Starships Collection updates

The latest news from The Official Starships Collection: The collection's website has recently had the issue list page updated with four new issues on the schedule. The Hideki class and runabout will be issues thirty-two and thirty-three, as previously confirmed by the series' editor, and those will be followed by two excellent designs from Enterprise, the Surok class and 22nd century Klingon Bird of Prey, as issues thirty-four and thirty-five.

All four of these will be out towards the end of 2014 in the UK, and either side of the new year 2014/2015 in the US.

UPDATE: A little nearer, Entertainment Earth have added listings for issue fifteen, USS Equinox, and issue sixteen, Ferengi Marauder, including these new images of the ships, which will be out in the first half of 2014:

Meanwhile, StarTrek.com, in a preview for the first larger-sized-model special issue, Deep Space 9 (which is out this month), have confirmed the nuTrek USS Enterprise will be the second special in the series, but gave no indication on when that will be coming.

StarTrek.com also recently previewed several of the forthcoming regular issues, including releasing new images of the K't'inga class (issue seven) and Borg Sphere (issue ten):

They also provided descriptions of the models and magazines, detailing which versions of ships have been modelled, and teasing some of the magazine features:

#7: Klingon K't'inga class battlecruiser

The model of the Klingon battlecruiser is based on the TMP version. Like the Enterprise, the Klingon ship got a major upgrade for its appearance in the first Star Trek movie, with new design work done by Richard Taylor and Andy Probert. This version has much more surface detail than its original series predecessor, but has a simpler, gunmetal paint scheme than the CG version that appeared in Deep Space Nine over 20 years later. The accompanying magazine provides an inside look at the design process, with some rare photographs of the studio model and a profile of the ship.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

#8 USS Excelsior

...the Excelsior, made its debut in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and was always intended to be an advanced vessel that made the Enterprise look old. The ship underwent some changes when it reappeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country under Captain Sulu’s command and this is the version that the model replicates. As well as the usual profile, the magazine takes a look at the rejected study models that ILM’s Bill George built as part of the design process.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

#9 USS Defiant

The model in the collection is based on a combination of the VFX team’s CG model and the original studio model. The magazine provides a rundown of the ship’s history and takes a look at Jim Martin’s original concept drawings for a ship that started life as a Maquis raider.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

#10 Borg Sphere

...this batch of ships wraps up with the version of the Borg Sphere that appeared in Star Trek: Voyager. The complicated surface detailing provided a real change for the modelmakers and resulted in one of the most intricate models in the collection. The magazine takes an inside look at how the Borg assimilate their victims and the design process behind both the Borg Sphere and its mistress, the Borg Queen.

Pre-order: Things From Another World, Entertainment Earth, Forbidden Planet.

Finally, I've managed to find a couple of better quality versions of previously released images again. This time a website called Away Mission has posted these images of the USS Voyager (issue six) and USS Excelsior (issue eight) models:

For a complete listing of issues in the Starships Collection, and links to my previous previews and reviews, check out my index page.