6-inch Mr. Spock looks so much like Leonard Nimoy it's scary
Video: Mark Andrew Boyer
Without the original Star Trek television series, which first aired almost 50 years ago, there would be no “Next Generation,” no “original cast movies,” Next Generation films and certainly no J.J. Abrams reboot. It’s why, for a certain generation, the nostalgia remains and, this year especially, every new franchise product is treated like a precious gift.
Mezco Toyz has a long history of making hyper-realistic figures, especially for celebrities and movie characters, but it had never tackled Star Trek. Fortunately, some at the company, like Mezco Project Manager Pierre Kalenzaga, were already fans. Kalenzaga, 40, told me he remembered watching with his dad the original series in reruns on Channel 11. And so Mezco, with series rights holder CBS Television Distribution’s blessing, set out to make three iconic 50th anniversary figures.
See also: 'Star Trek' will return to TV with a new series in 2017
The process started with the team, including Kalenzaga, poring over reference material and “watching a ton of episodes.”
The result is three, one-twelfth-scale, fully articulated characters: Mr. Spock, Captain Kirk and Mr. Sulu. Each will cost $70 and ship over the course of the next six months. Mr. Spock arrives in May. All three characters were unveiled at Thursday in New York City.
Image: Mashable, Tyler Essary
Standing roughly six-inches tall, the figures are striking for their realism. Kalenzaga told me Mezco hired a master sculptor who spent a month digitally recreating each face using photos as reference. CBS helped by giving the team access to whatever they needed and approving every look.
While the Sulu (who was played by George Takei) and Kirk (who was played by William Shatner) figures look really good, the Mr. Spock one is exceptional. It manages to capture the late Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal of the character incredibly well. Plus, the figure will ship with a second head that recreates Nimoy’s signature single eyebrow raise. There is also a whole collection of hands, including one for the Vulcan salute and another for the Vulcan mind meld.
Image: Mashable, Tyler Essary
Even the bodies look right, though Kalenzaga explained that the figures are all the exact same height. What they did do, though, was design a couple of different body types, one, a slightly stockier, yet still buff, model for Kirk and a lankier, leaner one for Spock.
I asked Kalenzaga if any of the show's original stars had approved their likeness. "All approvals run through CBS, though I would love to imagine George Takei approving his figure personally," he said.
All the characters will ship with tiny communicators that flip open (not easily, but they do) tricorders and phasers (the Star Trek universe hand-held weapon of choice. There’s also a stand for each, though they are all capable of standing on their own.
Image: Mashable, Tyler Essary
Kalenzaga told me that these three Star Trek original series figures may be just the beginning. They’re working on getting the rights to produce figures for Star Trek: The Next Generation next year. Mezco Toyz may even create environments for the figures. “We are doing Trek stuff apart from figures,” Kalenzaga told me, but wouldn't say if they planned to recreate any part of the Enterprise.
Image: Mashable, Tyler Essary
Mezco Toyz One:12 Collective 2016 line actually includes roughly 21 new figures from half a dozen different franchises, including Universal Monsters (the Frankenstein Monster is particularly creepy), Marvel’s Avengers and the DC universe, including excellent renditions of Superman and Batman from the upcoming film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
It’s a great lineup, but few figures will have the emotional impact of Mr. Spock, a 6-inch representation of an iconic figure and gifted actor whom the world lost last year.
