If it was made and some units delivered, I would think there would be a few photos out there of the production run in addition to what the company showed. If not, I'm now inclined to think it was a scam. A pity. Looked like a beautiful model.
News TOMY Star Trek Diecast Ship Replicas
- Thread starter Blackout
- Start date
It's a "crowdfunding" from a relatively known toy company with a scheduled eta of fall 2023 unless you are from the future in the present timeline is March 2023. Plenty of time.
Yeah, TOMY isn’t scamming anyone.
They’ve been providing monthly updates and it’s coming along pretty well. Here’s what they emailed for February:
As you all know, TOMY wanted to go where no one had gone before; replicating the original restored Studio Model that is on display at the National Air and Space Museum, complete with space dust & hull markings, to make this release a true jaw-dropper. We're happy to share a few first looks at some of the parts that will make this collectible truly remarkable.
Our NCC-1701 USS Enterprise will not only showcase amazing accuracy with its die-cast construction and lighting effects, but will also replicate the TOS Studio Model that is currently on display in the NASM (Smithsonian Institute). To do this, we’re under the watchful eye Gary Kerr, who not only supplied the correct paint chips, but also played a pivotal role on the restoration of the 11 foot long Studio Model in 2016. Along with Gary, a handful of other all star Star Trek-ians were also consulted, including Glen Swanson, Karl Tate, Matt Cushman, and Mark Myers.
TOMY's Project Manager on this endeavor, Rick Pettinger, pointed out that this vessel will boast 282+ deco operations, including tampo pad printing, 3D surface printing, spray effects, waterslide decals, labels, and electrostatic spray powder-coating.
Let us know what you think!
Project Update:
- Campaign fully funded and moving forward
- Tooling model has been approved by Paramount
- First shot models have arrived
- We're working on finalizing the package size and instruction sheet
- Look for more updates over the next few months!
I will admit I’m not super-stoked about the waterslide decals, I find they tend not to age well.
Waterslide are like the ones you'd get in plastic model kits. They're markings printed onto a thin adhesive film that when wetted activates the adhesive and then they're slid off of the backing paper onto the model.
They're a decent way to get very fine details, so presumably for this model they'll be used for something like the little "frame marker" numbers on the sides of the secondary hull or maybe even the signage on the underside of the saucer. The problem is the film material is so thin that it can get funny after a few years (cracks, peeling, etc.). There are things that can mitigate this (clear coating over them, for instance), but those things add additional expense and the pricing of this model is still in the realm of "mass produced" so it's unclear if they'd go that route.
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Wow. Looks like someone at TOMY doesn't like the seems either. If you check out their February post on their website, https://startrek.tomy.com/, someone with bad Photoshop skills painted out the seem. And they didn't do too good of a job since the lighting is unnaturally solid looking and the neck is bleeding into the saucer section!
You're aware that the pic you posted is of the actual filming model at the Smithsonian, right?Wow. Looks like someone at TOMY doesn't like the seems either. If you check out their February post on their website, https://startrek.tomy.com/, someone with bad Photoshop skills painted out the seem. And they didn't do too good of a job since the lighting is unnaturally solid looking and the neck is bleeding into the saucer section!
It’s always going to be relatively prominent because the saucer and engineering sections are separate parts - presumably built that way to help avoid damage during shipping, but marketed as a “saucer sep” feature.
They just sent an update:
"Dear Star Trek fan,
Greetings Star Trek Fans! Thank you again for your support on the NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise.
We are sorry to keep you waiting! As promised below are the pictures of the final sample with the highlight being the plug holes on the right side. We also included a copy of the Certificate of Authentication that will be included with every NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise. While production is in full swing, it will be ready to warp over to Earth before you know it! We will continue sharing more pictures of the NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise next month, including the shuttles."
As well as a picture:
Not liking the plastic base stand at all. It looks terrible. A solid clear piece would be better than that jigsaw looking monstrosity.
This stand looks much better on their web page:
"Dear Star Trek fan,
Greetings Star Trek Fans! Thank you again for your support on the NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise.
We are sorry to keep you waiting! As promised below are the pictures of the final sample with the highlight being the plug holes on the right side. We also included a copy of the Certificate of Authentication that will be included with every NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise. While production is in full swing, it will be ready to warp over to Earth before you know it! We will continue sharing more pictures of the NCC-1701 U.S.S. Enterprise next month, including the shuttles."
As well as a picture:
Not liking the plastic base stand at all. It looks terrible. A solid clear piece would be better than that jigsaw looking monstrosity.
This stand looks much better on their web page:
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I sort of wish the plug holes had been on the port side, since that was the unfinished side of the 11-footer. The seam on the warp engines looks much better on this most recent test article than the previous one, which is good.
Presumably the stand is like that because this ship is supposed to weigh around 9kg/20lbs, so the it needs to be much more robust.
Presumably the stand is like that because this ship is supposed to weigh around 9kg/20lbs, so the it needs to be much more robust.
I'm a backer of this project, and have been very underwhelmed at their updates to backers. We spent $600 for this, and they provide us with the bare minimum of updates. Last month they promised us pictures of the final sample. This month they show us two cropped pictures barely showing anything. What are they hiding? Compare this to their new project, the Delorean, with tons of info and place for backers to discuss/offer feedback.
And that stand is awful. We are getting a die-cast ship sitting on a big hunk of ugly plastic stand. It totally cheapens the look. It should at least be solid, hiding all that internal structure. I hope there will be some aftermarket/etsy people who will create a classier stand.
They need to do better if they want us to spend another $600+ on the next ship.
And that stand is awful. We are getting a die-cast ship sitting on a big hunk of ugly plastic stand. It totally cheapens the look. It should at least be solid, hiding all that internal structure. I hope there will be some aftermarket/etsy people who will create a classier stand.
They need to do better if they want us to spend another $600+ on the next ship.
FWIW the Enterprise -G from FE costs ~15K.
you could probably commission Bill Krause to build you one for less with the added bonus of it coming from the actual designer.
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