The crew of The Next Generation plays a large part in the launch Series for Playmates' renewed Star Trek line of 5-inch figures and of course, they are led by Captain Jean Luc Picard. Picard is packed onto a card back that uses a standard Star Trek Universe scheme, complete with an image of the Captain to the top left and his name and rank confirmation to the left side of the blister. The rear of the card is generic to Series 1 with no series or character background info and just a visual checklist of the other Series 1 figures. Like the Wrath of Khan figures, there is a variant card back for The Next Generation that is predominantly US based and which pays homage to the original 1990s Playmates packaging for the TNG figures.
Once unpacked, it is clear that the Picard head sculpt is much improved this time around while still in keeping to the original line. The Patrick Stewart likeness is impressive and whereas Kirk & Spock had quite rudimentary painted eyes, Picard’s are much more detailed and blue in colour. There does appear to be some definition painting on Picard’s head particularly around the nose and the forehead which does enhance the overall look. I would say that Picard’s head, as good as it is, is a bit big and out of proportion with the body. This is certainly more visible when you stand him with other Series 1 figures like Riker.
Picard is wearing his Captain’s Uniform as seen during most of The Next Generation seasons with a black shoulder section and waist and a red central panel and arms. The arms are cast in the red plastic, while the torso is cast in black and the red painted. This does present a very small colour variation between the two. The only other detailing added is the silver and gold of the Starfleet communicator badge, and the four pips on Picard’s collar indicating his rank as Captain. Both of these are very neat in terms of their application. The lower legs and boots are cast in black and left without any other detailing. Playmates have decided to put the copyright info for the figures right across the back of the figure which is unfortunate, and I’d have preferred this in a less intrusive position like the inside of the leg - or certainly not as large.
Captain Picard has 13 points of articulation and can achieve a number of fairly static poses with most of the motion delivered in the arms and legs. The legs on Picard remain loose - as we saw with Kirk and Spock from the Wrath of Khan - and on the figure I am reviewing it is so severe that Picard does slide into a ‘splits’ position a little too easily. It is good to see that Picard can sit down through the leg articulation which does mean a Captain’s Chair option is viable either in the line or via the now very extensive aftermarket custom parts 3D printing sector.
The Captain’s accessories are almost identical to those used in the 90s with the TNG figures, they may even use the original casts. He comes with a phaser, complete with an attached bright red phaser beam. This version of the phaser is quite small and in scale with the figure (some of the others are not) and it fits into Picard’s hand where some approximation of a firing position can be achieved. Picard also gets a tricorder which is oversized, a datapad, and a black plastic version of his Ready Room computer terminal. All of these lack any paint apps and are very soft in details on the sculpt. Like all the Star Trek Universe figures, a Starfleet silver/grey stand is included which has a peg that fits either of Picard’s feet. As I’ve said in other reviews, these do the job but the shape isn't great for displays and a more subtle clear round stand is my personal preference.
Captain Picard reflects the £13 price point of these figures. It is not pretending to be a high-end collectors line at £25 a pop and instead delivers a good-looking figure who is clearly representing the character on which it is based while also in keeping with the original long-running 1990s Playmates line to allow existing collectors to see this as a bolt-on and not a replacement. I do feel the accessories are disappointing, especially when the application of these is not consistent and Saru for example got a much better set of scaled and detailed pieces. The beauty of this line and the scale is the crew-building and wider world-building options. In Series 1 Playmates have delivered on three of the main Enterprise-D crew members and I hope that they have plans to complete these sets relatively quickly with figures of La Forge, Worf, Crusher, and Troi in development as a minimum.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...