EMvTW 114: USS Buran NCC-57580 (Challenger class)

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

I have to say that Eaglemoss has really decided to give the Battle of Wolf 359 fleet some major attention!  Issue #114 now brings us the USS Buran, a Challenger Class ship that we only got to see a glimpse in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled, "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II".

This is one of the more peculiar looking Starfleet ships that I've had to review.


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Challenger-class starships were Starfleet vessels in service in the later 24th century. They shared many design aspects with Galaxy-class and Nebula-class starships."  They go on to say this about the USS Buran, "The USS Buran (NCC-57580) was a 24th century Federation Challenger-class starship operated by Starfleet. This was the second Federation ship known to bear the name Buran.  In 2367, the Buran fought the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359. It was destroyed, along with 38 other starships."

Photo Credit: Memory Alpha

USS Buran is located right beneath the enterprise.

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

Challenger Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Buran (NCC-57580) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Before I go any further, I just can't resist posting the following picture.

The ship is just so darned cute and quite frankly, I agree with the ship's original creators, it does look like a lollipop.

Now that I got that out of the way, let us take a closer look at Eaglemoss' rendition of this model.

 

 

 

 

Right off the bat, I have to say that this model is a bit smaller than the other standard sized Eaglemoss models that we are used to seeing.  In fact, it doesn't come close to filling the box that it came in.

The sculpt work and molded details are not impressing me for some reason.  I suppose that one reason is because we never really get to see this ship up close and as a result, I was surprised by it's details when holding the model up close and in my hand.  I am thinking that another reason I am not feeling comfortable is because of the size of the model.  The scale difference is throwing me off and quite frankly, the smaller model also cuts down on the "canvas" space that Eaglemoss had to work with.  Less space means less details.  This fact comes into sharp focus when you take a really close look at the windows bordering the edge of the saucer section.  And by close look, I needed a magnifying glass to notice it.  Although there are molded window details, they are not as pronounced and as a result, just sort of blend into the model.

The over all color of the model is a slightly more militaristic grey, and the entire ship is covered by a very light, almost undetectable aztecing.  The aztec details are just enough to give the ship a bit more of a textured look.  Sadly though, those very lightly molded widows that I mentioned earlier, don't line up with some of thier painted counterparts.

Putting those window issues aside, the rest of the molded details and the paint work have been well applied all over the remaining parts of the ship.

Some people might complain about the join and seam lines along the bottom of the engineering hull.  However, when you look at the supplied pictures in the magazine, it looks like those joins and seams are are actually handled beautifully and made to look like they are part of the ship.  

Both of the nacelles look striking with thier paint work, combined with those delightful clear red and blue plastics that Eaglemoss excels at giving us in most of thier Starfleet ships.

Sadly, this ship doesn't sport a deflector dish for me to discuss, so I guess that is all I have to report at this time.

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 writing (March 2018).

Eaglemoss = $30

NOTE: Prices were researched last on March 2nd, 2018.  You can also currently order the Eaglemoss model right from the company themselves for around $23 (shipping unknown).

And that brings us to the end of my article where I have to give you my opinion on whether this ship is worth purchasing.  I hate to say it, but this ship doesn't rank up there in my favorites.  It's smaller size causes some of the details of the ship to be lost.  I guess though, if you look past its size, it still is an interesting looking model.  There is nothing seriously wrong with the model that would warrant me to tell you to not buy it either.

And last but not least, if you are a completionist, and already own the other Battle of Wold 359 models, then you will absolutely need this in your fleet.

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