Toy Review: Art Asylum Star Trek 3-Pack

With all the attention classic Trek is getting with the release of the new movie, I decided to beef-up my Star Trek display with figures from the Original Series. The only figures I really want are Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, so it was great when I browsed eBay and discovered that they were available in this convenient 3-pack from 2003.


I'm not sure about the story behind this 3-pack. The figures come in a white case, which makes me think that it was probably either a mailaway or an exclusive.

Stats:
Company: Art Asylum
Size: 8"
Price: $15 (eBay)
Packaging: Boxed

Looks: Kirk - ; Spock - ; McCoy -
This Kirk figure gets some flak from fans who say that the sculpt doesn't capture the likeness of Shatner. At first I agreed, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. From certain angles (especially the profile) it looks like they really nailed the likeness. He's still missing a little something to make him perfect, but overall it's a great sculpt. The rest of Kirk's body is also sculpted well. The paint apps are sharp for the most part, but the painted lines on the tunic are a bit sloppy.

Kirk levels his phaser at a sludge alien!

As a side note, this is the green-tunic costume design. I'm not sure about the significance of the green shirt. It's definitely not his dress uniform... I assume it's just another costume style to spice up the character, like Picard's jacket.

My god, man! An amoeba-like alien has attached itself to Spock's back!

Spock has a fantastic sculpt and a great likeness. The paint is applied well (right down to his "eye shadow"), and his body proportions are spot-on. No complaints here.

McCoy discovers an alien macro-virus!

McCoy also has a great sculpt and paint apps, but his ankles are really skinny. While that aspect is accurate to the show, it makes the figure look weird because the feet seem too large in comparison.

Articulation:
They all have the same articulation: ball socket neck, ball hinge shoulders, swivel upper-arms, hinge elbows, swivel wrists, swivel waist, swivel hips, swivel thighs, hinge knees, and hinge ankles. The only real problem is that the shirts are made of a rubbery plastic, similar to the new Playmates Star Trek figures. Visually it works well, but the rubber restricts neck and waist movement.

Accessories:
Each figure comes with an appropriate accessory: Kirk has his phaser, McCoy has a medical tricorder, and Spock has a science tricorder. The tricorders are identical (as they are on the show, according to the Star Fleet Technical Manual) and have a flexible rubber strap. The accessories look great and do their jobs, but I certainly would have preferred more.

Value:
Three Art Asylum Star Trek figures for $15? Considering you can buy these today at stores like TRU and FYE for $12-17 each, that price is a steal. If you're looking to pick up some classic figures, you might want to check out eBay first.

Coolness:
Finally, Star Trek is cool again! And with the colorful costumes of the classic show, these figures really stand out on display. They also look great on the shelf next to the classic movie figures (but they are not to-scale with the Next Generation figures).

Overall:
With colorful costumes, great likenesses, and cool accessories, these figures are simply awesome. I would have liked more accessories and more freedom of movement, but considering how inexpensive this 3-pack is on eBay, it's difficult to complain too much. These Art Asylum figures show the absolutely ineptitude of the new Playmates Star Trek line. After seeing how awesome classic Star Trek figures can be, I feel like throwing those Playmates figures in the garbage where they belong.