Giftgiving For Geeks: The Star Trek Decloaking Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug Does Not Hold Up!

The Good: Neat idea, Generally durable
The Bad: Regardless of washing, the unique aspect fades within a decade.
The Basics: The Star Trek Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug from Image Design is a neat idea for geeks and Trekkers, but those who take care of it will be disappointed by how the “feature” fades quicker than normal.


The first time I realized just how destructive dishwashing detergents were was as a child. I had a pair of Garfield drinking glasses from a fast food restaurant and I drank from them every morning. Within two years, the silkscreened image on the glasses had faded significantly and when I saw the same style glasses in a thrift store years later, I was shocked by how vibrant the colors on the “new” glasses were compared to the ones I was using all along. So, by the time I got a Star Trek Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug, I knew how to properly take care of mugs I did not want to suffer a similar fate.

In fact, the Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug recommends against dishwashing for precisely that reason.

The Star Trek Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug is an 8 oz. (that’s fluid ounces) white ceramic mug with a silkscreened image of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) on a dark purple starfield. When hot fluid fills the Star Trek Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug, the starfield lightens and reveals a Klingon Bird Of Prey and a red photon torpedo headed toward the Enterprise. This has the effect of making it appear like a Klingon Bird Of Prey has decloaked and fired upon the Enterprise. It is a neat novelty.

Unfortunately, the crystals that make this effect possible age poorly. Without using the mug for the first decade I owned it, the starfield faded sufficiently so that the Klingon Bird Of Prey is always partially visible. Still, it is hard not to get a kick out of the way it is fully revealed when the hot beverage is placed in it.

But fans of Star Trek - and because it is the Enterprise-A, the image must be a reference from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (reviewed here), which limits the broad appeal of the mug – who collect merchandise tend to want their collectibles to endure and the Star Trek Klingon Bird Of Prey Color Magic Mug does not. It’s a cute idea and if one may find it inexpensively, it is worth picking up, but finding one absolutely mint twenty-three years after its initial production is virtually impossible.

For other kitchen and dining products, please check out my reviews of:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pint Glass Set of 4
J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel 8-Piece Steak Knife Set
Sterlite 0627 White Large Sink Set

4/10

For other kitchen products, be sure to visit my Home And Garden Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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