EMvTW Special 29 - Ty'Gokor Orbital Facility

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

Rewrites: None

I was never a big fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  I didn't watch it when it first aired and ran through the entire series, and I didn't watch it in reruns.  It wasn't until about five or six years ago that I finally sat down and binge watched it just to get a handle on it.  It still isn't my thing, but to each thier own.  It is because of my lack of knowledge of the series that when Eaglemoss announced this next station, that I at first thought there was some sort of mistake being made.  I was like, "What is this thing?"  But, it appears that Eaglemoss has decided to bring us a non-human space station in the form of a Special Edition release.  And so, we now can add the Ty'Gokor Orbital Facility to our crowded space station display shelves.

We first get to see this starship in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode called "Apocalypse Rising".

Per Memory Alpha and Beta, "The Ty'Gokor orbital facility was a type of Klingon space station located in orbit of Ty'Gokor. At least two of these stations were in orbit of the planetoid in 2373."

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

Ty'Gokor Orbital Facility Information: Memory Alpha LINK and NO Memory Beta LINK

Sadly, Memory Alpha, as well as the Eaglemoss magazine are pretty sparse on information regarding these stations, which is a shame as there is a lot to take in on this thing.

 

 

 

 

I really hope you enjoyed those pictures as they were a bear to take.  Like the Jupiter Station Special Edition model, this one has all sorts of fragile bits sticking out from it at different challenging angles.  

There is so much to see on this model.  Starting at the very top, Eaglemoss has graced us with some very spindly antennas.  I think that it is great that they are giving us these thin and realistic looking antennas, unfortunately, they are also fragile and easily bent.  And of course, mine showed up with bent antennas.  I am too afraid to bend them back for fear of snapping them off.

The sculpted and molded details of this model are very crisp and are spread out all over the station.  Looking at the "spine" of the station, you can appreciate the attention to details that Eaglemoss crammed into the model.

The join seam can be spotted running down the "spine" of the station and for the most part, is blended in well with the details.  However, on the back of the lower section of the station, it appears that my model was put together with the two side slightly misaligned.  This misalignment will unfortunately carry over into another portion of the station as well.

Besides the antenna greebles, the model also bears this mechanism sticking off the side of the station.  These little details are what sets the Eaglemoss models apart and give them that certain pizazz.  

Speaking of greebles, the station boasts more spindly antennas jutting out from the bottom of the model.  These seemed to have faired better on my model than the top ones and look to be in perfect alignment.  But don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet...   Encircling the base of the station are four arm like greebles that stick straight out from the facility and one of those appears to have taken a hit from space debris as it is slightly bent upwards. 

Since the magazine is devoid of any sort of helpful information on identifying areas of the station, and Memory Alpha was not helpful either, I am going to assume that the four large tube-like structures that jut out from the station are in fact docking bays for shuttles and other starships.

The three primary ones are nicely rendered.  They bear some paintwork that gives the appearance of wear and tear along the edges.  The mold work is nicely done along each of them, complete with those fin like greebles on the sides of each bay.  The support struts are thin but convey thier importance in keeping the station in one piece.  My only complaint about these appendages, is when it comes to peering inside of them.  There is a serious lack of details...  scratch that, there is no details on the inside.  I might need to search around for some 3D prints of scaled down shuttles and shuttle pods and set them in there to liven those sections up..  

 

The stand-alone pod, which I will call the secondary docking port is done up with the same attention, and lack of, details as the three primary ones.  Sadly, this secondary docking bay on my model was mounted in a crooked fashion.  I think this is caused by the slight misalignment along the "spine" that I mentioned earlier as it is directly opposite of the area we looked at.  Que the cost to quality complaint...  If you are a follower of my reviews, you will know that I feel that Eaglemoss should not have mistakes like these when it comes to these larger, and more expensive models.  I expect better quality if I am expected to pay a higher cost.

 

When it comes to the paint work, the model is very drab, which I suppose if fine considering it is a Klingon station.  The sculpted and molded details do a lot to carry this model, so I feel that where Eaglemoss does apply paint has been done so in a well thought out strategic manner.  I do love the Klingon emblem that was pasted underneath of each of the docking ports.  That small splash of color is enough to catch ones eyes and draw them to your display shelf.

And that is all the pictures and comparisons I have to share on this model at this time.  Prices were researched last on May 19th, 2022, and as of the writing of this article, I was able to find the model from ONE overseas eBay seller for around $127 (shipping included).  You also can currently order the model right from Eaglemoss' US WebStore for around $75 (shipping unknown).

Honestly, I don't think the model is worth paying that excruciatingly high price of $127.  With $75 being the new norm for the Special Edition models, I am going to begrudgingly say that the Eaglemoss shop price tag would be a fair one given the amount of tactile details that were crammed into the model.  There is a lot to take in.  I am however, not happy with the lack of quality control on these more expensive models.  The bent antennas and crooked docking port are shame worthy and I'm sure Eaglemoss will lose quite a few dollars with this station on replacing defective models for collectors.  Hopefully I'm wrong and other people are getting decently constructed units, but I doubt it.

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