Fanhome’s ‘Star Trek Starships Diecast Collection’ Presents The U.S.S. Stargazer NCC-82893

by Brendan M. Allen

I’m in my second month of Fanhome’s Star Trek Starships Diecast Collection subscription service.* The service offers finely crafted diecast models from the latest Star Trek series, including Picard, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek Discovery, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, delivered monthly to my doorstep.

The ships, licensed by CBS Studios, are made with die-cast metal and high-quality ABS. Each ship features detailed painting based on the original on-screen designs. Each ship comes with a magazine that details the ship’s kayfabe history first, and then describes the real-world design process.

In December, Fanhome sent me the U.S.S. Titan NCC-80102-A, Captain Shaw’s ship from Star Trek: Picard, for review. The model is 8.66” long, diecast, with ABS warp nacelles. The mold is based on the original VFX files from the show, and it is executed beautifully.

January’s model is another ship from Picard: the U.S.S. Stargazer NCC-82893.

On the kayfabe side, the Stargazer was the first Sagan-class to enter service. Developed in the last years of the 24th century, it used technology derived from the Borg cube known as “the artifact.” In 2401, the Stargazer was placed under the command of Captain Cristobal Rios. During his tenure, it was sent to investigate a subspace tear initially detected by the U.S.S. Avalon.

When the Stargazer arrived, the crew translated a message from the Borg requesting Admiral Picard’s presence. This led to the Federation establishing contact with a sympathetic faction of Borg, who led a fleet of Starfleet ships in absorbing the energy of a galactic event that had the potential to wipe out an entire sector.

And then there’s the stuff I find really fascinating. The Stargazer design is based on a model from Picard’s ready room on TNG. Picard showrunners wanted the show to come full circle, so they drew heavy inspiration from the prop, which was kitbashed from two AMT model kits by Rick Sternbach. That kitbashing resulted in a very unique look, with four warp nacelles and a thicker than usual saucer shape.

These are the facts that I absolutely love to learn. It’s fun to spot reused props, like the PKE Meter that appeared in Ghostbusters, They Live, and Suburban Commando and the 1973 Delta 88 that showed up in The Evil Dead, Spider-Man, and Drag Me To Hell. Likewise, props made from everyday items, like Qui Gon Jin’s Comlink (a Gillette women’s razor spray painted silver), Skek Tek the Scientist’s cybernetic eye (a diecast Imperial Tie Fighter), and Daenerys Targaryen’s chalice (a Starbuck’s Grande paper cup) make me smile. But kitbashing, the same processes that brought you the unique and complex surface of the Death Star, is especially fun.

Inside each package, there’s also a display stand designed specifically for each ship. Like the U.S.S. Titan, the U.S.S. Stargazer model is front-heavy. The stand design accounts for this, fitting onto the rear of the ship’s saucer. The ease by which the ship is placed on the stand and removed is pretty impressive, and when the ship is displayed, it’s balanced perfectly. One thing I will say about this particular model is that it’s possible to put the ship in upside down, which results in a less-than-perfect fit. It took me a couple minutes to realize the error, since Stargazer doesn’t look that different when it’s inverted.

The next ships in my sub are the U.S.S. Farragut NCC-1647 and the S.S. Eleos XII (NAR-59019). The S.S. Eleos will be the first XL ship in this collection, which I am really looking forward to.

Fanhome’s Star Trek Starships Diecast Collection is available now for subscription. After each ship is shipped to subscribers, they are available for individual purchase, while supplies last. There is a discount on each piece for subscribers, and the individual ships have been selling out quickly, so there is a significant benefit to subscribing versus buying individually.