Did Round 2 Really Cancelled the JJ Enterprise kit?

The JJ Enterprise from the recent new Star Trek movie. You either love it or hate it. I for one don't mind her so much .... the lighting potential on this kit was going to be a real challenge. Anyways, we were teased with these images earlier on ...  it certainly got a lot of us interested in owning one.

And what a way to start off the new year for Star Trek Fans in general.

When Round 2 announced on their blog their product listing for 2011, that one notable kit went MIA. A further check on any of Round 2's mention of the JJ Enterprise in either their blog or website resulted in zilch. Apparently, all mention of this impending kit have suddenly disappeared.

So what happened to the JJ Enterprise kit?

A lot of speculations were presented in forums everywhere, ranging from lapsed license to holding the release back for the next movie. And then of course there are also comments from those fans that really, really despise this design and would rather have a 1/350 scale Classic Enterprise to replace her. Whatever the reason for its disappearance, I for one will never say die. I'm pretty sure a JJ Enterprise kit will pop out one day, and it could be from Polar Lights or some other brands.

One thing is for sure, there's a lot of very disappointed fans right now. It was the same feeling when they announced the Akira Class Starship which was in the offering for 2010, and then "poof" ... nothing. Queries to the manufacturer have also gone unanswered, which can mean that something is not right with Round 2's JJ Enterprise kit. Were the sales for their other Trek kits that bad that they decide to cancel this one out? Did they really lose their license? Or are they just holding the kit back until the next movie? Your guess is as good as mine.

JJ Abrams second Star Trek movie? And a 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise coming?

Lots of talk happening regarding this 2 topics and its even reach as far as Malaysia. Well, exciting news tends to do that with the Star Trek community. First of all was this image of the JJ Abrams Enterprise promoting the second movie in the Summer of 2012 found HERE.

Is it for real? The picture cannot be verified by Paramount or ILM officially, and its too good to be regarded as a fake. It is also taken at an angle not shown in the movie or any official promotional materials. So is that poster truly a promo for the second movie, or to promote some merchandise, or is it simply a really good fan created material? Whatever it is, thanks, we now have a new angle of the new Enterprise for reference. Nice shuttlebay there.

Then comes Round2's supposed announcement about a coming 1/350 scale kit of the Classic USS Enterprise NCC 1701. It has by far garnered so much interest and attention to the extent many online shops are setting up Pre-Orders for her. I myself have pre-ordered a unit from CultTVman . Well, its too good an offer to pass by.

So why is this one setting up much controversy? For starters, this piece of news was never meant to go public. Jamie Hood of Round2 stated it was a book keeping error sent to all retailers to generate a price list. According to the news, the big kit is scheduled for a “premiere edition” with a retail of $150 to 160 that will supposedly include extra parts.  A standard release is scheduled for late 2011 that will include fewer parts, retailing for $120-130.   Also scheduled for late 2011 is a “Star Trek 1:350 scale supplemental parts pack” and a “Star Trek 1:350 TOS Enterprise Accessory Pack”.  You can read all about it at CultTVman's blog HERE

So this kit may or may not happen, and its causing a lot of backlash to retailers in general. Round2 may not be perfect (as also seen in their decal errors for the Star Trek AMT kits), but at least they are producing these kits and making them accessible for fans across the globe.

Right now, anyone interested in the 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise can express their interest by pre-ordering them. The numbers generated will indicate to Round 2 whether it is profitable for them to produce her or not. I for one am hoping this kit becomes a reality.

The JJ Abrams New Enterprise - NCC 1701

Are you ready for Polar Lights' new JJ Abrams USS Enterprise?

She's scheduled for a December 2010 release but don't be too surprised if its pushed again for an early 2011 release. This is a ship you either love or hate. Her actual size in contrast with the other ships in the Star Trek Universe puts her between the Enterprise D and E. But then again the Star Trek Universe is no longer the same from what we all know. No thanks to Nero, the Romulan renegade has decided to change history all over his vengeance with Spock, So according to JJ Abrams, everything has now changed. Its not good for die hard Trekkers in general, but it is the highest grossing Star Trek movie screened, and it has successfully garnered new Trekkers into the fold.



Original Box Art which wasn't approved

 

This is the Box Art we will see end of this year or early next year



The difference in her design is vast. Her hulls now looks more like the Refit Movie Enterprise with her Aztec Markings, those "Turbo Charged" Warp Nacelles and a very sleak looking shuttle bay that looks like a Golf Driving Course from the inside.

The coming kit will be in 1/2500 scale, and if you have the entire Round 2 collections of USS Enterprises, you could even place her next to them for size comparison .. she's huge for an early interstellar Constitution Class vessel.

Building her seems fun but until now we still have not seen what the parts look like to make a better assessment. Lighting her is also another challenge by itself. This ship has more lights than an average Christmas Tree. So until she's officially released, here are some images from Lightwork you can use to plan your build. 

More about QMx USS Enterprise NCC 1701 as well, after the jump

What if the new USS Enterprise looked like ...............

When JJ Abrams announced the new Star Trek movie was going to be about a young Kirk and crew, everyone was naturally curious how the Starship Enterprise was going to look like. We already knew then the actors and actresses that was going to play the original crew that made Star Trek what it is today, but the ship's design was a much kept guarded secret. And everyone knew a new design was coming.

I remembered googling daily just to catch a hint of what the ship was going to look, and the teaser add of those workmen building the Enterprise on Earth only added fuel to the fire. Then came some breakthrough when people started putting up their version of a "Reimagined USS Enterprise". Of course a lot of these were mere speculations and some of the designs were .... well, lets just say I'm glad those didn't make it to the movie.


The JJ Abrams USS Enterprise - a detailed rendition by Master artist Tobias Richter


Of course we know what the Enterprise looks like today. What that is truly baffling is the fact that the specs given .... well, the new 2009 Enterprise NCC 1701 dwarfs the Enterprise D and is longer than the Enterprise E. That's huge. I know a lot of people don't like the new designs (those that loved the original), and then there are those that simply adore her (the new found Trekkers). And many still cannot grasp the fact that she's a big ship. Well, that's Hollywood.





Capt Picard protesting against the new Enterprise design .. ;)

 Here's another design I found that is more true to the original TV series in the 1960s. Its created by Gabe Koerner whose work is well known, and shown in the “Ships of the Line” Calendar, Gabe Koerner’s (of Battlestar Galactica – The New Series fame). His re-imagined Enterprise 1701 was thought to be for the movie STAR TREK being released in May 2009, and for a while, I really believed that design was it. I have to admit when I saw the other design in the cinema, I was a little dissappointed. For one, the phasers on the 2009 ship was lame, kind of reminds me of Flash Gordon, and the engine room looked ... like a factory (It was a beer factory actually). But I love the new bridge and the shuttle bay.

What's interesting here is the fact that this new design gives the NCC 1701 more credibility. And many older fans can still identify her with the old series. Though she didn't make the cut, it was nice of Koerner to at least gives us this alternate design - a food for thought if you will for those who wants a more feasible USS Enterprise during Kirk's era.

Now, I wonder if a scale model kit for this design will ever materialise? Who knows .... it may just happen one day - abett a resin kit. I don't mind.

KIT Alert - Round2 Polar Lights JJ Enterprise and AMT Reliant New Release Dates

This kit was originally slated for a December 2010 release but has now been pushed back to April 2011. Its in 1/2500 scale and measures up to 11.5" long. Its called the JJ Enterprise due to its bold radical design. Some loves it, and some hates it. I kinda like it. It'll grow on you if you keep staring at it.

More news over HERE

The USS Reliant's Aztec decals can also be ordered separately in October

The re-tooled USS Reliant however have been scheduled for a November 2010 release. This kit will be on the same scale with the ERTL/AMT USS Enterprise 1701 A kit. It will come with more accurate parts such as the removed saucer ridges, thicker saucer and improved bridge dome.

More news over HERE