U.S.S. Stargazer

from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987-1994)

Scale: 1:7000
Initial Release: 2003
Medium: PVC Plastic
Kit Rarity: 3

About the Design

The U.S.S. "Stargazer" was Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's first command.  Introduced in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" first season episode "The Battle," the "Stargazer" was purportedly destroyed years earlier by the Ferengi near the Maxia Zeta star system, only to be returned to Picard years later by a Ferengi officer with a hidden agenda.

The "Stargazer" design began with a "Reliant"-like saucer section and then added four warp nacelles turned 90-degrees.  It had a somewhat cumbersome profile that suggested a ship from the less-advanced pre-Next Generation era.

About the Kit

In the early 21st Century, Japan suddenly acquired Star Trek fever.  One of the companies that decided to go where no Japanese toy company had gone before was Furuta, which issued a set of 10 mini-models ranging from the Enterprise-A to the Deep Space 9 space station. (All models came with the same packaging; as with baseball cards,  buyers never knew exactly what product they were going to get.)  Like the other Furuta models, the Stargazer was a simple kit (just five pieces)  made from pre-painted PVC plastic and measured just four inches long.  The original completed model has been weathered with a dull black wash to bring out the details.

The model was built from an original issue.