Playmates Kirk and Spock at The City on the Edge of Forever.

For years I stuck with Art Asylum as a source for Star Trek figures. For a long time I've only bought one figure from another line, the Sideshow 1/4 scale figure Spock.
Now I've decided to loosen up a bit and give other manufactures a chance. I changed my mind about only sticking to Art Asylum when I saw Playmates' The City On The Edge Of Forever Kirk and Spock on the shelf in a little shop in Worthing UK.
They're dressed up in the 30s attire from the episode, seeing such an unusual costume on Kirk and Spock figures convinced me to buy them.

One of the reasons I haven't been tempted to buy, well I have to admit the shame, I thought older lines wouldn't be good. Thinking that only figures from the 00s would have proper likeness and details. I missed out years of collecting. A snob I am.

I really like their look, Playmates managed to sculpt a fairly good likeness. Spock's eyebrows are almost over the top elegant, I don't mind, their shapes are gorgeous if not completely accurate. As with the ears Spock's eyebrows changed a bit through the years in the series and films.
I like how sharp the figures eyes are painted, I often have come across figures that have a rather dull look on their eyes. Playmates Kirk and Spock have more expression. Spock even more so, he looks sort of mildly amused. The photo doesn't show it so well but I sense a little smirk over his mouth.
What can't be seen so well on the photos either is their questionable paint on the mouths. I think the colour looks too much like pale lipstick. On the other hand the shapes of their mouths look very much alike Shatner's and Nimoy's.

Looking at the side of the Spock-figure I think the nose looks too straight compared to Nimoy's but overall the profile is pretty much dead on. The mouth and the chin is beautiful sculpted.
Spock has a soft cap to hide his "rice-picker accident" ears but it can be taken of. The shape of the ears are simple but well captured the way they looked in most of the series.

Kirk's profile. He has a little smirk on his mouth too.

The figures have movable joints which can be positioned quite easily. They are a tad bit too loose on my figures. Since these are my first ones I can't say if this is a common problem with this line. They also struggle a bit too keep their balance on their delta-shield shaped bases.
Both the figure comes with a tricorder, a phaser and a communicator. They are not the accurate size but the details and paint are lovely.

The items fits in the figures firm grip, especially the communicators sits safely in Kirk and Spock's hands.

I'm planning to buy more of these special episode figures from Playmates. These two are from a 9" line, there's a 12" line which figures I've seen that looks really good too. Visit http://www.apieceoftheaction.net/ to see more of this line.

Today's game favourite.

 

Games for Mac haven't been released in big numbers like they been for Windows. If you are into games being a Mac owner is a source for frustration. Thankfully there are game developers that provide some puzzles and action not exclusively for Windows.

Machinarium is filled with the former that is found in a charming industrial world inhabited only by robots. This game is also available for Linux and Windows and are the creation under independent studio Amanita. 

The art work is sweet, it has a naive style that is filled to the brim with details. It's really what makes the game for me, there's so much to look at.

Puzzle.

Some levels have a unusual frame. I like how this adds a little mystery to what is on the other side of the room.

The story is simple, a tiny robot wish to get to the top of a city, save his girlfriend and let those who bullied him and others get their lesson.
   

Sometimes the protagonist thinks back at how he was humiliated by the bullies.

The game play is click and point, even though the game reminds me of a innocent book aimed at children you need to put an effort into solving the problems and puzzles.

I really suck at "5-in-a-row".

Of course it is possible to find some help if you are completely stuck and have no idea of what to do. If you move your pointer to the top-right side of the screen there are two helping icons, one of them leading to a mini-game which will lead to the answer. Too bad it couldn't help me with beating the nasty robot in the game of "5-in-a-row".

Overall I really enjoyed this game, visually it's stunning to look at and many of the solutions are not too obvious. The only complaint I have is that I wish it was longer.

Today's Science Fiction favourite.

I absolutely love this film and I will forever go on loving it.
Made in 1984 this film directed by David Lynch might not be easy on the eye for those who prefer the latest in cgi. From my point of view it looks epic.

There's so many details and so much texture on the costumes and sets that I see something new whenever I re-watch.

The scale is grand, you get the feeling that the space surrounding goes further than what's seen in the film. Some of the machinery, gadgets and ships have a distinctive steampunk style to them.

The story is set in the year 10191 and revolves around a power struggle between different planet's leading houses. The Duke of House Atreides and his family is sent to planet Arakis, also called Dune, to mine the valuable spice Melange which is essential for interstellar space travel. The order is a trap and the beginning of the fulfillment of a prophecy.        



I'm old enough to remember these stars as some of the greatest:


Sean Young the replicant Rachael in Blade Runner,



Kyle MacLachlan of Twin Peaks fame,                                                          



Patric Stewart known from Star Trek:The Next Generation,



Jürgen Prochnow who starred in Das Boot,



Max Von Sydow from The Exorcist,



Virginia Madsen was the lead in Candyman,



and finally Sting.

These are only the actors I knew of before I watched Dune, what a pleasant surprise I say.

Dune is a movie adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel Dune. I haven't read the books and have heard that the film isn't completely accurate. Still it's a beautiful film on its own.