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Status of DST's Star Trek license.


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#1 Jay K

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 03:49 PM

Using the Trek Toy twitter account, I've asked DST for clarification on their current status with Star Trek (and if the Reliant and Cobra phaser are still coming):

https://twitter.com/...759596039385088

 

Has anyone else (other than Alteran) asked, and possibly got a reply? Does anyone know of any other person who might be able to give clarification on this - Jvan whateverhisnameis? Has anyone asked on facebook as well?

It'd be nice to get some clarification from them.

 



#2 1701D

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 04:15 PM

The Likelyhood is that no comment will be made. John Van Citters is the main man responsible for Star Trek merchandise and he seems pretty stoked to be working with McFarlane "again" on Star Trek this time so seems as though there's some connection there.

#3 s8film40

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 04:22 PM

It's possible DST might not have an answer themeselves. This could have taken them by surprise.

#4 Alteran195

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 04:30 PM

There has to be a comment made at some point since DST has products in the works.

#5 1701D

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 05:02 PM

I'd imagine DST will want to get their product out but all of their Star Trek products coming are pending licensor approval. Meaning cbs have to approve things.

Even if CBS do approve the product DST want to release, what retailer is going to buy it when McFarlane are coming out with their own Star Trek line, possibly at the same time as it would take DST to get their stuff out.

#6 s8film40

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 05:37 PM

I think the big question what does DST have a contract for and were they working on these products with the assumption they would have their contract renewed extended.

Personally their silence to me would indicate they were assuming they would get an extension.

#7 JMW326

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 05:45 PM

I know a lot of people want them to keep making ships but If they have lost the license completely then I say good riddance. They have been treating the license and fans horrible the last few years. Hardly any real releases. No info on anything. Nothing but excuses and delays.

#8 Jay K

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 06:22 PM

I know a lot of people want them to keep making ships but If they have lost the license completely then I say good riddance. They have been treating the license and fans horrible the last few years. Hardly any real releases. No info on anything. Nothing but excuses and delays.

 

I really want the Reliant, and I'd love a Defiant (which to be honest, probably would've been their next ship), but I completely agree with you; especially regarding the way Zach (let's be honest, it was only him) treated the fans. Sarcastic was/is the minimal level of arse that guy can be, and yet he was treated as if he himself was the one making the models, with nothing but a few slabs of rock and a chisel.



#9 1701D

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 06:37 PM

It's sad that after 16 years at the helm, the line sort of fizzled into almost nothing.

Even during a period where Star Trek was on very few fans radar, the produced more stuff than they have done when Star Trek's popularity began to climb again.

I think what's happened here is CBS have not been impressed by the lack of merchandise coming from DST, producing the bare minimum to keep the licence, and ultimately perhaps the lack of anything from DST over the 50th was enough for CBS to begin looking at other companines.

As sad as it may be to loose the electronic ships, we would still have had to wait another 6 months to a year for the Reliant, and with the ship after that? Another 2 years? I mean come on!

With other companies producing a variety of ships in a variety of different scales, DST was continuously dropping the ball on speed of service and while quality improved, they still suffered from a lack of consistency.

This is a great time for a new company to come in and do something a little different I guess.

#10 Alteran195

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 07:55 PM

As I said in the other thread. I'd have no issues with DST being completely done with Trek AFTER they release the 3 products they have in the works.

Knowing that we were so close to having an electronic Reliant, and not getting it would really make me mad.

I'm hopeful that Eaglemoss will make a jumbo Voyager and Defiant at some point down the line, and that they're something we'd get much sooner than anything DST would give us.

#11 Gothneo

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 08:13 PM

So... I was bummed when the Action Figure line ended... and so close to giving me some iconic TOS cremates :-( 

 

But I think its important to note that DST had a terrific run. DST produced way more figures than AA ever did... and the same is true about the ships and Trek Tek. 

 

DST has said they always try and keep certain product in production... as long as there is demand! The TOS Phaser and Communicator are great examples of that. 

 

The DST model is one that advances the development while securing orders... though we haven't seen pre-orders... so it makes me wonder if they are having difficulties just getting interest in the projects from retailers.



#12 robster

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 11:07 PM

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.



#13 Jay K

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 12:17 AM

If this is DST done with the franchise, then I feel a few parting words would be justified here, especially to address what I said earlier:

AA/DST have knocked every ship out of the park in my opinion. Whilst a few quality issues crept in here and there, I can honestly say I love every ship I bought. The only slight I have against the Starship Legends line is that, from when they got the license in 2002, putting repaints aside they only produced nine unique sculpts since then (Reliant would've been ten). One more small negative for me, is that the TOS-era ships massively outweighed the TNG+ era ships (7-2, would've been 8-2 with Reliant).

 

Their Trek Tek line was also fantastic, producing wonderful props for the price. Again, my only negative is that they never made anything from the era of Star Trek I grew up with (Cobra phaser is still unreleased).

 

I can't comment on figures, but receiving a 'crispy' Khan for simply asking a question one time, well that sealed my love for the company to be honest.

 

The one thing that tainted the reputation was Zach. I only interacted with him once or twice (I'd dig up the posts in question, but they're from 2013 I think), complaining about the Enterprise-B's impulse engines not being stuck together properly. Rather than even just replying with something akin to 'that sucks' etc, I remember his post was basically him taking the piss out of me for complaining about something 'at the back' (I kid you not...). I know people here and elsewhere have gone to extremes that you wouldn't believe in terms of complaining about the minutest of things, but this was a genuine problem (the saucer not being stuck together properly at the stern, resulting in hull gaps so big, you could fit your finger inside), that I honestly couldn't believe it.
Anyway, I soon realised that I wasn't the only one who'd be on the receiving end of his 'humour', having read his replies to people being really respectful as well, not just the arseholes you see demanding that every single detail be perfect. His responses acted like gasoline on a small fire, turning something that could've been put out very quickly, into something huge, causing people to respond in kind whilst trying to one-up him. :/

 

However, I refuse to let some poor PR work ruin the legacy of Art Asylum at the very least. Some fine work has been done over the years, making me extremely happy, and yet, I still feel the lines never hit their full potential. Nine ships in fifteen years is frustrating to be honest, especially because at no point did production speed up.
That being said, if DST is done with Star Trek, I'll be sad to see them go. Their last few ships were incredible.



#14 1701D

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 02:14 AM

Actually the news that Todd McFarlane is going to be doing Star Trek should give fans something to be excited about, who have wanted a return to the quality and care that Art Asylum provided fans back in 2001. Besides NECA, I can't think of another toy company that is similar to what Art Asylum used to be than McFarlane Toys.

The only downside to this, of DST are done, is loosing the ships.

#15 Matty-lad

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 04:30 AM

The only downside to releasing 7" action figures is that we are going to end up with another set of TOS and TNG crews that will be about the same scale as DST. I'm not really complaining though as long as we get some continuation (Chapel, Rand etc. )

#16 Gothneo

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 04:34 AM

Maybe its just me... but I think allot of people reminisce about AA but forget that AA didn't put out as much product as DST, or wasn't without issues.

 

For the AF line, they did Enterprise, the Borg, and they got most of the TOS crew.  Yes they had some great stuff... but they also had some misses too.

The Borg figures were awesome, but completely unrelated to anything.

The Enterprise crew head sculpts  are great, but the body and the articulation was experimental and a failure IMO.

The Enterprise playsets were awesome... but incomplete!

The Away team were fantastic and really shine as the best overall effort of the AA era.

Likewise the TOS figures, while overall fantastic, most people would prefer plastic to the rubber tunics, and DST had to take it over to finish off wave 3. 

AA did the Enterprise Phase pistol and communicator, and technically the phase pistol is too small... they did design the phaser which is awesome, but the rest of the Tek came out under DST.

Gotta give DST credit for finishing the TOS crew... and giving us the trial and tribulations set! 

 

DST finished the TOS "mirror darkly" crew, then did the TWOK crew, TNG Crew, DS9 Crew, and gave us more ships and more Trek Tek. 

 

I think people get it muddled a bit because there were a couple of years that I think overlapped and its tough to say if its AA or DST... but I think by 2006 it was all DST footing the bill, and then DST acquired AA outright by 2007. DST made an incredible go of it in the midst of a changing retail landscape. 

 

So basically, I love AA for taking the risk and getting the ball rolling... I love the TOS line they did and give them credit for completing the TOS and ENT crews... but to me DST outshines them as they finished my Away Team Tek, and completed a TOS TWOK Crew, Mirror Darkly Crew, TNG Crew, and DS9 Crew. 



#17 MisterPL

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 08:13 AM

There's generally a sell-off period with most licenses. In my experience it's about three months after the end of the agreement. Depending on when DST's agreement ends and how far along they are in the approval process with their products, some items may be canceled.

 

But look at it this way; cancelation is part of Trek's long history.



#18 Whirlygig

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 10:12 AM

Maybe some of you have not bought DST figures in awhile. I have and still do. They are a lower quality these days IMO than their Trek figure days. I still buy them because they have a couple properties I love too much to pass up and the products *are* within passable parameters. But they clearly have chosen what must be the lowest bidder as far as factories in China and they aren't as concerned with marketing to the end consumer as I think they ought to be. They live in that "push out" model of the comic industry...push it out and let the comic geeks eat it up. One way communication...from them out to us. Some companies put quality & marketing at the top of their concerns along with profit etc....it seems blatantly obvious to me that DST has some of these concerns a little lower down the priority list than say NECA. Not sure about McFarlane because all I've bought lately are the construction sets and have no issues with those. But I think for McFarlane to be any "worse" is at least unlikely.

All that said I'm still proud of my DST Trek line and it would be a long time for McF to catch up on the older series... We did get a lot of nice characters, accessories, and variants, in the time before "the darkness". But that was then and this is now.

And I think we only think their ships are great because we haven't seen greater yet. That "bottom line" focus in the company affects those too.

#19 MisterPL

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 12:35 PM

Star Trek is what brought me to the original Art Asylum message board.

 

When I heard they had the license, I had questions and after having to resort to vulgar language to get his attention, Digger finally answered them. While I had no interest in 7-inch figures (most manufacturers were offering 6- and 4-inch scale at the time), I appreciated the passion Art Asylum had and the innovation they injected into the product. Rubber pants might not have been the best idea but the Deluxe Enterprise sets with bridge consoles were pretty attractive. If only retailers and collectors alike believed in the line. Maybe it was before its time.

 

While I was lured by the hope of a realistically sculpted and authentically painted line of 4-inch Star Trek figures, I ended up falling madly in love with Minimates. Star Trek 3-inch 'mates were my first and I haven't stopped since. They've offered scores of licensed properties and I've collected dozens of them, amassing thousands of the little block figures.

 

Over the years, DST has gotten some pretty solid assortments onto pegs but recently it's been overwhelmingly disappointing. Retailer interest may be waning but I always believed the property still had life in it if it was properly handled. Apparently Todd feels the same way.

 

Now it looks like Star Trek Minimates are truly at an end but, like the man says, "Never say never."



#20 Alteran195

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Posted 23 May 2017 - 04:56 PM

And I think we only think their ships are great because we haven't seen greater yet. That "bottom line" focus in the company affects those too.

This is very true. 

 

The only other company making ships is EM, and I don't think they compare to what DST has put out over the years. Obviously I love them, but even their jumbo ships aren't as good. 

 

I'd love to see a different company take a crack at bigger, electronic ships to see if they can do better. Playmates certainly stepped up their game with the 2009 Enterprise they released, but it was still subpar compared to DST's offerings. 






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