Forty years ago a research vessel found a missing spaceship commanded by a mysterious scientist on the edge of a black hole.   Unfortunately it all happened two years after Star Wars.  Unlike Disney’s 1982 hit Tron, which would gain a large fan following, Disney’s winter 1979 science fiction film The Black Hole got left behind or at least somewhere in-between.  Nominated for Oscars for best cinematography, best effects, and best visual effects, the effects today don’t hold up so well, and the movie is known more for its soundtrack than anything else.  But its promise was an interesting slate of leading actors: Robert Forster, Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine (who probably should be an honorary borg here just on principal).  If you hold any nostalgia for the movie, it’s probably because of the unique robots: V.I.N.CENT (which stands for Vital Information Necessary CENTralized) voiced by Roddy McDowall, and B.O.B. (which stands for Bio-Sanitation Batallion)–a robot who has seen better days, voiced by Slim Pickens.  And one more–not only was the star of the movie named Maximilian (this confused me as a kid), so was the evil red robot.  For fans of the movie, you’re in luck this year, as Disney Select is issuing all three as action figures.

You can pre-order the Disney Select Classic Series 1 The Black Hole Maximilian Action Figure here at Entertainment Earth or here at Amazon.  Maximilian includes multiple interchangeable parts and a USS Cygnus diorama base.   

V.I.N.CENT and B.O.B. are available together as a two-pack.  They feature a diorama base of the interior of the USS Cygnus.   You can pre-order the Disney Select Classic Series 1 The Black Hole V.I.N.CENT and B.O.B. Action Figures here at Entertainment Earth or here at Amazon.

The film initially had toys to accompany its release.  These updated sculpts were designed by Yuri Tming at Gentle Giant, in an approximately 7-inch scale, and they’re being packaged on blister cards.  Note: These are not the same as the previously released boxed figures from Diamond Select.

Entertainment Earth expects these to ship in November 2020, and you’ll want to check the individual Amazon sellers for projected ship dates there.  Diehard fans of The Black Hole can always watch the original movie here or hear the soundtrack here at Amazon, and the film is currently streaming on Disney+.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg