n 1966, the USS Enterprise set sail across TV sets everywhere, launching a new era in science-fiction fandom that would survive for decades. Deep in the backstory of Star Trek's history lies man's first tentative ventures into space in the first fully crewed warp ship launched from Earth. We now know that ship was the Enterprise NX-01, captained by Jonathan Archer. Smaller and less powerful than the Enterprise helmed by the famed Capt. James T. Kirk, the ship could reach a maximum speed that was a fraction of Kirk's vessel's. The story of this pioneering ship is told in Enterprise, the latest TV series in the enduring Star Trek franchise.
Art Asylum has already given us some highly detailed and innovative action figures of the crew of the Enterprise NX-01. Now they bring us the ship itself in all its glory.
Measuring approximately 12 inches from the tip of its sensor array to the tail of its warp engines, this toy is highly detailed, gorgeously painted and decked out with lights and sound, the latter taken directly from the TV show. The modeling of the ship was taken directly from computer scans of the actual production model from the show, and the fine, accurate detail shows in its separate warp-core section and familiar warp nacelles poised above the circular main hull.
The ship is molded in silver-gray plastic, with bronze plating detail liberally festooning the hull. Fine red lines and black detailing are applied exquisitely on parts of the ship. The bridge is actually an activation button that triggers the lights and sound. The ship plays seven sounds: impulse cruising, warp out, warp cruising, grappler, torpedo attack, phase cannon attack and enemy attack. Blue lights appear in the sensor array, the impulse engines and warp nacelles, with rich red lights at the engine tips when the sounds play. The lights are synchronized with the sound, fading in and out appropriately.
The package includes a stylish blue translucent display stand with ball-joint that attaches to a cavity in the ship's shuttle bay. For those who do not wish to use the stand, the concave mounting plate can be replaced with an included smooth plate, so no gaping hole appears in the hull.
Expensive features without the expense
The detailing of this ship is above par for similar toys of its type. Usually it takes an expensive, complicated model kit and incredible patience to get this level of detail, and often, with model kits, playability suffers. This ship is not only gorgeous but feature-filled.
The mix of blue lights for the impulse engines, warp nacelles and the sensor array are nicely offset by a rich ruby-red glow from the tips of the engines. The nacelles are removable, which is probably to allow them to fall off if dropped rather than to break off. They are easily reattached with metal clips to supply current to the lights.
The bright-blue translucent stand allows for the ship to be displayed at any rakish angle desired; this shows off the lines and paint well. The painted plates provide a great specularity hit in almost any lighting and closely resemble the show's model.
The sensor array at front seems attached quite tenuously to the hull by a thin pin. This means that the sensor array moves very easily and could even break if appropriate care is not taken. At first, it appears that this could have been better served with a thicker stem, but once the lights are activated, it is obvious why that was not feasible. The visual effect of the lights glowing behind the array dish is quite nice.
Comparisons with Playmates' Star Trek ships from years ago are hard to avoid, and while those ships may have been sturdier, their detail suffered somewhat. They certainly didn't measure up in the paint department, though their multi-button sound functionality allowed for a more diverse, on-demand play style.
The main drawback to the design of this toy is that the one button activates all seven sounds in sequence, rather than supplying a series of individual buttons that trigger separate effects. This means that you can't fire off five or six torpedoes and then hit the explosion sound. You must cycle through the sounds, with no control over which sound occurs next.
Beautiful and sleek, the Enterprise NX-01 is indeed a highly cool thing to hold.
