Ion Nebulizer and Vox Communicator

I remember how bad the teasers for Galaxy Quest looked. I remember watching them on TV and thinking, "why would anyone make this movie, and why would Sigourney Weaver agree to participate?"

I didn't even consider going to see it when it came out. Then I started hearing rumors. That the movie was good. Or great. So, eventually, I got around to seeing it on video.

Holy crap, that movie was awesome. It's a parody so awesome, its mere existence makes Star Trek even better. The term 'parody' doesn't do this justice: like Sky High, Enchanted, and Shaun of the Dead, Galaxy Quest is a movie about its source material, not a movie mocking it. It's a brilliant piece of art, a science-fiction/comedy that doesn't compromise the former for the latter.

So, when I discovered a two-pack containing an Ion Nebulizer and Vox Communicator on sale at Big Bad Toy Store for $12.49, I jumped at the chance to get my mitts on some long overdue movie merchandise. This was produced by Pegasus Hobbies, a company I'm not all that familiar with.

From the description, I knew I wasn't getting anything on par with Diamond Select's fantastic Star Trek accessories, so I wasn't disappointed when these arrived. These are good for what they are, but make no mistake, they're not replicas: these are costume-quality toys.

The Ion Nebulizer looks cool, though it feels extremely cheap. The plastic is similar to what you'd get from a Halloween costume shop.

The packaging advertises that the Nebulizer has a "functioning trigger," which is just about the most ridiculous excuse for marketing I can imagine. Note that "functioning trigger" doesn't mean electronic lights or sounds; just that there's a trigger you can press. In their defense, the trigger does make a satisfying clicking sound.

The strange thing is that this seems designed to house lighting effects. The gun is clearly hollow, and there's a lot of clear, blue plastic. I suspect that, at some point, there was supposed to be more to this. Either those plans must have fallen through, or perhaps there's a more advanced version out there.

I bet that, given some knowledge of electronics, it wouldn't be too hard to take this apart and add an LED. That sounds a little more involved than I want to get at the moment, though.

The Vox Communicator has a clip on back, presumably to snap into a shirt pocket. If there was any doubt this was a costume accessory as opposed to a replica, I'd say it's been cleared up.

This actually has an action feature in the form of a spring loaded mechanism opening the lid. It's nothing fancy, though they took the time to calibrate it to open at a good speed: always appreciated. The inside is a fairly run-of-the-mill decal, though. I'm a little disappointed they didn't at least go for a hologram or something.

I wouldn't advise paying much more than twelve bucks for these, but at that price it's cool having some artifacts from Galaxy Quest to display alongside my Star Trek and Star Wars replicas. Or, you know, to save the Universe.