Review – Mass Effect Normandy SR2 Replica

This Mass Effect series (Amazon.com search*) starship replica from Dark Horse is a piece I kept an eye on when it was first announced because while my experience with the game may be limited to novels the ship itself looked cool enough that I was interested in it. I got an awesome deal on this one at New York Toy Fair earlier this year so now it’s time we rip the box open and take a look at Dark Horse’s work on the starship statue.

Packaging

Clean. Attractive. Disposable. Normandy SR-2 Ship Replica* box is well-designed but not so exciting that you’ll want to keep it because of its graphic presentation. I have no complaints with the box, but it’s not something I’m going to rave about. It’s neat and functional.

Sculpt

While the box may be functional, the ship’s sculpt is tight and fantastic. And at just over six-inches long it’s small enough that you should have no trouble finding a home for the Normandy SR-2 Ship Replica* in your collection. Hell, it’s small enough that you can probably take it to the office and display it in and out of the way spot where it will both look cool and be safe.

Click on any of the photos here and check the sculpted details on the ship, especially the four large engines on the rear of the starship. Every detail looks great, and holding the ship and feeling just how thin and fragile all of the parts feel make the sculpting even more impressive; the wiry-look of the ship’s nose and the light engine parts make this a statue you don’t dare bump or drop; I could see this thing snapping apart way too easily. It doesn’t have the heft of a character statue so I’m extra careful whenever I move it around.

Paint

No complaints on the paint side of things. The Normandy Replica* has the level of quality of paint we expect from a $35 statue and there are just enough painted details on the black and white starship statue to make it interesting. All of the lettering appears to be tampo printed and is crisp; as I said, no complaints with the paint.

Closing Thoughts

While the Normandy SR-2 Ship Replica* is well-crafted and a reasonable price for the size and detailing my lack of experience with the Mass Effect series (Amazon.com search*) leaves me less excited about the ship than I thought I would be. Fans of the game will likely be very excited by the ship, but if you’re just casually into the line like I am then I suggest passing on the statue.

Philip Reed can say this is a very well-made statue and if he played the Mass Effect games he would probably be very excited about the ship replica.