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Captain Kirk & Yeoman Rand Minimates

April 29, 2011 | By Engineernerd More

The rest of the Mininmates I’ve reviewed here have been of the Marvel variety, so some Star Trek ones should be a nice change of pace. This Minimate set is Captain Kirk and Yeoman Rand from “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Ironically, IMDB doesn’t list Grace Lee Whitney in Tribbles. She was only in 8 episodes, so you can’t just assume she was there.

Captain Kirk

If the set had included some Tribbles, I could see this being named for the episode. Essentially, this is James T. Kirk in his “causal” green wrap around shirt. You know the one nobody else ever had one like. Apparently, starship Captains can design their own clothes.

Where I’m used to see in superhero characters in stylized ways, I ‘m not quite as used to it with live action shows like Trek. I have to say it amps up the cute factor.

Starting at the top, I have to say the head and hair are darn near perfect. They nailed the devilish grin of Kirk’s. He looks like he’s ready to chat up a green girl or break the Prime Directive. The hair has that TOS swoop in the front and some sideburns coming down by the ears.

The paint on the body is minimal, but enough that it is easily recognizable as to what outfit this is. The braids on the wrists are well done. Two areas of paint that really help sell this are the continuation of the flesh tone up to the peg of his neck. This really gives him an open shirt look for a block figure. The second is the small green triangle on the front of the waist piece. Not only is it screen accurate, it really sets this figure as that particular shirt.

Okay, there is one thing I’m not sold on this figure. The flare pieces at the bottom of the legs. Yeah, I know it was the 60’s. But these seem just too abrupt and too big.

Yeoman Rand:

Okay, she wasn’t in the Tribbles episode. However, Yeoman Rand was always seen as a potential love interest for Kirk. To my knowledge that never happened.

She’s sporting that timeless minidress that is appropriate for space exploration. Okay, maybe not, but it was the 60’s.

This is one of the female figures that I don’t quite get a sense of her, ahem, curves. The paint doesn’t really help here. This torso could just be any red shirt.

The skirt has its’ own issues. It is fairly blocky in appearance. I also think it is a tad too long. Maybe I’m wrong there or maybe it’s the log flat image that the torso and skirt make together.

While Rand doesn’t have the cuffs, the paint line of the boots on her legs looks like something I could have painted The line is not crisp at all. They come off looking more like socks than tall black go-go boots.

One of the coolest features of this figure also has a slight issue. The beehive hair. Yes, this is how her hair looked. I even like the color they used. The sculpt is pretty intricate as well. However, it makes her too tall. Because these figures share bodies and limbs her hair towers over Kirk.

Accessories:

Most of the Marvel sets I have reviewed have been a bit sparse on the accessory side. That was really different for this set. With five different items, you can definitely outfit these two as a mini away team.

There are three of what I would deem Kirk accessories. The first is the classic Trek phaser. This is a nifty little item. I love the fact they went the extra distance to add a little silver paint. While stylized, this item wouldn’t look too out of place in a 3 3/4″ figure hand.

The second item could also pass for a larger figure accessory, his communicator. The handy com device has a flipped open lid and fits perfectly in his little hand. Again, the paint here is a great touch.

The next item, I’m really not sure about. It’s a Phaser Rifle. Kirk used one in the second pilot for the show. And then I think they disappeared. The tech just doesn’t match the style of the rest of the show. Nice piece, though.

Janice has two accessories, the first being a tricorder. I don’t remember her using one, but it’s still cool to get the classic version. The lid is sculpted open and the paint really makes this item recognizable. She shoulder strap is done in a blocky style and is made to cross a figures torso at an angle. A word of warning the pegs that fit in the tricorder are small and very loose fitting. This could be an item that is easily lost to a carpet or couch.

The final item is one that the good Yeoman wouldn’t be right without, an electronic clipboard. This precursor to today’s iPad always seemed like it needed Kirks signature. A cool signature piece, done well for the style and scale. Some graphics would have been nice, but I’m not sure they would be screen accurate.

Overall:

I have to say I’m kind of getting addicted to Minimates. Even the ones that I have issues with are style cool enough in their stylized way that I’m willing to forgive a lot. Give me a ton of accessories, with two cool Star Trek TOS figures, and well, I’m happy as a nerd can be.