New 1/350th TOS Starship Enterprise

[VADM Fangschleister]

Monsters In Motion have announced the new release of a 35" long Starship Enterprise. The original...no bloody A, B, C or D.

It's from Polar Lights and should be a very nice kit! Expensive...but for a TV addict like me, it's great!

MIM Starship Enterprise

[ikar]

It looks good and I may have to get one. But....aztec decals? The original Enterprise was not azteced?

[richter111]

They added the aztec when the "remastered" the originals. I will be picking it up, but I can promise you, it will not have this change on there.

I will be doing the version from the original, unchanged series.

[MiG31]

Has Round 2 actually announced this kit? It's my understanding from reading the discussion on Starship Modeler that this is simply a move to gauge potential interest in a kit that has not been announced, let alone had a set release date.

[Dave Williams]

Hmm, the bulleted points in the MIM listing seem to be direct copies from the listing for the Enterprise-A.

http://www.round2models.com/models/polar-l...ship-enterprise

Also, $149 retail for the TOS version? The 1/350 1701-A retails for only $85. That seems a huge jump in price for something that should be the same amount of plastic, plus the TOS ship had less surface detail.

[Boxster]

What's with the pricing? Is this ship not less complex than the Ent-A of the same scale? I would like to have a kit or 2 but the price, yikes!

B

[ikar]

Could it be partly because of the detailed hanger deck?

[Dave Williams]

That doesn't seem likely. The Enterprise A kit has a pretty detailed hanger deck, and it's quite a bit cheaper. If anything, the TOS shuttle bay would be even simpler, based on what was shown on the screen during the series.

[richter111]

I am wondering if Round 2 is thinking they wont move as many copies as they did of the Movie version. They took a beating on the Enterprise from the show of the same name, in fact, rumor has it, they wont be repopping it again.

[Jay Chladek]

I am wondering if Round 2 is thinking they wont move as many copies as they did of the Movie version. They took a beating on the Enterprise from the show of the same name, in fact, rumor has it, they wont be repopping it again.

Well, Round 2 of today is not quite the same company as what Polar Lights was when they did the refit E years ago. I don't know what the numbers were for the NX-01, but the production runs of the movie ship were a good seller.

As for the TOS E, it has not been "officially" announced. However a few online sites are taking pre-orders since literature from Round 2 did get sent to distributors with information about a 1/350 Enterprise classic being made available for sale. CultTVman (who has good contacts with Round 2) asked them for confirmation and it was said that they hadn't made a decision on it and the information that got out was a mistake. They apparently won't say officially if the kit is going to be done or not until Wonderfest, which is next May. They want to do it, but they have to make sure they can do it and do it at the level of quality they desire and at a decent cost.

So, my gut feeling is it will be done, but there is still a strong possibility it won't be done and I really don't think it will be out next summer unless they have already done a lot of ground work on it and are keeping their progress under tight wraps.

[Boxster]

Its amazing that they are afraid this kit won't sell well. I am not a huge fan of ST but I will at least get 2 or more if the price is lower.

B

[Jay Chladek]

Its amazing that they are afraid this kit won't sell well. I am not a huge fan of ST but I will at least get 2 or more if the price is lower.

B

I don't think it is necessarily that, but rather they have concerns that their money gets spent wisely in the investment. Any business decision is a gamble with pros and cons. In one sense, yes it could be a great seller. But at the same time it likely would involve tying up funds that could be spent on other less expensive model projects. Would it sell better then two or three other different subjects? At the same time, one has to make sure the work is done right (or as close to right as possible) the first time since going back and fourth on correcting test shot problems can be expensive. Round 2 isn't the same as it was during the height of Polar Lights, so any big project has to be undertaken with careful analysis. In today's climate where pocketbooks are stretched tighter, would a very large and expensive model of an albeit iconic starship sell enough fast enough to pay for the investment made? We who want it think so, but admittedly we are a little biased in that department.

Edited November 17, 2010 by Jay Chladek

[Boxster]

Can't argue with that and I agreed! Modelers are getting lesser nowadays too, with more people having to work more for less. This hobby is becoming more of a luxury than a pastime.

They shoulda let more LHS collect more pre-orders, if that is the way they want to gauge the interest in this kit instead of relying only on 1 or 2 online shops and not everyone buys from that 1 or 2 shops. I get mine only from Tower Hobbies and I am sure everyone have their own fave place to get their stuff from. Anyway, I hope they get this kit made, that's all!

B

[TonyT]

Odd thing, between the two sites there is a 3 inch difference in length.

[Mark M.]

As for differences between the refit and TOS, don't forget the large amounts of plastic in the larger warp nacelles, the structure needed to attach them (I don't know, but there MUST be some form of support in a model this size!) and so on. It's possible that while the ships themselves aren't too different that the kits are rather different.

Way beyond my budget either way.

P.S. The "remastered" TOS was a terrible idea! Terrible! Leave it as it was!

[Vidar_710]

If they've done it similarly to the 1/1000 kit - and I'm very aware they've used differant designers for either kit, we may have the option to make all three versions, meaning extra parts such as nacels, bridges, deflector dishes, and of course the hanger... even though it's 1/3 the material of the refit's hanger + cargo bay interior.

IF, and I mean IF they actually release this, it'll be worth the $$$. After all, I just spent $200+ on the new Trumperter 1/200 Arizona. I'm a shoe-in for at least two kits of the Constitution class Enterprise. I have big plans to do a 1/350 Copernicus after I finish the 1/650 version... ;-)

http://s676.photobucket.com/albums/vv122/T...ann/Copernicus/

Tracy

[phantom]

If this was available at the same time as the movie Enterprise , I would have bought the TV version. But.........I have 2 1/350 Enterprise's. One carrier and one Star ship. Don't believe there is room in the basement for a third.

[ipms33206]

Tower Hobbies is accepting pre orders for this kit! So it must be for real!! And they are asking $110.

[Jay Chladek]

Tower Hobbies is accepting pre orders for this kit! So it must be for real!! And they are asking $110.

Confirmed. Since I work at an LHS, I have access to the GP dealer site and they have it listed there as well (GP is the distribution arm of Hobbico while Tower is the mail order arm). It only shows as "On Order" though with no anticipated date for issue.

[richter111]

With this edition I will have

(all in 1/350)

CV-6 Enterprise

CV-65 Enterprise

NX-01 Enterprise

NCC-1701 Enterprise (original)

NCC-1701 Enterprise (Motion Picture)

Not a bad display.

[Ken Cartwright]

With this edition I will have

(all in 1/350)

CV-6 Enterprise

CV-65 Enterprise

NX-01 Enterprise

NCC-1701 Enterprise (original)

NCC-1701 Enterprise (Motion Picture)

Not a bad display.

Sounds kind of like Picard's ready-room wall :)

[C-130CrewChief]

Sounds kind of like Picard's ready-room wall

Sounds HUGE!!!!!

[DutyCat]

I'm a shoe-in for at least two kits of the Constitution class Enterprise. I have big plans to do a 1/350 Copernicus after I finish the 1/650 version... ;-)

Tracy

Only two, Tracy? I am sure you'll be able to get decals for all 12 ships of the class, plus the "Mirror, Mirror" version. lol.

[MHaz]

I want to see someone build a 1/350 FJD Federation-class Dreadnought from one... Shoot, I'd settle for a Movie-era Dreadnought conversion...

[Modelmkr]

I want to see someone build a 1/350 FJD Federation-class Dreadnought from one... Shoot, I'd settle for a Movie-era Dreadnought conversion...

Mmmm. You really can't get from point A to B with a 1/350 TOS Enterprise.

The FJD Dreadnaught has a completely different saucer section, secondary hull and engine struts. The only thing you could use is *possibly* the primary to secondary neck and the engine nacelles. And I *think* even the engine nacelles were slightly over sized compared to the Enterprise (plus you'd have to source a third engine).