EMvTW 120: USS Bozeman NCC-1941 (Soyuz class)

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

It is a new month, which means we have another two models from Eaglemoss to examine.  The first of the two is the USS Bozeman (NCC-1941).

We first get to see this ship in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titled "Cause and Effect".


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Soyuz-class was a type of Federation starship that was in service with Starfleet during the late 23rd century. The class was retired by the late-2280s.  The class design was based on the single hull configuration that was employed by the Miranda-class. Mounted on the underside of the primary hull were two nacelle pylons connected to the warp nacelles. The aft section featured an enlarged tail section that protruded out behind the ship, surrounded on either side by its dual shuttlebays. Above either nacelle were mounted outboard sensor pods."  They go on to say this about the USS Bozeman (NCC-1941), "In 2278, this starship was commanded by Captain Morgan Bateson. In that year, three weeks out of starbase, the Bozeman encountered a temporal distortion where it remained trapped until the year 2368. There, in an area of space known as the Typhon Expanse, the Bozeman encountered the USS Enterprise-D, with which it collided, causing the Enterprise to explode. The explosion, being in such close proximity to the temporal distortion, ruptured the spacetime continuum, trapping both vessels in a temporal causality loop, wherein the Bozeman continually encountered the Enterprise, and the latter ship was destroyed. Eventually, the crew of the Enterprise was able to realize what was happening and avoid the collision, freeing both vessels from the loop."

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

Soyuz Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Bozeman (NCC-1941) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Before we jump into the review of the model, let us talk some technical stuff about the ship itself.  Although, the filming model was a redress of the original USS Reliant (Miranda Class), this ship is classified as an entirely different type of Starfleet vessel called the Soyuz class.  I know they look A LOT alike, but according to cannon and non-cannon sources, they are not the same classification.  I believe that some of the confusion also stems from the fact that the filming model was later redressed yet again into what became the USS Saratoga and that ship was again classified as a Miranda Class.

 Bozeman (Soyuz Class) vs. Saratoga (Miranda Class) vs. Reliant (Miranda Class)

If you are interested in reading my review of the USS Reliant (NCC-1864), you can find that article at THIS LINK.  I also have done a review of the USS Saratoga (NCC-31911), and that article can be founf at THIS LINK.

I think that I'm getting to know some of my readers pretty well, and I can already hear the requests, so here are some "Gravy Shot" comparisons of the NON-Miranda Class along side of Eaglemoss' two Miranda class models.

 Bozeman (Soyuz Class) vs. Saratoga (Miranda Class) vs. Reliant (Miranda Class)

Bozeman (Soyuz Class) vs. Saratoga (Miranda Class) vs. Reliant (Miranda Class)

Now that we have done some comparisons, let us take a better look at the USS Bozeman.

 

 

 

 

The sculpt and mold work on this model can best be summed up with the word, "WOW!".  It is very clear from looking at the top of the model that this thing did not come from the same mold as the Reliant or Saratoga.  The fact that the extended rear is part of the top piece mold clarifies that fact.

I'm going to confess that sometimes, I'm not the expert that I like to be when it comes to Star Trek starships.  Until I got this model and the accompanying magazine, I always thought that the Bozeman was one well armed lady with all those phaser cannon turrets protruding from her.  Imagine my surprise and slight embarrassment when I found out that all those protrusions ARE NOT guns, but are in fact, nothing more than sensor arrays and antennas.

Even with that knowledge, I am still amazed that Eaglemoss did such an amazing job with rendering these in some sort of believable fashion.  Not only that, but they managed to create them in a way that they were not so fragile and break off if you looked at them the wrong way. 

 

 

The paint work is as equally impressive as the mold work.  Eaglemoss covered the model with a nice light aztec pattern that isn't to distracting.  The key areas of the ship like phaser banks and RCS thrusters are painted to make them stand out.  The stripe around the command module is also very striking.

This is one of those models that you have to look at over and over, and you will still keep finding little details.  There are tons of registry markings, including this very bold one on the edges of the saucer.

When we take a look at the nacelles, we can see that Eaglemoss chose to not use clear blue plastics for the grills, and instead painted them.  I am guessing that all those greebles for the antennas sucked up a lot of the production budget and forced Eaglemoss to go the route of painting that part of the ship.  And I am actually OK with it this time around as the paint was well applied.

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.

Well, that's just too bad for me, because like it's Miranda class cousins, the Bozeman doesn't have a deflector dish to speak of.  What we do have to hyper focus on is that large rear end of the ship. 

The molded details really stand out in all thier crisp and clear glory back here.

The only slight issue I could come up with for the model was that the joins and seams are noticeable along the back edges of the ship.

And while we are looking at that back edge, you can see what I mean about the model having the ship's registry plastered all over.  I love the fact that Eaglemoss painted the third shuttle bay and labeled it, otherwise I would have never realized that it was there.

This was one of those models that I wasn't sure how I was going to feel when I eventually got it, but I am very pleased to say that it is now one of my more favorite ones in the collection.

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 (April 2018).

Eaglemoss = $43

NOTE: Prices were researched last on April 20th, 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).  Since the model was released in the US only last week, it is still a rarity on eBay, hence the extremely high price.  Give it time and those prices will come down, however, it might be just wiser to buy it right from the source.

We now come to the part of my article where I like to give you my opinion of whether this model is worth the money.  When I have bought from eBay in the past, I have gotten used to purchasing the Standard Issue Eaglemoss models for around $25 to $30 each.  This model is such a masterpiece that I would be willing to pay up to $35 to get one if I had to.  It is such a cool looking ship that was executed expertly by Eaglemoss.  Quite frankly, you would be hard pressed to find a reason to not add it to your fleet or collection.

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 Pictures

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