The USS Enterprise will be a 1:350 scale model, over thirty-two inches long, detailed after the 11′ filming model used in the filming of the original series.

“We’ve been getting requests for this kit virtually since the day we started producing models,” said Tom Lowe, Round 2 president. “We’re very excited to begin development of the kit that so many Star Trek modeling fans have been clamoring for.”

According to the Round 2 press release, the kit is being offered in two editions. “The standard release of the kit will include parts to create the ‘production version’ of the ship as it appeared in the classic Star Trek television show.

“A limited Premiere Edition of the kit will be available directly from Round 2 on a pre-order basis. The Premiere Edition kit includes all parts included in the regular edition, as well as parts to make the 1st and 2nd Pilot versions of the ship as depicted in two early episodes of the television show. The Premiere Edition will be limited to 1,701 pieces and will include a serial numbered certificate of authenticity as well as special commemorative packaging. Polar Lights will also be developing a separate accessory pack for both versions of the kits that will include surface weathering decals, photo-etched parts and a light kit.”

Fans who pre-order the Premiere Edition kit will also be enrolled in the 1701 club, where they will receive a limited-edition t-shirt and exclusive development updates by email, which will include interviews and never-before-seen photos of the original filming model. This will be the only place where development updates will be reported, so club members will be the first to obtain information regarding progress on the model.

Gary Kerr, a lifelong Star Trek historian, will be assisting Round 2 with development. “Gary’s involvement in the new kit design has been a tremendous asset,” said Jamie Hood, brand manager of Polar Lights. “His extensive knowledge has allowed us to add intimate details to the model. This kit will be the most accurate representation of the ship produced since the original filming model.”

The standard release kit will be available in hobby shops and specialty stores, and the Premiere Edition kit can be pre-ordered through round2models.com. Click the thumbnail for a high-res image of the USS Enterprise.

The U.S.S. Enterprise Owners’ Workshop Manual will be released next month, and will include illustrations, cutaways and technical information about the NX-01, NCC-1701 and NCC-1701A through NCC-1701E.

Fans will enjoy how the manual will show the progression of ship design from the NX-01 through the NCC-1701E, according to Haynes Publishing Editor Derek Smith. “The Haynes Enterprise Manual covers the various Enterprises, some in more depth than others, at a level that is accessible to anyone. So it was really about getting the level of technical detail just right. What’s also important is that the book shows how the design of these ships evolved from NX-01 through to NCC-1701-E. Along the way we go into more detail about the key technologies used on board. People want to know how warp engines work. We explain that. People want to know how transporters work. We explain that.”

According to Smith, the detail for each ship includes “a full-ship cutaway of each one, gorgeous elevation renders, plus renders of key internal locations such as the bridge, transporter room, sickbay and so on. Each ship has a comprehensive systems overview and we discuss key developments that feature in its design compared with its predecessors and successors. We cover defensive systems, deflectors, shuttles, computer systems, crew facilities – pretty much every onboard system. Sadly though, we had to draw the line somewhere, and so we don’t cover things that aren’t nailed down. So no tricorders and no personal weapons, unfortunately.”

The book can be pre-ordered at the Official Star Trek Store or through Amazon.com.

The officially licensed Star Trek Bottle Opener is modeled on the NCC-1701. Four and 3/4 inches long, the bottle opener weighs five and a half ounces. The Enterprise bottle opener has a shiny chrome finish, with “U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701″ printed on the hull.

The bottle opener sells for $19.99 and can be purchased here. In a pinch, the heavy bottle opener can be used as a weapon “if diplomatic relations fail you,” but purchasers are encouraged not to use them against Klingons. “They’re more likely to laugh at you. Thick skulls, don’t you see.”

The scale model of the Enterprise is so tiny, that it can only be seen by an electron microscope.

Scientists Takayuki Hoshino and Shinji Matsui of the Himeji Institute of Technology, located in Japan, used a focused ion beam to cut out the model, using a process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

The CVD process used phenanthrene gas to etch the tiny 8.8 micrometer USS Enterprise.

The scene where the USS Enterprise rises from Titan was suggested by the Star Trek XI Science Advisor Carolyn Porco, who is the Imaging Science Team Leader for NASA’s Cassini Mission to Saturn.

Two images are available on Porco’s website. One features the USS Enterprise rising up from the atmosphere, with only the nacelles and very top of the saucer visible.

The second image is a spectacular shot of the Enterprise with Saturn and its rings in the background.

Although there is not much on Amazon in the way of description yet, the ship, which is cast in metal, is mounted on a “Federation logo” base. The ship comes with a certificate of authenticity.

According to the certificate of authenticity “This certifies that the 21.6 cm starship contained in this gift set is part of an exclusive limited-edition run of 5,000 screen-accurate replicas of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. This replica is cast in solid metal and is modeled directly from the digital-effects files used in the motion picture Star Trek (2009).”

The certificate is signed by Roger Guyett, Visual Effects Supervisor of Industrial Lights & Magic, and Andy Gore, President and CEO of Quantum Mechanix, Inc.

As reported byLamps USA, although the so-called novelty lighting doesn’t specifically reference Star Trek, it doesn’t take a Spock-like intelligence to see from where they got the idea for the hanging light.“Fun for all ages!” reads the description for the pendant light. “These whimsical lighting fixtures will put a smile on your or your child’s face with a myriad of shapes and themes meant to stir the imagination and create a lighthearted environment.”

Selling for &_#36;189, the pendant light is made of a satin nickel finish, is 7x26x13, takes four sixty-watt candelabra bulbs and weights thirteen pounds.

To see the lighting, head to the link located here.

As reported by Everything USB fans can show their love of Trek with the replica NCC-1701 USS Enterprise webcam which can be mounted to the side of a computer monitor.
The webcam, compatible with various video chat services, including Skype, MSN, Yahoo, AIM etc., features a camera with adjustable focus. The red nacelles are lighted and the webcam is attached to a flexible bendy arm on which a Starfleet insignia is attached.

Offered by Dream Cheeky, there is no word yet on the release date or cost of the Enterprise webcam, but it is expected to be available soon.

To read more, head to the article located here.

As reported by TrekMovie.com, more choices than ever are being offered to Star Trek fans who enjoy collecting merchandise associated with Star Trek and its spin-off shows and movies.Diamond Select is offering a fifth wave of action figures which are based on characters from the original series. One set offers five figures, including Kirk (in green wraparound tunic,) McCoy, Christine Chapel, Yeoman rand and a Salt Vampire (not pictured.) This set of figures can be preordered here.

USS Enterprise fans can chose between two new ship models; the NCC-1701 with lights and with original series sound effects, including the voice of Captain Kirk. A Mirror, Mirror version of the Enterprise is also being offered, with sounds and decorations taken from that original series episode. The ships can be preordered here, and are due out in August.

Fans who couldn’t afford the life-size Kirk command chair, or who didn’t have room for it in their houses or apartments, can take heart. A small replica command chair, four-and-a-half inches tall x four inches wide (11.4 cm tall x 10.2 cm wide), is being offered for a much more modest price. The Kirk command chair features lights, sounds and phrases from the original series and includes a seven inch (17.8 cm) Captain Kirk figure. The Kirk chair can be ordered here.

More of a Sisko than a Kirk fan? A command chair will be offered starting in August and based on Sisko’s command chair in the USS Defiant. The set includes the chair and the Sisko figure. Preorders are being taken here.

To read more, head to the article located here.

As reported by Comingsoon.net, four character posters were seen at this year’s ShoWest, including John Cho as Sulu, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Anton Yelchin as Chekov and Simon Pegg as Scotty. In addition to these posters, a U.S. Star Trek XI poster was released recently as reported at Myspace. This final theatrical poster is an artistic interpretation of the USS Enterprise traveling through space. The poster can be seen here.

To see the four character posters, head to the link located here.