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 Star Trek questions. Check out the entire Q&A below:
Daniel Pacella
Hello: I have some of your 7 inch Star Trek action figures and the sculpts are great. I have an idea for an action figure I’d like to produce. It’s a space alien from another planet loosely based on The Thing creature but different. How much will it cost me to have a prototype sculpted, cast, assembled and painted? It will be 7 inches tall with a few articulated joints?
DSTChuck: Daniel, I am sorry but we do not take on outside work like that and I do not know anyone to recommend to you that might take on something like that for you.
David Ellis
Why don’t you produce a Star Trek SELECT range of action figures, perhaps a total of 3 figures each year with all the attention to detail and articulation you give your Munsters and BSG figures, even have them sculpted by J St. J, the guys behind SG1, BSG and The Munsters - come on, it’s been 10 years since Art Asylum begun the line - isn’t it time for a newly sculpted range of figures to get someone besides the members of trektoy.com involved in Star Trek? Figures based on at least TOS AND TNG in time for 2012? How about a TOTALLY new Kirk, Picard and The Borg Queen for 2012? I understand you wanting to take a break from Star Trek this year but why show just the retro’s? Why not just wait until SDCC or next year to show any Star Trek product? So confusing DST…
DSTChuck: David, I am sure it is frustrating for fans to hear that we not producing Trek action figures at this time. While there maybe some idea out there that could work, the feedback we’re getting from buyers is they are not interested in Trek figures at this time. I do think we tried something like the Select figures with the Borg wave we announced. They were more deluxe up scale figures with better sculpts and bases as well as Aliens from the series (not just Kirk and Spock), however the response from the buyers was very poor. It’s not to say that series was perfect and maybe it would have preformed once it hit the market place but for now we’re going to take a break and hopefully come back with some great stuff collectors will want down the road.
Sam English
Hey Chuck, Thanks very much for responding to my last message. I think you misunderstood my comment about a Retro Majel Barret figure. I had meant Majel as she appeared as the character ‘Number 1′ in the Star Trek pilot episode under Captain Pike. You seem to have thought I was requesting a figure of the actual actress, which would just be odd. In any case, in a letter I simply sent as praise, I should not have mentioned a character that isn’t in line to be produced. The Retro line is awesome & you are doing a great job with it, that is all I had wanted my last message to express. Take care, Sam.
DSTChuck: Sam sorry if I did not understand your question. Right now the Trek figure line is on hold but when we do get back to making figures we are aware that there are some “key” characters from at least TOS that fans would want to see and we’ll try and address that if we can.
James Ellington
If not plans are being developed for new figures for Star Trek BSG and Stargate why not let some other company have the license while there is still interest
DSTChuck: Just because we’re not making figures now does not mean down the road we won’t want to. I am also not sure why you think we’re blocking other companies that would want to make figures from making them.
Tray Chester
Chuck, Have you considered releasing Cylon Centurions and Warriors in vac-metallized finishes? Silver and gold versions of these figures would be a sight to behold! And, I am glad to hear that your team is working on the Enterprise-B and Klingon Bird of Prey, but I am also concerned that there was no mention of the Excelsior, which was pictured with the Enterprise-B all those months ago. Was the Excelsior scrapped? I figured that if you were working on the Enterprise-B, with your methods of making the parts modular, the Excelsior could at least enjoy an exclusive presence. Your thoughts?
DSTChuck: Tray, it would not be as simple as it seems to make vac-metal versions. The vac –metal would need to be applied to each piece and in order to do that we’d need to modify the tool that is created to make the figures. So its not something we’re looking to do. We did make a shiny version that we thought was as close as we could get. None of the Trek ships or role-play that we have announced have been scrapped, work is still underway on all of them.
Ken Robley
Can you tell me when you will be releasing the “Star Trek:The Wrath of Khan” communicator? Also, will you be continuing to expand your Star Trek line? One item I would particularly like to see is the “Star Trek The Next Generation” Phaser Rifle. This is something that was promised by one of your competitors–Playmates–more than a decade ago, but they never delivered.
DSTChuck: Ken the TWOK communicator was put on a boat out of HK this weekend so it should be in stores in about 6 weeks. Right now we’re just working on the role-play we have announced but TNG Rifle is not in the plans at this time.
Ken Robley
Do you have amy plans to release prop replicas from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”? I would like to see a replica of the Type II hand phaser used in the first two seasons of Star Trek TNG. This is the phaser that fans sometimes refer to as the “dustbuster” because of it’s size & shape. However, I would like to see other replicas from the next generation as well. Playmates props were not bad (considering what else was available) but their detail was not always consistant.
DSTChuck: Right now we’re hard at work on the ships and finishing up the TWOK communicator once those are done we’ll see what’s next.
Caleb Brey
I have a few questions about the Star Trek Nemesis USS Enterprise E coming out this year. 1. will the warp nacelles light up besides the bussard collectors. 2. is it coming out in March or October. thanks for your time Caleb Brey
DSTChuck: Caleb, we’re still working on the new run of the E so I can’t say for sure when it will be ready but it will not be out this month. Since we’re still working on it I can’t comment on any changes but I don’t think the electronics will change.
Jorge L Rodriguez
Your company must produce more NX-01 ISS Enterprise ships. I have been trying to get them else where and they are just too expensive, not worth the price they’re asking for them. These are toys and should not be worth more than $50.00. Even serious colectors are not wanting to pay that much knowing that they were alot less expensive not to long ago. Forget about supply and demand, if you run out make more.
DSTChuck: Right now we are not planning another run of the ISS but we’re always looking into and gauging interest in the demand for more ships and role-play.
