Tag Archives: Playmates

#4038: Lucas Wolenczak

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

LUCAS WOLENCZAK

SEAQUEST DSV (PLAYMATES)

“Name: Lucas Wolenczak

Rank: Non-UEO Personnel

Assignment: Cheif Computer Analyst, seaQuest DSV 4600

UEO Military ID# CIV07-2000-ZZ2

Security Access: AIC/Unlimited access to ship’s computer systems.

Date of Birth: February 28, 2002

Character Profile: Genius level IQ matched with typical teenage emotions. High-energy. Impulsive. Curious. Fun-loving. Has father/son relationship with Captain Bridger. Close, mutual bond with ship’s dolphin, Darwin.

Personal History: Need for acceptance and approval caused behavior problems in school. Led to singular focus on mastering computers. Difficulties due to parents’ divorce, frequent changing of schools because father’s business, and boredom created by superior intelligence. At father’s request, assignment aboard seaQuest “arranged” by Admiral William Noyce to provide sense of discipline. Developed Vo-Corder Communicator used by Darwin and hologram program for main computer.

Mission Specialty: Responsible for programming and troubleshooting all ship’s computer systems – including weapons CPU’s, navigation, engines, and central computer. Utilizes innovative and unorthodox solutions outside UEO computer procedures.”

This Monday, the 13th of April, would have been the 50th birthday of Jonathan Brandis, known for amongst other things, his role as prodigy Lucas Wolenczak on SeaQuest DSV.  I didn’t actually know this when I put this review on the schedule a couple of months ago, but it’s fitting, and perhaps give this intro a bit more focus than it might have otherwise had.  Brandis was one of only three actors to remain with the show for its entire run, and also became a breakout star for the series, as well as something of a teen idol during the show’s run.  Though unquestionably a central piece of SeaQuest, and a huge part of what success it had, after the show’s run, Brandis struggled to find steady work, resulting in major bouts of depression (which, in more recent years, was also believed to be worsened by an undiagnosed bipolar disorder), and, ultimately Brandis’s death by suicide in the fall of 2003, at the age of 27.  It’s an undeniably sad piece of history for a show that tried to be so very optimistic for the future.  I know this is just a silly little toy review site (okay, that’s kind of a lie; it’s helped me through more than a few dark times), but it’s important to note what a toll the realities of the world can take on some of us, and how all we can really do is try to take care of ourselves to the best of our abilities.  And perhaps, try to look out for those around us who may be struggling.  In the words of Michelle McNamara, Patton Oswalt’s late wife: “It’s chaos; be kind.”

Anyway, that’s my serious moment here on the site, now I guess I’ll go back to being a silly little toy review site, and take a look at this Lucas Wolenczak figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lucas Wolenczak was release in the only series of Playmates’ SeaQuest DSV tie-in line in 1993.  Lucas was one of the most obvious choices for the line, as effectively the show’s secondary lead in the first season (and effectively it’s primary lead by the end).  Lucas was also noteworthy for being the only member of the main cast *not* to be sporting the standard black jumpsuit, making a nice stand-out visually.  The figure stands just over 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  His movement is the standard for the line, so it’s quite good, and superior to what they were doing with Trek at the time.  His sculpt was all-new, and would remain totally unique to him.  The head sculpt is a strong recreation of Brandis’s likeness, especially in the face.  The hair is perhaps a bit more tame than it was in the show, but that’s consistent with the other figures in the line, and really just goes along with the transition to action figure.  Below the neck, Lucas is wearing an outfit that I don’t believe he ever actually wore on the show.  He’s got a wetsuit with shorts, some water shoes, and a denim jacket thrown over it.  In the first season, Lucas usually just wore civilian attire, always very ‘90s, which might not have been very exciting, I suppose.  As it stands, this is a look that, even if it’s not one from the show, feels like it’s something Lucas might wear, so I ca dig it.  Lucas’s paint work keeps him removed from the others, with a bit of actual color, specifically some rather lovely green.  I particularly like the jacket, and how it’s got an actual denim sort of pattern to it, as well as a pretty cool “UEO” insignia on the back.  Lucas is packed with a PAL (Personal Audio Link), SeaPoc computer, mammal vo-corder, EVA Skindiving mask, Spear gun, and a display stand.  The tech is all sensible enough, but the spear gun does seem a tad out of place.  Also included is a small rubber hammerhead shark, for those that enjoy small rubber hammerhead sharks.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Crocker was the one I got during the actual run, and Bridger I got shortly after, and Darwin was sort of luck of the draw.  Lucas?  Lucas is a figure I actively searched for.  I didn’t get him new, but my dad did, and I was pretty well obsessed with that figure.  Unfortunately, I got to the age where I could properly enjoy the show in mid-2003…which was not a great time for finding a Lucas figure.  I was 11 at the time, and my Nana died the same year, and I recall that Brandis’s death was hard on me as well.  I didn’t know him (though my dad did, having run a con with him as a guest in 1994, and would share stories about working with him), but it still felt like losing someone important, in the context of being an 11-year-old who’d also just lost a grandparent.  It took me about a year or so to find a Lucas figure that wasn’t very expensive, but I did, albeit loose and without his accessories (those I got later).  As with the rest of the line, he’s rather a nice figure.  One has to wonder if the line had taken off, if there might have been many more Lucas figures.  That might have been cool.  But this one’s quite nice.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.

#4030: Darwin

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

DARWIN

SEAQUEST DSV (PLAYMATES)

“Name: Darwin (Male Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin — “Tursiops Truncatus”)

Rank: Non-Commissioned Officer

Assignment: Special Missions, seaQuest DSV 4600

UEO Military ID#: DD001-2018-NB0

Security Access: Classified

Date of Birth: Estimated as 2007

Character Profile: Playful. Trusting. Friendly to humans. Highly intelligent mammal. Extremely loyal to Captain Bridger. Special relationship with Lucas Wolenczak.

Personal History: Born in Caribbean waters. Rescued following gill net accident and trained by Nathan Bridger at Caribbean research center, 2015. Learned interspecies communication via hand signals, forming close bond with Bridger. Assigned to seaQuest, 2018, where Vo-Corder technology developed by Lucas Wolenczak allowed central computer to translate natural dolphin clicks and whistles into simple human speech. Uses dolphin tube system aboard ship to interact with crew and follow close friend, Lucas.

Mission Specialty: Dolphin Re-Breather allows prolonged dives at extraordinary depths without resurfacing — for strategic underwater assigments.”

Oh boy, I’m back to SeaQuest, aren’t I?  Bet you guys thought I’d get it all out of my system.  Well, no such luck!  I’m fully committed!  Or, maybe I should be committed.  I don’t know.  It’s one of the things.  In addition to its human cast, SeaQuest also had amongst its crew a creature more naturally adept to water, a dolphin.  Billed only as himself in the opening credits, Darwin the dolphin was, in fact, a rather convincing use of effects, largely relying on puppets, as well as “special vocal effects” by the legendary Frank Welker.  Darwin was a pretty big hit, and was ultimately one of only four characters to remain with the show for its entire run.  Not bad for a puppet.  Obviously, there was no way he was getting left out of the tie-in toys, no matter how short-lived the line may have been.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Darwin was released in 1993, as part of Playmates one and only SeaQuest DSV tie-in assortment.  Darwin was actually short packed at the time of release, which, coupled with his popularity, made the figure quit a hot commodity for a while.  The figure is about 5 inches long and, while he doesn’t have articulation in a traditional sense, he does have some points of movement.  His two pectoral fins are able to be pushed inwards, which opens his mouth, and emits a squeaking sound, sort of as if he’s “talking.”  Darwin’s sculpt was all-new and unique to him.  Obviously, as a dolphin, he’s rather a departure from the established style.  He’s a pretty good recreation of a bottlenose dolphin, and specifically looks accurate to the models of Darwin we saw on the show.  He’s in a rather basic pose, and sculpting is fairly clean.  There’s kind of an ugly joint where the mouth is meant to open, but it’s on the underside mostly, so not crazy visible.  Darwin’s paint work is honestly more involved than you might expect, with all the proper color variation on his skin, plus fully painted interiors on his mouth.  For a line of this scale and style, that’s generally pretty rare, so the extra effort’s appreciated.  Darwin was packed with his Dolphin Rebreather, a rather sizable overlay piece, which attaches quite securely to the figure, and gives him a more distinctive flair.  He also includes a vocoder, sonar tag (missing from my figure), and display base with a special attachment to hold him in place horizontally.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember Darwin being difficult to get early on, and specifically remember my dad getting Darwin separate from the others because of his rarity.  I was always a fan of dolphins, so I always liked Darwin.  As such, he wound up as one of the figures I actually got as a kid, albeit years after the other two I had.  Cosmic Comix had one (literally the only SeaQuest figure I recall them ever carrying), so I bought it, and he’s just been floating around in my collection ever since.  There’s not a ton going on with this figure, but I still think he’s cool, and appreciate the efforts by Playmates to set him apart from just a generic dolphin toy.

#4022: Chief Crocker

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

CHIEF CROCKER

SEAQUEST DSV (PLAYMATES)

“Name: Manilow Crocker

Rank: Cheif Petty Officer

Assignment: Security Chief, seaQuest DSV 4600

UEO Military ID#: TT929-4417-MO1

Security Access: A2A

Date of Birth: October 10, 1968

Character Profile: Tough. “Old Salt.” Proud enlisted man. High regard for seafaring history and custom. Superstitous and cautious. High-tech weapons specialist. Expert diver. Gruff, grizzled exterior masks warmhearted, generous nature. Dives for treasure. Searches for lost ships as hobby.

Personal History: Enlisted in U.S. Navy following high school, 1985. Initial service aboard destroyer as gunnery mate. Served under then Lieutenant Commander Nathan Bridger, 2006. Transferred to Pearl Harbor Base security detail 2010. Planned to retire in 2018, but Admiral Willam Noyce personally requested his assignment to seaQuest as Security Chief.

Mission Specialty: Responsible for all aboard ship and away team safety and security. Knowledgeable in undersea search and rescue.”

Hey, it’s more SeaQuest stuff, and it’s not even nine years later!  Is that allowed? I’m gonna go with “yes”, because it’s my site, and if I wanna talk about SeaQuest, well I guess that’s what I’m gonna do. I do have to say, I somewhat feel like my thunder’s been stolen on this intro, with just how in-depth Playmates went on their bios for the back of the box on these guys.  So, pretty much everything you need to know about today’s focus, Security Chief Crocker, is listed up there.  Like the fact that his first name is Manilow.  I don’t think that even comes up on the show.  But there it is.  All written out.  Let’s check out Crocker!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Chief Crocker was released in Playmates’ one and only assortment of their SeaQuest DSV tie-in line from 1993.  Crocker’s not the most prominent member of the crew included, but got a decent amount of screen time, and, most importantly, added some variety of design to the show’s cast.  The figure is about 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  Like Bridger, he demonstrates the SeaQuest line’s improved articulation scheme over Playmates’ Star Trek line of the same era, so there’s quite a bit of posing to be had with him.  Crocker’s sculpt is another unique one, which benefits from his stockier build than the rest of the crew, as well as demonstrating the slightly different way Crocker wore his uniform compared to the other crew.  He’s got his proper turned down collar, as well as the weapons belt worn by the security officers, complete with working thigh holster.  Crocker also gets a SeaQuest branded baseball cap, something that most of the crew wore at one point or another during the show’s first season, but which was most frequently worn by Crocker, making it a solid choice for his design.  The head sports a pretty respectable likeness of Royce D. Applegate, and gets a decent amount of detailing especially on the facial hair.  Crocker’s color work is pretty well handled.  It’s cleanly applied, with sharp detailing on the eyes, as well as all of the insignias and markings on the uniform.  Crocker was packed with a Stun Gun, PAL, Away Team Launcher with a Tranquilizer Harpoon, Handcuffs, a small rubber killer whale, and a display stand.  The main launcher is the same one included with Bridger, but with a new missile.  It’s just as gimmicky here, but it’s still fun, so I can’t complain.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Crocker is the only figure from the original run that I actually got when he was still new.  My dad was buying himself a set, and offered to get me one, and apparently Crocker was the one I decided I wanted.  I don’t know why exactly, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say I liked his hat.  Like Bridger, he spent most of his time mixed in with my Trek figures, which suited him pretty well.  He certainly took a bit of a beating over the years, and I think he’s still pretty fun.  And I’m adding this extra sentence because otherwise I was gonna end on 666 words, and I don’t think that would be kind to Crocker’s superstitious nature, so this one’s for you, Manilow!

#4014: Captain Nathan Hale Bridger

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

CAPTAIN NATHAN HALE BRIDGER

SEAQUEST DSV (PLAYMATES)

“Name: Nathan Hale Bridger

Rank: Captain

Assignment: seaQuest DSV 4600

UEO Military ID#: AI147-5024-TS9

Security Access: Indefinite

Date of Birth: November 10, 1963

Character Profile: Passionate, decisive leader. Extremely intelligent and inquisitive. Diplomatic and open minded. Dedicated to maintaining peace. Advanced degrees in geology and biology. Driven by great love for the sea and its exploration.

Personal History: Original lead designer on NORPAC Confederation’s Project seaQuest, 2007. Death of only son during military combat led to resignation of commission, 2010. Took refuge on isolated Caribbean island to pursue marine research. With rescued bottlenose dolphin, Darwin, pioneered method of rudimentary communication between humans and dolphins using hand signals. Close relationship developed. Assumed command of refitted seaQuest at request of Admiral Noyce, 2018.

Mission Specialty: Responsible for acting as intermediary, balancing concerns of Commander Ford’s Navy personnel and Dr. Westphelan’s scientific crew aboard seaQuest.”

Nine years ago, I brought up a thing I don’t often discuss around here: the ‘90s!  Okay, not that, but it *is* something *from* the ‘90s, namely SeaQuest DSV, the Amblin-produced sci-fi series that had a really great debut season, and then also two more seasons after that.  There was a lot of push behind the show at the start, including, amongst other things, a line of figures from Playmates, who were in the thick of handling the Star Trek license at the time.  The covered the majority of the show’s cast, including its lead, Captain Nathan Bridger, portrayed by veteran actor Roy Scheider.  Let’s take a look at that figure today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Nathan Hale Bridger was released in the first and only series of Playmates’ SeaQuest DSV tie-in line in 1993.  As the show’s star, his presence was kind of a guarantee.  Notably, this marked Scheider’s first time as an action figure (and his last time too; NECA solicited one for their Jaws line, but his estate pulled the rights before release), which was pretty cool.  The figure stands just shy of 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  The SeaQuest figures had an articulation scheme similar to Playmates’ Trek line, but tweaked to actually be a bit better.  They get proper t-hips, rather than the somewhat pointless v-hips, and also had thigh swivels (which Trek only had on the larger First Contact figures).  It means that Bridger gets a rather impressive movement scheme, should you wish to go all action oriented with him.  Bridger’s sculpt was totally unique to him.  Like with the articulation, Playmates was clearly aiming to keep these figures in line with their Trek stuff stylistically.  They’re the same style, but, again like the articulation, they seem a bit improved.  The detailing’s a little sharper, and the uniform has less areas of smooth coverage, and the internal proportions are a little better, with the head in particular being smaller relative to the body than the Trek figures tended to be.  There’s a lot of nice character specific elements on his uniform, like Bridger’s slightly more casual layout, with rolled up sleeves and a more zipped down collar.  The main selling paint is the head sculpt, which is honestly a pretty respectable likeness of Scheider, so you can pretty clearly tell who he’s supposed to be without much of a hint.  Apparently, though, Scheider didn’t feel the same, and went back and forth with Playmates and their factories regarding the exact nature of it, which is rumored to have played a part in the short-lived nature of the line.  The paint work on this figure is pretty good.  Generally, it’s pretty basic application, especially on the head.  The uniform gets some pretty impressive work on all the markings and insignias, though, and ultimately the only detail missing his his name on the front of the uniform.  Bridger was packed with a Stun Gun, PAL (Personal Audio Link), SeaPoc computer, mammal vo-corder, away team launcher with undersea spelunking hook, and display stand.  It’s a pretty nice selection of standard issue stuff, for the most part.  The launcher and spelunking hook are definitely goofy and gimmicky, but they’re also totally removed from the main figure, so they don’t really ruin anything.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I missed SeaQuest and its tie-in figures in their initial run (being under two at the time), but came around pretty quickly, thanks to the show’s consistent re-runs on the Sci-Fi Channel, and the fact that my dad had a full set of the figures.  Bridger’s not my *first* figure from the line, but he’s a very early one,  purchased for my by my dad, some time in the late ‘90s.  He mostly got mixed in with my Trek figures (especially the Cadet Data, given the similar uniform set-ups), which got him some decent play when I was a kid (which resulted in the bald spot my figure’s got on the back of his head).  He’s really not a bad figure, and showed that Playmates was very much throwing their all behind what was an unproven property.  It’s a shame it didn’t pan out, but he’s a nice figure.

#3971: Dr. McCoy in Dress Uniform

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

DR. McCOY in DRESS UNIFORM

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

“The Enterprise is enroute to a neutral planetoid code-named Babel. We’ve been assigned to transport the ambassadors from several Federation planets to a very important council debating a petition from the Coridan planets to enter the Federation.  Coridan is rich in dilithium crystals, which makes it a target for illegal mining operations.

Captain James Kirk has ordered me to attend a formal reception for the ambassadors. I don’t know about all this spit and polish. I can’t stand this dress uniform much longer. I feel like my neck’s in a sling! The only thing worse than the uniform was trying to give Ambassador Sarek the Vulcan salute. And now it turns out that Sarek is Spock’s father!

I’m curious why Sarek retired from Federation service at the relatively young age of 102. I think I’ll ask him about it at the reception.”

Remember last week when I ran out of figures from “The Cage” but I decided to keep doing Trek reviews anyway because why not?  Well, I’m not giving up yet.  I’m still keeping up the TOS theme of it all, though, because that’s where I’m at.  Waaaaay back in 2017, I took a look at the dress uniform versions of Kirk and Spock, and that’s all well and good, but the other piece of the big three, Dr. Leonard McCoy, also sported a dress uniform from time to time, and I can’t very well leave him out of such things, right?  Right.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dr. McCoy in Dress Uniform was released under Playmates’ general Star Trek line in 1997, in the same assortment as fellow TOS-ers Harry Mudd, the Mugator, and the Gorn Captain.  He rounded out the Dress Uniforms set started with the boxed set release in 1994.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation.  It’s the exact same articulation scheme as all the other standard figures, so it’s what you’d expect.  He’s quite similar to Kirk and Spock in his construction, in that he’s re-using the head and legs from his Bridge Crew set release, along with a new torso with his fancier tunic thing.  The torso feels, like, especially small, I feel?  I don’t know, it just seems like his head is really big.  The head’s decent enough; it’s a respectable DeForrest Kelly likeness, and certainly feels closer than the Shatner or Nimoy likenesses.  McCoy’s paint work is basic, but generally decent.  Much like the other two, his face is noticeably ore matte in its finish, which does better for the sculpted details.  I don’t know why this subset in particular got this treatment, but I’m not complaining.  McCoy is packed with his communicator, tricorder, a hypospray, an anabolic protoplaser, and a display stand with the science insignia on it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I actually bought this figure, like, maybe a month after the other two Dress Uniform figures.  Since I’d found them, I was sort of looking for this one, and he happened to be part of an estate sale table in the dealer’s room at a con (the same table that had the Talosian Keeper figure I looked at a couple of weeks ago), so it all sort of fell into place.  Of course, then I left him packaged for eight years, and only *just* got around to opening him.  I gotta stop doing that.  I can’t say he’s anything amazing or anything, but he rounds out the set, and he’s always been my favorite of the main three, so that all works out pretty well.

#3967: Janice Rand

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

JANICE RAND

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

Well, I’ve officially run out of Playmates Star Trek figures based on “The Cage” and while I could easily use that as a reason to stop doing Trek reviews, I’ve decided to not…do…that.  Because I’m nuts, or something.  I’m sticking to the Classic Trek side, though, because that’s where I feel the most comfortable.  I’ve looked at all of the core crew members, as well as one of the more notable recurring crew, Nurse Chapel.  I haven’t looked at the other most notable recurring crew member, Janice Rand, who was a pretty notable character until her actress Grace Lee Whitney was suddenly let out of her contract halfway through the first season.  Despite her abrupt departure, Rand still made an impact, and that makes her more than worthy of the action figure treatment!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Janice Rand was released in the fifth “mixed assortment” of Playmates’ general Star Trek line, the same assortment that included Chapel.  The two of them served to round out the bridge crew set from earlier in the line.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and she has 12 points of articulation.  Her articulation scheme is almost identical to that of Chapel, with the standard line set-up and the more restricted hip joints due to the skirt.  Rand’s sculpt is unique to her, which is somewhat surprising, given it’s the same uniform as Uhura, but it was totally new.  The exact layout of her uniform is slightly different, but it’s accurate to how it looked on the show.  The head’s not a pitch perfect Grace Lee Whitney likeness, but it’s close enough to sell the general idea of who she’s supposed to be.  Certainly, it’s as close as most of the other figures in the line got, especially when it comes to the classic Trek characters.  Like Chapel, she avoids the big-headed-ness of the earlier figures in the line, which is always a plus.  Her color work is basic but generally well handled.  The red on her uniform is a little darker than the color used for Uhura and Scotty in the boxed set, for not particularly clear reasons, but internally it works fine.  Rand is packed with a phaser, a tricorder, a communicator, a data pad, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As with Chapel, I didn’t have Rand as a kid, but I do remember my dad getting one for his collection.  I ended up snagging this time in mid-2018, at the same time as the Spock from “The Cage.”  I got both of them loose without their accessories, but as with Spock, I was able to find her accessories after the fact, and here she is in all her complete goodness.  She’s not quite as strong a figure as Chapel, but she’s still a better figure than the core crew set figures, so that’s not so bad.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased this figure for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3963: Talosian Keeper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

TALOSIAN KEEPER

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

“After a disastrous mission on Rigel VII, the U.S.S. Enterprise received a distress call from survivors of the S.S. Columbia on Talos IV. The landing party found a group of aging scientists and a young woman named Vina. But it was all an illusion created by the mentally power Talosians. The used Vina to trap Christopher Pike and try to entice him into becoming part of their menagerie.  Their plan—to repopulate the surface destroyed thousands of centuries ago by a terrible war caused by their great illusory powers.

Living underground, the Talismans became addicted to their dreams. With a life span many times that of humans, they spend their time reliving their own memories and those of their zoo specimens.

Pike discovered the Talosians’ vulnerability—they couldn’t read primitive thoughts. After discovering that the humans would rather die than be held captive, the Talosians released Pike and his ship. They promised to never again trap humans—although it would probably doom the Talosians to extinction.”

Oh man, *more* Star Trek?  Is that legal?  Ah, who cares about legality these days!  We just do whatever we want, right?  Right.  I’m keeping the specific theming of figures based on the original Trek pilot “The Cage.”  I’ve looked at Pike, Vina, and Spock, but I’ve yet to look at the episode’s lead antagonist, The Talosian Keeper, keeper of all things Talosian.  Or, you know, at the very least all things Pike and Vina, for the purposes of the episode. Anyway, let’’s look at the figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Talosian Keeper was released as part of Playmates’ main Star Trek line in 1996, the last of the four figures released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Cage.”  While there are multiple Talosians seen in the episode, this figure is specifically based on Meg Wylie’s performance as the lead Talosian, dubbed the Keeper.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  Movement’s really wonky and restricted on this figure.  There’s a swivel and hinge on both elbows, and a swivel at the base of each leg, but ultimately, the only ones that actually matter are the neck and shoulders.  Otherwise, he just stands there.  Which, I mean, that’s also all he does in the show (that and get strangled by Pike, but you don’t need articulation for that), so I guess it all works out.  The figure has a unique sculpt, which is generally fine.  It’s got its ups and downs.  It definitely feels a bit to bulky for Wylie as seen in the show, and in an odd turn of events for a Playmates Trek figure, the head actually seems a touch too small.  That said, the texturing on the robe is actually super nifty, even if the robe beneath the texturing does seem to hang a little bit odd.  The color work on this figure is solid.  It matches well with what’s seen on screen, application is nice and clean, and there’s a surprising amount of accenting on the head, which does a really nice job of capturing the make-up work seen on the show.  The Keeper is packed with a nourishment vial, gas sprayer, and view screen, as well as one of the then-standard display stands.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I’ve noted in the past, the only of the figures in this set I had personally as a kid was Pike, but I’m a big fan of “The Cage” and its unique cast, so I’ve made an effort to track them all down as an adult.  The Keeper was the third one I tracked down, rather shortly after getting Spock, snagged from an estate sale table at a local convention in the summer of 2018.  It’s noteworthy for being the only figure from this set that came into my possession in its original package, which it remained in until just before I sat down to write this review.  Common theme around here these days, huh? Yeah, well, I’m trying to take better stock of what I own, I guess.  Honestly, the figure looks fine, but it’s rough on play factor even for a Playmates Trek figure.

Flashback Friday Figure Addendum #0053: Captain Christopher Pike

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER PIKE

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

It’s a crazy thing going on here, because not only did I write a Star Trek review earlier this week, but now I’m also dedicating a whole Flashback Friday Figure Addendum to the franchise, which is totally a first here!  I’m keeping in theme with the “Cage” based offering from this week’s main review, with a follow-up on my review of Captain Christopher Pike!

“After a disastrous mission on Rigel VII, Captain Christopher Pike diverted the U.S.S. Enterprise to Talos IV after receiving a distress call from survivors of S.S. Columbia. On the Talosian surface, the landing party found a group of aging scientists and a young woman named Vina. But it was all an illusion.

Vina led Pike into a trap set by the Talosians living underground. Imprisoned in a menagerie, they were to begin repopulation of the surface. Pike learned to fight the Talosians’ mental power, filling his mind with primitive thoughts they could not block.

After discovering that the humans would rather die than be held captive, the Talosians released Pike and his ship. Vina, the only true survivor of the Columbia, remained with the Talosians. The captain recommended to Starfleet that Talos IV be placed off limits.”

Star Trek reviews are certainly a rarity around here. It’s not that I don’t like the franchise, but I don’t know that I enjoy it as much as a lot of other people. What I do like from the franchise tends to be rather TOS-centric. My favorite ship’s captain from the franchise, Captain Christopher Pike, comes from that era, although with some technicalities, I suppose, since he’s not a main captain by the point of the actual show, instead serving as the main character of “The Cage,” the show’s first pilot. When the network didn’t pick up the show based on that pilot, lead actor Jeffery Hunter backed out, and Pike was replaced as captain of the Enterprise by William Shatner’s Kirk for the series proper. Much of the footage from “The Cage” was then worked into the series proper as the extended flashback that makes up the bulk of “The Menagerie,” so there’s at least *some* Pike. That’s better than none. It also makes him a good pick for merch! Yeah, the merch! Let’s look at some of that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Christopher Pike was released in 1996 under Playmates’ combined Star Trek line, which gave a mix of all of the shows up to that point. He was part of the fifth series of that set-up, and was released, alongside a Spock variant, Vena, and the Talosian Keeper, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Cage.” The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation. Pike has the line’s standard articulation set-up. Not exactly the best scheme, and I never cared much for those silly v-hips, but it is what it is. They were at least consistent by this point. Pike’s structure is pretty similar to the rest of the standard TOS Starfleet officers. That being said, he’s notably a little skinnier than the others, which I’m not sure is entirely accurate. Of course, it’s not like any of the proportions were all that accurate on any of these figures, so it’s all kind of a toss up. The likeness on these figures were rarely spot-on, and Pike’s not an exception. Playmates did three Pike figures with Hunter’s likeness; this one’s the weakest of those three, but it was, at least, still not a terrible offering. He’s got at least a hint of who he’s supposed to be. The head does seem a tad large relative to the rest of the body, but that was common with these figures. The body sculpt is rather on the basic side; there’s a little bit of detailing on his collar, but he’s otherwise without any real details of note, making him a softer sculpt than even the rest of the line. Pike’s paint work is likewise basic. The eyes are the best work, and the lips aren’t bad either. The hair on mine has seen better days, but that’s not so much Playmates’ fault. Other than that, he’s very basic and very shiny. Pike was packed with his “Starfleet Hand Laser”, communicator, shield, and spear, all molded in the same sort of indigo shade, as well as a display stand. Of all the parts, mine only has the stand these days.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure started out as my dad’s. He got it new, back when I was a kid. I was always fascinated by “The Menagerie” and Pike in particular, so I would borrow this guy all the time, and he wound up taking a bit of a beating. That scuff on the hair happened pretty early on, and it was around that time that my dad realized he wasn’t going to shake me off of this one, so he bought himself a replacement and let me keep this one. Of my meager Trek collection, he was always a favorite of mine. He’s dated and goofy, but I dig it.

This review is one of the slew of reviews I prepped in advance of my daughter Aubrey being born, which ran in the month following her birth, while I was getting pretty much no sleep at all.  As opposed to now, where I get *oh so much* of it.  I did a lot of deep dives into older figures, since it meant I could write them whenever and not worry about them sitting on the shelf for too long before running them.  This one was late in the prep, and was ultimately written about three months before it ran.  With all the prep work, I do still think it kind of holds up.

Missing from the original review were most of this guy’s accessories, which I have subsequently replaced.  So, now he’s got his phaser, communicator, shield, and spear, which are all in the same shade of indigo.  I don’t know *why* they’re indigo, but it’s fine.  It’s also a nice little cross-section of items from his one episode, so I can definitely dig it.

#3959: Mister Spock

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

MISTER SPOCK

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

Back at the beginning of the year, I had a small string of Star Trek reviews, which was certainly notable, because I don’t do a lot of those.  Did you know that I actually planned to go further but got distracted had other things to drop on the schedule? Of course not, because I literally don’t discuss my review schedules with a single other human being, for they are my burden and my burden alone!  Right, so, umm, where’s my burden taking me? Back….to the beginning.  No, really.  It’s “The Cage,” the first Star Trek pilot, which famously has a mostly different cast than the series proper, and which was re-cut into the series proper with a framing device for “The Menagerie.” There was one very notable crossover character between the two casts, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, who the network didn’t personally like, but was popular enough with audiences to keep, resulting in one of the franchise’s signature characters!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mister Spock (As Seen in the Pilot Episode “The Cage”!) was released as part of Playmates’ Star Trek line in 1996, as one of four figures based on the show’s pilot episode.  While he’s the least plot relevant of the four, he’s also Spock, so you kind of have to expect it, right?  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation.  Spock’s articulation scheme is the standard layout for the line, so it’s not great, but it’s also not terrible.  Really, it’s just the hips that aren’t ideal.  Spock wasn’t just an excuse to include a recognizable face, he was also a way to include a total parts re-use as well.  His head is the standard Spock, going all the way back to the first classic figure, and it’s been plopped on the head from the “Where No Man Has Gone Before” Kirk packed in with the Shuttlecraft (which was also re-used for Scotty and Sulu from the same episode).  The head’s not exactly a spot-on likeness of Nimoy, but it works fine.  The body’s notably short and squat for Spock, who was otherwise depicted as a bit more lean than Kirk elsewhere in the line.  The color work here more or less matches the rest of the line.  The shades look right, and application’s not too bad.  It’s probably the cleanest paint this face sculpt ever got, so that’s nice.  Spock is packed with a phaser, a communicator, a toolbox, console, and display stand.  The phaser and communicator are the same ones as the standards, which makes them notably incorrect for what Spock would have had in the pilot.  Given new sculpts were created for Pike, it seems odd they weren’t re-used here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I had Pike as a kid, but never had the others from this set, at least for myself.  My dad had all of them, and this Spock was always my favorite version of the character, so he got borrowed a lot.  Spock was the earliest I tracked down after Pike, picked up loose in the summer of 2018.  He was sans accessories at the time, but I tracked them down after the fact, so here he is!  He’s pretty basic, and ultimately I think it’s kind of a shame he’s the only representation Pike’s crew ended up getting.  Not even a Number One?  Ultimately, I’m glad to have only him rather than none at all.

Shoutout to my friends at All Time Toys, from whom I purchased this figure for review!  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3793: Super Don

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SUPER DON

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

“Out of the mystery of the midnight sewers swoops Super Don, the night Ninja crusader with a secret identity. That’s right, kids! No one knows who this Teenage Mutant Ninja Good Guy really is. His past is shrouded in the secrecy of sewers and cloaked in the aroma of a double anchovy pizza. All we know for sure is that this half-shelled hero hates the Foot Clan with an unbridled passion, and his fiercest foes are Rhinoman and Mighty Bebop. When the sewer signal beckons, you know that Super Don is just a bat wing away. His favorite weapon is the batty boomerang wrist launcher. Ready to answer distress calls on the pizza hotline, Super Don’s got the gear and the guts to deliver justice – even in the dark! The mystery continues with Mr. Pole, Super Don’s saucy sidekick and part-time butler. Perhaps we’ll never know who these dynamic dudes really are – but have you ever noticed, you never see Super Don and Donatello together?”

Well, Playmates sure did a lot of my work there for the intro, didn’t they?  Just a whole novel of information there.  Right, so outside of the in-universe bio, what’s the deal here?  In 1993, as the latest in a run of wacky thematic variants of the Turtles to keep the TMNT line fresh, Playmates released the “Sewer Heroes”, which dressed a Donnie and Mikey up as super heroes, facing down super villain versions of Bebop and Rocksteady.  They were pretty rare at the time, and have subsequently seen a couple of reissues, once in 2016, and again in 2022.  I don’t really have rare vintage Turtle money, but second reissue of a rare vintage Turtle is far more doable.  So, here’s Super Don!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Super Don was released as part of the Retro Reissue portion of Playmates’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line in 2022.  All four of the original figures were put into a “4-pack”, but as with most of the recent TMNT 4-packs, they’re actually four separately packaged figures in a white shipper box.  The figure stands just under 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  He’s a pretty standard assembly for the vintage line.  Not super posable, but decently posable for the time.  He’s got a little bit of pre-posing, but generally nothing crazy.  It takes the standard Donatello, and throws him into spandex, which, honestly it does pretty well.  The gloves in particular are pretty cool, with the extra folds and flair.  He’s also got a cape, which is a neat and drapey, and has a neat sculpted turtle shell pattern to it.  Super Don’s color work is on the darker side, kind of leaning into a bit more of a dark knight, kinda Batmany sort of vibe.  It’s greens and purples, which works well for the Donatello aesthetic.  Super Don is packed with a “T-shield”, a wrist launcher, and a miniature Tad “Sidekick” Pole figure.  They’re all in the same color of plastic, but it’s at least a neat translucent orange.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t go crazy on Turtles, of course, but I do like Donatello and I do like super heroes.  When he was in a 4-pack, I wasn’t really about it.  But, he got traded into All Time on his own, and Max pulled him to the side for me, because, you know, it’s Donatello, and I didn’t have it.  He’s neat.  I don’t know that it’s like, top tier for me or anything, but it’s neat.