Stargate Atlantis: “Thirty Eight Minutes”
Master Replicas isn’t just selling off the last few ships left in the warehouse after model maker Eaglemoss went out of business. The company also announced last week that it has signed a brand new license with MGM to produce new ships, figures, and prop replicas as well.
Now we can reveal exclusively that the company is coming out swinging with a fall release for the Prometheus, plus a restock on the hard-to-find Daedalus BC-304 model. That will be followed by an initial slate of five more Stargate ships beginning next spring.
Other ships to follow will cover all three Stargate television series, from the Asgard mothership to the Stargate Atlantis Puddle Jumper — and yes, Destiny herself.
As for what Master Replicas has in store for new Stargate figures and prop replicas … well, that news will have to wait. We’re told that the initial plans will be drawn up by the end of this year, so it’s too soon to talk about what will be coming.
Read on for details, plus our conversation with Darren Epstein, Master Replicas’ Executive Vice President of Global Business Development.
PROMETHEUS
The Prometheus was rumored to have been manufactured but not released by Eaglemoss, as the fifth in a planned line-up of ten ships. Master Replicas acquired not only the company’s remaining stock but all of its molds and designs, making it easy to continue the production process … but only after the license with MGM was secured.
Master Replicas confirms to GateWorld that the Prometheus is now in production and will be available at the end of November. (The packaging design will stay the same, only updated with Master Replicas as the manufacturer.)
Originally designated the “X-303,” Prometheus was introduced in the sixth season of Stargate SG-1 as Earth’s first human-built deep space carrier. The vessel allowed Earth to travel the galaxy via hyperspace before the Daedalus-class ships began rolling off the line.
DAEDALUS
Meanwhile many fans have found it hard to acquire the Daedalus model since Eaglemoss first debuted the ship at the end of 2021. At the launch of the Stargate “Hero Collector” line the ship’s first production run was met with high demand from fans … and then ran into significant global shipping delays. Today the Daedalus model is sold on the secondary market for hundreds of dollars.
Master Replicas tells GateWorld that 1,500 more units have been produced, and will be available in September. (As an item that was already released, look for it to come in the same Eaglemoss-branded packaging.)
On screen the BC-304 class replaced Prometheus with its more sleek design and combat-ready crew. The Daedalus made its debut in the Season Two premiere of Stargate Atlantis in 2005, under the command of Colonel Steven Caldwell (Mitch Pileggi).
Epstein also confirmed that other ships in Earth’s deep space carrier fleet will be produced, such as the Daedalus look-alikes Odyssey, Apollo, and the U.S.S. George Hammond. “We 100% will be doing this,” he told GateWorld. “It was done on Battlestar Galactica previously and we will do this. They may be limited / exclusives but certainly we will get those done.”
STARGATE SHIPS IN 2024
Former “Hero Collector” brand manager Ben Robinson told us last spring about what Eaglemoss had planned before the company went bankrupt. That included the (now released) F-302 and the Prometheus, as well as five more ships that were in various stages of development.
All of this was just the beginning, though: ongoing success for the Stargate line meant that the sky was the limit for more obscure ships from the history of the franchise. (Seberus, anyone?)
Epstein now tells us that Master Replicas is indeed picking up where Eaglemoss left off, with the same list of ships planned for release starting in the spring of 2024, at a pace of one ship about every 12 weeks. They include:
- Puddle Jumper: Sure to be in demand is the Puddle Jumper, the hero ship from Stargate Atlantis‘ 5-year run. Created by the Ancients, Jumpers are sized to fit through a Stargate, and boast a cloaking device and an arsenal of drone weapons. (We’re guessing the model probably can’t turn invisible.)
- Beliskner: Thor’s Asgard warship was first revealed in Season Two’s “Thor’s Chariot,” and was heavily featured in SG-1‘s big third-season finale. Epstein labels this the “V2,” so we’re guessing it is not the ship seen in SG-1‘s third season but perhaps the later “O’Neill class” Asgard ship. The original Beliskner design has a hammer head (in keeping with Norse mythology), while the newer O’Neill-class ships have a sleeker arrowhead shape. We’ve reached out to Master Replicas to clarify.
- Wraith Dart: The first enemy ship from Atlantis will be the Dart, the Wraith’s answer to the Lantean Puddle Jumper. These ships are sleek and extremely fast-moving, able to attack a planet and cull its population via the Stargate or deployed en masse from orbiting hive ships.
- Destiny: SGU fans, rejoice! We’ve been anxiously waiting for word that the Ancient vessel from Stargate’s first ship-based show would make an appearance in the “Hero Collector” line. Master Replicas confirms that they will produce the Destiny.
- Destiny Shuttle: Not to be left out, our initial collection for the Stargate Universe shelf will be completed by a model of Destiny‘s shuttle. The capital ship had two of these on the show, larger than a Puddle Jumper and suited for ferrying people and supplies between the ship and a planet’s surface.
Epstein added that the company also intends to supplement this list with other limited offerings, such as convention specials and a potential fan club. That would be the place to look for something like a limited edition gold-plated model (which Eaglemoss did for several Star Trek ships). As of now, however, these plans are not confirmed.
ASKED & ANSWERED
GateWorld: Tell us a bit about Master Replicas and its history. How did the company end up in the position that it is in, picking up the model-making business from Eaglemoss?
Darren Epstein / Master Replicas: I was under its previous guise part of the NASDAQ-listed entity that originally owned it, Popco — which had Master Replicas, Corgi, and Cards, Inc. under one umbrella. It became a public company and then lasted about two years before the company had issues. At that time, almost 15 years ago, I bought the name from the hedge fund who owned most of the debt on the business, and it has stayed dormant for all these years.
We decided to reintroduce the brand when we purchased the rights on the Eaglemoss collections when they went out of business.
You’ve announced that the company has signed a new licensing deal with MGM to produce Stargate ships and other items. What are your hopes for the Stargate line?
I think we want to give fans more of the same, but introduce other items as well. The Stargate fan has been sorely underserved with product the last few years. The original movie is still great, but other than a trading card set very little was ever produced. We will explore all the rights of the movie and shows we have. Hopefully have some fun!
For upcoming Stargate ships, do you have the design plans that Eaglemoss was working with – or is your team starting from scratch?
We have two in essence going into production, and four that were model approved. So we need to tool those.
Any chance of a model for the Stargate itself, perhaps along with a companion D.H.D.? (In our chat Ben Robinson had mentioned the Hero Collector team was working on this, but struggling to make the package feel like it was worth what they would have to charge for it.)
That’s so funny you asked. When speaking with Ben last week we discussed doing two versions of the Stargate — a real life size version, which would be mad money, but could be super limited. Laughing about it, I’m not sure who would buy it to be honest, or if they could afford it!
And then we discussed doing a scale version, which I am very much in favour of, which could include some kind of light-up element. Discussion has started!
You’ve given us a list of five more ships planned for 2024. In terms of release schedule, is your team anticipating about one ship every 8 to 10 weeks?
It’s still very early days, but I think one every 12 weeks would work, as well as some possible club / show exclusive items.
How can fans and collectors find these items when they become available? Will they be sold in stores? (And will the Web site ship internationally?)
We will have distribution on the new ones, and of course direct to consumer through Master Replicas.
Do you anticipate putting Eaglemoss’s older models back into production at some point, so that they are easier to acquire?
We are looking at that, and we may do it. Again, the usual caveat: if there is demand!
The Earth-made ships on Stargate never had a lot of variety. The Daedalus-class BC-304 fleet included a half-dozen ships that all looked exactly the same, aside from the name emblazoned on the side. Would there be any interest in releasing the Odyssey, Apollo, Hammond, etc. for completionists?
We 100% will be doing this. It was done on Battlestar Galactica previously, and we will do this. They may be limited / exclusives but certainly we will get those done.
Any thought given yet to a larger-scale model of Atlantis itself? The city is a space ship, after all!
Not yet, but the team are probably discussing it and haven’t told me yet. We really don’t want to be making 25 of something at $10k. Collecting is about having attainable goals, not something that is out of the realms of most collectors.
Our thanks to Darren Epstein and the team at Master Replicas for getting these ships out, and for answering our questions! Keep it locked on GateWorld for our continuing coverage.
Which of these ships are you most excited for? What other alien vessels would you like to see added to the collection in the future? Put it in the comments below!
On Twitter: @MasterReplicas_
