Shuttlecraft Galileo from "Star Trek" (1966-1969)

Scale: 1:50
Initial Release: 1974
Medium: Styrene
Kit Rarity: 2

About the Design

Although all Federation starships were equipped with transporters for moving cargo and personnel over distances up to 13,000 miles, shuttlecraft were often necessary for longer trips, or for use in situations where electromagnetic interference made "beaming" impossible. Mid-23rd Century Federation shuttlecraft came in only one type -- this seven-person vehicle equipped with limited warp capabilities and capable of atmospheric flight.

This so-called "flying cheesebox" first appeared in the "Star Trek" Season One episode "The Galileo Seven," the mock-up being financed by AMT in exchange for the rights to build this model kit. Its boxy shape derived from the need to create a mock-up that was visually convincing yet cheap to construct.

Although the "Galileo" itself was destroyed at the end of that episode, shuttlecraft continued to appear throughout the series' run, the "Galileo II" presumably being a replacement for the original shuttle.

About the Kit

Released a full five years after the original "Star Trek's" network run -- a testament to the show's increasing popularity in syndication -- this large-scale shuttlecraft kit featured an inaccurate exterior and incomplete interior composed principally of seven chairs and a rear wall.  (Interior not shown here.)  The original release featured "Galileo" decals, whereas later versions were of the replacement "Galileo II."

A far more accurate version of the shuttlecraft would eventually be released in 1:32 scale by Polar Lights in 2020, although its initial release did not include any interior detail.

Although this collection once included an original 1974 issue, the model shown here is one of the later "Galileo II' releases.