Playmates Spotlight- Lieutenant Uhura (9" Figure)

Figure Name: Lieutenant Uhura
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Playmates released this Uhura as part of the 9" Collector Series.



The Rundown: At only 12 spotlights so far, I've barely scratched the surface in showing you what the Playmates 9" line has to offer. Sure, the bodies aren't super-articulated and the releases often relied on the "Kirk-in-a-different-outfit" syndrome... but the sheer number of figures produced is impressive enough to warrant giving this line a look if you haven't already. Today we are taking a look at one of the "must-haves" for those of you who may be dipping your toes into the 9" water- Lt. Uhura!



Uhura follows the same format as all the other releases in the 9" line. Playmates designed a male and female buck body, and then individualized each figure by adorning them with different head sculpts and outfits. If a character was released in more than one outfit, they usually incorporated the same head sculpt across the board (like Uhura did with her 9" Mirror Universe counterpart).



The heads used on the bodies can sometimes be pretty hit or miss. The larger size would seem to offer a more detailed sculpt, but the roto-cast process used to produce these heads could sometimes lead to a slightly warped or distorted shape. Uhura falls right in the middle for me. While I don't think her head is bad, I don't think it is particularly good either. The nose is captured well, but there's something about the shape of head that throws this one off just a bit.



Playmates' 9" female buck body is decently articulated, but still has its limits. A swivel joint at the boot or wrist would have really improved the figure's poseability. But hey... these are mass-market toys from over 15 years ago. You can't go into this expecting a Hot Toys level of articulation. Ya gets what ya pay for!



One thing I will say for the body though- She can hold her accessories! Unlike a lot of the 4.5" figures, Uhura here has no problem gripping her phaser and communicator. Which is important since you want to be able to send her out on a landing party every once in a blue moon. Poor Uhura... Always stuck at the communications station.



While there wasn't much of an outfit to reproduce here, Playmates did do a nice job considering the cost and time at which this was made. The delta shield is a bit large, but other than that I don't have any major gripes with this one. Looking good Nyota!



Accessories: Uhura includes a phaser, communicator, and tricorder. While the communicator and phaser are a bit large, the tricorder is actually pretty nice and well detailed... for a Playmates accessory that is.

And here's her box bio:



Overall, Uhura is a pretty average release for the 9" line, which may make her a good place to start. If you're building a full crew, you'll need Uhura... and her "averageness" may give you a good idea of what to expect with other figures. She routinely sells in the $6-$10 range, so you won't be breaking the bank if you decide to go after one. Besides... you're going to need somebody to open the hailing frequencies for all your other 9" figures.

And just in case you were curious...



...she is sporting some matching undergarments. That one was for you Frederick. ;)

Playmates Spotlight- Captain James Kirk (9" Figure- As Seen In the Episode "City On The Edge Of Forever")

Figure Name: Captain James Kirk ("City On The Edge Of Forever")
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Playmates released this Kirk back in 1997 in their "Warp Factor" style packaging. COTE Kirk was a Kaybee Toys exclusive, with roughly 7500 figures produced. Sorry, no boxed pic this time, but here's his bio from the back at least-



The Rundown: Before we get into this one, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my friend Mike Beckett for designing the new banner for the site! Using the logo he designed and a picture my wife took of Nanjin's custom 12" figures, he created that awesome image you see above. Mike has been a close friend for years, and has hooked me up with some great (and free!) design work for various projects of mine. He's in the midst of starting up his own clothing company- Confront Clothing. Their site isn't quite active yet, but be sure to shoot over there and bookmark it for when product does become available.

With all that said... let's take a look at Kirk!



We've talked about Playmates 9" line a few times now, but for those who may have just recently discovered the site, here's a basic view of the line- The figures all feature the same 2 semi-decently articulated bodies (a male and a female) adorned with individualized cloth outfits that give each figure it's unique appearance. Each character routinely had 1 standard head sculpt reused throughout the line for each of it's releases. The line offered a HUGE range of attired looks for the main crew (due to the inexpensive nature of production) and stands as one of the most expansive collections of Classic Star Trek figures ever made.



Since the line was notorious for doing the main crew members repeatedly in different outfits, it's somewhat of a no-brainer that "City On The Edge Of Forever" was represented here. COTE offered a very unique take on Kirk and Spock, so I'm sure Playmates had it high on their list of possible variations for exclusive offerings. Both Kirk and Spock (and later Edith Keeler) made it into production as Kaybee Toys exclusives, with a retail price of $34.95 each. While that may seem outrageously high for 1997, you have to remember that it was a different time... when Trek was at the height of collectible popularity.



Kirk's head sculpt is the same that we've looked at on previous 9" spotlights. I'm a big fan of it when it's painted well, which it is here. I really feel they nailed Shatner's likeness, especially given the fact that this is rotocast (a material typically hard to get sculpts right with).



At first glance, Kirk's outfit looks really great. The jacket and pants have an almost corduroy feel to them, and the shirt's flannel pattern is very nicely represented (something lacking on the 4.5" version). The clothes even seem to fit just a little oddly, just like they were intended to on the show. If you never opened the jacket, this would be a pretty fantastic COTE Kirk...



Sadly, I did open the jacket. What you find under there is just...weird. Instead of a full shirt, Kirk has this odd dickie thing on. Sure, I know that Playmates was doing these on the cheap, so a full shirt was probably too much to hope for. But this? This makes Kirk look like an exotic dancer. Do yourself a favor and never open that jacket up.



Accessories: Besides the lack of a full shirt, the only other gripe I have is with the accessories. Kirk includes a phaser, a communicator, and a tricorder (plus a stand which isn't pictured). You could make the argument that the tricorder makes some sense, but the other 2 are just cheap additions that seem very out of place. I would have much rather seen some ordinary stuff thrown in, like a bag of groceries or a bowl of soup. Ah, what can you do...



The Playmates 9" line is definitely an acquired taste. There's a bit of cost-cutting across the line (like Kirk's Chippendales outfit here), but it really does offer a ton of character looks to choose from. The COTE offerings are well worth grabbing if you decide to get into it, despite a couple of shortcomings. You can usually snag them at original retail cost or slightly below, and at that price the Kirk is probably worth adding to your collection. Anything more than that and you're paying too much for what you get...

Playmates Spotlight- Bele (9" Figure)

Figure Name: Bele
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Bele was released as part of the "Warp Factor"-style 9" figure series.



The Rundown: Cherons are easily one of the more iconic aliens of classic Trek, though they only made 1 appearance in the series. I think their status owes more to their unique look and Frank Gorshin's lively portrayal than it does to the episode itself... but I digress. There have only been basically 2 Cheron figures produced over the years; the original Mego figure (and it's reissue) spotlighted HERE, and this 9" Bele figure we are looking at today. A Bele figure was planned for the 4.5" line, but sadly never saw release. Which leaves this 9" guy as the only true Bele action figure ever released. Let's check him out...



Bele features the same male body used across Playmates 9" line. It's not what you'd call "super-articulated" by any means, but there are enough joints here to pull off a few good poses. The most glaring problem with these bodies is the lack of ankle and wrist swivels. Those articulation points make a world of difference for more natural posing.



The Cheron uniform is pretty simplistic in the show, consisting of basically a gray jumpsuit with very few extra details. Not that it was a hard task, but Playmates did a fine job of reproducing that here. There's a nice bit of trim around the waist & wrists, and the collar has a nice "sparkled" look.



The best thing about this figure is the work on the head. Bele's head sculpt is one of the best in the 9" line. The likeness to Gorshin is solid even by today's standards, and the paint work is really clean and nice (even featuring a nice reddish line right at the edge of the eyelids). I've never used the stuff before, but I'm tempted to pick up some Hydroshrink to try and get this head down to 4.5" size for a custom... it's that good. It's nice to see that even though most of Bele was easily cobbled together, Playmates went the extra mile on the head to really make this figure shine.



Accessories: Bele didn't really have much in the way of accessories in the episode (even his ship was "invisible"), so Playmates did the best they could with what they had to work with. In one scene, Bele sits down for a drink with Kirk & Spock... so Playmates included a bunch of bottles of liquor and a couple of glasses so you could recreate this in 9" form. I'm sure that 9" Scotty is pleased to see these done in his scale. Nothing better than promoting alcoholism in those young Trek fans.

Here's his box bio for ya-





If you're buying 9" Trek figures, Bele is definitely one to take a look at. Though a bit on the plain side, the figure is very well done and features a fantastic likeness. Though I wish Bele had made it into the regular Playmates line (or even better... as an Art Asylum figure), I have no real complaints on this one. If we only ever get one true Bele figure, I'm glad that it's at least a good one...

Playmates Spotlight- Captain James T. Kirk (9" Figure- As Seen In The Episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before")

Item Name: Captain James T. Kirk (From "Where No Man Has Gone Before")
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Turtleneck Kirk was released as a Target Exclusive way back in 1996 as part of the "Star Trek Collector Series" (sorry, no boxed pic for ya).

The Rundown: I've always been a fan of the uniforms seen in "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Sure, the standard series uniforms are classic, but there's something about those early uniforms that just scream "sci-fi" to me. Playmates replicated the look for their 9" line, and the result was pretty nice (if you're a fan of that style of figures)...



Sure, they aren't that well-articulated, and yeah they're a bit too buff, but the Playmates 9" line has charm to spare. It's a line that made great financial sense to Playmates, since almost all the figures could use the same body with different uniforms thrown on them. The price was REALLY high back then, which caused me to shy away from the line when it was on shelves. You can get almost all the figures on the cheap now though, and it's worth picking up some of your favs if you've got a few extra bucks to spare.



In the case of the "WNMHGB" figures, Playmates did a fine job of capturing the look of the shirts. The knitted material works well and the collar is very nice. The only thing that's a bit off here for me is the color. It looks a little closer to Pike's and is a bit too "peachy" for Kirk.



It's been awhile since I've spotlighted one of the 9" Kirk figures, so I'll say it again: I think Playmates did really nice work capturing the Shat's likeness, especially considering the rotocast material used here. I don't know the exact process of taking an original sculpt and transferring it into this rubberized material, but they definitely made it work. I'm not sure any other company has captured him as well up to this point.



Accessories: Kirk includes a phaser, a communicator, and a tricorder. This is probably the most disappointing aspect of the figure as none of the accessories match the look of the equipment used in the pilot. Oh, and Playmates 9" figures can't hold their weapons all that well since they are all made just a bit too big (a major drawback you'll need to overcome if you decide to get into the line).

His box bio-





I may sound like a broken record here, but the 9" line really is an acquired taste. If you decide to get into it, you can usually find some pretty good deals out there. You may want to start by picking up your favorite subset, like for example the "WNMHGB" figures like Kirk here! The weapons are a bit disappointing, but the figure looks good on a shelf surrounded by his "pilot uniform" brethren...

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Captain James Kirk In Environmental Suit (9" Figure From "The Tholian Web")

Figure Name: Captain James Kirk In Environmental Suit
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



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



The Rundown: Finishing off the subset, Captain Kirk is the third character to get the 9" Environmental Suit treatment. It's pretty much 'more of the same' here, so Kirk is just as good as the other 2.



I've already gushed about them twice this week, so there's not much more to add here on the suits. I feel like they are some of Playmates finest work in this scale. Sure, the gloves are a little off, but the detail and accuracy of the rest of the outfit more than make up for it.



The Kirk head is my favorite of the 3 Environmental Suit figures. It's a very strong Shatner likeness, and in my opinion captures the character much better than the Spock and Chekov (although those 2 are by no means bad).



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

His box bio:



The Environmental Suit 9" figures are probably my favorite figures in that scale. The outfits are top notch, the head sculpts are all pretty solid, and they are all based on a pretty darned good episode. I highly recommend these as a highlight of the 9" line.



-James

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!