The Good: Great sculpt, Good accessories, Coloring, Poseability, Articulation
The Bad: Cannot hold all of his accessories
The Basics: Action figure collectors and fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will want to get their hands on this action figure of Captain Benjamin Sisko, the best one made!
As an avid fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, I tend to get excited when there is something new and worthwhile to collect from my favorite series. So, one might imagine my pleasant surprise while opening a box of "The 'Quotable' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" trading cards (reviewed here!) when I pulled a card advertising a new series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine action figures! Art Asylum had done a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series of figures featuring the crew as they appeared in the popular episode "Trials And Tribble-ations," which was easy enough for them considering they had been producing original series action figures and the costume parts for the figures were right there and ready. But for years, they had largely neglected Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
With the release of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Series One figures, I set aside my standing rule (I've been getting rid of toys) and picked up the set of four figures. Today, I finally cracked open the Captain Benjamin Sisko figure. Fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and of action figures will not be disappointed. This is, by far, the best Captain Sisko figure to hit the market yet!
Basics
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Series 1 set of action figures contains a Captain Benjamin Sisko figure, technically as he appeared in the last three seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His is wearing the black and gray uniform with the red (Command) top peeking out from beneath. Standing seven full inches tall, this is an amazing likeness of Captain Sisko immortalized in plastic. The uniform is well-detailed for the character and the face is a strong likeness of Avery Brooks's legendary character. The figure includes such important details texturing in the beard! This is truly an incredible sculpt!
The paint job is generally well done. The skin tones are colored well and they even include slightly lighter sharing around the eyes for a more realistic look to Captain Sisko's skin tones! The uniform is appropriately colored and the figure looks good in that respect. In fact, my only beef with the paint job is a slight mark on the figure's communicator badge where it seems it was either not perfectly painted or it was slightly chipped away at! This is a completely nitpicky complaint, even for me.
Accessories
Captain Benjamin Sisko comes with five accessories: A StarFleet phaser rifle, a Type II phaser, a PADD, the baseball from Sisko's desk (with stand) and a baseball cap from the station's baseball team. That Captain Sisko comes with weapons makes a great deal of sense, as much of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a war story and Sisko was often at the forefront of that war. The Type II phaser is incredibly detailed, including accurate coloring for the buttons and charge indicator. Unfortunately, I found the figure had limited success with holding the phaser in his hand at any sort of reasonable position (though I did notice that rather incredibly the fingers flex and can be molded around different object to hold them more securely.
The PADD is a 7/8" choking hazard that is equally incredible in its detail. This works as a decent accessory for Sisko as he was an administrator and strategist in the Dominion War. It does fit in his hands (either of them) and instantly the bounty of accessories makes me wish that Diamond Select and Art Asylum would be ambitious enough to release an Ops playset with the Prefect's (Captain's) Office. It would have to be huge, but . . .
Part of that desire for a more complete Deep Space Nine environment is the baseball with stand accessory. This sat on Captain Sisko's desk and with only two hands on the figure, it's a shame there are so many great accessories! This accessory does fit in the figure's left palm, but it looks kind of doofy there. Similarly, the baseball cap fits the figure and it is detailed enough to clearly be the cap from the Deep Space Nine baseball team, but it looks a bit awkward on the Sisko figure given that he is in his StarFleet uniform.
But easily the best accessory is the phaser rifle. Four inches long, this firearm is in perfect proportion to the rest of the figure and the attention to detail on it is as astonishing. Unlike the old Playmates figures, which came with solid-colored accessories, this phaser rifle is gray and black with colored details for the sight and the display. The figure is able to hold it with two hands in an appropriate pose and it's possible even to extend the right trigger finger to place it on the trigger. This is truly incredible for a toy in terms of detailing and styling.
Playability
Captain Sisko sets a decent standard for Art Asylum and Diamond Select Star Trek figures in terms of playability. Captain Benjamin Sisko is blessed as well by having sixteen points of articulation: ankles, knees, groin socket, biceps, elbows, wrists, shoulders, neck, and waist. The neck articulation is incredible given that the base of the neck is a ball joint, allowing for up and down posing as well as left to right movement. But the shoulders are equally impressive. As ball and socket joints (like real shoulders!), Captain Sisko is able to strike a number of poses that might otherwise be impossible and allow him to be posed in pretty advanced poses.
Moreover, for use with actual play, Captain Sisko has all sorts of movement potential making him one of the more realistic Star Trek action figures to play with (for those who actually play with these toys!). But for those posing the figure for display, this is THE Sisko figure to have. Well balanced, even in a running pose, Sisko is kept stable by the ankle articulation that keeps him sturdy. Indeed, this sculpt balances perfectly the look of Sisko in motion with the articulation to keep him standing. Having figures on display that do not tip over is a wonderful thing and Sisko's balance makes him pretty well perfect.
Collectibility
Art Asylum and Diamond Select mass produced the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Series 1 figures, including the Captain Sisko. However, their version of "mass produce" is pretty limited. Unlike previous toy lines, there are no individual numbers on these figures, but mostly they were only available at hobby and comic book shops, so it is not like they were drastically overproduced by any means. The Sisko is one of two more common figures in the line (Odo and Ezri were exclusive and short packed, respectively) but even then, it does appear that the market was never flooded with these and as a result, it has - at the very least - retained its original value.
Overview
It is hard to complain about this sculpt as it is incredibly detailed, completely posable and has accessories enough to please action fans and pacifists who want an administrator on their desk. This is the Captain Benjamin Sisko action figure to buy, hands down. A must for any Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fan!
This toy is based upon Captain Benjamin Sisko as he appeared from the mid-fifth season and beyond of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (reviewed here!)
For other figures of Benjamin Sisko, be sure to check out my reviews of:
6" Captain Benjamin Sisko
Commander Sisko
Sisko from "Crossover"
Captain Benjamin Sisko
Warp Factor Wave 2 Captain Sisko As A Klingon
10/10
For other toy reviews, be sure to check out my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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