Diamond Select "All Good Things Enterprise-D"

I remember watching the season finale of Star Trek:TNG some years ago, "All Good Things" (AGT) and the triple-nacelle USS Enterprise D decloaking (yes, in an alternate timeline, Starfleet vessels have cloaking capabilities) just in the nick of time to rescue a retired Picard and Captain Beverly Crusher on board the USS Pasteur from certain death by Klingon distruptors. The fabled ship was firing its huge-ass phaser cannon which punched right through the Klingon cruisers' shields like it wasn't there at all. In the alternate timeline, Will Riker had been promoted to captain of the Enterprise.

Diamond Select Toys (DST) released a 16' version of the AGT Enterprise D this year. I got mine from eBay just 2 days ago. After I opened the packaged box and knowing my eagerness with new things, I turned on the switch from 'try me' mode to 'play' mode. This toy comes with lights and sounds and phrases from the aforesaid episode. Next step, to scan the long awaited merchandise to see if it matches up to my expectations of DST's quality.

First thing I noticed was the paintwork. The hull is painted in a somewhat dark starship grey and rougher than expected. The windows were merely painted on. I expected moulded-on windows for more realism, but at this scale which is about 1/1000, these small 'oversights' are forgivable... I guess. Notice the moulded-on 'plating' on the hull ?. They are important to give texture to the hull, although, the nomenclature and the registry numbers were a little chaffed, signs of shoddy work. The transporter emitters (the 2 rectangular pads with ribbings) however, are spot on.

The phaser array (the ribbed grey stripped bordered by 2 red lines) could've been moulded on instead of painting them on. I reckon if DST could make detailed toys, they could have moulded the ribbing on the arrays instead of having them painted on. Looks okay from 2 feet away, but you'd know once you ran you finger along the array.

The augmented weaponry can be seen. On the saucer section, two additional phaser cannons and just aft of the main bridge, the torpedo launcher module. On the flip side, the ship's main phaser cannon. Just what every Starfleet starship captain dreams about in a Klingon infested sector.

The bonus is that the saucer section detaches from the stardrive section. The two sections are held by very strong magnets, which is ingenious. There's no visible or protruding clips or other forms of attachments. But what's really COOL when the saucer section separates is when the saucer's impulse engines' lights come on with Capt Riker's voice aptly saying "prepare to separate the saucer section", accompany by the sound of the interlocks disengaging (which comes on again when the saucer is reattached). You can see the metal connections, no doubt a switch to activate the saucer-separation sequence.

But what's most noticeable is the THIRD nacelle on the stardrive section. In "All Good Things", Riker ordered the helmsman to set a course at Warp 13, depicting the increased velocities of the augmented starship. In July last year, I posted a blog on the Enterprise D and the 'rules' of starship design, namely Rule #1: Warp Nacelles *must* be in pairs, and the obvious departure latent in this version is explained. Although, I must say that the guys at DST didn't quite give it enough thought when they decided to put the 'lights on' button just underneath the centre nacelle. It's hard to access and the button sticks sometimes. In fact, the bridge dome button, which activates the sounds and lights also sticks occasionally.

Compared to that of the Playmates version, the AGT Enterprise D's deflector dish is much more accurate. It's cool to see it light up. Like a blue eye in the sky. Damn, I sound cornier by the minute.

The main impulse drive on the standard Enterprise D is replaced with two engines on the AGT Enterprise D. The lights are really bright. In the dark, they shine like warning beacons. Not that I'm complaining.

Well, for USD49.99 (RRP), this collectible is value for money, albeit with some minor flaws and want of detail. Falling short of building up a kit, the DST AGD Enterprise D makes an impressive display piece. I've liberated it from my office and relocated it to my room.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for DST's standard Enterprise D (the twin engine version) which is said to be more accurate that the AGT version. It should be arriving before the end of the month, but keeping my fingers crossed. Heck, for the sake of expanding my collection, a little patience is always a virtue.