By:
OneAngryDwrf
I just gotta say, these toys are great. Its just what the doctor ordered for all of that "Aint got no new Trek toys in a long time" Blues. I cant wait for the second set, and I hope this line goes on for many waves to come. The detailing is very nice for the size. Now the first thing you'll notice when you open these up is that they are indeed made of plastic. I'm sure this will have a lot of folk in a huff because it says Die-cast on the package, but its really not a big deal. Making them in metal would have driven the price higher since it is a harder material to cast with. So, at about 3 or 4 bucks a pop, I think they are just fine. Also, there are some forms of diecast manufacturing (or so it is claimed)in plastics, so technically they weren't lying, but metal ships in the vein of the old Dinky, Corgi, and Ertl lines would have been nice. The Stands, however, are metal and are quite heavy. For what its worth...
I think its pretty obvious that Johnny Lightning was looking hard at the Japanese offerings from Furuta when they made these ships. They are roughly the same size as those toys and are similarly constructed. I will say that the JL ships are a bit higher in quality, and the paint applications are quite nice in this first offering. They are all very nice, but I think the Original Series Enterprise really stands out in this set. Whoever sculpted this toy really put alot of love into it. Everything looks just right, and the details are superb. The painted on windows really fill out the detail on the ship. Its really the best of this wave so far, and its all in the details. Oh and get this... I stood the JL 1701 next to the Furuta 1701-A, and it looks like they are just about in the correct scale to eachother! I think that is fantastic, plus it is really cool to have the whole Enterprise lineage lined up (when you combine the JL and Furuta lines) Too bad I don't have the Furuta Enterprise-E... Sigh, but thats a compaint for another day...
As much as I love the NX-01 (it was the ship I was most excited about having in a small scale) I have to say that the sculpting doesnt seem as nice as on the Original Enterprise. Its still a great toy, but the detailing seems less fine tuned and the painting in kind of plain. It is just silver with some details added on the surface. There are a lot of great details on it, but I really think that the painted on windows similar to the original Series Enterprise would have helped fill in some blank spaces on this ship. Still, all in all its a great ship, and I am glad to have one in a handy size. One irk though... The nacelles are not straight on my NX-01 and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!! ARGH!!! Nothing gets me more than warp nacelles that arent straight! This is gonna bug me for a while I'm sure. Anyways, moving along.
I'm really glad they made the Reliant. Its truly A SHIP THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE more often. As with the rest of the line the detailing in very good. Although the colors seem a little bright in some areas like the recessed panels underneath the torpedo pod. Its funny, both the JL Reliant and the Furuta Reliant have things that each does superior to the other. I will definately have to snap some side by side shots and do a thorough comparison... At any rate the Reliant rocks, and I am so glad to have it in any form for it is one of my favorite ships.
I guess thats enough talk for now. Lets get to some pics!
