Eaglemoss came out with the big guns for their second ship in the Star Trek Discovery
starship line. This time, the replica released is based on the titular ship itself. I was
really intrigued to see how Eaglemoss handled this, as the Discovery is pretty unique in
the Star Trek canon. With its triangular main hull, bisected saucer section, and
elongated warp nacelles it cuts a figure that is both distinctive and controversial
amongst fans.
I must admit, the design left me scratching my head when I first saw it, as it was just so
different. But a lot of work had been done to the model after it first premiered in a teaser
video for the actual series, and it really grew on me. The fact that it grew out of an old
McQuarrie concept piece for Star Trek: Planet of the Titans, the first proposed Star Trek
movie that never got off the ground, gives the design some history, and there’s no
mistaking the Discovery for a different Star Trek ship when it’s on-screen.
The model faithfully captures the new starship is the trademark Eaglemoss detail.
There’s some impressive azetecing on the ship. It’s incredibly subtle—just a slightly
different shade of coppery gold than the ship’s hull. But the overall effect is impressive.
The reason all the Discovery ships are a different scale than the main Starships line is
due to the Discovery itself. It’s a very long ship from the tip of the saucer to the end of
the nacelles. Eaglemoss worried that it wouldn’t have very much presence if they tried
to make it the size of the smaller ships it had already produced. I think the decision was a good one. We get a level of detail here that would be sorely lacking if the ship was
any smaller.
And there are a ton of great details on the ship. The main deflector dish, Bussard
collectors, and the top bridge dome all have a lot of excellent paint detail. Unlike the
USS Shenzhou , there doesn’t seem to be any misaligned window paint. And the ship
overall has a lovely metallic sheen that looks really good in different lighting. The model
is composed out of the usual mix of diecast and metal which also gives it a nice heft.
The display stand holds it securely, and the magazine it comes with has some concept
art that I, a concept art junkie, really appreciated as we haven’t gotten a lot of behind
the scenes material for the show yet.
You can purchase a subscription to the Star Trek Discovery ship collection or buy ships
individually.
