Unimpressive Character, Terrible Sculpt, No Good Reason To Go After The Commander Trip Tucker Ornament!

The Good: None that I can find!
The Bad: Not a great likeness of Commander Tucker, Expensive for the quality, Balance issue.
The Basics: Unrecognizable from the face, the poorly balanced Commander Tucker ornament is hardly worthwhile, even for Star Trek fans!


As the Star Trek franchise began to sink, some of the merchandising just became desperate to the point of sad. There was something frantic about the way Paramount went from trying to deny Star Trek (like, for example, naming the last spin-off Enterprise) before trying far too late to get back the core audience they had mortgaged (changing the name in the third season to Star Trek: Enterprise). With the merchandising, suddenly Enterprise was being pushed, from the action figures to the 8x10s to the Hallmark ornaments. It was, however, too little, too late and some of the attempts were just pathetic.

For those unfamiliar with Commander Charles Tucker III, he was the Chief Engineer aboard the NX-01 Enterprise for Star Trek: Enterprise (reviewed here!). Played stiffly by Connor Trinneer, Trip Tucker became a beloved character by those who liked Enterprise. Therefore, it makes some sense that Hallmark would make Commander Tucker the third in its series of Star Trek: Enterprise ornaments right behind Captain Archer and Subcommander Breasts, er, T'Pol. Unfortunately, this incarnation of Commander Tucker is a poor showing. In fact, it might well be the worst Hallmark ornament in the Star Trek character line produced by Hallmark Keepsake.

Basics

The "Commander Tucker" ornament poorly recreates the Chief Engineer of the Enterprise in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2004, is a thoroughly disappointing work, lacking in detailing, realistic shading or even a pose that is essential or insightful for Trip. Measuring five and a quarter inches tall, two inches wide and one and one and one-quarters inches deep, the Commander Tucker ornament is a poor representation of the engineer and a lousy excuse on the part of Hallmark to demand $20.00 from the fans of the series. Dressed in an environmental suit with his helmet off, the only part of the ornament that is distinctly Tucker is the head and that is such a poor sculpt as to be utterly unrecognizable even by fans of the character or actor!

The Hallmark "Commander Tucker" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the engineer standing alone, helmet in hand, in an environmental suit. His suit is colored correctly with the copper-colored plastic that it has on the show. However, the head and face are poorly done. There is no realism to the flesh color and the eyes are completely dead. In fact, the sculpt looks equally like Lt. Reed (Chief of Security) as it does Trip Tucker!

Commander Tucker is detailed adequately, in the body, if not the face. Star Trek fans tend to be a bit more demanding, though. Tucker is not granted a facial expression reminiscent of anything the engineer ever had on the television show. He has a vague smile and it is a poor way to portray the character. This ornament remains ridiculously easy to find in the secondary market, due largely (one suspects) to its lack of popularity when it was released, owing to the poor "construction" of it.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Commander Tucker could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the starship series of Star Trek ornaments. This is Trip Tucker simply hangs.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Commander Tucker" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "Commander Tucker" ornament is one that may be safely avoided. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the character's head. This, too is somewhat distracting for fans who might want a Trip Tucker ornament.

As well, the Commander Tucker ornament is unbalanced. With the helmet in his hand, this causes the ornament to be weighed down more on the right side, so the character leans when hung from the brass loop.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships and many of the characters from the franchise and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. The "Commander Tucker" ornament was a pegwarmer that went unbought by fans as well as by the public at large. There were few fans who bought it and almost no investors or general fans of science fiction picked it up. It is one of the easiest ones to find on the secondary market and its value has plummeted.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, Connor Trinneer and Commander Tucker are likely to be largely disappointed by the Commander Tucker ornament; it is a poor recreation of one of the most enjoyed characters from one of the worst science fiction spin-offs in recent history. Everyone deserved better treatment from Hallmark than this. It was certainly within their ability, but perhaps they just knew how fast the ship was sinking . . .

For other Star Trek ornaments of characters, please check out my reviews of:
2011 Legends Of Star Trek Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
2011 Legends Of Star Trek Spock
2010 Legends Of Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk
2009 Limited Edition Ilia Probe
2005 Khan
1997 Dr. McCoy
1996 Mr. Spock

0/10

Check out my other ornament reviews at my Ornament Review Index Page!

© 2013, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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One Need Not Loathe Enterprise To Find Little Merit In Hallmark's "Vulcan Command Ship" Ornament!

The Good: Mostly interesting light effects
The Bad: Not terribly detailed, Balance issues, Overproduced
The Basics: One of the least recognizable Star Trek starships arrives as part of Hallmark's beloved starship ornament line: the Vulcan Command Ship fails with fans, collectors and the general populace!


There are some strange ironies in the Star Trek collectibles market, but none come quite so readily to mind as one that relates to the Hallmark Star Trek ornaments. Hallmark, in its yearly quest to create ornaments from the Star Trek universe created an ornament of the obscure Vulcan Command Ship from Star Trek: Enterprise (back when it was simply entitled Enterprise, actually). Hallmark released this ornament before it released the titled ship of the series, the NX-01 Enterprise, which - to date - it has not. I think that's hilarious, especially considering that Star Trek: Enterprise ultimately failed due, in part, to lack of merchandising support and cast participation on the convention circuit.

For those unfamiliar with the Vulcan Command Ship, this was one of the few starships of Star Trek: Enterprise era in the Star Trek franchise that popped up in more than one episode. Seen sporadically throughout Star Trek: Enterprise (reviewed here!), the Vulcan Command Ship is pretty much only known to the die-hard fans of the series (not even of the franchise). The Vulcan Command Ship is essentially a long, rocket-ship like craft with a ring in the aft section, perpendicular to the main hull. The starship is such an esoteric one, it is a wonder that Hallmark chose it at all.

Basics

The "Vulcan Command Ship" ornament faithfully recreates the famed Vulcan starship in solid copper pearlescent plastic. The ornament, released in 2004, is a fairly disappointing work, though, lacking in some surface details - especially as it plays into the lighting effect. Measuring six and one-eighth inches long, three and one-quarter inches wide and two and one-half inches tall, the Vulcan Command Ship ornament is not at all an the essential Star Trek ship and most fans of the ship and the franchise quickly realized that $24.00 was an awfully steep price given the quality and subject matter of this ornament. As a result, discerning collectors at the time waited and this was one of the few Star Trek starship ornaments to be bought en masse as part of after-Christmas sales. In other words, it was Hallmark Keepsake's real Star Trek (or Enterprise) flops.

The Hallmark "Vulcan Command Ship" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the starship on its own, as is typical for Hallmark's starship line of Star Trek ornaments. Unlike previous Star Trek ornament releases, this one does not have the date stamped or painted on it. In fact, the only place the date appears on this ornament is in the copyright information molded into the bottom side of the ring in the ship. This ornament plugs into the standard light strand of Christmas lights in order to light up.

The Vulcan Command Ship is detailed adequately, at first glance. However, loyal fans of the series who pay attention will note that the window holes on the ship are present, but not part of the light effects. The windows near the bridge dome are a source of illumination in the series and the detailing here is more of a broad stroke, lacking the finer details, including those holes. That said, the Vulcan Command Ship is a pretty easy ship to get right in that it is a solid color and Hallmark managed that just fine.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "Vulcan Command Ship" has a light function. Fans of the ornaments are like to be rather disappointed that this ornament has a light function, but no audio one. Many of the Star Trek ornaments both light up and play a sound clip. The "Vulcan Command Ship" does not. It does, however, have a five inch cord that is attached completely to the underside of the ornament. This green electric cord is embedded - rather annoyingly - into the bottom front section and it allows the ornament to be plugged into a Christmas light strand.

Plugging the ornament in (one needs to remove a single light bulb from the strand, then slide the male end from the ornament into the female end on the strand) activates the light effect on the "Vulcan Command Ship." The light effects on this starship ornament is remarkably simple; the inside of the warp ring lights up blue and the bridge dome and phaser banks below it light up an orangish-yellow. This is where the ornament truly falls down. The windows - which provide a real sense of detail and texture on the show - do not light up. This keeps the ornament fairly dark, which does nothing to enhance its status.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Vulcan Command Ship" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "Vulcan Command Ship" ornament is not an essential piece, but it would have been nice if it had been done well for those who were going to buy it anyway. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of the Vulcan Command Ship, which is the most stable point on the ornament. As a result, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, hangs fairly well balanced from that loop.

However, plugging the ship in, with the stiffness of the electric cord from the ship, causes the Vulcan Command Ship to pitch up about thirty degrees, which looks inorganic in this design. Thus, one has to choose between it looking good and appearing to cruise straight or having the light effects activated.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships from the franchise- as well as some real minor ones - and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. The "Vulcan Command Ship" ornament was a tremendous failure commercially. Owing largely to the lack of popularity of this starship with fans, fans and the general public which is not as familiar with the Star Trek starships largely passed this one by. The result was that it was overproduced and when dealers and collectors gobbled them up, they became readily available (and still are) on the secondary market, at severely deflated prices. In other words, this is not an ideal investment piece! As well, many fans will not purchase it because it is not as good as a number of other Star Trek ship ornaments and has lower overall recognizability.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, Vulcans and the Vulcan Command Ship specifically are likely to be largely disappointed by the Vulcan Command Ship ornament; it is a poor recreation of one of the most obscure starships. One is baffled at why Hallmark even bothered with this one!

For other Star Trek ship ornaments from Hallmark, please check out my reviews of:
2012 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D 25th Anniversary Edition
2011 U.S.S. Defiant (New York Comic Con Exclusive)
2011 Romulan Bird Of Prey
2010 U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek refit)
2009 Klingon Battlecruiser
2008 U.S.S. Reliant
2006 U.S.S. Enterprise (reissue)
2005 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A
2003 Scorpion Attack Craft
2002 Delta Flyer
2001 Deep Space Nine
2000 Borg Cube
1999 Runabout Rio Grande
1998 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
1997 U.S.S. Defiant
1996 U.S.S. Voyager
1995 Romulan Warbird
1994 Klingon Bird Of Prey
1993 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D
1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo

1/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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If It Worked Properly, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" Ornament Would Really Be Something!

The Good: Interesting concept, Generally decent sculpt, (Part of) the sound chip
The Bad: Not a great likeness of characters, Expensive for the quality, Balance issue, Sound chip issue.
The Basics: A good, but fairly expensive Star Trek ornament, "The City On The Edge Of Forever," just doesn't cut it with its erratic sound function.


As the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments ran out of starships to make to sell to the die-hard Star Trek fans, they decided to branch out and try a few new things. One of their more ambitious concepts was a series of diorama ornaments, recapturing some of the great scenes from the Star Trek franchise. Because it has - arguably - the largest fan base, Hallmark opted to start its exploration into diorama ornaments with one with a vital scene from the fan-favorite episode "The City On The Edge Of Forever."

For those unfamiliar with the episode, it is a time-travel episode written and disavowed (except when someone wants to give him an award for it) by Harlan Ellison. "The City On The Edge Of Forever" (click here for that review!) featured a powerful artifact called the Guardian Of Forever, which was a time portal or an entity or a machine (it was kept purposely vague in the episode) and by passing through the portal, Dr. McCoy alters world history, causing the future to be radically altered. Protected from the changes in the timeline by the Guardian Of Forever, Kirk and Spock attempt to go back in time to find McCoy and prevent him from changing history.

It is Kirk and Spock passing though the Guardian Of Forever that is the subject of the "City On The Edge Of Forever" Hallmark Ornament. To add extra value to this one, Hallmark provided this ornament with a pretty magnificent light-up function and a pretty ambitious, but substandard, sound chip.

Basics

The "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament recreates the moment Kirk and Spock leap through the Guardian Of Forever (actually, it looks like the moment they leap back from the past). The ornament recreates the scene with the Guardian Of Forever, a small section of ruins, Kirk and Spock and a small island of land in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2004, is a mixed bag as it has a very cool and accurate sculpt of the Guardian Of Forever, but the characters of Kirk and especially Spock are lacking in detailing and realistic shading.

Still, Hallmark clearly made an effort on them as the people on this ornament are detailed with accurate rank insignia and division badges. Measuring three and five-eighths inches tall, four and an eighth inches wide and two and three-quarters inches deep, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament is one of the largest "Star Trek" ornaments and with the light and sound feature, it seems to be almost reasonable that Hallmark charged $28.00 for it when it was originally released.

The Hallmark "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the the two officers leaping out of the translucent membrane that is the time portal of the Guardian Of Forever. The ruins and officers are generally colored properly, with the bright yellow and blue of Kirk and Spock's shirts nicely contrasting the muted grays of the Guardian Of Forever.

However, the heads and faces are mediocre at best, with Spock especially bearing coloring and cheeks that are not accurate for the character. There is no realism to the flesh color and the eyes and this is somewhat understandable given the small scale of the people on this ornament (they are approximately two inches tall). The Guardian Of Forever is detailed adequately, both in sculpt and color. This ornament remains fairly easy to find in the secondary market, despite the fact that the scene and sound chip are pretty popular. The back of the ornament has a five-inch wire to connect it to a light strand to activate the light and sound effects.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" has both a light effect and a sound effect. Plugging the cord into a light socket - removing a light bulb first to make this possible - on a non-blinking light strand, The Guardian Of Forever lights up. This is actually a pretty neat effect; the portal membrane lights up with a two blue lights at the top and a yellow one at the bottom that give it a sense of shading and depth that is very cool.

On one of the ruins next to Spock, a broken column, there is a well-concealed button. That button, when pressed, activates the sound chip. The sound chip actually contains three different clips from "The City On The Edge Of Forever." Rather extraordinarily, the chip has several seconds of dialogue between Kirk and the Guardian, Spock and the Guardian and then the Guardian Of Forever's final lines in the episode. This is an impressive function. . .

. . . when it works. I swear, my ornament somehow knew I was about to pan it and for the first time ever, the sound chip worked perfectly. Literally up until today, whenever I have plugged it in and pressed the button, it has played the first clip, played part of the second clip and not played any of the third clip. As I began this review, after four years of having this ornament, it finally made it through the second clip and played the third clip for me! And that is very cool, but it is hard for me to ignore the prior years where it didn't work properly.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament is a high priced option that can only enhance the tree of those who like a lot of lights and sounds. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of the Guardian Of Forever. This is fairly unobtrusive and necessary for the ornament. Hanging unplugged, the ornament is pretty well balanced.

Unfortunately, the stiffness of the power cord throws the balance off when the ornament is hanging and it is plugged in. The ornament pitches forward noticeably about thirty degrees and it is tough to arrange it so it looks right and almost impossible to keep it so balanced when one depresses the sound button.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for that review!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all of the major starships and many of the characters from the franchise and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. "The City On The Edge Of Forever" ornament was bought by fans, but largely not by the public at large. There were few fans who bought it and almost no investors or general fans of science fiction picked it up. The relative expense of this ornament makes it a bit stifling for those who are only casual fans.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, "The City On The Edge Of Forever," and Hallmark ornaments are likely to be split on this ornament. Ultimately, I bumped it up to "average" because it chose to work today, but it is still a bit too expensive for me to recommend, even to Star Trek fans.

For other Hallmark ornaments reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
2010 "Amok Time" ornament
2010 Legends Of Star Trek Captain Kirk ornament
2005 Khan ornament

5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page for an organized listing!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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