Mego Spotlight- Ilia (12.5" 'The Motion Picture' Figure)

Figure Name: Ilia
Manufacturer: Mego Toys Corp.



This Ilia was produced as part of Mego's 12.5" Star Trek: The Motion Picture line.



The Rundown: It's been quite awhile since we've looked at one of these, hasn't it? The last one was the Klingon way back in August of last year! Time flies... Well, in case you don't remember my feelings on this line, I LOVE IT. Mego produced some really high quality stuff here at a low price point, something unheard of in the 1/6th scale nowadays. Pretty much every figure in the line rocks in my eyes... except maybe one...



Ilia is probably my least favorite of the bunch. She's not a bad figure, she just doesn't equal the quality of the other releases. Maybe it's the fact that she is dressed in the "probe" outfit, which is nowhere near as detailed as the crew uniform... or maybe it's the fact that the body is more of a fashion doll type rather than the "action figure" body used on the males. It's probably a combo of both coupled with...



...a somewhat mediocre head sculpt. While I think Mego produced a better likeness than Playmates did on their version (seen HERE), it lacks the accuracy of the other figures in the TMP 12.5" line. I do like that they included the necklace though, or at least an approximation of the necklace (reworked from a different Mego release).



As I stated earlier, Mego chose to go with the "probe" outfit for the 12.5" Ilia instead of the crew uniform (which they did use on her 3.75" release). It was undoubtedly an easier outfit for them to replicate, but that doesn't mean that Mego slacked off here. The hemline hits at just about the right spot for movie accuracy, and the collar features a really nice dark cream colored inner lining, allowing Ilia to "pop it like it's hot".



Okay, problem time! We've covered the gray "zombification" of the heads before (head over to the Mego Museum for tips on getting the gray out), but Ilia has an additional problem all her own! See it up there? Sure ya do...



Gah!?!? What's wrong with you girl? Yep. She's got some nasty green ankles. If your Ilia was freed from her plastic prison back during her initial release, you are probably safe from this issue. But if she has resided in that box all that time, her little ankles are probably all hulked-out by now. See the metal used in the twist ties reacts with Ilia's bare ankles, creating this nasty green effect. Yuck. The male characters are usually safe from this, since their uniforms provide a barrier from the twist ties. Lucky dudes.



Another slight issue with Ilia is the fact that she has tiny hands, leaving her unable to grasp her phaser. I really don't mind this though, as there isn't much reason for her to even have a phaser in this look. Oh, and it's also really hard to make her stand up without some kind of support (thus why she's sporting that black figure stand in almost all these shots).



Accessories: Ilia includes the aforementioned phaser. It's very well-sculpted, with a cool decal on top depicting the weapon's readouts.

...and in case you want to read her box bio:





While not my favorite of the bunch, Ilia is still a pretty decent release. The 12.5" line is a far departure from Mego's 8" line, what with it's attention to detail and screen accuracy. The TMP 12.5" figures are probably my favorite representations of the crew in these uniforms, so I'd definitely recommend this set if you are a fan of that look. You can get most of the figures for reasonable prices on ebay, usually for a lot less than anything in the current 12" figure market. Just watch those ankles...

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Ilia Probe

Figure Name: Ilia Probe
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Ilia was released by Playmates on their "Warp Factor" style card. She came packaged with different colored accessories- we've got gray up there...



...and blue right there!



The Rundown: Hey, the spotlights back! I took a few days off there for a couple of reasons. First, Halloween! Saturday was crazy with costume making hysteria! My oldest went as a wolfman (we bought the mask, but I made the rest) and my youngest wanted to be He-Man (which I made from scratch other than the muscle shirt). Here's pics if ya care-





So Saturday was just too busy for words. Sunday and Monday were just a matter of fatigue really. I didn't think I'd keep the daily streak going this long, but it was definitely starting to get a little tough and I needed a break. Plus, I got a little angry Sunday night when I received a back order notice on my DST Kang preorder that I placed months ago. Word to the wise TRU- when you take a preorder, you should be able to fulfill it. I was a bit miffed and I didn't have the gumption to talk about Trek.

But I'm back...and so is Ilia!



Ilia is from the "Warp Factor" era, which usually means less articulation with a more detailed sculpt. She may not be able to move very much, but the figure is nicely sculpted.



While she's not a dead ringer for Ilia, the figure's head is decent enough. I don't want to say the sculptor got lazy...but it's tough to mistake this for somebody else, what with the bald head and all, so why go overboard trying to get the likeness just right. I don't dislike it, I just wish it was a bit better.



Something that did really impress me on this release was the paint work. The shirt has a nice blue wash over it, which really brings out the folded details in the sculpt.



Ilia's shoes are also nicely handled. The shoes have a nice pink sheen with small white highlights all around. You usually don't see that kind of detail on a Playmates release, so kudos!



Accessories: Ilia comes with a display stand (not pictured), and the small V'Ger replica that was formally available as a "build-a-figure" in the Classic Star Trek Movie Series. This time around, V'Ger is molded in one solid color and is unpainted.



There's her box bio.



Ilia makes a great compliment to the Classic Star Trek TMP figures. If you have those, grab her too. If you don't have those and don't intend to buy them, well that makes Ilia kinda pointless doesn't it? So there.

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- Commander Decker & Ilia Probe Star Trek Minimates

Figure Names: Commander Decker & Ilia Probe
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



Decker & Ilia were released as part of Diamond Select's fifth wave of Star Trek Minimates.



The Rundown: Yay! "The Motion Picture" style minimates! Unfortunately, these are the only 2 minimates inspired by TMP. I would have loved to get the whole crew...but if I could only have 2, Decker and Ilia do make the most sense.



Decker looks really good. The likeness is one of the strongest in the minimate line. It actually looks like Stephen Collins in the face, and the hair is just about perfect. DST chose the standard blue/gray uniform for Decker. The outfit is pretty detailed for a minimate, with the waist piece being a highlight.



The nice thing about Decker is that he makes a good base for making other TMP styled male crew members. You can can get decent TMP style Kirk, Spock, and Scott minimates out of him with just simple head switches.



Ah, but if you do pick up extras for customizing you're going to be stuck with a bunch of Ilias. Since DST chose the probe version, there's not going to be much you can do with her in the way of customs.



I can't fault DST for choosing this outfit over the standard uniform though. The probe version is the more iconic look of the character. DST did a fine job of capturing the look, with individual sculpts for the collar and lower shirt. The head is sharp too, replicating the vacant stare seen in the movie nicely.



Accessories: The pack only includes 1 accessory- a phaser for Decker. Since Ilia Probe didn't really have anything it makes sense, but I would have loved them to throw in maybe a tricorder or something extra for Decker.



Minimates are an acquired taste to begin with, but you have to couple that with being a TMP fan to make this one worth it. With this being the only TMP style minimates out there, you could easily skip it and never miss having it.It is one of the nicer minimate efforts though, so you may want to give it a shot if you can get it on the cheap.

-James

Hallmark Ornament Spotlight- 2009 Ilia Probe ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture")

Item Name: Ilia Probe Keepsake Ornament
Manufacturer: Hallmark



Hallmark released this Ilia Probe ornament as part of it's 2009 holiday offerings.



The Rundown: The final Hallmark Keepsake ornament for 2009, Ilia Probe is this year's "Limited Edition" offering in its Star Trek line. Since this year is the 30th Anniversary of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", Hallmark hooked us up with 2 ornaments to celebrate with (the Klingon Battle Cruiser being the other). She debuted this weekend and was a pretty quick sellout at my local store. How's she looking?



When you're talking likenesses on ornaments, you always have to take into consideration the scale and material used. That being said, Ilia has a very nice sculpt with a nice attention to detail. The face replicates the vacant stare she wore as the probe quite well. Ilia's neck jewel looks good here as well thanks to Hallmark using a tiny red "gem" for the effect.



Another detail I was really surprised by was Ilia's heels. They are actually cast in a translucent material! That's a detail I really didn't expect to see on this! It really shows that Hallmark puts some real effort into these things!

Here's the back of the box if you care to read it:





So there she is... Like I said, this was a quick sellout at my local Hallmark, but there's a chance she's still around at yours. Most of the Hallmarks around me are staffed by some very friendly folks, so it might be worth a quick call to see if they still have her in stock. The fact that she's this year's least expensive ornament (she's $15) coupled with her 'limited edition' status will probably help her move pretty quickly, so don't delay if you want her!

-James