EMvTW Extra 22 - Cardassian Orbital Weapons Platform

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

Rewrites: NONE YET

We stray from Eaglemoss' Standard Edition models to focus on another Bonus Edition release from them, the Cardassian Orbital Weapons Platform.

We first get to see this weapon in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode called "What You Leave Behind".


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "Orbital weapon platforms were a type of powerful, automated planetary defense system developed by the Cardassian military during the Dominion War. They were protected by regenerative force fields and equipped with three heavy disruptors and 1,000 plasma torpedoes."

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

Cardassian Orbital Weapons Platform Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

Normally, the Bonus Line of models would bring us non-canon models from the series, or alternate paint schemes or registries.  Since we clearly got to see the Orbital Weapons Platform on screen, I am not sure why this particular model was not done up in the Standard Line of ships and models.  I guess we can be thankful that Eaglemoss didn't decide to do it as a Special Edition.  That being said, because of the nature of the model, it is shipped in the same sized box as the Borg ships, rather than the Standard Edition boxes.  It is a somewhat weighty model though.

The model is very repetitive as far as details go, so I will not be sharing as many of the First Glance photos that I would normally present.

 

 

 

The paint work on this model is rather interesting.  The majority of the model is done up in the traditional Cardassian mustard brown paint.  The tips of the upper weapons arms are painted red, contrasting nicely against the rest of the paint work.

The main paint work is broken up by small panels that have been colored in with a contrasting light tan paint.  This helps break up the monotony of the rest of the paint work.

The tips of the lower weapons arms are painted in yellow, further enhancing the look of the weapons platform.

I really like the sculpt and mold work on this model.  The details are crisp and well defined, complimenting the paint work.  You can make out where the platform's hinges are that allow it to fold up in on itself.

The join seams are darned near impossible to find.  Eaglemoss did a great job blending them in.

Looking across the entire model, you can't help but admire all the recessed panels and weapons ports.

As I said before, the details are rather repetitive, thus the reason why I don't have much more to say at this time.

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 looking up pricing on eBay and finding the most inexpensive Buy-It-Now prices at the time of this article's writing.  Prices were researched last on July 20th, 2020, and as of the writing of this article, I was able to find the model from a seller for around $58 (shipping included).  That model doesn't seem to come with a magazine.  The next cheapest model with a magazine is going for $80  (shipping included).  Lucky for all of us, you also can currently order the model right from Eaglemoss' US WebStore for around $30 (shipping unknown).

I am extremely thrilled that Eaglemoss has this model in stock.  I am thoroughly impressed with the model's quality, even if it is a bit repetitive.   Honestly, if you can get the Eaglemoss model for that $30 to $35 price tag, I highly recommend it, especially if you have managed to collect the other Cardassian models.  It will make a nice crown jewel to your Cardassian fleet.

BONUS ROUND!!!

Every once in a while, I'll have a little extra stuff to share with you that sort of fits in with my comparison articles.

Before I knew that Eaglemoss was going to release their own model, I decided to try my hand at building something similar.  I already had all the necessary pieces left over from a previous build, so I just started sticking things together until I was happy with the look.  This is what I came up with...

Cardassian Broca Class Orbital Weapon Platform
Unknown Scale MicroMachine Kitbash

After the Dominion War, Cardassia found itself a minority among the races of the quadrant.  A majority of its fleet lay decimated and Cardassia Prime's defenses were shattered.

 

 

 

The new treaty allowed Cardassia to rebuild some of its planetary defenses and one of these was the freshly designed Broca Class Orbital Weapon Platform.  This satellite was a major re-design of the Orbital Weapon Platform that were used during the war.

Unlike its predecessor, these stations contained their own power generators on board.  The "stations" were also lightly manned and operated to help with potential engineering problems that might arise. 

While I could not replicate the actual Orbital Weapons Platform from the show, I figured that with a fresh backstory, I could help account for the differences between the two types of Orbital Weapons Platforms.



With the review of the Cardassian Orbital Weapons Platform under our belt, it appears that there doesn't seem to be any more Cardassian ships heading our way for the remainder of this collection.

So what better way to say goodbye to the Cardassians than to share a picture of the Eaglemoss fleet.

Eaglemoss did a nice job giving us physical models of ships from this alien race.  In my opinion, the quality got better as Eaglemoss moved deeper into the 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   
MicroMachine Kitbash [Model     Work In Progress]
Fleet Pictures

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