While most of the items I cover are related towards superheroes and comic books in some way, the thing that really got me into science fiction was Star Trek. While, despite my friends’ best efforts, my favorite series will always be The Next Generation, my interest in the characters of the original series was renewed by JJ Abrams’ film reboot. One of my favorite parts of the reboot, as most fans will agree, is Ensign Pavel Chekov, played by the late great Anton Yelchin. Here is a review of GameStop’s exclusive Pop! Vinyl based on Yelchin’s final appearance in the role.
After the villainous Krall causes the Enterprise to crash in Star Trek Beyond, Kirk and Chekov make their way through the wilderness sporting some very flashy survival gear, as showcased in this figure. The Pop highlights some of the smallest details of the suit, such as the multi-textured fabric, the small metallic buttons seen across the jacket, and the Starfleet logo. For such intricate details, the paint is really consistent, with only a couple of very small blurs and splotches. The hair mold is also perfect, and looks like it came straight off the screen.
My main issue with this figure is the color scheme. Looking at the suit in the film, you can see that it includes multiple shades of blue and grey, but on the Pop it’s mostly homogenized into a generic bright blue (not that it’s an unappealing color or anything, I just would hope for a little more variety). Also, the phaser holster on the side is very small and almost flat-looking when viewed from the front, so I would have preferred if the phaser had been put in his hand instead.
All in all, I’m pretty pleased with this figure. It’s definitely not perfect by any means, but it’s based on what I think is a great costume redesign and manages to pull off small details pretty well for such a low-price item. Also, for those of you who don’t want to settle for a lowly ensign, FYE is offering an exclusive Suvival Kirk. With the holidays coming up, both Kirk and Chekov would make great gifts for any Trekkies in the family.
Matt Norris