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TF01
3,Merchandise Reviews
4,
Star Trek: Voyager - Series One Collector Cards
-------------------------------------------------
Produced by Skybox
--------------------
Reviewed by George Griffin
----------------------------
Once again Skybox have produced a very nice and interesting set of
Star Trek Trade Cards. This set of cards depicts the pilot episode
of Voyager, The Caretaker.
The set consists of 98 cards with the first 72 featuring scenes from
the pilot episode with stills from the show on the front and the
story on the back, also there is a smaller picture depicting another
part of the scene. As for the rest of the set, this is made up of a
look behind the scenes, a look at 24th Century Technology and a
special 9 card Mural of the USS Voyager, plus 2 checklists.
There are also 15 bonus/special cards which make up the full set,
which are as follows:-
* The bonus cards are the trade preview card and a sneak preview for
the second series of Voyager trade cards.
* The special cards are 9 spectra type cards of the crew plus 3
special blueprints of the USS Voyager, the bridge and engineering.
* The last 2 specials are a skymotion exchange card and a hologram of
the Doctor which at trade card fairs is going for £45.00!!
I was offered the full set, preview cards, spectra cards and hologram
for £150.00, which is probably quite reasonable, but I opted for the
98 card set with the 2 preview cards for £10.00.
Star Trek: Voyager - Soundtrack
---------------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
As you may have gathered from the last issue of The Final Frontier we
were all rather bowled over by the pilot of the new Star Trek series.
Although the following episodes from Voyager's first season have been
dissapointing so far the series does have promise.
The packaging for the Voyager soundtrack is far from promising
however. The very blurry picture of the USS Voyager and it
surroundings on the front and reverse of the case betray thier Apple
Mac origins. Hey GNP/Crescendo... get some decent computers! Upon
opening the inlay booklet however you are greeted by some nice photos
from the episode and the standard crew press shots.
On the CD itself a Generations/Voyager combadge takes prominence and
does give the CD an interesting look. The quality of the actual
recording is very high as are most of the musical pieces. My
particular favourite are track 2 "Prologue" from the teaser showing
Chakotay's vessel under attack from the Cardassians and track 11 "Set
Course For Home", mainly because it features part of the Star Trek
fanfare. However though I must say that I do not particularly like
the style of the music of Jay Chattaway (composer of the majority of
the soundtrack) and I don't like Jerry Goldsmith's Voyager theme
tune.
A fairly mixed bag then... If you liked the music when you heard it
while watching the episode then you won't be dissapointed but the CD
certainly isn't upto the standard of the 2nd and 3rd Next Gen CDs or
the Generations soundtrack.
Overall 6/10
Starfleet Officers Collector Set
----------------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
Earlier this year Playmates released this set, only through US Toys R
Us stores which features the Commanding and First Officers from the
first three Star Trek series.
Captain Kirk and Mr Spock are featured in their original series dress
uniforms which are very close approximations to those in the series.
A great deal of time has been taken over these figures even though
the heads seem to have just been lifted from the moulds of the
Classic Star Trek bridge set.
The Next Gen figures are also quite good showing good representations
of the dress uniform from season 3 onwards. My only gripe being that
Captain Picard and Commander Riker seem to have the same body with
just different legs and a different head. This is evident because
three pips are moulded onto both figures but Picard's fourth is only
painted on.
Finally Commander Sisko and Major Kira seem to be identical to their
Deep Space Nine first run figures. There is a rumour that the Sisko
in Starfleet dress uniform figure to appear later this year would
have been part of this set had it have been finished on time, oh well
I'll just have to buy that as well.
As part of the package a special rostrum type base is included with
the names of the series on the front, but I personally wouldn't take
the figures out of the display box anyway as it is worth displaying
as is with its starfield backgound for the figures. It will holds its
value (and rocket in value?!!?) better unopened anyway. Mind you it
does look rather nice on my display unit with a loose Data in dress
uniform next to it!
Overall 8/10
Commissioning Plaque Of The USS Enterprise
--------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
Late last year Franklin Mint made what was probably the nicest offer
they have ever issued. They took the original commissioning plaque
from the set of the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701-D from Star Trek:
The Next Generation and copied it... EXACTLY.
The plaque is mainly cold-cast bronze and of course as with the
original, features the class, registry number, construction site,
launch stardate and other information on the Enterprise-D plus the
team behind its development including such important names as Adm.
Gene Roddenberry, Adm. Rick Berman, Capt. Richard Arnold, and Dr.
Rick Sternbach. Add to this the immortal line at the bottom of the
plaque "...to boldly go where no one has gone before." and it makes
this work of art a lovely collectors item.
But it doesn't stop there! Set in to the plaque is a gold and silver
(A REAL Gold and Silver) Next Gen Starfleet insignia. The plaque is
set within a hard wood frame and backed so that it can either be
stood up using the hinged stand or hung on the wall. Affixed to the
back of the plaque is a certificate of authenticity.
There is an error on the combadge like Starfleet insignia, but this
actually proves the plaques accuracy as the original on the
Enterprise bridge also has this error!
This piece of art is absolutely gorgeous and my fiancee Claire agrees
with me 100%. However this beautiful piece is not cheap and weighs in
at a hefty £199.99, but luckily Franklin Mint will spread the
payments over 10 months free of extra charge. Rather useful, and I
would recommend contacting Franklin Mint immediately... look here is
the address;
Franklin Mint Limited, 1 South Quay Plaza, London, E14 9BR or another
office in the countries they operate in. Go get 'em!
Overall 10/10
Pewter Deep Space Nine Model
------------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
Now I know Franklin Mint have produced some real trash in the past,
with the Classic Star Trek chess set - £1,000 pounds worth of scrap,
being the worst insult to Trek fans, they seem to be getting their
act together with the excellent Commissioning Plaque of the USS
Enterprise and the nice (if overpriced set of Star Trek insignias).
The DS9 model is around 7 inches in diameter (less than half the size
of the AMT model kit) but seems to capture quite a bit more detail
than the other models I have seen including the AMT kit. The pewter
makes up the bulk of the station and actually seemd to be the correct
colour for the station.
The model sits on a black metal and wood stand which gives the whole
piece a more attractive look and certain parts of the model are
enhanced with gold. The three inner docking ports along with the
upper part of the centre of the station (including ops) are accented
in 22ct. gold. As well as this the main three ports on the docking
ring (where the upper and lower pylons are attached) are set with
cabochons - firey red, ruby like, precious stones with a large cut
cabochon in the lower part of the centre of the station depicting the
exhaust cone.
As usual you also get a certificate with the model but maybe the most
quirky feature is that the model is actually in scale with the Galoob
Micromachine of the Enterprise-D!
As with the Commissioning Plaque, the £199.99 price may put a lot of
collectors off but I do feel that the model is well worth it
especially with the interest free option over ten months.
Overall 9/10
Classic Phaser by Playmates
-----------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
Partnering the Communicator as reviewed last issue by Simon (it isn't
the best thing Playmates have released!?!) this piece is a replica of
the complete phaser pistol as used by Captain Kirk and co. in the
original Star Trek series (after "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has
Gone Before"). I have stated complete phaser pistol because as many
of you know, the phaser pistol from the original series consisted of
the small hand held and easily concealed type 1 phaser and a special
power boosting frame with a gun like grip and trigger. When combined
they form the type 2 or pistol type phaser.
Unfortunately the replica doesn't split up into the component parts.
On the left side of the pistol (which on the "real" pistol alters the
width or spread of the phaser beam) alters the intensity of the light
emitting from the pistol. A control on the top of the pistol selects
on of the two sound effect settings (both rather identical to two of
the phaser sounds used in the series) rather than the power of the
phaser beam as on the "real" phaser.
The markings and labels on the replica are not particularly accurate
but unlike almost every other Playmates replica the damn thing is fun
to play with! As far as fun is concerned the two classic replicas I
have seen so far come out tops even if they are not as spot on as
they could be.
Go get 'em boys and girls!
Overall 8/10
Republic of Liberia $1 coin
-----------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
Commemorating the seventh Star Trek movie - Star Trek Generations,
the Republic of Liberia has issued a special one dollar coin. What we
would refer to as the heads side of the coin depicts the national
coat of arms depicting a plough, beach, palm tree, sun, seabird and a
sailing ship of a similar type to the SS Enterprise ship in
Generations. About the upper part of the coat of arms is the
countries motto "The Love Of Liberty Brought Us Here" and underneath
the full name of the country with the year 1995 across the centre.
The tails side is what we are interested in and depicts Kirk and
Picard. However the portrait of Kirk is from the original series and
is joined by his name in the same font as used for the original
series title. Picard is depicted in his standard next gen uniform and
he isn't particularly recognisable. His name is stamped in the font
used for the credits in the next gen title sequence. The Star Trek
Generations logo is embedded in Picards shoulder. Below that is
stamped $1 with an original series Enterprise arrowhead on each side
of the $1 sign.
The portrait of Kirk is probably as good as is possible in the space
allowed. The Picard portrait, however, is not up to scratch. The
workmanship as a whole however is excellent and certainly puts the
Royal Mint to shame. Why can't we have coins like this here?
However it will cost you more than the £12 it cost me to get one as
there are only 500 available in the UK and The Gold and Silver Bureau
were rather inundated with requests. But just in case their number is
(0181) 551 8333.
A nice piece, which may sound expensive, but may well be a sound
investment.
Overall 7/10
Star Trek: The Next Generation Type 1 Phaser
----------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
The first thing that strikes you about this "replica" is its size. It
is over twice the size of the prop!?! It's bigger than the Galoob
version. It is absolutely enormous. Try hiding this in a uniform...
NO HOPE!
The two sound effects included are okay, not brilliant though! The
trigger button is however a bit tricky and doesn't always activate
the toy. The colours of the unit are not particularly accurate
either.The packaging is quite nice using the current standard Next
Generation style.
On the whole I can be completely convinced in saying that this toy
does indeed rival the Playmates Next Gen and Generations
communicators as the worst Star Trek product they have produced...
Avoid.
Overall - 2/10
Hamilton Collection Plates
----------------------------
Reviewed by Sven Harvey
-------------------------
Firstly the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D plate. This depicts a familiar
frontal view of the Enterprise-D painted by Keith Birdsong. About the
rather gorgeous rendition of the Enterprise are some colourful
representations of warp stars which give the whole piece a more
dynamic air as they mix with the delicately coloured space backdrop.
The picture is framed by an engraved gold rim including Star Trek in
one of the movie fonts. The reverse of the plate gives the plates
name and the fact that it is limited to 28 firing days along with the
plate number. A authenticity certificate echos the same information.
The artwork is spectacularly detailed, especially the Enterprise
itself with details all the way down to lifeboats and individual port
holes being clear. A lovely addition.
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D plate... 8/10
One of the most visually stunning plates that the Hamilton Collection
has released is entitled "The Best Of Both Worlds". This plate, also
by Keith Birdsong is mainly character based, featuring a central
painting of Picard with locutus below. To the sides of the Jekyl and
Hyde image is Riker and Data firing a phaser. Below Riker is Guinan
and two Borg while the other side depicts Worf and Shelby.
behind the characters are a planetary image (to the left) with a
from-behind-view of the Enterprise-D. Dwarfing this and spanning
almost the entire upper part of the plate behind Picard is the
cubical Borg vessel. Again the plate is rimmed with gold, also
engraved, but this time with several Starfleet arrowheads and "Star
Trek: The Next Generation" in its familiar font. The reverse of the
plate, as usual, states the plates title and the plate number.
The artwork is excellent with the portrait of Riker being the weakest
part, yet this is still light years ahead of most portraits. The
Picard/Locutus image conveys some feeling of the episode, but this is
accentuated by the surrounding images. Data is in a familiar
expressionless pose as he blasts one of the nodes on the Borg vessel
(yes it's good enough to recognise the scene!). The side portrait of
Guinan could be a photograph (from Ten Forward! - that's recognisable
as well!?) and the shading of Shelby and Worf's faces add atmosphere.
Looking at the plate as a whole it is difficult NOT to hear the Borg
choir. A very good keepsake of arguably the best Next Gen episode (at
least in the top ten) and certainly the best plate I have ever seen
Star Trek: The Next Generation "The Best Of Both Worlds" Plate -
10/10
The final plate in this little round-up is entitled "Unification" and
commemorates the Next Gen story of the same name.
The main image on the plate is that of Spock with his hand held aloft
in the famous sign. He is surrounded by Picard (disguised as a
Romulan), Data (disguised as a Romulan), a very sick Sarek, Pardek
and Sela. Directly below the main image of Spock is an image of
Picard in uniform melding with Spock. Behind the character images is
that of a planet, presumably Romulus, and a small section of
starfield. The artwork is surrounded by the same rim as the "The Best
Of Both Worlds" plate and titled and numbered on the reverse.
The quality of the artwork is not up to that of the previous plate.
The main Spock image isn't bad. However the images of Picard (romulan
disguise), Data, Sarek and Sela just ain't right! Sela looks like a
doll from Hasbro or Mattel or someone! The image of Pardek is quite
good as is Spock in the meld scene. However it really doesn't look
like Picard that Spock is melding with!
Not the worst plate I have seen, slightly better than average due to
the nice main Spock image. In fact about the same as the episode...
Star Trek: The Next Generation "Unification" plate - 6/10
Timex Star Trek Watches
-------------------------
Reviewed by David Zabiela
---------------------------
Timex have recently released a new range of rather tasteful Star Trek
watches. Starting off with the Indiglo USS Enterprise watch, this is
rather well done. The image of the Enterprise is a standard side
shot, with stars and a small moon in the background. The numbers on
the watch are set out in the standard TNG font. Unusually for a Star
Trek watch, it is quite light in weight.
As I said, this is in the Timex Indiglo series and when the light is
on, the ship and the stars glow green, giving quite a nice effect.
Overall, a far better watch than most in Timex's range. 10/10.
Next, the Cloaking Romulan Watch, features three layers to the
design. The background has stars, the middle layer has the ship and
watch fingers, and the third layer has planets and the Enterprise.
Due to the say this watch has been made, the glass is quite thick and
therefore heavy. The ship cloaks and decloaks every thirty seconds,
giving quite a good effect, as long as you are not waiting for this
to happen (then it takes forever!!).
Overall, 9/10.
Finally, is the Orbitting Enterprise Watch. Again this watch has
three layers - the background with stars and a planet, the middle
layer which is for the watch fingers and orbitting Enterprise, and
the thirds layer for the planet.
Due to the way this watch is made, it is yet again rather heavy, but
it is still a nice watch. 9/10.
The Star Trek 1996 Diary
--------------------------
Reviewed by Colin Gunn
------------------------
Diaries and calendars are not really my cup of tea when it comes to
Star Trek collectibles. But I soon changed my mind when I saw some
of the calendars that have been produced over the years. And now I
have to say my mind has changed over the collectability of diaries,
all because of this new edition to the long line of Trek related
books released by Pocket Books.
The diary is slightly smaller than A4 and is a hardback book. The
cover depicts a fairly impressive view of the Enterprise D, but the
true value of the book comes from the stunning interior. It is
FILLED with colour photographs throughout, and along side each are
loads of information about the characters, the different series and
movies (included also is a page dedicated to the much over looked
animated series of the 70's).
Each series is presented in its cronological order (i.e. Classic,
ST:TNG, DS9 and Voyager), and to separate each part of the Star Trek
legend is a full colour collage of the characters and pertinent ship
of the series. All the main characters have their own page devoted
to them, then if there are memorable characters, a la Q, then they to
have their own page. There are pages dealing with props, behind the
scenes, sections of the ships and alot more beside.
This is truly an eye popping book. I have no hesitation in
recommending this to fans of any of the 4 shows as there is so much
inside to cater for all fans. If you are reading this before
Christmas, then I can think of this having pride of place in anyone's
Christmas box. A must have!