First details of Starships Collection special issues

With the first issue of Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection only just out in the UK, the first details of the "special issues" is starting to surface, via the magazine collection's project manager, Ben Robinson, on Facebook. The special issues have been long rumoured, since the first issue list appeared last year, but it's always been a bit ambiguous as to what exactly they are. Robinson has described them as oversized issues, with the first, Deep Space 9, set for release late this year or early next year. It's not yet clear if these will take the place of a standard issue in the fortnightly releases, or come out as extra issues on top of the regulars. Robinson released this image of the painted prototype of Deep Space 9:

Being a spindly fragile thing, the station will apparently be delivered in a big polystyrene block to protect it in transit. It has already been announced that the nuTrek ships in the collection would also be released as special issues, and when the first issue list was released it suggested other space stations (Earth Spacedock maybe?) might also get the special treatment.

Robinson also posted a photo showing many of the ships in the collection, including the first look at prototypes of the USS Dauntless, and Enterprise-era Romulan Bird of Prey and Tholian ship. Deep Space 9 is also among the group, and notably larger than the ships:

Note the subscription bonus big Borg cube model also seems to have had an upgrade from the version Eaglemoss have been using in all their promotional material. The version in this image has much more refined details (so hopefully this is more like the one we'll be getting!).

Also posted recently on the Starships Facebook page is the confirmed listed of the first thirty issues. Only the last few have been jiggled about since the last list, but for the sake of giving a sense of the series, here's the entire list (after the jump):

1. USS Enterprise-D (Galaxy class)
2. USS Enterprise refit (Constitution class)
3. B'rel class Klingon Bird-of-Prey
4. Enterprise NX-01 (NX class)
5. D'deridex class Romulan Warbird
6. USS Voyager (Intrepid class)
7. Klingon K'Tinga battlecruiser
8. USS Excelsior (Excelsior class)
9. USS Defiant (Defiant class)
10. Borg Sphere
11. USS Reliant (Miranda class)
12. Akira class
13. Jem'hadar cruiser
14. Cardassian Galor class
15. USS Equinox (Nova class)
16. D'Kora class Ferengi Marauder
17. "USS Dauntless"
18. Bajoran Solar Sailor
19. USS Stargazer (Constellation class)
20. Klingon V'orcha class
21. USS Enterprise-E (Sovereign class)
22. Krenim Temporal Weapon Ship
23. Nebula class
24. Xindi insectoid ship
25. USS Prometheus (Prometheus class)
26. Tholian ship (22nd century)
27. Romulan Bird-of-Prey (22nd century)
28. Maquis Fighter
29. Jem'hadar bug
30. Nausicaan Fighter

PS. For all the details of the Starships Collection, check out my index page, with a complete listing of the series and links to my previous coverage.