In late 2013, Eaglemoss kicked off their line of “special issue” releases for The Official Starship Collection with a special issues to the Star Trek Starships Collection by releasing a 6″ model of Cardassian space station Deep Space 9 — which we reviewed a few years ago.
Now, fans of the hero starbase from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can pick up a larger-sized edition of the Bajoran-owned station, as Deep Space 9 expands into the XL Starships Collection — and it’s not just scaled up, but a refined edition of the station with updated paint coloring and texture details.
The Eaglemoss XL Starships are larger format models of ships (and this station) released to date. While some of the XL ships have been disappointing their lack of additional detail — like the disappointing Starfleet runabout — many include a number of features or details that could not be included on the smaller ships due to size considerations.
The Nor-class starbase is a gorgeous design, developed primarily by Herman Zimmerman and Rick Sternbach — and this larger 8-inch release is a marked improvement over the original, smaller 6-inch special edition.
With the exception of Ops and the six docking pylons which surround the perimeter, the XL-sized Deep Space 9 is almost completely formed from die-cast metal. That makes this is a heavy model, but the metallic sheen which breaks through the paint works very well for the Cardassian space station.
The detail on the model is also impressive, with the 8-inch version offering more definition to a number of features along the habitat and docking rings, as well as the central core. Because of its larger size, the smaller details of the core section like the subspace communications antennae are nicely rendered.
The added crispness of the details on the model also allows for the splashes of color to really pop in a way that they do not on the original — like the bright red ‘glow’ of the station’s fusion reactors, which were a dull puce coloring on the first release, or the inset sections of the docking ring and pylons, now a shiny bronze.
The model also has a number of window markings all around the habitat ring and the central core, and I am pleased to report — on the model I am reviewing, at least — that the windows are well aligned to the grooves provided for them. This has been a big issue on many previous entries in the Official Starships Collection, for both the smaller and XL-sized models.
Perhaps the biggest improvement of the XL DS9 model has nothing to do with the model itself, but its presentation: unlike the original release, which was criticized for not coming with its own display stand, this larger version gets one.
Lifting the lower pylons about an inch off the display surface makes a massive difference in making the model appear more impressive. Where the smaller edition simply sat upon its own pylon ‘legs,’ the XL-sized version floats in the air, the same way the station hangs in space in so many iconic shots from the series.
The stand itself is a sturdy one, with three brackets that grip the station around the struts which connect the central core to the habitat ring. Cradled at three separate points, the XL DS9 is much less likely to fall off its display stand (something which has been an issue for some of the larger models in the past, like the XL-sized Enterprise NX-01 or Voyager).
If there is one criticism of this edition of Deep Space 9, it is that a key design decision made for Eaglemoss’ original DS9 model is still in use for the XL-sized version, keeping this from being 100% true to the original studio model built for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine filming.
Because the first edition didn’t come with a display stand, the shape of the station was slightly tweaked: the pylons were angled just a little further inward than on the studio model to ensure the replica could stand comfortably on its ‘legs.’ The XL model retains that slight modification, despite having its own stand — but frankly that’s a minor issue and hardly detracts from my enjoyment of this model.
Overall, the XL Starships edition of starbase Deep Space 9 is a significant improvement from the original 2013 edition — and while it’s more expensive than the smaller release, it you’re trying to decide between the two, the XL edition is certainly the one I’d recommend due to its superior detailing, coloring, and the included display stand.
If the XL-sized Deep Space 9 starbase model is one you’d like to add to your own Federation, it’s available now from the Hero Collector web store for $74.95 in the United States, or in the UK (currently on backorder) for £49.99.