Thanks to the proliferation of film, comic book and cartoon characters, companies are bombarding consumers with an incredible selection of action figures. With tongue in cheek, let’s take a peek at some of the specimens worthy of a place in Zad’s Toy Vault.
Spock
Mezco Toyz celebrates the 50th anniversary of the original “Star Trek” universe with help from its One:12 Collective doll line. Each roughly 6.5-inch-tall figure offers accurate facial sculpting, detailed costuming, accessories and over 28 points of articulation to bring these legendary characters to life.
The first U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701) members to grace the line-up include helmsman Hikaru Sulu and the famed pointy-eared genius Mr. Spock, a Vulcan serving under Capt. James T. Kirk and now available in multiple versions.
Figure profile: (paraphrased from previous Zadzooks’ Spock reviews) Half-human and half-Vulcan, Mr. Spock was the science officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise under Capt. Christopher Pike and later served as first officer under Capt. Kirk. While his human half makes him more emotional than his Vulcan brethren, Spock strengthened his adherence to the teaching of his alien father Surak to compensate, becoming even more logical and controlled than the most stolid Vulcan.
Price: $70.
SEE ALSO: Zadzooks: Batman: The Telltale Series - Realm of Shadows review
Accessories: Leonard Nimoy’s creation of one of TV Guide’s 50 greatest characters comes to three-dimensional life via a painted, digitally modeled head sculpt of the actor (complete with pointy ears and eyebrows) and a painstakingly crafted costume pulled right from a 1966 episode of “Star Trek.”
His stitched, cloth garb includes the familiar robin’s egg blue long-sleeve shirt, complete with gold-and-black communication insignia, gold sleeve bands and black neck top, black pants puffed at the cuff line and those shiny, faux leather black boots.
Here’s what that $70 price point also includes:
• A second head sculpt with eyebrows raised in exasperation, probably at something Dr. Leonard McCoy popped off about his cold-blooded teammate.
• Nine interchangeable hands including fists, a “live long and prosper” hand gesture, Vulcan mind-meld and nerve pinch hands, phaser-holding hand and a trio of open hands.
• Tools of this space explorer include a phaser, a communicator that flips open, a tricorder with flip-top panel attached to a strap and a delicate, pleather belt for Spock to wear for holding his phaser and communicator. Amazingly, thanks to some incredible paint jobs, each of these devices actually look like miniaturized versions of the props from the show.
Additionally, for those entirely smitten with the Spock legacy, online retailer Vegas Dead Dolls offers a comparable, limited version of the science officer but recreated from his early days serving under Capt. Pike.
Specifically, his appearance in “The Cage” ($199) harkens back to 1965 and finds a younger version of the actor wearing a removable dark blue coat, a velour-like blue shirt (very soft) with insignia, grey gadget harness with metal buckles, black pants an shiny black boots.
I’ll once again point out the detail of the head sculpt. Specifically, the hair, being a choppier cut on the forehead and less precisely cropped than his later version.
That’s the type of mandatory precision collectors love and makes them more willing to open their wallets for a doll.
He also comes with six interchangeable hands along with a phaser and communicator (translucent flip top), both beautifully recreated from the specific episode.
Worth noting: While replacing heads and hands to recreate various poses from either figure, it was a very simple process and in no time did I feel like I was in jeopardy of breaking the pegs. Also, both figures come with a display base (blue with insignia) and posing stand.
Watch it: CBS Home Entertainment recently released “Star Trek: The Original Series” ($99.99) in a compact, repackaged set compiling all 79 episodes of the 1966 to 1969 show on 20 Blu-ray discs.
It features all of the meticulously remastered versions of each episode (using original camera negative scanning and cleaning), tons of extras and, of course, the original pilot episode, “The Cage.”
What’s it worth: In the finest traditions of 1970s Star Trek Mego dolls combined with detail only previously seen in Hot Toys’ 12-inch dolls, Mezco Toyz develops a stunning hybrid and entirely new collectible line to tempt fans.
Sure, the price point can make the eyes water, but it’s hard not to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of Mr. Spock in both forms. Although, I would give the edge to the “Cage” version, just for its appeal as it is truly a worthy piece of memorabilia celebrating a legendary sci-fi franchise.
It’s further worth mentioning that Mezco has plenty more of the One:12 Collective figures coming out in the near future including odes to Captain America, Flash, Ghostbusters (the original cast), Superman, Batman, Frankenstein, the Punisher and Space Ghost.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.