clonekiller72

Star Trek toys just don't sell, period. Even in the wake of a good movie that everyone enjoyed. And I'm as bummed as the next guy. I guess I'm just frustrated because I've been trying to sell a few of my AA fiures on ebay and have been relisting them forever! Man, if you HAVE ST toys you better forget about ever moving them, that is, unless you dare to ask more than 99 cents per figure. I can't movie them at $5 each! Got an e-mail from entertainment earth cancelling my order for series 2 of the 3 3/4 figures. Looks like these won't be making it out after all.

Sorry about that. If you google "Ugly couch show" it will lead you to thier recipe page. Just look for the Quarks Bar recipes. This site is run by an ex-bartender at the experiance, so these recipes are genuine not some "space age" drinks that call themselves Star Trek Drinks.

I found one about a week ago, but I'm moving and haven't opened it yet to take any pics. It does look cool, but the wings are plastic. I hate it when a die cast toy is accentuated by plastic pieces.

It depends on the class of the Bird Of Prey. Here's the wiki Although several variants are seen throughout the franchise, design notes state that the Bird of Prey has two main classes: the B'rel-class and the K'Vort-class. Both classes used the same studio model, differing in sizes in proportion to other starships depending on variant. The B'rel-class is a scout vessel, used for espionage, skirmishes and raids, while the K'Vort-class is a light cruiser. Both classes are armed with disruptor cannons mounted on the tips of the wings and a forward torpedo launcher, although the K'Vort-class possesses an extra two ship-mounted disruptor banks and a second torpedo launcher. Likewise, both classes are equipped with cloaking devices and are capable of impulse and warp speeds. With a crew of only 12 and a length of 160 meters, the B'rel-class is far smaller than the K'Vort-class, which measures 320 meters and possesses a crew of 1,500. The interior of the Bird of Prey is similar to that of Douglas Trumbull's submarine-like designs for the K't'inga-class; some Birds of Prey are even shown with periscopes to allow the captain to personally target weapons. Despite relatively light armaments, Birds of Prey are shown to be effective craft; both the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-D are destroyed in part due to the activity of a Bird of Prey. Here's the Technical manual from DS9, also from memory alpha: Technical Manual The following information of specifications and defenses comes exclusively from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual: Production Base: Qo'noS Orbital Factory Base. Type: Scout (B'rel); Cruiser (K'Vort). Common planform scales up 4.3 times for cruiser. Accommodation: 12 plus flight crew and troops (B'rel); 1,500+ flight crew and troops (K'Vort). Power Plant: One M/A warp system; two impulse systems. Dimensions: Length, 157.76 meters; beam, 181.54 meters; height, 98.54 meters (B'rel). Length, 678.36 meters; beam, 780.62 meters; height, 423.72 meters (K'Vort). Mass: 236,000 metric tonnes (B'rel), 1,890,000 metric tonnes (K'Vort) Performance: Warp 9.6 (B'rel and K'Vort). Armament: Two ship-mounted disruptor cannons; one torpedo launcher (B'rel). Four ship-mounted disruptor cannons; two torpedo launcher (K'Vort). So depending on the era and the scaling of the ship the crews varied greatly. Basically though it came down to how many times can we use the same model, even though the scale would be completely of against a galaxy class ship.

There were different classes to Birds of Prey. The Movie era one is a 12 man crew. The TNG era one is a roughly 300 person crew. I would consider the old playmates Enterprise D to almost be on scale with this die cast BOP.

Just a heads up, these are the official drink recipes from the Star Trek The Experience attraction, I hope some one enjoyed them. This link, http://uglycouchshow.com/quarks-bar-drink-recipes/ , is to one of the actual bartenders from Quark's and all these drinks are the official recipes. Enjoy!

I posted these in my wedding thread, but felt that more people would see them in thier own topic. And with a holiday weekend coming up maybe some of you trekkers could enjoy something cool and bubbling. Warp Core Breach Here is the recipe for the Warp Core Breach. Usually it was made in large batches, but it can be easily broken down. Here ya go: 6 parts Bacardi Superior (or any white, clear, cheap rum out there) 4 parts Bacardi Limon (or any lemon rum you can find) 2 Parts Bacardi Select (Meyers Dark rum also works, or whatever dark rum your store has) 2 parts Bacardi Spice (Captain Morgans also works, but any spice rum will do) 2 parts Dekuyper Lucious Raspberry Rush (formerly known as Razzmatazz, this is the most important part, other Raspberry liqueurs don't seem to work) 1 part Bacardi 151 (any 151 proof rum will do, since they all seem to taste like gasoline by themselves) 30 oz (1.5 bottles) Sobe Power (finding Aceorla/passion berry juice is too hard to find so just use Sobe Power, besides, the caffeine in the Sobe Power ads an extra kick to the drink) Mix the alcohol, pour out 10 oz into a bowl, add the 30 oz of Sobe Power, and food-grade dry ice and there you have it, the Warp Core Breach. A long time ago, they used to use a mix of equal parts cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and orange juice in the Warp Core instead of Sobe Power. Some prefer this juice mix and some prefer the Sobe. I say, use whichever you like best. Borg Sphere 6 parts vodka 4 parts white rum (i.e. Bacardi Superior or any other non-flavored clear rum) 4 parts melon liqueur (Midori is the most common brand but there are others) 2 parts gin sweet & sour mix (common bar mixer found in any store) Sprite (can also use 7up or Sierra Mist) Mix the alcohol in a pitcher or other container, pour out 10 oz into a bowl, add about 15 oz sweet & sour mix and about 15 oz sprite, food-grade dry ice for that smoking effect and also some regular ice. There you go. Enjoy. Please drink these with caution as they are powerful, and be responsible. No piloting shuttlecraft after ingesting engine coolant!

Currently the attractions, bridges and rides are being moved to a new location set to re-open in 2010. So currently, there are no actual weddings or tours going on. (For those who don't know the Experiance was shut down at the Las Vegas Hilton last September, the decommisioning ceremony was heartbreaking, and since we were married there we returned for the closing not knowing that there were plans to save it and move it downtown near Freemont St.) While the attraction was open you could purchase tickets to a backstage tour which showed you around the actual attraction. Usually it was lead by one of the actors out of costume, and it revealed a great deal about the intricacies of the rides, costuming, and effects used, such as watching the Next Gen motion ride from infront of the ride itself unbeknownst to the people riding, or watching a group being hunted down by Borg during the Borg 3-D "ride", or even a demonstration of the "beaming" technology used during the rides. (which is very well done BTW) All the while you are actually on the sets, able to see the LCARS panels that have hidden messages you'd never see on screen. Who knew the words to the Gilligans Island theme were printed on the access panels, in fact every access panel had different "geeky" quotes. Once the tour was completed, the tourguide led you to the Bridge where a house photographer took your picture in the Captain's chair. Sadly they did not allow personal pictures to be taken here since they were charging for the actual prints. When all is finished you recieve a certificate of completion and some cool Experience memorabilia. However, if you book a wedding there you ARE allowed to take your own pictures, and you actaully own the rights to those shots and sign a release from paramount stating that they are yours to do with as you please. We had about 45 minutes for the ceremony and to be children in the proverbial candy store. The menus at Quarks were hilarious. All the dishes were themed, like a Pipus Claw( a wrap of some kind I think), The holy rings of Betazed (onion rings served stacked on a tower with 3 dipping sauces), but sadly there was no gagh. The highlight though was the drink menu. Of coarse there was Romulan Ale(blue draft beer), Deanna Troi's chocolate obsession (a choc./rum concoction) or the James Tea Kirk(a stiff Long Island). But the favorate by far was The Warp Core Breach. This and it's sister drink the Borg Sphere were served in "fishbowls" with dry ice and were meant for multiple people. Though on one occasion I did finish one myself, thankfully I was staying at the Hilton and only had to stumble upstairs after word. What was in them you ask???? Well, after they closed, my sources close to the Federation were able to smuggle me some of the recipies. I have made these at home and the are accurate, but they just don't live up to being served from a replicator while a Vulcan questions the logicality of drinking drive coolant. Warp Core Breach Here is the recipe for the Warp Core Breach. Usually it was made in large batches, but it can be easily broken down. Here ya go: 6 parts Bacardi Superior (or any white, clear, cheap rum out there) 4 parts Bacardi Limon (or any lemon rum you can find) 2 Parts Bacardi Select (Meyers Dark rum also works, or whatever dark rum your store has) 2 parts Bacardi Spice (Captain Morgans also works, but any spice rum will do) 2 parts Dekuyper Lucious Raspberry Rush (formerly known as Razzmatazz, this is the most important part, other Raspberry liqueurs don't seem to work) 1 part Bacardi 151 (any 151 proof rum will do, since they all seem to taste like gasoline by themselves) 30 oz (1.5 bottles) Sobe Power (finding Aceorla/passion berry juice is too hard to find so just use Sobe Power, besides, the caffeine in the Sobe Power ads an extra kick to the drink) Mix the alcohol, pour out 10 oz into a bowl, add the 30 oz of Sobe Power, and food-grade dry ice and there you have it, the Warp Core Breach. A long time ago, they used to use a mix of equal parts cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and orange juice in the Warp Core instead of Sobe Power. Some prefer this juice mix and some prefer the Sobe. I say, use whichever you like best. Borg Sphere 6 parts vodka 4 parts white rum (i.e. Bacardi Superior or any other non-flavored clear rum) 4 parts melon liqueur (Midori is the most common brand but there are others) 2 parts gin sweet & sour mix (common bar mixer found in any store) Sprite (can also use 7up or Sierra Mist) Mix the alcohol in a pitcher or other container, pour out 10 oz into a bowl, add about 15 oz sweet & sour mix and about 15 oz sprite, food-grade dry ice for that smoking effect and also some regular ice. There you go. Enjoy. Please drink these with caution as they are powerful, and be responsible. No piloting shuttlecraft after ingesting engine coolant!

Saw it again last night in Imax. It was an amazing experiance. The sound and soundtrack alone were awe-inspiring. Note that this movie was not intended or filmed in Imax so the scope is not comparable to an actual imax filmed movie, but I considered it well worth the money and so did everyone I saw it with. Two downsides though... 1) In most theaters it will only be on the screen till Thursday and 2) The "shakey-cam" style to the movie can sometimes be annoying on such a large screen, and sometimes the shear size of the frame distorts focus, but I do know some of this is intentional. NOTHING is done too much, but enough to be mentioned. Overall I would say it was worth the viewing. This wasn't my first time seeing it, but after I walked out of the viewing it felt like I just saw a different movie. Nero's ship, The Narada, was amazingly detailed in this format, so much so that it didn't even compare to the DLP showing I'd seen previously. Get out there and see it in IMAX before you regret it! -edit- one more thing. The shots of the Enterprise on the Imax screen were pure beauty. The images have been burned into my brain, so much so that I can almost still see it.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. To be honest I was afraid of getting flamed when I posted the story and the pics. And yes I am fully aware of how lucky I am to have a wife who will go along with all my passions and antics, but it turns out even though she had a hardcore cheerleader mentality, she's really as much of a geek as me. And now that she embraced it, watch out. Actually, yesterday Trekkies 2 was on, and she was commenting on some of the uniforms not being accurate & then told me she was bidding on a uniform on ebay. I was so proud. Plus she makes an awesome Trill. If I can find pics, I'll post them. We did Worf and Dax for Halloween a couple of years ago, and yes the spots do go all the way down. @firedevil@

CONTINUED 3>>>>>>> After our alloted time on the Bridge had ended, we were escorted to the DS9 Prominade, and to our banquet table at Quarks. Let me just say this...an Open Bar at Quark's is a wonderful thing, especially when there are actual Ferengi worried about you drinking away thier profits. Not only was everyone having literally the time of thier lives, but we had become part of the attraction itself. Other patrons of the experience stopped and took pictures commenting, offering congrats, some even wondering if our party was staged of if we actaully worked there. Of coarse through-out it all the multitude of Alien stationed at the Experience continued to entertain, maintaining thier characters through out. Ferengi hid from work, Borg attempted assilimation, and Klingons challenged our officers. Everone was having so much fun that even the skeptics who didn't wish to wear thier uniforms forgot they were even on, and wore them through-out the reception. A Warp Core Breach! A Borg Sphere! A couple of times, my wife and I wandered away from the party to slow dance to the various themes that played within the prominade, including our wedding theme from the inner light. It was a beautiful and monumental moment for us and we knew that we were just experiencing the beginning. Did I mention that unlimited rides on the 2 attractions and the history of the future museum were included? Since then my wife has been transformed into the consumate trekker, and now has an unbridled passion for the show which is great to see. Everytime we see Star Trek we are now reminded of this day and how something that seemed like a geeky joke became the most wonderful time of our lives. Seeing as this attraction has just partially re-opened at the neonopolis mall near Freemont Street, I'd suggest any Trekker attend. (the full attraction will be re-opened by 2010, right now I guess it's just Quarks Bar and restaurant) If your fiancee ever agrees to getting married there, you won't regret it!

CONTINUED 2>>>>>>>> As well as a number of fun shots to help capture the moment, that gave everyone the oppritunity to say that they served on a little ship named Enterprise. "Hard to starboard!" Mr Data set a coarse... Engage.

CONTINUED>>>> Once on the bridge we were greated by a Female Klingon warrior, and a male Ferengi. The Klingon immeadiately began harrasing my "security" officer and took him to the tactical display for training. The Ferengi made small talk with the "hue-mans" making hilarious quips about our uniforms at every oppritunity. The minister, dressed in the White Captians Dress uniform from Insurection, noticed I was a little pale, and offered me a seat in the Captains chair. As I sat down, not only did my nausea flee from my mind, I realized all my dreams past, present, and future were coming true. I'd always wanted to be a Captain of the Enterprise and just sitting in the chair was an amazing feeling, my friends were having the time of thier lives running around the bridge like school-children on a field trip, and I soon would marry the love of my life in the most amazing day of my life. In a moment that was all too overwhelming, I heard the familiar whistle calling us to order, as the "turbolift" doors opened and out walked my wife as beautiful as she had ever been. Though she wore a traditional dress, not a uniform, she had her hairdresser apply Vulcan ears which were strangely attractive, I must say. I will forever harrass her, saying that this was the only time she was ever Logical, but that's another story. As we went through the ceremony, and the Theme to "the Inner Light" played, my Human emotions overcame me. Everything was all i could have ever dreamed. To quote Insurrection, "it was the perfect moment".

I mentioned this on another thread, but felt that it would be better served as it's own topic. Sorry if it is long, but I added pictures to make it more entertaining. First off, let me just say I have the coolest wife in the Alpha Quadrent for allowing this to happen, cause at the time of our wedding she wasn't the biggest Trekker. It all started on a trip to Vegas and a visit to the now defunct (and recently re-opened) Star Trek Experience. We were waiting in line for the attraction when we viewed an advertisement for "weddings out of the world". I menationed if we were to ever get married that this is how it would have to be. She laughed, and said only if Patrick Stewart were the minister. I didn't realize it then but this was the first time I mentioned marriage with her, which set of her "husband-sense", but it also planted the seed that a Star Trek Wedding could be fun. A year later, after I had popped the question and we began planing our wedding, we decided that we would have the wedding in Vegas due to our general lack of family, and friends who either loved the city, or had never been there. As we priced various wedding spots at the major hotels we realized that the lynch-pin hotels were all very expensive for something that wasn't all that memorable. A gazebo next to a pool just didn't seem right. It was at this time that I seriously pitched the idea of the Star Trek wedding again. I had hoped and joked all along, but NEVER thought she would actually go for it. Low and behold not only was this one of the less expensive options, it had just won an award for "wedding place of the year". Looking into the packages we discovered that beyond just the standard wedding on the Bridge of the Enterprise D, differant packages offered alien actors, pictures, tickets for the rides, and a planned receptions at Quark's at the DS9 bar. Perfect. With all the bells and wistles, the package and reception would still be cheaper than Ceasar's palace or the Bellagio. After descussing the feasablity of travel with our closest friends and family, the decision was made and the wedding booked. Over the next few months we purchased uniforms for everyone, arranged travel and hotels, booked bachelor & bachelorette parties and off we went. Now as a side note to those who have never attended the Experience, it was an awesome attraction, which has since closed down, but has once again opened it's doors in a different location and will be updated as a work in progress. The day of the wedding, I was sick from my bachelor party the night before. A word to the wise, never have your bachelor party the night before your wedding day. I awoke to my male friends trying to decide whether to wear thier uniforms to the event or to change there, most were afraid of being seen on the Strip in a Star Trek uniform, a very logical fear. The motion of the monorail en route was hell, I was beyond hungover and had to carry an emergency bucket with me. We arrived at the Hilton that housed the Experience, and were met by the minister and a few Star Fleet officers who helped us prepare for the wedding. The guys changed into thier uniforms were assigned rank and wearily posed for the first pictures. From there we were led to the Bridge via the "Grand Canal" which was a backstage set based on a never-developed set that was suppossed to be the main passageway of the Enterprise D, but was never built due to cost. The officer who escorted us hollered a "Red Alert" down the hall as we entered to call the gathered starfleet personel to attention. As we walked to the Bridge we must have passed over a dozen officers standing at attention, some congratulating me by my rank. I was still feeling ill, but the excitement was building and each congratulation brought me more strength.

I believe the Galoob figures were in production prior to the actual release of the TNG series, and made from the actual costume designs. The reason for the maroon color is that all the "red" uniforms for TNG were actualy maroon in reality. A true red uniform would have been too bright for filming, thus they were darkened. Galoob went with what they physically saw for color.