The Merchandise GuideEagle Models: Product Enterprise Eagles
Compiled by Martin Willey
The Merchandise Guide
This Eagle was announced in January 2020. It features a detachable command module, and an Ultra Probe command module with movable arms and display stand. In August 2020, the expected delivery date was February 2021. It then slipped to June 2021. It finally arrived at the end of September 2021.
The box is 38cm x 40cm x 13cm, the same larger size as the Deluxe Hangar, Earthbound. Infernal Machine and War Games boxes. The front opens as a flap with photos. Only 1 of the photos in the inside flap, and 1 on the back, feature the large Ultra Probe command module.
The reference to the "beak" module is unusual (the Eagle command module was called the "beak" in the 1975 UK annual, but the series, books or comics never used the term).
The set contains a 34 x 16 x 1.7 cm plastic "landing pad", the same as previous sets, and a stand, like the War Games sets, for displaying the Ultra Probe. The base of the Eagle passenger module has the holes for the stand used in the War Games set, but the plastic mounting piece is not included. In addition, there is the standard moonbuggy, included in almost all the sets, although none appeared in this episode.
The standard Eagle model is changed slightly. The engines have year 2 tubing around them (like the Eaglemoss Eagle, but not like the Eagle in the episode Dragon's Domain, which was actually the second Eagle model). The command module separates from the main body, and there are nicely detailed doors on the main body and command module. It is held rather loosely by a magnet, or more firmly by pressing it in, which conversely is harder to attach or detach.
There are minor changes to the spine decorative coloured stripes, with some grey sections (the studio model spines only had these coloured stripes on the front and back, not mid-section).
There are pin holes on the underside of the passenger module, but no mounting piece. As the War Games Eagle "battle damage" is ghastly, you can discard that Eagle and use this one on the stand.
This is a fair representation of the largest command module model (see studio model details). The model is 7cm wide, 4cm high, 11cm long plus 2cm with the attachment arms. The 4cm arms hinge 90 degrees.
The detailing is good, although even against the two photos on the box differences are obvious. There is no wiring around the base of the arms. The detailing on the starboard side must be conjecture, as this was where the studio model was mounted. The mounting hole for this replica is on the underside, hidden by a cover that is difficult to remove. The underside detailing, which was spare on the original model, is invented on this replica.
The unpainted pre-production prototype (thanks to Gordon Moriguchi). The Ultra Probe command module has a stand (a crude mock-up is shown here).
Copyright Martin Willey