Star Trek: The Next Generation: Captain Picard in duty uniform action figure review by Andrew Lenahan
Figure: Captain Picard in duty uniform
Property: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Number: 6942
Keywords: Captain Picard, Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart, Star Trek, The Next Generation, TNG, ST:TNG, baldy
Company: Playmates Toys
Release year: 1994
Series Overview:
The Star Trek action figure line by Playmates represented something of a turning point. Although clearly a mainstream toy line sold in toy stores, they were distinctly geared toward collectors as well. This was done in several ways: a lack of action features, a tendency toward obscure characters and variants, and (most noticably) each figure was individually numbered. While the numbering proved only to be a passing fad, the "plaything vs. collectible" issue remains a central point in the market today. Physically, these 5-inch figures are similar in size, quality, packaging, and style to Playmates' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.
Character Overview:
The human captain of the Federation starship USS Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the central character of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He has the strength of character to make his huge crew respect him, his enemies fear him, and the ladies swoon when he's around. Of course, the baldness might have something to do with that last one.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 7
Captain Picard comes decked out in his duty uniform, the outfit which he wore most often on the series. The sculpt is decent, with some attempts at detail such as wrinkles at his knuckles. The high-gloss plastic Playmates was using at the time means that the entire figure is very glossy, like Picard just fought the olive-oil monster of Tyranus VI or something. Paint isn't terrible but is probably the low point for this figure, with sloppy applications on serveral areas of my review figure. Worse yet, even the main uniform colour seems off, being far more purplish than the deep blood red from the series.
Articulation: 8.5
Although standards have since risen somewhat, the Playmates Star Trek series were among the most articulated of their day. Captain Picard moves at the neck, shoulders, bicep, elbow, waist, hips, and knees. He is easy to stand with his knees slightly bent, but won't stand at all with his knees completely straight. A base is provided, so this isn't much of an issue.
Accessories: 8
Captain Picard comes with five accessories, a strong showing indeed for an older figure. There's a "Starfleet Monitor", basically a little computer console with a sticker screen. He also has a simple mug from which captain Picard famously drank his "tea, Earl Grey, hot." There's a Tricorder portable computer thingy, and a Type II phaser, which is silver and moulded with a red (set to kill) beam shooting from it. The phaser beam is not removable from the phaser, but you could cut it off if you're desperate to have a peaceful Captain. Finally, the worst accessory is the base. It's shaped like a Starfleet communicator badge and has a little sticker with the character's name. Unfortunately, it's very poorly designed. The foot peg is in the very centre, so there's no sensible way to position the figure so it looks right.
Packaging: Above Average
Playmates' Star Trek: The Next Generation series used very similar packaging to their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, with a fairly standard setup of a card and a plastic bubble. What scores higher marks is the card back, which provides a file with quite a bit of character information and an actor photo. In addition, there's a little guide to what all the accessories are... too bad other series didn't steal that idea!
Overall score: 8
Although Playmates made a number of different Captain Picards, including Picard as the Borg Locutus and Picard as detective Dixon Hill, this is probably the best Picard to get if you want one for display purposes due to its high recognisability. Though not quite a spectacular figure, he's certainly a decent one, and of one of sci-fi's truly great characters. If you've ever wanted a tiny Captain Picard on your desk, go ahead and make it so!
Availability:
Playmates' Star Trek: The Next Generation series is long out of production and probably virtually impossible to find in normal toy stores. You could try specialty toy stores which sell old figures, or try eBay. This figure does not seem to be particularly rare.
Property: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Number: 6942
Keywords: Captain Picard, Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart, Star Trek, The Next Generation, TNG, ST:TNG, baldy
Company: Playmates Toys
Release year: 1994
Series Overview:
The Star Trek action figure line by Playmates represented something of a turning point. Although clearly a mainstream toy line sold in toy stores, they were distinctly geared toward collectors as well. This was done in several ways: a lack of action features, a tendency toward obscure characters and variants, and (most noticably) each figure was individually numbered. While the numbering proved only to be a passing fad, the "plaything vs. collectible" issue remains a central point in the market today. Physically, these 5-inch figures are similar in size, quality, packaging, and style to Playmates' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.
Character Overview:
The human captain of the Federation starship USS Enterprise, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the central character of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He has the strength of character to make his huge crew respect him, his enemies fear him, and the ladies swoon when he's around. Of course, the baldness might have something to do with that last one.
Action Figure Sculpt and Paint: 7
Captain Picard comes decked out in his duty uniform, the outfit which he wore most often on the series. The sculpt is decent, with some attempts at detail such as wrinkles at his knuckles. The high-gloss plastic Playmates was using at the time means that the entire figure is very glossy, like Picard just fought the olive-oil monster of Tyranus VI or something. Paint isn't terrible but is probably the low point for this figure, with sloppy applications on serveral areas of my review figure. Worse yet, even the main uniform colour seems off, being far more purplish than the deep blood red from the series.
Articulation: 8.5
Although standards have since risen somewhat, the Playmates Star Trek series were among the most articulated of their day. Captain Picard moves at the neck, shoulders, bicep, elbow, waist, hips, and knees. He is easy to stand with his knees slightly bent, but won't stand at all with his knees completely straight. A base is provided, so this isn't much of an issue.
Accessories: 8
Captain Picard comes with five accessories, a strong showing indeed for an older figure. There's a "Starfleet Monitor", basically a little computer console with a sticker screen. He also has a simple mug from which captain Picard famously drank his "tea, Earl Grey, hot." There's a Tricorder portable computer thingy, and a Type II phaser, which is silver and moulded with a red (set to kill) beam shooting from it. The phaser beam is not removable from the phaser, but you could cut it off if you're desperate to have a peaceful Captain. Finally, the worst accessory is the base. It's shaped like a Starfleet communicator badge and has a little sticker with the character's name. Unfortunately, it's very poorly designed. The foot peg is in the very centre, so there's no sensible way to position the figure so it looks right.
Packaging: Above Average
Playmates' Star Trek: The Next Generation series used very similar packaging to their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, with a fairly standard setup of a card and a plastic bubble. What scores higher marks is the card back, which provides a file with quite a bit of character information and an actor photo. In addition, there's a little guide to what all the accessories are... too bad other series didn't steal that idea!
Overall score: 8
Although Playmates made a number of different Captain Picards, including Picard as the Borg Locutus and Picard as detective Dixon Hill, this is probably the best Picard to get if you want one for display purposes due to its high recognisability. Though not quite a spectacular figure, he's certainly a decent one, and of one of sci-fi's truly great characters. If you've ever wanted a tiny Captain Picard on your desk, go ahead and make it so!
Availability:
Playmates' Star Trek: The Next Generation series is long out of production and probably virtually impossible to find in normal toy stores. You could try specialty toy stores which sell old figures, or try eBay. This figure does not seem to be particularly rare.
posted by Andrew Lenahan at 2:18 PM
1 Comments:
Oh I didn't see the little mug!!! I wanna play with it? That sooo cute. :) How is he in scale compared to your average Star Wars figure? Could he effectively pilot the Millenium Falcon?
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