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Jpatrik

Member Since 14 May 2013
Offline Last Active Nov 07 2023 05:23 AM
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#98091 Star Trek Playmates Toys Youtube Video

Posted by Jpatrik on 07 November 2023 - 05:23 AM

About the figure numbers - youre right, it is in fact a sizeable black hole.  I tried really hard to track down some sources, found old magazine articles and most sources focused on Red Data, Tom Riker or Esoqq as rare or shortpacked figures.  Sources varied (but not by much) in terms of quantities for those figures.  But for the TNG wave 1 & 2 figures?  No idea.  I resorted to asking various facebook communities for the highest numbered figures they had and it topped out at about 300,000 for some figures (which explains why so many mint in packet samples are still on the market decades later)

 

As for later on, I was able to find magazine interviews with Chris Overley where he stated that the warp factor figures would be produced about 10,000 per figure.  Anecdotally, this sort of tracks with what I see on ebay every day.  The later waves do seem to be under-represented (but of course, as your posts often point out this can be driven by "market forces" like new shows, the return of older characters like Picard, etc)




#98069 Star Trek Playmates Toys Youtube Video

Posted by Jpatrik on 18 October 2023 - 08:05 PM

For anyone who still frequents these parts, here's part 2 (part 3 is being edited now) of our documentary.  All the loose figures (with the white background) are mine!

 

As always, comments and likes really help the algorithm! :-)

 




#97685 Here we go again... Playmates is back in the Trek business!

Posted by Jpatrik on 29 August 2022 - 02:38 AM

Here are those Australian packaging variants (though I read over on the Trek BBS that these are showing up for preorder in the UK).

 

https://www.popcultc... trek playmates

 

 

This particular store is one of dubious reputation, so I cant really be sure if these are some kind of "stock images" or if they represent the actual cardbacks the figures will be on.

 

Oh, and yeah no sightings at Australian retail (but no surprise there!)




#96755 Figure Values

Posted by Jpatrik on 27 April 2020 - 10:55 PM

Noticed the trend with the Picard figures here too.

 

Also - "Metallica" Locutus.  Nice :-)




#96545 Prototypes

Posted by Jpatrik on 09 February 2020 - 02:12 AM

Wow - I come back from holiday and there's loads of new posts!!  That weird Riker!!

 

What on earth could that random Klingon be??

 

Morgan, if you do indeed buy some of these prototypes, Id love some photos for my blog if youre willing.  I know the community would love to have a good look at em.

 

I'm really REALLY tempted by that TNG Wave 1 Riker (he started my Trek collection!) - but dont really wanna buy all those Romulan moulds.




#96464 New Members/Captcha Malfunction

Posted by Jpatrik on 18 December 2019 - 05:49 AM

Hey there admin (or whomever monitors this forum).  It seems as though new members are unable to join up here - part of the problem is that "captcha" thing.  The device used to verify that we are indeed not robots.

 

I tried to change my profile pic and can confirm that this function is no longer working.

 

Not sure if this forum is monitored, but thought Id give it a crack.

 

Cheers

 

J




#96463 Prototypes

Posted by Jpatrik on 15 December 2019 - 08:01 PM

Another rare gem of a pic dude - thanks for sharing - plus a rare glimpse at Chris!

 

Its hard to tell whether these figures psort any articulation at all.  I mean the pose is dynamic enough.  I've seen a Seven of Nine - in Brown Outfit - in the same format.  Man I would have loved to have owned that one!




#96405 Prototypes

Posted by Jpatrik on 23 October 2019 - 05:13 AM

Man, Ive seen that First Contact photo a bunch of times and never seen the "original" version of it!!  Thanks for posting dude.  If you check out the official photos released, you can definitely see that they have surgically removed the Data figure, leaving a noticeable gap:

 

http://upcloseandpla...ntact-1996.html

 

As for the actual Data figure - he's pretty scary looking - and I'm pretty sure he was on ebay a few years back.  Or at least that's where I found these photos for the site.  My guess is that at least one is in the hands of a lucky private collector:

http://upcloseandpla...eased-data.html




#96350 Prototypes

Posted by Jpatrik on 07 September 2019 - 11:45 PM

The blue Enterprise on the left is the Innerspace Enterprise-D playset.  The Picard & Borg figures are the Space Talk versions.




#96194 Prototypes

Posted by Jpatrik on 25 June 2019 - 08:30 PM

I could be wrong, but it looks like it has those "Thigh cuts" that the Voyager figures had for improved articulation and better sitting!

 

Man would have loved to have had this instead of some of the weird choices in the Warp Factor range!




#96048 SDCC 2019 Exclusive

Posted by Jpatrik on 12 May 2019 - 09:19 PM

Is there one this year?  

 

I'm a sucker for a battle damaged/bright green/cloaked/cheeto-coloured variant!  I love em!  I'm hoping for an NX this time if it happens.

 

I remember hearing about it somewhere, but, in fairness, I may have dreamed it.




#96003 Did switch to larger format 'First Contact' figures hurt or help?

Posted by Jpatrik on 26 April 2019 - 12:09 AM

Its weird, cause despite the change in scale, I didn't feel that the amount of detail had increased in any real way.  The First Contact line still reused bodies (like the smaller Voyager line) and I thought it gave the figures a rather...generic feel.  Like they all looked the same.

 

Worf's head sculpt and removable sash were a highlight for me, as well as Picard in his spacesuit - but then Spacesuit Picard, Zefram Cochrane and Lily all had Generations style restricted articulation!  Its a weird line that doesnt feel cohesive and the full set never really looks great together.  

 

Had they released 5" of the crew in their First Contact uniforms (and bothered to update those tired 1992 head sculpts), I think the figures would have been much more successful.

 

Oh and I definitely would have bought that skinless Data they didn't release!!




#76848 Highest number on a Playmates 4.5" figure?

Posted by Jpatrik on 15 July 2014 - 05:47 AM

Just to throw my hat into the ring - I have #000028 Thomas Riker (the TNG version - not the one in the DS9 uniform)

 

As far as I understand, the earlier waves were produced in higher numbers according to Jim Garber of Playmates, while later on (like when the warp factor series was produced) they were all lower production runs across the board.

 

I guess this can be evidenced by what you sometimes see on the secondary market - so many TNG wave 1 and 2 figures while far fewer from the later series.




#76227 Excelsior starship in fall of 09?

Posted by Jpatrik on 12 May 2014 - 02:20 AM

Zach - those sounds are amazing - as is the light up shuttle bay.  I was gonna give this one a miss, but you just made yourself a sale dude!

 

 - Jim




#74182 Loose Joints On Playmates Figures

Posted by Jpatrik on 19 January 2014 - 08:19 AM

No worries Daysleeper, I only recently had a good look at em via one of the old threads and was blown away - truly works of art that made me jealous that I didn't own them and envious that I am not creative enough to construct such things.  Great use of the Seaquest figures too.  Another one of my favourites from Playmates so it was awesome seeing them re-purposed.

 

Just got given a Shuttlecraft Goddard for my birthday...its 1am here and I have just finished flying it round the house (albeit quietly without roaring impulse engines) - so yes, I still play with the toys quite a bit!  No shame in it at all!

 

 - Jim