Throughout the subscription build of their 1:900 scale U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D model, Eaglemoss offered various ‘Special Issues’. An opt-out email was typically sent in advance, but these specials were automatically sent and were billed in addition to the monthly subscription if no action was taken.

The first of these Special Issues was the Enterprise Shuttles – Set 1, the second was the Limited Edition Print, and the third was Enterprise Shuttles – Set 2. For the fourth Special Issue, we have this Enterprise Shuttles – Set 3! Here, we have another boxed set containing two more large-scale replica models of shuttlecraft as seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe. Each shuttlecraft model is about 5″ long (12.7 cm) and includes:

• A display stand with the shuttlecraft name on the bottom (basic assembly required – it just snaps together).
• A 5.75 x 7.25″ (145 x 185 mm) magazine containing information about the shuttlecraft, plan views, a two-page Okudagram schematic, the episodes that shuttlecraft was shown in, and how it was designed.
• A 4.74 x 3.125″ (120 x 80 mm) transparent plastic Okudagram of the shuttle’s ‘Master Systems Display’ schematic with two small black supports to hold it upright.

Type 7 Shuttlecaft

“Intended as a short to medium range shuttle, the Type 7 Shuttlecraft was equipped with warp drive and capable of interstellar travel. Typically operated by a crew of two, the rear of the shuttle also offered seating for passengers. Usually, a Type 7 would carry no armaments, and had only minimal deflector shield defenses.”

Eaglemoss misspelled Enterprise on the rear of this shuttle – how did that happen?

As before, I cut a piece of white printer paper to the same shape as the plastic Okudagram card and placed it behind it. It is not a huge difference, but it does make it a bit easier to read:

Type 9A Cargo Shuttlecraft

“The Type 9A was 10.5 meters long, 4.2 meters wide, and had a height of 3.6 meters. The unarmed, standard version of the 9A was powered by two, 150 millicochrane warp engines and could maintain a cruising speed of warp 2 for 36 hours.”

In the same way, I placed a piece of white printer paper behind this Okudagram as well:

Thoughts

Like the previous set, these shuttles cost m3 $60 USD including shipping, but are actually quite detailed. The details are nice on these shuttles, but I am surprised by the Enterprise misspelling on the Type 7. I also think the warp nacelles on my Hawking are bit crooked. While this is our last set of shuttles, I still feel these have been some of the best Special Issues I have received with any partwork subscription!

After building two issues back-to-back of our Enterprise partwork model, we have run into another delay here in the US. Here is the notice posted today by Eaglemoss Customer Service USA on Facebook:

UPDATE March 30, 2022: A general update from the Eaglemoss Customer Service USA page on Facebook:

UPDATE May 9, 2022: I have finally received a shipping notification for Stages 59-62!

UPDATE May 13, 2022: Stages 59-62 have arrived safely!

UPDATE June 14, 2022: While waiting for more parts to arrive, I took a couple months to entirely remodel my Enterprise D. During this time, I was receiving shipments very regularly. Even today, I received Issue 21 with Stages 79-82. I am excited that Eaglemoss seems to have sorted out their stock issues in the US. Therefore, work will resume on the model very shortly!

UPDATE July 12, 2022: Today, Eaglemoss Limited (parent company of Eaglemoss US supplying this model) has filed for bankruptcy.

If you signed up for the subscription-based version of the Eaglemoss 1:900 scale U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D partwork build-up, you were supposed to receive four FREE gifts along the way. The first three gifts were a Collector’s Binder, a Screw Box, and a T-Shirt. Our final free gift is this Display Stand.

The Display Stand arrives in a huge triangular shipping box and contains a basic aluminum folding tripod and a paper cover:

The Tripod

NOTE: All measurements listed on this page are approximate.

The upper end of this tripod has a 50 mm (2″) long solid aluminum rod riveted into place. The upper 48mm of this rod has been machined into a 15 mm x 15 mm square. This is the section that fits up into a matching hole on the underside of the Battle Section to support the model:

To extend the legs of the tripod, there is a thumb screw that needs to be loosened. Once the legs are in the position you desire, the thumb screw should be tightened back up:

With the tripod set at full height, it is about 790 mm (31″) tall:

When set to the shortest height, the tripod is about 560 mm (22″) tall and 470 mm (18.5″) wide across the legs:

The Cover

The included cover is made out of tri-fold color-printed cardstock and requires assembly. There is a adhesive strip on one edge and the backing paper needs to be removed:

With the adhesive strip exposed, the cover can be folded into a pyramid shape and secured together. This cover ‘pyramid’ ends up being 718 mm (28.25″) wide and 355mm (14″) tall:

The cover then slides down over the vertical rod of the tripod. The legs of the tripod can then be adjusted to match the shape of the cover:

With the tripod set to match the width of the cover (at a height of about 635 mm or 25″), here is the final product:

Thoughts

I think this Display Stand is terrible. I usually find the positive qualities in things, but there are just too many negatives:

• It is obnoxiously large
  • I would need a shelf/table at least two feet deep to use it
  • It is too tall – I do not want my expensive Enterprise model hovering two feet off the surface
• The graphics on the cover panels are about as basic as they can be
• The cover itself is just paper and will easily become damaged and/or degrade over time
• The square tip cannot be rotated to position the ship on the base – this also limits where the stand can be used

Now, I can understand if a large base is needed to support the model. The saucer end of our Enterprise D will be heavier than the stardrive end. Even the studio models had this problem. However, there are so many other ways this base could have been designed with that limitation in mind. This Display Stand feels cheap and rushed, even as a free gift. It is too bad that Eaglemoss could not have expanded on the stand they are still advertising as coming with the UK subscriptions:

All I know is that this Display Stand will never be used and will likely end up in the trash. Now that I know the mounting tip dimension, I will be creating my own custom display stand. I apologize for the rant and want to thank you all for visiting!