neps: January 2012 Archives

If you've been itching to get your hand on these toonified creations from Minimates now finally is your chance. They've became available in your local comic shop recently, and from what we hear have been tough to keep in stock. Check out comic shop locator to find a retailer nearest you, or at a speciality store online. Remember that MSRP is $14.95, so be careful to not over pay.

Diamond Select Toys was kind enough to send us some of them our way for review, and boy are these items well done! Currently available is the SPM KITT with Michael in blue shirt, and KARR with Garthe Knight (the standard KITT with Michael in red shirt is a Toys R Us exclusive not released). While the scale does prevent them from replicating every exacting detail, there was a lot of little nice touches that made me smile. From little things like Michael Knight having his wrist comlink, to a pretty successful execution of a dash and upper and lower consoles. The cars themselves have working doors, while the figures are pretty posable, allowing you to bend them into any staged situation you wish. And while KARR and Garthe never teamed up in the series, you know that is where the writers were going to take it eventually!

There is some minor assembly required, primarily in applying decals. Be sure to give extra time and care when applying them in the interior due to the cramped working area.

For the diehard fan, or for the young kids at home, there is no reason not to buy this and enjoy. Hours of fun is about to be had, DST and Minimates have a great product on their hand, we can't wait to see what comes next.

We are giving away one SPM KITT with Michael Knight and one KARR with Garthe Knight to a lucky reader thanks to DST! Simply fill out the form below to enter.

We will be meeting up with Diamond Select Toys at the Toy Fair in NYC next month, where they plan to reveal some updates of their licenses including Knight Rider!

Glen Larson at a Knights of the West Coast car show, 2008

Not only does 2012 mark the 30th anniversary of Knight Rider, but also the 75th birthday of Glen A. Larson. By creating Knight Rider in the 1980s, he captured the imagination of the world, and empowered them to believe that one man can make a difference.

We would like to take a moment for fans like ourselves whom he inspired, to say "Happy Birthday!" and we look forward to what the ride has ahead.

Watch Glen A. Larson receive honors at Knight Rider Festival.

Starlog magazine ran this profile of him in 1997:

[Glen Larson's] greatest success was Knight Rider, which put Hasselhoff behind the wheel of K.I.T.T., a Pontiac Trans Am with a mind of its own...

Knight Rider appealed to Larson because it fulfilled a part of him that enjoys science fiction, particularly when it becomes science fact. "K.I.T.T. was the first car in America that had L.E.D. readouts on the dashboard," he notes proudly. "And it could also steer and brake itself. Now we're looking at automobiles that have radar-activated brakes and steering. So it's fun to contemplate where we can go. Many of the things we developed for K.I.T.T. were done by young designers who did work for Mattel and others. We didn't go to the usual Hollywood shops to design an interior. It's fun to stretch the envelope a bit, and we're doing that with NightMan, taking him beyond what has been done. It may not be on the shelf right now, but these are things humans could develop."

NBC revised Knight Rider several years ago in the TV movie pilot Knight Rider 2000, but Larson (who wasn't involved) was disappointed by the results. "They missed the point," he observes. "I don't think they understood the series or what made it work in the first place. They went off in the wrong direction. The audience was there, but the movie didn't appeal to them." The property is being reprised anew this fall as Team Knight Rider, and Larson hopes they do a better job this time.

Douglas Snauffer - Starlog, October 1997