Review: Art Asylum Enterprise NCC-1701-A

Art Asylum's new toy lines have breathed new life into the Star Trek toy license, which Playmates had neatly managed to run into the ground. The Enterprise-A is the first edition to their "Starship Legends" line, and boy is it a beauty.

The Art Asylum (AA) toy is intended to represent the "Refit Enterprise" studio model as it appeared in Star Trek IV, V, and VI. This model was the same one that was used in the earlier 3 films, save for a different paint job. AA reportedly took measurements and photographs of the actual filming model, to ensure total accuracy.  Due to all of the research put into this project, this ship is a stunning visage that blurs the line between model and toy.

Opening the rather sharp looking box confronts you with the ship, disassembled into 3 main parts. These include the primary hull/secondary hull assembly, the nacelle pylons, and the nacelles.  These pieces snap together quite easily, and fit securely. The fact that the saucer section is permanently joined to the engineering section may disappoint some who would like to use this toy as raw material for conversion projects, but personally I think it really helps the toy from developing that "wiggle" that so many other toys and models of Stat Trek ships seem to develop. The completed toy is of a fairly impressive size. Overall, the ship is about 16" long, and the saucer is 7" in diameter. Until I got mine, I had the hardest time trying to get a feeling for the toy's dimensions, so I included a picture of me holding the thing to demonstrate the relative size of the ship:

ZOOOOM! BLAM! Ka-BLOOIE! Oh, Come on, like you have never
 "flown" your toy starships around your room!

The list of details present in the Enterprise-A is exhausting. First, the "Aztec" pattern of rectangles that were so plainly obvious on the studio model are faithfully represented here. AA, as a cost saving measure, elected to mold this detail into the ship, rather than paint it on. The effect doesn't seem so impressive when you are extremely close to the toy, but from a foot or so away this method makes the toy really look sharp. While we are on the subject of this toy's mold work, AA has painstakingly reproduced every phaser bank, docking port, and view port that was on the studio model. While much of these details remain unpainted, they can be easily highlighted by the owner with a little paint and some patience. Also, rather than paint the entire toy with a base color, AA instead molded it out of a silvery grey plastic. This is, in general, an effective means of capturing the looks of the ship. Using an appropriately colored plastic makes the model easy to re-letter and re-decal, too.  This isn't to say that there is no painted-on detail, however. Quite to the contrary, the many blue-gray hull and panel lines that seemed to cover the ship, especially on the dorsal area of the secondary hull, are all present.  On top of the paint work are many finely printed decals for the ship's name and registry. These are all crisp and well applied, although the "Enterprise" along the bottom of the main shuttle bay on my toy wasn't perfectly straight.

Look at that molded and painted detail!

The realism of this toy is definitely far beyond that of many other Star Trek toys. The nacelle pylons seem to be slightly thicker than they should be, probably out of structural necessity. However, all of the other components look to be spot on with all the line plans that I have seen. There is only one screw head visible on the entire toy, and that is on the battery hatch positioned on the bottom of the secondary hull. The battery compartment holds 4 AAA batteries as well as a switch that allows the owner to change it from a "demo" setting (sound but no lights) to the "normal" setting. The toy comes with two hatch covers, one with a socket for the display stand and one without. Regarding the stand, it features the iconic Star Trek arrowhead, and attaches with a ball on a arm to the aforementioned socket in the bottom of the toy. The advantage of such a stand is that it allows for many different viewing positions. However, the joint between the stand and toy is very stiff, and one must apply considerable force to separate the two. Also, the stand is not overly sturdy. I've already noticed small cracks developing along the base of the upright arm that holds the ship. To avoid trouble there, I try not to move the toy too much and place undue stress on the stand.

As a toy, the Enterprise A naturally features lights and sound. Separate bulbs light the navigational deflector, the warp engines, the impulse engine, and the large windows behind the bridge. The sounds are designed to represent enemy attacks, weapons fire, warp/impulse propulsion, and transporter operation.  Interestingly, the lights come on and off in different patterns depending on the sound being played. This is a very sophisticated set-up, very similar to the one that AA's NX-01 toy uses. The sound effects are all very good, having been ripped straight from the movies. The lights are decent, although they are not perfect. The warp engines, for example, do not uniformly light along their entire length. Instead, the light is concentrated around the aft end of each nacelle, where the bulb is.

There are a few other problems with the ship, as well. The decaling and painting is rather sloppily done in some places, although for the most part these areas aren't prominently visible. Also, there are some pretty nasty mold parting lines and seems on the toy. However, these are really relatively minor quibbles against what is otherwise a very fine product.

A side-by-side comparison w/ AA's NX-01 ship. Aren't these great toys?

Well, to wrap up, I guess I should mention that the refit Constitution design first introduced in Star Trek The Motion Picture has long been my favorite starship design. When I first heard that AA was going to be making a toy version, both my anticipation and expectations went through the roof. Now, I can safely say that AA has met most of those expectations and delivered a ship that, while not perfect, is easily the best toy Star Trek ship yet produced. Considering all of the detail that this toy has, one is almost tempted to call it a model! To say that I am satisfied with AA's Enterprise A is a prize understatement. At only $25-30, no self-respecting Star Trek fan should be without one of these little gems.

By Andy Rucker