EMvTW 173 - USS Arcos NCC-6237 (Antares Class (Terran))

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

Rewrites: NONE YET

Moving along for our new year's worth of reviews, we are going to next cover the second release of an Antares Class (Terran)) transport.

We first get to see this starship in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "Legacy".


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Arcos was a 24th century Federation Antares class freighter. Tan Tsu served aboard the Arcos in the 2360s.  In 2367, the Arcos was destroyed by a warp core breach over Turkana IV. The ship's two-man crew survived in an escape pod, but landed on the war-torn planet where they were captured by the Alliance. They were later rescued by an away team from the USS Enterprise-D. "

They go on to say, "According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 326), this freighter was a Deneva-class starship, with the registry NCC-6237. The Arcos was seen very briefly before it exploded in "Legacy", but the studio model used to represent the ship was not identifiable until 2013. In that year the remastered version of the episode was released, and there it could be discerned that it was a reuse of the Batris model, first seen in "Heart of Glory". However, as the Turkana IV background was recreated as a digital element by Max Gabl, the CGI counterpart of the ship, created by Douglas E. Graves for "The Outrageous Okona", had to be used."

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

Antares Class (Terran) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
USS Arcos (NCC-6237) Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

That is a lot to take in, so let us now get a better look at the model.

 

 

 

 

I had mentioned that this is the second Earth based Antares class ship to be featured in the collection.  Back in issue # 121, Eaglemoss brought us the SS Xhosa.

 

SS Xhosa (#121)                           USS Arcos (#173)

In my opinion, they don't look very much alike.  If you wish to check out my review of the SS Xhosa, you can find it at THIS LINK.

The reality is, the USS Arcos is a reworking of the studio model used for the Talarian freighter called the Batris.

 

Batris (#159)                           USS Arcos (#173)

Feel free to check out my review of the Batris at THIS LINK.  I do like seeing how the producers re-worked their models to get more space mileage out of them.  I feel like I am looking at the Batris after she was given some major Hot Rod upgrades.

The paint work on the Eaglemoss model is a bit underwhelming.  The ship is painted entirely with a mottled, dirty grey paint scheme.  Overall, it creates a very dull, and not very eye catching piece.  While the model does boast some painted on windows, rather than catching your eye, they only serve to give you a sense of size for the ship.

The engine exhausts have been given some paint detail as well.  While this serves to give this part of the ship some extra detail, it does not do enough to save the paint scheme of the entire model.

One could argue that the bland detail in the paint work is a good thing, as it conveys the idea that this is a heavily used starship, one that is used to seeing a lot of dirty work in space.  

The sculpt and mold work are very well done though and make up for the lack of painted on details.

And there is quite a LOT of molded in details across the entire model.  These details are crisp and precise

All of the molded details do a great job of hiding the joins and seams... mostly.  We will talk more about this in a minute.

One of the things that sets the Arcos model apart from the Batris model is the addition of a bunch of small exhaust ports as well as the addition of two extremely large exhaust pipes.  Eaglemoss did a good job of molding these into its model.

My only other gripe besides the paint scheme is that you can clearly see the mold work seam along the large exhaust pipes on the model.

And that is all the pictures and comparisons I have to share on this ship 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 (January 25th, 2021).  Just like it was with the Xindi Insectoid Scout Ship, it looks like this model isn't that popular with collectors either, as it is going for around $25 both on eBay as well as directly from Eaglemoss' US webstore.  Although, if you buy it on eBay, it looks like shipping is included and you won't have to deal with Eaglemoss' notorious shipping delays that they seem to experience on the East coast these days.

In conclusion, I have to agree with the lack of popularity for this model.  All in all, from a distance, it really isn't very spectacular.  And while a closer examination does reveal some in depth detailing, it doesn't do enough to scream, "Buy Me!".  In all honesty, the earlier released Batris model gives you more bang for your buck, so if you are looking for an old style freighter for your collection, save your money on this one and purchase issue # 159.

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