Playmates took the figure collecting world by storm with its Star Trek line in the early 1990s, but a few years later (and the introduction of Star Wars) helped to slow things down quite a bit. As time marched on, the company experimented with larger figures like Worf in the Combat Action assortment. While short-lived, these larger 6-inch action figures included a lot of detail and actual "action" for a change. In Worf's case, the figure had not only a firing weapon, but a spring-loaded mechanism in his torso which let him "slash" his knives and swords-- it was pretty neat! It was also out of scale with the rest of the line, which didn't exactly make collectors who just wanted more 5-inch scale product happy.
Taken on its own merits, this is a great toy. Playmates was notorious for giving its figures oddly colored accessories, like bright blue or red, so it's nice to see this Worf figure have relatively normal silver gear for a change. He includes numerous bladed weapons from the TV series and movies, as well as a TV-style display base (which is odd, given that it's a movie figure.) There's a holster for a weapon on the back of the figure as well, and the sculpting of the accessories... well, it's nothing special, not even for its own era. Playmates tended to focus more on making the figure exciting, letting the accessories just sort of hang around as a nice extra that you probably wouldn't miss too much if you had lost them.
Thankfully, the detail on the figure is pretty great. I picked this one up on deep clearance somewhere in Tucson, AZ on a lark for a couple of bucks. The figure's face has more detail than most Worf figures, and it's about as close as Playmates ever got to perfecting Michael Dorn-in-Klingon-make-up. Unlike the toys for Generations, this figure had the luxury of being created after the costumes for the final Next Generation films were basically finalized. Down to the newer communicator badge, this figure is a pretty great representation of what appeared on the big screen. Unlike the smaller guys, he has slightly more articulation with 14 points of articulation. If you collect the other Playmates Trek figures, Worf is essentially jointed in the same way with additional swivel joints on his thighs. (So if anything, he's more like the seaQuest DSV action figures in this regard.)
So there you have it! Another Worf. If you just want a cool Klingon figure on your desk that still qualifies as a toy (no offense, Diamond Select Toys) this is one of your best bets. He's a good size, and you should be able to get one for five or six bucks.
--Adam Pawlus
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