Last week Eaglemoss ran some sales, which persuaded me to pick up some of their models for the first time in a little while. I got some Star Trek and some Doctor Who, but today I’m going to check out their Eagle Transporter from Space 1999! I think this is probably the first time anything from Space 1999 has been featured here on FFZ. It’s a property that hasn’t stood up in the public eye nearly as well as some of its contemporaries, and that’s a shame because it’s a fantastic series, especially the first season! My first exposure to it was when I was young and my Uncle gave me his Eagle-1 Transporter from Mattel and I was blown away by the thing! It was HUGE, it had plenty of great play features, and came with three action figures. I played with that thing for years until most of it got lost or eventually broken, and I hadn’t even seen the show yet! Later on when I was a teenager, I started watching reruns of it on one of the local channels and it hooked me. It didn’t have the same polished charm or optimism of Star Trek, but it was gripping stuff, nonetheless. And at times, I even found it to be downright terrifying. What’s more the sets and the props were absolutely amazing! And while I’m not as fond of the second season changes, it did add Catherine Schell as Maya, which was reason enough to watch!

Eaglemoss’ model comes in a fully enclosed box with a color magazine offering some great information about the series and the Eagle Transporters. The Eagles were certainly not as sexy as anything in Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica, but I found the designs to be every bit as iconic. They were the workhorses of Moonbase Alpha, and able to be refit with different equipment packages for a various degree of specialties. From hauling cargo to mobile laboratory, these things could do it all. They could even engage in battle when necessary. Space 1999 had a rather unique take on space exploration, as the Moon itself was blasted out of orbit after a nuclear accident and sent hurdling through the Galaxy. The Eagle Transporters allowed them to launch exploratory, scientific, and resupply expeditions to the planets that they passed.

And here she is out of the box! As with all Eaglemoss models, The Eagle-1 uses a combination of diecast metal and plastic, giving it the best of both worlds. You get the heft of the diecast parts and the fine sculpting that can better be achieved in plastic. It’s a fully finished model, without any assembly required. And at about 10-inches in scale, this ship is the perfect size to offer a great level of detail, without requiring a crazy amount of shelf space. The Eagle-1 includes a black diecast stand with a clear plastic post and platform to rest the ship on. The stand doesn’t actually secure itself to the ship in any way, but it holds it sure and steady. Just try not to bump it!

I think my favorite thing about the Eagle-1 design is just how seated in realism it is. With it’s exposed framework on the top, fixed landing gear, and array of thruster cones on the back and undercarriage, everything here is so utilitarian. As a kid, this design looked totally credible to me as something we would be using to explore space in the distant year of 1999! For a show about people travelling through space on the moon, these Eagle designs were remarkably grounded.

The bulk of the model is presented in an off-white finish, with some occasional panels painted differently to make it look like it’s constructed of hundreds of panels. It’s not as complex as the aztec patterns we see on later Star Trek ships, but it works to add that extra level of realism to the finish. Other paint operations include the black and red striping on the front and back of the dorsal frame, the black windows above the center cabin, and the gunmetal gray used for the thrusters. You also get some sharp, printed Moonbase Alpha insignia on various points of the hull. It feels like every time I take a moment to study it, some new little detail is brought to my attention and I love that! This is an excellent representation of the ship in every way! Alas, the cockpit and booster sections don’t detach and connect like they did in the Mattel toy, but that wasn’t canon anyway.

It’s probably worth mentioning that Space 1999 has an unbelievably dedicated modeling fandom, and there have been a number of absolutely stellar Eagle-1 models available, both as professional and hobby grade builds. I’ve spent many a night haunting forums and drooling over some of the amazing work that’s been done recreating these intrepid Eagles in all their variants. In light of that, Eaglemoss’ release is far from the best you can get, especially if price is not an option! But with that being said, I couldn’t be happier that I added this ship to my collection. It’s the perfect size and the level of detail is quite impressive. There are a few different model variations available, but I’d love to see Eaglemoss release one in the vintage Mattel colors. I’d probably jump on that in a heartbeat! I seem to recall the MRSP on this model being around $80, but it was being blown out at $25 for the sale, and I couldn’t say no to that!