We’re continuing our review of Fanhome’s Star Trek Starships Collection. This time, we have two ships from Star Trek: Picard. After introducing the first XL Edition, which was the Odyssey-class USS Enterprise-F in Issue #4, we’re reverting to the standard size. These ships are Beverly Crusher’s (Gates McFadden) SS Eleos XII and Vadic’s The Shrike. We’re linking Issues #5 and #6 together for a double review.
Both models are now available for subscription collectors and can also be purchased on Fanhome’s website while stocks last. Fanhome’s Star Trek Starships collection is being received well by Trekkies around the world. More and more ships are slowly being released, and here at Trek Central, we are certainly looking forward to some of the upcoming designs like Admiral Janeway’s USS Dauntless! Stick around for more reviews of Star Trek collectables.
SS Eleos XII
I’ll be honest, I was not that excited about the SS Eleos. Personally, the ship is not my favourite design from Star Trek: Picard, and after just having the Enterprise-F, it would be hard to live up to that hype. However, the size of the Eleos surprised me. While not an XL Edition of the collection, the size and build of this Phoenix-class starship are still relatively large. The model measures around 8 Inches long and around 5 inches wide. This perfectly captures the details of the design we see in Picard Season 3.
The model detail also highlights the blue and bronze hull paint and markings. It’s something you can see in the first episodes of the third season, but with all the lighting and explosions, it is hard to make out. However, this model is packed with texture and detail, which makes it stand out among the others in Fanhome’s collection. Even as the hull dips down on the front saucer, we can see plating markings and such.
Although large and featuring numerous details, the model is quite sturdy. Should you want to pick it up and play with it, let’s be honest – we’ve all been there sometimes. You likely won’t have any problems with it. The nacelles are fitted rather well, and everything else is held together thanks to the strong saucer section and crossbeam between the aft sections’ nacelles. You can view close-up pictures below.
The Stand, Magazine and Details of the SS Eleos
I’d like to comment on the stand of this ship model. While others like the Sagan-class Stargazer in the collection felt a bit loose, the Eleos sits perfectly on the stand. It’s almost locked in place, meaning it won’t slide straight off. When you’re dealing with a bulky design like this, it’s rather lovely. Hopefully, other ships in the Star Trek Starships Collection feature this addition, as it was a pleasant surprise.
A couple of other details worth mentioning are the deflector dish, which is recessed slightly into the front saucer section. This still shows a good amount of detail for something we don’t get a proper good look at in Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Looking at the ship from a rear angle, the Impulse Engines are painted, and you’ve also got a view of the shuttle docking area that Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) and William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) used in Season 3.
Like all starships in Fanhome’s collection, this also comes with a magazine. Like the previous magazines, this gives us details on the SS Eleos background, as well as some fantastic high-resolution renders of the starship. There is also a section on designing the starship. For example, this includes words by Picard Production Designer Dave Blass. There is also conceptual work by Star Trek legend John Eaves on the designs of the starship.
The SS Eleos is out now in the Fanhome Star Trek Starships Collection. However, if you want to purchase this starship individually, it is on sale on the Fanhome website for £55/$65 while stocks last. So Make It So!
The Shrike
I’ve always thought The Shrike was an interesting starship in Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Commanded by the menacing Vadic. However, we never really knew much about its origins. That was something that bugged me. Still, we’ve now got the model in our hands, and it is heavy. The weight of this model could be an issue with the plastic display stand. If you are moving it, use both hands. However, if you’re leaving it on the shelf, you should be fine.
The Shrike starship model measures around 8 Inches long and just 4.5 inches wide. Most of the weight of this model comes from the die-cast metal centre, which you can feel when you are holding the ship. However, the design perfectly captures the pointy and spiky shape seen in Picard Season 3. The nacelles and wings are plastic, so I would be careful holding them by those.
All of the Shrikes’ detailed bits, like the nacelle wings, spiky protrusions and the undersling weapons module, which contained that portal weapon, are made out of plastic. Although this is not an issue, it is something to be cautious about when moving the model around and picking it up. You can see some close-up pictures of the ship below.
The Shrike’s Magazine
Much like the SS Eleos, the magazine for The Shrike also contains some in-universe information. However, the behind-the-scenes section also dives into the efforts of the production team to build this design for Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Production Designer Dave Blass recalls that creating new alien ships is often the most challenging task. The enormous task was not having it as an obvious design, given that the team did not want to reveal the origins of Vadic too early in the series.
John Eaves created the final design of The Shrike. In the magazine, we can see some of his concept artwork. However, there are other designs of The Shrike. For example, the magazine also features early design concepts by Harald Belker. There are also some designs by Darek Zabrocki. Essentially, this magazine gives you some great behind-the-scenes looks at the process of building The Shrike for the Star Trek series. Well worth reading.
The Shrike is out now in the Fanhome Star Trek Starships Collection. However, if you want to purchase this starship individually, it is on sale on the Fanhome website for £55/$65 while stocks last. So Make It So!
Up Next!
So that is the SS Eleos as Issue #5 and The Shrike as Issue #6. Both ships have beamed down from Star Trek: Picard’s third season. However, we are not done with the Picard-era ships yet; more are coming to the collection, including an XL USS Enterprise-G and others, such as the USS Excelsior-II. However, Issue #8 will be the Luna-class USS Titan, as seen in Star Trek: Lower Decks. We’ve already got that one, so keep an eye out for a review soon.
Fanhome’s Star Trek Starships Collection remains open to new subscribers in select countries. However, you can also purchase some of the starships individually if you want to add them to your collection.
