59 replies to this topic

[pickard]

it was a flash-in-the-pan type of movie in terms of the franchise. It didn't add anything to the existing franchise except maybe to rekindle some nostalgia in TOS.

I don't understand this statement.

[VulcanFanatic]

People are fickle, with an attention span that lasts about 2 seconds. They go from one thing to another, never spending enough time on one thing to appreciate it. Some of us like to hold onto something and study it and let it digest properly. Most people run to and fro at about the speed of tv commercials these days, images that flash on and off the screen so fast you are not sure what you saw or didnt see. People are never satisfied and constantly want more, something that will give them there excitement fix for the day. With most people, any movie is the flavor of the moment, then forgotten as fast as it is found. The point is this: If you want to succeed with a line like Playmates Star Trek line, you have to have new stuff pumped into it constantly like Hasbro does the Star Wars line. Since 1995, Hasbro has kept new stuff constantly on the shelves, which keeps the collector interested and also keeps sales going while other folks take notice and get interested in collecting it too. You cant put a wave on the pegs, then wait 7 months and think your going to still have a lot of interest in the line, it aint happening. There should have been new figures coming in by june, maybe a few at a time every couple of months, even better each month. In the 90's, there seemed to be new stuff in constantly and it kept interest up. Waiting months to gauge interest is trying to play it safe, but what happens is when you play it that safe as a toy company, you end up losing out on what could have been a very good line of figures , playsets, ships and Tech. I think this line could have evolved into a great line, but the company has to want to succeed, that means putting some money and effort into it constantly. Anything worth having takes work to get it.

[pickard]

People are fickle, with an attention span that lasts about 2 seconds. They go from one thing to another, never spending enough time on one thing to appreciate it. Some of us like to hold onto something and study it and let it digest properly. Most people run to and fro at about the speed of tv commercials these days, images that flash on and off the screen so fast you are not sure what you saw or didnt see. People are never satisfied and constantly want more, something that will give them there excitement fix for the day. With most people, any movie is the flavor of the moment, then forgotten as fast as it is found. The point is this: If you want to succeed with a line like Playmates Star Trek line, you have to have new stuff pumped into it constantly like Hasbro does the Star Wars line. Since 1995, Hasbro has kept new stuff constantly on the shelves, which keeps the collector interested and also keeps sales going while other folks take notice and get interested in collecting it too. You cant put a wave on the pegs, then wait 7 months and think your going to still have a lot of interest in the line, it aint happening. There should have been new figures coming in by june, maybe a few at a time every couple of months, even better each month. In the 90's, there seemed to be new stuff in constantly and it kept interest up. Waiting months to gauge interest is trying to play it safe, but what happens is when you play it that safe as a toy company, you end up losing out on what could have been a very good line of figures , playsets, ships and Tech. I think this line could have evolved into a great line, but the company has to want to succeed, that means putting some money and effort into it constantly. Anything worth having takes work to get it.

I'm not sure the lack of new figures was the cause of the line's failure, as much as the poor quality of the figures. I would've been all over this line if the figures were as good as what Hasbro puts out. Just looking at the 3 3/4" figures, these Trek offerings were nowhere near the quality of the similarly sized Star Wars, Joe or Marvel lines. They were more on par with Mattel's DC line, and that's not good.

[VulcanFanatic]

I'm not sure the lack of new figures was the cause of the line's failure, as much as the poor quality of the figures. I would've been all over this line if the figures were as good as what Hasbro puts out. Just looking at the 3 3/4" figures, these Trek offerings were nowhere near the quality of the similarly sized Star Wars, Joe or Marvel lines. They were more on par with Mattel's DC line, and that's not good.

I think it was the lack of figures AND the quality issues that helped sink this line. Like i said in my last post, the company has to want to make this line a success by putting the time and resources into to insure good quality merchandise and infuse enough new stuff into it to keep it interesting to the collector. Without that committment from the company, the line will sink.

[bgiles73]

Even Mattel had the good sense to go back and enhance the articulation on thier DC Universe figures to give them a chance against Hasbro's Marvel Universe.The new Avatar figures by Mattel have good articulation on thier 3 3/4" too! I'd like to see the same type of hip articulation added on Playmate's future Trek offerings. I don't see why they wouldn't. DST uses the same type hip joint on thier Battlestar Galactica figures.

[Sybeck1]

Sadly, it might simply come down to a fewer people like Star Trek. I was in Toys R Us or the baby store with a few toy aisles is how I call it. Many people going through the action figure aisles, and I picked up a new DST Mirror Kirk. The Trek section looked basically the same as it did when I picked up my Kang a couple of weeks ago. I'm just wondering if demand was ever there, for the new movie toys. Here we had an PG 13 rated movie, with no funny Jar Jar Binks characters (Scotty I guess) to keep the kiddies happy. When I went and saw it with my 13 year old stepson, he was the youngest one there, and he wasn't inspired enough to go out and buy action figures.

[VulcanFanatic]

Sybeck you may be right about the demand, but i think the TRU stores around my area did sell a good bit of Star Trek figures when they first came out, but with nothing new coming after that, all of the collectors around didnt have a need to buy anything else. The Dst figures seem to move rather slow in both of the stores around this area. I went to the Jacksonville store on friday around 4pm after 16 hours of business that day from midnight, expecting to find nothing left, but what do i see hanging right i front for the whole world to see? A Kang figure. The Star Trek sections in both stores dont seem to have moved anything at all in months, other than the purchases i make. I would like to get a Pike and Sulu 12" set but i am waiting for a sale, 30 bucks each is a little steep for characters i am not that crazy about.

[Sybeck1]

We are a niche market, with probably the 25-30 core members of our community right now being the only inhabitants of earth, thinking about the future of Trek toys. The movie was a commercial success, but how many new Trekkie were spawned? My own becoming an fan was countless Trek reruns on TV when there was only 3 or 4 TV channels. It was either Trek or I Love Lucy on after school, and I watched Trek. This appears IMO a sugar rush of Trek, maybe even call it saccarinn rush. How many teen collectors have joined this board, expressing the new Playmate toys had them searching out this board? None I know of.

[The_Donster]

I'm not sure the lack of new figures was the cause of the line's failure, as much as the poor quality of the figures. I would've been all over this line if the figures were as good as what Hasbro puts out. Just looking at the 3 3/4" figures, these Trek offerings were nowhere near the quality of the similarly sized Star Wars, Joe or Marvel lines. They were more on par with Mattel's DC line, and that's not good.

Yep, that's why I passed on them. They also made the same mistake that was made with the Hasbro Indiana Jones and over ordered on the Wave 1 stuff. The Wave 2 figures should have at least hit in between the movie to dvd release or around the dvd release. Unfortunately the stores were clogged with the Wave 1 stuff and it was on clearance

[bgiles73]

They did oversaturate the market! They should have done a small sneak preview wave months before the movie to wet fans appetites, They could have included Black-Shirt Kirk, "The Wait is Over Nero", Old Spock and maybe civilian Pike. Then at the time of the movie release Wave 1. A second wave could have come out around June or August. Then a third wave could have come out with the release of the DVD and the Christmas rush. This third wave could have been a revision wave, so that anyone who missed out on characters in the first wave could have got, say maybe a Kirk or Spock that they might not have been able to get in Wave 1 or 2 which should have had much smaller production numbers. I expect that IF we see a movie wave in 2012 they will probably do something more like that. I just hope that after all the stuff still on the pegs is gone, so we can see those 3 3/4" TOS figures and hopefully some TNG! I'm reminded of that TNG episode "Clues" where the first time through was just a shakedown and the next time they do it, with DST's help they'll get it right!

[Smitty]

Oh well twas great while it lasted.

If anything the phaser, communicator, tricorder and the Enterprise is in folks collections. Like mine...

-cs

[BadBunnyMike]

Sooooooo there might be hope.

I guess Rick is trying to get Playmates to still produce Wave 2, it might not happen but he is working on it.

[reverie]

I thought Rick made it sound like he tried, but couldn't get it to happen because he couldn't order the volume that PM wanted him to (going by what was said in the last newsletter)?

[Dilithium1]

How many orders would that be? 1,000? 10,000? Is this info about Rick asking playmates to produce them new?

[bgiles73]

They said on trekmovie.com that they were still trying to get the bridge peices out. Maybe Newforce will be the channel used to get these out! I just hope Rick can get the figures there. I'll transfer all the other preorders I had canceled to Newforce if that's the case!

[bgiles73]

I thought Rick made it sound like he tried, but couldn't get it to happen because he couldn't order the volume that PM wanted him to (going by what was said in the last newsletter)?

Which newsletter? I haven't seen anything on the Newforce site.

[Dilithium1]

Will this include the 6" line?

[reverie]

Which newsletter? I haven't seen anything on the Newforce site.

This one.

"Hello all...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving...

We have added the Pilot kirk and spock 2 pack to our site for preordering...

We have also recently received a small quantity of WOK ships, so they are back in stock.

We are briskly selling the WOK Phaser (thank you!)... To anyone that orders one this week, we will be including a nice "gift"... a random limited edition 1 of 1500 uniform swatch. This applies to MIB or openers, but only ones ordered Monday the 30th, through Dec 6th.

Also, over the next week, we are going to go through our warehouse and store stock and try to add any "out of stock" product we still have, back to the site for ordering. So, if you have been looking for something we are "sold out" of on the site, check back this next week, as we might find a piece or 2!

Finally, as many have already heard, the majority of wave 2 Playmates has officially been canceled. We have held off announcing as we were trying to work (behind the scenes) at some way to get them to produce, but the numbers Playmates needs are just too big. Now, our Utility belt order was part of our reg order, so we are not yet sure if Playmates will fill them, or if they will be cancelled due to our order not meeting their minimum. Just waiting on clarification on that!.

Hope all have a wonderful week!
Rick ,www.newforcecomics.com"

[Dilithium1]

What does "the majority of wave 2" mean? That is the question...

[jimbeammeup]

What does "the majority of wave 2" mean?  That is the question...

Maybe Playmates is going to release a couple of figures with the rest of the bridge pieces? Maybe McCoy and Chekov?

I'd rather see Kirk off-duty and Ayel or Kirk off-duty and Keenser since we can make McCoy and Chekov ourselves.

That would actually make a neat multi-pack: off-duty Kirk, Ayel and Keenser and the bridge pieces!