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AMT logo
AMT logo
1948-1976, 2007-
AMT-Matchbox European company logo
1977-1981 (outside US)
AMTErtl company logo 1982-1986 AMTErtl company logo 1987-1992 File:AMTErtlLogo.jpg
'82-'86 '87-'92 '93-'05
AMTErtl-Platz company logo 2010
2010 (Japan only)

Aluminum Model Toys (AMT) was the original producer of Star Trek model kits and acquired the license in 1966, shortly after the premiere of the original series. This licensing deal was brokered between Gene Roddenberry and Stephen Edward Poe, an employee of an advertising firm which had been retained by AMT for marketing and communications purposes.

History

Troy, Michigan, -based AMT started out in 1948 as a manufacturer of model cars and trucks, both as model kits and as finished display pieces made for marketing purposes. Model kits became the company's core product line in the mid-1960s and Star Trek models were the company's first foray into producing products other than automobile and truck kits. In a reflection of this, AMT needed a company to build both full-scale and scaled automobile mock-ups (typically out of wood at the time) to promotional ends, as well as to manufacture the templates or masters in order to construct the molds from which the parts for their model kits were extracted or cast. To this end they asked Gene Winfield to start and head a subsidiary company, Speed and Custom Division Shop. Set up in Phoenix Arizona, Speed & Custom Shop, the more commonly used abbreviation, started operations in 1966.

AMT ended its existence as an independent company in 1977 when it was acquired by Lesney Products, the owner of Matchbox. In 1981, the die-cast toy and model kit manufacturer Ertl Company acquired AMT from Lesney and established the AMT/Ertl brand and logo in 1982.

The AMT/Ertl brand came to an end in 1999 when the company was acquired by Racing Champions, now known as RC2 Corporation. The combined company was then re-branded as Racing Champions/ERTL. However, the acquiring company was traditionally a toy and die-cast model manufacturing company, and had no affinity with model kits, the production of which virtually halted after AMT/Ertl was taken over. The company redefined its mission in 2003 and AMT/Ertl was split into its original components, ERTL originally being a die-cast model manufacturer. In 2007, AMT was sold to Round 2 LLC, its current owner.

Since then, after the virtual hiatus of nearly a decade, AMT model kits were again released on a regular basis, though the majority of them are actually re-releases of previously released kits, with relatively few newly conceived kits sprinkled in.

Star Trek association

File:Galileo AMT model kit.jpg

Galileo shuttlecraft model kit

AMT was given the rights in 1966 to produce models based on the show in exchange for helping out Desilu Studios with the construction of set pieces when needed. Stephen Poe was instrumental in brokering the deal, who in return was also was given free access to the studio lot which eventually resulted in the book The Making of Star Trek. The details of the deal were negotiated by Ed Pearlstein of Desilu and Don Beebe of AMT, and closed successfully on 1 August 1966, starting the decades-long association between the franchise and the model kit company. For Producer Robert Justman, this was a godsend as the production costs for the upcoming episode "The Galileo Seven" were spiraling out of control, as he stated in a memo he sent Roddenberry, evidently relieved, "'[Pearlstein] has made what I consider a very advantageous deal and has accomplished this at a time when everyone thought all was lost." (These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One, 1st ed, p. 304) Through their subsidiary at the time, Speed & Custom Shop, AMT was called upon to construct the studio model of the Galileo Class F shuttlecraft as well as the full scale interior and exterior mock-ups. Also produced at the Speedshop was the studio model of the Klingon D7-class, which originated from the desire of AMT to do a follow-up of the very successful USS Enterprise model kit - over a million copies sold at that time according to Matt Jefferies (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 9, p. 66). Specifically designed for AMT by Jefferies, who also created the construction blueprints for the previous and subsequent outing in the Star Trek model kit line, one of the two solid wooden "master tooling models" (templates for the molds from which the production model kits were to be cast) fabricated, was immediately appropriated by the studio (struggling at the time with severe budget cuts) for use as filming model in the third season of Star Trek: The Original Series, betraying its origin as a master for model kit manufacturing by not having internal lighting rig. The Enterprise and D7 model kits were the only model kits released while the series was still running, before its cancellation in 1969. As the series began to pick up popularity in syndication, AMT, starting in the early 1970s, resumed further expansion of their Star Trek model kit line by releasing versions of Romulan Bird-of-Prey, a model of Spock, the Galileo shuttlecraft, a standard exploration set (communicator, phaser, and tricorder), the bridge, and Deep Space Station K-7.

During the period 1966-1972, AMT chose not to market the Star Trek name outside of the US themselves. During that period, Aurora, another noted model kit company, leased AMT's molds and released the models outside of the US. Though the molds were the same and even the packaging was, besides the imprint, virtually identical, legally, Aurora's releases of the four models were not associated with AMT. The Spock figure kit originated from Aurora but a reciprocal leasing agreement gave AMT the exclusive rights to release the figure in the US. AMT bought the Spock figure's tooling from Aurora in 1976.

It should be noted that it was Matt Jefferies who drew up the construction plans for the first three outings in AMT's Star Trek model kit line, that of the Galileo included, in his spare time and in initial conjuncture with Poe, but that both men were excluded from any and all royalties arrangements resulting from their hugely successful sales. (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, 1997, p. 173) From this it could be inferred that the Galileo model kit was slated for a release during the production of the Original Series, but that its cancellation had postponed the release until its renewed popularity in syndication.

The company retained the license through the 1970s, and, at the time owned by Lesney (1977-1981), eventually produced kits for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In 1981, the company was bought by Ertl, becoming AMT/Ertl. In 1984, after having renegotiated the license the previous year, the new combination began releasing Star Trek model kits, starting with reissues of some of the previously marketed kits under a new numbering system. The company began a true expansion of their Star Trek line with kits based on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine models followed in the 1990s, as well as more ships from the subsequent eight motion pictures. The company did not acquire the license for Star Trek: Voyager, which went to Revell-Monogram. The last new kits were released by 1999. Later that year the company was acquired by Racing Champions.

Releases of Star Trek model kits went dormant as the new parent company was trying to decide in what direction it would evolve. A half hearted attempt to revive the line occurred when re-releases were announced, of which only four were marketed in 2005 under its original brand "AMT/Ertl", though the company by that time was already split up in its two original components. Those four kits were the only releases of the AMT line that were marketed in eight years. However, in 2007, AMT changed hands yet again, this time acquired by Round 2 under whose ownership AMT (sporting the original imprint of AMT) started the run of re-releases in 2008 with a commemorative edition of its very first Enterprise model kit - (though the Enterprise kit was not a reissue of the original kit, but was instead a reissue of the model from much later renditions of the tooling, and was substantially different from the original AMT Enterprise model from 1966.)

For reasons, as of yet undisclosed, Round 2 sub-licensed in 2010 the manufacture of four former AMT/Ertl Star Trek model kits, representing the Enterprise's B through E, as limited editions for the Japanese market only, to model kit company Platz Co., Ltd.. The four kits eventually produced, were that year marketed as "Platz-AMT/ERTL" products, and were, remarkably, released prior to AMT/Round 2's own re-issues that started one year later. To date, Platz has been the only company that has been given an international model kit sub-license, as Round 2 LLC administers the international marketing of their products themselves.

Star Trek releases

Star Ship Model Kits
Item As Scale Issue Item No. Notes Boxart
USS Enterprise AMT 1:650 1966 S921 Issued with rudimentary lighting option AMT Model kit S921 USS Enterprise 1966
1968 S951 Re-tooled and renumbered; new box; enhanced lighting option; varying plastic colors were used AMT Model kit S951 USS Enterprise 1966
1973 New box art; enhanced decal sheet (sister ships) AMT Model kit S951 USS Enterprise 1973
1975 New box format; re-tooled; no lighting option from this issue onward AMT Model kit S951 USS Enterprise 1975
AMT/Lesney 1979 PK5102 European reissue of S951; Matchbox imprint "Yellow Crown Range"
AMT/Ertl 1984 6676 Reissue under new numbering scheme; logo not yet adjusted but slightly adjusted box art to reflect new ownership AMT Model kit 6676 USS Enterprise 1984
1989 Reissue, new horizontal format box AMT Model kit 6676 USS Enterprise 1989
1:500 1996 8790 "Cut-away" version; option to have the model built as "open" or "closed "; scale on box erroneously stated as 1:650 AMT Model kit 8790 Cut-Away USS Enterprise 1996
AMT/Round2 1:650 2008 AMT609 Limited edition (1701 pieces); Reissue of 6676; Tin box with art print. Retooled to remove the grid from the saucer AMT Model kit AMT609 USS Enterprise 2008
AMT610 "Legacy" reissue of 6676 in 1966-style packaging ; Retooled to remove the grid from the saucer AMT Model kit AMT610 USS Enterprise 2008
2009 AMT640 Reissue of AMT609, cast in blue plastic AMT Model kit AMT640 USS Enterprise 2009
2011 AMT695 Reissue of AMT609 Includes 2 in-scale Tholian web-spinners; Includes USS Defiant (NCC-1764) decals; cast in phosphorescent plastic AMT Model kit AMT695 USS Enterprise 2011
1:537 2015 AMT891 Improved "Cut-away" reissue of 8790 AMT Model kit AMT891 USS Enterprise Cutaway 2015
Klingon D7-class Battle cruiser AMT 1:650 1968 S952 Issued with lighting option AMT Model kit S952 Klingon Battle Cruiser 1968
1975 New box format; no lighting option from this issue onward File:AMT Model kit S952 Klingon Battle Cruiser 1975..jpg
AMT/Ertl 1991 6743 25th Anniversary reissue with new stand; labeled as "Original Edition Klingon Cruiser" AMT Model kit 6743 Klingon Cruiser 1991
AMT/Round 2 2011 AMT699 Collector's edition; re-issue of S952; tin box with poster box-art; cast in light-green with chrome parts. New Decal sheet. Holes for lighting the head removed, 2 grills removed from top of 'wing', 2 small lights on 'head' made much smaller AMT Model kit AMT699 Klingon Battle Cruiser 2011
AMT720 Re-issue of S952; cast in light-green with chrome parts; new decal sheet, as with AMT699 holes for lighting the head removed, 2 grills removed from top of 'wing', 2 small lights on 'head' made much smaller AMT Model kit AMT720 Klingon Battle Cruiser 2011
Galileo 7 Shuttlecraft AMT 1:35 1974 S595 File:AMT Model kit S959 Galileo 7 1974.jpg
1975 New boxformat File:Galileo AMT model kit.jpg
AMT/Ertl 1991 6743 25th Anniversary reissue with new decals, horizontal format box, and retooling of windows AMT Model kit 6006 Galileo II Shuttlecraft 1991
Exploration Set AMT 1:2 1974 S958 Comprises phaser, tricorder and communicator extremely inacurrate and about 1/3 the size of the 'real' props AMT Model kit S598 Exploration Set 1974 original
1975 New box format AMT Model kit S598 Exploration Set 1974
AMT/Round 2 2014 AMT848 AMT Model kit AMT848 Exploration Set 2014
USS Enterprise Bridge AMT 1:35 1975 S950 Included scale figures of Kirk, Spock and Sulu AMT Model kit S950 USS Enterprise Bridge 1975,jpg
AMT/Ertl 1991 6007 25th Anniversary reissue with new decals and retooling of figures AMT Model kit 6007 USS Enterprise Bridge 1991
AMT/Round 2 2013 AMT808 With additional wall panel to complete bridge, and parts to compose 6 characters, and much better decals AMT Model kit AMT808 USS Enterprise Bridge 2013
Romulan Bird-of-Prey AMT 1:650 1975 S957 File:AMT Model kit S953 Romulan Bird of Prey 1975..jpg
AMT/Lesney 1979 PK5106 European reissue of S957 as "Romulan Space Ship"; Matchbox imprint "Yellow Crown Range"
AMT/Round2 2011 AMT665 Re-issue op S957, 1975 style packaging AMT Model kit AMT665 Romulan Bird of Prey 2011
AMT666 Collector's edition; re-issue of S957; tin box with poster box-art AMT Model kit AMT666 Romulan Bird of Prey 2011
Space Station K-7 AMT 1:7600 1975 S955 Included small, in-scale model of the USS Enterprise File:AMT Model kit S955 Space Station K-7 1976.jpg..jpg
AMT/Lesney 1979 PK5105 European reissue of S955; Matchbox imprint "Yellow Crown Range"
AMT/Round2 2010 AMT644 Reissue of S955 in 1976-style packaging AMT Model kit AMT644 K-7 Space Station 2010
AMT645 Collector's edition; reissue of S955; tin box with Tribble AMT Model kit AMT645 K-7 Space Station 2010
USS Enterprise-A (or Refit) AMT/Lesney 1:537 1980 S970 Star Trek: The Motion Picture imprint AMT Model kit S970 USS Enterprise 1979
PK5110 European release; different box art; Matchbox imprint "Yellow Crown Range" AMT-Matchbox Model kit PK5110 USS Enterprise 1979
AMT/Ertl 1984 6675 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Moulding has inacurrate panel lines added from this issue onwards, causing the original issue to be called the 'smoothie' AMT Model kit 6675 USS Enterprise 1984
1985 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock imprint AMT Model kit 6675 USS Enterprise 1985
1987 6693 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home imprint AMT Model kit 6693 USS Enterprise 1987
1989 6693 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier imprint; included a shuttlecraft at 1:230 scale AMT Model kit 6876 USS Enterprise and Shuttlecraft 1989
1991 6959 With lights and sound effects AMT Model kit 6959 USS Enterprise 1991
1992 8617 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country imprint; reissue of 6693; limited to 5,000 pieces; included Galoob's Enterprise-D toy AMT Model kit 8617 USS Enterprise 1992
Klingon K't'inga-class Battle cruiser AMT/Lesney 1:537 1980 S971 Released only as "Klingon Cruiser" AMT Model kit S971 Klingon Battle Cruiser 1979
PK5111 European release; different box art; Matchbox imprint "Yellow Crown Range" AMT-Matchbox Model kit PK5111 Klingon Cruiser 1979
AMT/Ertl 1985 6682 Star Trek: The Motion Picture imprint AMT Model kit 6682 Klingon Cruiser 1985
1992 8229 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country imprint AMT Model kit 8229 Klingon Cruiser 1992
AMT/Round2 2012 AMT794 First re-issue of the model in twenty years AMT Model kit AMT794 K't'inga class battle cruiser 2012
Vulcan Shuttle AMT/Lesney 1:187 1980 S972 AMT Model kit S972 Vukcan Shuttle 1979
PK5112 European release; different box art; Matchbox imprint "Yellow Crown Range" AMT-Matchbox Model kit PK5112 Vukcan Shuttle 1979
AMT/Ertl 1984 6679 Star Trek: The Motion Picture imprint; reissue under new numbering scheme AMT Model kit 6679 Vukcan Shuttle 1984
1985 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock imprint, though the model never appeared in that film AMT Model kit 6679 Vukcan Shuttle 1985
AMT/Round2 2009 AMT641 Improved release, with magnetic attachment and revised detailing AMT Model kit AMT641 Vukcan Shuttle 2009
USS Enterprise-D AMT/Ertl 1:1400 1988 6619 AMT Model kit 6619 USS Enterprise-D 1988
1995 8772 Contains fiber optic lighting AMT Model kit 8772 USS Enterprise-D 1995
8793 Star Trek Generations imprint AMT Model kit 8793 USS Enterprise-D 1995
1996 8400 "Plus Pack"; contains glue, paint and brush AMT Model kit 8400 USS Enterprise-D 1996
AMT/Ertl-Platz 2010 GDS8138 Sub-licensed Japanese reissue; improved decal sheet AMT-Platz Model kit GDS8138 USS Enterprise-D 2010
AMT/Round2 AMT656 "Special Edition"; cast in transparent styrene for lighting purposes; replacement release for announced but canceled kit AMT643 which was an intended re-issue of 6619[1]; Two issues in 2010, each which different box-art AMT Model kit AMT656 USS Enterprise-D 2010
AMT Model kit AMT656 USS Enterprise-D 2010 variant
1:2500 AMT662 "Cadet Series" AMT Model kit AMT662 USS Enterprise-D 2010
Klingon Vor'cha-class Battle cruiser AMT/Ertl 1:1400 1992 6812 AMT Model kit 6812 Klingon Battle Cruiser 1992
Runabout USS Rio Grande AMT/Ertl 1:72 1993 6741 AMT Model kit 6741 USS Rio Grande 1993
USS Excelsior/USS Enterprise-B AMT/Ertl 1:1000 1994 6630 AMT Model kit 6630 USS Excelsior 1994
1995 8761 Star Trek Generations imprint; retooling of 6630 AMT Model kit 8762 USS Enterprise-B 1995
AMT/Ertl-Platz 2010 GDS8136 Sub-licensed Japanese reissue; improved decal sheet AMT-Platz Model kit GDS8136 USS Enterprise-B 2010
AMT/Round2 2011 AMT676 Re-issue 8761 AMT Model kit AMT676 USS Enterprise-B 2011
Deep Space 9 Space Station AMT/Ertl 1:3300 1994 8778 AMT Model kit 8778 Deep Space Nine Space Station 1994
1995 8764 Includes fiber optic lighting AMT Model kit 8764 Deep Space Nine Space Station 1995
AMT/Round2 2012 AMT751 New decal sheet; cast in clear plastic for lighting purposes; includes 1:2500 USS Defiant model AMT Model kit AMT751 Deep Space Nine Space Station 2012
Klingon Bird-of-Prey AMT/Ertl 1:350 1995 8230 Star Trek Generations imprint AMT Model kit 8230 Klingon Bird of Prey 1995
1997 6339 Includes "Flight Display" base, transparent mount for floating in mid-air appearance AMT Model kit 6339 Klingon Bird of Prey Flight Display 1997
unknown "Plus Pack"; contains glue, paint and brush AMT Model kit Klingon Bird of Prey 1997
AMT/RC2 2005 38389 Presented as B'rel-class AMT Model kit 38389 Klingon Bird of Prey 2005
AMT/Round2 2011 AMT664 Improved tooling; includes optional landing gear AMT Model kit AMT664 Klingon Bird of Prey 2011
USS Reliant AMT/Ertl 1:537 1995 8766 AMT Model kit 8766 USS Reliant 1995
AMT/Round2 2011 AMT667 Re-issue 8766; improved tooling AMT Model kit AMT667 USS Reliant 2011
2012 AMT714 Limited "Clear Edition"; cast in transparent plastic for lighting purposes AMT Model kit AMT714 USS Reliant 2012
USS Defiant AMT/Ertl 1:420 1996 8255 AMT Model kit 8255 USS Defiant 1996
1997 8398 "Plus Pack"; contains glue, paint and brush AMT Model kit 8398 USS Defiant 1997
AMT/Round2 2014 AMT845 First re-issue under new ownership AMT Model kit AMT845 USS Defiant 2014
Cardassian Galor-class Ship AMT/Ertl 1:750 1996 8324 AMT Model kit 8324 Cardassian Galor Class Ship 1996
USS Enterprise-E AMT/Ertl 1:1400 1997 6326 AMT Model kit 6326 USS Enterprise-E 1997
1999 30065 Star Trek: Insurrection imprint AMT Model kit 30065 USS Enterprise-E 1999
AMT/Ertl-Platz 2010 GDS8139 Sub-licensed Japanese reissue; improved decal sheet AMT-Platz Model kit GDS8139 USS Enterprise-E 2010
AMT/Round2 2009 AMT613 Reissue of 6326 AMT Model kit AMT613 USS Enterprise-E 2009
1:2500 2010 AMT663 "Cadet Series" AMT Model kit AMT663 USS Enterprise-E 2010
1:1400 2013 AMT853 Cover art by John Eaves AMT Model kit AMT853 USS Enterprise-E 2013
USS Enterprise-C/USS Yamaguchi AMT/Ertl 1:1400 1999 8001 AMT Model kit 8001 USS Enterprise-C 1999
30065 "Pro Shop""; cast in clear plastic; featuring lighting rig AMT Model kit 30038 USS Yamaguchi 1999
AMT/Ertl-Platz 2010 GDS8137 Sub-licensed Japanese reissue; improved decal sheet AMT-Platz Model kit GDS8137 USS Enterprise-C 2010
AMT/Round2 1:2500 AMT661 "Cadet Series" AMT Model kit AMT661 USS Enterprise-C 2010
1:1400 2011 AMT721 Reissue 8001; with battle damage decals AMT Model kit 721 USS Enterprise-C 2012
Romulan Warbird AMT/Round2 1:3200 2012 AMT753 Reissue of one piece from kit 6858; new decal sheet AMT Model kit AMT753 Romulan Warbird 2012
Multi-Piece Star Ship Model Kit Sets
3-Piece Space Ship Set
Contains the USS Enterprise, Klingon D7 Battle cruiser, Romulan Bird of Prey
AMT 1:1600 1975 S953 First 'mini kit'; contains in-scale models File:AMT Model kit S953 Space Ship Set 1975..jpg
AMT/Ertl 1984 6677 Reissue under new numbering scheme File:3PieceShip-F.jpg
1989 Reissue with new packaging AMT Model kit 6677 Space Ship Set 1989
3-Piece Star Ship Set
Contains the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, NCC-1701-A, NCC-1701-D
AMT/Ertl 1:2500 1988 6618 AMT Model kit 6618 3-piece USS Enterprise Set 1988
1991 6005 25th Anniversary chrome plated edition AMT Model kit 6005 3-piece USS Enterprise Chrome Set 1991
1995 8787 Includes "Flight Display" base, transparent mount for floating in mid-air appearance AMT Model kit 8787 3-piece USS Enterprise Flight Display Set 1995
AMT/RC2 2005 38387 Reissue under new numbering scheme AMT Model kit 38387 3-piece TV Enterprise set 2005
3-Piece Star Ship Set
"Adversary Set" containing Romulan Warbird (1:3200), Klingon Bird of Prey (1:1400) and Ferengi Marauder (1:3700)
AMT/Ertl Multiple 1989 6858 First issue of the "Bird of Prey" (with movable wings); only issue of the Ferengi Marauder until 2012 AMT Model kit 6858 3-piece adversary set 1989
AMT/RC2 2005 38390 Reissue under new numbering scheme AMT Model kit 38390 3-piece adversary set 2005
3-Piece Star Ship Set
"Legendary Space Encounter" contains the USS Enterprise and two D7-class Klingon Battle cruisers
AMT/Ertl 1:2200 1996 8254 Featuring fiber optic display, and episode audio clips from TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" AMT Model kit 8254 Legendary Space Encounter 1996
3-Piece Star Ship Set
Contains the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B, NCC-1701-C, NCC-1701-E
AMT/Ertl 1:2500 1999 8002 AMT Model kit 3-piece USS Enterprise Set 1999
AMT/RC2 2005 38388 Reissue under new numbering scheme AMT Model kit 38388 3-piece movie Enterprise set 2005
3-Piece Star Ship Set
Contains the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, NCC-1701-A and NCC-1701-B
AMT/Round2 1:2500 2010 AMT660 "Cadet Series" AMT Model kit AMT660 3-piece USS Enterprise Set 2010
2-Piece Adversary Set
Contains "Klingon Bird of Prey" (with movable wings) and "Ferengi Marauder"
1:1400
1:3700
2012 AMT752 Reissue of two pieces from kit6858; new decal sheet AMT Model kit AMT752 Adversary Set 2012
3-piece Star Trek: The Motion Picture Set
Contains K't'inga-class, USS Reliant, refit-USS Enterprise
1:2500 AMT762 "Cadet Series", new toolings K't'inga-class and USS Reliant AMT Model kit AMT762 3-piece Motion Picture Set 2012
3-piece Star Trek: The Original Series Set
Contains D7-class, Romulan Bird-of-Prey, USS Enterprise/original
2013 AMT763 "Cadet Series", new toolings D7-class and Romulan Bird-of-Prey AMT Model kit AMT763 3-piece Original Series Set 2013
3-piece Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Set
Contains USS Defiant, the USS Saratoga and the Galor-class starship.
2014 AMT764 "Cadet Series", new toolings AMT 2015 Defiant, Saratoga, Galor class models
2-piece USS Enterprise Set
Contains two differently scaled models.
1:1000
1:650
2015 AMT913 "Build 2Gether", parent-child kit; use of Polar Lights' set of molds for the smaller model File:AMT Model kit AMT913 2-piece USS Enterrpise Set 2015.jpg
Figure Model Kits
Mr. Spock AMT 1:12 1974 S956 US market release; use of Aurora's set of molds AMT Model kit S956 Spock 1973 original
1975 Reissue; new box format AMT Model kit S956 Spock 1973
AMT/Lesney 1980 S973 US-only retooled version of S956, adjusted for The Motion Picture AMT Model kit S973 Spock 1979
AMT/Ertl 1:6 1995 8704 Vinyl kit AMT Model kit 8704 Spock 1995
AMT/Round2 1:12 2009 AMT624 Collector's edition; Reissue of S956; Tin box with art print AMT Model kit AMT624 Spock 2009
AMT625 Reissue of S956 in 1974-style packaging AMT Model kit S625 Spock 2009
2013 AMT810 Lunch box tin edition with art print and bonus sticker AMT Model kit AMT810 Spock 2013
Captain James T. Kirk AMT/Ertl 1:6 1994 8773 Vinyl Kit AMT Model kit 8773 Captain James T. Kirk 1994
Doctor Leonard McCoy 8774 Vinyl kit AMT Model kit 8774 Doctor Leonard McCoy 1994
Quark 1995 8719 Vinyl kit AMT Model kit 8719 Quark 1995
Odo 8761 Vinyl kit AMT Model kit 8761 Odo 1995
Collector's Gift Set 8761 Containing 8773, 8774 and 8777 AMT Model kit 8771 Collectors Gift Set 1995
Chief Engineer Mr. Scott 8777 Vinyl kit AMT Model kit 8777 Chief Engineer Mr.Scott 1995

Trivia

AMT/Ertl 30th Anniversary bonus posters
AMT 1995 30th anniversary cutaway poster USS Enterprise-A AMT 1995 30th anniversary cutaway poster USS Enterprise-D
1995-1996
  • On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary, AMT/Ertl commissioned the production of two cutaway posters of the USS Enterprise-A and USS Enterprise-D and inserted those in their 1995-1996 model kit issues as a bonus. Which one was included was indicated by a sticker on the packaging. The artwork was done by C. Bruce Morser. As with the Sci-Pub Tech publications, the cutaway posters are not considered canon.
  • A medical device used by Julian Bashir in DS9: "Visionary" was another warp nacelle from the Romulan warbird model kit. Coincidentally, the Romulans were the main adversaries in the episode.
  • Most of the gold models in the display cases in the USS Enterprise-E conference lounge, featured in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek Nemesis were gold plated, resin-reinforced AMT/Ertl models, built by John Eaves.
  • Set decorator James Mees used a colorfully repainted Hallmark "Keepsake" USS Voyager and a Klingon Bird-of-Prey for Miral Paris' baby crib mobile in VOY: "Prophecy". The mobile's Klingon D7-class battle cruiser was made from a small plastic model from the AMT Star Trek 3-Piece Space Ship Set.

The Leif Ericson

In 1974 AMT included an Interplanetary U.F.O. Mystery Ship into the Star Trek line, thereby suggesting that the design was part of the Star Trek universe, though it was not, its combined advertising on the box sides, pamphlets and catalogs of the time notwithstanding. It did have however, had some behind-the-scenes Star Trek connections. Firstly, the U.F.O. Mystery Ship was originally designed as the Leif Ericson by Original Series Art Director Matt Jefferies (with the forward bridge module having more than a passing resemblance of the conning tower of his SS Botany Bay) for an abandoned science fiction project named "Strategic Space Command." [3] The concept was thought up by Jefferies together with his friend Stephen Edward Poe. [4](X) AMT's idea behind backing the project was – buoyed on by the success of their first Star Trek model kits – to release a series of science fiction kits accompanied by a worked-out "mini" background story and eventually create a Strategic Space Command universe, beefed out with an accompanying line of model kits. [5] AMT eventually released the model in 1968 as kit No. S954. When released, AMT had music recording studio Auravision even record a soundtrack as Sounds of Outer Space with a narrator speaking over futuristic sound effects with poetic lines like, "To be afraid and not care that you are afraid is the courage of which astronauts are made", and which came as a cardboard record with the initial release of the model. [6] Nevertheless, the original kit was considered a commercial failure and the project fell apart.

Secondly, according to Michael Okuda the design, being a Jefferies design, was seriously considered to be part of the Star Trek universe when it was briefly considered to make an appearance in Star Trek: The Animated Series, already showing up in several preliminary story boards. [7] [8] In a ploy to recuperate their investments, AMT re-released the model kit twice, now designated Interplanetary U.F.O. Mystery Ship, molded in phosphorescent plastic to achieve a glow-in-the-dark effect. The first re-release was an attempt to marry the ship into the Star Trek franchise through combined advertising, and was timed to coincide with the airing of the The Animated Series, though its appearance there never came to fruition. Still, AMT's latest owner, Round 2 LLC, opted to re-release the kit, starting in 2009 with the 1975-issue as a retro edition.

The Leif Ericson as the Pegasus

The Leif Ericson as the Pegasus

Jefferies himself, though, appeared to have been quite taken with his Leif Ericson and was not yet ready to let go of his design when he resubmitted it in 1973 as the "hyperspace carrier" Pegasus while working as production designer for legendary science fiction movie maker George Pal for his proposed War of the Worlds television series, an intended follow-up of his classic 1953 Paramount Pictures War of the Worlds movie. Unfortunately, like the Strategic Space Command concept, the proposed series did not come to fruition, even though the series was briefly reconsidered four years later by Paramount for its projected fourth television network as a backup for Star Trek: Phase II, which was to serve as its flagship and on which Jefferies was now working. (Star Trek Movie Memories, 1995, p. 59; [9]) For this occasion he redesigned the shuttlecraft that came with the original model kit, and its redesigned configuration served as the basis for the refit-Galileo shuttlecraft design for the ultimately abandoned Phase II television project. However, it too did not come to fruition as Enterprise shuttlecraft were not featured in the first four Star Trek films.

Leif Ericson in the official Star Trek franchise

Jefferies' design officially featured in Star Trek at last, courtesy Drexler and Koerner

Additionally, according to Doug Drexler, the design of the Leif Ericson was a co-influence on the design of the SS Conestoga, "The Conestoga is a colony transport ship with a slight design echo of the old DY-100, Greg Jein’s Star Trek Chronology ship, the Valiant, and the Poe\Jefferies Lief [sic.] Erickson." [10](X) In 2014 though, Drexler, a huge admirer of Jefferies, seized upon the opportunity to have the design finally featured in a live-action production, when he, together with Gabriel Koerner, built a CGI model of the design which was featured as an Orion ship in the second episode "Lolani" of the fan film series Star Trek Continues. [11] Koerner used his co-build a year later for his May entry in the 2015 Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendar, appropriately called "Leif Ericson", finally introducing the design into the official franchise in a licensed print production.

Item As Scale Issue Item No. Notes Boxart
Leif Ericson aka U.F.O. Mystery Ship AMT 1:500 1968 S954 Design for abandoned "Strategic Space Command"-project AMT Model kit S954 Leif Ericson 1968
1974 S960 Reissue; cast in glow material AMT Model kit S954 Leif Ericson 1975
1976 Reissue; new boxart AMT Model kit S954 Leif Ericson 1976
AMT/Round2 2009 AMT622 Commemorative glow reissue S960 AMT Model kit AMT622 Interpanetary UFO Mystery Ship 2009
2011 AMT698 Commemorative non-glow reissue S954 File:AMT Model kit AMT698 Leif Ericson 2011.jpg

See also

External links

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