NOTE: You can click on most pictures to get a larger view of them.
Rewrites: NONE YET
Apparently, even with the Star Trek: Official Starships Collection having ended at the "official" final issue of 180, we apparently can still expect models coming our way in the form of Special Edition models, Bonus models and Shuttlecraft Collections. For those that have not followed my articles over the years, this review is going to differ from others that I typically write, in that it will cover four different Eaglemoss models in one article.
Photo Credit: Eaglemoss
The set consists of four smaller than Standard Edition sized models, with accompanying half height magazines and something called Okudagrams.
I am going to borrow this next small tidbit of information right from my review of Shuttlecraft Collection #6 for two reasons. #1, it as well written and it still pertains, and #2, because I am at heart, a lazy writer.
"What is an Okudagrams you might ask? An Okudagram is essentially schematics of of a ship. The first ones were created by Mike Okuda of Star Trek reknowned. He was famous for his designing these for ship's computer displays.
As I mentioned, the magazines are smaller than the normal magazines that we are used to, and are more like little informational inserts that don't cover as much information as the regular magazines. They also do not fit in any of the Eaglemoss binders. I do have a remedy for this and you can read more about that at the end of the article.
Another thing to note about these Shuttlecraft Collection sets is that the stands for the models are much different than other models from Eaglemoss. They are basically tiny little tables that the shuttle rests on.
Last but not least, I will hold off my final judgement on the value of the set until the very end.
And so, let us jump into the shuttles and take them for a spin.
Another thing to note about these Shuttlecraft Collection sets is that the stands for the models are much different than other models from Eaglemoss. They are basically tiny little tables that the shuttle rests on.
Last but not least, I will hold off my final judgement on the value of the set until the very end.
And so, let us jump into the shuttles and take them for a spin.
Captain's Yacht Calypso
First up in this interesting collective of tiny models is a very unusual design indeed.
We never get to see this ship in action on screen, however, it makes plenty of appearances anytime we saw the underside of a Galaxy Class starship, while doing a flyby over top of us.
Photo Credit: Memory Alpha
Per Memory Alpha and Memory Beta, "The Calypso was a Federation captain's yacht that was in service with Starfleet in the mid-24th century, attached to Galaxy-class starships, among others the USS Enterprise-D. In 2371, it scraped on the surface of the planet Veridian III, where the ship's saucer section had been forced to crash land."
If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:
This model has me a bit confused on Eaglemoss' policies for what models get made into "full sized" or as I call them "Standard Sized" models in the collection. This is not our first Captain's Yacht, in fact, it is now our third. Eaglemoss has previously given us the Aeroshuttle from underneath of USS Voyager as well as The Cousteau from underneath the USS Enterprise-E.
Issue 75: Cousteau Issue 78: Aeroshuttle
(Enterprise-E Captain's Yacht) (Intrepid Class Captain's Yacht)
Of those other two captain's yachts, one was seen in action on screen, while the other never made a live appearance. Yet they both were given to us in Standard Edition size format. So, yes, I'm a bit confused as to why we were then "treated" to this tiny thing that might make for a cute belt buckle. I am going to confess, now that the collection is "finished" with Issue 180, I've been left with a lot of confusion about the latest models that Eaglemoss has been throwing our way lately, as part of this "finished" collection. Don't get me wrong, I have loved collecting the models, and am thrilled that we are still getting some new stuff, but I wish they would have standardized their policy of how they were going to release these new models. I'll get into this more when we get the next three Bonus models from Star Trek (2009).
When I first got this model, my initial thoughts were, "Which way does it go?" After doing some quick Google searching, I believe that this is the correct direction that this ship travels.
I'm surprised that when I took my pictures over a year ago, I actually guessed right.
The underside of the model, which is what we get to see of this ship in shows and the movie is rather plain and devoid of paint except for some light gray paneled areas. The model does boast some tactile molded details, including the extended landing gear. I'm yet again perplexed why Eaglemoss chose to do this, when almost all of their starship models that can land did not have their gear extended.
The top and sides of the model are a bit more detailed. This part of the model still bears a lot of tactile details, especially windows and even a top side access hatch.
The paintwork on the upper area and sides of the model are much nicer as well. The Starfleet swoop, ship's registry and pinstripes are all crisp and clear to read. The window paint is well aligned, however, it doesn't seem to be completely painted in on some places. This is especially noticeable in the thrusters that run along the lower rim of the model.
Docking Shuttle
(AKA Shuttle Drone)
(AKA Shuttle Drone)
The next model for our consideration can probably be considered the ugly duckling of the fleet.
We first get to see one of these types of starships inside the Starbase during the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called "11001001".
Per Memory Alpha and Memory Beta, "A shuttle drone was a small Federation auxiliary craft employed during the 24th century and usually attached to a starbase or a space station."
If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:
The sculpt and mold work on this tiny little model is most impressive. Eaglemoss did a great job of replicating all the original studio model's greeble work.
You can clearly make out the razor handles that the original model's creator used to form the long side struts.
The bottom of the model is a bit plain when it comes to these tactile details, but this was how the studio model was designed and not Eaglemoss' fault. In the end, you really do need to turn the model over and over a couple of times to take in all the details.
Sadly, the paint work is what really lets you down with this model. If you have seen this model on screen, scooting around the Spacedock, then you were no doubt lured into thinking the Eaglemoss model would be a bit more colorful.
Photo Credit: Memory Alpha
What Eaglemoss presents to us is drastically different than that on screen picture. The majority of this model is a dull light grey, and the paint work does nothing to highlight the greebles. When you look at this model under the wrong lighting, it just sort of blurs together and looks like a jumbled lump.
The model is not completely devoid of color though. The overall monotony is broken up by the odd and occasional pinstripes, mostly on the bottom of the ship. At least the model does sport the Starfleet swoop. There is also the occasional grey panels and light tan thruster strips.
Eaglemoss didn't completely skimp on the paint though. The ship's impulse engines, and navigational lights were all given a dab of color.
For all the attempts to add a tiny bit of color to the model, I don't think that it was enough, and none of those painted details help overcome the overall blandness.
I am gonna have to call this little model a bit of a disappointment, at least in my eyes. It tries to be an interesting model, but I think the small size, and lack of painted details killed it's potential.
This model does add some more completion to the collection of Spacedock support craft. As you can see here, it fits right in with its brothers and sister.
Cyrano Jones' Spacematic
The next shuttle in the set comes off looking like a tired old girl, however, I'm sure she had a few tricks up her thrusters.
The Spacematic operated by Cyrano Jones was first mentioned in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode called "The Trouble with Tribbles". Then when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired the episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", the ship finally makes an on screen appearance.
Photo Credit: Memory Alpha
Per Memory Alpha, "The Spacematic was a one-man scout ship that was in service in the mid-23rd century. This ship was owned by Cyrano Jones, and was larger than a Class F shuttlecraft."
If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:
Spacematic Information: Memory Alpha LINK and NO Memory Beta LINK
It looks like Eaglemoss is finally running out of Starfleet shuttles. I was jokingly saying this, however, it has been confirmed that the next Shuttlecraft Collection is going to be made up of alien vessels, so this may be more true than joke.
The Spacematic is a privately owned scoutship, so it was strange to see this one included with this shuttle set. HOWEVER, given my thoughts on the last two "shuttles" we just looked at, this one became a welcome diversion. A fellow model reviewer pointed out how the Spacematic reminded him very much of the Eagle5 from "Spaceballs (1987)".
The Spacematic is a privately owned scoutship, so it was strange to see this one included with this shuttle set. HOWEVER, given my thoughts on the last two "shuttles" we just looked at, this one became a welcome diversion. A fellow model reviewer pointed out how the Spacematic reminded him very much of the Eagle5 from "Spaceballs (1987)".
Photo Credit: Spaceballs - The Wiki
I can see it myself. We have a run down looking cargo carrier that the owner slept in from time to time. Eaglemoss did a fantastic job of portraying that concept.
Right off the bat, I'm going to say that I really admire the paintwork on this model.
The model boasts lots of different colors that do a great job of conveying a heavily used workhorse of a ship. There is a light aztec pattern that gives the model a dirty look.
Hatch handles are individually painted and the engine components on top of the ship are nicely detailed.
The only complaint that I have is in regards to the window paint, because in typical Eaglemoss fashion, the window paint is incomplete, meaning, the window area is not completely filled in.
The large engine exhaust "bell" shows off some nice greeble work in the form of support struts. The "bell" itself bears some molded details too. Eaglemoss painted this piece in such a way as to give it the worm and scratched appearance too.
Looking at the engine area from behind, Eaglemoss painted the inside of the exhaust a flat black. There are some extra molded in details on the back of the main body of the ship, just above the "bell" as well that appear to be thrusters.
Speaking of the sculpting and molding, the model boasts a lot of other tactile details. The top of the model shows off the ship's engineering, while the sides show off some finely detailed cargo hatches.
The model also shows off the ship's landing gear. Since we never see the ship in flight, we can only make assumptions of what the ship looks like when not sitting on the ground. I'm not going to deduct points for the landing gear as the model is very screen accurate with them on display. And Eaglemoss did a great job of portraying the ship's "feet". The mold work is crisp and well defined and the painting does a good job of detailing this area as well.
For one of our last two pictures of the ship, here is one of Cyrano Jones making a quick departure from Station K-7.
As a completionist collector of Eaglemoss ships, the Spacematic goes well on display with Station K-7.
Type 9A - Cargo Shuttle
The last of the four shuttles is a very unique addition to the fleet as it never is actually seen in any of the movies or series.
Per Memory Beta, "The Type-9A shuttlecraft was a 24th century Federation shuttlecraft class, a large cargo shuttle in Starfleet service from the 2360s to the 2380s decades."
If you would like to read more official stuff on this type of ship, feel free to check out the following links:
The sculpt and mold work on this model is pretty decent. Important parts of the shuttle have been molded into the model. Along the side you can clearly make out the access door.
The rear hatch is easily discernable and Eaglemoss even sculpted some details on the bottom of the ship where you can see the warp core access hatch.
Unlike the earlier reviewed Docking Shuttle, the paint work on the Cargo Shuttle is nicely done and goes far in keeping the model from being a boring white block on your display shelf. The impulse engines are painted a nice red and the rear RCS thrusters have been painted in as well. The shuttle's registry information is clear and precise too.
The front window paint looks good, both being complete as well as being properly aligned. And if you look closely, you can see some RCS thrusters sort of hidden away below the window and just above the pods.
The engine pods are well aligned and add a certain pizazz to the model with their painted section "rings".
Turning the model over reveals the Starfleet swoop along the bottom of engine pods.
While this model may feel like a repeat of other Next Generation era shuttles, it technically is something different, and given that it only appears in books, and is rather well built and painted, becomes a welcome addition to the collection.
Here's a picture of the Cargo Shuttle heading away from the USS Enterprise D.
With that being the last of the USS Enterprise D support craft, at least for a while, here is a picture of the her all of her Eaglemoss shuttlecraft.
And that is all the pictures and comparisons I have to share on this ship collection 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 October 27th, 2021, and as of the writing of this article, I was able to find the collection from both a seller on eBay as well as Eaglemoss' US WebStore for around $100.
Let's face it, my feelings about these shuttlecraft collection sets have not changed much over all seven of the sets. Now that the official collection is over, it almost feels like Eaglemoss is trying to snatch up money from us collectors while they still can.
Before I give my final verdict, let me explain something about how I look at pricing. I have always liked the Eaglemoss Standard Edition line of models, because I feel that for around $20 to $30, most of the time, you get a fairly decent pre-built and pre-painted model. While I do like to build and paint my own models, deep down inside, I am lazy and would rather buy an already finished model, that is, if the price is right. At $20 to $30 for those Standard Edition models, the price is definitely right for what you typically will receive. And so, we come to the discussion of price for this set.
At the above quoted price, you are essentially paying $25 a ship for a model that is much smaller than their equally priced Standard Edition siblings. That's a lot of money to shell out for these smaller than normal models. I went back and looked at my reviews of the last six Shuttlecraft Collections, and was surprised by my reactions. I seem to have been undecided on the first shuttlecraft collection and give a definitive "NO" to collection number four and six. What surprised me was that even though they are priceer per model, I still gave a thumbs up to the remaining three sets.
As for this set, I felt that the Captain's Yacht had a certain coolness factor, but was disappointed that Eaglemoss didn't produce it in the Standard size like other Captain's Yachts. The Cargo Shuttle was a neat addition to the collection as it added something that wasn't seen on screen, and quite frankly, it was well made. The Docking Shuttle could have been done better and just ends up being "meh" in my opinion, definitely not worth the money. The one model that really won out as being well worth some sort of investment for this collection was the Spacematic. It was downright cool looking and a fun addition. This collection wasn't terrible, but it didn't really WOW me either. All that for the low low (I'm being sarcastic) price of $99. I know, it seems like I'm on the fence. So, in the end, I will say this, , the 7th shuttlecraft collection might make for a good investment if the odd assortment of ships in it is of interest to you.
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.
Here is the entire shuttle collection laid out for your viewing pleasure. I have to tell you, it is quite the endeavor to unpack all 28 of those ships and then arrange them like that.
I had mentioned at the beginning of this article about how the shuttlecraft collection magazines were not standard sized. In fact, Eaglemoss does not sell a binder that can fit them. I suppose that if Eaglemoss ever sold a Discovery Line of folders, those would work as they are similar in size, but alas, there is no such item available.
I really liked having all my magazines kept nice and neat in those binders, so I did some experimenting on how to be able to store those magazine. This was my solution...
Rather than make this already long article even bigger, you can read about how I accomplished this and if you feel so inclined, do it yourself. You can read that article at THIS LINK.
Here is the entire shuttle collection laid out for your viewing pleasure. I have to tell you, it is quite the endeavor to unpack all 28 of those ships and then arrange them like that.
If you are interested in reading about the other Shuttlecraft Collection sets, feel free to check them out at the following links:
Shuttle Magazine Binders
I had mentioned at the beginning of this article about how the shuttlecraft collection magazines were not standard sized. In fact, Eaglemoss does not sell a binder that can fit them. I suppose that if Eaglemoss ever sold a Discovery Line of folders, those would work as they are similar in size, but alas, there is no such item available.
I really liked having all my magazines kept nice and neat in those binders, so I did some experimenting on how to be able to store those magazine. This was my solution...
Rather than make this already long article even bigger, you can read about how I accomplished this and if you feel so inclined, do it yourself. You can read that article at THIS 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 - Captain's Yacht Calypso Docking Shuttle (AKA Shuttle Drone)
Cyrano Jones' Spacematic Type 9A - Cargo Shuttle
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