That screen shot is from STIII, when the Excelsior was introduced as an experimental starship. That Eaglemoss model is from STVI, when Captain Sulu commanded it.
even so, the EAGLEMOSS is way, WAY off-model of either studio variant, as is the ART ASYLUM/DIAMOND SELECT, although that one is far more accurate...
sizing issues are still a trick, the studio model was what, three, four feet long? that eaglemoss model is barely six inches, and art asylum has twice the amount of surface to work with.
the HOT WHEELS NCC-2000 is about six or seven inches long, and it is actually the most Studio-Accurate to date, even if it is rather lacking in surface detail;
In some cases it's a matter of lighting too. Quite often the studio props look very different under regular lights. Have you been able to compare the Eaglemoss kits to the studio models?
I confess I never cared for the look of Excelsior. There was no consistent design style across it's form IMO. Rounded nacelles but square 90 degree pylons. Rounded saucer section and then a giant square backpack for the impulse engines. Then there was that neck! It looked like the hull and saucer section were joined by a giant bendy straw.
indeed it is. and i'm not at all talking about studio lighting of any kind. my concern is the actual physical form factor. no scale representation of the NX/NCC-2000 currently available perfectly reflects the physical lines of the studio model, but the EAGLEMOSS seems the worst offender by far, whilst the HOT WHEELS, for the most part, actually comes remarkably close. what i am ultimately asking for is a scale replica that actually makes me feel like i am holding that Studio model right in my hand. not really all that much of an absurd request 20 full years into the 21st century...
I made the mistake of selling mine way back. Luckily I paid less for a new one in a box than I got for my loose original! I just wish it had a display stand like the later Playmates ships. Do I really have to buy the Space Talk version just for the stand?
Mine also came without a stand (but if I remember correctly, the box did show one, but there was no space reserved for it). No regret on my side. Should've sold him a long time ago. The day I got him I compared him to the diagram in the TNG tech manual and immediately noticed the proportions weren't right. And then there's the bare plastic and stickers. No, also got the AGT version from art asylum or whomever, and like that one a whole lot better.
Hallmark's 2020 ornaments went on sale this weekend... this is the first year they haven't produced a starship ornament proper, instead going with a storyteller-themed assortment where all the figures and the tree topper connect together and play lights and voice clips from Mirror, Mirror... the figure sculpts aren't anything to write home about...this is something Hallmark has gotten kind of lazy about for the past few years now...blobby facial sculpts with minimal paint (you can see what can be achievable in this small scale with Hasbro's Star Wars 4" line with realistic face deco added) and hook loops right on top of their heads (they used to avoid doing that and put longer hangers out of the back or elsewhere...could be worse, this year's Vader has one right out of his forehead)... the tree topper is large and impressive but is essentially a Diamond Select ship (almost exactly the same size) with light up nacelles, saucer domes and landing bay light, along with the base... all of these, when connected together, will play the scenes in sequence from Mirror, Mirror (Spock, Scotty and Bones no doubt coming in 2021...Chekov gets left behind yet again) and its fun (their Star Wars ships storytellers ran the past 3 years and recreated the story of Episode IV)...but the Trek series isn't quite as fun as it could be, since only the bases of the figures light up (not like Star Wars where the cockpits, engines or whatnot would glow) and the tree topper is really overpriced at $150 when it is the equivalent of a DST ship...
You could also buy the battle-damaged version of the Enterprise-D to get a stand, although it's the later DS9-era insignia style. That's what I ended up doing... buying the stand from that version (although in my case it came in a mismatched set with the gold repainted Enterprise). I don't mind much that it's the later insignia... it matches my Defiant and DS9 is my favorite Trek show anyway. But I admit I always keep an eye on eBay in case a cheap, beat-up Space Talk version with its stand pops up. Ordered my tree topper this morning. You're right, it's overpriced... but I've been collecting the Trek ship ornaments since the very first one (in 1991, when I was junior high, holy cow!). So I'm not gonna pass on the tree topper... it'd tie together a whole Trek tree. I'm to the point where I could essentially have two Chrtistmas trees going... one with more traditional ornaments and one that's entirely nerd ornaments.
I really wish they put more effort into the ornaments...that first Enterprise was awkward looking but it had blinky lights and the Galileo shuttlecraft with Nimoy's holiday greeting was a really great piece...only the tribbles scene ornament (the one with the tribbles falling over and over onto Kirk) from recent times was really nice in that vein..the lazy ones with the two figures that play a dialogue scene are really boring... not sure why they skipped doing regular ship this year...it's not like they don't have options from Discovery, like their USS Enterprise, that could have been done... and the tree-topper really should have been the Mirror Enterprise to fit with the figures!
Yeah, actually I should be clear, I never get the human figures... just the ships. The humans always just look off to me, and I don't really like having ornaments of realistic humans on my tree. Just personal preference. I do love the way the ships look, though. Although ,yeah, my favorite ones are the older ones that plugged into the light cords and stayed lit and blinking. They're more festive.... if a bit of a pain because you need either a light string or a legacy cord to plug them in. I think the only one I've missed is the little black ship from Nemesis with Data and Picard in it. I wasn't a fan of that design or that film, so I skipped it... though chances are I'll circle back and pick it up someday.
Not having a traditional ship ornament this year is a huge bummer. The topper looks nice, but I have one I like that's more classic. Guess I'll be skipping Trek ornaments this year for the first time since the series made its debut.
EE just emailed me saying Diamond Select Enterprise-D reissue is cancelled. Did you ever get yours from EE?
You know, considering the age of that figure, it has a remarkably accurate sculpt. I keep meaning to pick up some more figures from that line. A local shop carries a bunch of those...need to get back there and pick through them.
