Playmates does classic Trek
#21
Posted 06 October 2009 - 12:18 PM
#22
Posted 06 October 2009 - 12:39 PM
Sallah
Now that would be something I'd like to see!
#23
Posted 06 October 2009 - 01:18 PM
Okay, I lied. If there's DS9, then those would be a must-buy!
#24
Posted 06 October 2009 - 04:27 PM
#25
Posted 06 October 2009 - 04:53 PM
Good time to be alive, nonetheless!!!
#26
Posted 06 October 2009 - 05:42 PM
#27
Posted 06 October 2009 - 07:14 PM
#28
Posted 06 October 2009 - 07:33 PM
#29
Posted 07 October 2009 - 12:44 PM
Hmm... this seems highly plausible actually. I'll be honest, I won't be picking up the Playmates 3.75" TOS line just as I didn't pick up their movie line. However, if they somehow managed to get their hands on VOY, I'd be all over that since DST's VOY line seems to be DOA.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't DST hold the rights to all Trek toys prior to the "new" film, while Playmates only holds the rights to items from the new film? I believe Playmates would've had to go through DST to get their hands on the TOS license, right? I think that the following might be what happened:
- DST sees a market for 3.75" TOS figures, but they really don't want to touch this scale for anything beyond their "MEGO retro" figures; besides, they know collectors chewed out ArtAsylum for switching from 4.5" figures to 7" figures, and they know that people were aggravated when Playmates went with a 6" line rather than a 7" "DST compatible" line
- Playmates is chomping at the bit to do TOS figures; they already have a head-sculpt for "old spock," but they lack the rights to anything other than the new film
- DST is chomping at the bit to do figures from the "new" film, they're kicking themselves for not grabbing the license and allowing the "Enterprise" license to cloud their judgment; what's more they really REALLY want to unload the work for the somewhat in-demand 3.75" scale onto a company that can do the legwork for them; DST contacts Playmates, or Playmates contacts DST, and the two begin working out some sort of deal
I think Playmates and DST very well might be sharing the license now bgiles73; DST wants the rights to do toys from JJ-Trek, and Playmates wants the rights to do TOS figures. If Playmates gets the rights to 3.75" TOS figures in exchange for giving DST the rights to 7" JJ-Trek movie figures, both companies win, and that means that fans win as well. Even if DST did a 3.75" line, it wouldn't look right next to the Playmates line, and even if Playmates did 7" figures, they'd look out of place next to DST's figures; the "logical" move here is to cross-license.
Now the question is, was DST smart enough to secure the rights to the new Trek movie's 7" figures if they're letting Playmates eat away at the TOS line, and if so, when will DST announce that they've secured said rights. Another question would be if DST managed to do any bargaining in the realm of ships. I know that DST has said that they want to "take a crack" at the JJ-prise, and I know that a lot of people weren't happy with the shortcomings of the Playmates version; myself included. (This is honestly why I didn't pick one up initially and am now going nuts trying to find one in good condition.) I could see DST potentially licensing out the rights to Playmates to reissue their old TOS Enterprise as a "retro" item, and Playmates allowing DST to do a version of the JJ-Prise as a "collectors" item. This seems like a pretty fair trade-off. (Besides, I'm pretty sure DST is running out of ways to milk their TOS Enterprise mold; short of changing its registry number, I think they've done every variant in existence thus far.)
I really hope that DST got something in exchange for this deal, and that they announce it soon. As for Playmates getting the 3.75" scale, I'm pretty much with BadBunnyMike on how I feel about it, but I think it fits in well with the "new" film, so hopefully this is the "everybody wins" deal that we've all been hoping for.
#30
Posted 07 October 2009 - 01:18 PM
- Playmates is chomping at the bit to do TOS figures; they already have a head-sculpt for "old spock," but they lack the rights to anything other than the new film
- DST is chomping at the bit to do figures from the "new" film, they're kicking themselves for not grabbing the license and allowing the "Enterprise" license to cloud their judgment; what's more they really REALLY want to unload the work for the somewhat in-demand 3.75" scale onto a company that can do the legwork for them; DST contacts Playmates, or Playmates contacts DST, and the two begin working out some sort of deal
I think Playmates and DST very well might be sharing the license now bgiles73; DST wants the rights to do toys from JJ-Trek, and Playmates wants the rights to do TOS figures. If Playmates gets the rights to 3.75" TOS figures in exchange for giving DST the rights to 7" JJ-Trek movie figures, both companies win, and that means that fans win as well. Even if DST did a 3.75" line, it wouldn't look right next to the Playmates line, and even if Playmates did 7" figures, they'd look out of place next to DST's figures; the "logical" move here is to cross-license.
I was pretty much thinking the same thing. This sentence from their press release makes me think that they have someone else doing the design work while they are doing the distribution, marketing and factory work
#31
Posted 07 October 2009 - 03:04 PM
I'm a bit surprised that they have been given the opportunity for this, though, as their current line isn't selling well. Even at discounted prices they're piling up in the few stores around here that carried them... That will most likely since the DVD hits during the Christmas season, of course, but that seems a little extreme to wait for since the figures have sat around for months.
Overall, though, I hope this does bring more support for Trek so DST can get out of the rut and get back into releasing more varieties of Trekkie goodness. Wonder how long these will take to get out, though.
#32
Posted 07 October 2009 - 04:28 PM
#33
Posted 07 October 2009 - 06:33 PM
If AA does the sculpting, then I would give the PM line another chance. I love the AA and DST sculpts, hated the sculpt and styling of the PM line, both old and new.
#34
Posted 08 October 2009 - 04:41 AM
#35
Posted 15 October 2009 - 04:03 PM
As far as DST doing the sculps and Playmates handling the distribution, that wouldn't surprise me. Back in the '90s, Playmates used to use Art Asylum to sculpt their hyper-realistic 12" line, so Playmates contracting out DST wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. I just hope DST "contracted out Playmates" so that they can do Trek XI figures in the 7" scale and take a shot at the new movie Enterprise.
Finally, as far as ships go, I really hope DST didn't give Playmates the rights to do a new mold for the 1701; it'd be pointless. The 1701 DST has is fine when they actually bother to handle quality control on it, which seems to be its biggest problem. If Playmates is going to do a TOS ship, they should reissue their original TOS Enterprise as a retro item, which DST should allow since it clearly won't cut into their market for as many variants as possible of the TOS Enterprise. Likewise, if DST is going to do a 1701 from the new movie, I welcome that because Playmates' ship left a lot to be desired in virtually every department. I also think a lot of people want a more "screen accurate" 1701 from Trek XI, and this wouldn't eat into Playmates' profits. If we do see Playmates and DST cross-license ships, I'd like to see Playmates' old stuff in a "retro" line, and DST doing ships from the new movie; maybe we'd get the Kelvin in the size we're all clamoring for.
In any case, let's hope these figures are decent, again, I'm not really a fan of the 3.75" scale, but if it's good, I'll give it a chance.
#36
Posted 19 October 2009 - 11:45 AM
DevilDog Doyle
With the announcement of Playmates Toys
#37
Posted 19 October 2009 - 12:13 PM
I hate to say, but when I see the words "Star Trek" and "DST" together, all that means to me is product we'll never see released. But if these were to reach stores, it sounds very interesting indeed..
Actually, I'd be saddened a bit because like someone else here said, it just seems like it'd be another distraction on the way to more 24th century stuff.
#38
Posted 19 October 2009 - 01:52 PM
DevilDog Doyle
With the announcement of Playmates Toys
#39
Posted 19 October 2009 - 01:57 PM
I just came here to post this! If this turns out to be the way things go... this line will be a dream come true for me!
Sallah
#40
Posted 19 October 2009 - 02:29 PM
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