Die Cast Lighted 1/350th TOS Enterprise (TOMY crowd funded)

Really, I think the only solution would be to strip and/or repaint it. Some very brave people have done that with the MR model, after all.

I have no doubt that eliminating the toylike seams/separating saucer and doing a proper custom paintjob would provide excellent results.

It's just a shame that such an endeavor would even be needed to begin with.

I think a lot of people would have happily paid double the price for a metal model with MR's level of quality in regards to the finish.

I certainly would have been willing. As I already thought it was bargain bin level pricing. And now we know why.

Though I wonder if they had somehow managed to achieve their original backer target, whether that would have been enough funds to accomplish their promises?
 
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Really, I think the only solution would be to strip and/or repaint it. Some very brave people have done that with the MR model, after all.

I have no doubt that eliminating the toylike seams/separating saucer and doing a proper custom paintjob would provide excellent results.

It's just a shame that such an endeavor would even be needed to begin with.

I think a lot of people would have happily paid double the price for a metal model with MR's level of quality in regards to the finish.
Yeah. I'm not brave enough ..lol.....I will live with the imperfections....
 
I certainly would have been willing. As I already thought it was bargain bin level pricing. And now we know why.

Though I wonder if they had somehow managed to achieve their original backer target, whether that would have been enough funds to accomplish their promises?
That is what kinda pisses me off. They lowered the backers without telling us the quality would suffer some....if they would have been honest people could have had the choice to back out before hand..
 
I don’t think using would be an issue. Unless you are leaving it on a window sill I can’t see temperature changes great enough to cause a problem.
 
I don’t think using would be an issue. Unless you are leaving it on a window sill I can’t see temperature changes great enough to cause a problem.

It gets up to 90 degrees in my house during the summer.....so I don't think it would be good for me...
 
I'm still excited to receive mine, I'm just quite baffled by some of the decisions they made and how easily avoided some pitfalls were. It's still probably the best model that 600 bucks can buy. (but it could have been better if they thought through their seam placements, and gone a lot more smoothly if they knew how to communicate) Many buyers will probably still be thrilled to have it once they see it.

Factory Entertainment's offerings now exists if you've got that kind of spending cash. But considering I don't expect to ever get my hands on one of those, I still hope that Tomy would do more ships at this relative price range. A 32" Enterprise D to pair with this would be a dream. But uh...hopefully they learn some lessons from this experience, because there was more than one unforced error here.

Aside from the obvious fumble with placing all those screw seams on the same side that they seemingly designed the stand to display most prominently, the colors and lights generally look pretty good in the photos I've seen so far. Still waiting to get a good look at what the nacelle caps look like in motion but they seem like they may be way too saturated. However the main part that looks distracting are the saucer streaks which appear extremely bold, even, and orderly, which is pretty much the opposite of what you want from that sort of detail. A lighter touch with less regularity would have been appreciated.

All in all, a questionably ran campaign with multiple stumbles along the way, some that affected the final product, but seemingly still a pretty cool product for the price. I look forward to forming in-hand opinions of it.
 
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I wouldn't mind attempting to bondo and repaint but it's the saucer support that killed it for me.

I think they never should have designed it to be separated.

But even if that weren’t the case I think they may still have needed at least a support rod (but not that other eyesore), directly underneath the saucer. As the saucer is quite heavy for a simple piece of plastic to safety hold up.
 
I'm still excited to receive mine, I'm just quite baffled by some of the decisions they made and how easily avoided some pitfalls were. It's still probably the best model that 600 bucks can buy. (but it could have been better if they thought through their seam placements, and gone a lot more smoothly if they knew how to communicate)

Factory Entertainment now exists if you've got that kind of spending cash. But considering I don't expect to ever get my hands on one of those, I still hope that Tomy would do more ships at this price range. But uh...hopefully they learn some lessons from this experience, because there was more than one unforced error here.

Aside from the obvious fumble with placing all those screw seams on the starboard side instead of the port side, the colors and lights generally look pretty good in the photos I've seen so far. Still waiting to get a good look at what the nacelle caps look like in motion but they seem like they may be way too saturated. However the main part that looks distractedly poor are the saucer streaks which appear extremely bold, even, and orderly, which is pretty much the opposite of what you want from that sort of detail. A lighter touch with less regularity would have been appreciated.

Honestly I could probably use one of those Gundam weathering kits I bought over a decade ago, and improve upon it. Shouldn’t be too difficult to apply, but then again I’m 50/50 on making things much worse.
 
I took a quick video with the lights on and the motor set to full to give an idea of what it looks and sounds like lit up.
It's not perfect, but that video has me really excited to get mine. Really comes to life with the lighting! I appreciate everything you posted today!

Factory Entertainment's offerings now exists if you've got that kind of spending cash. But considering I don't expect to ever get my hands on one of those, I still hope that Tomy would do more ships at this relative price range. A 32" Enterprise D to pair with this would be a dream. But uh...hopefully they learn some lessons from this experience, because there was more than one unforced error here.
Yeah, in a perfect world I'd like a fiberglass or carbon fiber TOS Enterprise version that could be hung with easy recharging! ... but I'll never be able to afford that!

If this is a 350 scale model, wouldn’t Lou’s paint masks work for those who want to bondo the seams and redo the paint job?
If I get brave, I might strip my second one and refinish it using those masks!
 
I was a backer of the project and ordered two of these bad boys expecting quality similar to their other large diecasts. Like everyone I find the visible seams really disappointing but oh well. The lighting looks fantastic - the bridge is really cool! At this point, leaning toward selling one and keeping the other, but possibly filling the seams and doing some paint work. DEFINITELY will be designing a new base for it regardless. I have always hated the base design and watched it grow bigger and uglier as the project progressed. They're designing for economies of scale, but I don't have to. I hope there's a way to strengthen the saucer attachment—I wonder if a more up-angled presentation would put more of the weight down into the neck.
 
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I was a backer of the project and ordered two of these bad boys expecting quality similar to their other large diecasts. Like everyone I find the visible seams really disappointing but oh well. The lighting looks fantastic - the bridge is really cool! At this point, leaning toward selling one and keeping the other, but possibly filling the seams and doing some paint work. DEFINITELY will be designing a new base for it regardless. I have always hated the base design and watched it grow bigger and uglier as the project progressed. They're designing for economies of scale, but I don't have to. I hope there's a way to strengthen the sauce attachment—I wonder if a more up-angled presentation would put more of the weight down into the neck.
If anyone comes up with a decent alternative base design, please share it!
 
Yeah, in a perfect world I'd like a fiberglass or carbon fiber TOS Enterprise version that could be hung with easy recharging! ... but I'll never be able to afford that!
The die-cast metal was what got my attention originally.
That's what made this seem like a dream release. Same size as a PL kit or MR, but made to be durable and more or less permanent.

It's only now that I understand the trade off with a heavy die-cast body vs a much lighter styrene- and what I would prefer is that more discrete support which you can only get with a lighter object.
 
Not a fan of the base as well. I like simple mirror bases. I am anxious to see what everyone here comes up with.

If I can switch to a simple mirror base, preferably with a single post, and fix the saucer I would be happy and could live with the rest.
 
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