Battlestar Galactica Titanium Series

First let me say that Battlestar Galactica's revival has been a huge story, and the success of the show has been phenomenal considering how badly it could have gone if it were not done so well. And nostalgic appreciation for the original series has ensured a solid audience, but not only that—it has energized rabid fans clambering to get their hands on anything Galactica. Luckily they have no shortage of cool stuff to grab these days. The most bang for the buck comes from Hasbro's excellent Titanium series of ships, which has now given us a dozen small models of ships seen in the series, and at a price that no one could pass up.

To be honest, and I should be honest up front, the price is not the issue here for fans. The issue is availability. Most of these ships I have actually found on store shelves, but one or two were so sought after and hard to find that I had to shop online auction houses to find them. Still, while this undoubtedly increases the price for buyers, they will be no less satisfied with their purchases.

I've already reviewed the first six Titanium Galactica ships. Since that time six more have grazed by stores, some in relatively plentiful numbers (I've seen two or three of them on a shelf at one time) and some I have never ever seen on shelves (due to timing or demand, it's hard to say).

Hasbro's annoying habit of short-packing these ships with its popular Star Wars Titanium lines has made these items rare commodities in some places. The company packages only a few Battlestar Galactica Titanium ships per box of Star Wars ships, making them "chase" items, items die-hard collectors fight to find and grab.

To the point at hand—the next ships in the Battlestar Galactica line include a Mark II Viper in black, a Mark VII in white and the Cylon raider ship known as "Scar." These are nice models, but as they are repaints, you can read about those in my previous reviews—but note that the new paint is quite nice.

However, three brand-new ships (kind of) are also available now, and they add vital pieces to the collection: The Battlestar Pegasus (from the episode of the same name) and a sure-fire hit for fans of both series, the Classic Viper and the Classic Cylon Raider!

Each ship is made up of a combination of die-cast metal and plastic and comes packaged in the oval shell-like bubble pack that is the signature package of the Titanium line. Each comes with a display stand made up of a black base with a silver "Battlestar Galactica" logo and a clear pedestal that fits into a small cup on the underside of each ship.

Excellent replicas of TV history

In a pivotal episode, "Pegasus," the Battlestar Galactica crew discover they are not alone in the universe—that a second battlestar, the Pegasus, has also managed to escape the devastation of the war on the colonies by the Cylons.

The Pegasus is obviously very different from the Galactica, showing us that even among the fleet, the various battlestars had their own unique designs and features.

The Titanium Pegasus is nicely modeled, about the same size as the Titanium Galactica (about 3.75 inches in length) and painted in gray. It has the same overall shape, with the large head, the massive engine section and the slimmer central section with two large launching/landing bays on either side. This ship resembles the original Galactica more than the new one does, but with modern updates. It is painted in matte gray with red and white highlights that include a Colonial symbol on the top of the ship's midsection.

Unlike the new Titanium Galactica, the Pegasus has no moving parts. The engines outtakes are painted orange to show they are in operation.

The Classic Viper has always been a wonderful design, depicted here rather lovingly by Hasbro. The long, slender triple-winged fighter (many suspect this was a simple redesign of Star Wars' X-wing) still works as a design. Here the canopy is molded from clear plastic, the main body and two side wings are die-cast metal, and the undercarriage and dorsal wing (including the laser cannons) are plastic. Painted in its original gray-and-red scheme, this is definitely a nice, tiny model of that classic fighter.

Unlike the Mark II Viper from previous waves, this one, however, has no moving parts. No opening canopy, and no landing gear. Still, it's just wonderful as it is, and it measures nearly 3 inches in length.

I'm saving the best for last here. One of my all-time favorite spaceships has been the Cylon Raider, and here it is in glorious detail. (Be warned, this one was hard to chase down. I've never seen it on a store's shelf—but I managed.)

Painted in multiple tones of stained gray, this ship just feels great in the hand. It measures about 2.75 inches across, and its oval shape is festooned with etched and molded detail on every part of its surface. The two louvered engines sweeping to the back, the front pilots' compartment, the separated wing segments and laser cannons—they're all there in amazing detail for this size. Green double pentagons adorn each wingtip. In my opinion, this is the gem of this entire Titanium series. And if you have to exert a little extra effort to find it, make it if you're a fan of this particular ship. It's worth it.

The two ships from the original series have the original series logo on their stands—a nice bit of attention to detail.

My only gripe with this wave is that among the three ships reviewed here, there wasn't a single moving part for play value, something I admired in the previous waves.

Collectors who have been very happy with Hasbro's Battlestar Galactica Titanium series so far must now be ecstatic with these next three ships in the line. So, Hasbro, when will we see the next three?