Star Trek the Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "Charlie X"

All the extras from the Sci-Fi channel Special Edition of "Charlie X". If you're a Grace Lee Whitney fan, you'll dig this one since it's chock full of interview bits with her...

Galoob Spotlight- Klaa ("Star Trek V: the Final Frontier")

Figure Name: Klaa
Manufacturer: Galoob Toys



Galoob released Klaa as part of their boxed assortment of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" ummm... action figures?



The Rundown: Yup, it's that time again- Time for another Galoob Star Trek V spotlight. Yay. Can't wait to talk about one of these guys again. Yawn. Have I mentioned that I hate this line? Because I do. I feel ashamed having even bought these. Anyways....Klaa!



In case you aren't familiar with these, they aren't good. They are just giant, unarticulated, rubbery figures that are permanently glued to their bases. Galoob actually tried to market these as "Limited Edition Collectible Figures". Yeah, that didn't work. The figures are poorly designed, poorly painted, poorly etc....



Okay, maybe I'm giving Klaa a bit of a hard time though. He's definitely the best of the bunch. The head features a pretty decent sculpt, although it doesn't resemble Klaa all that much. It's a pretty good representation of a Klingon sneer though and the forehead ridges are done pretty well.



The body sculpt too, though unarticulated, isn't all that bad. There's an okay amount of detailing, and the paint is actually decent. I'm still not willing to say the figure is good, but Klaa is definitely the fresh peanut in the turd that is the Galoob Star Trek V line.



Accessories: Like all the Star Trek V figures, Klaa has no accessories except a cardboard backdrop that sticks in his base. The cardboard backdrops are the highlight of the line. Yes, it's that bad.

Box bio:





Did you think it was over? No, it's not over! Look what I found while rummaging through some old stuff I'd left at my parent's house: a test shot prototype of Klaa!



You can actually get a pretty good look at the detail on the head sculpt on this test shot version. Not so bad... but still not that great.



It goes to show how much this line stinks if I totally forget that I own a prototype from it. If you are an absolute Klingon maniac that has to own everything involving the Klingons AND you can get this for like $5, then he MIGHT be worth it. Maybe. Otherwise, avoid this line like the plague.... And I still have 2 more figures from this line to go. Ugh.



I actually feel bad for anyone that made it all the way through this spotlight today. As a way of saying thanks, I'm going to give somebody a free bagged DST Tapestry Picard figure. This is the one that you could only through the Q Collective DVD mailaway offer. And before you ask- yes, I know that's a TNG figure sneaking his way onto my TOS-centric blog. No, I'm not moving onto the later Treks... I just figured I had an extra and some TNG'er might want him... Just shoot me an e-mail with your name to potacontests@live.com and put "Tapestry Picard" in the subject line. I'll take e-mails until Monday September 28th at 12:01 a.m EST and then I'll draw one name at random. I'll cover the shipping if it's in the US, if not you'll have to cover it. Thanks!

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (HD Version)

Item Name: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (HD Version)
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



DST released this HD Enterprise as part of it's Starship Legends line of ships.



The Rundown: DST has brought the Enterprise back to stores! This time, she's been repainted to replicate the new CGI version from the High-Def Remastered versions of Star Trek (thus "HD Version"). So, what's new here?



The most obvious change is the addition of weathering and grid lines to the saucer section. The original 11 foot shooting model of the Enterprise received this detailing back in 1991 during one of the Smithsonian restoration projects (you can read a little about this here). The CGI model used in the Deep Space Nine episode "Trials & Tribble-ations" must have used those changes as reference, since the grid lines and weathering are obvious there. Same goes for the Master Replicas Enterprise; it too has the more obvious grid lines and "rust ring". The Remastered Star Trek episodes also feature the grid lines, but do not seem to have the weathering, so I'd say the "HD" name is a little off on her, but that's splitting hairs. Any way you look at it, the addition of the grid lines and "rust ring" are justified changes on this model. The lines are clean and the weathering is nicely handled.



The next obvious change is the loss of the "plugs" from the bottom of the saucer. The original DST version had small circular plugs on the bottom, covering up mold holes. This version has totally eliminated them. It's a change that really improves the look of the saucer. Kudos to DST for taking the time to make this change!

There is a bit of a bummer on the underside though: No grid lines. You can see them on the show, and they are on the MR version, but they're sadly missing here. I'm not sure what the reason is for them not being here; could be an omission designed to cut costs, or simply something that was missed at the factory (like the neck windows on the Enterprise D). The ship still looks good even without them though. And to put things into perspective- The MR version cost around $1000, while this one falls in the $30-$40 range. There's only so much detail you can squeeze in at that price, so if something had to go, I'm glad it's the underside grid lines.



The rest of the ship looks pretty similar. I couldn't really spot any differences. All the great detailing from the first version is here again.



And of course, the ship is still loaded with some excellent electronic features. The lighting effects seem to be the same as the original version, but they were awesome enough on the first go-round that there wasn't much room for improvement (although the lights seem a tad brighter, but that may be due to new batteries). The sound effects are where things got changed up a bit, with more Shatner lines than before. Here's what you get:

-"James Kirk, commanding the Starship Enterprise"

-"Mr. Scott, ready the transporter room"

-Photon torpedoes firing

-"Energize", followed by transporter sound effects

-Ship running effects

-"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets"

The back of the box mentions red alert and phaser effects, but they aren't present and the instructions don't mention them. I guess that was just a carry-over from the original effects list...



The ship again includes a switch-out battery cover and display stand. The stand seems to be sturdier this time, but time will tell if it has the same issues as the original release.



One small gripe- The seam lines on my ship aren't as tight as I'd like them to be, especially near the shuttlebay doors. There's also a pretty noticeable paint smudge on one of my nacelles. I'd say it's just mine and not a widespread problem though, but it may be something to watch out for.



So is this worth a pickup? I'd give that a big yes. For those who don't have the original version, it's a no-brainer. The ship looks great, and everybody needs an Enterprise. If you do have the original, this one has enough cosmetic changes to make it seem like a different ship (imagine this as the old girl near the end of Kirk's first five year mission). Plus, if you have the first 3 DST Enterprises, this one compliments them quite well and makes for a really nice "Evolution of the Enterprise" display! It's hitting stores and online shops now, so go grab it!

-James

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "The Cage"

All the extras from the Sci-Fi channel Special Edition of "The Cage" (well, except the first couple of seconds). Some good Majel moments in here...

AA/ DST Spotlight- "Unification" Spock Minimate Toy Fair 2009 Exclusive

Figure Name: "Unification" Spock (As Seen In Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



Romulan-lovin' Spock here was released as a bagged Toy Fair 2009 giveaway.

The Rundown: Looking around my Trek room last night, I realized that I had been totally overlooking the Trek Minimates in my spotlights! I love the little guys, so plan on seeing a bunch more of them soon.



Spock here was given away at this years Toy Fair. Since Trek Minimates seem to be kinda dead in the water at the moment (which is a real shame), I'm assuming DST did this as more of a nod at the continuation of Spock's Romulan story in the '09 Trek film and not as a hint at future Trek Minimate releases.



It seems like it would be tough to pull off an adequate likeness in Minimate style, but DST seems to hit it right most of the time. I think this looks very much like the older Spock. The body sculpt is great too, with a pretty accurate representation of the costume from TNG.



...and of course since these are all built on the same body, Spock fits in just perfectly with his classic counterparts, like Kirk here. Oh, and since you may have 2 Kirks laying around due to him coming with 2 different Scott 'mates:



You can do a quick and easy head switch for a movie era Captain Spock! (Credit to Tiberius at Trektoy.com for the idea!)

I dig me some Trek Minimates! I really wish the line would come back and complete a few crews, give us some more aliens, and maybe even throw in a ship or too. The line is perfect for displaying on your desk at work, or for the younger Trekkie in your life (since they work incredibly well with Lego). Spock here is a great addition and you can actually catch him for a pretty reasonable price usually, considering he was a Toy Fair exclusive.

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Captain James Kirk In Interphase And Mr. Spock ("The Tholian Web")

Item Name: Captain James Kirk (in Interphase) and Mr. Spock
(with "The Tholian Web" Display Environment)
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



This Tholian Web set was released as part of Target's exclusive "Starfleet Command" series.



The Rundown: Here's a multi-pack that was a little tough to fork the cash over for. At the original retail of $20, there wasn't an easy way to justify the cost. You get one tweaked figure, and one straight rerelease. Ouch...



Spock is the exact same figure from the Classic Collector Set. This would have been a perfect opportunity for Playmates to give us a non-salute Spock, but no such luck. Instead, your stuck with a Spock telling the Interphased Kirk to "live long & prosper". Yeah, I'm sure Kirk wanted to hear that Spock.



With the Kirk, at least you're getting something new, sort of. This Environmental Suit Kirk is a rerelease of the single carded version, except this time he's molded in a translucent blue plastic, replicating the Interphase effect from the episode:



The lower legs and arms are left unpainted, giving the illusion that Kirk is dissipating right before our eyes! Horrors! The effect looks cool, but it turns this figure into a one-trick-pony, much like the Transporter Series figures...


I should have brought one in for these pictures, but I bet this Kirk would actually look pretty cool on one of those Transporter Series bases. Sure, he doesn't have the glitter like those figures, but I bet the clear plastic would still work great with the light effect. So this Kirk is now a two-trick-pony.



Huh. This Kirk doesn't have the worry lines, much like the Kirk from "City On The Edge Of Forever" (although this one looks better for some reason). Here's one case where worry lines are completely justified- Kirk is floating around in space in a disintegrated state...and he's not worried one bit. Kirk's the man.



Accessories: The set comes with a helmet for Kirk, and a base. That's it, as far as I can recall.



You can cut out part of the background from the box and stick it into the base to make a nifty backdrop for your figures. Is it sad that this is the highlight of this set for me? I'm a sucker for cool figure displays.

Box bio:





The set isn't really worth the original retail. It was originally supposed to come with an Environmental Suit Chekov, which would have turned it into a "must buy", but with 1 straight rerelease and 1 tweaked rerelease? Nope. You'd be better off just picking up the single carded Environmental Suit Kirk, squinting your eyes at him and pretending his in Interphase. The display is kinda cool though... and I guess if you could get this in the $10 range it might be worth a pickup.

-James

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "The Corbomite Manuever"

All the extras from the Sci-Fi channel Special Edition of "The Corbomite Maneuver". Of special interest is the Clint Howard/ George Lucas meeting story. Good stuff!