-Gamma-12. At that time, it was stripped of materials, armaments and sensors, its navigational deflector array being routed to the holding vessel USS Tripoli. During this, a file was created for this ship and stored in the Qualor II Depot Z15 Inventory Database.".
According to Memory Beta, and non-canon sources, this type of starship is also called a Merchant (Vulcan) class.
If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:
Apollo or Merchant (Vulcan) Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
T'Pau (NSP-17938) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
And with out further adieu, here is the obligatory photo-shoot of the T'Pau.
We are now treated to the sixth Vulcan starship from Eaglemoss and this is the first one of the Standard Edition Line that comes to us from an era other than the brown ships of Star Trek: Enterprise. While we also have the Jellyfish, that NuTrek ship was part of the Special Edition line up of ships.
Overall, I'm going to say that this isn't a bad model. The stand for mine is crap though and barely holds the model. I'm going to have to display this one off its stand to prevent it from taking a nose dive off of my display cases.
The sculpt and mold work is nice in most places.
Unfortunately, the model does suffer from something I have not talked about in a long time. It seems that the Eaglemoss Melted Marshmallow Syndrome has made its return, and this is especially noticeable with the cargo ramp/door at the very front of the ship. I have a full definition of E.M.M.S at the end of the article, but trust me, the details are lost in all of that softened look, and without the magazine telling you what you are looking at, you would never know that this is supposed to be a key area of the ship.
And as you move back along the primary hull, there are other places where it looks like the ship was involved in some sort of accident that dented up its sides.
The paint work on the model isn't that bad though and is a big saving grace for the model's other flaws. The entire ship is covered is a very light, almost indistinguishable aztec pattern. Then there is also a counter, darker pattern over that, which when combined, gives the ship an older, heavily used look and feel.
Other reviewers have stated that the windows paint is misaligned on their models. The only place on my model that I feel that this was the case is on the tiny bank of windows on the bridge module, and quite frankly, it isn't that horrible.
The inside of the warp ring is painted a light green and this gives some nice contrast to the ship. The leading edges of the warp ring also sport some nice molded and painted details.
Not only is there Vulcan lettering along the front of the ship, Eaglemoss also included detailing on the lower parts of the warp ring.
I keep talking about the warp ring. Eaglemoss did a great job of supporting it, but you can't really appreciate it unless you take a better look from the front.
One last issue that I have with my model is that the joins and seams are very noticeable along the bottom of the primary hull, as well as where the top and bottom pieces of the warp ring join together.
Let us end the close-up looks at the model with a happy thought. The rear of the ship sports a small piece of clear blue plastic that sits above the impulse engine. The engine itself is painted in a nice rich red paint. Together, this give the ship a nice looking rear end. 😐
We are now treated to the sixth Vulcan starship from Eaglemoss and this is the first one of the Standard Edition Line that comes to us from an era other than the brown ships of Star Trek: Enterprise. While we also have the Jellyfish, that NuTrek ship was part of the Special Edition line up of ships.
Overall, I'm going to say that this isn't a bad model. The stand for mine is crap though and barely holds the model. I'm going to have to display this one off its stand to prevent it from taking a nose dive off of my display cases.
The sculpt and mold work is nice in most places.
Unfortunately, the model does suffer from something I have not talked about in a long time. It seems that the Eaglemoss Melted Marshmallow Syndrome has made its return, and this is especially noticeable with the cargo ramp/door at the very front of the ship. I have a full definition of E.M.M.S at the end of the article, but trust me, the details are lost in all of that softened look, and without the magazine telling you what you are looking at, you would never know that this is supposed to be a key area of the ship.
And as you move back along the primary hull, there are other places where it looks like the ship was involved in some sort of accident that dented up its sides.
The paint work on the model isn't that bad though and is a big saving grace for the model's other flaws. The entire ship is covered is a very light, almost indistinguishable aztec pattern. Then there is also a counter, darker pattern over that, which when combined, gives the ship an older, heavily used look and feel.
Other reviewers have stated that the windows paint is misaligned on their models. The only place on my model that I feel that this was the case is on the tiny bank of windows on the bridge module, and quite frankly, it isn't that horrible.
The inside of the warp ring is painted a light green and this gives some nice contrast to the ship. The leading edges of the warp ring also sport some nice molded and painted details.
Not only is there Vulcan lettering along the front of the ship, Eaglemoss also included detailing on the lower parts of the warp ring.
I keep talking about the warp ring. Eaglemoss did a great job of supporting it, but you can't really appreciate it unless you take a better look from the front.
One last issue that I have with my model is that the joins and seams are very noticeable along the bottom of the primary hull, as well as where the top and bottom pieces of the warp ring join together.
Let us end the close-up looks at the model with a happy thought. The rear of the ship sports a small piece of clear blue plastic that sits above the impulse engine. The engine itself is painted in a nice rich red paint. Together, this give the ship a nice looking rear end. 😐
For those familiar with this series of articles from me, you will know that I typically go in for a close-up of the 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.
Well in this case, we can't, because it was stolen in the episode I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Remember? 🤣
And that is all the pictures and comparisons I have to share on this ship at this time. As of March 2nd, 2019, you can get the model on eBay for around $30 (shipping included), and directly from the U.S. Eaglemoss WebStore for around $23 (shipping unknown).
While I stated at the beginning of my article that I don't think that this is a bad model, I will now state that my personal opinion is that this model is not one of Eaglemoss' better works either. While I am used to paying anywhere from $25 to $30 for a Standard Edition model, I would feel uncomfortable paying the higher price range for this particular one. I don't hate the model, but I just don't think the quality is there to warrant the higher prices. If you really want to add this ship to your collection, be patient and shop around for it to ensure that you get it for the lowest price possible.
As a completionist collector though, the model did become a must for me, so that this Vulcan collection could keep growing.
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!!!"
Definitions
EMMS = Eaglemoss Melted Marshmallow Syndrome. This is best described as a softening of details where they appear more rounded, less edgy and a bit out of focus. Sort of what happens to a marshmallow as you heat it up to it's melting point on a camp fire.
Additional Links To Photos Of My Collection:
Eaglemoss Fleet Pictures
Other Reviewers Take On The Eaglemoss Model:
Some Kind Of Star Trek
Star Trek Starship Collection [NO REVIEW YET]
NOTE: Whoever was running the Star Trek Starship Collection Review blog at THIS LINK, seams to have dropped off the grid after their review of Warship Voyager. While commenter's have asked the writer if he/she was OK, there has been no reply.
Other Reviewers Take On The Eaglemoss Model:
Some Kind Of Star Trek
Star Trek Starship Collection [NO REVIEW YET]
NOTE: Whoever was running the Star Trek Starship Collection Review blog at THIS LINK, seams to have dropped off the grid after their review of Warship Voyager. While commenter's have asked the writer if he/she was OK, there has been no reply.
Don't you think that the quality has been drop down in each ship of eaglemoss? the first ships where so good, but now I see this models and I do not want to have them.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a drop in quality as well as size in the most recent models. I have found on several occasions where I have recommended that my readers skip buying a model if they can.
Delete---Pat