 |
|
A series of scale replica models of starships issued each fortnight made from hand-painted ABS and die-cast metal. A huge variety of ships continue to be produced with many never having been made before by any other manufacturer.
After an initial test run of five issues starting in the West Country in May 2012 this collection was re-started in August 2013. The delay was largely due to problems with, and closure of, the original production factory. The series was originally planned to run for 70 issues, one every two weeks. Several extensions to the length of the series have since been announced as follows: 2nd Aug 2014 - 90 issues, 11th December 2015 - 110 issues, 4th September 2016 - 130 issues, 22nd September 2017 - 150 issues, 25th December 2017 - 160 issues, and the latest on 3rd August 2019 - 180 issues. My guess is that 180 will see the end of the regular run. And so it came to pass that at DST 2019, Ben Robinson announced that the regular collection will probably end at issue 180. Any further on-screen ships from the first five live action series that are made after this point will be produced as bonus issues.
The models are made of ABS (polymer) and Zamac (metal alloy) in varying ratios and are "hand painted". Each issue is accompanied by a 20-page magazine measuring 220 x 285 mm.
The models are generally scaled to fit standard packaging measuring 168 x 127 x 51 mm. There are a few exceptions with several models packed in smaller boxes measuring 123 x 101 x 80 mm (Issues 10, 58, 94, 96, 109, 127, 146 & 180) and two larger boxes 176 x 176 x 80 mm (Bajoran Solar Sailor) and 164 x 138 x 86 mm (Xindi-Insectoid).

The regular collection is supplemented by a range of bonus, special editions, XL issues, dedication plaques, and reference books.
In January 2018 a brand new collection dedicated to the new "Star Trek: Discovery" TV series was released. This includes a range of larger ships, comparable in size to the XL and oversized specials from the STSS collection. This is not part of the regular collection because it required a separate licence.
In October 2018 the new Star Trek: The Official Busts Collection started and it has subsequently been revealed that this collection will soon end at issue 12. The Graphic Novel collection was also announced to be ending at issue 100 but has susbsequently been extended to at least 120.
In April 2021 the new Star Trek Universe Collection
commenced.
|