Someone Has Finally Made A Star Trek Toy For Kids, And It’s Great
Playmates new Classic Star Trek Enterprise is the first decent ship replica anyone has made, in a long time, with kids in mind.
Star Trek is one of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world, so you’d think they’d have one of the biggest and most lucrative toy lines in the world. Sadly, that has rarely been the case.
The history of attempts to make actual decent Star Trek toys is littered with failures and, even when they do get a toy right, often it ends up being so badly marketed no one knows about it. In the modern era there’s been almost no effort at all to make toy ships that kids can actually play with. That changes here and now, with the new Playmates line of Star Trek ships and toys.
I was sent a box full of Playmates’ best new Star Trek offerings. The most important one is their Classic Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. The box proudly proclaims it’s “The Constitution-class Vessel from the Classic Star Trek TV Show!”.
While that’s a good description it leaves off one key detail which makes this particular Enterprise model special: It’s specifically made for kids.
Detailed Unboxing & Review
Of Playmates Enterprise On TELL ME BEST
Star Trek toys are a disaster but collectibles have picked up steam in recent years. There are plenty of options out there if you want realistic looking, collectible Star Trek starships. There’s one problem with every one of those offerings though: They’re all breakable. Like, really breakable.
So if you’re a dad who watches Star Trek with your son, and wants to get him a cool Star Trek toy for Christmas, you’ve been totally out of luck. Those Eagle Moss models are too breakable to actually play with. The Diamond Select ones make cool sounds, but if you wiggle their nacelle while pretending to be in a battle, there’s a good chance you’ll snap a pylon.
Every cool Star Trek ship replica you see for sale anywhere on the internet is designed to be looked at and not touched. Give one to your kid, and it’ll be broken in five minutes.
Believe me, I’ve tried it.
Enter Playmates with their new line of Star Trek toys. And let’s be clear: They are toys. They are designed to actually be played with and they are tough enough to withstand a little bit of zooming around a bedroom in a mock battle with a Klingon Bird of Prey (we need one of those next Playmates).
So if you’re looking into buying a Playmates ship as a collector with a space on your shelf, you’re doing it all wrong. There are plenty of other options for you, but this is literally the only option for your kid.
It’s a great option. Unlike other attempts at kid-friendly Star Trek toys, this one actually looks exactly like the classic Enterprise. Ok, it’s not a perfect 1:1 recreation of the original studio model, but that’s on purpose and NOT out of laziness.
The ship is made out of hard, durable plastic. Even the parts that, if you were trying to do a faithful recreation, shouldn’t be made out of durable plastic. That means the deflector dish, while not as shiny as you might like, is strong enough not to fall off the first time a kid touches it for closer examination.
Even the stand the ship can sit on, seems pretty durable. It’s posable too, which makes you can configure your ship in all sorts of fun battle positions. Delivering a high quality ship stand is a magical feat of its own. Even those high-end shelf-replicas never seem to get that right. It’s about time someone did.
Playmates new Enterprise isn’t just sturdy and good looking, it’s also fun. It lights up and has sound FX from the show. The lights aren’t exact replicas but they’re good enough to let kids imagine they’re flying the Enterprise through space at high warp. And that, not pleasing some collector, is what this toy is all about.
With Christmas coming it’s the perfect time to start watching classic Star Trek with your kids. When the first episode is over, give them this as a Christmas gift. It’s a toy, not a collectible. It’s the first good looking Star Trek starship replica that can actually be played with by kids.
Playmates Classic Star Trek Enterprise is now on sale for less than $60 here. Make sure you put one under your Christmas tree.
