The Andor Files
The Andor Files

Customising Mego Star Trek action figures

The makeover of a Betelgeusian Ambassador

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Betelgeusian action figure Betelgeusian Ambassador

After a twenty year search, I finally located a 3.75" Mego ST:TMP loose Betelgeusian - on eBay!

I had always tried to tell myself, unsuccessfully, that I didn't need this alien action figure for my collection. The alien it represents is quite unique: this Betelgeusian, who was barely glimpsed in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, is wearing the most expensive costume ever designed for a "no line" movie extra. Mego didn't do the figure justice.

The material for the Betelgeusian Chief Ambassador's robes in the movie was from a bolt of material discovered in the vaults of Paramount Studios: Cecil B DeMille had hand-selected it decades before and, even though it featured real gold thread, it lay forgotten till the late 70s.

The hapless extra playing this background Betelgeusian was placed on a box (to make use of maximum material), and then he was hidden so well in the San Francisco airtram sequence that everyone wondered what the fuss was all about!

Robe off Back view

This Mego figure is the rarest of the Wave II ST:TMP 3.75" action figures, especially carded ones, but he is perhaps also the tackiest. His face and hands are the same (wrong) silver colour as his jumpsuit and he wears a frayed red nylon shape that is meant to pass for the infamous robe.

So, now that I had a Betelgeusian of my own, I went about customising/perfecting him. Removing his flimsy robe (which I gave to Galoob's Q figure, by the way), I was surprised to see his hidden dagger (above right) on the back of his belt, a cute detail missed by anyone who keeps their toys MOMC (mint on mint card). I guess a dagger is essential for anyone wearing such expensive threads, even in the 23rd Century!

Of course, the new robe I made had to look like the one from the movie! The glittery red Christmas ribbon I found (below left) even had wired seams of metallic gold thread! I thickened and widened the ribbon in layers with "iron on" hemming web.

Red Christmas ribbon Closeup of robe

The small, fuzzy images of eagles, cheetahs and tigers I found on cards of assorted animal-shaped, velour stickers by Sandy Lion Sticker Designs. Two sets of the stickers gave me sufficient eagles and cheetahs for the job. To have been strictly accurate to the original costume, the eagles should have been perched rather than flying. The cheetahs are facing the wrong way, too, hence the addition of some tigers into the pattern. But at least I used more creative artistic licence than Mego did twenty years ago!

Finally, I painted the Betelgeusian's face and hands an accurate shade of deep blue. After so many years of planning, it actually took me only a few minutes (and some luck) to buy all the materials I needed - and just one hour to complete the figure! My fastest custom ever! I know which version I prefer!:

Revamped Betelgeusian Betelgeusian Ambassador Betelgeusian action figure

Costume still from Star Trek: The Motion Picture © 1979 Paramount Pictures Corp.


Betelgeusian in ST VI

More Mego customs:

[Rigellian lord] [Andorian female] [And the rest]

Playmates customs:

[Recipes for customising] [Tellarite] [Arex] [M'ress] [Dr Selar] [Capt. Bev and Prof. Data] [Tuvix]

Races of the United Federation of Planets

A Rogues' Gallery of Andorians

A Summary of the Physiological Roots of Andorian Culture by Leslie Fish

Captain Therin's photo album

See Therin and Grol hosting intergalactic game shows

Therin's Log of the USS Hood (Fiction by Ian McLean)

That other blue race

Separated at Birth...?

Ian and Therin's hot links

The Andor Files
The Andor Files

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Star Trek © Paramount Pictures Corp. This website is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by Paramount/Viacom. The Mego Customising pages © 1999 Orange Eye Productions. No text or graphics may be reproduced without permission.

Page revised June 2006
URL: http://www.oocities.org/therinofandor/index.html
Email Therin and Ian at: lindsay96@ozemail.com.au