Star Trek 'Potpourri' Spotlight- Tiberius Cologne

Item Name" "Tiberius" Cologne
Manufacturer: Genki Wear



Genki Wear debuted this cologne back in 2009.



The Rundown: This is a review I've been debating for quite awhile. I kept going back and forth on how I'd tackle this one. How does one review a smell? Since liking or not liking a smell is a matter of personal taste, I can't exactly say "hey, yeah you'll love the way it smells" since I have no idea what smells you love to smell. You see my dilemma, right? Then I figured I would just review the packaging and design, give a brief statement on my opinion of the product, and call it a day. But that would be way too short and sweet to make this worthy of a spotlight. Then it hit me... I'll tackle this one as a product battle! I would put Tiberius in the fragrance fight of his life against the manliest man smell I'd ever encountered. A true test of testosterone. An odorous encounter the likes of which had never been seen before...

So all the lady readers out there- Be prepared to catch the vapors. For this is the battle of Tiberius versus... Mandom.



Choosing an opponent capable of battling the manliness inherent in a cologne called "Tiberius" was no easy feat. Preferred Stock? Nope. Drakkar Noir? I don't even know what that means. Old Spice? Too old. No, the only plausible adversary was Mandom. Created back in the 70's by the Tancho corporation, Mandom is a Japanese import after shave lotion. The product takes it's name from the combination of "human" and "freedom". Mandom's tagline? "All the world loves a lover. All the world loves mandom." Yeah, if that doesn't sound like a worthy opponent for Jame T. Cologne, I don't know what is. Let's get it on!



Let's start with the look of the product. Mandom features the "Mandom" logo, the tagline for the product, and a weird drawing of a dude's face.



Tiberius knocks it out of the park by showcasing the name "Tiberius" (in classic federation font) emblazoned across the Terran Empire symbol!

Round 1- Tiberius!



For our next matchup, let's take a look at the advertising. I can't seem to find much in the way of ads for Tiberius. Pictured above is the back of the box, detailing the cologne and the man it's based on. Most of the print ads I've seen use some kind of variation on this text. Mandom, however, had a string of television ads back in the 70's... featuring none other than Charles Freaking Bronson. Take a look-



Wow. He turned into a Native American gun-slinger for part of that. And he splashed that Mandom on like he was showering in it! This one wasn't even close.

Round 2- Mandom!



Round three: Method of application. I had thought this third round would be an easy pick, what with Tiberius featuring the easily-applied spray nozzle versus the boring splash-on method... but that commercial just changed all that. While I love the convenience of the spritz, watching Bronson liberally douse the stuff all over him reaks of awesome. I'm gonna have to call this one a tie.

Round 3- Draw!



For the final bout, it would only be appropriate to compare each product's distinct fragrance. I hadn't expected much out of Tiberius, thinking it was just a novelty cologne. But it actually does have a pleasant smell! It reminds me of wood being chopped- entirely appropriate, given Kirk's wood-chopping scene in "Generations". Mandom? Mandom kinda smells like my Grandpa. And while my Grandpappy was a heckuva guy and I'd be proud to smell like him... I gotta give this one to Tiberius. Who wouldn't want to smell like Kirk!?!

Round 4- Tiberius!

So our winner is Tiberius! Congrats to our man Kirk for being smelly. In all seriousness, the cologne is pretty cool. It's a little pricey at $30 for a 100 ml bottle, but it's quirkiness and surprisingly pleasant odor make it an especially ideal gift for the male Trekkie in your life. While I don't know if I'd recommend splashing this one on before a date, I could definitely see this as something my kids would get me for father's day, or as a birthday surprise from a brother or sister. That's it's niche, and for that- the product is perfect.

Tiberius (and various other Trek-inspired fragrances that I have yet to try) is available now at Genkiwear.com for $29.99. Set phasers on sensual and order some now!

Game Spotlight- Star Trek Scrabble Game

Item Name: Star Trek Scrabble
Manufacturer: Fundex



Fundex released this Star Trek version of the classic Scrabble game to stores back in 2009.

The Rundown: The release of the new Star Trek film in 2009 ushered in a plethora of classic Trek related merchandise... including a wide range of TOS-themed games. Now that my oldest son is approaching his 9th birthday and can better understand the rules involved, we've been having a lot more game nights at my house. Last night, we cracked open our copy of Star Trek Scrabble for the first time. How did it turn out? Glad you asked...



In case you were raised by Thasians and have no prior knowledge of the Scrabble game, here's a brief synopsis: Players are each given seven random letter tiles (which are cast in black plastic in this Trek version) to work with at the start of the game. Each letter has a specific point value marked at the bottom of it's tile.



Players arrange their tiles on the included tile racks (the Trek version includes 2 gray and 2 black). The objective of the game is to use your tiles to spell out words... the longer the word, the more points you get.



Words are arranged on the game board, each one building upon the other. The Star Trek version of Scrabble follows this standard method of play, but with a couple of "Trek-centric" extras thrown in.



Just like in regular Scrabble, random squares on the board add bonuses to your word score. One difference here is the change from a "triple word score" into the much cooler "tribble word score". Very clever.



The board itself showcases a bunch of Star Trek mainstays. There's the crew of the Enterprise pictured in the middle, and 4 different ferocious foes featured on each each corner. If you manage to spell out the names of any character featured on the board, you get an automatic 20 point bonus added to your score. Nice! One odd thing here though- Since you only have seven letters to work with, Fundex shortened "Andorian" to just "Andoria". I'm a little baffled by that. Why bother including the Andorian if you wanted it to be something that has a maximum of 7 letters in it's name? Why not stick a Gorn on there, or maybe a Mugato or something?



A look inside the instruction book reveals that bonus points for Trek words aren't limited to the just the characters pictured on the board. The book includes a long list of Trek-inspired words which also offer bonus points too. Sadly, none of us were able to spell out any of the words when playing last night. I failed miserably... but I took comfort in the fact that had I been able to spell out "PONFARR", I woulda got 10 more points.



One last thing I want to mention before I wrap this up- The game also includes these 4 thick Scrabble score card things. I have no idea what they are meant to do, and they don't seem to be mentioned in the instructions. If you happen to know what they are supposed to do, please let me know! Otherwise, I will assume they are meant to be coasters.



Do I recommend this one? Sure, why not. Scrabble is fun. Star Trek is nifty. If you are a fan of both things, how could you not like a Star Trek Scrabble game? That would be like being a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, but hating Reese's peanut butter cups... and that's just foolish. I guess the only thing that might hold you back is the price. A standard Scrabble game runs about $20, while the Trek version will cost you around $30. But if you are buying Scrabble anyway, I'd say go ahead and plunk down the extra $10 for this one. The sheer coolness of the board is worth that...

Mego Spotlight- Klingon Cruiser (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Item Name: Klingon Cruiser
Manufacturer: Mego Toys Corp.



Mego released this ship to stores back in good ol' 1980. Take a closer look at that box art:



...and here's a look at the back of the box...



...and finally, a quick look at the snippet from the side...



Got all that? Good. Let's continue.



The Rundown: I have a few toy "holy grails" that I have been on the lookout for since I started my Trek collection. The wacky late 60's Remco stuff, prototypes of unproduced items, original Leaf trading cards... rare stuff that hardly ever shows up for sale. Pretty high on my list of wants have always been the 3 ships Mego made for their "Motion Picture" line: The Enterprise, the Vulcan Shuttle, and the Klingon Cruiser. Well, last week I finally crossed one of those off my list. Behold... The Mego TMP Klingon Cruiser!



Released toward the tail end of their "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" line, the Mego TMP ships were a departure from the company's norm. Mego usually stuck to action figures, playsets, and vehicles scaled to figures. Since it would have been impossible to do ships in scale with the figure line, Mego opted to replicate them as small-scale models. They chose the 3 most visible ships from the film to reproduce, which would of course include the Klingon Cruiser seen in the film's opening sequence.



Mego was pretty much the king of producing nice toys at a cheap price. The Mego TMP ships are a great example of their thrifty production methods. Each ship is molded entirely in one color (a greenish-blue in the case of the Klingon Cruiser), with all the color detailing supplied by an included decal sheet (which mine is unfortunately missing). They're basically pre-assembled model kits that you just put stickers on. No bells and whistles here... just enough to get the job done.



Now that's not to say that the ship is light on details. Quite the contrary actually! While the cruiser can't stand up to today's replicas, it's pretty impressive by late 70's standards. Each of the ship's main structures feature a pretty decent amount of sculpted detailing. From the "cooling unit"...



...to the bridge area....



...and all the way to the "propulsion units", this ship has a lot going for it!



Given the time period, that's pretty darned good. The ship isn't all that big either, coming in at only 8" from the tip of the bridge to the end of the propulsion units. Take a look at it next to some other Klingon ships to see what I mean-



The Hallmark and Johnny Lighning ships are both fairly small, so you can see that the Mego stuff isn't large by any means. While the 2 smaller guys have a lot more dteial going on, you have to remember that those are produced by today's manufacturing standards, with a keen eye towards authenticity. Mego's Klingon Cruiser was produced 30 years ago. For kids. By that token, it's great.



Included with each TMP ship is a "landing base". I believe the mold is the same for all three, with each one cast in the same color of plastic used on their respective ship. Even though it was probably a cheap addition for Mego to make, it's a very nice add-in for kids that wanted to display their ships when they weren't playing with them. Kids like me. Weird kids.



Okay, so I think I've made the point pretty clear that this was a nice toy for it's time and would have been a great item to pick up back then... but what about now? That's a really tough one, since the TMP ships are INCREDIBLY rare. At the point when these were shipping, the TMP figure line was winding down and stores were moving on to the next hot thing, leaving theses ships with only a VERY limited release here in the US. While all 3 did see a wider release overseas, it's still very uncommon to find them up for sale nowadays. When they do pop up, you can typically expect to pay anywhere from $200-$400 for each ship (depending on it's condition). Ouch. Yeah, at that price I can't recommend this guy to anyone but the most hardcore of Trek collectors. While the ship is cool and the nostalgia factor is there, you can buy much better version for a fraction of the price. Only a crazy person would plunk down the money for these Mego TMP versions...

So yeah... if you have a Vulcan Shuttle or an Enterprise for sale, let me know. Because I'm an idiot.

Reading Room Spotlight- "Star Trek Mirror Universe The Sorrows Of Empire" By David Mack

I've polished off a few Trek books lately, but I keep neglecting to post spotlights on them. I'm going to correct that in the next couple of weeks, so expect 2 or 3 more of these "reading room spotlights" in the next month... First up: The Sorrows Of Empire by David Mack!



In case you didn't know, I'm a HUGE fan of the Mirror Universe... So when I saw this cover staring at me from on my local book store shelf, I gleefully snatched it up. A book that explores how Spock and Moreau reshaped the Terran empire!? Sign me up.

The book picks up right where the original series episode "Mirror, Mirror" leaves off- The Mirror Universe version of Spock has now had the seeds of change planted in him by Captain Kirk and must decide how he is going to affect a change in the Terran Empire. At his side is Lt. Marlena Moreau, who has also been inspired by the words of our universe's Kirk and stands as Spock's only true confidant. Opposing them is the entire Terran Empire- led by Empress Hoshi Sato II (a great carryover concept from the Enterprise 2-parter "In a Mirror, Darkly"). Spock must somehow move up the ranks of the Empire and set forth a change that will have ramifications for not only his time, but into future centuries as well (leading to the state of the Empire in the DS9 "Mirror" episodes).

While the book isn't quite as "action-packed" as I'd hoped, I found myself engrossed in every chapter. I had expected the book to just take a quick romp in the Mirror Universe, exploring Spock's machinations relating to the TOS universe only. Boy, was I wrong. Spock's overtaking of the Enterprise is actually only the start, with the rest of the book following his story throughout the movie era as well. Familiar faces and concepts are seen again here, but this time through the broken reflection of the Mirror Universe. Mirror versions of characters like Sarek, Amanda, Garth of Izar, Will Decker, Carol Marcus, and Saavik all show up, each one with their own unique and integral contribution to the overall story. Mack masterfully works the existing Terran Empire timeline, making every action Spock takes fit into existing canon while establishing plausible causes to the effects we see in the DS9 episodes. It's almost like they had planned it this way all along...

So yeah, I liked this one. A LOT. If you are a fan of the Mirror Universe (and who isn't), I highly recommend picking this one up. Unlike some of the other books I've spotlighted, you should be able to find this one on book store shelves still. It retails for $7.99... and is worth every penny. Go buy it.

-James

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "Requiem For Methuselah"

Here's all the extras from the Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition of "Requiem For Methuselah". Part of the intro is cut off, but it's better than nothing!

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "Whom Gods Destroy"

I'm on a roll! Here's all the extras from the Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition of "Whom Gods Destroy"....

Mego Spotlight- Communicators

Item Name: Star Trek Communicators
Manufacturer: Mego Toys Corp.



Mego released these communicators back in 1974! That's older than me!

The Rundown: It seems that the communicators used in Star Trek are a staple in Trek toys. Back in the days before cellular phones, these wondrous devices offered a glimpse at long-distance chatting in the future, and provided the perfect venue for roleplay fun. Most of the communicator toys simply replicate the look of the prop, with no eye towards providing actual communication between devices. The communicators from Mego we are looking at today however are a bit different, since they are actually functional (kind of...). But before we start talking about these guys, I want to take a closer look at this packaging art-



I've said this before, and I'll probably keep saying it until I run out of Mego stuff to talk about- Mego packaging art is AWESOME. Yeah, sometimes it's a bit ridiculous... but that's part of what makes it so cool. Take that shot up there for example. Let's ignore the fact that they seem to be just standing around in space for a second; I'd say Kirk and Spock are only about 15 feet away from each other... but if you have communicators, why would you not just go ahead and use them anyway! Show-offs. And it seems Spock is using a bit of sign language here as well:



Captain, would you do me the great honor of reading "between the lines"?



Now that we have that out of the way... Let's take a look at the toys themselves! Mego went with blue plastic for these instead of the traditional black, much like they did with the accessories for the 8" figures. The communicators are right around 5" long and 2.5" wide, making them a bit larger than the ones used in the show. Of course, this is due to the electronics housed inside. It wasn't possible back then for them to cram the "walkie-talkie" technology into something smaller. The communicator lids are stamped with a nifty Trek logo, while the lower part...



... features a label letting you know that this is indeed a communicator. Just in case you forgot or something.



With the press of a button, the upper lid flips open- revealing the inner area of the communicator. While there are obviously some liberties being taken here, the inside looks enough like a real communicator to satisfy a child's standards. There's a big silver speaker area standing in for the prop's moire, and an array of non-functioning buttons for you to not do anything with.



The communicator is operated via three interfaces along the side. The upper dial turns it on and controls the volume, the middle button allows you to talk, and the lower green/red button handles your "alert" signal. How's it all work? Glad you asked.



Pop open the back of communicator and you'll see this. Yep, that's right... there isn't a dedicated battery compartment. When you open the back to slap in your 9-volt, you reveal all the internal workings of the comm. This was the 1970's... who needs a stinking battery compartment?



Inside the top portion of the communicator is the telescoping antenna that allows you to send and receive signals. It's ridiculously long when fully extended. Like over 28 inches long. I'm sure passing truckers just loved listening to kids playing on these things.

I don't think I need to give you a demo on using the voice feature, but the "alert" signals really need a listen. The alert is activated by depressing the lower red/ green button. Press it in just enough to hide the green area and you'll hear the "Green Alert Signal". If the poop has really hit the fan, go ahead and press it in all the way to activate the "Red (DANGER) Alert Signal"! Check it out, but I'm warning ya- It's loud!



Yeah, that's not annoying at all. It's amazing how 25 years can change your perspective on toys. At 7, I'd have loved that sound. At 32, I want to throw this thing across a room until parts break off.



And since Mego thought it was important enough to mention it in a blurb on the packaging, I should probably draw your attention to the belt clip. How else are you gonna carry these? In your hands? That's for losers.

So there ya go... Yeah, there have been more accurate communicators made, but more fun? No way. I'd have LOVED playing with these as a kid. Walkie-talkies were my preferred method of talking to friends back then, so Trek versions would have been the bee's knees. Of course, those were simpler times... back before 9-year-olds carried cell phones. Man, I really miss the old days.

Star Trek The Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras- "The Savage Curtain"

Here's all the extras from the Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition of "The Savage Curtain". RIP Gene...

Trading Card Spotlight- Star Trek The Remastered Original Series (Rittenhouse Archives)

Item Name: Star Trek The Remastered Original Series Trading Cards
Manufacturer: Rittenhouse Archives



The Rundown: Woo hoo! New Star Trek trading cards! In case you are new to the blog, I should let you know that one of my favorite Trek items to collect is the trading cards. I love the old stuff from Topps and Leaf, but the new releases from Rittenhouse Archives really get me jazzed. I usually go pretty nuts on each new release, buying multiple boxes in attempts to put together my set and snag any new autographs that might be available. The new set just hit a week or so ago.... Let's take a look at it!



The basic card set consists of 81 cards based on the "Remastered" episodes of the the original series. There are 79 cards based on each individual episode, with the final 2 cards featuring a checklist of the set. Each basic card front depicts one of the newly remastered scenes, from newly rendered space shots and matte scenes like those above...



...to reworked effects like Norman's belly there. The imagery is quite clear on each card, and presents a nice look at the work that went into the remastered episodes.



On the back of each card is a brief synopsis about the specific episode featured. It seems like many of the new card releases don't offer much info on the card backs anymore, so it's really nice to see these episode rundowns included. Sure, it's stuff that we old fogeys already know, but it's a great inclusion for those who aren't as familiar with each episode.



If you buy a box of these, you're pretty much guaranteed to get a full basic set; The subsets are where the real fun begins. There are 4 regular subsets (plus another special set we'll get to later) included here. First, there's 18 "Tribute Cards" like the one pictured above. Inserted 1 in every 6 packs, these card continue a subset from the 2009 Star Trek TOS set. The design of these cards is based on the traditional TOS autograph card styling, but each features actors and actresses who have passed away. Since we'll sadly never be able to get autograph cards from these folks, it's nice to have something similar featuring those characters (especially Gary Seven... who is awesome).



Next up- A 9 card "Creatures" set packed in at 1 per every 12 packs. These cards depict 9 of the zany creatures featured in the original series. While I dig the choices they made here, the design of the card isn't quite to my liking. I would have preferred a little more "vintage" styling, but that's just a personal choice.



The last 2 subsets are pretty difficult to complete (I still need a few myself), with only 1 card each per box! First, there's the 9 card "Elaan Of Troyius" revised set. Each of these cards is designed to fit into the old Skybox Star Trek season 3 set. The numbering is the same as the "Elaan" cards from that set, but these new versions now feature pictures of France Nuyen (which I believe the original versions lacked). A cool subset, but pretty tough to put together.



Rounding out the subsets is the 9 card "Ships In Motion" set. All of these cards feature a lenticular image of a ship scene. Tilt the card a bit and watch as the Enterprise magically "moves" across the card! Rittenhouse does lenticular better than anybody in the business, so this subset is FANTASTIC. But again, like the "Elaan" subset, these are only 1 per box, making completing the set quite a chore. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that there are actually 2 additional lenticulars available outside the set. The tenth lenticular card is only available as a case topper, and the eleventh is only available HERE through the Rittenhouse Rewards program. So yeah, that one's going to be tough to finish off.



Now here's something I didn't expect in this set. Not featured on the Rittenhouse website checklist, the set also includes 81 parallel cards! It's the same imagery and info as the basic set, only these feature a gold foil Trek logo and a flatter finish to the front. I have no idea how many of these there are per box (I should have kept better track when opening), but I ended up with around 40 cards out of the 5 or so boxes I opened. Trying to complete a full 81 card parallel set is going to be a monster, but I really dig the flat finish used on these so I'm going to give it a shot. Anybody out there trying to do the same? If so, hit me up and maybe we can do some trading!



Now here's the real highlight of the set- Autographs! Trek autograph collecting is my biggest passion (check out the still-in-development Trekautographs.com for more on this). With their guarantee of authenticity, Rittenhouse's autograph cards are my preferred method of signature collecting. This new set features 2 different types of autographs, each at one per box. 11 of the cards feature a single autograph like the one pictured above. I believe that 8 out of the 11 feature first-time signers, so that's a big bonus for me. Kudos to Rittenhouse for going after EVERYBODY in the show, no matter what the size of their role!



The other autograph cards in the set feature dual autographs. Each of these cards depicts a scene from the show featuring 2 actors or actresses, with both personalities signing the bottom of the card. While there are no first-time signers included here (boo hoo for me), I really love the choices that Rittenhouse made for these. Pairings include Kirk with Marlena, Koloth with Korax, and Commodore Mendez with Captain Pike to name a few. There's even one featuring Leonard Nimoy and Majel Barret (the final card that Majel signed before passing away). Awesome stuff.



Oh... and in case you need something to put these in besides the spokes on your bike, Rittenhouse made this handy-dandy binder for ya! The binder retails for around $30 and includes an exclusive promo card.

As a long time Trek card collector, I really couldn't be any happier with this set. While a couple of the subsets may be a bit of a pickle to collect, the overall look of the cards and the fantastic autographs make buying multiple boxes worthwhile. If you're thinking about giving Trek cards a chance, this would be a great place to start. The cards should be hitting your local comic and non-sport card retailers now, so pop in and pick up a couple of packs!