Our look at Eaglemoss’ Official Star Trek Starships XL Edition line of model spacecraft continues today with their killer Sovereign-class release: the USS Enterprise-E, which debuted in Star Trek: First Contact.
Captain Picard’s second Enterprise made its first appearance in the 1996 film, and the John Eaves-designed starship continued its big-screen run (with modifications made for each new appearance) in both 1998’s Star Trek: Insurrection and 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, transitioning from a physical ILM-built studio model to an all-digital CGI design across the three films in which it appeared.
Eaglemoss’ original 5.5″ Enterprise-E was released back in mid-2014, and three years later the ship has been scaled up to almost double in size, with their new XL Enterprise-E measuring more than 10.5″ in length; the warp nacelles on the new model are almost as long as the original model in total.
This edition of the ship (and its 2014 predecessor) are themed in color and design based upon the Insurrection version of the ship — rather than the darker-hulled Nemesis Enterprise-E — and while it’s certainly a well-detailed design, it would be nice to see Eaglemoss revisit the ship with a Nemesis-style variant at some point.
The XL scale of this model really gives it the heft those subscriber-sized ships don’t always have: with most of the saucer section and upper half of the primary hull cut from die-cast metal, the Enterprise-E is certainly a front-heavy design.
That added weight, however, is well-managed with the grip of the display stand that comes with this starship — and unlike some of the other model releases from the line we’ve seen, this ship is perfectly balanced when on display, and never threatens to be accidentally knocked off of the dock.
The hull markings on this model are also nicely crisp and clear — from the dozens of escape-pod hatches, to the grey-toned aztecing of hull plating, to the tight text of the starship name and registry number — but while it’s not quite as easy to see as the original Enterprise model, there are still a number of places where painted-on window markings don’t align with etched windows in the metal hull.
It’s nice to have the texture of ‘real’ windows, but at a certain point, one must wonder why these model designs aren’t simply updated to make these windows paint-only details, rather than trying (and failing) to fill in these tiny divots with coloring.
To be honest, though, the misaligned windows can get a bit lost in the overall set of hull markings on the Enterprise-E model; you do need to look somewhat closely to identify the issue.
Aside from that one small deficiency, the overall craftsmanship of this model is quite impressive, and that includes the the molded-plastic sections of the Enterprise-E.
The underside of the saucer and primary hull are filled with detail, from raised hull plating and the captain’s yacht to the golden deflector dish and Starfleet pennants. Bright red and blue plastic inserts add a nicely-saturated bit of color to the ship, each translucent which allow them to almost appear to glow in the right lighting.
The underside of the saucer and the paired warp nacelles each have a little bit of flex to them, but past that, there’s nothing to suggest any bit of delicacy in this model.
The XL USS Enterprise-E retails from Eaglemoss at $74.95 in the USA (and £49.99 in the UK shop) when buying individually, but drops to $59.95 if you subscribe to the Star Trek Starships XL program for ongoing delivery.
We’ll be back with reviews of the XL USS Enterprise-D and XL Enterprise NX-01 soon, along with more coverage of the Official Starships Collection throughout the month of December.
What are your thoughts on the Enterprise-E? Sound off in the comments below!
In Eaglemoss’ US store, TrekCore readers can use promo code TREKCORE at checkout for 10% off any ‘Star Trek’ collectible purchase $50 or greater (Starships, Plaques, Binders, Graphic Novels).