There is something about the 60s TV show utility belts. Batman and Robin had their versions, just as Kirk and Spock had theirs. As everything old is new again, Playmates Toys introduces the "Star Trek Movie Mission Utility Belt" based on the 2009 feature film, and it is the most interactive and fun version ever available. See our review below, plus an update on some newly announced Star Trek toys.
REVIEW: Star Trek: The Utility Belt – great way for kids to play Trek
Playmates Toys – Star Trek Utility Belt
$26.99 – Toys R Us & other retailers
Utility belts represent one of the earlier types of Star Trek toys, such as the 1975 Remco utility belt which included a "working" Phaser (with laser discs), tricorder, and communicator. And many action figures from the previous 43 years also included utility belts as an accessory, from the 1970s MEGO toys to the 2009 Playmates Toys movie action figures. While utility belts dissipated somewhat with the sequel shows, it has an honored place in the original version of Star Trek. It is appropriate then that it makes a return in the 2009 feature film and in toy stores this year, including all the bells and whistles of modern day toy technology.
The Playmates Toys Movie Mission Utility Belt features 8 interactive missions for junior Star Trek fans to engage. The belt itself is constructed of durable heavy plastic and will survive tough play adventures. It has nice detailing including rivits. A caveat for older fans though, the belt is meant for kids. It will not fit an adult unless they do some major customizing. The belt clips easily in back, with many adjustable settings.
In the front of the belt is a Starfleet logo that lights up, varying from Kirk yellow to Spock blue. The two buttons allows junior fans to get missions from Starfleet meant either for Kirk or Spock. Missions include rescuing crew to defeating the Romulans.
After selecting whether to be Kirk or Spock, the communicator chime is heard and it needs to be waved in front of the belt to activate the message from Starfleet. Continued waving will provide more information and sound effects as the adventure begins. If there is danger, the phaser powers by also waving in front of the belt. The phaser and communicator are meant to interact with the belt, and as such they do not have independent sounds or effects. The phaser does change manually from stun to vaporize, and the communicator certainly opens. [see video below to see toy demonstration]
As parents, my wife and I are generally opposed to electronic toys that do all the work for our son. These kinds of toys deny the imagination. However, the Star Trek Movie Mission Utility belt doesn’t have that problem. Although Starfleet sends players on the mission, the player gets to use their imagination as they invent the scenarios and obstacles. They could run around, having adventures with friends that are facilitated, yet not controlled, by the belt. It is, to borrow a phrase, the best of both worlds because the belt has the cool electronic features that kids like yet doesn’t deter them from engaging their creativity and sense of adventure. The missions are also variable, changing the ending or sequence of events to add to the fun. And for those parents opposed to violent or offensive weapon toys, the nice thing is that the phaser and phaser holder easily detaches from the belt. The junior Trekkies could play instead with just the belt and the communicator as they are
really the essential items for play.
The belt also makes for a perfect costume outfit for those junior fans going as Kirk, Spock, Uhura, or Scotty for Halloween.
Playmates Toys Movie Mission Utility Belt has all the right ingredients for fun, from sound effects and cool missions, to allowing players to run and have fun with their own imaginations. The only problem for me is to figure out how I could extend that belt and wear it for myself!
Here is video, showing how the belt works.
The Star Trek Utility Belt is available at toy retailers now, and can be ordered online from Toys R Us for $26.99.
Star Trek Utility Belt Toys R Us: $26.99 |
MORE TREK TOY NEWS
There are two more role play toys that have just been made available for pre-order, both from Diamond Select. Plus some of the 2nd wave of Playmates Star Trek movie figures are starting to show up at TRU.
TMP Phaser
Firstly, Entertainment Earth has an exclusive on a Star Trek The Motion Picture Phaser. The toy appears very similar to their Star Trek II phaser, but has different details and sounds. It includes a removable type-1 phaser. The TMP Phaser will be out in November and retails for $29.99, and can be pre-ordered at Entertainment Earth.
Diamond Select Star Trek TMP Phaser Entertainment Earth: $26.99 |
Geological Tricorder
After being rumored for over a year, DST announced and showed off their third TOS Tricorder at the Toy Fair in New York in February (see image below), and is now available for pre-order. The Geological tricorder will feature the voice of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, and will have lights and sounds and a removable scanner. The new tricorder comes out February 2010 and retails exclusively at Entertainment Earth for $44.99. You can pre-order it from Entertainment Earth.
| Diamond Select Star Trek TOS Geological Tricorder (note: not final product image)  Entertainment Earth: $26.99 |
Playmates 12" Sulu & Pike TRU Exclusives available
The first Star Trek movie figures from Playmates 2nd wave are starting to show up at Toys R Us. The 12" Command Series Sulu and Pike figures are TRU Exclusives and cost $29.99 each.
Sulu 12" Toys R Us for $29.99 |
Pike 12" Toys R Us for $29.99 |
DST Romulan Revealed
One final bit of figure news, the TRU Exclusive Romulan figure from Diamond Select has been revealed. The figure will be available in January and can be pre-ordered. Click image below for more details and larger view.
Romulan 7" Toys R Us for $13.99 |
I’m glad to see more lines of the stuff coming out.
I really like the TMP phaser!
Looks good.
Good news on the next wave of figures starting to show up at TRU.
Perhaps I’ll make a trip tomorrow to see if my local TRU has them in yet.
If not hopefully by the end of the month in time for my birthday.
I want that utility belt! I’m glad I didn’t already buy the new phaser.
That beats the 1970’s utility belt Remco made by a mile!
Alas, that poor kid on the box is a redshirt! He won’t be around very long. ;)
Look at all those new rubies phasers available on the Entertainment Earth site. Has any of that been covered here?
http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=RU9138
The new phaser looks a lot more accurate than the playmates version… you know… except for it being white and orange.
And…why are they white and orange?
The TNG phaser looks like the old playmates one.
Invisible velcro was much cooler than this.
just got the utility belt and the 12″ pike and sulu figures the details are really good
About time we saw that romulan, TRU has been showing it for a while now.
It’s a must have.
As always, DST rules, Playmates sucks!
Man, they need some decent sculptors over there & some modern moulding technology. Yikes!
I always thought that a Star Trek Utility Belt would have been cool and fun when I was a kid!
Screw this I want more news on the Excelsior from DST.
Bah. I guess they had trouble selling the phaser, that’s why the utility belt has to come with that and the tricorder.
Now I’ll have TWO phasers.
Wait, why am I complaining? =P
Do they really need to come out with THREE tricorders? It’s not like there’s a huge difference between them or anything. lol
And it looks like they’ve changed the lights on the TMP/TWOK phaser from the earlier preorder pics. It’s hard to find good pics online of the actual prop, so I’m not really sure what’s more accurate or not.
Anybody know?
I’m constantly ANNOYED ONLY EE gets a plug for their stuff! Actually, EE SHARES the EXCL. Geo Tric. WITH NEW FORCE COMICS! Why that ISN’T mentioned here irks me to NO END! Anyway I’ve already pre-ordered mine with New Force and can hardly wait for this 3rd and final iconic TOS Tric varient!
That BITES bif time, the PM Utility belt is ONLY for tots! I’d love to have onw for my costume..now I’ll pass on this, as I already own the landing party toys…..what a shame I can’t have an adult belt to house them all. BOO to PM’s!
Anyone else reminded of that Simpson’s episode where The Comic Book Guy is trying to return the “Ultimate Belt”? To paraphrase;
CBG – “I would like to return this quote Ultimate belt”
Store dude – “Do you have a quote receipt unquote?”
CBG – “I do not have a receipt. I won this as a door prize at a Star Trek convention. I find their choices of prizes highly illogical, as the average Trekker has no use for a medium-sized belt”.
Store Dude – “Whoa… A fat sarcastic Star Trek fan”
Just sayin’ lol
What the hell is with the orange & white Rubies phasers?
Gotta get the TMP and/or TWOK phasers though. :)
I already have The Phaser, Communicator & Tricorder.
Should I buy this just for the belt?
If I knew this was coming, I would have waited.
I guess its another example of how they ream us!
As with all things from AA/DST, I shall wait fro them to be released and then order them. No more advance orders.
TMP phaser looks cool.
7 – magnatomic adhesion area. >;>}
My waist is between 27 & 29 inches- will i be able to wear the utility belt?
What about the fat kids?
is the motion picture phaser based on the actual designs or the actual props- i dont ever remember any references to a removable phaser- that was part of the designs for trek 3 phasers…
can anyone tell me?
Fat kids can wear two utility belts… twice as much fun! heh! 2-gun rig style…
Yeah, how does the TMP (removable) Type-1 Phaser work exactly?
Does it fire from the thin end or the fat end? …looks like you’d want to hold it from the thin end?
I use to have a 70’s Phaser and Communicator models, they were only the AMC plastic models nd the flip top on the Communicator would always break so we always bought new model kits. We even bought our own Velcro. Had plenty of the Phasers.
If I could pick one of the things it would be a life size Romulan uniform that the 9″ figure wears.
I know places make the Star Trek Uniforms, but does anyone do Klingons, Romulans, or other aliens. I’m sure what ever girl shows up for halloween in the Gamesters of Triskellon silver thing they’ed be the big hit of the party. Bet she’d need four or more klingon body guards just to get home safely. And if she drove her self how many times would she get pulled over for even going 1/10 a mile .hour over the speed limit.
And I finally saved enough to by X-mas STM 2009 DVD’s for freinds, and of course for myself
thats blue ray from my friend with the PS3, 2 disk set for me, and single disk from Space Engineer brother. His 32″ Tube TV just died finally now he’s going for a 50″ Samsung LCD. He gave his converter box to his church since they have many tube TV’s but no way to watch Digital TV. So now I can say bye-bye to my Russian copy DVD.
John,
Can you dig up any information o when Hot Wheels will be releasing the ‘diecast’ movie Enterprise? It was supposed to be out in August, but it’s a no-show so far. I’ve tried contacting Hot Wheels through email and telephone, and the answers I get are from people who obviously don’t know which item I’m talking about, so I gave up.
That Romulan figure is outstanding. If I still collected Trek figures, I’d have that one in a heartbeat. :) (by the way, anyone want a Playmates classic trek collection? :))
So….the phaser that comes with the belt does not make blasting noises? Bummer. Oh well, I’ll still probably get it.
Phaser belt is cool but I bet it won’t fit a 38in waist! Wish I was still a kid….
Regarding these orange and white Rubie’s phasers…(I noticed there’s a TOS version coming out later on EE). They’re only about 12 bucks or so…I am thinking of buying some and then repainting/customizing them to be more prop-like. Perhaps a cheap way to indulge my prop obsession?
So all the users will have to hold things close to a certain region…
Ahh! The TMP phaser! And they got the trigger right! Awesome!
Too bad we never actually saw it fired in TMP.
Still no sign of the DST Enterprise-B & Excelsior and the Playmates USS Kelvin then?
#22 for larger children, use the chewbacca utility belt, on size fits all, or many.
I’m glad to see all three tricorders, personally. The geological version is materially different from the other tricorders.
@David: “Do they really need to come out with THREE tricorders? It’s not like there’s a huge difference between them or anything. lol”
Well if the Phaser and Communicator are ‘movie accurate’ size-wise.. why can’t we all just buy the set… break the belt and take the holsters off and add them to our own belts?? … that’s what I would do .. problem solved .. besides I don’t remember Kirk or Spock’s belt talking to them in the movie .. haha
Also, can I be the only person that finds the belt dorkier than normal? And this is coming from someone who collects just about everything from Star Trek. When I was a kid I hated dumbed down toys that didn’t accurately reflect something from the movie or TV show I got it from. I don’t recall some glowing Starfleet insignia belt in the movie.
That’s the kind of thing that led me to building models. That way I could have an accurate representaion of a ship or porp.
forget the uitlity belt! looks nice but forget about it! whats up with the other set of the 3.75 inch figures? that 12 inch Uhura?! LOL!!!
#26
What are you selling? I’d be interested in Classic Trek 12″ figures!
Hi all the reason that the phases are orange and white is for Safety reasons having
Experience in this matter. ..law enforcement…a finished. Prop from. 15-10
Feet in the dark when pointed at u looks just like any other firearm. So for
Every ones safety they are painted that way.
#21 – Playmates says that the belt will fit a waist up to 28 inches. You may well be able to wear it. I have also seen the entire set popping up at discount stores for around $14.99 plus tax, so it may even be a better time to buy it now, if you do want it.
i cant find the utility belt any where in canada anyone know where to find one in canada?