Last summer Eaglemoss Ltd., the prolific licensee that sold a multitude of Star Trek products through their Hero Collector brand, ceased operations and went into receivership (akin to bankruptcy). Now some of the popular product lines are getting a new life under new management from two different companies. The Build the Enterprise-D program is being taken over by De Agostini through their Fanhome brand, which has just officially relaunched the program. And later this year, models from the popular line of Hero Collector Star Trek Starships will go on sale again through Heathside’s Master Replicas brand. TrekMovie spoke to Eaglemoss’ former head of licensed products Ben Robinson who is working as a consultant with both companies.
Building the Enterprise-D again with Fanhome
The people most impacted by Eaglemoss going out of business were those who had subscribed to the “Build the Enterprise-D” program. Starting in 2021, subscribers would receive monthly shipments of parts to build a 2-foot-long Star Trek: The Next Generation USS Enterprise-D model complete with lights and electronics. But when the company ceased operations those subscribers were all left with incomplete models at various stages of completion based on when they started their subscription, with some as close as 80% finished.
Completed Enterprise-D with included stand
Now Italian-based De Agostini Collectibles has taken over the Enterprise-D program and added it along with a few other former Eaglemoss subscriptions to their Fanhome line, which already includes subscriptions from Marvel, Star Wars, and other licensees. They will now be distributing the parts for fans to complete their models, all made by the same manufacturer used by Eaglemoss. The first step for the company is sending out an email to all the former subscribers notifying them about the revival. Those who want to restart their subscription should visit the Enterprise-D page at fanhome.com and register their interest. According to Robinson, Fanhome will soon be reaching out to those who register with details on how they can restart their subscriptions, starting where they left off.
Pricing has not been officially announced, but Robinson says it will be close to the original price of around $55/month (which includes four building kits each month and a collectible magazine). The first shipments will be sent out in February in the UK and Europe, and in March in the USA. The first stage will be to cater to former subscribers, but De Agostini is also planning on offering fans a chance to start new subscriptions at a later date. Anyone interested in either restarting or starting from the beginning for the Enterprise-D subscription program should register at fanhome.com.
New Fanhome site for Build the Enterprise-D program
Star Trek Starship models remaining stock to be sold through Master Replicas
Eaglemoss is probably best known to fans for their long-running line of die-cast ship models from the Star Trek Starships Collection under the Hero Collector brand. When the company shut down there was still a significant amount of stock and according to Ben Robinson, that has been purchased by UK-based Heathside Trading, who distribute toys, games, and collectibles. Robinson says the stock is in a number of warehouses around the world and they are currently trying to assess what models are available with this remaining inventory, but he expects they have “some of almost everything.” This includes some models which were manufactured but never distributed by Hero Collector.
Heathside is currently in the process of setting up a way for fans to purchase these models directly online. This will be done under the Master Replicas brand, which some fans may remember as another seller of popular high-end Star Trek and other licensed replicas until it went out of business in 2020. Heathside is planning on reviving the brand, starting with the Star Trek Starship Collection sales.
Hero Collector USS Enterprise-D model
For now, nothing is on sale, but they have set up masterreplicas.com where you can currently register your interest. Those who sign up will be notified when sales will begin. According to Robinson, they are looking into releasing the current stock in tranches, starting sometime in 2023. Robinson expects the pricing for the models to be around the same as when they were being sold directly by Eaglemoss and via retailers.
The Master Replicas brand is coming back
Robinson promises to give us an update when they are ready to announce more details on the release of Star Trek Starship models through Master Replicas. In addition, there are also discussions about a licensee taking over the line to make new versions of popular models that are no longer in stock and even developing new ship models, including those from upcoming seasons of original Star Trek shows.
Robinson notes that the ship model line was very popular and at some point in the future he “expects the program to return in some form.” He also said there are negotiations going on to continue the line of Hero Collector books, including some Star Trek books that were in the process of being written when Eaglemoss ceased operations. Robinson hopes there can be some announcements on these books soon, so TrekMovie will provide an update when that information is available.
The bottom line is that Eaglemoss may be gone but starting in 2023 and beyond, many of their popular Star Trek products are coming back under new brands.
Keep up with Star Trek merchandise news and reviews at TrekMovie.com.
