Review: Mega Bloks U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701
There are several companies around the world that produce Lego or Lego-compatible models. Most are Chinese manufacturers such as Lepin, which copy original Lego models exactly, for example the Lepin X-Wing I bought a year ago. There are also companies such as Mega Bloks that produce completely original models, usually under licence.
Mega Bloks has licences for Call of Duty, Halo, Futurama and Star Trek, among others. You can buy a Call of Duty tank, a Halo team or several Star Trek models.
I chose their collectible U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 model, which was on sale on Amazon US from $249.99 down to $81.99. On Amazon Germany, it cost €169.
U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701
The Mega Bloks U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 is a Lego-compatible model consisting of 3,098 Lego pieces, which is a lot. Together with the almost 200-page instruction manual, the pieces weigh more than 5 kg.
The model consists of the spaceship, a stand with a plaque, and figures of Kirk and Spock.
Instructions and building
The instructions divide the build into four parts: the stand, the body, the saucer and the engines. They are clear and show exactly where everything belongs. However, the almost 200 pages are held together only by glue, so the manual starts falling apart during the build.
Mega Bloks does not make the build any easier: the bags of pieces are not assigned to individual steps in the instructions. You have to build a mental model of what is in each bag so that you do not spend most of the build looking for the right piece.
The model contains several non-standard Lego pieces. The most interesting one is probably the large V-shaped part connecting the body and the engines. The quality of the individual pieces is very good; I did not find any defects.
The saucer is essentially hollow, probably to keep its weight down. Its edge consists of a sort of chain holding the pieces in a circular shape.
The body and saucer are connected by a “neck” onto which both parts are literally pushed. It is quite tight and requires strong nerves and considerable effort.
The front orange parts of the engines contain replaceable batteries. Pressing them makes them light up for a few seconds, creating a very interesting effect.
The Spock and Kirk figures are not classic Lego minifigures. They are larger and have more flexible joints, but their faces do not look particularly much like the Star Trek actors.
The figures come with accessories in the form of two phasers, a communicator and a shoulder-strap tricorder.
Missing and spare pieces
The biggest problem during the build was missing pieces. For example, I was missing several shiny 4x1 pieces, while the package contained shiny 5x1 pieces that were not supposed to be there, so I had to improvise a little. A bigger problem was the missing pieces used to attach other pieces vertically. I had to improvise again and use them from another part where there were more than needed. The front deflector still held in place even after I removed a few.
The missing pieces are difficult to understand, especially since several other pieces were left over. For example, three sections of the engine covers were definitely not forgotten, because they are clearly visible parts. The model also included several yellow pieces that were used while building the body and later removed when the body was connected to the stand.
The finished model
The finished model is truly huge: 90 cm long, 40 cm wide and 35 cm high.
The scale is perhaps best seen when compared with a large 55-inch TV.
