EMvTW 98: USS Rhode Island NCC-72701 (Nova Class Refit)

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

I've been SUPER busy rebuilding my photo library (AGAIN 😧) as well as working away on the Refit/Reboot of my oldest articles, and as a result, I have a bunch of Eaglemoss models that have piled up for review.  Hopefully, I can do so major catching up this week.

Speaking of refit... Next up, we are going to take a look at the USS Rhode Island (NCC-72701), a Nova Class Refit, or Rhode Island Class, depending on your source.

We are introduced to this vessel in the Star Trek: Voyager series finale titled, "Endgame".


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, this class of ship, "was a Federation starship class, a tier 2 science vessel type in service in the 25th century. It was derived from the 2370s Nova-class design. Due to their modular nature, components such as saucer, hull, nacelles and nacelle pylons were interchangeable between the Rhode Island and its sister classes."

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

Nova Class Refit Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Rhode Island (NCC-72701) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Let us take a look at what Eaglemoss has brought us.

 

 

 

 

Before we get into the nitty gritty about this new model, I want to point out that this is not the first Nova Class model that Eaglemoss has given us.

Way back in Issue #15, they gave us the USS Equinox (NCC-72381), a Nova class ship that was also stranded in the Delta Quadrant.  We got to learn all about her fate in the Star Trek: Voyager series finale titled, "Equinox".  You can read my review of that model at THIS LINK.

Rhode Island vs. Equinox

 Equinox vs. Rhode Island

Equinox vs. Rhode Island

The sculpting and the molded details on this new model are nice.  The model is covered with all sorts of juicy little details like windows and escape hatches. 

One complaint of mine is that the details do not seem all that sharp, and instead have a bit of a softer look to them.  I have come to call this problem, the Eaglemoss Melted Marshmallow Syndrome, or EMMS.  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.

One of the differences between the Equinox and the Rhode Island is the raised bridge module.  The recessed module of the Equinox always reminded me of a belly button.  Unfortunately, while the raising of the bridge has brought it into better focus, the lack of paint on it this time around makes it rather bland looking.

Rhode Island vs. Equinox

The paint work for the Rhode Island is fabulous, with all of the key parts receiving the right amount of attention.  I like that the ship is back to the standard Starfleet white color rather than the militaristic grey.  Honestly, if you really get down to it, the Rhode Island is a rather colorful model.  I especially liked the attention that the Waverider auxiliary craft got as well.

One other paint issue is the fact that some of the window and escape hatch paint is slightly off center and doesn't quite line up correctly with the molded details.

While the joins and seams are noticeable, especially along where the nacelle struts meet the secondary hull, they do follow the natural curves and lines of the ship so that they don't stand out like a sore thumb.

The shuttle bay has taken on a vast improvement over the Equinox with some molded details added in for good measure.

  

Rhode Island vs. Equinox

While the Nova Class Refit nacelles are thinner than on the Equinox, Eaglemoss managed to squeeze in even more of thier cool looking clear plastics on the newer Rhode Island model.  They must have heard the cries of my fellow collectors who complained about the bussard collectors on the Equinox not having any paint.  And Eaglemoss also did away with that join seam running down the nacelle too!

Top: Equinox vs. Bottom: Rhode Island

Whenever 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 thier models.  Let's face it, this is a very important part of the ship and should be accurately represented.  and in the case of the Nova class and her refit variant, we actually have two dishes to compare.

The main deflector dish has been done extremely well.  This time around, the molded details are much more crisp and don't suffer from EMMS like on the Equinox.  And the colors are a nice and vibrant mix so that the dish is very noticeable.

Equinox vs. Rhode Island

The secondary dish is a bit smaller this time around.  The molded details here are OK, but not as good as the primary dish.  Unfortunately, the size of the area is probably to blame for this.  The color choices are great though which makes up for the molded details.

Equinox vs. Rhode Island

Let us now look at pricing for this model, and just for giggles, we'll also check in on the Equinox as well.  As is my custom, 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 (January 2018).

Eaglemoss (Rhode Island) = $30

Eaglemoss (Equinox) = $28

NOTE: Prices were researched last on January 31st, 2018.  At that time, you could also order the Equinox model right from Eaglemoss for around $23 (shipping unknown).  Unfortunately, at the time that I write this, the Rhode Island is not available directly from Eaglemoss.

That now brings us close to the end of my article.  Is the Rhode Island worth the money?  I am used to paying around $25 to $30 for a standard sized Eaglemoss model when shopping on eBay so the price is certainly good.  I personally think that the Rhode Island is a better produced model than the Equinox and she is very well detailed both in the molded as well as the painted department.  I would have to say that I do feel that she is worth the money, as you will no doubt have a very eye catching piece to display on your desk or in you fleet.  If I could only buy one model, I would choose the Rhode Island over the Equinox in a heartbeat.

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 (Rhode Island)
Eaglemoss (Equinox)
Comparative Pictures

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