16 replies to this topic

[1701D]

So we've seen a ton of 50th Anniversary stuff (I've just finished the Mega Bloks TOS Bridge and it's incredible) but nothing but pops for BEYOND.

Am I the only one who'd love to see at least a USS Enterprise toy? Even if Mega Bloks gave us a set or two based upon Beyond.

[JMW326]

I would love to see toys. Ships, action figures etc...

[robster]

YES!!!! Lots and lots of toys from new movie Trek!! lol! But,since I'm not buying much of the old stuff as I only want new movie stuff right now,I'm saving heaps of money,so it's all good with me,lol! But I really would love some new movie toys,and not the overpriced DIY kits and that kinda thing,just actual TOYS!

 

J-R!

[Razorgeist]

A really nice toy version of the movie would be welcome.

[robster]

LOL! So you want it like the Lego Movie,or some cgi fest Pixar style? lol! Claymation could be fun too,lol! Or maybe puppets,classic Thunderbirds style,lol!

 

I just want regular toys,like just about every other movie is getting these days. Yes,even ID 2.

 

J-R!

[Whirlygig]

Meh.  I know by know you all know my opinion before I ever set finger to key...

 

But I'm just ready for someone to stick the proverbial fork in the cinematic JJ-verse.  It's done.  The lack of toys, marketing, etc, suggests that they know this on some level in all of the arms involved, but contracts kept the movie in motion.

 

Also, I do think the new movie is starting to look like it could be the closest thing yet [out of the JJ-verse] to actual Star Trek, so I'm personally excited to see it and hope I will like it.  But you all know what that means.  People, even fans, will complain that it was "too much like an episode" and it will be destined for an eternal bad rap.  Other people will complain that it's "more 'aliens' in face makeup with colored skin" as obvious from the trailers.  You know, the usual Babylon 5 chorus (who think a couple of CGI Shadows making an appearance makes it far superior) / Farscape chorus (who can't admit they'd rather be watching The Muppet Show).

 

I kid, I kid.

 

But truthfully, no, there is so much other cool stuff to collect this year (what a maelstrom...Ghostbusters, TMNT, Batman, Trek 50th all in the same year...good thing I had an emergency savings account)...  I don't need tons of JJ-verse piling on!

[Alteran195]

The 2009 toy line that was related to the movie tanked, and was cancelled. That was with a massive amount of marketing behind it.  

The toys that were released around the time of Into Darkness didn't sell well.

 

Basically, for whatever reason, JJ Verse toys don't seem to sell well, so why would any toy company want to make stuff from it?

 

I'd KILL for a good Enterprise model. God I wish DST would get the license, or that QMx would actually make their collectors scale line. 

[1701D]

I think if Paramount stopped themselves going for these big mainstream toy companies and gave DST a licence to do the toys for the JJ Abrams movies then they'd sell and probably boost the DST line at the same time.

No kid is interested in Star Trek enough for them to rush out to the toys r us to get a Star Trek toy. But sold online and in comic book stores like Forbidden Planet, I think it would add some relevancy to a line that really needs it.

And what's the problem with giving DST the choice to produce JJ Abrams Star Trek merch.

[JMW326]

The reason jm verse toys don't sell well is they all have sucked for the most part. If someone were to make decent figures that had a bit of quality yo them and not the marketed for kids crap, they would sell. Playmates was a horrible choice to make toys and that killed any momentum for a line.

[Alteran195]

Agreed. They need to target collectors by going with QMx, NECA, and DST versus kids with Playmates, Mattel, and Hasbro. 

[Prometheus]

Playmates seriously underestimated the sophistication of the average collector and the toy market in general for 2009. Unfortunately that set a precedent for things to come..... In other words.... No more chances on Toys by CBS/ Paramount! 😞

[Prometheus]

 
I'd KILL for a good Enterprise model. God I wish DST would get the license, or that QMx would actually make their collectors scale line. 

The Revell JJprise is a GORGEOUS kit.... It builds into a very high end piece.

[Alteran195]

The Revell JJprise is a GORGEOUS kit.... It builds into a very high end piece.

I'd love one, but I imagine it's a rather pricey kit plus paying someone to build it.

[Whirlygig]

There will always be a market for Enterprise models/replicas/etc.  I don't mind a good representation of the JJ-prise, even though I don't like it as an actual ship in the canon.  Certain other ships [Kelvin] perhaps as well, but not nearly as much so.

 

It's everything else that I don't want and don't really blame anyone else for never wanting, either.  Why do I need a high-quality action figure of Chris Pine as Kirk (etc, etc), when I have the definitive Shatner as the definitive Kirk?  One of them has multi-seasons and 10 films of screen time and a lasting legacy on our culture.  One of them has been on screen for about 4 hours (soon to be 6) and has proven that we had been taking Shatner for granted all these years.  Even my completist self feels pretty complete without any versions whatsoever of the new crew in any sort of figural form.  Of course, this attitude changed after I was let down by movie #1 -- In 2009 I actually bought up a ton of the new merchandise for the film (though, no Playmates figures, because they sucked).  My enthusiasm was partly fueled by all the DST merchandise that we'd been receiving; my Trek collecting was dialed to 11 and that was just another extension of it.  Then I saw it and realized I didn't care enough to justify that behavior...

 

It's the feeling of being let down, which I think the majority of fans experienced if not after ST09 then after STID, that takes the wind out of the sails/sales.  On the flip side, I am collecting plenty of Nickelodeon TMNT reboot merchandise despite the same situation (e.g., I already have collected definitive versions of definitive classic characters).  Why?  Because I actually enjoy the show.

[robster]

And that's where we differ,as I actually want Pine Kirk and Quinto Spock figures,lol! I'm bored with the old stuff,and of course don't buy it. And I bet I'm the only one who loved the Playmates stuff from new movie Trek. And wave 2 looked really good too. I picked up a few things back in 2009 when the first movie came out,but not much when ST ID came out as there wasn't much to buy. And I don't buy stuff just becasue they slap Star Trek on it. Hascrap totally failed,and what little there was from others weren't that interesting,excpet for QMx stuff. Not a fan of POP figs,so won't be getting those either.

 

The Revell kit was great,and even though I'll never build it......I just like the box,lol....I'm glad I got it for failry cheap,around 20 bucks. It's still cheap actually,around 35-40 bucks,and well worth it.

 

Love the phasers from QMx and hope they do the new version. The Anovos LOOKS good,but there's no way I'm paying 300 bucks for a DIY kit,400 for Servo action. Will I pay up to 100 bucks for a QMx version? Absolutely! But not getting the SDCC Kirk and Spock though. I would if it was Pine and Quinto of course,lol!

 

Oh well,guess the toy companies don't wanna take a chance on any new movie Trek toys,so they don't want or need my money....which is fine,I can spend it elsewhere. Maybe go retro and pick up more Bionic toys and such,lol!

 

I do agree that for socalled Trek fans,it will never be good enough. There's ALWAYS SOMEthing they'll find to complain about,even when it's perfect. Instead of actually enjoying things they just look for all the nitpicky negatives. Doesn't it get old and boring after awhile? I would think so,but guess some people are just stuck in a rut,lol!

 

I love new Trek,always have,and look forward to the new movie very much. Guess I'm just easier to please,since I'm also looking forward to ID 2 and TMNT 2,lol! Hmmmm.....maybe it's time to look for some old ID toys?! Yeah,give Trek a rest again,lol!

 

J-R!

[Alex]

I'm going to be brutally honest: I think Paramount made an enormous miscalculation by not offering DST a JJ–verse license, and I feel that miscalculation is increasingly bordering on the quandrant of "outright stupidity." The complete lack of JJ–verse toys for Beyond suggests that nobody else wants to touch the toy license, while requests for DST to product JJ–verse toys that Paramount won't offer them the license to remains as high as it's always been; all Paramount would have had to do is offer DST a licensing option and even if we only got a "stuff is coming before Trek's 55th anniversary" announcement, we'd still be bouncing off the walls with joy.

 

The 2009 toy line didn't sell well for several reasons. First, it was released at the height of the worst economic recession in U.S. History since the Great Depression, and in a rather bad global recession as well; the fact that tie–in merchandise didn't fail miserably as a whole for the movie is actually quite miraculous in and of itself. (In a rather counterintuitive fashion, movies tend to do better during recessions than at other times, so the success of the film is an entirely different kettle of fish.) Second, the 2009 toyline itself was pretty terrible as far as toylines go; it lacked the level of detail that would have drawn in collectors, lacked any attempt to adopt either the old 4.5" Playmates scale or the 7" AA/DST scale; both of which were quite common and arguably "standard" enough to convince people who might have been on the fence to take the plunge, and just as it lacked the aforementioned detail appealing to collectors, it also lacked anything that made it really "toyetic" in a way that would have appealed to the kids who might have seen the movie. The old TNG Playmates line had quite a bit of detail for its time, but it also had toyetic elements like shuttlecraft toys, the ability to open Data's back and arm, and other little gimmicks that would appeal to a younger crowd. Playmates really didn't seem to know who they were aiming for or what their target market's tastes were, and their stuff warmed shelves as a result. The fact that most people didn't have a recreational budget for toys only made the situation worse, as no kid was going to buy a "boring" figure that didn't look anything like the characters in the film, and no collector was going to buy toys that weren't on par with the standard DST had set, so you basically had a toyline that appealed to no one and sold miserably. The way the "waves" were handled was also a disaster; there were definitely people who would have taken the plunge if they didn't have to wait for the mere possibility of a "wave two" to get every character or a complete bridge; I know I probably would have plunked down the cash for the figures if the entire crew had been available at launch with the various bridge pieces.

 

Into Darkness suffered from an entirely different problem, which was a pretty disliked movie coupled with an effectively non–existant traditional toy line. Yes, I'm aware that Hasbro had a license, and put out some really lousy looking Kre–O figures, (a line they'd later kill entirely,) along with a somewhat ambitious ship playset, but this toyline again was aimed at the wrong audience. There was nothing in the line for collectors, and unless you really love building toys, a malproportioned ship that was really just a Kre–O bridge playset wasn't going to appeal to you; if you're a collector you're more likely to love what MEGA BLOKS is doing, and if you're a kid, you're going to want a ship that can fly around your bedroom in some capacity, and Hasbro's JJ–prise couldn't do that. Even if there was a toy market for STID, there weren't any toys that catered to it, at least not in any meaningful way, which of course once again gave the impression that JJ–verse toys don't sell.

 

That brings us to Beyond; it's obvious that Paramount doesn't want to touch Trek toys from the JJ–verse because the last two films had toylines that tanked, but they're only looking at the fact that they tanked and not why they tanked or who they marketed those lines too. They've been intentionally ignoring collectors who would easily shell out $60 for a JJ–prise from DST while trying to go with gigantic mass–market toy companies instead, aiming for a consumer who isn't going to be as interested in Trek as the kind of consumer who buys toys from DST. The problem is that Paramount keeps having toy companies develop the "wrong" toys and retailers not knowing what they should be ordering, assuming the toys should be aimed at kids, and then wondering why they didn't sell and not ordering anymore like them. In effect, we're getting burned by two poorly executed toy lines aimed at the wrong audience. While I am disappointed that the past two lines sold so poorly, DST's recent and upcoming offerings of ships and a TNG Phaser have honestly made me feel better about the lack of JJ–verse merchandise, at least for the time being.

[Shinzon]

Personally I enjoyed the Kreo line greatly.... fun sets, well tied into the movie, but i agree, it wasn't marketed for serious collectors.

 

The Trek movie audience is also not really a kid audience, and that is perhaps the biggest obstacle to toys.  If there was a new animated series on nickelodeon for example, they would do much better.

 

Still, it boggles my mind they didn't find SOMEONE to make the line... They really left money on the table... Much like how I haven't heard of movie tie ins with a fast food chain for example...