Oh Khan, You Can Steal My Reliant (Ornament) Any Day!

The Good: Amazing detail, Good light effects (what there are), Perfectly balanced
The Bad: No sound chip, A bit obscure for casual fans, Anemic light effects.
The Basics: With great detailing, but hampered by anemic light effects, Hallmark Keepsake created a decent, but hardly indispensable ornament with the U.S.S. Reliant.


Two years ago, the last Christmas celebration I had was with a good friend of mine, with whom I went Christmas shopping with very early in the season. We were beating the rush and sending her daughter and daughter's partner some gifts and while we were out, I wandered into the local Hallmark store and checked out the latest Star Trek ornament. I forgot about it and was incredibly surprised when we were doing belated Christmas and she presented me with the U.S.S. Reliant ornament which was new that year. Talk about an awesome gift. This had a little extra meaning for me as actor Ricardo Montalban had died a few days prior.

For those unfamiliar with the U.S.S. Reliant, this ship appeared only in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (reviewed here!). Sent into the galaxy on a peaceful mission, the U.S.S. Reliant was commanded by Captain Terrell until it went to the wrong planet in the Ceti Alpha star system and it was taken over by Khan!!!! The second half of that film is preoccupied with the space battle between the U.S.S. Enterprise and the U.S.S. Reliant as Khan relentlessly hunts Captain Kirk. Hallmark, makers of the Star Trek ornaments allow the Star Trek fans to recreate the essential battle with the U.S.S. Reliant. While not entirely accurate, this makes a great companion piece for the Enterprise-A ornament. The U.S.S. Reliant is remarkably popular with the fans of Star Trek and that is clearly who the ornament is marketed toward.

Basics

The "U.S.S. Reliant" ornament faithfully recreates the cinematic Federation starship in solid white plastic. The ornament, released in 2008, is an impressive casting of the menacing starship with an immaculate paint job and slightly anemic light feature. Measuring four and three-eighths inches long, two and five-eighths inches wide and one and one-half inches tall, the U.S.S. Reliant ornament is a welcome addition to the Star Trek ornament line, as it is an oft-neglected but cinematically spectacular starship. Hallmark - by this point - has largely foregone the voice chip for the starships, including the U.S.S. Reliant. Still, Star Trek fans tended to shell out their $24.00 for the ship and there were very few leftover after the holidays last year, when this was released. As a result, Hallmark continued a strong record with the Star Trek ornaments!

The Hallmark "U.S.S. Reliant" 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. Like the previous few Star Trek ornament releases, this one has the date molded subtly into the ship. The 2008 date is subtly visible on the bottom, front section of the ship's saucer section. Molded in the plastic as it is, it it thoroughly unobtrusive. This ornament includes three 1.5V LR41 batteries to power the ship for the light effect.

The U.S.S. Reliant is detailed incredibly, at least as much as is appropriate. The U.S.S. Reliant had a few sections of baffle panels and nooks and crannies and the U.S.S. Reliant has each and every one meticulously detailed on the ornament. This ship looks menacing and armored and appropriately colored all over. Hallmark got this ship absolutely right! As well, the U.S.S. Reliant has all of the appropriate markings, like the racing stripes on the sides and top of the ship with the craft's name and call numbers. The bridge module has the appropriate stripes and colors, also.

As well, there are molded details, like the inside of the nacelles and the deflector array being molded in blue plastic that is translucent for the light effect! The tiny red impulse engines are also appropriately molded for the light effect. The U.S.S. Reliant ornament looks great; Hallmark did a pretty impressive job with getting the details on this ornament just right for the exacting collectors and fans.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the "U.S.S. Reliant" has a light function, but sadly, no audio one. This was one of the many Star Trek ornaments to light up, but not play a sound clip. The ship is powered by three 1.5V batteries which fit into the phaser bulb on the underside of the saucer section. There is a panel that opens easily with a fingernail to reveal the compartment. The ornament comes with three appropriate batteries.

After the batteries are installed and the battery compartment is closed, there is a button on the underside of the ship that lights the U.S.S. Reliant up. Pressing the button activates the light effects for the U.S.S. Reliant and as it is individually powered, it does a pretty decent job of lighting the whole ship up well . . . as well as it lights up. The light effects on this starship ornament are remarkably simple; the warp nacelles and deflector arrays light up, blue inside the nacelles and the bulb atop and below the aft drive section. The red impulse engines on the back of the saucer section light up as well.

This is where some fans might feel a little cheated, in the light effects. The running lights do not light up and the bridge does not either. The entire front section is dark and given that that is where the batteries are, it seems disappointing that Hallmark could not construct it to light up more. As well, the fact that the photon torpedo launchers on the bow above the ship do not light up is disappointing.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "U.S.S. Reliant" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the "U.S.S. Reliant" ornament is a great addition, despite its under-representation within the franchise. The ornament has the standard brass hook loop embedded into the top center of the craft, behind the bridge. Hung from a hook there, it is perfectly, completely balanced.

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 from the franchise- as well as some real minor ones - and they have all been more mass produced than that first one. The "U.S.S. Reliant" ornament was still rather less produced than some of the ships from the peak years. Largely, it was fans who bought it up, not investors or general fans of science fiction. Still, it was bought up rapidly and this one seems to have been less mass-produced, as if Hallmark knew it would not be a huge draw. It is one of the moderately difficult Hallmark Star Trek ornaments to find on the secondary market, but it seems to have held its value, not selling for less than its original issue price, at the very least.

Overview

Fans of the Star Trek franchise, the Federation and the U.S.S. Reliant specifically are likely to enjoy this ornament, but it is a fairly average Star Trek Hallmark ornament at the end of the day.

For other Star Trek ship ornaments from Hallmark, please check out my reviews of:
2010 U.S.S. Enterprise (Star Trek refit)
2009 Klingon Battlecruiser
2005 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A
2003 Scorpion Attack Craft
2000 Borg Cube
1998 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
1995 Romulan Warbird
1994 Klingon Bird Of Prey
1993 U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D
1992 Shuttlecraft Galileo

6/10

For other ornament reviews, please be sure to visit my index page for a concise listing! That is available by clicking here!

© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Mediocre And Menacing, Emperor Palpatine Is An Average Star Wars Character Ornament

The Good: Decent likeness of Emperor Palpatine, Perfectly balanced
The Bad: Expensive for the quality.
The Basics: I fall to the "leave it" camp ultimately for the well-sculpted but slightly inaccurate Emperor Palpatine ornament by Hallmark Keepsake.


It might be obvious from my reviews of the various Hallmark Keepsake ornaments that I have reviewed that I am quite a bit more of a Star Trek fan than a Star Wars one. Even so, I was given an Emperor Palpatine ornament and as I sit here contemplating my science fiction "tree," I find myself somewhat underwhelmed by this ornament.

For those unfamiliar with Emperor Palpatine, he was the overlord of the galaxy by the time Return Of The Jedi (click here for that review!) came up to cap off the original cinematic trilogy. Played with a lot of latex for aging by Ian McDiarmid, The Emperor was a menacing character who tempted Luke Skywalker, ordered about Darth Vader and gave children nightmares. Unfortunately, this incarnation of Emperor Palpatine is an average-at-best showing of the character.

Basics

The "Emperor Palpatine" ornament recreates the galactic warlord in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2008, is a decent sculpt as the Emperor lounges in his chair on the Second Death Star. Measuring three and three-eighths inches tall, three inches wide and just over three inches deep, the Emperor Palpatine ornament is a decent-enough representation of the evil leader, but nothing extraordinary. Hallmark insisted on something like $15.00 for the ornament originally and it is a tough sell at that price. Dressed in his dark robes and seated in his chair, the Emperor looks more relaxed than menacing. Still, it is easily recognizable as Emperor Palpatine.

The Hallmark "Emperor Palpatine" ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the Emperor seated; his robes are colored appropriately black, though the clasp at the neck is hardly visible and not painted to accent it in any way. The face is appropriately wrinkled and the eyes are detailed well with the red bags below them. He is rightly wrinkled and dessicated-looking. The hands, however, are far less detailed and that is somewhat disappointing. Without fingernails, the ornament loses some sense of realism that is clearly within the detailing ability of Hallmark.

Emperor Palpatine is detailed adequately, in the body, and the chair. Star Wars fans tend to be a demanding bunch and most will be happy with it. However, the seated Emperor ought to have had Luke Skywalker's lightsaber on his armrest and considering the way the cloak drapes over the edge of the armrest it is clearly within the molding ability of Hallmark to do, though they chose not to detail it quite that much.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Emperor Palpatine 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 Wars ornaments. This is Emperor simply hangs.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake "Emperor Palpatine" ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Wars Christmas Tree, the "Emperor Palpatine" seems like it would be essential. The ornament has the standard steel hook loop embedded into the top center of the character's chair. From that hook, the Emperor Palpatine ornament hangs perfectly balanced. It is impressive and the ornament sways when rocked, but otherwise sits stable in the right position!

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 branched out into other popular franchises like Star Wars and The Wizard Of Oz. At this point in the Star Wars ornament collections, the primary characters have all been done and the popular secondary characters are being explored. Palpatine was mass-produced and he is able to be found pretty easily at discounted prices. While essential to the Star Wars story, the ornament did not appear to take off and it leaves a lot of fans with a "take-it-or-leave-it" feel. It will likely take quite some time before this one returns to its original issue price.

Overview

Fans of the Star Wars franchise, Ian McDiarmid and Emperor Palpatine are likely to be pleased by the Emperor Palpatine ornament, but it is a rather unremarkable ornament, especially for those of us who have been looking at a lot of exceptionally detailed ornaments with a lot of bells and whistles. Perfectly average.

For other Hallmark ornaments reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
2009 "A Deadly Duel" Ornament
2006 Imperial AT-AT And Snowspeeder Ornament
2010 Rebel Snowspeeder Hallmark Ornament

5/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The 2008 Star Trek Communicator Ornament Is Very Cool, Even If It Doesn’t Scream "Holidays!"

The Good: Good balance, Good sound effect, Very cool sculpt
The Bad: Inaccurate sound effect, A little pricey
The Basics: A good ornament which was originally too expensive, the communicator began Hallmark's collection of device ornaments from Star Trek with precision!


Last year, I panned the Hallmark 2009 Phaser ornament. To make up for that, I felt it was only right to review the Star Trek Communicator ornament as well. In addition to starship and mural ornaments, as well as an exceptionally limited personnel ornament, in 2008, Hallmark started to include a Star Trek equipment ornament, in the form of the almost instantly recognizable communicator from Star Trek. While this was a slow seller last year - with its twenty dollar initial price tag - the secondary market's reduced prices on them seem to have found the ideal selling pace (most dealers sell them for about $15.00 and they cannot keep them stocked at that price!). As a result, fans and collectors who did not pick it up at full price have been more eagerly collecting this ornament and it is a decent one for fans and collectors.

Basics

The communicator ornament recreates the communicator and having seen some of the actual set-used props, this is a remarkably accurate replication of the communicator prop. The ornament, released in 2008, is a precise sculpt down to swirling dial at the top and the flip-open grill that supposedly acts as an antenna. The ornament features an ambitious sound chip and a limited light-up effect (though to be fair, the light up effect is exactly what the actual communicators did on the actual props).

Measuring two and three-quarters inches tall (a little over five when the grill is opened to expose the inside of the communicator), two inches wide and about three-quarters of an inch deep, the communicator ornament is a smaller-sized Star Trek ornament and with the light and sound feature, it seemed a bit pricey at the original issue price of $19.95, but in the secondary market the price seems to have come down quite a bit. The Hallmark communicator ornament is made of a durable plastic and has the communication's device on its own. Cast in black, gray and gold plastic the ornament looks just like the frequently-seen StarFleet device used by officers in the twenty-third century.

This ornament remains fairly easy to find in the secondary market, but given how well it has been selling there this year, one suspects it will not remain available there much longer, at least not at the deflated prices we've been seeing.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, the communicator ornament has both a light effect and a sound effect. This ornament operates on three independent batteries so one does not need to position it near a light strand on their tree. The light effect only works when either of the buttons below the red or green LEDs are pressed. Pressing the center button - below the red LED - causes the communicator to beep and the red light to light up. Pressing the right button, below the green LED, causes that LED to light up.

When the button below the green LED is pressed, the ornament plays a clip from its extensive library of sound clips. More than any other Hallmark Star Trek ornament, the communicator trades on the sound chip to impress consumers. This has, allegedly, fifteen different quotes that come from the tiny speaker, though I've only heard thirteen after a year's use. The quotes feature the voices of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Uhura and Scotty and they are clips from at least five different episodes of the original Star Trek, almost all to do with communicating with landing parties or the ship.

The communicator also makes the classic communicator flipping open sound when one actually flips open the gold grate. This is a nice touch for authenticity and fans seemed to respond to this (this has been pretty solidly appearing in costume contests since it was released, with almost the same frequency as the Playmates communicator replica toy).

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake communicator ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Trek Christmas Tree, the communicator ornament is a mid-priced option that most fans will be able to live without. The ornament has the standard bronze hook loop embedded into the top center of the communicator. This is fairly unobtrusive and necessary for the ornament. Because it is so light and the communicator is symmetrical anyway, it hangs perfectly straight.

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 communicator ornament was a fairly slow seller from the Star Trek assortment in 2008, even to fans and not at all a success among the public at large. There were few fans who bought it and investors seem to have made off with the bulk of these as clearance specials. As a result, the ornament is only available now in the secondary market, though the price there is less than the original issue price. As a result, it seems this was only a good investment to those who bought while the price was severely deflated.

Overview

The communicator is an iconic part of Star Trek, and Hallmark made it a decent value with the extensive sound clips, but they overestimated interest at their original price. The market has settled on a fair price now and it is getting harder to find as fans become wowed by the effects this ornament has.

This is a great choice for Trekkers who do not have it yet, especially at the deflated price it may now be found at!

For other Star Trek Hallmark ornaments reviewed by me, please check out my reviews of:
2004 “The City On The Edge Of Forever” ornament
2005 Khan ornament
2010 Legends Of Star Trek Captain Kirk ornament

8/10

For other ornament or toy reviews, please visit my index page for a neat, organized listing, by clicking here!

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