Playmates Figure Spotlight- The Talosian Keeper

Figure Name: The Talosian Keeper
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



The Keeper was released by Playmates on it's Star Trek 'Unified' cardback.



The Rundown: Another 'alien' entry in the Playmates line, the Talosian Keeper was released as part of Playmates "Special Anniversary Edition" merchandise. Playmates took the 30th anniversary of Star Trek as an opportunity to do a few figures based on "The Cage", the original pilot episode. While it's great to have the figure, there are a few nitpicks I have with it.



First, the good- The head sculpt is really nice! There's allot of nicely done details in it, and there's some light paint apps to help the sculpt 'pop'.



The veins on the side of the head are especially nice. Playmates sculpted them on there instead of just painitng them which really helps it look really close to the makeup job from the episode. So, yeah, great head...then there's the body...



While the texture of the sculpt is nice, the actual form of it leaves bit to be desired. The sleeves are sculpted straight down, which makes posing the figure kinda pointless. There's not a good way to make it look other than by having the arms straight down. The articulation is pretty limited too. There's swivels at the neck and shoulders, and a couple of hidden swivels where the legs meet the 'dress'. There's also articulated arms stuck in the sleeves; they swivel at the bicep and pivot at the elbow, but really the joints aren't that useful. Still, it's a Talosian Keeper, so it's not like this guy needs to be doing cartwheels or anything...



Accessories: The Keeper comes with a display stand (not pictured), a viewscreen, a nourishment vial, and a gas sprayer. I've picked up 2 different versions of the accessories now...one set molded in black platic, and one in blue. I have no idea if one is rarer than the other...

Want to read the bio? Sure you do!-



-James

Mego Figure Spotlight- Talos

Figure Name: Talos
Manufacturer: Mego Toys Corp.



Talos was released on the 'Alien' cardback in the third series of Mego Star Trek 8" figures. (Sorry, I don't own a carded one to give you a packaged shot).



The Rundown: Talos here was obviously based off the of the Talosian Keeper from the pilot episode "The Cage". Mego had already produced a character called "The Keeper" in their second series of figures (whose outfit could pass for a Talosian's, but whose head sculpt more resembles Balok's puppet) so I guess that's why this guy got stuck with 'Talos'. I have no idea why they didn't just call him 'Talosian'... but that's really the least of his problems. There's not much good you can say about this guy. Mego used their smaller Teen Titans body for him, which I feel is a really good choice since the Talosians seemed frail and small in the episode. He's got a GREAT head sculpt. The large bulbous cranium, the stoic face, and the protruding veins are just about perfect. Really top notch job on this head. But then you see his clothes, and the goodness grinds to a screeching hault-



Wow. Now Mego has taken liberties with characters before, but I can only guess as to what they were thinking when they designed this outfit. Timmy was the lonely Talosian. He never cared much for expanding his mental powers, playing with Vina, or capturing starship captains. His only enjoyment came from watching old holovids of the circus stored aboard Vina's ship. He yearned to be a part of that life and spent all his time secretly training on a homemade trapeze in a hidden cave on Talos. When Spock embarked on his mission to return Pike to Talos, Timmy seized his opportunity. He secretly snuck aboard the Enterprise and stowed away until they reached the next starbase. From there, Timmy was able to secure passage on a touring circus ship. Through a combination of Talosian mental charm and high-flying prowess he was able to join the prestigious "Cirque De Soleils". Now Timmy uses his big noggin' to wow the crowd by making them feel as if they are right next to him whist he performs his daring trapeze act! Oh, and he got some orange boots too...