A couple of months back, Hornby let slip that they were looking to get into the sci-fi universe by offering a range of Star Trek-related products. Today, they confirmed the rumors on Facebook with the following post:
“Happy First Contact Day! We’re delighted to confirm that Corgi will be returning to The Final Frontier later this year as we begin to release a new range of officially licensed models from the Star Trek Universe!”
Its a sort of cryptic message with little substance behind it, since it still isn’t clear if they plan to resurrect the Eaglemoss line of Star Trek starships or launch their own fleet from the Trek yards. Either way, its welcome news for both Trekkies and diecast collectors, all of whom are eager to live out their next five year mission with the help of Corgi warping into space in the captain’s chair alongside them.
Every so often we sit back and are forced to do a double-take at some of the items coming to market. While there are many products rooted in the past – after all, we are selling historical collectibles – one looks to tear a page out of Star Trek lore to help generate interest and take a shot at melding fact with fantasy.
Such is the case with Hobby Master’s latest Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (HA1044), which was profiled in the nineteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. In the episode dubbed “Tomorrow is Yesterday”, the crew of the USS Enterprise accidentally travels back to 1960s Earth and must correct damage they cause to the timeline.
On stardate 3113.2, the Federation starship USS Enterprise is thrown back in time to Earth during the 1960s by the effects of a high-gravity “black star“. The Enterprise ends up in Earth’s upper atmosphere, and is picked up as a UFO on military radar.
Fearing Christopher could disrupt the timeline if returned to Earth, Kirk at first decides that the pilot must stay with the Enterprise. When Science Officer Spock later discovers that the pilot’s as-yet-unborn son will play an important role in a future mission to Saturn, Kirk realizes he must return Christopher to Earth after all.
After learning of the existence of film taken of the Enterprise by Christopher’s wing cameras, Kirk and Lt. Sulu beam down to the airbase to recover the film and any other evidence of their visit. They are caught by an Air Policeman, who accidentally activates an emergency signal on Kirk’s communicator and is immediately beamed aboard. Kirk and Sulu continue their search, after which Kirk is captured again and Sulu escapes.
Spock, Sulu, and Christopher, who knows the base’s layout, beam down to recover Kirk. After Kirk’s guards are subdued, Christopher grabs one of their guns and demands to be left behind. Spock, having anticipated Christopher would make such an attempt, appears behind Christopher and disables him with a Vulcannerve pinch.
After they return to the ship, Spock and Chief Engineer Scott inform Kirk of a possible escape method by slingshotting around the Sun to break away and return to their time. The maneuver is risky, since even a small miscalculation could destroy the ship, or make them miss their own era.
Kirk okays the maneuver, and time on board the Enterprise moves backwards. Christopher is beamed back to his fighter jet at the instant he first encountered the Enterprise, preventing any evidence of the ship being produced, and erasing his memory of his time on the Enterprise. The same is done with the Air Policeman. Enterprise then successfully returns to the 23rd century.
While we don’t suggest performing the same slingshotting maneuver, or advocate turning back time to score higher on your college entrance exams, its comforting to know that at least one model maker is willing to take a chance by setting aside history and dabbling in the “What if.”
The 2017 Star Trek Convention, which will be convened from August 2nd-6th in Las Vegas, Nevada, will no doubt play host to lots of new Eaglemoss announcements, as well as sample images for some of the products expected later this year. For more information on the event, we recommend you beam over to this link: https://www.creationent.com/cal/st_lasvegas.html
Summer viewing or winter, large screen or small, it appears as if the makers of Star Trek have got everyone covered for the foreseeable future, that is, if they like all things Star Trek. The new trailer for the feature-length film, Star Trek Beyond, is out as is the first look at the upcoming TV series set to air on CBC and CBS On Demand.
Sometimes I’m blown away by the creativity some online enthusiasts exhibit when imagination takes hold. In the case of the Eaglemoss Star Trek Starships series, one fan boldly went where the manufacturer may or may not decide to trek over the course of product development. Not only did he flesh out some of the ships found in the Star Trek universe, but he even went so far as to render the magazine covers with the ships on them, making the finished goods look every bit as convincing as the real McCoy. You can check out his handiwork here: GlykokalyxBlog
We’ve just learned that we will soon be receiving several new Star Trek spaceships just before the holidays, and, perhaps more importantly, the first special edition release in the series – the Deep Space 9 Space Station. Long coveted by Trekkies world over, we thought that we might not be able to obtain this item, since it seemed to be sold out from other sources and going for a premium at other retail sites.
Other ships expected by year’s end are a Federation Runabout (ST0032), Cardassian Hideki Class Fighter (ST0033) and a Vulcan Surok Class starship (ST0034). Live long and prosper.
According to StarTrek.com, the proposed Paramount London Resort, scheduled to open southeast of London in 2020, will feature a Star Trek-themed area, that will include rides, attractions and other Star Trek-related cornucopia.
More information concerning the planned park, as well as other areas within the resort, can be found here: http://www.startrek.com/article/paramount-london-resort-with-trek-attraction-2020-opening
We’ve had great success with the Eaglemoss range of military vehicles and warships so when word reached us that a new line of collectibles was now available we jumped at the opportunity. Later this month, we will be receiving the first squadron of Star Trek-related merchandise, which replicates many of the most iconic ships seen in the TV series and feature films. While there is no set scale for these items, we believe that their intricate detail, affordable price and collectible nature will more than make up for any size deficiencies. We should have the entire range listed on our web site by August 6th and can be found within our Military Science Fiction section. Live long and prosper!
