Figure: Scotty

Bio: http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Montgomery_Scott
Wave: DST Mego Reproductions Wave 4
Body style: Standard Mego body w/ fabric clothing

   I mentioned in my last review of The Keeper that I have had some experience with Mego reproductions.  It seems that after Twisted Mego Theatre, a newfound interest in Mego styled figures was found in the toy industry.  Toybiz started a new line called Famous Covers that basically took the doll form used by Mego and updated it with better costumes, accessories and likenesses.  I bought a whole bunch of these and to this day they remain some of my favorite figures.  The best of the bunch I think was Sabertooth, whose costume with added fur was just downright awesome.   In any case, these were my only foray into doll like toys even though I’ve always wanted a real Mego figure.

   Like I said in the previous review, DST partnered with EMCE created a reproduction line of Megos aimed at collectors.  The Scotty figure has the same problem as The Keeper as it pertains to the clamshell and lack of a carded blister for the figure to be displayed in.  I find the clamshell packaging to be too bulky to display especially if you display your figures by hanging them on a wall.  For MOC collectors it would have been infinitely better for the figure to have been able to be taken out of the clamshell and still be on a blister card.  Just my opinion though.  Scotty’s card-back is more like the original version seen below.  The only significant difference is the addition of the new characters that are unique to the DST line.  Even though it is not accurate to the original version, I think in this case as opposed to the Keeper’s case it really adds to the overall presentation.  The other positive change is the spelling correction of “Scottie” to “Scotty.”  It’s something small but does add a lot to the overall presentation.

   Like the Keeper, the back of the card is also a complete departure from the original Mego style.  This portrays reproduction figures in various action poses.  I really do like the addition of the back story and info about Marty Abrams.  With DST already going away from a faithful reproduction of the original card-back, this addition was needed and very welcome!

   Just like the Keeper review I will be tackling this review from two perspectives.  The first way will answer the question “How accurately was this figure reproduced from the original?”  The second way will look how accurate the figure is in relation to the original TV show.  

   Let me first start with the figure in comparison to the actual actor.  The likeness itself I think does not resemble Mr. Scot.  Some say it looks more like the animated version, but I don’t agree with that assessment either.  To me the face is just too thin and needs a little bit more added bone structure to really capture the likeness.  The other major flaw is the use of a silver Starfleet delta on the uniform.  This should obviously be gold and have the engineering designation inside of it.  With DST fixing some of the other figures in this line like the Gorn, I was a little surprised to not see this changed.  I figured it would also be cost effective considering gold also had to be used on the sleeve ranks.  From a reproduction standpoint, the Scotty figure is a very close representation of the original Mego figure.  The head looks to be very similar to the original sculpt (there were two different ones in the original line).  The uniform and boots also are a faithful recreation.  The red of the uniform shirt may be a bit brighter than the original Mego figure but if it is it is welcome because the figure’s color really pops in the midst of other action figures especially in this line.  The gold and silver of the delta and rank stripes also really shine on this figure.  I also like how the leg from the knee to the boot is molded in black plastic.  It’s nice because if the pant leg which doesn’t have any elastic to secure it creeps up a bit, a flesh tone is not seen.  The back of the uniform also closes completely with the single snap unlike the Keeper who was wide open towards the middle of the back.  Overall this is a very nice figure to display and really will add depth to any collection.

   The construction of the figure itself also recreates the original Mego style.  The Scotty figure only has 14 points of articulation using the same methods of connection as the original figure.  This is two less than the Keeper figure because the boots do not have ankle articulation.  Even though thigh articulation or ankle articulation were not present on the original figure, either would have really increased the number of poses that the figure could be placed in.  In the following pics you can see how the basic Mego body has been sculpted.  It seems as if Scotty has been hitting the gym recently due to his larger “guns.”  Also the clothing is a little bit more difficult to remove due to the tighter seems and two piece nature of the uniform.  The figure’s body is very shiny and smooth which does aid a little in this process.

   The last thing I want to look at with this figure are the accessories.  The phaser on the one hand is a very accurate sculpt of the phaser especially for the time period.  On the other hand, the communicator leaves a little to be desired.  I was a little surprised that DST didn’t colorize the accessories because they do such a good job with their main line of figures.  Yes the blue plastic is nostalgic, but here is one place where I would have liked to see a little update occur given DST’s overall talent with making the best accessories of any toy line I’ve seen.

   In conclusion, I like the Scotty figure a lot better than the overall presentation of the Keeper figure.  I think this mainly comes from the card insert looking a lot more like the original Mego card.  The clamshell is still an issue and I think DST could have done a few updates with the delta and colorization of the accessories.  Overall though I would highly recommend this figure because it just looks really nice in any display.

Positives:

Faithful recreation of the Mego style

Figure seems durable

Accurate recreation of the clothing and likeness to the original Mego

Negatives:

Clamshell hard to open without damaging

Construction of clamshell/insert does not allow for display of figure on a card/blister

Accessories could have been colorized to be updated

Likeness a bit off from TV show (but accurate to the repro feel)

Four of out five pips.

As Always

The author wishes to thank the Mego Museum for the wonderful classic photos used above. You can visit the Mego Museum at  Mego Museum

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