Star Trek now has its captain. Released this month, Captain James Tiberius Kirk finally hits your action figure shelves in Mezco’s One:12 Collective line. And this is a lovely young William Shatner, if I don’t say so myself.
More than Spock and Sulu, Kirk was the hero that I aspired to grow up to be. The dude got the chicks, won all his fights, and was a captain of huge ship flying through outer space exploring strange new worlds. He was like uber-macho and cool and all those things wrapped into one. Played by William Shatner, Kirk and company had many adventures throughout the decades and their influence continues to fill our pop-culture.
Having reviewed Spock (review and review) and Sulu (review), we know what to expect from Kirk. I did not take Kirk’s shirt off, but it does seem that Kirk is slightly broader than Sulu and Spock, perhaps one of the medium-build bodies that Mezco is using? It gives the appearance of a broader chest and beefier arms, while also making seem a stockier. Of course that could just be that my eyes are tired and getting old. But I like the idea of Kirk being a tad beefier, even if it is in my head.
There are two head sculpts in the package: a serious-faced Kirk (or resting bitch face) and a smirking face. Both of them work for Kirk as both capture both of those expressions perfectly. I prefer the resting bitch face as it’s the war face, the one that he goes into battle with, and I like battle Kirk. Actually, I like smirky face Kirk too, since that’s the pleasant “Let’s explore this new world, and hit on all the beautiful chicks” face. Gah, decisions. There’s been some internet opinion-ing on whether or not Mezco’s Kirk looks like “Kirk.” The answer is yes, this looks like Kirk from the original series, the one that aired in 1966 through 1969. This does not look like a-decade-older Kirk from the movies, the one that had gotten fat and had drunk a little too much, and definitely not the Kirk that sat on the balcony with James Spader drinking scotch and smoking cigars. No, this is young ’60s Kirk. And if you are in doubt, then just check out the animated series from ’73-’74 to see how much of a resemblance there is.
The figure comes with all the Mezco One:12 kibble you can expect. Extra hands, a communicator (plus one!) a phaser, a belt, a stand, and a rifle. Yeah, the rifle, which I won’t have a use for until the generic red shirts are released. All the extras fit into pegs and switched with ease. The gun hand is still too rubbery and doesn’t hold the phaser firmly enough. I love the communicators, a great addition to the line. I remember when I wanted a communicator growing up; now I have a smart phone.
Having Kirk, Spock, and Sulu continues to fulfill that childhood dream of having Mego-styled 6-inch action figures. Mezco is doing a great job with these, and I hope they complete the bridge crew of Uhura, Checkov, Scotty, Bones, and maybe Chapel and Rand.
You pick up Kirk today at:
