Replica's Unlimited 23 inch Eagle

OUT OF THE BOX REVIEW by Bill Early

We're going to take a look at Replica's Unlimited 23 inch Eagle kit. First off, a few of the kit's particulars.

Parts count: over 70. ( I didn't count each one, so I'm using the box number)
Materials: Resin, Steel Springs, Aluminum tube, Brass Rod, Cotter Pins, and Screws
Casting Quality: The parts look real good, not too many noticeable bubbles.
Accuracy: Looks dead on at this point, more to come in the following build up article.
Price: $300, available from Frederation Models. I know that this is a little pricy, (O.K., a LOT pricy) but from what I've seen, this is about the ultimate in the way of Eagle kits.
Instructions: Just about worthless. You're going to need lots of reference pictures and some good modeling skills to figure out this puppy.

O.K., on to the fun stuff. The model was well packed with styrofoam peanuts. All the small parts were inside ziplock bags.  One of the first things that I noticed, was that this was a different Eagle from the one pictured in the box art. The pictures represent the first 44 inch Eagle made, the kit parts are closer to the second 44 inch Eagle. The major difference is in the panels and details on the landing gear pods. This is not a big concern, unless you are dead set on one paticular Eagle. It would be easy eneough to make the slight changes between the two.

The command module, or "beak", was cast in one piece for the forward section, one for the aft, and four small dishes for the sides, top, and bottom. Beautiful work here. The upper view ports had some slight flash on them. I'm going to open these up, but you could just leaave this in, then paint them black if you're not going to scratch build some sort of interior.

You get an idea of just how massive this beast is when you look at the beak. I've seen pictures of this model before, but I just didn't realize just how big it really was. To give you a better idea of it's size, I placed one of my AMT/Ertle Eagles in the pictures to give you a reference.

All the framework looks pretty good, just the usual flash and some small air bubbles. One of the side cages had what was probally the worst flash of all the kit. The spine is a work of art, in itself. One piece, and the casting looks really good.

The top and bottom frames are molded seperate from the walkway sections. The walkways and shelves are really good castings, but they don't look too much like the original filming models. This will most likely not be too noticable, as the cages will cover over most of them.

The engine bells are beautiful and smooth as can be. Also included are the diffuser inserts that go into the exhaust.  I had thought about some aftermarket bells, but I think that I'll try some buffing paint on these and see what they look like.

The under side boosters are nicely done, also. The tanks and plumbing for the aft end don't appear to have too many bubbles. Nicely porportioned.

The landing gear pods are split into top and bottom halves. They look good, and the panels jive up with reference pictures of the second Eagle. They are different from other pictures I've seen of this kit. I don't know if there are several different molds, or if they're just changing molds. Either way, they still look good.

The landing pads are sharp and crisp. The parts for the oleo struts will need some clean up, but still not too bad.  The spring loaded struts are just too cool.
 

The passenger pod has a left and right side, front and back,  with a seperate bottom plate.  All of it looks good, but the side doors are made backwards. the door sections go in, instead of out. If you look at pictures, you'll see what I mean. There is a thin film of flash over the upper windows, but the inside looks to be made to have clear pieces installed. You can remove this flash, or paint, as you see fit. Plenty of room here for scratching out an interior.

FINAL THOUGHTS

     Is this kit worth the price tag? What do you think? That's the only answer for that question. I've always wanted a larger Eagle, but just didn't have the time for scratch building one. The Ertle kit is nice with a little work, but still it's little. I saved up my pennies and nickles for quite a while to get this baby, but I think that it was worth it.

Pluses,
BIG, BIG, BIG
looks to be pretty accurate
Beautiful casting
Most likely the best Eagle kit around
Did I mention that it's BIG?

Miniuses,
Expensive
Definitly not a kit for beginners
Instructions only good for setting fire to when frustration sets in.