Tag Archives: Playmates

#3779: Lieutenant Commander Data

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

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DATA

STAR TREK: UNIVERSE (PLAYMATES)

I’m apparently keeping this Star Trek thing running.  And also this Data thing running.  So here we are.  But for today’s review, I’m jumping a ways ahead…while also back.  Back in 2022, Playmates picked up the Trek license for the third time, and this time around tried to do the thing everyone said they wanted, which was more figures in the same scale as their original line, but with some modern advances in sculpt and articulation.  It was a valiant effort, but…well, like so many Trek lines, it didn’t really have legs.  We got a small handful of figures from a few different themes, and Data was amongst the Next Gen figures.  So, two three years after the fact, here’s that figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Lieutenant Commander Data was one of the eight figures that launched Playmates’ Star Trek: Universe line.  All of the figures were on the same Universe card outside of the US, but domestically, the “retro” figures were put on retro inspired.  Data and the other two Next Gen figures were released in packaging replicating their original Playmates releases.  Like Data’s original Playmates figure, he’s based on his post-Season 3 version of the standard uniform, which is really the “classic” Data look.  The figure stands just under 5 inches tall and he has 21 points of articulation.  He’s a little taller than the vintage Playmates Trek, and the articulation is completely different.  There’s a lot of universal joints in play, and he also gets wrist and ankle movement, which wasn’t present on earlier figures.  He does lose out on waist movement, which feels a little bit like a step back.  That said, he can at least sit down, which is an improvement across the board.  The sculpt is an interesting approach, because it feels like it’s aiming to sort of capture the retro stylings, but it’s not quite a match for how they used to do things.  Most notably, the hands are really small.  Like “look like they should be on a 3 3/4 inch figure” small.  Not sure why they’re so small.  The head is okay; it’s not unlike Brent Spiner, but I can’t really say it looks more like him than the vintage one did.  Data’s paint work is generally not too bad.  It’s very basic, and the collar is notably pretty sloppy, but it generally gets the job done.  Data is packed with a phaser, tricorder, diagnostic testing unit, and display stand.  They’re modeled on the accessories from the original release, so the phaser has the permanently attached beam, and they all have hand holds attached.  In this day and age, not having the beam be removable feels like a real missed opportunity.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve had no shortage of opportunities to get most of the vintage Playmates Trek run, so I wasn’t in dire need of any of the new ones when they hit, but I admired Playmates giving it a try.  One of the Datas fell off the card at work, so I snagged that one, since it was a Data and all.  And then I pretty much forgot I owned it for a year and some change, which isn’t the sort of thing you should do.  I finally unearthed him, and here we are.  I think I might have been part of the problem?  Or, maybe Playmates was?  He’s a weird figure for sure, but I feel like if the line had gone further, there could have been some cool stuff.  Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3774: Professor Data

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

PROFESSOR DATA

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (PLAYMATES)

Oh wow, more Star Trek?  So soon?  Could that possibly be right?  It seems it is.  And, when it comes to Star Trek figures specifically in my collection, a very surprisingly high percentage of it is Data, something I’ve touched on in the past.  Data’s incarnation of the franchise, Next Generation, was kind of drowned in finales and wrap-ups, but the first wrap-up, within the show proper, was “All Good Things.”  It gave us a glimpse into a possible future, and brought with it the potential for new variants of the main characters, which is something toy companies love.  And me personally?  I gotta have that Data!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Professor Data was released in Playmates Star Trek line in 1997.  He was after the line had switched over to one more all-encompassing set-up, though his set did include a handful of other “All Good Things” figures.  Since two of Data’s three looks in the finale were just general designs from earlier in the show, they went with his extra future-y, dressed down, professor garb.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 12 points of articulation.  He’s got all the traditional articulation for the line, for better or for worse.  His jacket further restricts the waist and hips, but it’s honestly not much of a loss.  Professor Data uses the standard Data head (since Data doesn’t actually age the way the others do, he’s supposed to just look the same).  He’s got a new body sculpt, which has some kind of off proportions, not uncommon for the line.  He does seem particularly wide and squat, and his arms seem a touch long.  In general, he also feels a little boxy.  He’s also a bit devoid of texturing, which is a shame.  That said, he fits right in with everything that Playmates was doing at the same time.  His color work is decent enough.  The hair line’s a little sloppy on my figure, but that’s the only notable issue.  I actually really like the pattern on the jacket.  Professor Data is packed with a display stand, as well as a tray, teapot, teacup, and decanter, all in a dark blue.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This guy holds the record for the longest I’ve searched for a Star Trek figure.  Admittedly, it was really just him and the Gorn that were really on the list, and I managed to get Gorn a while back.  I’ve been looking for this guy since some time in the early ’00s, and I just never managed to find him.  I don’t know why, because it’s not like he’s crazy rare or anything, but I just never seemed to land in front of me or be in the collections I was looking through.  Thankfully, a large Trek collection came through All Time last year, and I finally had the chance to snag one.  He’s goofy, and a bit silly, and perhaps not the greatest Data, but I’m quite happy to finally have him.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3769: Vina as an Orion Animal Woman

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

VINA as an ORION ANIMAL WOMAN

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

In the last five years, I’ve reviewed a total of three Star Trek figures, which is, you know, not a lot of them.  Less than a yearly entry.  This is largely because I’m not really an avid Trekkie.  I am, however, unable to really avoid Trek.  It’s like a sort of a background noise of my life.  I do enjoy aspects of the franchise, with The Original Series being my personal favorite.  Pike’s always been my favorite Captain, and I quite like “The Cage” and its re-cut airing “The Menagerie.”  Playmates did a small set of figures based on the “The Cage” for its 30th anniversary, which included Pike, as well as the franchise’s first instance of the green-skinned space babe, Vina.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Vina as an Orion Animal Woman was released under Playmates’ Classic Star Trek banner, as part of their larger “mixed” line in 1996.  She accompanied the other three “Cage” anniversary figures.  As the name implies, this figure is specifically based on Vina’s depiction as an Orion Animal Woman during one of the Talosian visions Pike experiences.  It’s not her standard look at all, but it’s by far the most distinctive one, and the one that everyone remembers.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Vina is notably not particularly posable.  She just gets the 5 points, and of those, only the shoulder joints are actually really usable.  She also really can’t stand.  Like, at all.  No position on those legs is gonna make it happen.  At least there’s a stand.  The sculpt was unique, and it’s an okay offering.  It’s pretty decent for the era.  The head’s got an okay likeness, and the proportions aren’t too crazy or off.  The paint work is generally on the basic side.  It’s inoffensive, but it gets the job done.  She’s packed with a display stand, a fountain, and a torch.  The fountain and torch are just solid color casts, in my figure’s case, blue.  She can’t actually hold anything, so they just sort of sit off to the side.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got the Pike figure from this set as a kid, and he was a favorite.  Spock and the Talosian I got later down the line.  This one was the last hold-out, and I was actively searching for her for a fair bit.  Thankfully, I was able to snag a loose one that got traded in with a sizable Trek collection during the summer last year.  She’s fine.  Not very playable, even for this line, but she at least looks pretty decent, and goes well with the rest of the set.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3686: Donatello

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

DONATELLO

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

I sort of tipped my hat on today’s review last Wednesday, I suppose, when I reviewed a Metalhead figure from a line that contains a Donatello I have *not* reviewed, and then even mentioned getting said Donatello at the end of that review.  Have I shattered illusions that I review things in the order that I get them?  For that matter, were there ever really any such illusions?  Well, a week after reviewing Metalhead, I guess I’m reviewing a Donatello I bought myself a month and a half prior.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of the first tie-in assortment for Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the show that’s spun-out of last year’s movie.  The first assortment just covered the four turtles in their slightly tweaked show looks, which seems like a pretty good starting point for a Turtles line.  As with the second assortment, this one plays into the “Mutations Mix N Match” feature.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  His sculpt is all-new, based on his aforementioned tweaked design for the show.  The core design remains the same, but he’s been given a little extra armoring, with a plate on one of the shoulders, as well as the knees.  He also gets a more proper strap for his bo staff going over the chest, as well as wrappings on his feet, which averages him with the 2012 design just a little bit.  I definitely dig that decision.  Additionally, his build is a touch bulkier than the film design, showing a bit of maturing on his part.  Overall, I like the new design, and the sculpt does a nice job of translating it.  The figure’s still got the removable glasses, which pretty much attach the same way as before, so they hopefully shouldn’t get lost during regular play.  The color work on this version of Donnie is very similar to the standard Mutant Mayhem figure, albeit with some minor tweaks to make it all line up.  The application’s all pretty clean, and he looks pretty solid.  Donnie is packed with his headphones, 3 throwing stars, and his Bo Staff, as well as a metal pipe looking thing.  And, for the mix-and-match feature, he’s also got the head of Metalhead and the left arm of the Mechazoid.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back in June, the wife and I were doing a last minute Target run before our summer family vacation, and I happened upon the first series of these guys.  I honestly hadn’t been tracking the line, so the presence of the Metalhead head really was what grabbed my attention.  Not knowing when the figure proper that would be arriving, at the urging of my wife, I opted to grab this one, since he had the head, and, once I got the full Metalhead, I’d still have a Donatello.  I didn’t realize I’d be getting the Metalhead figure quite as quickly as I did, so this one’s purpose got re-worked really quickly.  Honestly, just as a Donatello, he wound up being cooler than I expected, and now I have both him and Metalhead for full Mix ‘N Match-ing potential.

#3681: Metalhead

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

METALHEAD

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

Alright, we had two weeks off, but now I’m going back to having a regular TMNT review.  Because, you know, apparently this is a thing I do now?  Look, it kind of surprises me too.  There’s been a lot of good TMNT options lately, and it’s also been pretty dialed into the three characters I’m sure to focus one.  I’ve had a bunch of Donatello, a little bit of Casey, but no Metalhead for a bit.  And, you know what?  I could go for some cool robot turtle action right about now.  It sure is convenient that there’s some available!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Metalhead was released in the second assortment of the tie-in line for Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is the new show that’s spun out of Mutant Mayhem.  Thus far, both of the show’s tie-in assortments have been under the “Mutations Mix ‘N Match” banner, which is the swapping gimmick that Playmates like to return to every so often.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation, plus an articulated hatch on the front of his torso.  While all of the standard Mutant Mayhem figures had a higher level of articulation, the newer figures have all gone to a more reduced set-up, which is fairly common between main launches, honestly.  It also better facilitates the Mix ‘N Match set-up.  And, with everything being on ball-joints, there’s still quite a bit of range to be had.  Metalhead’s design this time around is a lot more pieced together than prior designs, which is honestly pretty fun.  He very much fits in with the newer Turtles designs, while also keeping some of the more recurrent design elements from other Metalheads  I dig the decision to keep the head more squared off, much like the 2012 version, and I also like the move to a lankier build, which generally feels more in line with the latest incarnation of the Turtles proper.   The sculpt is a pretty solid recreation of the show’s design for the most part.  He’s not quite as lanky in the limbs, since he needs to still be stable, of course.  He shares a few of his parts with the Mechazoid figure, which is sensible, since he’s supposed to be built from Mechazoid parts and all.  His sculpt is rather geometric, which plays in his favor, but there’s some smaller wear and tear detailing, which keeps things from being too bland.  I also like the small touches, like the little smile etched into his faceplate, giving him that friendlier vibe.  His color work is on the simpler side, but there’s a decent amount of base coverage.  The application’s a little fuzzy around the edges, especially on the yellows, and there are a few details, like his shoe on his left foot, which get overlooked, but it generally works well for the price point.  Metalhead his packed with a sword, sai, nunchuck, and bo staff for the purposes of replicating the four brothers.  All of them can be stored on him, which is very fun.  He’s also got a small disc, which I think is a pizza?  It goes nicely in the torso storage, which is also cool.  And, in order to aid with the “Mix ‘n Match” feature, he’s also packed with Raph’s head and Leo’s left arm.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I had found the first round of these, which was just the four Turtles, back in June, and I actually snagged the Donnie at the time, since he came with Metalhead’s head.  But, of course, I wanted Metalhead proper, so I was on the prowl for him for a bit.  Thankfully, he wasn’t too much trouble to find, ultimately.  He’s nifty.  I definitely dig this new Metalhead design, and I think it translated well to figure form.  In a perfect world, I’d have loved for him to be a little better articulated, but beyond that, I do really dig this one a lot.

#3666: Giant Donatello

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

GIANT DONATELLO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (PLAYMATES)

I just keep coming back to TMNT, don’t I?  Four weeks in a row!  And not only that, I’m coming at you guys with two Donatellos in a row.  Because, you know, that’s just how I roll.  It’s all Donatello, all the time…when it’s TMNT…and it’s not Casey.  That’s not the point, though.  No, the point is I’m taking a look at a Donatello, and he’s more than the average Donatello.  He’s a Giant Donatello.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Giant Donatello was released by Playmates as part of their tie-in line for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, alongside giant versions of the other three turtle brothers.  It’s a time-honored tradition for Playmates, making the four turtles “giant” and all that.  The figure stands about 12 inches tall and he has 13 points of articulation.  Compared to his smaller counterpart, Donnie is a little more restricted, losing the elbow joints of the standard figure.  It’s not an uncommon change on these larger figures, as it’s an easy way for Playmates to keep costs lower.  It does make it a little trickier to get him to hold his bo staff properly, but it’s not impossible, especially since he’s still got the shoulder and wrist joints.  Changes in articulation aside, the sculpt on this figure is pretty similar to the smaller one.  It’s solid, doing a good job of recreating his animation model.  I do like that the expression’s been changed to be a little friendlier this time around; it feels just a touch more in-character for Donnie.  His color work is pretty basic, with the molded colors doing the bulk of the work.  There’s a little bit of paint work, which is all pretty cleanly applied.  He’s packed with his bo staff, which is again similar to the smaller one, but now it’s also hollow!  He also gets his glasses and headphones, allowing you to do that whole kitted-out look from the movie.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When I last reviewed a Mutant Mayhem figure, I hadn’t yet seen the movie.  In the almost solid year since then, I actually did get around to watching it, and it was pretty fun.  I watched it with the family, of course, and Matthew in particular really enjoyed it.  He knows that Donnie’s my favorite Turtle, so he asked my parents to help him get me this guy for my birthday this year, which was pretty freaking sweet.  I’ve never had any of the prior Giant turtles for myself, so it’s cool to finally have one.  He’s big, and he’s chunky, and he’s quite fun.

#3661: Donatello – Original Sketch

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

DONATELLO — ORIGINAL SKETCH

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (PLAYMATES)

“Long ago in Dover, New Hampshire, two upstart comic book artists passed the time making each other laugh. Kevin Eastman sketched an unlikely combination of “Ninja” and “Turtle.” Peter Laird answered back with his own version. Before long, a new sketch emerged of all four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle brothers, ready for action. And the rest, as they say, is history!”

Man, for someone who’s only fleetingly into Ninja Turtles, I’ve had a bunch of Turtles stuff to review recently. Today, we’re jumping waaaaaay back, all the way to the beginning…ish. The creation of the TMNT is a case of serial escalation. Kevin Eastman’s first illustration was a single turtle wielding nunchucks, which co-creator Peter Laird responded to with his own refined illustration, which Eastman in turn responded to with *four* turtles, each with a different weapon. In honor of the franchise’s 40th anniversary, NECA put together a two-pack of Eastman and Laird’s first Turtles, and following the trend of escalation, Playmates has their own set, based on Eastman’s original drawing of all four. I’ve picked up the Donatello, and I’m taking a look at him today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Original Sketch Donatello is part of Playmates’ overarching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. He and the other three Original Sketch figures are seemingly Target-exclusive, in the sense that it’s the only place they’ve shown up so far.  They started hitting retail shelves in June.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 20 points of articulation.  His articulation scheme is more or less the same as the 2012-era Turtles, although with a universal joint on his neck in place of the balljoint.  His range of motion is a little restricted, owing a lot to his short and round build.  That said, he can still get into plenty of poses, including the one seen in the original sketch, which is kind of the main idea.  The sculpt is all-new for this set.  Obviously, a good number of the parts are shared between the four turtles, but Donnie gets a unique head, as well as the harness for his staff.  The whole sculpt is a pretty decent little recreation of the sketch.  There’s some adjustments, of course, to make it work in three dimensions, and they’ve also added a touch of texturing to the skin.  The one thing I’m not super crazy about is the the hollowed out portion of the feet; it’s not visible most of the time, but it’s definitely wonky when you can see it.  While the original sketch was just line work, and therefore black and white, Playmates opted to do colors for this release, matching them each up to their vintage figures.  It’s an interesting mix, seeing a pre-Playmates style Turtle in their later coloring, but it honestly works pretty well.  Donnie is packed with his bo staff, a display stand (which connects with the other three), a cardstock version of the sketch, and a broken ooze canister, which serves to hold the sketch.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I don’t religiously follow TMNT news, so I missed the lead up on these guys, only discovering them when I found a couple of them in-store.  Of course, Donnie wasn’t one of the first two I found, so I had to keep looking.  Thankfully, it didn’t take me too long, and, boom, there he was.  He’s very fun.  I didn’t have super high expectations, but he’s just a solid little toy, and he’s very cool for the price point.  I dig him.  I dig him a lot.

#3656: Casey Jones

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

CASEY JONES

TMNT (PLAYMATES)

I sort of started month (well, sort of, anyway; it was like a preview to the month) with a review of a Chris Evans figure, and you know what? I’m gonna end it that way too. However, in a shocking turn of events, it’s *not* a Captain America. Heck, it’s not even a Human Torch. No, it’s from one of the two comic-adaptation roles he played in between, when he voiced Casey Jones for 2007’s TMNT. Oh yeah, let’s look at some more Ninja Turtles, with a guy who’s neither a ninja nor a turtle!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Casey Jones was released in the main product launch for Playmates’ TMNT tie-in line, shortly before the film’s release in early 2007. He fell into the line’s “The Good” subset, along with April and Splinter.  The figure stands just over 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 10 points of articulation.  Movement is pretty basic, and kind of restricted, especially when compared to the Turtles from the same line.  There’s a distinct lack of movement for the elbows, and the knees are jointed oddly high up on the leg, so there’s not a *ton* of posing to be done with him.  It was pretty typical of non-Turtles figures at this point, so it’s not a shock.  Still a bit of a bummer, though.  The sculpt aims to adapt Casey’s animation model from the film, specifically he’s fully geared up look from the movie’s climax, which is definitely his best look of the options available.  The sculpt does a solid job of recreating the look.  In particular, the head really gets his “likeness” down.   The body’s a little more basic and soft in some spots, but it gets all the main layout down as it should.  The gashes on the shoulder plates are a nice tough, though.  Casey’s color work is basic, but hits all the main marks for the design.  The paint application is pretty clean, and all the basic colors are there.  I do especially like that they remembered to give him the slight bit of visible red from his shirt under the armor.  Casey is packed with a removable mask, two baseball bats, a cricket bat, a golfclub, his bag, and a separate harness for just the bats.  The mask is surprisingly on model, and sits well on the face.  The only slight drag on it is that it’s an off-white, indicating it’s just a standard mask, rather than the metal one April gives him just before the final battle.  It’s a small thing, and this makes him more generally on-brand for the character, I suppose, but it’s such a nice plot point in the movie that I’m admittedly a little bummed it’s off.  The sports equipment is fun, though, and I appreciate the options for the bag or the harness.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

TMNT is the first piece of Turtles media that *really* clicked with me.  I’d enjoyed other elements of the franchise, but this one actually excited me.  It was also the film that really cemented my love of not only Donatello, but also Casey.  I liked Evans’ performance a lot, and the new design just really worked.  I wanted this figure when they were new, but I was never able to snag one.  Over the years, I’ve seen a few, but he was always incomplete.  I was actually talking with Max about it being one of my grails, and then, like, a week later, I came across a sealed one at a toy show, sitting on a table for 50% off.  He’s a product of his time, and certainly lacks in the articulation department, but he looks really cool, and I’m very glad to have finally gotten one.

#3433: Donatello

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

DONATELLO

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (PLAYMATES)

Hey, do you guys know what time it is?  It doesn’t really matter, but, if you just want to play it safe, you could always just say “time for a TMNT reboot.”  I mean, your odds of being correct are pretty high.  Almost as high as if you say “time for DC to announce a new 10 year plan.”  But we’re not talking about DC today.  No, it’s the Turtles.  Let’s talk about the Turtles.  There’s a new Turtles movie in theaters, subtitled Mutant Mayhem, which is doing pretty darn well, and, of course, there’s also toys.  Which, for me specifically, means there’s a Donatello.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Donatello is part of the launch assortment of Playmates’ basic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem tie-in line.  The run is officially chopped into two breakdowns, one for the four turtles, and the other for the other mutants.  No points for guessing of which of those Donatello is a part.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 21 points of articulation.  While not *quite* as well articulated as the tie-in figures for Rise, these figures are still very high on the mobility side, which is always cool to see.  Obviously, Donnie’s sculpt, which is all-new to this release, is based on his new design from the movie.  This round of designs are definitely dialing into the first cartoon’s designs pretty heavily, albeit with a touch of updating to more modern times.  Donnie gets hit with the modernizing perhaps the heaviest of the main four, gaining a pair of glasses, a fanny pack, and a smartphone.  While there are parts of the look I was a little iffy on at first glance, I can appreciate them trying something different, and there’s no denying that the figure captures the look pretty well.  The glasses and fanny pack are both removable, if you’re looking for a more classic Donnie, and minimal remnants of their presence behind, so that’s definitely a plus.  Donnie’s color work is bright and eye-catching, as it should be, and the paint work behind it is all pretty crisp and clean.  The eyes seem just a touch off on their placement on mine, but not terribly so.  Donnie is packed with his bo staff, glasses, headphones, and an unmutated turtle version of himself, plus a weapons tree that includes a variation on the staff, a throwing star, a canister of ooze, a slice of pizza, and a nunchuck-looking thing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As of this writing, I still haven’t actually seen the movie, but when it comes to TMNT, I’m always down for a good Donnie figure.  This very definitely looked like one of those, and after getting it in hand, it very definitely *is* one of those.  His new design is different, but it’s certainly not bad, and he’s definitely fun.  Playmates did a very good job on this guy.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3359: Captain Christopher Pike

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

CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER PIKE

STAR TREK (PLAYMATES)

“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.