AA/ DST Special Feature: Assembling The Ultimate Crew!

So I am not sure if you guys have heard or not, but Diamond Select Toys recently unveiled plans for a new Star Trek figure line called "Star Trek Select". The new line will consist of individual 7" figures featuring packed-in dioramas and interchangeable parts. While I am all for new Trek toys, it seems these figures will lean more towards pre-posed stances as over the high articulation of the older DST efforts. You can check out pictures of the first release in this line, Spock, right here: Star Trek Select Spock.

I believe I will hold out my final judgment until I get ol' pointy ears in my hot little hands... but this new line got me thinking about my AA/ DST crew. While previous Trek toy manufacturers like Playmates and Mego really offered one definitive version of the main crew, AA/ DST released so many different variations on the mainstays that it could be pretty daunting for a new collector to go back and pick out the cream of the crop. Which leads me to this post...

With this new announcement pretty much putting the nail in the coffin of the old line, I figured it would be a good time to give you my version of a definitive AA/ DST crew. Some of these are pretty easy picks... others not so much. Some are gonna take a little elbow grease and extra dough to make happen. But you want the best, ya gotta work for it... And of course, this is all my opinion here. You may not agree with my picks, and that is totally cool. These just happen to be my personal picks after years of Trek collecting. So without further ado... My ultimate AA/ DST Classic Star Trek Crew!

Spock And McCoy:



These are pretty simple, and require very little effort to make "perfect". Both McCoy and Spock were best represented in their DST reissues due mostly to the gold used on their rank braids and uniform insignias. The original releases from Art Asylum (while great) featured a cheaper gold paint that I've noticed turns a greenish color over time.



Both Spock and McCoy came as single card reissues or in 2-packs. Since we are assembling the "ultimate" crew, go with those 2 packs. Spock (originally spotlighted HERE) comes with Scotty, while McCoy (spotlighted HERE) includes Sulu. The offerings in both sets (as we will see) are just about perfect... with the exception of one minor detail:



Just like usual, DST only saw fit to include a "Live Long & Prosper" hand on Spocky-poo... So you'll need to crib one off a different figure to really make him shine.

Scotty & Uhura:

For the 2 immortal red shirts, I'd recommend hitting those reissues yet again (and you'll already have Scott thanks to the Spock 2-pack). Not only ifs the gold better, but unlike the original Art Asylum versions, the red actually matches between the two! Who'da thunk it.



Mr. Scott (originally spotlighted HERE) is pretty much ready to go right out of the box... except for one essential accessory- Liquor! Thankfully, you'll be buying a DST Casual Kirk soon enough, so you'll have a bottle of brandy ready for Scotty's eager mitts.



Uhura (who was originally spotlighted HERE) is also ready for display right out of the box with the exception of one accessory... A phaser! Again though, you'll be picking up that extra Kirk that will supply the lovely Uhura with the firepower she was sorely lacking.

Sulu:



I know I am starting to sound like a broken record here, but once again the DST reissue 2-packs offer the best version of the character in this style. The gold is great once again, but more importantly, the yellowish gold shirt is much better match to most of the "standard" DST Kirk figures. The original Art Asylum versions (much like Scotty and Uhura) didn't match up between characters, so this Sulu offers a great starting point for a matching crew. The only bummer is that he was only released in the 2-pack with MCoy, so you're gonna be stuck buying 2 to complete the custom Chekov and Kirk needed for our ultimate crew.

Yep. You read that right... Time to get into the tough stuff.

Kirk:



I am gonna make a bold statement here- AA/DST never released a truly definitive gold-shirt Kirk. There. I said it. Don't agree? Well, show me one that has a great head sculpt, a shirt that matches Sulu & Chekov, and a tunic that doesn't look like it was fitted for a 7-year-old girl that only eats crackers for every meal. Can't do it, can ya? That is because there isn't one of those. The first AA release (featured WAY back HERE) was pretty good, but it featured a shirt that ended up not matching Sulu or Chekov. Then DST took a few turns, and each one ended up using McCoy's shirt mold for some reason, leaving you with a weird ill-fitting look like the Kirk featured HERE. Oh, and almost all of them used the original AA head sculpt, arguably the weakest of the entire crew. Poop. So what do we do about Kirk? Glad ya asked!



Time to stretch those customizing muscles! We start off with that Kirk you just got from the Uhura 2-pack. His arms are the right color to match Sulu, but his head and shirt are absolute turds. So here is what you're gonna do...

1.) Get some water to a boiling point and then remove it from the heat source.
2.) Dip that Kirk's torso in the water for about 60 seconds or so to get the plastic soft.
3.) Pop his head off.
4.) This part is a little tough. You're gonna need to slowly work that rubbery shirt portion up and off of his body. This probably the hardest task of the entire job and will take great care to get it off without tearing the material (which you will need to do since we will be using this shirt later on). Hopefully, practice will make perfect... as you're gonna need to do this a few more times.
5.) Repeat steps 1-4 with that extra 2-pack reissue Sulu I mentioned you would need earlier.
6.) Work the Sulu shirt onto the shirtless Kirk body.

See, that wasn't so hard was it? And you were worried. You should now have a gold-shirted Kirk that will match your reissue Sulu, sans his head. For the head, I highly recommend you pick up DST Season 1 Casual Attire Kirk (spotlighted HERE). Not only will you get the definitive AA/DST head sculpt, but you also get those extra accessories we snagged for Scotty & Uhura earlier on! The head switch works just the same as when you removed Kirk's head just a bit ago- Boil up some water, dip it for 60-90 seconds, pop it off and then stick it onto the custom Kirk while the plastic is still soft. There ya go! Perfect practice for...

Chekov:

Chekov presents the biggest challenge of the bunch, since he never got a DST reissue... Meaning we don't have a really good base to start with. Let's look around at what we have left though... Looks like we have a reissue Sulu body with no shirt, and the shirt we took off of the reissue Kirk. Well that looks like a good start. We do have a problem though- Sulu has rank braids on his arms, while Chekov's rank as ensign means he had no rank braids. Poop again. While we could try and dremel or sand them off, that may leave us with uglier arms than what we are hoping for. Oh... We also don't have a Chekov head. Poop to the third power. Whatever shall we do?



The missing head is actually the solution to both our problems... but also means forking over some cash for another figure. Head on over to eBay or your favorite secondary-market dealer and snag one of the old Entertainment Earth Exclusive Mirror Chekov figures (spotlighted HERE). Using the same methods we discussed before, pop the head off Pavel. We now have the head we need for ultimate Chekov! Now we just need those arms. This part is a little tricky; You're going to need to pop him apart at his mid-torso ball joint (the point of articulation hidden under his shirt that allows him to hula hoop). You can do this the same way you took off his head- Stick him in boiling water and just yank the upper joint off of the lower one. Once you have his head and his upper torso taken off, remove that rubbery Mirror Universe shirt. Now take your shirtless Sulu from before, dip him in that hot water, and remove his upper torso just like you did Chekov's. Pop the upper Chekov torso and arms onto the lower torso and legs of Sulu and slip that Kirk shirt you had sitting around onto the body. Since that Mirror Chekov was made in a very similar color to these DST reissues, you now have ensign arms that match the gold shirts of the 2-pack releases. Finish up by heating Chekov's head up just a bit and attaching it to his new body. Voila... You now have a reissue-style Chekov, and all it really cost you was the price of the Mirror version (since we already had the Sulu body and Kirk shirt from our ultimate Kirk custom).



There ya go... The ultimate AA/ DST Classic Star Trek crew! As I said before, these are all my personal picks, so you may not agree with choices here. I do hope that you at least enjoyed looking this over and that maybe you'll take a stab at pulling off these customs. If you have any questions or need any help, just shoot me an e-mail over at apieceoftheaction@live.com

Live long and all that good stuff...

-James

DST/ EMCE Spotlight- Chekov (Mego Style Figure)

Figure Name: Chekov
Manufacturer: Diamond Select & EMCE Toys



Chekov was released by DST & EMCE in vintage style packaging with a resealable clamshell. (Sorry, I don't have a carded pic to show that off...)

The Rundown: It must have been rough to be a Chekov fan during Mego's original Star Trek run. The most you could do was throw a Kirk outfit on a different Mego and pretend your favorite Russian helmsman had been promoted. Well, DST and EMCE have made it possible for you to ditch the lame custom and add a real Chekov to your Mego ranks!



Chekov looks great! The uniform (like all the reissues) fits well and looks very nice & bright. Chekov may look a little too shiny new to fit in with your vintage guys...but you could always dirty him up a bit to give him that "played with" feel.



EMCE did a fine job on the head. It looks very much like Chekov, but not so much that it would lose the Mego charm. That's a tough balance to hit, but I think EMCE got it right.



The body style was great back in the 70's, and it's still great now. EMCE puts out a body that ups the quality and durability of the original Mego version, so you're getting a figure that can definitely hold up to some play time.



Accessories: Chekov includes a belt, phaser, communicator, and a tricorder.



This one may not appeal to all Trek toy collectors, but it's a no brainer for Mego fans! It's taken 30 years to expand the crew...but this one was actually worth the wait and does not disappoint.

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- Mirror Chekov

Figure Name: Mirror Chekov
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



DST released this Chekov as part of it's Comic-Con 2006 Exclusive "Mirror, Mirror" wave of figures. Chekov was released through Entertainment Earth.



The Rundown: Ah Mirror Chekov, you sneaky little devil you! You didn't really think it would be that easy to take out Captain Kirk, did you? Haven't you seen the show before? Kirk always makes it out alive! Enjoy your time in the agony booth! Anyways... Mirror Chekov (like Mirror Sulu) was a ton of fun to watch on the show because unlike most of the regular cast he actually got to be really evil, so getting a figure of him like that is pretty sweet. Let's take a gander at him-



Just like the other Comic-Con Mirror figures, Chekov is composed of mostly reused parts. They work just fine here so no big deal on the reuse. Oh, and DST gave him the tall boots, so big ups for that!



The head sculpt is the same as the original AA figure. As I said in my regular Chekov spotlight, I feel this is probably the weakest of the AA heads. The head just doesn't seem to capture Chekov's character that well since it's so somber looking. It actually works a bit better here since we're looking at a much less cheerful Chekov.



Chekov has a new rubber shirt here to fit the Mirror Universe costume. The sculpt is well done, though it does ride a little high on Chekov's left side. DST used a slightly darker yellow here than on the regular Chekov, which really helps the figure have a more menacing appearance.



Accessories: Chekov includes his dagger & sheath, a phaser, a communicator, and the inexplicable Vulcan salute hand.



Chekov is a pretty solid figure that's essential to any Mirror Universe crew display. No major complaints on this one, and the price is still right! You can still snag him for the original retail price of $14.95 over at Entertainment Earth.

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- Ensign Pavel Chekov

Figure Name: Ensign Pavel Chekov
Manufacturer: Art Asylum Toys



Chekov was released as part of Art Asylum's second wave of Classic Star Trek figures. (I had mine signed by Mr. Koenig)



The Rundown: Though he wasn't in all 3 seasons of the original Trek, Chekov definitely qualifies as one of the main crew of the original Enterprise. AA released him in their second assortment, and unlike most of the original AA figures, Chekov hasn't received the reissue treatment from DST as of yet. Is it worth searching out the original? Let's look!



Chekov has the same body style seen on all the AA male classic crew members. He's got plenty of articulation, and the joints aren't too obtrusive. Again, these figures have rubber shirts that cover the torso joint. Mine has caused some dark spots to appear on Chekov's neck. I'm not a fan of the rubber shirts. I really wish DST would go back and rerelease the whole crew with solid torsos instead.



I feel like the Chekov head is one of the weaker likenesses of the AA figures. The DST "Wrath Of Khan" Chekov head is really nice and has a pretty strong Koenig likeness, but this AA classic head is a bit weak. Maybe it's just the paint? I usually prefer DST's paint jobs, so it will be interesting to see if this looks better whenever they decide to reissue him.



Since this is one of the original AA figures, the yellow of the shirt doesn't match the "standard" AA yellow-shirt Kirk, nor does he match any of the DST reissue figures. You'll have to customize a Kirk to get a whole crew in this shade of yellow, which is a bit of a bummer.



Accessories: Chekov includes an extra hand, a phaser, a communicator, and a tricorder.



Chekov is real tough one to recommend. On one hand, every crew needs a Chekov, and without a DST version this becomes the only game in town. On the other hand, DST has said that they are looking for a way to get him out there. If that does happen, we'll end up with a version that has a shirt that matches the rest of the DST reissue crew. The head may even look better with a DST paint job. But, as with all things Trek now, it's a gamble whether a reissue will happen or not... I guess it comes down to what you have in the way of other crew members. If you have mostly AA stuff, then hunting down this Chekov probably makes more sense due to the shirt color. If you have mostly DST reissues, you're probably better off taking a "wait and see" approach.

*I drew the winner for the DST Tapestry Picard this morning. Congrats Max! Hope you enjoy him! I'll be doing more of these giveaways in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep checking!

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Ensign Chekov (Transporter Series)

Figure Name: Ensign Chekov
Manufacturer: Playmate Toys



Ensign Chekov was released boxed as part of the Target Exclusive Transporter Series.



The Rundown: Playmates only did 2 TOS Chekov figures (plus 1 movie style figure); the Classic Crew Set figure, and this Transporter Series figure. The first wave of Transporter Series figures was available everywhere, but many of the crew (like Chekov here) didn't make it into that batch and were released through Target as exclusives.



You probably already know the gimmick with these, but just in case you don't- The Transporter Series figures each come with a base that has lights and sounds. Place your figure on the base and press the button- Wowzers! A TOS Transporter sound effect plays and a light shines up from the base illuminating the translucent portion of the figure:



Chekov (like all the Transporter Series figures) is mostly molded in a translucent plastic with bits of glitter mixed to facilitate the Transporter Series effect. I think the yellow plastic used on Chekov here (plus Kirk and Sulu) works best with this feature.



So there's not much you can do with the figure when he's off the base. He looks a little strange just standing there in a beaming state... but he does look great on the base!



The head sculpt is just as good here as it was on the Classic Crew Set figure. Playmates did a great job on this one, especially the Monkees-inspired hair.



Accessories: Chekov, like all the Transporter Series figures, doesn't come with any accessories except the Transporter base (which has his name printed on it).

His box bio:

Playmates Spotlight- Ensign Chekov In Environmental Suit (9" Figure From "The Tholian Web")

Figure Name: Ensign Chekov In Environmental Suit
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Environmental Chekov was released as a Target Exclusive in the "Warp Factor"-style 9" series box. (Sorry, no boxed pic)



The Rundown: Continuing the Environmental Suit 9" figure spotlights.... here's Chekov! Everybody's favorite Russian crewmember spent a little time in the Environmental Suit in "The Tholian Web", and Playmates did a fine job of translating that look into this 9" doll (*ahem* I mean 'action figure').



The outfit and helmet are the same as the ones used on Spock. The detailing is really quite nice. Playmates did a heck of a job getting this one just right. The helmet fits on perfectly, and the costume material is a very nice approximation of the screen used uniform.



...and just like Spock, this one has the oven mitts. Like I said in the Spock review though, there was really no other good way of doing the gloves.



The only different parts on the Environmental Suit figures are the heads. Chekov's head seems a little off to me. Maybe the nose is too skinny...or maybe there's a little too much age to the face. I don't know what it is, but there's definitely something a little off about the likeness. It's a decent head still, but not nearly as nice as Playmates' 4.5" scale likeness.



Accessories: Chekov includes a display stand (not pictured), his helmet, a phaser, and a communicator.

And his little bio-



Oh, and a little side note-



Why Chekov as chosen over McCoy to get the Environmental Suit treatment is beyond me. I've heard that McCoy was planned for a later wave, and that his spot was possibly replaced by a Seven of Nine figure. Making an Environmental Suit 9" McCoy (like the one above) is a very simple head switch though, so it's very surprising that Playmates didn't find some kind of a home for him. A few of us over at the trektoy forums are trying to verify if they possibly ever did sneak one past us, so if you happen to have any solid information that one was indeed released, please shoot me an e-mail at apieceoftheaction@live.com. Thanks!