Which TOS Enterprise do you choose?

[Gregatron]

Pure curiosity, here—

We STAR TREK fans are in a somewhat unique situation. The TOS Enterprise has been replicated in a 1/350 “studio scale” (…but not really, since these three-foot models all replicate the specific details of the 11-footer) no less than five times, by four different companies:

1) The infamous, 2001 Unobtainium, Ltd. version, with both lit and unlit versions;

2) The 2006 Master Replicas model, in both standard and Signature Edition versions, both with lights and nacelle motor effects;

3) The 2012 Polar Lights/Round 2 unbuilt model kit, with optional pilot-era parts, and optional electronics kit with lights and engine nacelle motors;

4) The 2021 static, prebuilt version of the afforementioned Round 2 kit, with no lighting or electronics;

5) The 2023 TOMY die-cast replica, with lighting effects, engine motors, and detachable saucer.


So…which one would (…or did!) you choose, and why? Which one is the best, all things considered? Each has its pros and cons, but they’re all in the same scale, and all based on the same source model. Yet, each has it own individual quirks, inaccuracies, features, etc.

The die-cast TOMY has durability and heft, while the Round 2 kit can be built and customized as the buyer prefers, whereas the MR is prebuild and also has electronics, without the weight or more toylike features of the TOMY, etc.

I dunno if anyone is crazy enough to own ALL of them but it would be interesting to compare them all.

Thoughts?

 

[Nicksdad]

I've owned all three of them, never really wanted the pre built model with no lighting. My personal favorite is the MR. I purchased
3 of the Tomy with the plan of keeping one and selling the other two to pay for mine. I ultimately sold all three recently because I
just didn't like the fact that you had to replace batteries and needed to turn the lights on in two separate areas. Also wasn't really crazy
about the stand. I chose the MR because it has an internal metal armature to eliminate the chance of droop and the outer body is injected
plastic which appeals more to me.

 

[Lanboy]

I bought the MR standard edition and have been very happy with it. The paint work on mine was excellent (not everyone was happy with the paint work on theirs), the metal armature has kept the ship perfectly aligned and the engine and lighting effects are in working order (knock on wood). The Tomy looked good and I loved the idea of a diecast model of the enterprise in that scale; the lighted bridge and shuttle bay were features I would have loved on the MR. The seam lines and screw holes were flaws I couldn't overlook. I did order the Tomy refit though.