Starbug Playset review

Written by Blake Neale.

Almost two years ago the official site ran a story about the Starbug Playset, due for release late October 2003. Well, here we are in December 2004 and it's only just been released. So, was it worth the wait?

In short: Yes.

The packaging looks fantastic, allowing for immediate display amongst your other Red Dwarf smegware.

We wanted everything about this toy to be special, so we have carried the same attention to detail into the packaging design. Rather than your standard, bland box, we have created an 'environment' featuring Starbug's hanger aboard Red Dwarf. While meeting all ordinary packaging requirements, it also shows off the toy to great effect.

- Steve Walker (Product Enterprise) talking to the official site earlier this year.

I was a little concerned about the packaging getting damaged in transit, but I received the item in immaculate condition - shipped in a very large box.

Once opened, a "TRY ME!" sticker saw me repeatedly pressing the button to activate the "authentic dialogue from the TV series." These are the snippets used:

• "Our biggest enemy is going space crazy through loneliness. The only thing that helps me maintain my slender grip on reality is the friendship I share with my collection of singing potatoes." - Holly (Queeg)
  
  
• "You have personal habits that would make a monkey blush." - The Cat (Legion)
  
  
• "Smoke me a kipper, Skipper, I'll be back for breakfast." - Ace Rimmer (Dimension Jump)
  
  
• "Step up to red alert!" / "Sir, are you absolutely sure? It does mean changing the bulb." - Rimmer/Kryten (Legion)
  
  
• "All hands on deck - swirly thing alert!" - The Cat (Legion)
  
  
• "Does anyone fancy a vindaloo?" - Lister (Meltdown)
  
  
• "Oh, screw down my diodes and call me Frank!" - Kryten (Justice)

I would've been very surprised if the "red alert" gag hadn't been used. And the Ace Rimmer line for that matter. As for the others - if it was my job to select the pieces of dialogue, these wouldn't have stood out as contenders. Not that there's anything wrong with them, as they do their job in entertaining and sound fairly accurate. I definitely wouldn't have used the "singing potatoes" line for obvious male Holly/Starbug reasons though.

The 'bug looks excellent. In fact, I was sorely tempted to don my Visual Effects t-shirt and fake a behind-the-scenes photograph for this article. But I'd only be cheating myself, so I decided against it. Still, the point I'm making is that the detail (especially considering this IS a toy) is remarkable. Well done Product Enterprise indeed.


I wasn't going to remove the protective plastic covering from the set, but I wanted to take out the batteries for fear of them leaking in the future. This gave me the chance to take some of my own photographs, which delayed the posting of this article because the batteries for the camera were annoyingly dead. Incidentally, there are some great photographs on the official site, Product Enterprise and here too.




The 'bug opens up revealing the cockpit & midsection of the ship à la Polly in my Pocket and Mighty Max if you're familiar with them. The figures are proportionally correct - at least to the size of the seats/bunks. They are, however, a lot smaller than I'd expected them to be.




But this is not a complaint, as the figures remain highly detailed despite their piddly size - you can easily make out the "H" on Rimmer's forehead for example.


All in all, Red Dwarf 'toys' have been much sought after for many years, and this Starbug Playset does not disappoint. My only criticism is the inclusion of the Norman Lovett Holly quote & pop-up head, as it should've been Hattie Hayridge's used instead. This is easily forgivable, though, as a lot of hard work has clearly gone into this.

Buy yours today from Red Dwarf Shop UK and have yourselves a very merry Christmas.

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