Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Collectible of the Week: Starship Enterprise Glider (Playmates; 1993)






Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered twenty-five years ago this week and tomorrow I’ll be celebrating TNG's anniversary with episode reviews and other posts. 

But to kick us off a little early today, I thought I would feature a collectible from the heyday of the series.

It’s a weird, but cool one, to be certain.  

It’s Playmates’ “Starship Enterprise Glider” from 1993, a “Detailed Flying Replica of the Federation’s Flagship.”   This particular toy is intended for kids four and up and the box is careful to note that “Some Consumer [is] Assembly Required.”

Basically, the toy consists of four large hunks of white Styrofoam.  The first is the NCC - 1701-D saucer section, replete with a heavy plastic fin on the underside, placed there to enhance aerodynamic flight, I suppose.  The other pieces are the two warp engine nacelles, and the engineering hull or “battle section.” 

As the instructions note, you “attach saucer module to battle section with warp engine nacelles as shown.”  Then “holding launch grip, throw forward and release the Enterprise glider.”  You can “watch the vessel blast off into space as it soars up to 40 feet.



I must confess, I really had little interest in this toy until my son came along.  I thought it was kind of weird to have an Enterprise glider -- I’m a sucker for accuracy -- so the Playmates toy remained mint in box from 1993 until last fall. 

But then one Saturday afternoon, Joel and I were left to our own devices for a few hours while my wife, Kathryn raked the front yard.  Well, we cracked open the glider, and put it together.  Joel applied the decals, and we let her rip.

And boy did she fly. 


There is truth in advertising here.  This ship can fly forty feet…easy.  We have a pretty large front yard, and the Enterprise D traversed it with incredible speed and grace.  Joel loved it!  We played with it all day, but then we inadvertently re-created a scene from Star Trek: Generations (1994) when the noble ship crashed on our cement driveway. 

A piece of the Styrofoam saucer chipped off, but the thing still flies.  Every now and then when we get a good, blustery day – and the wind is at our backs – we take the old ship out of mothballs for another spin around the Muir galaxy.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:36 AM

    John it is good to know that your son has taken this Playmates Galaxy class 1701-D out on 'missions' in your yard. I absolutely agree with your "I’m a sucker for accuracy -- so the Playmates toy...". This is why I was disappointed with the Playmates Runabout for the action-figures had the front viewport windows in the wrong place! They should have made it bigger to scale to fit the action-figures thus not having to incorrectly position the windows. The 1976 Mattel Eagle 1 Transporter did it right. I think if Playmates had follwed this example their Runabout would have been as big as the Mattel Eagle.

    SGB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi SGB,

      I agree with you about the Mattel Eagle 1 Transporter. Best toy EVER. I have the DS9 Playmates Runabout and enjoy it, but you're right that it isn't to scale, and that many details are inaccurate. I always felt the Runabout was the "eagle" of the Star Trek universe. Great little ship to tool around in...

      Great comment, my friend.

      best,
      John

      Delete

My Father's Journal: "Apologia"

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