DST/ EMCE Spotlight- Chekov (Mego Style Figure)

Figure Name: Chekov
Manufacturer: Diamond Select & EMCE Toys



Chekov was released by DST & EMCE in vintage style packaging with a resealable clamshell. (Sorry, I don't have a carded pic to show that off...)

The Rundown: It must have been rough to be a Chekov fan during Mego's original Star Trek run. The most you could do was throw a Kirk outfit on a different Mego and pretend your favorite Russian helmsman had been promoted. Well, DST and EMCE have made it possible for you to ditch the lame custom and add a real Chekov to your Mego ranks!



Chekov looks great! The uniform (like all the reissues) fits well and looks very nice & bright. Chekov may look a little too shiny new to fit in with your vintage guys...but you could always dirty him up a bit to give him that "played with" feel.



EMCE did a fine job on the head. It looks very much like Chekov, but not so much that it would lose the Mego charm. That's a tough balance to hit, but I think EMCE got it right.



The body style was great back in the 70's, and it's still great now. EMCE puts out a body that ups the quality and durability of the original Mego version, so you're getting a figure that can definitely hold up to some play time.



Accessories: Chekov includes a belt, phaser, communicator, and a tricorder.



This one may not appeal to all Trek toy collectors, but it's a no brainer for Mego fans! It's taken 30 years to expand the crew...but this one was actually worth the wait and does not disappoint.

-James

Star Trek 'Potpourri' Spotlight- 1967 Star Trek Movie Viewer

Item Name: Star Trek Movie Viewer
Manufacturer: Chemtoy Corp.



Chemtoy released this guy way back in 1967! Sweet- a toy released while the show was still on the air!



The Rundown: The package promises "Your own movie show featuring TV favorites!". Yeah, that's not what you get...but this thing is still pretty cool and was probably a ton of fun for a kid in the 60's.



The viewer itself is pretty small, measuring a little under 3" across. There's a small viewer on one side that's only large enough for one eye. The whole thing splits into 2 parts to house the enclosed film reels.



You get 2 reels with your viewer, but...



...I guess you could get more at your local dealer. Anybody know if that's actually true? If so, I need to hit ebay!



The package made it seem like (to me at least) these film reels would be shots from the show. Nope. What you get here are 2 slides featuring the first Gold Key comic! So, while not what I expected, for a Gold Key mark like me it's quite a treat!



So you load the slides into the viewer, and the little white dial will 'catch' the strip and aloow you to cycle through the panels. Here's a cruddy pciture of what it looks like (it's much clearer in person)-



Pretty neat, huh? The only gripe I have is that you have to start the film strip a couple of panels in due to the way it fits in the viewer, so you have to miss the first few panels. Pretty keen other than that though.

I got this for a whopping $5! At around that price, this item is a great pick up to give your Trek collection a little vintage flavor!

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Lieutenant Saavik

Figure Name: Lt. Saavik
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Playmates released Saavik as part of the "Classic Star Trek Movie Series".



The Rundown: I am running way behind today after taking the day off with my sick son yesterday, so I decided to choose something quick and easy for today's spotlight. The really good items are usually the easiest things to write about, so today I picked Lt. Saavik from the Classic Star Trek Movie Series.



Playmates went with the more iconic Kirstie Alley Saavik as opposed to the Robin Curtis Saavik. No offense to Robin Curtis (who did a fine job), but if we could only get 1 Saavik from Playmates I'm glad it's a Star Trek II Alley version.



Say what you will about Playmates' figure proportions, but I think this Saavik is one of their finest figure sculpts. The outfit looks fantastic, the arms and legs look just about the right length, and the figure can still move fairly well. An all-around great effort!



It's the head sculpt that really shines on this one! I actually think this head is better than DST version. Seriously, one of the best likenesses in the Playmates line.



The figure doesn't have a ton of paint apps, but what's here is nicely done. I didn't notice any crazy smudges or anything on mine and all the lines were nice and clean. You know, now that I think about it, I can't really think of many "quality control" issues that I've had with the old Playmates stuff. Shame you can't say that about much of today's product (*ahem* DC Universe Classics...).



Accessories: Saavik includes a display stand (not pictured), a phaser, a communicator, a duffel bag, and a tricorder.



And there's her box bio for ya!



I can't think of a reason for you NOT to buy this one. You can get her dirt cheap, and she still stands as my favorite plastic interpretation of the character. Playmates at it's finest!

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- Space Seed Khan & Dress Uniform Kirk Star Trek Minimates

Figure Names: Space Seed Khan & Dress Uniform Kirk
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



Khan & Kirk were released as part of Diamond Select's third wave of Star Trek Minimates.



The Rundown: Yeah, I know...I just did a minimates spotlight day before yesterday. I didn't plan on doing another this soon, but I'm stuck at home with a sick 2 year old, so I'm limited to whatever I have pictures ready for, so you get more minimates today...so I hope you like minimates! We'll start with Kirk-



Kirk fills the "main character variant" spot in this pack. Here we get him in his dress uniform (to go along with dress uniform Spock & McCoy). Unlike some of the minimate pairings, this one actually makes sense due to Kirk wearing this uniform in "Space Seed".



It's not a Kirk you particularly need unless you're going after a complete set, but he's at least a well done variation. The likeness is pretty decent, capturing Kirk's bravado well in this form. Kirk's dress uniform is nice too, with a good amount of detailing on the chest.



And there's the real reason for picking up the pack: KHHAAAANNNNN! The greatest Star Trek villain of all, packed into a cute little blocky body! Awww...



DST chose Khan's red jumpsuit for this 'mate. The detailing is nice for what it is, but there's not much going on with a red jumpsuit to make it jump out as Khan. Thankfully, the head sells it. They really nailed the confident half-smile that Khan wore for much of the episode.



Accessories: Both Kirk and Khan comes with hand phasers. Or you can just give them both to Kirk. Khan has little need for such devices!



I'd consider this pack pretty important for a classic Trek minimate collection. Sure, you don't particularly have to own the crew in dress uniforms...but Khan is a "must-have". Makes me wish that the line would have lasted long enough to see a minimate Khan based on "Star Trek II"...

AA/ DST Spotlight- Mirror McCoy

Figure Name: Mirror McCoy
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



DST released this McCoy as part of it's Comic-Con 2006 Exclusive "Mirror, Mirror" wave of figures. McCoy was released through New Force Comics.



The Rundown: so we come to the final entry in the 2006 Comic-Con Mirror wave: McCoy! McCoy completes the Mirror crew but is doubly essential since he also completes the "big three" in Mirror form.



Just like the rest of the guys, McCoy is mostly reused parts. Again, not a bad thing since the parts work equally well for all. I do wish they had included different hands for him though. One is a little too open (since it's made for the tricorder) and the other is stuck doing the "McCoy pinch".



McCoy does get a new rubbery shirt here. The reasoning behind this is the change in symbols and the addition of the gold sash. The gold paint doesn't seem to have held up as well here as it has on my other 2006 mirror crew members. Maybe it's the blue material of the shirt reacting with it?



The head is the same original AA sculpt. It's probably my favorite of the AA heads, and I have no real qualms about the reuse...but he does look a bit happy for a Mirror version.



McCoy's articulation is your standard AA fare. Tons of useful joints, but not so many that you enter into the obnoxious level. I like my figures still looking like humans, not multi-jointed robots.



Accessories: McCoy includes a tricorder, a phaser, and a communicator.



So that covers them all. "Mirror, Mirror" is one of Trek's finest, so having a whole crew from the episode rocks. You can probably get most of them from ebay pretty cheap (excluding Moreau, who can get kinda pricey). Go snag them and pose the under your I.S.S. Enterprise!

-James

AA/ DST Spotlight- Commander Decker & Ilia Probe Star Trek Minimates

Figure Names: Commander Decker & Ilia Probe
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



Decker & Ilia were released as part of Diamond Select's fifth wave of Star Trek Minimates.



The Rundown: Yay! "The Motion Picture" style minimates! Unfortunately, these are the only 2 minimates inspired by TMP. I would have loved to get the whole crew...but if I could only have 2, Decker and Ilia do make the most sense.



Decker looks really good. The likeness is one of the strongest in the minimate line. It actually looks like Stephen Collins in the face, and the hair is just about perfect. DST chose the standard blue/gray uniform for Decker. The outfit is pretty detailed for a minimate, with the waist piece being a highlight.



The nice thing about Decker is that he makes a good base for making other TMP styled male crew members. You can can get decent TMP style Kirk, Spock, and Scott minimates out of him with just simple head switches.



Ah, but if you do pick up extras for customizing you're going to be stuck with a bunch of Ilias. Since DST chose the probe version, there's not going to be much you can do with her in the way of customs.



I can't fault DST for choosing this outfit over the standard uniform though. The probe version is the more iconic look of the character. DST did a fine job of capturing the look, with individual sculpts for the collar and lower shirt. The head is sharp too, replicating the vacant stare seen in the movie nicely.



Accessories: The pack only includes 1 accessory- a phaser for Decker. Since Ilia Probe didn't really have anything it makes sense, but I would have loved them to throw in maybe a tricorder or something extra for Decker.



Minimates are an acquired taste to begin with, but you have to couple that with being a TMP fan to make this one worth it. With this being the only TMP style minimates out there, you could easily skip it and never miss having it.It is one of the nicer minimate efforts though, so you may want to give it a shot if you can get it on the cheap.

-James