The famous Enterprise D starship from Star Trek The Next Generation gets miniaturized for your small scale collection
Updated on 7/28/2014, added Eaglemoss Enterprise D
Originally published on 8/14/2012
Although there are a few large scaled Star Trek starship toys/collectables available from Bandai (NCC-1701-E), Aoshima (NCC-1701-D), and Diamond Select Toys (for just about any domestic released large scaled), small scale remains the only opportunity to own more variety of ships from Ferengi Mauraders to Federation Nebula class.
There are currently 4 high quality small scaled mass produced toys produced for the iconic starship Enterprise D from the hit Star Trek The Next Generation (TNG) TV show. Choosing one as the center piece of your collection is definitely an important part of collecting.
Part of selecting the right toy is finding the right scale is important
| Manufacturer | Scale | Size |
| Micro Machines | 1:10930 | |
| Furuta | 1:6300 | 9.8cm x 7cm x 2.5cm |
| Johnny Lightning | 1:6056 | |
| F-Toys | 1:5000 | 12.7cm x 9.5cm x 3cm |
| Eaglemoss | 1:4580 |
Inside the Package
Furuta:
Furuta blind packages their toys but you can identify the NCC-1701-D with the number sticker on the back of the black bag. The Enterprise comes in 4 pieces.
F-Toys:
Similarly, F-Toys blind packages their toy and the Enterprise comes in 4 pieces.
Johnny Lightning:
Unlike the rest, Johnny Lightning does not blind box/bag their toys. Due to the current high price of the Enterprise D (NCC-1701-D), I opted for the USS Yamato (NCC-71807). They're both Galaxy class ships so they're comparable.
Eaglemoss
Furuta
Top:
The neck connecting the saucer and the engineering sections has no details
Back:
The neck connection is very loose and doesn't fit tightly producing a very big gap. There is no paint details on the neck for the shuttle bay, main impulse engine, and torpedo tubes. There is no etched details for windows on the neck. Severe paint bleeding on the nacelles.
Port/side:
The neck doesn't have any details and nothing at the front of the engineering section. The nacelle is all painted. The Starfleet insignia on the nacelles actually sticks up from the nacelle.
Top:
The detailed windows are very large compared to the scale of the toy.
Bottom:
The bottom is much more impressively detailed compared to the top.
A Furuta USS Saratoga (Nebula class) with the USS Enterprise D (Galaxy class)
The Nebula class is based on the Galaxy class saucer section so you would expect the saucer section of the two Furuta toys to be similar but they're not. The Nebula class has a large phaser bank that sticks out but the Galaxy class is just painted. You also get more windows and details in the Nebula class.
Furuta also produced a future NCC-1701-D with the 3rd nacelle.
F-Toys
Top:
The mounting point for the stand is on the saucer section so it blocks the deflector and neck from viewing pleasure.
Back:
The double red lines running along the "spine" doesn't line up between the two sections. The nacelle pylons are very thin.
Starboard:
The bussard collector assembly (red part) and photonic spill-port assemblies (blue part) of the nacelle is made of transparent plastic and glow when lit by light from behind.
Top:
Impressive
Bottom:
More impressive
Johnny Lightning
Front:
One of the only small scale toys that accurate shows the thin split between the top and bottom half of the saucer section.
Back:
More decal details throughout the back of the ship. The shuttle bay is too high on the neck. And the main impulse engine is too high on the neck. The neck is too short so the warp nacelles don't sit under the saucer section when viewed from behind.
Port/Side:
The saucer section angles downward. It's supposed to be parallel to the nacelles.
Top:
The saucer section is a tad more blue than the engineering section. Here you can appreciate the paint detail Johnny Lightning included with the windows, escape pods, lighting, and registry. Unfortunately, the saucer section is very hollow and feels like paper marche. The engineering section is less hollow feeling but definitely not made of any metal.
Bottom:
The included diecast metal mounting peg ball will scrap paint off the toy so I wouldn't recommend using it. Here you see
Johnny Lightning also produced a future NCC-1701-D with the 3rd nacelle and a "nacho cheese" version which features orangey yellow front to depict the Enterprise D saucer section entering an atmosphere like in the movie Star Trek Generations.
Eaglemoss
Front
Back
Side
The saucer section and neck are made of diecast while the rest of the ship such as the nacelles, pylons, and engineering section are all plastic. Just like the F-Toy and Johnny Lightning, the bussard collector assembly (red part) and photonic spill-port assemblies (blue part) of the nacelle is made of transparent plastic and glow when lit by light from behind.
Top
Lots of aztec'ing all over the top and bottom of Eaglemoss' Enterprise D
Bottom
The Eaglemoss does not support saucer separation. There is an odd cut in the secondary hull but the shape of it makes it look okay.
The Saucer Section Comparison
Furuta:
Really poorly detailed, very deep panel lining, inconsistent window sizes, poor decal for the ship registry, and missing ship name.
F-Toys
Johnny Lightning
Highly detailed saucer section with windows, escape pod, lights, and astec pattern decals and wide by well placed panel lining. This is only toy with the red outlining the ship name and registry and astec pattern. The nacelle intake is not correctly shaped.
Eaglemoss
Overall the paint on the Eaglemoss is the best. But the F-toys version has much better
The Engineering Section Comparison
Furuta:
Very evident paint bleeding on the nacelles, very deep panel lining, and little detail at the neck.
F-Toys:
Johnny Lightning:
Eaglemoss
The windows tempos are smaller than on the Johnny Lightning.
The Underside Comparison
Furuta:
Paints the main defector generally accurate but misses the inner blue circle
F-Toys:
Johnny Lightning:
The closest to accurately coloring the main deflector.
Eaglemoss
The aztec pattern and window decal are very impressive on the Johnny Lightning and Eaglemoss while the F-Toys looks plain. This is the best angle of the Furuta.
Here are all four small scale Galaxy class starships (click image for larger version):
Clockwise from top left: Johnny Lightning, F-Toys, Furuta, and Micro Machines
Comparison of the top:
Comparison of the underside:
Here you can see the well decal-ed Johnny Lightning against the
F-Toys with other small scaled Star Trek starships of a similar scale (click image for larger version):
From left to right: MicroMachine Klingon Bird of Prey, Furuta Ferengi Marauder, Hallmark mini Defiant, MicroMachine Klingon Battle Cruiser, F-Toys Enterprise D, MicroMachine Excelsior, Konami Enterprise E, MicroMachine Reliant, Furuta Saratoga
Johnny Lightning with other small scaled Star Trek starships of a similar scale (click image for larger version):
From left to right: MicroMachine Klingon Bird of Prey, Furuta Ferengi Marauder, Hallmark mini Defiant, MicroMachine Klingon Battle Cruiser, Johnny Lightning Enterprise D, MicroMachine Excelsior, Konami Enterprise E, MicroMachine Reliant, Furuta Saratoga
From the four different models, it's a choice between the Eaglemoss, Johnny Lightning and F-Toys. The Johnny Lightning gives you amazing decals but fairly fragile with paint chipping and really light construction. F-Toys gives you a larger toy with great quality plastic and highly detailed laser etching. Eaglemoss is much larger scale than the other, its color tends to brown compared to the others but it's the most sturdy and detailed. If you're going to paint it then go with F-Toys. If you're on a budget then go with F-Toys. If you want the best looking out of the box and don't mind the non-blue color, go with Eaglemoss. If you want one that can do the saucer separation then it's Johnny Lightning. I personally prefer F-Toys with my other small scale Star Trek starships mainly because its minimal decal fits in with other toys that aren't so well decal-ed either and its scale works best.
Eric Toy Score: Furuta 2/5, F-Toys 4/5, Johnny Lightning 4/5, Eaglemoss 4.5/5
Year: 2004, 2008, 2006, 2013
Price: $7.99, $13.75, $45.00 ($18.99 for USS Yamato), $20
8 comments:
looking at your furuta model, you seem to have gotten a bad one, mine fits together perfectly and tight, not saying its good, its ok
Thanks much for these detailed comparisons! I wish there was a perfect one in all areas at an affordable price, but now at least I can tell what the differences are before buying.
About F-Toys painting the outer deflector array orange -- apparently this is the correct color for an unpowered deflector array.
See the six-foot production model here has it orange: http://www.mutara.net/Christies/detail%20models/Enterprise%20D/IMG_1913.JPG
Apparently the designer intended for it to change to blue at higher speeds (see http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Talk:Navigational_deflector).
But on TV in its "powered on" state it always glowed mostly blue. See http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121110084421/memoryalpha/en/images/5/5d/Galaxy_class_firing_phasers_HD.jpg.
Conclusion: the orange deflector is arguably justified, but it still looks wrong (and is the color of a traffic cone - bleh!). The blue "powered on" color would be much preferred in my opinion.
Wow, you got several pieces of information about the ship wrong. Ten Forward is NOT located where you pointed out. It's on deck ten on the leading edge of the saucer section just below the captains quarters, hence the name ten forward because it's all the way forwards on deck ten. . Next, the red section on the back of the neck isn't the shuttle bay, that's the impulse engine. The Enterprise D and all Galaxy Class starships have the three shuttle bays. One up on top of the saucer next to the rear facing registration mark and two on the neck, one smaller then the other but right next to each other well above the impulse engine. Last, the orange on the deflector dish is correct. When not lit at all the dish looks entirely orange: http://www.mutara.net/Christies/detail%20models/Enterprise%20D/IMG_2026.JPG The blue you see is a reflection from the lighting behind that dish on the inside making it concentric rings of orange, blue, then orange and another ring of blue with an orange center. So no, F-toys is accurate.
BTW, the previous commenter mentioned there being a color change at higher velocities is false. That Wiki Talk page he was referencing was for the CONSTITUTION CLASS refit from Star Trek TMP not the Galaxy Class starship.
@Straker Thanks for the comments! I updated my review regarding the orange main deflector, fixed the ten-forward reference, added the comment that the impulse engine also sits too high (that's when I noticed the JL neck was too short so the nacelles sit too high).
very cool review, thinking about to collect the eaglemoss as well
I bought the F-Toys a while back and I love the detailing. From afar it looks really good and the details up close are worth looking at. I just wish they had added a touch more paint for the aztec pattern and windows. The Eaglemoss one is tempting, but it looks overly painted and the wrong color. I wish there was one inbetween those two models!
Also it looks like the Eaglemoss is missing some escape pods behind the main shuttlebay door. Seems strange to miss that detail.
Why do you keep saying "laser-etching"? Do you REALLY believe that lasers were used in the manufacture of these little kits? The "parent company" of F-Toys is named (wait for it...) Fine Molds. Get it? FINE Molds! They are known for engineering very fine detail into their steel molds. Plastic is then injected into these molds (much like any other model/toy), and out pops a finely detailed miniature kit. At no point do lasers enter into it, not the manufacture of the toy/model, or the manufacture of their molds.
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