In 1992 Playmates released the first of what 
would eventually become a vast collection of 5inch figures depicting characters from Star Trek. No matter what your favorite “Trek” was there were figures for you. The line had not just the main characters, there were also various alien races including Nausicaans, Klingons, Romulans, Species 8472 and of course, the Borg.
Now Playmates has revived and updated the Star Trek line. The current line-up for the new Playmates’ figures is:
- Star Trek: The Original Series (Movie Era)- Kirk, Spock and Khan
- Star Trek: The Next Generation-Picard, Data, Riker
- Star Trek: Discovery- Burnham, Saru
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. This was the second big screen outing for the Original Series crew and even though the budget was less than Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it was by far a superior movie. Not only did Wrath of Khan deliver action, it also gave us the best uniforms in Star Trek. That being said, let’s take a look at the figures from Wrath of Khan. We will start with Admiral James T. Kirk. This figure stands approximately 5 inches tall with multiple points of articulation. These are:
- Head
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Wrists
- Hips
- Knees
- Ankles
Kirk also comes with several accessories:
- Type 2 Phaser
- Starfleet Wrist Communicator
- Captain’s Log
- Star Trek Movie Action Base
Next up is Captain Spock from Wrath of Khan. Spock, during this time period is the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise and is dressed as he was in the film. Spock stands approximately 5 inches tall and has multiple points of articulation. These are:
- Head
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Wrists
- Hips
- Kness
- Ankles
Spock comes with several accessories:
- Engineering Tool
- Starfleet Tricorder
- Radiation Gloves
- Star Trek Movie Action Base
Star Trek: The Original series went off the air in 1969 and there wasn’t another live action Star Trek on television until Star Trek: The Next Generation. Gene Roddenberry and Paramount were trying to recreate “lightning in a bottle” with this new version of Star Trek and they succeeded. Star Trek: The Next Generation was a hit and brought in legions of new fans.
During the height of The Next Generation’s popularity Playmates Toys began releasing action figures and toys from The Next Generation as well as other Star Trek properties. Eventually the toy line was shelved (pun intended) until this year. Playmates has started producing Next Generation figures (as well as other Trek related shows) again. It is fitting since this year is the 35th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
There are 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation figures in this first wave from Playmates. The figures are: Picard, Data and Riker. We only received the Picard and Data so those will be the ones reviewed.
Let us start with the main man himself; Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Like the other Playmates Star Trek figures we have reviewed Picard stands approximately 5 inches tall and has multiple points of articulation. These are:
- Head
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Wrists
- Hips
- Knees
- Ankles
Captain Picard comes with several pieces of equipment. These are:
- Type 1 Hand Phaser
- Tricorder
- Personal View Screen
- PADD
- Starfleet Action Base
The last figure in this review is a fan favorite, Data. The only android in Starfleet Data was the Chief Operations Officer on the Enterprise. Standing approximately 5 inches tall and is very poseable. His points of articulation are:
- Head
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Wrists
- Hips
- Knees
- Ankles
Data is equipped with a couple of pieces of Starfleet issued gear. These are:
- Type 2 Hand Phaser
- Diagnostic Testing Unit with Monitor
- Tricorder
- Starfleet Action Base
All of these figures retail for $14.99 and are available at your favorite retailer including Entertainment Earth, Amazon, Walmart and Target.
I like these updated Playmates’ action figures. The originals from the 1990s are more “bulky” looking while the new figures look like some more thought went into their design. The face sculpts are also an upgrade from the 1990s. I do like that the new Playmates’ figures are approximately the same size as their predecessors because it means you can use the old vehicles for your new figures.
As much as I like these figures I still had a couple issues with them. I really would have liked to have a bit more poseability. I think that these figures would have benefited from a waist joint.
I liked that Playmates paid homage to the original line of figures by giving the figures the same accessories they had in the 1990s and by designing the new packaging to look retro. There is an issue with this design though. It seems that whomever designed the packaging just did a cut and paste for the accessories which causes a problem. Let us start with Data this time around. The package says, “Tricorder with holster” although the tricorder is there the holster is not. The original release did have a holster on the figure itself. Another issue with Data is that the packaging says, “Android access panel.” On the 1990s’ package the access panel was very visible on Data’s arm; the new version does not have any access panels.
Picard also has a package issue with the package declaring Tricorder holster when one doesn’t exist on this figure. I did not notice any blatant errors on either Kirk or Spock which is a good thing. I can’t say if other figures had issues but as we find out we will keep you updated.
I am glad that Playmates has started doing Star Trek figures again. One of the main reasons I am glad Playmates is back is affordability. I remember when the original line was out nothing was outrageously priced making it easy to collect. I can say that I don’t think we will get a full bridge playset any time soon.
Live long and prosper….
