This honestly blew me away. While I'm still not convinced about the quality of the XL ships, I am still very happy with the way this ship came out because, albeit not featuring any noticeable increase in detailing -from what I can tell at least- the regular issue always struck me as paradoxically being both cluttered in some places and oddly muted in other places; the XL version just looks great overall. I guess, if I am getting an XL ship someday, it'll be the Thunderchild or the Enterprise E -so far at least. This gives me hope for the future.
It's probably the biggest improvement yet from Regular to XL model. This is a case where I feel EM actually improved on the studio model with the addition of the aztecing.
When I saw the Narada at the end of the magazine I couldn't help but think if anyone ever produces a screen accurate practical model of that they are a master modeler, give them all the awards that year at the competitions. lol This xl Akira has a fair amount more detail. It's a pity that the movies couldn't have taken a little more care in details like impulse and whatnot but as a fan of those ships I'm impressed. The area forward on the saucer in particular looks so much better. Kind of wish it was the U.S.S. Akira so we got the name on the top saucer. That always bothered me about Thunderchild. Such a cool name written nowhere on the hull. I guess the borg used the cutting beam on it out of spite hahaha.
it's on pre with the Reliant XL. one of the best XL, so good I got two. I didn't bother with excelsior has it look like they didn't do much to it and other fans pointed things out about it and the runabout was lacking details. so thought might has well get 2 of this amazing ship..
Although the CGI model had no name, I find it a pity that Eaglemoss announced it by name and then did not implement it. Have my model but equipped with it😉
i mean i think most of us a kinda partial to this design - but i think eaglemoss did a great job with one - totally agree painted windows are better, especially as theyve pretty muched proved they cant align paint with the window molds - and speaking of paint i like the sort of gunmetal tone
The model looks great all around, the darker tones help bring out the details and pinstriping . I had no plan to get the Akira XL now its on the list . Thanks Damien, do you want to pay for half, your costing me a fortune feck ya
Here's my view on the pricing of these models ($115 in Canadian dollars for XL) . Provided it is one that inspires you and is an important part of the collection, think about the cost of building a model kit in plastic : 35 for the kit, another 20-30 for a 3rd party decal set because the stock ones always suck except for the newer polar lights pieces, cost of paint and other supplies that you don't already have at $20-30 and more if you are new to modelling provided you even have the space for it. Cost might be a bit less... But the work is a lot more. Anything cheaper and you don't have an authentic model. As for the defects... You're going to have them on the built model too. And to note.... A much smaller fully diecast airplane model in 1/200 scale averages $160 cad. So, when you think about it, it's not so bad. I Really need a voyager model. The only other option is to buy a Revell kit, but it's huge and I don't live in a space conductive of doing these builds. What we SHOULD expect from a company is that they should work to produce a better quality model in terms of sloppy inconsistent work. Oh yeah, and the XL Akira is definitely a thumbs up
Excellent Ship! It was this review that made me purchase this ship.! One nick pick is that they could have put a little more detail on the roll bar, perhaps etched some holes so you can see where the torpedos shoot out of. Id gave it Small slits using a thin black marker. Great review.
My XL Akira arrived yesterday, already has assumed pride of.place in my display. Weirdly the decal behind the bridge module reminds me of a Death Star, wonder is that more of the SW/First Contact crossovers.
@@reidtyndall4953 I also have the regular equinox and defiant for that reason also before eaglemoss came out I have a bunch of hallmark defiant ornaments that iccounverted to models cause of the scale perfection they have too and furuta jem'hadar fighters scale as well.
Pretty sure the impulse engines are at the back of the pontoons like the NX-01. They're lit up yellow in the VOY episode Message In a Bottle. Not sure what those things are on the saucer- maybe aux engines?
Also engines, this was a heavy escort, more maneuverable than a Sovereign,Galaxy, Excelsior etc, but eaglemoss didnt paint them like how they painted the ones in the back.
The XL Akita class is probably my favorite. Has anyone had one with the dark gray impulse engine housings on the back of the saucer come in a different color? Mine are a light purple/lavender.
Thanks Damien.That's really a great model !!! I love it. It's a YES for me ! Pity Enterprise A XL dome wasn't screen accurate.....And curious because on Eaglemoss website, you can see USS THUNDERCHILD on the saucer. And Eaglemoss website shows pics with name on It ! shop.eaglemoss.com/usa/star-trek-starships/uss-thunderchild-akira-class-9-inch-xl-edition
How does it scale to size with the Diamond select ENTERPRISE E? I have the RELIANT XL andit is a bit small...hopefully the AKIRA XL should be better in comparison. Nice video!
Awesome reviews. I really appreciate your detail and comments. Silly question, do you feel you should INSURE your models? It's quite a penny tou have in your collections!
Disappointing. Once again Eaglemoss neglected to include the name one the ship. In the development artwork shows the name is suppose to be above registry like most federation ships. So just cause the cgi team neglected to include the details should make the art and design team's details cannon.
Point of irony : this is the second XL ship that came without any Impulse engines what so ever -- the first one being the Defiant . I'm starting to wonder if this is an "inside joke" by Eaglemoss that we're not aware of ? Or is it that it's too hard to go on memory-alpha for a 70$ product , and do a little looking around : static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/e/e2/Akira_class_finalized_production_concept_art.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130221103923&path-prefix=en Yeah ... . Because either the concept image above , or the actual ILM's CGI final completed model is just ... too difficult to find . static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/d/d3/Akira_class_ILM_CGI_model.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100228021926&path-prefix=en A little homework by either Eaglemoss or Irish Trekkie would have been nice here .
lovely looking model and I love the way the Thunder Child was named in honour of H.G.Wells' fictional ship
1:33 - That's the forward shuttle bay door.
A fine looking model of a fine looking ship.
OMG been waiting for this. Can’t wait for my preorder to come in...it’ll be my first XL.
Just added this beauty to my collection, nice ship, nice review :)
This honestly blew me away. While I'm still not convinced about the quality of the XL ships, I am still very happy with the way this ship came out because, albeit not featuring any noticeable increase in detailing -from what I can tell at least- the regular issue always struck me as paradoxically being both cluttered in some places and oddly muted in other places; the XL version just looks great overall.
I guess, if I am getting an XL ship someday, it'll be the Thunderchild or the Enterprise E -so far at least.
This gives me hope for the future.
I adore the Akira. I have the normal one. Your review has convinced me to buy the XL version as well. Thank you
It's probably the biggest improvement yet from Regular to XL model. This is a case where I feel EM actually improved on the studio model with the addition of the aztecing.
It looks amazing and one of my fave DS9 era ships
Finaly my favourite ship in xl model
I just realized the sculpt is missing the window insets that flank the pontoons. Bummer, because otherwise it looks amazing.
The Federation's D7.
Couldn’t said it better myself
I got the ‘little’ Akira for my birthday a couple of years ago, knowing they made an XL version & seeing your video?? I’m definitely sold.
Great review Damien
I bought the XL version of the Thunderchild and I think its an awesome release, eaglemoss have done a fantastic job with it :)
When I saw the Narada at the end of the magazine I couldn't help but think if anyone ever produces a screen accurate practical model of that they are a master modeler, give them all the awards that year at the competitions. lol This xl Akira has a fair amount more detail. It's a pity that the movies couldn't have taken a little more care in details like impulse and whatnot but as a fan of those ships I'm impressed. The area forward on the saucer in particular looks so much better. Kind of wish it was the U.S.S. Akira so we got the name on the top saucer. That always bothered me about Thunderchild. Such a cool name written nowhere on the hull. I guess the borg used the cutting beam on it out of spite hahaha.
Such a gorgeous ship.
Hopefully we get to see it again in the Picard series.
it's on pre with the Reliant XL. one of the best XL, so good I got two. I didn't bother with excelsior has it look like they didn't do much to it and other fans pointed things out about it and the runabout was lacking details. so thought might has well get 2 of this amazing ship..
Although the CGI model had no name, I find it a pity that Eaglemoss announced it by name and then did not implement it. Have my model but equipped with it😉
Damon Didn’t the regular issue have a spelling issue on the sides?
@@davidhughmiller Hi, do you mean the lettering "United Federation of Planets"? yes the small model is there "Federaion". The t was forgotten😒
I've got the XL Akira. It's awesome.
Orderd mine for my birthday gift from forbidden planet on sale
Sooooo can’t wait
Update arrived WOW love it get one
Worth it well made
I'm very impressed with this one-----definitely getting it!
Beautiful ship. XL is gorgeous. Much preferred over the mini as a centerpiece
i mean i think most of us a kinda partial to this design - but i think eaglemoss did a great job with one - totally agree painted windows are better, especially as theyve pretty muched proved they cant align paint with the window molds - and speaking of paint i like the sort of gunmetal tone
The model looks great all around, the darker tones help bring out the details and pinstriping . I had no plan to get the Akira XL now its on the list . Thanks Damien, do you want to pay for half, your costing me a fortune feck ya
Hahaha
Here's my view on the pricing of these models ($115 in Canadian dollars for XL) . Provided it is one that inspires you and is an important part of the collection, think about the cost of building a model kit in plastic : 35 for the kit, another 20-30 for a 3rd party decal set because the stock ones always suck except for the newer polar lights pieces, cost of paint and other supplies that you don't already have at $20-30 and more if you are new to modelling provided you even have the space for it. Cost might be a bit less... But the work is a lot more. Anything cheaper and you don't have an authentic model. As for the defects... You're going to have them on the built model too. And to note.... A much smaller fully diecast airplane model in 1/200 scale averages $160 cad. So, when you think about it, it's not so bad. I Really need a voyager model. The only other option is to buy a Revell kit, but it's huge and I don't live in a space conductive of doing these builds. What we SHOULD expect from a company is that they should work to produce a better quality model in terms of sloppy inconsistent work. Oh yeah, and the XL Akira is definitely a thumbs up
Excellent Ship! It was this review that made me purchase this ship.! One nick pick is that they could have put a little more detail on the roll bar, perhaps etched some holes so you can see where the torpedos shoot out of. Id gave it Small slits using a thin black marker. Great review.
It’s a beauty and I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time and am glad it’s in the collection
I pre-ordered mine just as it was added to the Eaglemoss site and still have not had it process yet. Am VERY anxiously awaiting its arrival.
As long as there's no typo, it will be an improvement. They also never fixed the typo for future regular size versions.
I'm certainly going to be buying this beauty
Looks great and would like to pick one up. I hope they make a XL Daedalus. That would be nifty.
'Come on THUNDER CHILD!'
Beautiful ship, deserves to have its name emblazoned on it
My XL Akira arrived yesterday, already has assumed pride of.place in my display. Weirdly the decal behind the bridge module reminds me of a Death Star, wonder is that more of the SW/First Contact crossovers.
This is one of the few xl ships I truly want looks absolutely amazing and u wonder if it would scale well with my diamond select enterprise e?
Damon Klempner that’s one of the reasons I want the Akira xl. The Defiant and the Equinox scale well to my diamond select Enterprise E IMO.
@@reidtyndall4953 I also have the regular equinox and defiant for that reason also before eaglemoss came out I have a bunch of hallmark defiant ornaments that iccounverted to models cause of the scale perfection they have too and furuta jem'hadar fighters scale as well.
I’m really hoping for a Prometheus XL to go along with all this. And I can’t wait for the Diamond Select Enterprise C to hit the market.
@@reidtyndall4953 hopefully will get the diamond select c soon and news on their reliant. I'm still hoping for a ds9 defiant from them as well.
Did they correct the typo on the pennant "Federaion of Planets"?
Pretty sure the impulse engines are at the back of the pontoons like the NX-01. They're lit up yellow in the VOY episode Message In a Bottle.
Not sure what those things are on the saucer- maybe aux engines?
Also engines, this was a heavy escort, more maneuverable than a Sovereign,Galaxy, Excelsior etc, but eaglemoss didnt paint them like how they painted the ones in the back.
Hi mr trekkie amazing video and shame on that person who disliked this video!
Stand mount in the magazine is wrong though :p
Was it 🤣
Nice model upgrade!
Hi there are you going to do a review on the XL Romulan WArbird at all. Love are you reviews. keep up the channel.
Been waiting for your vid on this if I’m to buy it or not your vid helps me decide
The XL Akita class is probably my favorite. Has anyone had one with the dark gray impulse engine housings on the back of the saucer come in a different color? Mine are a light purple/lavender.
i want i want i want i want it so bad
Odd that there is no ship name decal?
Needs 4 boostar roket together would fullfill the ship
Still freakin waiting for this in the States. :/
Thanks Damien.That's really a great model !!! I love it. It's a YES for me !
Pity Enterprise A XL dome wasn't screen accurate.....And curious because on Eaglemoss website, you can see USS THUNDERCHILD on the saucer. And Eaglemoss website shows pics with name on It !
shop.eaglemoss.com/usa/star-trek-starships/uss-thunderchild-akira-class-9-inch-xl-edition
How does it scale to size with the Diamond select ENTERPRISE E? I have the RELIANT XL andit is a bit small...hopefully the AKIRA XL should be better in comparison. Nice video!
I have both and they seem pretty close in scale to one another.
Ok ok dude I’ll get one for my birthday
I guess I have to get one oh well 👍😁
this one looks really nice...
Awesome looking ship :)
I think the USS Thunderchild is one of eaglemoss better XL collectibles
Dude, the way you pronounced ‘Deflector’ at 1:33, for a second I thought you weren’t actually Irish.
Haha
Got half way through the video before I pulled out my credit card.
How can I subscribe to Eagle Moss.
I love this.
Awesome reviews. I really appreciate your detail and comments. Silly question, do you feel you should INSURE your models? It's quite a penny tou have in your collections!
Thanks, interesting question. You could add them to your household insurance under contents cover.
@@IrishTrekkie I was going to suggest the same to you. I have mine under my renter's insurance coverage along with my comic books and action figures
Disappointing. Once again Eaglemoss neglected to include the name one the ship. In the development artwork shows the name is suppose to be above registry like most federation ships. So just cause the cgi team neglected to include the details should make the art and design team's details cannon.
NX series are very similar to this one
Does this ship have a shuttle bay?
it has six. 3 forward three aft. she's a carrier. the three center indents on the bitch in the saucer are the forward.
What when did they came out with this xl ship
Not long ago
Point of irony : this is the second XL ship that came without any Impulse engines what so ever -- the first one being the Defiant . I'm starting to wonder if this is an "inside joke" by Eaglemoss that we're not aware of ?
Or is it that it's too hard to go on memory-alpha for a 70$ product , and do a little looking around :
static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/e/e2/Akira_class_finalized_production_concept_art.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130221103923&path-prefix=en
Yeah ... . Because either the concept image above , or the actual ILM's CGI final completed model is just ... too difficult to find .
static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/d/d3/Akira_class_ILM_CGI_model.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100228021926&path-prefix=en
A little homework by either Eaglemoss or Irish Trekkie would have been nice here .
The only issue is no name I sent mine back 3 times trying to get one with a name. No luck so far.
It shouldn't have a name, it's screen accurate as ILM never put it on
All the material shows it with a name.
Minus the film screen shot.
It is screen accurate at the end of the day and it will never have the name unless you add it yourself
😂
Hi
Hey
Ncc63549