I started writing this article with a shocking thought: I’ve been collecting Star Trek toys for as long as they’ve been making ’em. I had the Mego versions as a kid, the Galoob series as a teen, and the Playmates figures in my twenties. That said, I don’t consider myself a hardcore Trek fan. I enjoy the franchise and I also collect action figures, so it stands to reason I’m going to have at least a few of these characters boldly exploring my toy shelves.
When Playmates acquired the license in 1992, it focused on the popular Star Trek: The Next Generation crew. It wasn’t until a year later that the company rolled out product based on the original series. The set of seven figures came in an impressive-looking widow box that simulated the bridge of the Enterprise.
Okay, so maybe its not 100 percent accurate, but it’s the thought that counts. Playmates could have just stuck ’em in a black box, but the company was determined to make this release something special. The packaging of this set was so nice that it was hard to open, but we don’t buy toys in the Anthill because we have a lot of closet space! Speaking of space…
All together they make a nice-looking group. The paint applications are consistent throughout and there’s no mismatched plastic among the molded parts. Each figure came equipped with a phaser, tricorder, and communicator, as well as a personalized, character-specific base shaped like the iconic Starfleet symbol. For a box set, that’s a lot of goodies. Sure, the communicators are small enough to get lost within a minute of opening the package, but that’s the price you pay for figures at this size.
Playmates chose a 4-inch scale for their figures. This was big enough to distinguish them from the previous Galoob offerings, but still small enough to produce vehicles and playsets at an affordable price point. The likenesses have been simplified and are almost caricatures compared to later efforts. Still, it works well enough at this scale and you can easily tell Kirk from his chromatically identical crewmen Chekov or Sulu.
The sculpts are on the soft side, but that’s to be expected considering the scale and the time period in which the set was produced. Playmates got the important details in: the gold piping around the wrists and the Starfleet symbol are sculpted and really pop against those classic colors.
The head sculpts are par for the course. Their small size and more generalized appearance makes them ringers for the old Filmation cartoon crew, which adds to their appeal. The figures are molded in their primary colors, so there’s not a lot of paintwork going on. What’s here is fairly clean, with areas like the hairline, eyebrows, and lips getting special consideration. The gold detailing on the uniforms is notable, making the sculpted details really pop. That said, there’s a downside: while Uhura gets some nice eyeshadow and lipstick, the limited paint app on her earrings makes her ‘lobes look gaged.
The men of the crew suffer from the waxy complexion that comes with having your head cast in flesh-tone plastic. Get them some washcloths and a tube of Bonne Bell Ten-O-Six lotion STAT!
The paint on the eyes is very clean and adds a lot of character to the heads. Kirk appears compassionate, Spock inquisitve, but its McCoy who fares best here, his baby blues giving him a steely, almost magnetic gaze. That said, Scotty’s piggy-eyed glare is notable, as well.
The articulation is where things go south. Odd choices like the v-crotch make posing these guys a challenge. A t-crotch, while less appealing in relation to the overall sculpt, would have been the way to go here. After all, the crew of the Enterprise spent a lot of time sitting around, but never in the lotus position. Having their legs splayed any time they are shifted kills a lot of the playability. Unfortunately Playmates stuck to its guns on this issue and the v-crotch was a problem that plagued the line for years going forward.
Over its seven-year run, Playmates produced variants of the original seven, as well as other crew members like Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand. The more of these you have, the better they look as a group. The heads don’t seem quite as oversized when they’re all clustered together, and the Original Series figures look striking next to their more modern counterparts. if you’re a fan of Trek or just like a little diversity on your toy shelves, these figures are well worth adding to your collection.
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Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!
