Star Trek Obscura: Fun Forgotten Toys Of The Final Frontier

With a new film in theaters (and my own life-long love of Trek) I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to look at some of the toys from the vast universe of the Science Fiction institution.

Sure, there is a fantastic new line of toys from Playmates available in stores now, but the explorer in me (not unlike a science officer stationed on a starship) wanted to reach out into the unknown and take a look at some gems and oddities from the history of the line.


So lets take a visual journey through some classic, obscure, fun, and just plain weird Star Trek Toys.


Mego Star Trek Dolls

The classic Mego Star Trek dolls are some of the coolest action figures of all time! Their likenesses, articulation, accessories, and playsets made them one of the original ultimate action figures! As a kid one of my older brother's friends had a few of these treasures, and I wanted one so bad! I thought their belts and light blue phasers and communicators were awesome. To me, these toys define an era and a culture.

Before Star Wars figures, before fanboys flocked to conventions, before there was a “collectors market”, kids were in their backyards using their imaginations and placing Kirk, Spock, and the others on countless dangerous "away missions".







Mego Classic Trek: Mission to Gamma VI Playset

One of the more obscure items in the Mego line is the Mission to Gamma VI Playset. For some reason, it came with tiny plastic or rubber aliens that had nothing to do with Star Trek. It's a toy with tons of play value.















Mego Star Trek: The Motion Picture Figures

After Star Wars figures got smaller, Mego paid attention.

These figures didn’t do very well, but that is probably more a reflection on the pace of Star Trek: The Motion Picture rather than anything else.











Mego Star Trek The Motion Picture Bridge Playset

An awesome and rare toy.

I remember seeing this in a Sears or JC Penny Christmas catalog one year.

Such a great playset, it even came with an escape hatch.






Ertl Star Trek III: The Search For Spock 3 ¾ Action Figures

Even more rare are the Star Trek figures in the 3.75" scale.

This time, from Star Trek III. For some reason Ertl chose to make Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and Klingon Commander Kruge. No other characters were made and this line vanished into obscurity quickly.

It will be interesting to see how the new 3.75" line does, given the current economy.














Ertl Star Trek III Die Cast Ship

Awesome little die-cast Star Trek ships from Star Trek III.

My favorite detail is that the Klingon Bird of Prey has “Star Trek” written across it. This may have been the first toy ever made of the USS Excelsior.

Ahhh, I still love the scene where the sabotaged Excelsior stalls out in space-dock.

I may go re-enact that scene with these fine toys right now…




Okay, we’ve toured through some classic Trek toys, both common and uncommon. Let's set a course for something truly strange…

Star Trek Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Playmates

These have to be some of the weirdest Star Trek toys out there.

I’m not sure what parallel universe these phaser-toting heroes in a half shell are from, but they are for real.

No Joke.

From Playmates, the company behind the original TMNT figures and the Star Trek: The Next Generation, and other Star Trek figures.



















Shouldn't it be "Leonardo McCoy"?














Orbital Skydive Classic Kirk from Generations by Playmates

Before Kirk, Sulu, and what may be the first Red Shirt to really bite it hard on an away mission thrilled us in this summer's fantastic film, The OG Kirk, Mr. William Shatner did an orbital skydive in a cut scene from "Star Trek: Generations".

Almost everything about this movie insulted my positronic brain… or intelligence if you will.

But I can’t help but marvel at the idea of the orbital skydive, and it’s interesting to me that a figure made it out from a scene that was never included in the movie.









Playmates Assault Phaser

Playmates Star Trek role play toys, can’t be beat!

From the classic communicator to the new shiny phaser from the new movie, these toys are super fun with lights and sounds, and playable durability. One of my favorites, and a toy that fetches a hefty collectors price at the moment is this awesome Assault Phaser from the Star Trek films.






Galoob Star Trek TNG figures


Speaking of Generations, how about these awesome 3.75" Star Trek: The Next Generation figures?

A great time capsule of the show in its first season, these figures unfortunately failed miserably. The decision to sculpt phasers into their hands instead of including them as accessories probably didn’t help.

But still, there is something about these figures I really enjoy. The folks at toymania.com somehow got this fantastic image of the Wesley Crusher figure that never made it out into stores.























In toy history, if anyone owns bragging rights on the Star Trek line, it’s Playmates.

Their Star Trek, Next Generation, DS9, and Voyager figures from the 90s are some of the best made.

Recently Art Asylum has come close, with fantastic sculpts, but figures that are fragile. My Art Asylum Enterprise figures are already falling apart… Oh, remember Enterprise?

It was a TV show about the early days of Trek. A show I have a feeling just got photon torpedoed out of continuity history. But, like a yellow command shirt clad fan at a convention, I digress…

Lets get back to some of the awesome and unusual toys Playmates covered in their long line of Star Trek figures.

Playmates All Good Things Figures

Playmates All Good Things Figures

Nothing better than a bearded, old, and perhaps slightly crazed Picard.

The Bridge crew from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale "All Good Things".









Playmates Transwarping Enterprise

Also from All Good Things was this very clever “Transwarping” Enterprise D.

It transformed from its regular version to the bad-ass future version as depicted in the series finale.

It was like a Transformer for Star Trek fans.






Geordi and an alien

An infected Geordi turned into a Tarchanen III alien.

Playmates made the figure.









Riker as an Alien

Riker stealthily concealed himself as an alien.

Playmates made the figure.










As we "Boldly Go" into a new Star Trek future, with what I’m sure will be a galaxy of new collectibles, I urge every Vulcan, Romulan, and Andorian I know to keep an eye out for the unusual.

For the fun.

Often it’s not the toys that we’re told will be collectible that are.

For instance, this rare Enterprise D toy didn’t cost much when I got it, as a matter of fact it was free in a box of Cheereos.

At the time that may seem kind of dorky… but now, twenty years later, it is awesome to have.

And you don’t need a time machine to get in on odd collectibles like this.



For the current film Kelloggs has light-up Star Trek Badges free in their cereal.

Doesn’t that make you feel like a kid again?

Another modern Star Trek collectible you may not know of are these fantastic Hot Wheels…

That’s right, Hot Wheels Die Cast Metal Star Trek ships.


These toys are gorgeous, affordable, and so classy you can probably get away with putting them on your desk at work.







And twenty years from now it will be not only a Star Trek collectible, but a Hot Wheels collectible as well.

The Best of Both Worlds.

Ha ha, get it?!

Two great sites I came across in my search, that I highly suggest you continue your five year mission on.
Nostalgia Factory Blog
The Log Book.com

Okay, anyway, Live Long and Prosper everyone!