We’re back today with an exclusive first look at June 2021’s new additions to the Official Starships Collection, as our friends at Hero Collector continue to expand the Star Trek model fleet!
First up is one of the only good things to come out of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s infamously-unappealing episode “Aquiel,” and the next space station in the growing Hero Collector lineup: Subspace Relay Station 47, the unique small-crewed Starfleet base which acted as a communications hub for its entire sector.
The two-person relay station — which on the show, began life as the cryonics satellite discovered by the Enterprise in “The Neutral Zone” — is the next “special” release in the Hero Collector line, following the conclusion of the monthly subscription releases, with a bottom “cup” display base to keep the spindly station vertical.
SUBSPACE RELAY STATION 47 — A Starfleet communication relay station located along the Federation-Klingon border, the crew of Relay Station 47 faced pressure from aggressive Klingons, long isolation, and internal strife. When the U.S.S. Enterprise-D arrived to deliver supplies in The Next Generation episode ‘Aquiel’, they found themselves facing a murder mystery… and only one survivor.
This station measures about 7 inches in height and will retail at $49.95 / €44.99 / £34.99.
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Next up is the 26th entry in the larger-scale XL Starships Collection, the Deep Space Nine and Voyager-era Nebula-class USS Bonchune, based upon the digital model created in 1997 for use in those two series.
The digital Nebula-class debuted on Deep Space Nine as the USS Honshu in “Waltz,” and as the Bonchune in Voyager’s “Message in a Bottle” — and we talked with the designer of this updated Nebula-class Rob Bonchune (for whom this ship is named) back in 2013 when there seemed to be at least some potential for DS9 to be remastered like The Next Generation.
NEBULA-CLASS USS BONCHUNE (XL) —This XL model precisely replicates Starfleet’s Nebula-class vessel, developed for military use in the 24th century. The Nebula-class employed many of the same components as the Galaxy-class – but configured differently, they formed a completely different design. This model shows the U.S.S. Bonchune as it appeared in the Voyager episodes ‘Message In A Bottle’ and ‘Endgame’.
The Nebula-class ship, which is smaller than its Galaxy-class cousin, measures about 6.5″ x 6.5″ in size, and will retail at $74.95 / €64.99 / £49.99.
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The next entry in the Star Trek Online series of starship models is the Yorktown-class USS Enterprise-F, the refit design of the game’s hero starship. This will be the third version of the Enterprise-F to join Hero Collector’s fleet, as the pre-refit-design ship was previously released in 2019 in two editions of its Odyssey-class configuration.
USS ENTERPRISE-F (YORKTOWN-CLASS REFIT) — A scientific vessel available to Starfleet players in Star Trek Online, the Yorktown-class Starcruiser was a new refit for the Odyssey-class chassis, the most advanced vessel of its kind – and a fitting configuration for the USS Enterprise-F, the latest ship to bear the name Enterprise.
This edition of the Enterprise-F measures about 5.5″ inches in length and will retail at $29.95 / €24.99 / £19.99.
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In addition to all the starship models coming in June, more hardcover reprints of classic Star Trek comic tales are coming from The Official Graphic Novels Collection — as the reprint series comes to a close with three final editions.
Included are the Sulu-centric, classic movie-era tale So Near the Touch (co-written by George Takei), a movie-era series Mission Muddled featuring the return of Harry Mudd, and the comic adaptations of “All Good Things…” and Star Trek: Generations, the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale and first feature film.
#138 – Star Trek TOS: So Near the Touch
From Star Trek actor George Takei comes a powerful Sulu-centric story of love, loss, isolation, and sacrifice. This volume collects #17-21 of DC Comics’ Star Trek, plus the annual #1, co-written by George Takei and the renowned Peter David.Also included are Andy Mangels’ never-published Redjac tale for DC, Return of the Wolf, as well as Mangels’ and Michael A Martin’s aborted Marvel project, Star Trek: Phase 3.
#139 – Star Trek TOS: Mission Muddled
Old age affects everyone, even starship captains like James T. Kirk—and even conmen like Harry Mudd. Howard Weinstein’s DC Star Trek tales continue with issues #22–26, in which Mudd pulls one last scam before retiring.This volume also collects Peter David’s Star Trek Annual #2, which revisits James Kirk’s Academy days, plus two “lost” tales from writer Steven H. Wilson: Captain Sulu Adventures and Star Trek: Resolution. These two stories, originally slated for publication by DC, never saw print—until now.
#140 – Star Trek TNG: All Good Things…
The grand finale of Hero Collector’s Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection features DC’s adaptations of The Next Generation’s series finale, and its crew’s theatrical debut in Star Trek: Generations, both penned by Michael Jan Friedman.Also included are unpublished comics from Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin—and an exhaustive index to the complete Graphic Novel Collection.
Each of the republished graphic novel hardcovers run from 170-240 pages each, and will retail individually for $19.95 / €16.99 / £12.99.
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Finally, we’ve also got a look at the next round of Star Trek: Picard releases, as part of the modern-series-spanning Star Trek Universe Starships Collection — which you may have seen elsewhere this week, so we can’t claim the exclusive on this portion of this month’s post!
Following La Sirena and the USS Zheng He (which we previewed in January) and the 23rd century Romulan Bird of Prey (that we showed you last month), the fourth Picard starship model is Seven of Nine’s Fenris Ranger ship, destroyed over planet Vashti in “Absolute Candor.”
The unusual asymmetrical design features a dark cockpit, green detailing and what looks to be a Borg-inspired rear section, perfect for the former drone from the Delta Quadrant.
SEVEN OF NINE’S FENRIS RANGER SHIP — A small, aggressively-armed one-person starship, this vessel was piloted by Seven of Nine in her work among the vigilante Fenris Rangers. Vigilantes who patrolled the Qiris sector, the Fenris Rangers were forced to withdraw when the sector fell into anarchy – though thankfully, Seven of Nine stayed behind long enough to rescue Picard from a pirate attack…
Seven’s ship measures about 8.5″ long and will retail at $54.95 / €49.99 / £39.99.
In addition, a few group shots of the first six entries in the Star Trek: Picard fleet were released by Hero Collector today, which — in addition to illustrating each model’s size in relation to its brethren — gives us a look at the first 24th century Romulan ships on the way.
The first is Narek’s “snakehead” fighter craft, which followed La Sirena from the Borg cube to Soji’s home planet in “Broken Pieces” and “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1,” followed by the Romulan “bomber” warbird that brought Narek to The Artifact in “Remembrance.”
NAREK’S SNAKEHEAD — A nimble Romulan scout vessel, the Snakehead’s size belied its formidable armaments and cloaking capabilities. Narek flew this starship in pursuit of La Sirena, as it fled The Artifact.
ROMULAN BOMBER WARBIRD — A new class of Romulan starship, this sharp-edged, angular warbird was employed by both the Romulan Free State and the secretive Tal Shiar in their exploitation of The Artifact.
Specifics on the dimensions and pricing of these two Romulan ships has not yet been released.
Keep checking back at TrekCore each month for exclusive reveals from what’s next for Hero Collector’s Official Starships Collection — and reviews of some of the new models as they make it to our sector!
Do any of these new releases seem like ones you’ll be adding to your personal fleet? Let us know in the comments below!