It’s not as well known as the Enterprise, but the USS Reliant played a pretty major role in what’s considered to be the best Star Trek movie of all time: The Wrath of Khan. And while the ship might have been destroyed in that film, it lives on in this 27-inch long replica that’s as close to owning the actual ship model used in the movie as most Star Trek fans will get.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first, this 1:350-scale replica is going to cost you just shy of $US5000. But if you can afford it, you’ll be in an elite club of just 250 people who have one in their collections. And making fellow collectors and Star Trek fans jealous is what it’s all about, right?
Created using extensive photographs and measurements of the Reliant replica built for the film, this model is impressively detailed and features over 100 internal LEDs illuminating windows, phaser arrays, and the engine nacelles. It’s also got warp engine and weapon system sounds, and according to QMx it takes five artists some 150 hours to make this model a reality — including a twenty layer paint job. It doesn’t make it any cheaper, but it might make it easier for you to justify that price tag. [QMx Online via GeekAlerts]
