Because there's going to be a "ninja" figure in every 1990s toy line, Lieutenant Worf in Starfleet Rescue Outfit was a sensible release as Star Trek: The Next Generation was winding down its historic run as a high-rated syndicated series. Worf really does wear this outfit on the show - there's a two-parter where he's following up on Alien James Cromwell's intel that his pop is alive and well with other Klingons on a Romulan prison camp. He sneaks in with a ponytail and black pajamas, translated faithfully enough here in Playmates' typical house style. Worf measures just over 5-inches tall and sports the requisite 12 points of articulation - and has a lot more going on in the way of texture than his peers.
While Worf still has a big head and huge hands, Playmates did Michael Dorn's Klingon a favor by giving him a more natural pose. The original Starfleet uniform figures had lumbering action poses which seemed ready for combat, while this one looks like he's standing there ready for pretty much anything. Maybe he'll fight someone, maybe he'll sit around and have some prune juice. Since his teeth are showing, I assume he'll stab a dude with the included stick and then go hula-hooping.
Playmates did a bang-up job on this one, showing us they can do more than shiny, glossy pants on their figures. Most Star Trek toys are super-duper-shiny - it's kind of obnoxious. Worf tones it down a lot, with a more sensible face and an outfit that, while still shiny, looks and actually feels different from his brothers. There's not a lot of variety, but his threads look significantly different. Even more exciting, he has wearable accessories - a soft plastic belt is removable (and tough to re-buckle), and he has a backpack with storage for two accessories to boot.
The backpack isn't very flexible plastic, so I assume a lack of care means breakage. It slides carefully over his shoulders and fits like a glove, far better than most other toys with removable, adjustable backpacks. This one was made for Worf and only Worf, complete with a pouch for the beacon and the explosive. None of these have any decoration, of course - it is 1990s Playmates - but at least the silver color isn't blue or orange. His hands are able to hold them with no real problem, and he also has a hoop and a stick for added Klingon child training. A belt and five bonus accessories is a pretty decent spread for a modern action figure, but the funny thing is this was considered "standard" back in 1994. Collectors were miffed at what Kenner was doing (and was always doing) with 1-2 decent accessories, and a lot of people were hoping and assuming any Star Wars revival would be at least as good as Playmates' Trek line. This was not the case.
Most Worf figures look angry, and considering Playmates was actively courting kids - kids watched the show back then - in addition to collectors, it makes sense. Little details like painted shading on his forehead ridges and painted lines between his teeth make this a glorious figure, and it's really amazing to think about what Playmates could do for $5 while Kenner was giving us $5 figures with less articulation, fewer accessories, and less authentic sculpts only a year later. The company doesn't get enough credit for what it did (and what it tried to do) in the 1990s action figure space, mostly due to the high-quality seaQuest and Star Trek offerings fading away against bigger and arguably more durable licenses. They still have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I can't help but long for the days where all these lines plus the likes of Skeleton Warriors and Barnyard Commandos were cycling in and out from the manufacturer. We had some really great stuff, and Playmates really did improve on their figures for a few years. Eventually they started removing articulation and things sort of started to fall apart, but it's not like we haven't seen this happen in other toy lines. What I'm saying is this - Worf is a bargain at most secondary market price, especially when inflation is factored in. You can probably get him for five bucks, and you should. Thy level of detail - fingernails, teeth, and hair - is absolutely amazing for the era.
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