Chris Huisman on the biggest design challenges of TOMY Plus’s Star Trek and Knight Rider replicas

Chris! It’s always terrific to tie in. Your past die-cast work for TOMY Plus includes the Back to the Future Time Machine and the Star Trek Enterprise. People can read about those here and here… What’s new for you in 2026?
2026 will feature two new TOMY Plus campaigns. They’re top secret at the moment… But really freaking sweet!

Ha! I believe you. Let’s chat about current releases – starting with Knight Rider’s KITT! What makes that car so iconic?
KITT wasn’t just a car. KITT was PEAK 80’s awesome, hitting the perfect storm of nerd-tech fantasy, major attitude, and super cool… Years before most of us owned a computer. KITT was your smartest friend, the coolest ride, and the ultimate back-up in a fight…

Beyond that, KITT was also the AI the world is expecting to see any day now. He was a snarky, sassy artificial being that could hack into any system, analyse tons of information at lightning speeds, diagnose injuries, outthink villains, AND had a menacing scanner that let everyone know that he wasn’t just a pretty face wrapped in synth music.

Brilliant summary! You’ve made me want to watch every episode again. Obviously, this is a die-cast model but tell me about some of the features…
TOMY’s KITT features realistic lights, show-authentic sound effects – including KITT’s voice, a dazzling dashboard with a working video screen – voice-activated responses and a fully automatic, transforming Super-Pursuit Mode.

So I’m guessing this replica is modelled on the final season of the original Knight Rider…
You’re exactly right: TOMY’s KITT is a replica of the fourth season of Knight Rider…

Well, frankly, I found the model’s transformation to Super-Pursuit Mode mind-boggling! I couldn’t see any joins in the prototype and I didn’t press any buttons to make it happen! How on earth does it work?
Well, I remember vividly as a boy watching KITT go into Super Pursuit Mode. I was blown away! Since then, I’ve always wanted to recreate it somehow… And now we have! KITT’s activation points are touch sense, not physical buttons, so they’re hidden in plain sight on KITT’s hood and rear bumper.

Well, kudos. It’s amazing…
Thanks Deej. These replicas are labours of love, truly.

I can tell. Now, I understand some other features are voice activated?
Yes, TOMY’s KITT features voice-activated responses… Introducing yourself to KITT sets off tons of KITT responses; some cool and collected, some rather snarky, and others kind of quirky in the way only KITT could pull off.

What was the biggest challenge on this project? How did you solve it?
Actually, the biggest challenge was the Super-Pursuit-Mode transformation. Our amazing model shop went through trial and error and were eventually able to accomplish the smooth transition – and also reverse it!

Well, I’m tempted to ask the same question for the Klingon Battle Cruiser… First, though, am I right in saying there are two colour options for this? One all grey, one two-tone green?
Yes! When the Klingon D7 Battle Cruiser first appeared on colour TV back in the 1960s, it appeared grey and green. In fact, it was all grey but under-lit with a green glow. That was not only to give it a menacing appearance but also to reflect the original grey and green concept by the famed original designer, Matt Jefferies. Due to filming limitations, however, it was easier to make the filming model grey and shine green lights on it from below.

I didn’t know that! Now, you’ve had a whimsical moment, I think, designing the remote control… It looks like a Klingon communicator! What functions does that operate?
The Klingon Communicator remote features some subtle sound effects and lets you control all the special lighting effects on the D7. The user can also choose to use the buttons on the base if they wish – or if they happen to lose the remote in the couch cushions!

Ha! No chance of that, Chris; people will guard it with their lives! What other details are you particularly pleased with?
I’m in love with the light effects – thanks to LOTS of advice from my Star Trek Goon Squad, especially Karl Tate.

And in terms of challenges, what was the biggest?
The biggest challenge was just getting the little details correct… It looks like a simple design, but there are deliberately subtle nuances in the geometry that make this a truly beautiful work of art.

It’s an unbelievable design. Also, there are two smaller craft included with the cruiser model… What class are they?!
These are Klingon Shuttlecraft which – along with the hangar bay – were designed by Matthew Cushman and Gary Kerr. Due to limited intel, this class of shuttlecraft is somewhat of a mystery, but one might notice that it bears an uncanny resemblance to The Original Series Shuttlecraft concept by Matt Jefferies… An homage to him, perhaps?

I’m confident various chat fora will tell us the answer once this reaches the fans! Finally, Chris, what’s the one question I could’ve asked you today, but didn’t?
You could’ve asked about the included cutaway posters for KITT and the Klingon D7… Wait until you see them! They’re both illustrated by Matthew Cushman: I’ve always been a huge fan of his work, even before I knew who he was.

Amazing! Well, thank you – as always, Chris – for your time. It’s a genuine pleasure to geek out over your work!