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Star Trek Model Kits: Wonderfest Count Down. 2…
Today, I’m placing the focus back on Star Trek model kits. Some times we get to a point in our development plan when we have to figure out “is this kit worth doing?”. Or in the case of today’s kits “what could we do to this kit to make it worth doing?”. We have to weigh the expense of course. In the case of today’s first kit, our appetite was originally bigger than our mouth…
U.S.S. Enterprise 1701D 1:1400 scale. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this one before. Essentially the story goes like this. We wanted to eliminate the inaccurate raised detail from the ship, fix up some other details here and there, add a new base and add a set of Aztec decals. What we found out was that the raised details were probably added by the same means that the raised panels were added to the original AMT Enterprise Refit. We were told that the tools could not be modified this intensely and that new tools would be needed. The cost of which could have bought us two or three other entirely new kits. In addition to that, the mechanics of one of the tools was also substantially damaged. In the end, we canceled that iteration of the ship. So we took a step back and said “is there anything we could do with this kit at all?” After all, it is one of the most well known versions of the ship. After some serious thought, we thought about the requests we get for clear versions of various Star Trek ships. We figured, we’d fix the mechanical part, inject it in clear, fix up a couple fit issues here and there and add in our signature decals. So that’s what we’ve done. We’ll have our buildup with prototype decals on it as well as a clear test shot built on display at the show.
We’ll also have a prototype buildup of our new release of the U.S.S. Reliant. Again, we’ve invested in some key revisions in this kit. We have thickened the saucer, eliminated the inaccurate lines around the edge of the saucer as well as the “window” pock marks on the forward bulkhead and lastly, added ridge detail around the bridge dome that had been missing for unknown reasons. On top of all that, we are adding a new base which is essentially a bigger version of the one included in our 1:1000 scale Refit. To keep the price of the kit reasonable, we have decided to leave out the Aztec decals from this release and offer them as a separate item. The kit still includes all of the expected markings, etc. We’ve done our best to make this kit, if not 100% accurate, at least more appealing.
I’ve said before that The Reliant is probably my favorite Star Trek ship but of the enemy vessels, one has always really appealed to me. That is the Klingon Bird of Prey. I like it for the polar opposite reasons why I like its Romulan ancestor. The Klingon ship show conveys the aggression that is synonymous with its people. We’ve added some new and significant parts to this little birdie. First, we have adjusted the baffle angles to match the stance in Star trek III: The Search For Spock. In cruising mode, the wings raise above horizontal and as much as I like the aggressive attack stance, the original kit took it a touch to far. On top of that, we’ve decided to include a brand new “pose” for the kit- a “landed” pose. For the first time, the kit will include all of the parts to show the ship in its landed stance as seen in ST3 complete with ramp and a third set of wing baffles. We’ll add a little bit of real estate onto the decal sheet to finish it off. We will have a buildup of the adjusted wing angles and mockup parts of the landing gear to show off.
Tomorrow… Batmobile.
I for one welcome our new baffle-y overlords.
I really hope you have a 1/1000 Reliant for me, somewhere in that bag of yours.
>…new tools would be needed. The cost of which could have bought us two or three other entirely new kits.
Quantity over quality or quality over quantity -always a tough choice.
“For the cost of 2 or 3 new kits”, why not just make a new 1701-D from scratch if that is the case with one or two other new kits? Also, this does not seem to bode well for a smoothie Refit ever coming to market ever again?
first off you guys are doing an amazing job! i can’t express how much it means as a consumer to finally have a company that not only asks for your input but actually listens and implements as much as they can! bravo!
secondly now i’m mad at you guys, coming out with a bird of prey with landing gear and a ramp!! do you know how long i’ve been spending on scratch building just that very thing!! ugh! oh well, i’ll just have to stop doing what i’m doing on my model and have to wait for the beauty that i know that you will produce.(BTW not really mad)one question though, are you guys going to add the painted on hms bounty that kirks crew painted on the sides to the decal sheet? would be kind of silly to do all the landing stuff and not include it.
third, the ent-d in clear!! you guys rock!! i’ve been drilling windows out for months and i’m not even half way done. not to mention filling them with clear resin. you’ve already got my money when this comes out. are you planning to do the other trek ships in clear if this sells well? your enterprise-e would be a good model for this treatment.
fourth the reliant. i would have bought one just the way they were but now i’ve got to make room on the shelf for this one. are you just doing the original parts in clear or are you adding things like the grills on the nacelles in clear like you did on the 1/1000 refit enterprise?
keep up the good work. your slowly driving me broke but i love it!!!!!
…To keep the price of the kit reasonable, we have decided to leave out the Aztec decals from this release and offer them as a separate item.
Checked a few sites that list this kit, it’s being priced between $24-$39. The Aztec decals are not yet listed on these sites. Would including the Aztec decals really add that much to the price? How much are these decals going for? Disappointed in this, they should be included as I think most modelers would end up using them anyway.
“The cost of which could have bought us two or three other entirely new kits.”
So since you didn’t update it what or the 2 or 3 other entirely new kits. 🙂
As always you guys are doing great work over there.
I was really wanting a clear version of this to hang cloaked
over the 1/350 A , but landing gear… great idea too going to have to get a couple of theses and 3 of the clear 1/1400 D …. I need another job 🙂
but then i would just have a larger stack of kits i have not finished yet 🙂
How about a 1/1000 RBoP & KBoP to go with the D-7? Looking forward to a 1/1000 reliant to go with the A.
It’s just great to hear that RC2 is coming out with
a well needed improved U.S.S.Reliant kit. They really
seem to be on the right track with TREK.
“Now that’s more like it”.
I would love to see RC2 re-release the old AMT/ERTL
Pro-Shop Star Trek U.S.S. Yamaguchi kit. Ertl was
close but there were more add-on parts needed to
make the Enterprise-C and the Yamaguchi more accurate.
Some photos of the Picard-era Ambassador-Class starships
that I have seen are very different than the kit that Ertl
offered.
*ahem* the name of our company is Round 2. We are not RC2. Just wanted to clarify. Glad you like our plans. You may “see” another version of the Enterprise next year.
Sorry about that JamieH thanks for the Spell-check. By the
way that other version of the Enterprise that you spoke of
would that be the 1701-C?
Love the ideal of the BOP with landing gear. Do you have any plans on doing the Romulan BOP from TOS? Please say yes.
Sounds like the 350TOS. Rumor has it, if they do that, they can’t do anything else. I say, with the bounty of trek kits from this year alone (18 models announced and in production in all), that the 350T is a MUST HAVE fro 2011. Save 2012 for the next round of new and repops. This gives you guys a year to strategize on the next push.
The decision of the 350tos is one where Quality must trump Quantity. Quality of one grail kit must win out over quantity of numerous ‘lesser’ re-pop kits.
I love the new aztec decals, wish they came with the Reliant but I’ll be getting them for sure. How about making a set for the 1/1400 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E and I’ll buy those as well.
MM- If we do the big TOS ship we would still be doing repops, but they wouldn’t be as improved as the ones we announced at the show. That means they would pretty much be the same kits everyone has but with new box art. We wouldn’t be doing any other new tools for sci-fi at all. It’s easy to say throw all of our eggs in the Big E basket. Financially, we still need product rolling through the market at the same time to stay afloat.
I wanted to take a moment to tell the folks at Round 2 how much I am impressed with what they have done these past years. Bringing back such old kits as: Mr. Spock, The Vulcan Shuttle, The K-7 Space Station… What is most impressive is the fact that your company is actually in touch with what the buyers want to see and also your dedication to making your kits (old and new releases) better and more detailed. The upcoming release of the “Romulan Bird of Prey” is a great example of this. For “old modelers”, such as myself, it is important to have a kit which is a close as possible to the actual studio models used on such shows as Star Trek. You have made a great effort to accomplish this which was not the case ten or twenty years ago. The stands (with steel pole) you now include with the kits add to the beauty of the presentation of the model, much better than the cheap plastic stands of years gone by. The fact that you have worked with the actual designer of some of the Trek studio models and the interviews and articles you post on your site is just wonderful. I could on but let me just say, keep up the great work and I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with next! By the way, are you still working on releasing a 1:350 classic Enterprise? That would be so cool! Steve B. (Canada)
Round 2,
I was just reading that their is another delay for the release of the 2009 U.S.S. Enterprise, the date now reads April 2011, could you please fill us with some details.
fortress
I’ll give an update on the New E sometime soon.
Dear Round2 Models,
As you already know, there is a growing HUGE market for the Star Trek model collectors as well as the builders.
The new line up of kits you have come out with are nothing short of PHENOMENAL!
However, there are a few Star trek ships that I would like to know about.
Is there any possibility in the future of a Nebula Class starship model kit coming out from Polar Lights or AMT? I know for a certainty this kit would be flying off the assembly line at Polar Lights or AMT!
And is there any possibility that this kit could be set up for lighting by using a clear styrene mixture like in the Special Edition USS Enterprise NCC-1701D coming out in November of 2010?
Also is there any possibility that Polar Lights or AMT is coming out with The Romulan Scout?
Thanks so much for bringing new kits out to Star Trek fans like myself like the new release of the Reliant, the Akira and the Steamrunner Class!
airwolfflies
This is all fine dandy but as a retailer and a builder the question I have is “when is the ACTUAL date these kits are coming out…really?” Because, frankly, I don’t believe R2 when they say now that these kits will be released in January 2011 and neither should any consumers.
The reason is simple: R2 never gets ANY Trek kits released when they say they will or even close to those dates. This is at least the third delay in the release of all of these new kits since I initially placed my orders in August with my distributor (and I know that there were several delays before that but I wasn’t keeping track of them at that point as I hadn’t placed any orders). ALL of the new kits I ordered had release dates in August of October or November 2010 and it is unconscionable that your company continues to announce release dates that they knowingly will not meet ESPECIALLY before the holiday season when they are well aware that retailers are making their orders based on holiday demand.
I certainly understand that kits take longer to produce than expected but this is standard business practice for R2 and NO ONE else in the toy and hobby industry has a record as poor as yours when it comes to release dates. You over-promise and under-deliver on every single Trek kit you have released for the last – what is it… four years now? You put your retailers and distributors in a very bad position and I’m just glad that I didn’t make the mistake of pre-selling this year.
Again, it’s one thing to take longer than expected, but start being honest with your distributors, retailers and consumers on release dates. We’d much rather you conservatively estimate a release date and have it ready earlier than expected than set us up for unrealistic release dates over and over again and having them repeatedly pushed back.
Still looking forward to these kits, but I have a feeling that we won’t be seeing them for a while.
Hi LV Shipyards- We fully understand your position and discussed just yesterday our plan to correct these issues in the future. I personally apologize to everyone late releases has impacted. I doubt I can offer any excuse or reason that will truly satisfy anyone. We are taking steps to improve but no words I write or say will be worth us hitting the dates we originally state. All of the work on our end for 2010 Trek kits is finished, the kits have been put into production weeks ago and will be shipped right away once finished.