Important data
Value: $500 / £449.99
Mannequin quantity: 70548
Variety of items: 150
Dimensions: 39.4 x 18.9 x 13.4 in (100 x 48 x 34 cm)
Beneficial age: 10+
These are the voyages of Area.com’s toy protection. Our persevering with mission, to hunt out new toys and mannequin kits, to boldly go the place nobody has gone earlier than. At this time our mission takes us to one of the hanging and visually imposing toy units we’ve ever constructed – the Playmobil USS Enterprise.
This huge duplicate of Captain James T Kirk’s unique Enterprise is a mix of kid’s playset and Trekkies dream show piece due to the wonderful consideration to element together with a wealth of lights, sounds and detachable elements. We’re not kidding in regards to the measurement both, that is hefty mannequin measuring in at a full meter in size.
In case you’re searching for the most effective Star Trek presents, both for your self or for the Trekkie in your life, then the Playmobil USS Enterprise is definitely the premium selection, each by way of high quality and worth.
Playmobil had been sort sufficient to ship us one in all these behemoths out for overview, so we have gone by the entire construct course of, the ship design, further options, and extra to indicate you precisely what you are getting to your cash. Trekkies, you are in for a deal with with this one.
Playmobil USS Enterprise: Construct
- 150 items
- Straightforward to construct
- A lot of stickers
Regardless of being a completely mammoth package, the Playmobil USS Enterprise solely has 155 items. This isn’t a Lego package the place it’s a must to painstakingly construct a giant gray cylinder out of 600 similar trying items. The principle saucer part is primarily made up of 1 piece, with a removable roof part to offer you entry to the bridge. The remainder of the physique is one other giant piece, after which the dual nacelles are two extra giant items. All of the items clip collectively properly with no points. Some want the connecting pegs to be connected first, and there’s a particular software to assist push the pegs in.
Nearly all of the constructing is available in including particulars to the inside of the ship, together with the banks of computer systems on the bridge and the engineering part in the principle physique. There are additionally plenty of stickers to connect to this package. Like almost 100 of the rattling issues. We’ve had disagreements with stickers earlier than, as a result of they’re at all times a large ache to align correctly and also you usually solely get one likelihood to do it proper, as peeling them off to strive once more inevitably flicks up the nook a bit and ruins the right look.
We will perceive why the stickers are current in fact, it’d be much more costly to have customized printed elements for all the main points, however a lot of the outside of the ship already has printed particulars on it, so we’re unsure why it additionally wanted stickers.
Our vendetta towards stickers apart, the Playmobil USS Enterprise is a surprisingly quick and pleasant construct. We put it collectively in a few hours and had no actual points with troublesome sections. The directions are clearly laid out and clarify which piece goes the place. The items themselves are simply randomly thrown into totally different luggage although – this isn’t as effectively put collectively as a Lego set the place every part of the construct will get its personal numbered bag. We regularly needed to bounce between luggage searching for the items we would have liked, which was a little bit of a ache.
Because the Playmobil USS Enterprise has lights and sounds (oh sure, we’ll get to that) you additionally want to attach just a few wires as you’re constructing. That is quite simple although, there isn’t a soldering or electrical engineering diploma required. You’re simply connecting plugs into sockets actually.
Together with the ship itself, you additionally get a cool show stand that’s formed just like the Starfleet emblem, together with just a few various construct items that permit you to hold the ship out of your ceiling. It is a welcome addition for a mannequin package that’s almost three ft lengthy – most individuals will wrestle to seek out house to retailer and show it, so supplying you with a strategy to put it the place it belongs – within the sky – is a pleasant contact.
You additionally get little Playmobil variations of the crew. Kirk, Spock, Uhuru, Scotty, Bones, Sulu, and Chekov are all right here, armed with phasers and tricorders, together with six cute little tribbles.
Playmobil USS Enterprise: Design
- It’s enormous
- Lights and sounds are nice
- App is cool, however most likely one thing you’ll barely use
There is no such thing as a denying that the Playmobil USS Enterprise has presence – simply take a look at the scale of this factor. An absolute unit, as the children would say. Measuring in at 39.4 x 18.9 x 13.4 in (100 x 48 x 34 cm), you’re going to want someplace fairly spacious to show this factor. The images we took are on our work desk, and it takes up virtually the whole factor so that you’re not simply going to have the ability to slot in onto a bookshelf.
It’s an extremely trustworthy recreation of the unique Enterprise too – the NCC 1701. No bloody A – B – C – or D, as Scotty would say. The ship’s registration is emblazoned proudly on the highest of the saucer part, and all the opposite little markings and particulars that you simply’d count on are current on the hull, both as printed particulars or stickers.
All that wiring it’s a must to do is definitely worth the hassle too, as a result of the Enterprise has a great deal of lights and sound results so that you can take pleasure in. The warp nacelles mild up and the gathering of multicoloured LEDs that sits behind the orange translucent entrance does an excellent job of replicating the look of the unique sequence’ Enterprise engines. The highest and backside of the saucer part additionally mild up with white LEDs (the highest will get its illumination from the lights within the bridge).
Alongside the sunshine present, you additionally get some sound recordsdata which play once you press sure buttons. Urgent the start-up button within the engineering part will play a voice line from Kirk, earlier than looping a bunch of ambient sounds from the bridge of the ship. You may as well press three totally different buttons on Kirk’s command console to play sounds for going to warp, crimson alert, or firing torpedos. In case you depart the mannequin alone for lengthy sufficient, it is going to play Spock’s iconic “dwell lengthy and prosper” voice line earlier than shutting down.
As an added deal with, you possibly can take away the warp core from the ship, which is able to routinely trigger a particular model of the crimson alert warning to play. Plugging the core again in instantly cancels the alert. We completely beloved this little easter egg.
Contained in the ship, you possibly can see a reasonably trustworthy recreation of the Enterprise bridge too, full with a great deal of displays and screens, and even a holographic view display displaying an oncoming Klingon Chook of Prey.
Playmobil USS Enterprise: Value
Irrespective of how splendidly designed the Playmobil USS Enterprise is, there’s no avoiding the elephant within the room – the worth. The Playmobil USS Enterprise prices a staggering $500 (opens in new tab). You definitely get so much to your cash by way of performance – there are Lego units that value greater than this and so they don’t include lights, sounds and a Bluetooth app, besides, it’s some huge cash to spend on a youngsters toy.
And it’s a toy, on the finish of the day. It’s bought little Playmobil dudes, it has an AR recreation designed for youths connected to it and it’s bought an age score of 10+. It’s a toy. Which ends up in the query, who’s spending $500 on a youngsters toy? And whereas we’re at it, what number of ten yr olds followers of Star Trek: The Unique Sequence are on the market?
In the end, it’s not for youths in any respect. The individuals who will purchase the Playmobil USS Enterprise are dad and mom who’re additionally Star Trek followers, and need to share that pleasure with their younger ones, and Trekkies who like collectable fashions and figures, however there are just a few too many kid-centric design selections for it to be a real collectable for adults both. The AR app is certainly a youngsters recreation, and there’s additionally no denying that Playmobil figures simply appear to be toys – way more so than Lego minifigures do.
And but… regardless of all that, we find it irresistible. We completely love the Playmobil USS Enterprise and we might completely suggest it to any Star Trek fan that may afford it.
Must you purchase the Playmobil USS Enterprise?
When you have $500 to spend on collectables and also you’re a large Star Trek fan, then it is best to completely purchase the Playmobil USS Enterprise. Regardless of our few niggling points with it, that is such a singular and spectacular mannequin that we simply must suggest it. In case you’re a Star Trek fan then there are a great deal of neat touches and particulars to spark your nostalgia for the unique present right here. The look, the lights, the sounds – it’s all the way you bear in mind it.
At $500, the asking worth is excessive, however there are Lego kits on the market that value far more than that, and so they don’t include lights, sounds, and ceiling mounts included in the associated fee, so we predict the worth is there.
