Given the length of Star Trek: The Next Generation action figures, I'm kind of surprised we didn't get some version of Cadet Wesley Crusher much sooner. Galoob almost did one based on the season one look, but we wouldn't get one until the character left the show as a series regular.
The 4 1/2-inch action figure is dressed like you saw him in "The Game" and "The First Duty," which is also quite similar to Deep Space Nine's duds. Wes has two pips indicating he's a Cadet 3rd Class, which means he's a second year student. The black outfit has a red splash of color on the shoulders plus a typical commbadge. There's not a lot of paint here, but what's really strange to me is the painted face - Playmates went back and forth, offering figures with painted flesh and molded hair, or molded flesh and painted hair. Q got it both ways with a variation, and I only saw Wes with the painted face - but online photos show a molded face exists, too. His hair color is a little off, and his eyes seem a little wide - other than that, at least the uniform is about right. The portrait could be better, and while I wanted to say it wasn't bad... it's not good.
When it comes to accessories, the designers spanned the series. The Phaser is the same thing everybody gets, with the carrying case being specific to later appearances. The tractor beam came from "The Naked Now," or the Drunk Shimoda episode. He can hold it, and presumably move furniture, but it's blue and doesn't do much. The carrying case benefits from a label on the blue exterior, with an unpainted blue Tricorder offering something to put in the figure's holster. I give Playmates credit for giving us more than just the episode-specific gear, but it would've been nice to see other versions of the character that might better fit on the playsets and vehicles they sold us.
I can understand the decision to make a then-contemporary costume, but given the show was in reruns five nights a week in 1993 Playmates could have made any costume. He was rarely seen in this one, so it's not exactly the figure you want so much as the figure they sold you. An Ensign one would come later. I'd say you could probably skip this one, particularly if you're not a fan of the character. As a young fan, I was excited for this figure - but not so excited when I got it. He didn't belong on the Bridge playset, he didn't look great, he just sort of is.
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