The 2009 release of J.J. Abrams' grittier, action-packed vision of Star Trek has the sci-fi world buzzing, and with all of the legions of fans lining up in droves to see the the ground-breaking new addition to the Star Trek cannon, Playmates wasted no time in getting figures onto the shelves.
Playmates has long been making Star Trek figures from The Next Generation on up, and the new 6-inch figures balance on the line of being visually accurate to the movie while still maintaining Playmates' signature elegant simplicity.
Playmates Makes a Gamble
Playmates made a risky move, perhaps counting on the expected success of the movie, by releasing a 6-inch line, which is the usual modus operandi with their previous Star Trek figures, in conjunction with a line of smaller 3 3/4-inch figures. This gives collectors a chance to decide which figures best suit them, while possibly relying on the almost obsessive nature of die-hard Star Trek fans who will most likely be inspired to by both versions of the figures, thus essentially doubling sales for Playmates.
Whether or not this pays off for the toy company, only time will tell.
The Figures
The new 6-inch figures naturally boast a higher level of detail than their smaller counterparts, which adds an overall better aesthetic to the figure line. From their exquisite accessories, which fit nicely into belt holsters, to their textured Starfleet uniforms, these figures were clearly designed to stand out and seem to project an air of display over play.
The first wave of the line includes:
- Kirk in Enterprise Outfit
- Spock in Enterprise Outfit
- Original Spock
- Pike in Enterprise Outfit
- Sulu in Enterprise Outfit
- Nero
- Uhura in Cadet Outfit
- McCoy in Cadet Outfit
- Chekov in Cadet Outfit
- Scotty in Enterprise Outfit
One can probably safely assume that there will be revisions to this wave and the almost certainty of additional waves featuring other characters from the movie to be hitting store shelves very soon.
The New Faces
The most talked-about aspect of the new movie is that this is the first time fans will see their favorite classic characters from the original TV series played by a whole new cast, using young actors to tell a "possible origin" story of the crew of the Starship Enterprise.
Playmates seems to have paid special attention to this fact as the new head sculpts on the 6-inch line are beautifully rendered in such a clean and simplistic manner, yet still managing to accurately represent the new actors extremely well.
From Scotty's jovial smirk to McCoy's dubious raised eyebrow, the faces of the figures brilliantly fit the characters of the film, which is a feature guaranteed to endear these figures to fans of the film. Nothing hurts an action figure line worse than the faces not looking like the actual actors, so this was well-played on Playmates' part.
How Much?
Suggested Retail Price: $9.99Where to Find Them?
Toy sections everywhere, such as Target or Toys-R-Us For more information, visit Playmates Official Star Trek Page.