Eaglemoss’ newest entry in their XL Starships Collection fleet is here, and their large-scale 10″ USS Voyager is in nearly every sense a phenomenal improvement over their first-year Intrepid-class release from 2013.
Nearly four times as large as Eaglemoss’ original Voyager model first released four years ago, the new XL Voyager is a step up in weight and dimension, but is probably the best implementation of the scaled-up releases the company has produced to date.
While some of Eaglemoss’ other XL editions have been basically just enlarged releases of their earlier starships — though the Enterprise-D offered color corrections and the Enterprise-E did offer some detail improvement — the Voyager model offers much clearer structural components and a much greater range of surface detailing that the original Voyager ship looks like a toy compared to this new version.
It may seem hyperbolic, but the detail improvements on the 10″ Voyager really are the standout feature of this larger-scale release. To more clearly illustrate where this praise is coming from, here’s a set of direct feature comparisons from the new ship against the 2013 Voyager — I’m sure you’ll agree this is quite a step up!
From the main sensor cluster on the forward hull to the tiny markings on the escape pod hatches scattered around the Intrepid-class ship, nearly every square inch of the XL Voyager is filled with familiar Starfleet design elements.
The ship has some serious heft to it, as well: the upper surface of the hull, trailing back to the deck of the hanger runway is all comprised of Eaglemoss’ signature die-cast metal.
While certain textural details are softer than comparable renders in the underside’s injected-plastic components, areas like the bridge module and aft torpedo launchers still pack a visual punch.
I’ve sung a lot of this new Voyager model’s praises, and well deserved — but like the previous XL Starships releases, this ship isn’t perfect. Like our primary criticism of the Enterprise NX-01 model, the plastic stand that comes with Voyager is really not as supportive as it needs to be for a model this front-heavy.
The V-shaped grip really needs to have some longer lower-rung supports to hold this ship securely; the center of gravity on the XL Voyager is about an inch ahead of where the stand ends and the ship slides off its perch quite easily. (I ended up adding a bit of friction tape to the stand to keep it from falling quite so easily.)
In addition, the familiar window-alignment issue returns once more to detract from the Voyager model’s overall presentation. As asked back when the Enterprise-D model faced similar paint alignment problems, why does Eaglemoss still include window divots in their tooling if the paint isn’t going to be even close to the target?
Honestly, while the window issue is as annoying as ever, it’s really the only thing we take issue with on the XL Voyager model. For the price, it’s something that we’d love to see corrected, but at this point it’s almost become a staple of the Eaglemoss starships.
Overall, though, this model is such a step up in detail and presentation from the original that it may just be our favorite of the XL Starships line to date. I just wish we could flip up the nacelles to their at-warp position to really make the ship come to life!
The ship also includes the standard Official Starships Collection magazine, this time focusing on the development and casting of Star Trek: Voyager rather than duplicating the starship technical details found in the original Voyager model magazine.
Here’s some more of this 10″ starship for your review:
The XL edition of the USS Voyager is up for sale now, retailing for preorder in the US at $74.95 and shipping now in the UK at £49.99 — and should be shipping out to US collectors soon.
Looking ahead to future special releases, while the Discovery starships are set to launch next month, Eaglemoss is venturing back into the Kelvin Timeline this March with their Star Trek Beyond-edition USS Enterprise, a model based on the revised starship seen at the beginning of the film.
We’ve got more reviews from the Official Starships Collection coming soon, including our look at the USS Enterprise XV-330 ringship, Andy Probert’s prototype Ambassador-class model, and more, so keep checking back to TrekCore!
In the meantime, share your thoughts on the XL Voyager model in the comments below!
In Eaglemoss’ US store, TrekCore readers can use promo code TREKCORE at checkout for 10% off any ‘Star Trek’ collectible purchase $60 or greater (some exclusions apply).