April 1968 concept drawing by H.M.S. Associates (Aurora subcontractor) showing Spock facing off with alien birds instead of a three-headed snake. -Provided by Andrew P. Yanchus
H.M.S. Associates concept drawing. 4/28/68 -Provided by Andrew P. Yanchus
1972 Aurora: Aurora initially conceived a Spock figure concept around 1968, shelved it only to later revive the project years later via Aurora UK. Aurora UK officially released the 1:12 scale Mr. Spock kit (Model No. S922) in 1972, featuring Spock standing on a rocky base alongside a strange, non-canon three-headed serpent and alien vegetation. The image on the box cover is of the original handmade model, not the kit.
1973 Aluminum Model Toys (AMT): The earliest version features a wide, horizontal “panorama style” landscape box. It displays a prominent “amt” logo inside a small red square in the lower-left corner and no stylized Star Trek franchise lettering.
1974 (S956)
1975 (S956): A completely reimagined retail box to aid retailers’ shelf space.
1975 AMT Catalog
1976 (AMT Acquires Tooling): AMT officially bought the Spock figure’s steel tooling outright from Aurora in 1976.
1979 AMT/Lesney Products (under Matchbox partnership): This version marked the most extreme design shift. To capitalize on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, AMT modified the physical plastic mold. They removed the three-headed serpent entirely, updated Spock’s classic uniform to the movie version, and switched his right arm to a pointing gesture instead of holding a phaser. The box features a stark black starfield design highlighting the updated movie figure. (Kit ID: #S973)
“To modify Spock, AMT had taken the phaser out of his hand and just had him point his finger for some reason, and completely omitted the entire base section that had the snake heads emerging from a pit. Here is a picture of the tool (the correct term given to a steel mold for injection casting) showing how the modification of the base was done. An insert was put in place (shown as a bronze coloured section in the lower left quarter of the picture) that effectively destroyed the original version. The top left quarter of the tool, which contained the snake heads, was simply blocked off (picture courtesy of Jamie Hood at Round 2). But a few years ago, after Round 2 had acquired AMT, they decided to restore the kit to its original condition, re-tooling the missing section that the 1979 insert occupied.” –You’ve Been Modified, Mr. Spock!, SmallArtWorks.substack.com, 12/19/242009 Round 2 Models (under the AMT brand): Round 2 restored the modified tooling back to its original layout, bringing back the classic “Spock vs. Snake” diorama after it had been out of production for over 30 years. It was distributed in two primary styles: a standard vintage-style cardboard box (#625) (above) and a highly sought-after embossed collector’s tin box (#624) (below) that featured a prominent vertical Star Trek retro logo.
Available Now! Star Trek™: The Original Series Space Serpent Attack! Ornament – $36.99
