AA/ DST Spotlight- Commander Uhura (Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan)

Figure Name: Commander Uhura
Manufacturer: Diamond Select Toys



Uhura was released carded as a Previews Exclusive to coincide with the third wave of DST's "Star Trek II The Wrath Of Khan" figures.



The Rundown: I really need to improve my organization skills when it comes to these spotlights- I'm having trouble remembering which figures I have covered and which ones I haven't! I had to take my ipod touch with me down to the basement last night and search my blog as I looked at my TWOK shelf to determine which ones I hadn't done yet! Turns out I'd left out Uhura... so here she is! Let's take a look!



Uhura uses the same body we saw on the Lt. Saavik figure. I said it back during her spotlight, and I'll say it again here- It's pretty obvious this body was sculpted more with an eye towards producing Saavik, and Uhura just happened to be a bonus. The body proportions are a bit off for Uhura. It's not so bad that it's unforgivable, but it would have been nice to at least get a unique torso sculpt here.



The body itself is nicely articulated and can pull off a variety of poses. The hips are hindered a bit by the lower edge of the tunic, but thankfully it's made of a rubbery material so there is at least some movement. Just like Saavik, however, Uhura seems to have one foot that sits lower than the other, causing her to always lean or fall over. I actually have to put a bit of sticky-tack on her feet to keep her upright. Watch out when sitting her on a high shelf because she will probably take a dive over time!



I am on the fence with this head. In some angles, I see Uhura... at other angles I see Louise from "The Jeffersons". I think it's the nose. They didn't quite capture her nose right. At least they got the hair pretty dead-on though...



Gotta love that late 70's/ early 80's big hair...



Accessories: Uhura includes an extra hand, a communicator, and a phaser. Pretty standard stuff...



Do you really need me to sell you on this one? If you're building a TWOK display, you need Uhura. Duh. Every TOS crew display needs the big 7! While I wish the figure was a bit better, this is the ONLY TWOK style Uhura ever made... so you're stuck with it if you go TWOK. She ain't that bad though, and can still be had on the cheap if you look around a bit.

-James

Star Trek 'Potpourri' Spotlight- Marshmallow Dispenser

Item Name: Star Trek V Marshmallow Dispenser
Manufacturer: Kraft Foods

The Rundown: Today we take a look at another product glimpsed in the awesome documentary "Trekkies".... the Marshmallow Dispenser! Here's the scene that inspired this spotlight choice:



Awesome. That dude even kept the marshmallows. Since he kep his "mint in a bag", I went ahead and ripped mine open to give you a better look...



Kraft did a pretty decent job of capturing the look of the dispenser seen in the film. Oh, what's that you say? You don't remember what the film version looks like? Well take it away Spock!



So although you don't get a great view of it, the Kraft version does appear to mirror it well. Kraft did a spruce it up a bit with a large colorful label on top. One side has the Star Trek V logo-



And the other labels what the strange device is used for-



Maybe it's just me, but the coloring and design of the label always reminded me more of something promoting Star Trek TMP rather than Star Trek V. Is it just me? Anybody else? Hello?



In the film, the dispenser most likely uses replicator technology on a small scale to create the marshmallows (or marshmelons as Spock would say). Since we don't have this technology (yet), Kraft had to come up with a different way of doing it. You load this puppy up with some jumbo marshmallows and then slide the gated end closed...



...then as you slide it open again, the marshmallows are pushed out of the opening by a little panel inside the dispenser. Way cool! Alas, I didn't have any jumbo marshmallows to show you guys what it looks like, nor did I really want a sticky dispenser mess on my hands.



Also included with your dispenser are a plastic fork and spoon. I don't know about you, but I don't usually eat my toasted marshmelons with a fork and spoon. One can only assume these were included to make this an "all-in-one" camping set.



The fork and spoon can attach to the dispenser using the large blue clip inserted on the end. You can also use this clip to attach the whole rig onto your belt loop. Because nothing says "expert camper" like a guy with a marshmallow dispenser hanging from his pants.



So there ya go... the second half of the Trekkies-inspired spotlights. The dispenser also included a certificate "signed" by Kirk, but I left that at home so you'll have to wait for me to get around to scanning and adding it to this entry. The real question is...do you need this? Nah, probably not.... but it is one of the crazier licensed Trek products to get released so it might be worth grabbing as a novelty.

-James

Playmates Spotlight- Klingon Disruptor ("Star Trek Generations")

Item Name: Klingon Disruptor
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Playmates released this weapon of mass destruction as part of it's "Star Trek Generations" line.

The Rundown: Sorry for the lack in posts lately. I promise to be a better blogger! Believe me? Well, you should. Anyways... Did you ever wonder how I pick the items that I choose to spotlight here? Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Sometimes it is by request, but usually the item is picked based on whatever is easily grabbed from my Trek room at home (yes, I have a Trek room). The next couple of spotlights, however, stem directly from me watching the great film "Trekkies" again the other day. I decided it might be fun to choose a couple of items spotlighted in the movie. First up...



You're damn right kid! No Klingon would use a silly thing like a stun setting! But Playmates had other ideas, and decided to include one in this great little piece of roleplaying fun!



Overall, the disruptor looks pretty darned nice, especially for a kid's toy. The color choices look okay to me, but I wish they'd have chosen a different material for the grip. It seems a little too slick and glossy to have been the sidearm of one of them Klingon bastards...



The front end emitter is cast in a red translucent plastic to facilitate the light-up feature. The light is nice and bright when lit, but is pretty tough to capture in a photo (thus why there isn't one).



Playmates included a few stickers to slap on this piece to give it a little more detail. I've always dug the Klingon insignia, so it's nice to see it included here.



As our young friend pointed out in the video, the disruptor has 2 settings- "Disrupt" and "Stun". Even though he displayed them pretty well in the video already, I went ahead and made another in case you couldn't make them out (the first effect is "Disrupt").



And here's the bio from the back of the box-



...and the included "blueprints"!



While it's fun toy, those of you who strive for screen accuracy may just want to wait for the Diamond Select Toys version (if it ever makes it out). Folks like me with kids though should definitely give this one some thought, as it's pretty cheap and fits perfectly in a toddler-sized hand. My sons love having weapons for the opposing forces during their mock battles...

-James