Playmates Spotlight- Commander Spock ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture")

Figure Name: Commander Spock
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Commander Spock was released carded as part of Playmates' Classic Star Trek Movie Series.



The Rundown: After doing this for 2 years, I've started to find myself forgetting which figures in my collection I have spotlighted and which I haven't. Take this Spock we are looking at today for example. I've probably looked at this Spock at least a dozen times on my shelves, and every time I've left him sitting there thinking that I'd already spotlighted him. Well, I guess there's egg on my face, because it turns out that I hadn't. So, without further ado... here's Spock!



Captured in his starfleet uniform from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", this Spock is basically your standard Playmates release. I don't know if I mentioned this before or not, but I really feel like the Classic Star Trek Movie Series to which this figure belongs features some of Playmates finest efforts with the license. Each figures featured strong, unique sculpting for the most part, and the character selection was like a classic movie fan's wishlist for figures.



Each of the TMP-era figures released in the wave feature newly-sculpted bodies that do a fantastic job of recreating the screen costumes. I hear a lot of folks often complain about the Playmates bodies, but I don't see how anybody could look at Spock here and call this a bad figure. I'll admit that there work could be a bit questionable at times... but the TMP figures ROCKED.



BUT...Spock isn't a completely flawless Playmates effort. First, I believe they got the background color on his delta shield wrong. Second, Playmates for some reason felt the need to sculpt one of Spock's feet slightly bent to give the appearance that he is stepping forward. I have no idea why they chose to give Spock an "action-oriented" stance. Kirk? Sure. Sulu? Yeah, I get that. But Spock? That's just not logical. It's not really a huge deal, but it does makes it difficult to give Spock a straight stance without the aid of a figure stand.



Now here comes my big gripe with this release. While all of the other figures released in the classic movie series featured head sculpts that were a bit more aged than their TOS counterparts, Spock simply gets a new paintjob on his TOS-era head. Check it out-



It's a little tough to tell due to the paint on the TMP head, but if you look closely enough you'll see that this is indeed the same head. While you could argue that Spock looks relatively the same in TMP as he did in the classic series, I still feel Playmates should have given us a new sculpt. Sulu gets a new head, Uhura gets a new head, but not Spock? Oh, and to add insult to injury- having the skin painted on instead of being molded in flesh-tone makes this figure very susceptible to the dreaded "nose rub". You'll often find this figure with the paint rubbed away from the tip of his nose, sometimes even when he's still in the package. Bummer.



Accessories: Spock includes some engineering tools, a display base (not pictured), and an awesome little Kolinahr necklace...



...which you can use to reenact scenes from the recently spotlighted novel Crucible: Spock by David R. George III! Reading is FUN-da-mental!



Also included with Spock is a piece of V-Ger. Collect all 5 TMP figures to complete your own mini-V'Ger!



And there's the bio from the back of the box... just in case you like reading such things.



A couple of minor quibbles aside, Spock is still a pretty fine figure. He's got a solid sculpt and looks great alongside the rest of the TMP-era figures. While Playmates never released a Scotty, Chekov, or Decker from "The Motion Picture", the Classic Star Trek Movie Series is still overall your best bet for an accurate display featuring these uniforms. Mego's 3.75" efforts were diverse, but lacked accuracy when it came to the uniforms. Their 12.5" figures on the other hand were quite accurate, but only covered a handful of characters. DST put out great figures of Spock and Kirk (in both his Captain and Admiral uniforms), but never managed to release any other crew members. So yeah... if you want a good TMP figure display, you gotta go with Playmates. The best part is that you can do it on the cheap, with most of these guys usually going in the $5-$10 range. At that price, it would be a crime not to jump into these if you're a fan of the first film. Just remember to watch out for that nose...

Reading Room Spotlight- "Star Trek- Crucible: Spock The Fire And The Rose" By David R. George III

A couple of months ago, I spotlighted the first book in the "Crucible" trilogy- McCoy- Provenance Of Shadows. I stated in that spotlight that if the other 2 titles in the trilogy were as good as the McCoy novel, then I may have found my new favorite Trek author. Well, I just finished the second one the other day. How did it turn out? Well...



"Spock- The Fire And The Rose" follows the same basic formula as the McCoy novel; The author takes us on a journey through Spock's life, tying events and decisions to the trip through time he shared with Kirk and McCoy in "The City On The Edge Of Forever". David R. George III again does a fantastic job of giving new life and underlying meaning to scenes from the original series and movies that we've all seen countless times over the years. Along the way, he forces you to question certain decisions that we witnessed Spock make throughout the years, causing the reader to reexamine a character that we all probably felt we had a pretty good handle on by now. Multiple times throughout the book I found myself thinking "oh yeah... why did Spock do that when he didn't do that before?". What's great about the book though is that George then answers those questions quite adeptly, almost to the point that you feel it was planned his way all along. He fills in gaps in logic that I hadn't even realized had gaps to fill.

Now that's not to say that this book is flawless. I felt a large portion of the book was handled very well, in particular the moments expanded from "The City On the Edge Of Forever". There were, however, a few aspects that I found myself questioning. For instance (and be warned that these next few lines are somewhat spoilery), Spock deciding to attempt the Kolinahr for a second time after learning of Kirk's death on the Enterprise-B seemed wrong to me. The films did a fantastic job of bringing balance to Spock's character. He was finally able to find balance between his vulcan and human halves. For Spock to then attempt the Kolinahr again to erase his human half out of grief just seems to negate all of that. Even worse, Spock later decides that the Kolinahr was the wrong choice and then has to go through ritual of reestablishing his emotions... which once again leaves us to question if Spock actually did achieve his balance in the films, or if he was simply going through a period of indecisiveness.

Overall though, I was quite pleased with the book. Is it as good as "Crucible: McCoy"? Not in my opinion, but man... that is one tough act to follow. That's the problem with starting off SO strong in a trilogy- Everyone expects your sequel to be as good or better than your first outing. Had I read this Spock novel first, I'm sure that I would have been blown away by the story and how George handled the character's history... It's just in comparison to the McCoy novel that this one shows its slight shortcomings. "Crucible: Spock" is still an incredible read and worthy of a spot on your Trek bookshelf. Now I just hope the author finishes strong with the Kirk-centric finale...

Going Mobile?

Hey all...

I just enabled the mobile version of my blog today! If you are viewing the site through a mobile device, please let me know what you think of the mobile-enabled version in the comments below... or e-mail me at apieceoftheaction@live.com. Thanks!

-James

South Bend Spotlight- Official Starfleet Belt, Buckle, & Insignia

Item Name: Official Starfleet Belt, Buckle, And Insignia
Manufacturer: South Bend



This puppy was released to stores way back when "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was still showing at your local theater...




The Rundown: Ah, South Bend... Why couldn't you do just a few more Trek products? Your Electronic Phaser Guns are some of the coolest phaser toys ever made, and your Electronic U.S.S. Enterprise was WAY ahead of its time. Oh how I wish you had released just a few more things... Wait- What? They did do something else!? A belt buckle and insignia pack!?! You don't say! Well, we have to to take a look at that ASAP! Like now!



While it still carries the South Bend logo, these goodies from Milton Bradley's sub-division lack the electronic features that usually accompany that brand name. Who cares though... look how much fun those kids on the packaging are having! No way did they get made fun of at school.



The set includes all the stuff you need to turn an ordinary shirt into a screen-accurate TMP uniform. Let's start with the insignia; It basically a white plastic delta shield with painted lines that you stick to your shirt. I know exactly what you're thinking- "But James, I don't want to ruin my nice blue turtleneck by putting pin holes in it!" Well, South Bend has your back.



Instead of pointy pins protruding precariously from the back of the insignia, South Bend went a much safer route. Included with the set is this nifty white plastic bar...



...which fits neatly into a recess in the insignia's back. Place your delta shield on the proper spot, reach under your shirt, press the plastic bar into the recess, and you're good to go! No messy pin holes, and no danger to your tiny digits!



Next we have the belt. Ummmm, yeah. It's clear plastic belt with a bunch of holes in it. You know... just like the movie. Moving on.



Lastly, we have the coolest item of the trio- The belt buckle! When you open up the box, this is how you'll find your belt buckle. Looks pretty plain without that sticker on it, doesn't it? I wonder how I'm supposed to get that on there...



Oh! So that's how you do it... thanks South Bend! You're a life-saver!



So I just peel the label off of here...



... and stick it right on here.



Now THAT is a belt buckle! But the buckle isn't there just to look good. Quite the opposite. This thing was multi-tasking before we even knew what multi-tasking was. Check the box-



Yeah, that's right. It has a freaking thermal sensor to detect alien presences. Or warm fingers. One of the two.



How's it work? Glad you asked. Place a finger (hot or cold) along the sensor strip for a few seconds, just like I am in the picture above.



Now move your finger away and use the chart from the box to determine whether you are hot or cold. I am apparently hot. Well, I can't argue you with that South Bend... but when does the whole "detecting alien presences" thing start?.... Hello? South Bend? Hello? *Crickets Chirping*



Okay, so let's forget about the alien presence detecting- The buckle still has something else to offer! You might notice a little tab at the top of the buckle. Snap it open and you'll find an "Official Starfleet Identification Card".



To be filled out in the presence of a senior official I'm sure, the card lists important things like your name, rank, and the designation of the ship you are serving on. Since the TMP uniforms didn't look like they had much in the way of pockets, I bet being able to store your ID in your buckle came in pretty handy at the Starfleet bars.



And that's about it. While the set lacks the electronic extras of their South Bend brethren, this is still a pretty cool pack. While I don't think there's any need to rush over to eBay and snag one (they typically run around $40-$60 in box), it might be nice to have if you already own the other South Bend items. Since only a few Star Trek items were released under this brand, putting together the entire range could make for an interesting display....

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "Journey To Babel"

Here's all the extras from the Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition of "Journey To Babel". William O'Connell shares some of his Thelev memories in this one...

Mego Spotlight- Command Communications Console

Item Name: Command Communications Console
Manufacturer: Mego Toys Corp.



Mego released this fine toy back in the mid-1970's! Take a closer look at that awesome box art:



The Rundown: Okay... let's say a couple of your buddies own the awesome Mego Communicators. They head over to your tree house and start pretending to be Captain Kirk and Spock. You feel left out. Then all of a sudden you remember that Command Communications Console that granny bought you for Christmas. You run inside, rip open the box, and slap a few batteries in it. Suddenly your tree house has become the Enterprise, with Kirk and Spock down in the yard on a mission to the planet's surface. It's up to you and your console to keep the landing party in constant contact with the ship, just in case something goes wrong... and you know it will.



Well, at least that's what I'm assuming Mego had in mind when they created this guy. It's basically just a big walkie-talkie with a lighted screen, but kids didn't need to know that. Bigger means better, so the Command Communications Console must have been at least 3 times cooler than the regular Mego communicators. Plus it uses alliteration in its name. Bonus points.



As stated, this console is basically the big brother of the standard walkie-talkie. To your right is a large speaker area and a dial that acts as both a power and volume switch...



...and to the left are a couple of nice decorative stickers. The top sticker features Spock peering in at you through a tiny viewscreen. Quit looking at me Spock. The lower sticker is actually pretty useful, as it provides Morse code translations for you to use on the console's buttons.



Behind the stickered area you'll find the console's antenna. The antenna is REALLY long. So long, in fact, that I couldn't fully extend it in this pic. So don't be a Herbert- leave plenty of head room when positioning your Command Communications Console.



At the console's center is the "multicolor phaser light screen". Translation- It's a screen with four little lights inside. While it may seem tame by today's toy standards, this screen probably upped the coolness factor of the piece by about tenfold back in the 70's.



Arrayed along the base of the console are four colored buttons labeled Transmit, Code Key, Red Alert, and Stand By Alert. The transmit button allows you to send your voice to a receiver (like the Mego Communicators, standard walkie-talkies, or the CB of an annoyed truck driver). Pressing the code key allows you to make use of your handy Morse code sticker. The last 2 buttons send out alert signals... which you can hear by checking out this nifty video:



So there ya go. Do you need it? Probably not. It's a cool toy for it's time, and definitely has a Star Trek Animated feel to it, but I just don't put this one on the same level as some of Mego's other roleplay toys (like their Tricorder or their Phaser). The original owner of this toy must have felt the same way, since they felt the need to spice this one up by adding a little something extra to the back of it...



The Bionic Woman makes everything better.

Remco Spotlight- Flying U.S.S. Enterprise

Item Name: Flying U.S.S. Enterprise
Manufacturer: Remco Toys



Remco released their "flying" Enterprise way back in the late 1960's. I don't have a packaged version, so you'll just have to make due with the catalog shot above.

The Rundown: For my second blog posting over at StarTrek.com, I decided to take a look at some of the various Remco toys available during the show's original run in the late 1960's. Remco did some pretty wacky stuff with the license... including slapping the Star Trek name onto one of their "flying discs" and calling it the Enterprise. So let's put on our flip-flops, head to the beach, and give this puppy a toss with today's spotlight!



In the late 1950's and into the early 1960's, Wham-O toys built an empire on the sales of their Frisbee toy- A disc-shaped plastic glider that soared through the air with the flick of a wrist. Not to be outdone, Remco answered the call for such product by marketing their own flying discs... only theirs would also benefit from Remco's various licensing agreements. Case in point: The Flying U.S.S. Enterprise.



If you were buying a flying disc, would you rather have a plain ol' boring Frisbee... or would you go for one labeled as the U.S.S. Enterprise with a picture of Spock prominently featured on it? That's what I thought. Sure, the principle is the same, but in this case it's okay to make your judgment based solely on appearance.



There really isn't a lot more I can say about this one. It works just like a Frisbee, but it has Star Trek stuff printed on it. Do you need one? Well, that depends. Are you in the market for a Frisbee? Are you a Star Trek fan? Are you willing to spend from $25-$50 on a vintage flying disc? If you answered yes to all three of those, then by all means go buy one. If you only answered yes to 1 or 2 of those questions, then you may need to think twice before going after one. It's undoubtedly an oddball item and not something that most collector's are going to find essential to their collections... but it's probably the one Star Trek item that you can take with you to the beach and not feel strange about...