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The Future of the Diamond Select Star Trek line


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Poll: Expanding DST's Star Trek licence (32 member(s) have cast votes)

Do you want to see DST get a licence to cover both the JJ Abrams movies and the new 2017 TV series?

  1. Yes absolutely I'd love to see DST produce product for both as well as the older shows and films! (13 votes [39.39%])

    Percentage of vote: 39.39%

  2. No, some other toy company needs to take on Trek. (11 votes [33.33%])

    Percentage of vote: 33.33%

  3. Yes but just product based on the JJ Abrams movies as well as their already established TOS - ENT era product (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  4. Yes but just product based on the new TV series as well as their already established TOS - ENT line (2 votes [6.06%])

    Percentage of vote: 6.06%

  5. No but continue with the TOS - ENT era of the Star Trek franchise. (7 votes [21.21%])

    Percentage of vote: 21.21%

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#21 s8film40

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 01:34 PM

Broadcast television is a dying format, streaming services are the future so I don't see it not being on broadcast TV as a factor. I think the mistake in making merchandise for the 2009 film is that it's target audience is the general action movie public not the type of people who would collect toys and it didn't appeal enough to kids to get them interested in it. Even now there's far more TOS and TNG merchandise out there than JJ Trek. I think this series could be different and it seems the 2009 thing at least indicates Playmates is willing to try. Would be fitting since the TMNT line is so huge right now just like it was before they started their original ST line.



#22 Alteran195

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 01:54 PM

As a collector, I wouldn't be terribly interested in Playmates stuff again. Their stuff is typically sub par when compared to the stuff from NECA and DST.

While their 2009 stuff, namely the Enterprise itself, was better than their offerings from the '90s, it wasn't even in the same league as DST's ships.

As others have said, keep the ships, props, and select figures going with DST since they do a damn good job. Give them the JJ and new show licenses for those things, and give NECA the license for all of Trek for articulated figures.

#23 1701D

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 02:39 PM

I loved the 90's Star Trek line, it was so much fun and really was made to a quality that just wasn't there in their 2009 line which was so tacky and cheap looking.

Playmates have done so well since its rerelease with their TMNT line as well.

I doubt though they'll return to Star Trek as Star Trek isn't geared towards what the toy industry and networks perceive kids enjoy watching.

If they were to return I'd like them to continue on from their 90's line with the same improvements they've done for their TMNT line.

DST's ships are awesome (more detail and sculpted windows though!!) as are their props but I'd rather DST get back to making action figures the way Art Asylum made them in 2001/03 using modern materials and building techniques rather than just putting out swappable arms and legs.

There was something about those Enterprise, Borg Assimilation, Nemesis and TOS action figure lines from Art Asylum that were just a cut above the current Select line.

Mezco though... I'm so close to pre-ordering Spock.

#24 s8film40

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 03:33 PM

I think a lot hinges either way on how this new series does. There's no reason why Playmates being a more kid oriented toy company should have picked up Star Trek in the 90's but it worked because of the popularity of Star Trek at the time. I think DST is the perfect fit for ships, props and the larger scale figures. In a perfect world I would like to see NECA pick up the larger scale figure line then either Playmates, Funko or someone else do a smaller scale more expanded line.



#25 ensignmelkor

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 08:24 PM

So has DST dropped a hint as to when they'll reveal what the next alien ship will be, and when it's due? Is that going to be a year from now, or more? I'm confused because I don't know if they're still trying to do their "2 ships per year" schedule, and what year the Romulan BOP is a part of on that schedule.



#26 Alteran195

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 08:38 PM

I doubt we'll hear much of anything about the next ship for a while now.

We don't even know if DST is going to do an alien ship after Reliant.

As for the RBoP, it's supposedly coming this year for the 50th. I'm hoping Reliant will be next year.

#27 Jay K

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Posted 21 February 2016 - 11:41 PM

I find it amusing how DST just revealed their next Federation ship, and we've all immediately moved on to trying to guess the next one.

That said, do you think there's anyway for when they do Voyager, they could somehow rig it for the nacelles to move in unison? I wouldn't want a motor like the Playmates one has, but both nacelles moving at once and triggering a warp sound would be sweet.

 

Part of the pleasure of this forum! :)
The reason my guess is the Enterprise-C, is due to Zach being able to reel off the details of the episode with ease when making a case for the ship. I'm not saying he wouldn't know that, it just stood out to me in a way similar to how you'd promote a product. I'm probably looking into that too much, but I've got a hunch. lol

 

Regards Voyager's nacelles, I could guess at a few ways to get them motorised, but it's tricky thinking about which would be the simplest/cheapest method - hopefully it won't involve making the stern too thick, or require massive humps!

 

As for DST dropping hints about their next new ships after the R-BoP and Reliant, I'd guess at least three years based off of previous release schedules. I don't believe a word of this two-ships-per-year stuff (as lovely as that would be), but that's only because I've yet to see evidence of it. Perhaps due to the news of the Reliant being received so positively, they might allow us to see a list of ships in contention. Either way, my guess at the next Federation ship is either the Enterprise-C, or the 'Fuller-prise' from the new show.



#28 Gothneo

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 01:27 AM

I think the fact that a thread about DST's action figure line has pretty much been co-opted to talk about the ship line says it all!



#29 1701D

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 01:55 PM

I think the fact that a thread about DST's action figure line has pretty much been co-opted to talk about the ship line says it all!


I wonder if that's because many fans spent so long collecting the original AA/DST lines and then to have them stop without being completed only for DST to go back and do the same characters again just in a different package that those who did collect the AA/DST action figure lines just didn't feel the need to buy the selects?

I'd love to see DST to return to the style of action figure we saw from Art Asylum. I'd love to see specific box sets or series of figures like a 'Death of a Redshirt' box set, a 'Captains of Starfleet' box set and a series very much in the style of the Borg Assimilation figures called 'Klingon Warrirors'

#30 JMW326

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 03:43 PM

I liked the TOS figures from AA and DST with the exception of the rubber shirts. Some of the TNG and DS9 figures turned out great but others were really bad. River and Worf were top notch. Now we have the select line that does not seem to mirror any of their other select lines and is more of a slightly posable statue line than anything else. I like it hem for what they are but they are not posable action figures at all. I don't understand the thought process of making them like this and frankly all of the attempts to justify it make no sense. It's really frustrating when you see some of their other select figure lines like Ghostbusters and Gotham which are pretty phenomenal. They have the right amount of useful articulation and sculpting. If DST could do that for Trek I would be back on board. However the way they are currently going with the figure line just shows me more and more that the people that make the decisions regarding the Trek figures don't really get their customers at all.

#31 s8film40

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 06:22 PM

Yeah the DST action figure line is essentially dead. Re-releasing a few figures in the select format is nice and I appreciate the bonus of some of the accessories (really looking forward to that Reliant chair!), but at this point what is being put out isn't enough to generate excitement over the line to get people into collecting it. It's a shame because I'm sure if they announced they were releasing a whole new series of Voyager figures everyone would get back on board! It's the whole "if you build it they will come" philosophy, if you stop producing them the interest dries up which is why most are only interested in the ships right now.



#32 Alteran195

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 06:27 PM

I stand by planning Select figures to coincide with ship releases is a good idea. Imagine if you got Chang with a Klingon captains chair to go along with the BoP, Sulu and chair with Excelsior, or movie Picard with the E's chair with the updated E's they made? Certainly those would have generated excitement and interest since they would look damn good on a shelf with their respective ship. 

 

I'd kill for new captain chair figures, even in Select format. Especially TOS and TMP era Kirk's since I cant find the original Kirk figure anywhere... 

 

I wasn't even remotely interested in Khan until I found out he came with a chair, and Reliant was the confirmed next ship. 



#33 1701D

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 06:29 PM

If DST announced the first new wave (I miss that word) of Star Trek action figures with a line of newly sculpted Star Trek Voyager figures then I'd be onboard as long as they then committed to a 4/5 figure wave a year spanning TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT and the new Star Trek TV series.

#34 Gothneo

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Posted 22 February 2016 - 06:47 PM

Doing each of the Captains with their chairs is a good idea, the philosophy of the select line doesn't include entire waves.

 

At the end of the original line, DST couldn't even sell through 1701 pre-orders... and they never said what the minimum was for that last TOS wave, but they couldn't garner enough interest to take it to production (I pre-ordered 2 cases just to try and do my part!)

 

So I doubt waves are coming back, Select Trek is it.



#35 mynameschris

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Posted 23 February 2016 - 05:58 AM

I think DST have proven themselves with their various lines that they can do Star Trek well and give their customer/collector fanbase what they want.

 

I would love to see some of the JJ Trek ships done justice in the DST scale as an Enterprise, Kelvin and from what I have seen so far a Franklin would be great to see. I think they could do well with the role play side too as their Phaser and Communicators have always seemed to go down well (a couple of collectors I know who picked them up at the time say the AA legacy Enterprise Phase Pistol/Communicator combo is one of the best they own... Do wish they would bring that back).

 

I own the QMx Phaser from ITD but the restyled version (ok different paint job) in Beyond with lights, sounds and the flip barrel would be amazing especially if made the the right scale and would go down well with cosplayers wanting something more durable than the QMx and more accurate than the Playmates. The communicator too as the Playmates is rather lacking and toy like in comparison to shots of the real props.

 

A nice mix of things from DST is what I would like to see with bringing us new ships, figures and role play props they have never done before (like the Reliant and Cobra Phaser), re-releases of past ships (like the NX-01) and props (like I said I would love the ENT Phase/Comm pack redone and while I am at it season 4 Archer in his updated chair) as well as expanding into the JJ and beyond (no pun) movies and the new series.



#36 robster

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Posted 23 February 2016 - 12:11 PM

I got some QMX phasers as well,form ST ID and the 09 movie,and love them both. Very well done. There's probably faults with them but I'm not nitpicky enough to bother to search,scrutinize and look for them,lol.

 

Still wish DST could do new movie stuff though.

 

J-R!



#37 Alex

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Posted 23 February 2016 - 05:17 PM

I'm voting yes to DST having both the license to the new TV series and to the JJ–verse. I love the quality of their products and I don't mind the wait to get the kinds of things DST puts out.



#38 DSTZach

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Posted 24 February 2016 - 10:17 PM

So has DST dropped a hint as to when they'll reveal what the next alien ship will be, and when it's due? Is that going to be a year from now, or more? I'm confused because I don't know if they're still trying to do their "2 ships per year" schedule, and what year the Romulan BOP is a part of on that schedule.

 

Romulan shoudl be out in 2016. They're saying end of year, but I believe we're fairly far along in terms of production, so we'll see. Reliant I'm not sure where we are, so I'm assuming 2017.

 

 

The reason my guess is the Enterprise-C, is due to Zach being able to reel off the details of the episode with ease when making a case for the ship. I'm not saying he wouldn't know that, it just stood out to me in a way similar to how you'd promote a product. I'm probably looking into that too much, but I've got a hunch. lol

 

I'm not promoting a ship we're not making. At least not for the foreseeable future. I saw the episode ages ago, but I've certainly had to remind myself of key details due to how much it's brought up around here. 

 

Yeah the DST action figure line is essentially dead. Re-releasing a few figures in the select format is nice and I appreciate the bonus of some of the accessories (really looking forward to that Reliant chair!), but at this point what is being put out isn't enough to generate excitement over the line to get people into collecting it. It's a shame because I'm sure if they announced they were releasing a whole new series of Voyager figures everyone would get back on board! It's the whole "if you build it they will come" philosophy, if you stop producing them the interest dries up which is why most are only interested in the ships right now.

 

I wouldn't call anything we've put out a "re-release," as they're all 100% new sculpts. And saying that people would be more interested if we put out more figures is undeniably true, as there is something to be said for momentum, but sales on the current line are strong, strong enough for us to keep going with the next two-three figures we have planned. And I sadly think the number of people who would be "on board" with a 100% Voyager line is not a sustainable number.



#39 robster

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Posted 25 February 2016 - 03:23 AM

So I guess websites saying July 31st aren't entirely correct?

 

J-R!



#40 Nigel

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Posted 25 February 2016 - 05:47 AM

Is there no chance of ever seeing any more of the original 7" TOS figures like those made from 2003-2010? Has that ship sailed? :/ DST had so many unused sculpts and figures that we only got to see in convention on display.






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