239 replies to this topic

[MisterPL]

Third time is a charm?

[LT CMDR DATA]

yep interesting to see how these turn out, the old school stuff was fun and sadly other than the enterprise, the JJ movie figures were bad. i think these new figures will use some kind of scanning to get the faces right. i hope we'll see maybe 2 types of scales with these like we got before, a small line and a large collector line.

[MisterPL]

Has Playmates ever employed scanning technology? When was the last time they had a property with human likenesses?

[Morgan]

Well, the time is perhaps more right than anytime in the past 20 years, with so many series on the air. 

 

But I have to wonder about the figure format: will it be the classic 4.5-inch, or the (ugh!) 6-inch collector-oriented & collector-priced figures, or even something larger?

 

Just how wide the lineup can be in 2022, given what's on actual store shelves these days, remains to be seen.  

 

Cautiously optimistic at the moment, but it'll come down a lot of factors for it to be a hit with kids and collectors alike.

[djc242]

Glad theres more to talk about finally! Im hoping they learn from the 2009 line.

[Razorgeist]

They said they're doing ships too.  I wonder if they have the licence to do some old school ships too.

[RizzoPSU]

Data, Burman, Picard, Pike, Saru and, new Spock

[bgiles73]

I havent posted in here in a few months but Im happy to see the place coming back up like a derelict starship hiding behind some alien moon. Star Trek back at Playmates? I think my prayers have been answered. My best times as a Star Trek collector were between 1992-1999. Ive missed the 4.5 inch line all these years and felt that the biggest mistake on Playmates part in 2009 was turning their back on this scale. That part bothered me more than 6 inch corn on the cob shirt Kirk or the sadly never to be completed build a bridge. I think Playmates probably looked back on that whole line and knew that they would have to stay away long enough for the memories of that line to slowly fade away. I have my fingers crossed and Im anxiously waiting for more news on these new figures.

[Razorgeist]

Im not interested in any figures or such Im just wondering how their ship like will stack up.  Judging by the article it sounds like they'll do the hero ship for prodigy first.  I wonder if they'll be going back to do other series ships as well?  I would love it if they did some fan favorite ships like the Akira or Prometheus.

[Alteran195]

Only thing I care about seeing are ships, and maybe props. Never been that in to figures. Curious if this time they'll be successful since they weren't last time. 

[Morgan]

I tweaked the exposure on the promo shot, and it actually gives some clues as to the figures: That's clearly TNG Data on the left, then perhaps Burnham judging by the uniform and build, Picard is third from left, then perhaps Pike, then clearly Saru.

 

The bearded guy on the right could be Narek, but it's hard to tell. He did wear a coat that fits like that, comes down about knee-high.

 

As for the scale, I don't think these are 6-inchers at all. They feel smaller because the heads seem oversized and the legs seem thick. That's really a tell-tale sign of smaller figure formats. If they were actually larger, six or seven inches, the legs would be narrow and lanky and the heads would be more proportional -- all the usual suspects of that scaling. Look at Data's and Pike's heads here -- they're huge proportionally.

 

Big ships, I think, will stay confined to obvious hero ships. The investments into tooling for those things are absurdly high, and we still don't have a Reliant after all this time. It's a good bet we'll get a Disco ship, the Sirena, and the retroactively upgraded Enterprise. Retailers hate big ships, they complain they never sell, so I'm very skeptical about anything beyond three or five large vehicles. We just don't see stuff like that in retail now. And with XL-sized Eaglemoss pieces seemingly meeting that demand anyway, the market for big ships is really note quite there to support a lot of variety. 

 

 

[MisterPL]

I've been a fan of 1/18 scale figures since Micronauts and Star Wars. MEGO got me hooked on the idea of figures from different franchises that could interact with each other. Consequently I've yearned for a modern equivalent even since. 

 

The line that came the closest was Minimates, if only because of the variety of properties it offered. When Playmates produced their 2009 Trek line, I was thrilled to see modern Trek figures in my favorite scale but underwhelmed with the quality.

 

Even as someone who collected almost every figure from the first Playmates Trek line, I'd probably pass on 5" scale figures but I completely understand why others would jump onboard.

[Alteran195]

I tweaked the exposure on the promo shot, and it actually gives some clues as to the figures: That's clearly TNG Data on the left, then perhaps Burnham judging by the uniform and build, Picard is third from left, then perhaps Pike, then clearly Saru.
 
The bearded guy on the right could be Narek, but it's hard to tell. He did wear a coat that fits like that, comes down about knee-high.
 
As for the scale, I don't think these are 6-inchers at all. They feel smaller because the heads seem oversized and the legs seem thick. That's really a tell-tale sign of smaller figure formats. If they were actually larger, six or seven inches, the legs would be narrow and lanky and the heads would be more proportional -- all the usual suspects of that scaling. Look at Data's and Pike's heads here -- they're huge proportionally.
 
Big ships, I think, will stay confined to obvious hero ships. The investments into tooling for those things are absurdly high, and we still don't have a Reliant after all this time. It's a good bet we'll get a Disco ship, the Sirena, and the retroactively upgraded Enterprise. Retailers hate big ships, they complain they never sell, so I'm very skeptical about anything beyond three or five large vehicles. We just don't see stuff like that in retail now. And with XL-sized Eaglemoss pieces seemingly meeting that demand anyway, the market for big ships is really note quite there to support a lot of variety. 
 
 

Id be shocked if the figure on the right isnt Spock.

https://imgur.com/a/7pPCfjH

[Whirlygig]

Now guys, not to be the party pooper, but you do realize Playmates is a mere shadow of its former self, yes? Don't set expectations too high for quality, nor lifespan of this endeavor...and do not expect sensible decisions either.

[RizzoPSU]

Didn't think of Narek, would make sense... Set apart from heroes and gotta have a bad guy in the lineup. But I'd really be surprised if it isn't Spock.

[Morgan]

I think you guys are right about it being Spock. I had only seen Narek on screen, but didn't realize they're actually styled so similarly in both series.

[Destructor!!!]

You guys were quick off the mark! I just spotted this today.

Great detective work Morgan! I really thought that was just a Photoshop job, or at best pictures of old school figures intentionally obscured. I did not expect them to already have prototypes.

As for the scale, the hand shapes and proportions really do hark back to the '90s figures to me. Hopefully they do the sensible thing and continue in that scale. It's cheap enough to produce, very "toyetic" and will really get the collectors onboard.

Speaking of toyetism, I don't think the Eaglemoss XL's fill that market at all - they're super expensive and have no play features. I miss lights and sounds, and I miss being able to trigger specific lights and sounds when I want to (hence the approach I'm taking on the Defiant I'm making).

[bgiles73]

Im thinking Playmates could do a line of mini ships like Micro Machines. They could also take note of what Hasbro has done with Mission Fleet. They could still offer their bigger ships as a deluxe series. As for scale of figures I am hoping for 4.5 inch scale.

[MisterPL]

Even if Playmates offers figures in the same scale as the '92-'99 line, I doubt they'll be the same style. I suppose they could offer "classic" figures meant to blend in with that "vintage" line but they'd be better off starting from scratch like Hasbro did with the Star Wars license.

[bgiles73]

MisterPL have you bought any of the Ben 10 figures from Playmates in recent years? These are very similar to 90s Playmates toys but the articulation adds ball-jointed swivels at the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee. Also Playmates is bringing back Varner Studios. These are the sculptors of the original 90s line. Look Varner Studios up on Instagram for updates. I agree that the v-crotch will never be acceptable again on any action figure, but aside from that much of the original Playmates figures have held up nicely over the years. I do expect now though with the photo real printing capabilities that these figures will be light years beyond what was available in the 90s regardless if they go with 6 inch or 4.5 inch. The general consensus from people in Paramounts licensing department is that 1990s 4.5 inch scale is where the line was most profitable as opposed to DSTs 7 inch line and the even more dismal 2009 attempts at 6 inch and 3 3/4 inch.