EMvTW Special 24 - Regula I (R1 Invictus class)

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

Rewrites: NONE YET

This model has been a long awaited one for us Eaglemoss collectors.  Ever since Eaglemoss released Deep Space Nine way back in Special Issue #1, and then we learned that other stations would eventually follow, we collectors have been begging for Regula 1.  And now we have it, that is, if you are lucky enough to find a source for it.

We first get to see this station in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).  We then get to see the station studio model used in various episodes later on TV in various stages of change.


Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "Regula I was a Federation Regula I-type scientific research laboratory orbiting the D-class planetoid Regula during the late 23rd century.  Located in the Mutara sector of the Beta Quadrant, Regula I was near the Mutara Nebula and the Ceti Alpha system was three days away at warp speed.  In the year 2285, the station housed Project Genesis and its team under the direction of Dr. Carol Marcus."

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

R1 Invictus Class Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK
Regula I Information: Memory Alpha LINK and Memory Beta LINK

While the station type was never given a classification on screen, it was called a R1 Invictus Class station through several non-canon sources.

The model has a lot to offer, however, as you can see from the pictures below, it can be a little repetitive depending on what side you look at.

 

 

 

 

Since this model is not a traditional starship, I am going to break from my standard review process and visit this one a little differently.

Starting with the top of the model, we have the spindly looking antenna array.  Unfortunately, the antenna support should have been painted bronze or copper.  

The antenna support should also have been made to come off looking a bit more wiry, as seen in the picture below.  While I understand that for production costs sake, as well as part fragility, they needed to make the supports solid, I do think that they should have at least molded something into this section to try to make it look "see through".  I have to agree with one of my fellow reviewers when he says that the antenna supports on the Eaglemoss model look more like something you would find stuck in your pizza to keep the box from squishing it.

Photo Credit: Memory Alpha

Moving on down to the main section of the station, the most glaring issue that shows up is the fact that a lot of the window paint does not line up with the molded windows details.  And once in a while, you come across paint droplets that were carelessly dropped while painting the entire thing.  If you look carefully at the area above the hanger door in the picture below, you can see what I mean.  Greeble wise though the model has a lot of those little tanks the encircle the top of the main section, and once in a while some other pieces just out from the hull.  All of these tactile details give the model a nice rough feel and help break up some of the repetitiveness.

The recessed hanger is a nice touch with the very visible "X" showing where the doors separate.  Unfortunately, the sloppy paint work carries into this area and because of this section's high visibility, more attention is drawn to bad paint work.

The "ring" that runs along from hangar deck to hangar deck, is supposed to show off the mechanics portion of the station.  Storage pods, main transporters, and other necessary parts of the station were stored on this deck.  While Eaglemoss did a great job with the sculpt and mold work, giving this area that exposed mechanics look, the paint work is very shoddy, even missing in certain portions.  Had they at least taken the time to paint the entire section that uniform grey color, and made sure that it covered all of the mechanics, the splotchy yellowish paint would have been forgivable.  Instead, the area just looks like someone half heartedly sprayed paint onto the model.  Once again though, the greeble work is fascinating, with Eaglemoss doing a nice job of including the Boron Storage Tanks underneath the main section.

The next major section you encounter as you move down the model is the Barium Plasma Reactor Ring.  The bicycle tire spindle look is well done from a sculpt and mold point of view, but I am finding that the painting on this part is still a bit sloppy.

We then move our attention on down to the laboratory deck that has those landing pad like pods.  None of the side windows have been painted, which gives these pods a little bit of a white out effect.  Thankfully, the tops and bottoms of each pod were painted with red, grey and yellow details, which breaks up what would be a boring area to look at in all white.  Several docking ports were also painted with red circles to help them stand out.

One of the laboratory pods features a protruding telescope.  I thought that this was super cool that Eaglemoss decided t recreate this piece.  

Underneath the laboratory deck, we can see that Eaglemoss also painted the bottom of those laboratory pods.  

They also decided to paint all of the windows of the Observation Deck.  The mold work and paint work do a great job of complimenting each other on this area of the model.

Moving down from the Observation Deck, we come to the last section of the station, the storage pods.  From the reading I have done at C-X1 Cygnus-X1.net, these tanks were used to store Oxygen (two tanks), Hydrogen, and Freon.

The sculpt and mold work are nicely done, although you can clearly see the join seams on the bottom of each tank.  The paint scheme is nice as well, and adds some color to the model that I felt was desperately needed.

And that is all the pictures and comparisons I have to share on this station at this time.  At the time that I am writing this article (February 16th, 2021), the Eaglemoss US Based Webstore does not have the model in stock, which means we are at the mercy of other sellers.  I will then typically check on eBay and find the most inexpensive Buy-It-Now price, and it looks like I was able to find the model there for around $62 (shipping included).  

Is the model worth that price?  I have a mixed bag of emotions when I'm asked this question.  I typically am not happy with Eaglemoss' Special Edition models, BUT, this one is truly Special and the larger format has afforded the collector some neat things to look at.  While $62 is a lot of money to spend on a model, it is still less expensive than buying a resin or 3D printed model from someone, then putting it together, then trying to paint it.  My only real complaint has been the sloppy painting on certain areas of the model, but in all honesty, it's not horrible, and probably still better looking than some of my paint jobs.  HOWEVER,, if we are expected to pay more than the Standard Edition price of $25 for a model, then we should expect better than Standard Edition painting on this model.  Can you see why I have a mixed bag of emotions?  In the end though, to really answer my question, I would have to say, "Yes.", I feel it's worth the money.  I might even be willing to go up to $70 if necessary to acquire one to save myself the work of building and painting.

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.

I am pretty sure that this will be the last of the space stations that we will see come out of the Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection.  That being said, I dug out my other three Special Edition stations from their moving boxes and posed them for this nice parting shot.

In the picture above, you can see following Eaglemoss Special Edition Stations (and my review links); Special #1 - Deep Space 9 (REVIEW LINK), Special #10 - Deep Space Station K-7 (K Class) (REVIEW LINK), and Special #15 - Earth Spacedock (REVIEW LINK).

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