No transporters for them, Galactica personnel had to travel around the old fashioned way: by shuttle. The shuttle served as the workhorse bringing personnel from one ship to another or landing on planet surfaces.

For some reason I’ve always wanted a model of the Galactica shuttle and when I saw this one from Alliance, I just had to have it. Overall I think the detail is great but I was very disappointed to discover that it’s not an exact duplicate of the one seen in the old show. It appears instead to be modeled after the shuttle seen in the new series. You see brief shots of it in the opening sequence of the pilot episode as it approaches the space station carrying the Colonial liaison officer. You could also catch a glimpse of it (in the background) in a very recent episode that takes place on New Caprica. If you look at pictures of the studio miniature used in the original show, the shuttle was broader, sleeker and had angled sides. So just be aware of that if you are thinking of buying this model.

Nonetheless, the model comes complete with the main body along with the engines, landing gear, antennae and the aft detailing (19 pieces in all). As usual I began with washing and applying primer. I painted the model with Testor’s Light Gray and highlighted the detailing with black pastel. The model is easy to put together and the instructions provided were very straightforward. The decals consist of only 3 markings: the numbered designations on the starboard and port sides and a small marking that went on the forward hull.

When done the model measures over 9 inches in length and looks great. At $70.00 it is a bit costly but it’s nicely detailed and certainly makes a unique addition to any sci-fi collection.

Image: Aft closeup

Image: Descent into the Maelstrom