Years ago, as a kid, there was this kit that sort of looked like it belonged to the Star Trek line of AMT kits in a similar box and similar logo. I never did get it because it wasn’t a “real” Star Fleet ship.
I picked one up a couple years ago at a local close out store. Another grab at a long lost opportunity. I opened the kit and was kind of disappointed at what was inside. Yeah, was I expecting a Fine Molds kit?
I set it aside and recently, I saw a photo etch set for it, so I bought it. It was a few times more than the kit was worth, and I’m probably throwing good money after bad.
I guess it’ll be a walk down memory lane, but one that never happened.
Round2 rereleased the kit again a few years ago with LEDs replacing the original light bulbs for the engines. Did you get that one, or an older kit? The ‘ghost ship’ UFO version is not too hard to find, either. Some history -
It was designed by Matt Jefferies, designer of the TOS Enterprise as well. Supposed to be the first of a ‘Strategic Space Command’ series by AMT to cash in on the science fiction market stoked by interest in Trek, but sales were lackluster and there were no other entries.
It’s a fun kit. I did it back in the '70s when it was released as the glow-in-the-dark “UFO Mystery Ship,” and when Round 2 re-released it, I decided to pay a bit of homage to Matt Jefferies and the model’s Trek DNA by doing it up as a pre-TOS early-Federation exploration vessel named after…who else???:
BTW, I also used the (expensive) little PE set; it was a nice addition.
I built that kit when I first came out. It also had a record that came in the kit that was mounted on cardboard. I still have it around here somewhere and eventually transferred it on to a C.D. I eventually bought another some time ago but decided to make some changes. The first was to drop the forward shield and the second was to not include the shuttle. The idea was to give it the look of a much larger ship, roughly the size of a Battlestar and give it different engines and multi layered launch bays on the sides. I still haven’t added any markings for it and might pick up another one for a different design along the same lines.
First of all, it is awesome to see all of your builds. Each one is similar, but unique, like sister ships in the fleet.
The box art is dated 2009 Round2, so roughly 11 years old. It is molded in glow in the dark plastic with a slight green tint to the otherwise off white color. The bottom of the box has a sheet of artwork that was glued in one spot.
It does not include the engine parts that were recreated for the 2011 version. There is an elaborate decal sheet that includes shark mouth decals (two options) and some lame pirate markings that are supposed to represent what happened to the ship when it was captured by space pirates.
There is a three page story about the mystery UFO ship. It seems kind of lame as well.
The Original UFO Mystery ship was AMT’s attempt to make a few $$$ on the Leif Ericsson molds.
They ditched the lights, simplified the kit, and split the “neck” so it could fit in the small square box.
When R2 purchesed AMT they got the UFO modified molds, they did a run and then backdated them to the original Leif Ericsson configuration, with the missing engines original triangular stand, and LEDs.
It can be built into a nice L.E., but you need a set of decals and engines.
Yes, I know which version I have, which is why it was $10 at a closeout store while the “reverse tooled” original version kit runs $30 or more with the engines and other missing pieces.
I don’t plan on making it into the Leif Ericson. I do want to use one of the two shark mouth decals though. My version does not include original markings, but I might also use the faded version markings.
I got it back in 2005 from someone on the StarShip Modeler boards. Back when I was a member there. Cozmo was his screen name. He might still be active.
The back photo has the web site on it, I’m guessing its not active anymore.
Being a garage kit it probably isn’t available any more. I’ll check Ebay every now and then to see if one pops up. Thanks for posting this, half the battle is knowing what’s out there!
