Alex

I'd love to get one of these even at $60 dollars, but there's no way that I could make it out to SDCC. OH and BadBunnyMike, the Gold 1701 and the Search for Spock in Wrath of Khan packaging 1701 are the two ships I've never had luck with, although this BoP will probably join them.

Alteran195, the problem with conventions like SDCC is that the "registration" for SDCC is a joke at this point. They way it was explained to me is that anyone who attended the previous year's convention has first shot at registering for the next year's convention, which immediately locks up virtually all of the tickets. Occasionally someone will drop out and a new person has a chance at getting through the door, but more realistically, a person who can't attend will just scalp his or her pass for any given year knowing that someone will be desperate enough to pay for it. It also doesn't help that the tickets for SDCC that do reach the newcomers sell out within seconds, and that's assuming that the servers don't crash during registration, which is apparently quite common for SDCC. In other words, even if I could afford to go to SDCC, the chances of being able to get my foot in the door would have been practically non–existant because I'm not grandfathered into the convention already.

I have no problem paying a bit more for a convention–exclusive item; my problem is with paying crazy stupid prices to someone scalping a convention–exclusive item. I'm not talking about taking a $60 dollar BoP and adding a slight mark–up to cover eBay's through–the–roof fees either, (I feel bad for honest sellers who have had to jack up their prices just to break even recently,) but rather people who are selling a $60 dollar item for $200–250 dollars before shipping. I wound up picking up an SDCC–exclusive item at another convention last year, and the reason I did so is that the vendor there was selling said item for the same price it was being sold for at SDCC. (He was tied to the convention and managed to work out a deal to get the stock that didn't sell at SDCC for this other convention.) Had I gone to eBay, I would've paid upwards of $300 dollars for a $120 dollar item before I even had it shipped to me, and that's just flat–out insane.

I'm fine with giving conventiongoers first shot at certain exclusives, and even giving them exclusive packaging to differentiate a convention exclusive from a non–convention version. What I'm not fine with is having to travel across the country in the hopes of obtaining something at a remotely reasonable price, or paying scalper prices on eBay for a convention–exclusive item.

Also, when I go to convention, I generally don't tend to look for convention exclusives so much as I tend to look for items that are already impossible to find on places like eBay, in the hopes that I might find a vendor with the oddball item I'm after. I managed to have great success with that at the same convention I mentioned before last year. Convention exclusives fall into the "I'll grab it if I still have money for it" category in most situations, although their are a few items I'd make exceptions for, including this particular BoP.

Although I see where you're coming from, I have to agree a bit more with VulcanFanatic on this one. I'm not saying we need a huge run of convention exclusive ships, but it would be nice to have a run that's large enough to accomodate those who can't attend the convention. As VulcanFanatic pointed out, Playmates had toys flying off the shelves before they started to introduce exclusives into their line. As soon as they did that, things went downhill for them. The infamous "1701 line" effectively killed their Trek line entirely, to the point where they couldn't even give the figures away, let alone the Trek license that they'd botched. I don't want to see DST wind up in a similar situation where irritated completists are able to tank the entire line. Likewise, I don't appreciate being gouged by scalpers who were able to attend the convention, and who know that they can buy this ship for no other purpose than to resell it for five times what it's worth, especially when a slightly larger limited run would effectively kill the market for scalpers, at least while the exclusive ship is still new. (In three months scalpers would still be able to turn a profit on "late worm" collectors who couldn't attend the convention.)

And yes, I realize that no one has to buy this particular variant, but I happen to be fond of the fully translucent BoP design. Although I'd prefer it even more with electronics, I realize that's not possible as it would be impossible to "cloak" the PCBs and the wiring, so having the ship devoid of electronics is justifiable in this particular scenario. (The partially cloaked BoP is perfect for hiding electronics precisely because of its color.)

Granted, it could certainly be worse, I'd be far more upset if the NX Excelsior was the ship getting the SDCC exclusive treatment, or if DST did an Enterprise–E in the same gold paint scheme as the exclusive TOS 1701 as an SDCC exclusive. (Especially since I'd love to have a gold "ready room edition" Enterprise–E.) I don't think this is a "bad" convention exclusive by any means, but I do think it should be possible to make it available to non–conventiongoers after the convention without forcing everyone who wants one of these to pay scalper prices on eBay. There's a balance that can be acheived here were the exclusive will still be plenty rare while ensuring that everyone who wants one of these will be able to at least have a chance at getting one.

I've got to pre–order this. I'm hoping BBTS will get more collector's grade packaging in though, as I definitely want one of these for my "boxed" collection. I'm definitely drooling over Sulu's Excelsior though; now I just need the NX Excelsior to be announced. (And I agree with BadBunnyMike; I don't see how the NX Excelsior doesn't become an AFX exclusive after they grabbed every other ST III toy DST has released.)

I'm going to spoiler tag the majority of this post for what should be obvious reason. Read the spoiled portions at your own risks.

For me the spirit of Trek is embodied in the TV shows. The movies were always a bit of a bonus for the fans. I think that's the problem for me, they are trying to go straight to the big screen and I (personally) find it a bit "empty".

I think this is what really irks me about the JJ–Verse as well. TWOK and FC proved that you could incorporate "action flick" elements into Trek and still tell an excellent story, NEM had its flaws, but it too tried to tell a morality play with a bit more of an action–flick angle. With the JJ–Verse, I feel that the morality play angle isn't there, particularly with regards to two–dimensional antagonists, at least based on what I've seen so far. I would be fine with the action–flick angle if we also had some of the classic morality play elements executed as well as they were in the Prime Universe.

I've met more than a few fans who've finally said what I've felt for awhile now: a reboot was needed in '09 as much as it was needed in '87. The only difference here is that the creative team decided to take the quick and easy way out with the reboot, instead of actually putting some thought into how to expand the unique universe of Trek. The JJ–verse just doesn't feel "unique" in my opinion; it feels like the Bayformers universe with starships instead of sentient alien robots, and with more lens flares. The more militarisitic Federation also rubs me the wrong way, and is symptomatic of what I personally consider to be the "flaws" of the JJ–verse.

I honestly think that it's a mistake to not have Prime Universe Trek on TV and JJ–verse Trek in theaters. That particular combination would be the best for Trek as a whole, and while I do have issues with the JJ–verse, I do think that it's well designed for the purpose of movies, but I wouldn't want to see it as a weekly TV show. The Prime Universe had problems adapting to the big screen at times for the very reason that it was designed for TV, and with two post–Enterprise movies now completed, the thing Trek needs most is a new TV show, and one that will preferrably be everything that the films aren't and can't be. This would allow both halves of Trek to act as a whole, which is what would ultimately be best for the franchise.