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Top Ten – Star Trek 9″ Figures By Playmates

TOP TEN STAR TREK 9 INCH FIGURES BY PLAYMATES

The Toy Collectors Guide continues our new monthly feature that highlights various toy lines with a emphasis on a top ten, because honestly, who doesn’t love a good top ten list!

This month, we put the spotlight on the Playmates Star Trek line with the TOP TEN STAR TREK 9″ FIGURES BY PLAYMATES. There have been plenty of Star Trek figures produced over the years, but Playmates really nailed it during their run from the 1990’s. Of all the amazing looking figures they released, their run of 9 Inch figures sits atop my list as some of their finest work. This list puts the spotlight on those amazing sculpts and costumes from Playmate’s line of 9 Inch figures from the 1990’s.

Top Ten lists are usually subjective by the author, and that is absolutely the case here as well. These lists are meant to inspire conversation and debate, so please feel free to leave a comment with who would make your list. Without further ado, here is September’s Top Ten list. We hope you enjoy!

Top Ten – Star Trek 9″ Figures By Playmates

Number 10

Lt. Marlene Moreau & Security Chief Sulu (Mirror Mirror)
KB Toys Exclusive

Released in 1999

One of my favorite original series episodes of all time was the classic “Mirror, Mirror”, where Captain Kirk and Crew are swapped with evil counterparts from a parallel universe. Kirk, Spock & Uhura are talked about a little later, but these two wonderfully done figures start off my list. They were exclusives to KB Toys in 1999 and I have to say the Lt. Marlena Moreau figure is probably one of the more sexier figure from Playmates in in her Mirror uniform, and of course Mirror Sulu is pretty awesome too!

Number 9

The Doctor: Emergency Medical Hologram
(Target Exclusive)

Released in 1998

The Doctor (Robert Picardo) is an artificial intelligence holographic projection aboard the Voyager. He’s designed to act as short-term medical in case of emergency situations, but when Voyager is stranded on the far side of the galaxy with no surviving medical personnel, he has to act as the ship’s chief medical officer. The sculpt on this figure is stunning, and I love the character. For that alone, he makes my list.

Number 8

Nurse Christine Chapel
Target Exclusive

Released in 1999

Where would Dr. McCoy be without his loyal number one nurse aboard the Enterprise. Portrayed by Majel Barrett, Chapel appeared in all three Original Series seasons. The sculpt of this figure is pretty darn good, if I don’t say so myself and I love the original female science outfit. Nurse Chapel was only available at Target retail stores in 1999.

Number 7

Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu & Ensign Pavel Chekov

Released in 1997

Whenever the Original Series is talked about, it’s usually about Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty or Uhura, but I’m showing some love for the guys who REALLY drive the Enterprise, Sulu (George Takei) and Chekov (Walter Koenig). These were fantastic likenesses of both characters and must haves for fans of the Original Series.

Number 6

Borg Drone

Released in 1995

The Borg are cyborgs, linked into a hive mind called “The Collective.” They add knowledge from other species to the Collective through the process of “assimilation”, forcibly transforming individuals into “drones” with surgically augmented cybernetic components. This figure is a beautifully detailed version of a Borg Drone, complete with all his Next Generation accessories and amazing costuming.

Number 5

Captain James T. Kirk & Mister Spock ( Piece of the Action)
(KB Toys Exclusive)

Released in 1996

These versions of Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock feature them as they appeared in the classic Original Series episode “A Piece of the Action”, where the Enterprise visits a planet with a 1920’s theme. These figures have some really great sculpts and costumes and were only available at KB toys. They were limited to a 5,000 production run each.

Number 4

Seven of Nine

Released in 1998

Released in 1999

Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was, in my humble opinion, the best thing about Voyager. She is a former Borg drone who joins the crew of the USS Voyager. Playmates gave us two different versions of Seven of Nine with the standard Silver Outfit version in 1998 and then a Brown Outfit version in 1999 which was an exclusive to Target retail stores.

Number 3

Captain Benjamin Sisko (Trials and Tribble-ations)

Released in 1998

This version of Captain Benjamin Sisko features him as he appeared in the Deep Space Nine episode, “Trials and Tribble-ations”. In this episode, Captain Sisko and the Defiant crew are taken back to the events of the Original Series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles”, and must work to prevent the assassination of Captain Kirk. How cool is it to see Sisko in an Original Series uniform!

Number 2

Lieutenant Uhura, Captain James Kirk & Mr. Spock (Mirror, Mirror)
KB Toys Exclusive

Released in 1998

I know, I know….I already have two “Mirror, Mirror” figures earlier on the list at number 10 (Lt. Marlene Moreau & Security Chief Sulu). I did mention before that one of my favorite episodes of all time was the classic “Mirror, Mirror” episode from the Original Series, and this trio of figures was released in a different year. These KB Toys exclusives were released in 1998, and featured Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Lt. Uhura in their parallel universe uniforms. These three figures were beautifully done with fantastic sculpts and a lot of attention to detail.

Number 1

Lt. Commander Data (Sherlock Holmes) & Lt. Geordi LaForge (John Watson)
(Target Exclusive)

Released in 1999

And now for the big NUMBER ONE Star Trek 9″ Figure By Playmates….Lt. Commander Data & Lt. Geordi LaForge as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson from the classic Next Generation episode, Elementary Dear Data. These amazing figures were only available at Target retail stores in 1999. The costumes on these guys are incredibly spot on with their classic Sherlock Holmes threads. The Next Generation crew had lots of opportunities to appear in different costumes and alter-ego’s, but big kudos to Playmates for making these two fan favorites into action figure reality.

HONORABLE MENTION

Here are a few more amazing 9″ Figures that just missed the cut:

Captain Christopher Pike – 1996
Captain Christopher Pike commanded the Enterprise prior to Kirk, and comes as he appeared in the Original Series pilot episode “The Cage”. It’s a great looking old school version of Captain Pike.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (21st Century Attire) – 1996 (First Contact)
There were several version of Captain Jean-Luc Picard made in the 9″ format, but my personal favorite is the one that features him with 21st Century attire from Star Trek: First Contact.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard McCoy – 1996
You just can’t tell the story of Star Trek without Doctor Leonard McCoy. This is the classic version of McCoy and he comes with an Action Base, Communicator, Tricorder, and Test Tubes.

Romulan Commander – 1997
This version of the Romulan Commander features him as he appeared in The Next Generation. I love the head sculpt and costuming on this figure and he comes with his Romulan Disruptor, Rifle & PADD.

Captain James T. Kirk & Mr. Spock (City on the Edge Of Forever) – KB Toys 1997
You can never have too many Kirk & Spock combo’s in a Top Ten list. Here they are, featured as they appeared in the classic episode, City on the Edge of Forever. They were only available at KB Toys.

Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax – 1998
This version of Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax features her as she appeared in the classic Deep Space Nine episode, Trials and Tribble-ations, when they are taken back in time to the events of the Original Series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles.

We hope you enjoyed this month’s TOP TEN LIST! Be sure to check out our other Top Ten Lists from past months, Thanks.

TOP TEN LIST – ARCHIVE PAGE

Since our Top Ten section has grown, we have gathered older Top Ten Posts on this ARCHIVE PAGE for quick and easy viewing.

The Toy Collectors Guide continues our new monthly feature that highlight various toy lines with a emphasis on a top ten, because honestly, who doesn’t love a good top ten list!

Top Ten –
Masters of the Universe Action Figure Accessories

Top Ten –
Star Wars Expanded Universe Figures

Top Ten –
Most Valuable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Figures

Be sure to check out our other Top Ten articles from past months!

Top Ten – G1 Transformers Groups/Teams
Top Ten – Ghost/Monster Figures From Kenner’s Real Ghostbusters Line
Top Ten – Masters of the Universe Action Figure Accessories
Top Ten – Worst GI Joe Codenames
Top Ten – Star Wars Expanded Universe Figures
Top Ten – Most Valuable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Figures

TOP TEN LIST

Top Ten – G1 Transformers Groups/Teams

TOP TEN TRANSFORMERS GROUP/TEAMS FROM HASBRO’S G1 LINE

The Toy Collectors Guide continues our new monthly feature that highlights various toy lines with a emphasis on a top ten, because honestly, who doesn’t love a good top ten list!

This month, we put the spotlight on the Transformers line with the TOP TEN TRANSFORMERS GROUP/TEAMS FROM HASBRO’S G1 LINE. Hasbro created some pretty memorable and iconic characters for their G1 Transformers action figure line, and many belonged to specific groups or teams that were separate from the standard Autobots or Decepticons. This list puts the spotlight on those amazing and creative groups and teams from Hasbro’s 1980’s G1 line.

Top Ten – Transformers Groups/Teams From Hasbro’s G1 Line

Number 10

TECHNOBOTS
(Afterburner, Lightspeed, Nosecone, Strafe, Scattershot)

Afterburner

Lightspeed

Nosecone

Released in 1987

The Technobots were a group of Autobots that are able to transform into various futuristic vehicles. They included Afterburner, Lightspeed, Nosecone, Strafe and their leader Scattershot. They came together to form Computron! Fun Fact: On the sitcom “The Office”, the team pretended to have an AI assistant named Computron to impress a banker looking for discrepancies. The episode was hilarious, but more importantly thrust the Technobots onto my Top Ten list!

Number 9

SEACONS
(Nautilator, Overbite, Seawing, Skalor, Snap Trap, Tentakil)

Nautilator

Skalor

Tentakil

Released in 1988

The Seacons are a team of Decepticons made up of: Nautilator, Overbite, Seawing, Skalor, Tentakil and their leader Snap Trap. They transform into sea creatures and merge together to form the mighty Piranacon, one of the harder to find Transformer Gift Set Multipacks.

Number 8

PROTECTOBOTS
(Hot Spot, Blades, First Aid, Streetwise, Groove)

Blades

First Aid

Streetwise

Released in 1986

The Protectobots were a group of Autobots that are able to transform into various first responder vehicles. Included in the group are Blades, First Aid, Streetwise, Groove and their leader Hot Spot. They can combine to form the valiant Defensor.

Number 7

INSECTICONS – Series 1
(Shrapnel, Kickback, Bombshell)

Bombshell

Kickback

Shrapnel

Released in 1985

The Insecticons are a trio of Decepticons who transform into insect-like forms, often causing chaos and confusion. The Series One team is comprised of Bombshell, Kickback and Shrapnel. A second series of Insecticons were also released with Barrage, Chop Shop, Ransack and Venom. The coolest thing about these guys is they turn into awesome looking bugs, such as a Grasshopper, Stag Beetle or Rhinoceros Beetle.

Number 6

COMBATICONS
(Onslaught, Brawl, Vortex, Blast Off, Swindle)

Blast Off

Brawl

Vortex

Released in 1986

The Combaticons were a group of Decepticons that transform into various military and fighting vehicles. They are made up of Blast Off, Brawl, Swindle, Vortex and their leader Onslaught. They can combine into the powerful Bruticus, forming a menacing presence on the battlefield.

Number 5

MONSTERBOTS
(Doublecross, Grotusque, Repugnus)

Doublecross

Grotusque

Repugnus

Released in 1987

The Monsterbots were a small group of Autobots that fought for the side of good, but just had that monster kind of look about them. They even had monster sounding names, such as Doublecross, Grotusque and Repugnus.

Number 4

AERIALBOTS
(Silverbolt, Air Raid, Fireflight, Skydive, Slingshot)

Air Raid

Fireflight

Slingshot

Released in 1986

The Aerialbots were another fantastic team released in 1987, made up of Air Raid, Fireflight, Skydive, Slingshot and their leader Silverbolt. They specialized in aerial combat, and could combine to form the mighty Superion.

Number 3

CONSTRUCTICONS
(Scrapper, Hook, Long Haul, Bonecrusher, Mixmaster, Scavenger)

Scrapper

Bonecrusher

Scavenger

Released in 1985

What kid doesn’t love Kids construction vehicles, and Hasbro knew that too, so they gave us the Constructicons. The group of Decepticons was made up of: Scrapper, Hook, Long Haul, Bonecrusher, Mixmaster and Scavenger. They were builders and engineers who can combine to form the massive Devastator, a formidable force on the battlefield.

Number 2

PREDACONS
(Razorclaw, Divebomb, Headstrong, Tantrum, Rampage)

Razorclaw

Divebomb

Rampage

Released in 1986

The Predacons were made up of Razorclaw, Divebomb, Headstrong, Tantrum and Rampage. They are a team of Decepticons that transformed into powerful and savage animals, and eventually merge to create the mighty Predaking, the largest of the combined Transformers.

Number 1

DINOBOTS
(Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, Swoop)

Grimlock

Snarl

Swoop

Released in 1985

And now for the big NUMBER ONE Team or Group from Hasbro’s G1 Transformers line….THE DINOBOTS!!! Did you really expect anyone else? This team of awesome Autobots transforms into robotic dinosaurs, and that’s just incredibly cool! The team was made up on Snarl, Slag, Sludge, Swoop and of course, their leader, Grimlock. These guys were known for their independent and rebellious nature, and exceled in fighting. The Dinobots were also beautifully designed and fun to play with. When you put all of this together, you get the coolest group of Transformers that Hasbro ever put on store shelves!

HONORABLE MENTION

Here are a few more awesome Groups or Teams that just missed the cut:

Stunticons (Breakdown, Dead End, Drag Strip, Wildrider, Motormaster) – 1986
The Stunticons are a group of five rather rebellious Decepticons that transform into high-speed vehicles with fast sounding names. They merge together to create the mighty Menasor.

Terrorcons (Blot, Cutthroat, Hun-Gurrr, Rippersnapper, Sinnertwin) – 1987
The Terrorcons were a group of Decepticons that transformed into various robotic monsters. They also came together to form the formidable Abdominus, which is just ominous sounding.

Triggerbots/Triggercons (Backstreet, Crankcase, Dogfight, Override, Ruckus, Windsweeper) – 1988 The Triggerbots and Triggercons are a group of Autobots and Decepticons that house concealed heavy duty weapons that can flip out whenever needed.

Triple Changers (Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Broadside, Octane, Sandstorm, Springer) – 1985/1986
These guys don’t necessarily fall into the traditional sense of a themed team, but they still make honorable mention because they were just plain awesome!

We hope you enjoyed this month’s TOP TEN LIST! Be sure to check out our other Top Ten Lists from past months, Thanks.

Top Ten – Ghost/Monster Figures From Kenner’s Real Ghostbusters Line

TOP TEN GHOST/MONSTER FIGURES FROM KENNER’S REAL GHOSTBUSTERS LINE

The Toy Collectors Guide continues our new monthly feature that highlights various toy lines with a emphasis on a top ten, because honestly, who doesn’t love a good top ten list!

This month, we put the spotlight on the Real Ghostbusters line with the TOP TEN GHOST/MONSTER FIGURES FROM KENNER’S REAL GHOSTBUSTERS LINE. Kenner created some pretty memorable and iconic characters for their Real Ghostbusters action figure line, but they also created some equally memorable GHOSTS to to get busted by our heroes. This list puts the spotlight on those fun ghosts and monsters that gave our Ghostbusters action figures someone to battle.

Top Ten – Ghost/Monster Figures From Kenner’s Real Ghostbusters Line

Number 10

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Released in 1986

As iconic as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is, I hated that his figure was essentially the same size of the other figures in the line (7″ actually). Seriously Kenner? That being said, what would a Ghost top ten list be without him! A slightly taller Marshmallow Man would’ve been awesome, but this was still a great figure for the line………but again, shame on you Kenner!

Number 9

Tombstone Tackle Ghost

Released in 1988

Tombstone Tackle Ghost is part of the Haunted Humans line. Watch as a plain old simple Football player changes into Tombstone Tackle. With his vicious looking jaw, pigskin tongue motion and rotating eyes, the Tombstone Tackle Ghost was ready put anyone out of the game!

Number 8

Gobblin’ Goblins

Released in 1990

The Trio of Gobblin’ Goblins included Nasty Neck, Terrible Teeth and Terror Tongue (love those names). Each had a fun action feature that allowed it to make life difficult for our favorite ghost busting heroes, such as pushing on Terrible Teeth’s tail allows his mouth to open and gobble up nearby Ghostbusters.

Number 7

Frankenstein Monster

Released in 1989

Frankenstein is one of the Monster series figures. When you squeeze his knees together, his arms raise up and his mouth opens wide. The reason he makes my list is because of his awesome look. I know Kenner was trying to make the monsters cartoony looking, but Frankenstein still looks creepy when his mouth is open and arms outright in front of him.

Number 6

Proton Pack Green Ghost (Slimer)

Released in 1989

This new version of the Green Ghost, AKA Slimer, now came with a fright feature action that allowed Slimer to look scared in a cartoony kind of way. His eyes bugged out and jaw dropped when activated. Also, this version of Slimer now comes with his own Proton Pack and Ghost Zapper!

Number 5

X-Cop Ghost

Released in 1988

X-Cop Ghost is part of the Haunted Humans line from 1988. Watch as a simple friendly motorcycle cop changes into X-Cop, with a fully exposed skeleton. This was actually a pretty cool effect and worked really well when in ghost mode.

Number 4

Bug Eye

Released in 1987

The Bug-Eye Ghost was another action ghost released in 1987. His action feature was that his cyclops eye would shoot out of the socket when you squeeze him. This thing actually had pretty nice distance and made for a SUPER fun effect by shooting an eye ball at your friends and family!

Number 3

Fearsome Flush

Released in 1989

For all the kids who really wanted a toilet action figure……..Finally!! The Fearsome Flush was one of the action feature ghosts released in 1989. His action feature was that his lid would raise up and down when pushed along the floor, revealing the fearsome ghost inside. When you looked at this thing from above, it’s actually kind of gross, in that gas station bathroom sort of way.

Number 2

Gooper Ghosts (3)

Released in 1987

The Banshee Bomber, Sludge Bucket and Squisher made up the three Gooper Ghosts. They each came with a jar of slime that would be poured into the provided bucket, that would ultimately be used to slime our favorite ghost busing heroes. Anything thing that involves slime is automatically elevated on my list!

Number 1

Green Ghost (Slimer)

Released in 1986

And now for the big NUMBER ONE Ghost or Monster from Kenner’s Real Ghostbusters line….Slimer!!! Come on, did you really expect anyone else? Aside from the Ghostbusters themselves, Slimer is among the most iconic characters from the Ghostbusters movie or animated series. Slimer was actually called by his proper name, Green Ghost. Of course, once the animated series popularized the Slimer name, it just stuck. Slimer comes with cool food props to re-create his famous sliming scenes. I know I already had another Slimer on this list, but he’s so cool that it just warranted two spots.

HONORABLE MENTION

Here are a few more super fun Ghosts and Monsters that just missed the cut:

Bad To The Bone (1987): The Bad to the Bone Ghost was one of the action ghosts released in 1987. His ribs opened & closed, along with bugged-out eyes and a dropping jaw when activated.
Granny Gross Ghost (1988): Granny Gross Ghost is part of the Haunted Humans line. Watch as sweet little granny changes into Granny Gross with her jaw & tongue action and googling third eye.
Wolfman Monster (1989): The Wolfman was another Monster series figure. When you squeezed his knees together, his head rears back, his jaw closes and his arms spread open. Great action features!
Green Ghost (Gooper Ghost) (1988): The Green Ghost (AKA Slimer) was another Gooper Ghost that could slime other figures, with a jar of slime that was poured into the character’s bucket.

We hope you enjoyed this month’s TOP TEN LIST! Be sure to check out our other Top Ten Lists from past months, Thanks.