A New Diamond Select Toys Sci-Fi Q&A

by Jay Cochran
December 21, 2010
DSTChuck has released a new Diamond Select Toys Q&A over on their Art Asylum website for your viewing pleasure.

In this weeks edition focuses on Sci-Fi questions. Check out the entire Q&A below:

Alexander Tonks
Hi, I know I’m not first person to ask this but since she’s my favorite character I would like to know, will there be a figure of President Laura Roslin at some point in the future?

DSTChuck: Alexander, we’ve said we’ll do all we can to release a figure of her but to be honest the chances right now do not look good. Hopefully the new BSG show will spark new interst.


Jay Taylor
I just found a listing for a Nemesis Enterprise-E on Entertainment Earth, and was wondering what the major changes to the item are. Is the ship’s structure any different from the last version of the Enterprise-E? 2. With the Enterprise-B and Excelsior ships what are the major changes between the two? Like are the nacelles different? Or are the saucers different? 3. With the Trek tek how close to the actual props are they? Could they pass as props on a set? Keep up the wonderful work on the Trek Tek and ships. They’re simply amazing.

DSTChuck: There will be no structural difference with the E, just new deco.

We are still working on the B so I can not get into any details. I think for the Tek items we do a great job for the money! As for CAN they we used on set, the answer is they already are. The phaser was used on Enterprise, The Tricorder has been used on Big Bang Theory and I know lots of folks that make their own movies are using them. Glad you like them.


Andrew Pfeuffer
Have you ever considered making some non-Federation ships? I love the work you’ve done so far, but everything is Federation, and what’s worse nearly all of them are Enterprises! I’d like to see something different. To my knowledge there’s never been a Klingon Negh’var battlecruiser made by anyone, though something like a Vor’cha would also be nice (While the B’rel class “Bird of Prey” is a nice ship, I’d like something a little different). I’d especially love to see some Romulan ships get made, in particular a D’deridex class “Warbird” or a Valdore-type “Warbird” (from Nemesis) for the movie collectors. Even a Cardassian Galor class cruiser or some Borg ships (I’d favor Cube or Diamond) would be great. There’s a whole lot more to Star Trek than just the Federation and the Enterprise, and I’m sure many fans agree and would love to add some different ships to their collections.

DSTChuck: One of the next ships we’re making is Klingon – so how’s that for a quick turn?


Adam Miatke
Hi, In regards to the large electronic Star Trek ships, I had an idea that may make re-releases (especially down the track) and new releases a little more appealing. What about having a large ship with a small non-electronic ship as an extra? The idea is thus: - USS Voyager (large) with Delta Flyer (small) - USS Enterprise-E with Captain Yacht - USS Defiant with scaled USS Defiant (same scale as Enterprises D and E) - USS Enterprise with Galileo Shuttlecraft and so on? It would add more to the product and give many collectors a chance to obtain items such as the Enterprise-E Captains Yacht and Voyager’s Delta Flyer that are otherwise extremely difficult/impossible to obtain, alongside their favourite electronic ships!

DSTChuck: Adam, That’s kind of cool but we’re pretty limited by license by what we’re able to do in relation to size. Also, if we added another ship especially one that required a new sculpt etc…it would add to the retail price of the ship OR force us to take some features away.


Edward Cole
Hi Chuck, I read the Q&As all the time, and I have to tell you, I only get more angry and frustated every time I do. I mean always with the, “not at this time”, “doesn’t look good”, “that’s on hold for now”, “going forward probably not”. Let’s here some good news for once. Instead of telling us what not to hope for, give us something we can look forward to. Tell us what is set in stone for 2011, ships, action figures etc. So we can stop all the guessing games. Let me ask you something else. I am a BSG & ST action figure collector (kept carded). With no product “foreseealbe” in 2011, what kind of sign are you waiting for that tells you, “yes, let’s get more Trek or BSG in the pipeline for these fans”? With nothing to look forward to, how can we get excited? We want NEW product. It’s bad business to anchor new figures with old ones. Ex. the latest wave 5A, we all loved that Romulan, but we had to get a Scotty that 70 to 90% of us had, and a new (read: another) Kirk. Now I know the company line, “retailers love Kirk and Spock products”, I get it. But the thing is they love it, but we’re tired of them. So you make Kirk and Spock and old stuff you’ve done before, and retailers are happy. Retailers are happy, they place orders. You’re happy cause retailers are placing orders. Products gets to stores and we buy some but not all. Retailer now, not happy. Fans who want to spend their money,(cause not enough new product) not happy. DST not happy. Do you see how by doing the same thing, you get the same result, that nobody wants. The 5a wave you said sold fair. Imagine if you had three never before available figures in that wave. Ex. Romulan, Salt Vampire, & Koloth (the final Klingon)!!! That wave would’ve sold like gang busters and you know ! it. So I ask myself, if I can figure that out then surely you can. So if you know it, you must not want to sell a lot of ST or BSG or whatever. But I can’t figure out why. Could you tell me that? why? Why even hold on to the license to make these products? If you don’t want to or are affraid to, let it go and let someone who wants to put stuff out there do it. Cause keeping the license and not making product will cost you money too. Sometimes you just gotta be bold! Take a chance! If retailers are not interested, find another way! Or drop the license. Do something new. And do not tie that “something new” to old stuff!!! And new does not mean another Kirk, only this time with his shirt off !!!!! New means new. You need to show us that you are committed to making new product where we don’t have to buy old product to get it! Cause that keeps fans who want to buy on the sidelines, then you and retailers read that as, “there is no interest”! It’s not very smart. A great example is the 7of 9 figure. You’re taken aback by the aparent lack of interest, right? Well who the hell are you talking to? Certainly not fans! But can you see how you keep doing the same thing. You tied 7of 9 to another borg, a half borg, and the borg queen all from the First Contact movie! News flash, 7of 9 wasn’t in First Contact !!!! Plus these elaborate drone bases, come on!!! They were cool but the key is to get people hooked first. “How do we do that, Ed”? Well let me tell ya. First, for example, you must commit fully to the entire let’s say, Star Trek: Voyager line! That’s it, nothing up for debate. Plant confidence in fans so that they know if I buy this first wave I’m sure to be able to get all the main Voyager figures before it’s over. Cause many now think, why bother they’re just going to cancel the line anyway. You must erase that thought from fans. That is your foundation. You must make 2012 (I know you just can’t do it any sooner) the year of Voyager and more!!!! Next, pick a great packaging design and do not change it, ever!!!! Do not go with that boring generic card you started a few waves back, that is a horrible cardback and it keeps buyers away. (BTW, you did a good job with keeping the BSG cardback consistant.) Next, the wave breakdowns, decide who’s coming out when and have no substitutes. Remember you need to hook us quick!!! Wave 1: (Jan. 2012) Janeway (no question she goes first, unlike the Adama incident) Paris (due to popularity) Neelix (with great paint ops and a dead-on head sculpt) 7of 9 ( silver uniform, remember you need to whoa us) Wave 2: (May. 2012) Chakotay (First officer must be next) B’Elanna (Klingons are cool, plus she connects to Paris) Kes ( blue outfit looked best on her, plus she connects to Neelix) 7of 9 ( pruple outfit) Wave 3: (Sept. 2012) Tuvok (Vulcans are cool too) The Doctor (don’t foget holo-emitter) Kim (just cause) 7of 9 (Cobalt blue uniform) Wave 4: (Dec. 2012) 7of 9 (brown uniform) Seska (long hair, not in duty uniform) Kazon (First Maje Cullah, again with great paint apps) Dr. Zimmerman (fans love Picardo) Plus, of course, the Voyager ship too…. Just an example but as you see you don’t want to “save” very popular figures for later waves, cause people will lose interest. If they’re going to lose interest, let them lose it at the end of a line not near the begining; remember don’t do the same thing and expect a different result. Bottom line, if Diamond Select Toys/Art Asylum show us a true commitment, we will repsond with our energy, our commitment, and most of all our dollars !!!! If this task seems like to much for you, well that’s fair. We thank you for all that you did do for us collectors in the past, we loved it. But please allow someone else a shot at these very popular lines if you’ve decided you no longer wish to move forward with them.

DSTChuck: Edward I have to be honest I don’t normally answer something in the Q&A that’s this long or really for that matter more of a rant than a question. I think something like this is better suited for the many Trek and Toy forums that are out on the web that give fans a platform for their frustrations or pleasures with collecting and viewing Trek.

However your passion and the time you have taken to write this seems to warrant some type of response. I will try to formulate this in some sensible way. I am under no illusion here that you are really looking for answers or asking me to persuade you in any way.

Edward I am not sure you understand the idea of this Q&A blog. Fans ask questions and I answer them. I can only answer what is sent in. The news I give is neither good or bad its just that news. If its good or bad that’s from the person reading it point of view. There is no guessing required. I might not be able to say “no we are not making any new Trek or BSG figures in 2011” BUT that’s pretty much what I am saying. That should be easily understood from the lack of new product in Previews at shows and the answers in this Blog. Why do I not just say” Hey man we’re NOT going to make anything this year” the reason is that’s simply not 100% true. We never know if the sales guys are going to find someone or we are going to have someone approach us. I can’t see the future. If I could I’d be on Wall Street not making toys. SO I do the best thing I can – that’s tell you the truth “ It does not look good” or “ There is nothing in development”. If that’s upsetting to you I understand and can sympathize. I know I waited two years for Bruce Springsteen to confirm the Darkness Box set was going to happen.

The latest wave of Trek figures was not a matter of, we are giving you this instead of X. TRU had an order in with us for those figures. Based on poor performance of the Trek movie and DST classic Trek product, they asked if they could cancel the order. Rather than have them buy product they did not want and to see if we could satisfy some collector demand for the Romulan, we went forward with a limited number of cases of product. The series did fine – not great, for us, and got more product out there to collectors.

The idea that there is a series of Trek figures out there that could be done that would sell fantastic and we “know it” but won’t make it seems kind of silly don’t you think? If we “knew “ it would sell, what would the reason we would not make it be? We just want to be mean, and I spend my nights at him thinking how I can put the screws to Edward and disappoint the collector community. Really??!We did list and fully develop a series of Classic Trek figures that had the figures that seems to be most in demand from the fans and even tried to make the old Salt Vampire that AA had to cancel (that means folks even the sales people at Play Along could not get enough order to make it work) and listed it as a SINGLE figure, so you did not have to buy anything else to get him – which should be the holy grail for fans and retailers – AND we had NO minimum order, so a store that wanted one Salt Vampire for one Trek fan in their store could order it…Here is what happened, the orders were less than ½ what they needed to be for DST to BREAK EVEN. That’s fact not opinion. I am sorry but that’s what it was… We can go around and around about all the other factors but it is what it is. Could I have gone forward and run the risk that we’d see unprecedented demand after the product was in stores. Yes I could have, but I did not. We’re fans but we’re also here to make money, if we don’t make money we will not be here for long. I have a responsibility to everyone that works with us to make those calls. Do I wish they could have worked – of course I do. DST spent TONS of money on getting those figures ready for market. We have no reason to spend all that money and then not go forward with something. When that series failed – that along with other market factors we saw and heard from buyers, put an effective halt on Trek figure development.

Marketing of the line- I am not sure there is much I can say here, everyone thinks they have the magic idea or the “right” way to do something. The wonderful thing is, you might, you just might Ed. But maybe you don’t. You say you speak for ALL the fans with what they want – do you ? How are you sure about that? Have to done over 200 Q&A with them, have you gone to 6 trade shows a year? How are you so sure you speak for all the fans with what they would buy? Because its what you want ? Because you read what folks post online? Do you have ANY idea what % of fans go online, then what % of them look at toy sites, what % of those go to the forum section, what % of them spend more than 5 minutes looking at post and what % of them actually then post? I am NOT saying we all do it right here at DST all the time – in fact I am sure we do NOT do it all right all the time. What I am sure of, is we do the best we can, we do what we think we have to do. We do love Trek here, all the PM’s that work on these projects have seen EVERY episode and movie and they’d all LOVE to be doing more Trek product – in fact I have one that would spend all day every day on Trek and be very happy. But maybe just maybe it’s not that we did not pick the perfect mix of characters in the perfect way at the perfect price by the perfect sculptor, maybe it’s just that the demand for Trek figures is not there right now to satisfy the requirements of the marketplace. Does that mean it will never be – of course not. Just not right now. I do have to tell you though that DST and other license holders do not pick the package design style. That comes from what’s called a style guide an its provided by the studio and is very exact in what we are told to do. But I am sure you knew that- right?

One more question- for you this time. What company do you think is waiting in the wings to jump on the Classic Trek license? WE love Trek, we’ve worked on it for a long time now, we do the best we can and hope to keep working on Trek for years to come, but we’re not perfect.


Andrew Lehtola
I saw in a previous post someone was correcting me on TWOK communicator stating Saavik was pressing a button to make the bottom of the communicator light up, and it was this that was activating the light, not her voice. Though I do not dispute this, what I was referring to is a distinct flickering of the light, with the sound of her voice while Saavik has the button pressed. I watched the scene again and clearly see the flickering in unison with her voice. Assuming this is a feature and not a fault of the prop, I was wanting to know if this would be included in the toy. Can you discuss the details of the prop effects yet?

DSTChuck: I think the best thing to do is head over to YouTube and check out the movie of the working factory sample at collectDST.


Eric Walters
I have several 2010 Nemesis Enterprise-E Questions to ask you. Will this newer version use LED’s or will it use older Rice Bulb’s? Will the Warp Nacelles light up blue on the back this time? Will thise newerversion come with a play cover? Will this also have the lights always on feature like the TOS Enterprise & the TNG Enterprise-D?Can you post some pics of the newer 2010 Enterprise-E lighing up please?

DSTChuck: I think it’s too early for me to go into those details – sorry.


Andrew LaRue
The Romulan Commander is a pretty hot topic lately no matter what message board you go to with a discussion of Star Trek figures, it seems the be the one that everybody is absolutely looking forward to. Is there any chance of him finally being released in a 3-figure wave, possibly made up solely of villains along with the Salt Vampire, and a repaint of Kor to match Kang?

DSTChuck: Andrew I think if we were to do something with classic Trek, those we be part of the short list, but we’re not working on any figures right now.


Andrew LaRue
How come there haven’t been any Jaffa 2-packs for Stargate like there are Cylon 2-packs for BSG? People still want more Serpent Guards and have been waiting for the Horus Guard from SG-1 wave 5 (which still has only been seen with the Jackal helmet).

DSTChuck: Sorry to say we’ve seen a huge drop off in interest in the Stargate universe since the cancelation of Atlantis.


Andrew LaRue
Is there any chance of you guys releasing a stone base version of the Stargate, possibly as a bank? It would be interesting if the coins could be put in through the top of the gate, then from the back you could watch them roll down.

DSTChuck: Cool idea but we do not have the rights to that category.


Darla Cole-Bowen
Please! Oh Please! Bring back the Borg Wave!!!!! Your figures are so great. The artists did such amazing work on those sculpts! It is absolutely criminal to let those sit in the closet and gather dust! Do you know what a following the borg have…especially 7 of 9! Did you see how well the Side Show sculpts of her did. Okay, so yours aren’t in the same division, but I think the quality is there and the poularity for that set of figures would surely make it worth your while. So take this email to your next production meeting and read it. Close by saying, “Are we ready to make some money or what? We’ve got the design work done. So maybe a couple of bumps to smooth out, but what a waste of money on the design work if we don’t use it… We’re getting an awful lot of heat on these, so may be we should just go for it.” I even already wrote your speech ….so please! Go for it. Signed, A total Art Asylum Fan…addict.

DSTChuck: Sorry man, nothing cooking right now but yea we’d love a crack at producing those so you never know.


Damon Klempner
I was wondering will we ever see DS9’s USS Defiant??? I know its one of the most popular ships and I’m not alone in wanting to see that made before the Enterprise C. I love seeing ships other then the Enterprises made you Excelsior and Bird of Prey look absolutely amazing!! Please make the Defiant it deserves to be made!

DSTChuck: Defiant is very cool and we’ll have to see how the next couple ships do before we commit that far down the road.


Selana Deceth
I pre-ordered the Roslin and Adama action figures a LONG time ago, and then they never happened. Now with Caprica crash-and-burning, I was wondering if there was any hope that the Roslin figure would ever be released. Maybe even a limited production of stupidly expensive sculpted figures for us unabashed geeks? Thanks for your time.

DSTChuck: I think hope is slim but if the new show takes off something like you suggest could be very possible.


Wayne Zachary
I know that as of right now the action figure line is on hold for the time being. With that being said, when it resumes, it’d be nice to see a TOS Lt. Uhura in command yellow as she was seen in Corbomite Manuver and The Man Trap.

DSTChuck: I don’t see that as a figure that would be near the top of the ones we’d start work on – sorry.


Gar Crispell
Are there any future plans to release a V-ger box set or ship. V-ger is one of the most famous Star Trek vehicles and many fans would be happy to se it in plastic form.

DSTChuck: As of now we have no plans for a V-ger ship release.


Ben Summerfield
1. Will we ever see Star Trek Voyager figures? It id the only series left for Diamond Select. 2. Can Diamond Select ever release Star Trek novel figures. Maybe people like Empress Hoshi Sato III from Star Trek Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of the Empire or the Vulcan Lieutenant Commander from Star Trek: Federation.

DSTChuck: We do not have the rights to the novels and we are not actively developing Voyager figures. Sorry.


Stephen Totten
Is there any chance that DST would do stand alone ready built model stargates as opposed to the build a figure ones that have been released?

DSTChuck: Its possible, from time to time we do check around for ideas and interest level to get more SG1 gates out in the market.


Shaun Baer
So, I realize that the action figure line is on hold…but word on the street is that, looking at the limited information available online, it seems that the recent two-packs are doing/have done pretty well, considering. Is this true? Has it been enough to push a few more through in 2011? Rand w/Scratched Face Kirk, Chapel and Short Sleeve McCoy…maybe the Mark Lenard Romulan Commander and the Salt Vampire. Also…I know the suggestion was made to do the Borg Alcove as a bank…IF that happened…would you consider adding a figure as part of the package deal…a Seven of Nine or Borg Queen? Still hoping this line will spring back somehow. :)

DSTChuck: I think the recent two packs are doing OK- there were however VERY low production runs – remember what happened when Playmates did a figure that ONLY had 1701 produced? The potential effect of the recent two packs is they have not closed the door on us finding ways to get more figure out there, and if they had not done well at all the door might have been closed a little.


Frank Dehner
I was wondering if you had plans for a U.S.S. Reliant? Between you guys and playmates, no one has made one. There is a high demand for this ship. We, the collectors, love the ships you guys produce, but we are getting a little tired of seeing the same ship over and over with different paint applications. We would like to see ships that haven’t been produced yet. Like the Reliant, Carrdassian Warship, Jem Ha dar ship, the Scimatar from Star Trek Nemesis. Playmates has already produced a DS9 Space Station, but I would love to see you guys produce one. I bet it would be and look even better. However, out of everything, the U.S.S. Reliant is the main one. You guys have produced TWOK Phaser, Communicator and an Enterprise from TWOK. Why not the main ship itself? Please let me know.

DSTChuck: I think the Reliant is possible down the road.


Philip Routledge
I would like to ask Diamond Select Toys if they can confirm that Series 5 Stargate SG-1 figures have been cancelled. This would be a disgrace if they have as fans like myself would like the General Hammond figure. Not only to honour Don S Davis but my SG-1 looks naked without their leader. It’s annoying to get fans hopes up and just destroy them like that. Why was he not released in an earlier series? He should have been. I only hope they have the sense to release them, especially as they have the protoypes. I’d buy a couple of them. There is a market if it is done right.

DSTChuck: Philip I am sorry to say that for now all development is halted on SG figures including series 5.


B’ R
So I just saw the finale of Caprica (spoiler-ish ahead)… There was a mess of new cylon models, construction workers, butlers, and coolest of all, a combat commander… Any possibility of creating these since the cylon figures did so well? And of course I must ask…. Roslin and Baltar 2-pack???

DSTChuck: Maybe if the show had gone on, but with it being canceled I think that door is closed.





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