Playmates Spotlight- Admiral Kirk

Figure Name: Admiral Kirk
Manufacturer: Playmates Toys



Playmates released this Admiral Kirk as part of their "classic Star Trek" assortment, way back in 1995.



The Rundown: I last tackled a standard Playmates 4.5" figure in November of 2010. Wow. I'm really slipping. I hope I remember how to do this...



Released as part of the Playmates "Classic Star Trek" figure assortment, this Kirk figure recreates one of his looks from Star Trek The Motion Picture. Kirk has a few different attires to choose from in the film, but this Admiral uniform was probably the wisest choice for Playmates. Since both the Spock and McCoy figures from this wave sport the standard TMP gray uniform, releasing Kirk in the two-toned uniform of an Admiral helped differentiate him a bit more on the shelves. Plus that uniform is freaking great.



Playmates did a bang-up job recreating the look of the costume on the figure. The uniform detailing is pretty accurate, from the rank braids on the sleeves to the stylish TMP belts. BUT.... there is one glaring mistake. Can you spot it? Here's a hint-



Now do you see it? Kirk's collar was actually white in the film, but for some reason Playmates left it unpainted on the figure, leaving it the same gray color as the rest of the uniform. Weird, huh? Even though it's inaccurate, I kinda like the contrast in colors and I almost wish it looked like that in the movie.



The head sculpt here is the same one used on all of the older Kirks released by Playmates. I think it works far better here than on the "Generations" versions though. It's an odd fit for the older, ummm "thicker" Kirk... but it's perfect for a TMP era version. The worry lines on the forehead may be a bit strong, but overall it's a very strong likeness.



Kirk features the same basic articulation points used on most Playmates figures at the time, with the exception of the waist swivel. Since the uniform comes down over the waist, the joint was scrapped in favor of accurate sculpting. The hips are a bit constrained as well due to the uniform, but since there's nothing to sit these figures down in anyway, it's not really a big deal.



Accessories: Kirk includes a wrist communicator, phaser, and a PADD. They are all cast in red plastic... I understand that at the time Playmates wanted the accessories to *pop*, so they casted them all in different colors... but I REALLY wish they'd have just done these all in gray. Even though they'd have lacked painted details, they would have looked MUCH more screen accurate that way.



Oh! I almost forgot to mention the V'Ger piece! Collect all the TMP style figures, and you can build your own V'Ger (albeit a miniaturized version). If I'm not mistaken, this series is one of the very first example of the build-a-figure concept that is so prevalent in toys nowadays. Playmates Star Trek.... quite the innovative toyline!



Other than the inaccurate collar, I really have no complaints with this guy. If you're starting up a classic Playmates collection, this Kirk (along with the other TMP style figures from the wave) are definitely worth going after. You can find them all relatively cheap nowadays (like most Playmates Trek stuff), so head on over to eBay and snag a set! They'll add some nice diversity to your Playmates Classic Trek display!