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#21 Morgan

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Posted 08 July 2020 - 02:15 PM

TNG 7th season and DS9 first two release lineup, 1995.

 

It's worth recalling at this point that some of these DS9 figures didn't make it on to DS9 backer cards at all, like Vash and Grand Nagus Zek, even though they were shown on those backer cards.

 

Some of the these DS9 figures, however, made it on to TNG 7th season backer cards in Canada, include O'Brien, Bashir and Dax in duty uniforms, Q, Tom Riker, and DS9 Picard. It seemed in Canada this whole grouping of figures pictured here made it on to whatever backer cards were available.

 

ds9-1995.jpg



#22 Matty-lad

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 06:46 AM

Target, 1999.
 
target-1999.jpg


Again I was gutted when the Troi and Barclay transporter figures weren't released although it was weird they were differently coloured to the original TNG ones.

At least they completed TOS with Chapel and Rand.

#23 Morgan

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 09:04 AM

When it comes to the transporter figures, I'm still surprised how much effort if not money -- they're the same molds -- was sunk into them so late in the game. By this time everything was some kind of rebody or repaint, as the others in this image illustrate, but it's also very transparent that a lot of these were aimed purely at completist collectors.

 

Very few entirely new sculpts or characters were released in 1998-2000.



#24 MisterPL

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Posted 09 July 2020 - 07:31 PM

Innerspace, 1995

 

 

 

innerspace-1995.jpg

 

Ah, Innerspace. Playmates' Action Fleet for Star Trek.

 

The problem was that Trek's most recognizable ships are so much bigger than an X-wing or TIE fighter and the shuttles have no pew! pew! value.

 

And look at that Picard figure! Yikes! NOT a selling point.



#25 Morgan

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Posted 10 July 2020 - 06:42 AM

Yeah, it was hard to make the figures stand up properly -- they should have just done Galoob-style stand bases for the minifigures. 

 

And they didn't do small ships that were closer to scale like half a dozen different Starfleet shuttles, or the Romulan shuttle, Spacedock shuttle, Vulcan shuttle. Bajoran fighter, etc. There was a ton of small ships they could have done instead of stuff that was obviously not to scale. They were afraid to do obscure ships.



#26 MisterPL

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Posted 10 July 2020 - 10:17 AM

Target, 1999.

 

 

 

target-1999.jpg

 

I thought the Transporter series was a clever way to use existing sculpts ad I got the chance to tell Playmates that at a Toy Fair in '96 or '97.

 

Yes, it was aimed at completists like me, which is why when it became a Target exclusive, that was another nail in the coffin. The nearest store was almost an hour away. I accepted that Target was keeping the line alive but when a hobby becomes more frustrating than fun, it's time to bounce.



#27 djc242

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Posted 10 July 2020 - 12:55 PM

Another frustrating thing was seeing figures in the 9" line that never made it to the 4.5" one. Looking at you, Data as Sherlock Holmes!

 

Really strange they left Geordi out of that final 4.5" movie uniform run.



#28 Matty-lad

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 03:56 AM

Another frustrating thing was seeing figures in the 9" line that never made it to the 4.5" one. Looking at you, Data as Sherlock Holmes!
 
Really strange they left Geordi out of that final 4.5" movie uniform run.


I think I remember somewhere that LeVar Burton didn't like his figure so it wasn't released but it was a long time ago so I could be completely wrong.

#29 MisterPL

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 09:51 AM

Paramount, 1993. Note the concept sketch of the Bridge Playset.

 

Also, note the wild prices. Transporter: $59.95. Bridge playset: $79.95. 

 

In 2020 dollars, that Transporter would be $106.

 

 

 

paramount-1993.jpg

 

I bought everything on that page at retail and don't recall paying so much. Those are Starlog prices.

But, damn, what a great time to be a Star Trek collector!



#30 Morgan

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 01:39 PM

Man, Starlog was taking people to the cleaners. This is like 50% markup.



#31 Morgan

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 01:42 PM

Enterprise-D model, 1992.

 

Note the deflector dish. On the production toy it's transparent red like the bussard collectors and glows red, but here it's painted orange like the nacelle bands. 

 

 

1992-ship.jpg



#32 Morgan

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 01:45 PM

1993 lineup.

 

Note the hand-painted Riker, who has a matte finish and his shirt is not ripped. Also he doesn't have a holster on his right side here.

 

 

crew-1993.jpg



#33 Morgan

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 01:49 PM

Borg figure, 1992.

 

This is actually a pretty inventive ad, and very early too, demonstrating that Pmates knew what was likely to sell well. I think it's surprising in retrospect that they did not do another "generic" Borg figure right away, with an entirely different sculpt. That could have really started a frenzy. They came close in 1993.

 

For the fame that the Borg got as a result of TNG, they actually appeared in a very small number of episodes. 

 

 

1992-borg.jpg



#34 djc242

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 07:51 PM

I think I remember somewhere that LeVar Burton didn't like his figure so it wasn't released but it was a long time ago so I could be completely wrong.

 

Sounds plausible. Leonard Nimoy not liking the card is the reason his TMP figure didn't have one. If anything you'd think Levar would have objected to his All Good Things head sculpt.

 

Crazy how the gaps and missteps in this line still bug me so much to this day. I wonder how much money it would take to pickup where they left off. Several 100k? A mil?



#35 RizzoPSU

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Posted 11 July 2020 - 11:48 PM

Would be nice to see them pick up where they off.

#36 Morgan

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Posted 12 July 2020 - 08:10 AM

It would have been nice to see McFarlane pick up with the 4.5-inch format, and just do obscure admirals and Ro Laren in different outfits.

 

I hope the company showed Nimoy more than one card version. That seems like a wild kind of fail.



#37 Morgan

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Posted 12 July 2020 - 09:24 AM

The DS9 lineup, 1993.

 

Note that the figures below are flipped horizontally. And they appear to be hand-painted.

 

In retrospect it makes sense that we got stuff like the Bajoran phaser and Bajoran tricorder, but not the Ops playset and the Galor-class warship, even though the latter was pretty much tooled up and ready to go. I think this was an issue of production cost, store price and shelf space. Retailers wanted smaller stuff that could cost less. Though I think the Galor-class warship would have been cool. 

 

But then again, they were ready to produce the Galor-class warship and the Kazon fighter, but not a crowd-pleaser like the Enterprise-A? That would have been deeply strange if they'd made all of those things, but not the A.

 

 

quark.jpg






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