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 Star Trek questions like will they be releasing more Star Trek ships such as the Enterprise-B and -C, the Reliant or any ships of the Klingon/Romulan/other races? . Check out all out the entire Q&A below:
Michael Rudzki
Will Art Asylum be releasing more Star Trek ships such as the Enterprise-B and -C, the Reliant or any ships of the Klingon/Romulan/other races? I would be ecstatic if you would consider releasing a series of all the shuttles/small craft, particularly if they were in scale with each other. NO ONE has ever released an accurate version of TOS Galileo (Jonny Lightning was the closest), and many have never seen a release (excepting a few in Micro Machines). Thanks!
DSTChuck: Right now we are going to try and do two ships a year. That’s a goal not a promise. We really want to learn a lesson from the D delays. With that said its going to be a while before we can even look at smaller ships.
Editors Note: If you missed it last week, check out the new images of DST's upcoming Enterprise B from the New York Toy Fair by
clicking here. It will be due out in November 2010 and a new Klingon Bird of Prey will be released sometime in 2011.
Robert Dahne
Whatever happened to Star Trek Minimates? I loved them, they were so much fun to collect. They were affordable and didn’t take up much space.
DSTChuck: The first three waves did pretty well for us. Then we decided to move away from just TOS, the thinking being we had covered most of the core characters, and moved to a mixed release. Sales results we not very good and were bellow what was need to continue the line. So for now they are on hold. You will see a new Kirk with our Gallelo shuttle release in later 2010.
Editors Note: If you missed it last week, check out the new images of DST's upcoming Shuttle from the New York Toy Fair by
clicking here.
Kevin Cailes
with the new star trek DS9 figures out now,are you going to make figures like quark, nog, garak, dukat as well as the normal gang thanks k.cailes
DSTChuck: We have not released a new DS9 figure for some time, and for now we are not working on new figures from that series.
John Burk
Hi! I recieved an e-mail from Toysrus.com that my preorder for the Star Trek Romulan figure had been cancelled. I noticed that it is still listed on their site however. Has this figure shipped to brick & mortar stores? Will is be released? Thanks!
DSTChuck: Yes TRU has decided to cancel their orders for the latest TOS wave of figures. They are not selling enough to support the space but we have agreed to review the line at each of our future meetings to see if they can be brought in again.
Tom Zimmerman
Dear AA: I just got my ISS Mirror Mirror USS Enterprise model. Overall, I think you have done a decent job rendering this model. The scale seems appropriate and managable. The detail is good in most respects. It’s also great that you decided to do a model from this popular episode. However, I do have some constructive criticism for you to ponder. 1. Whoever designed the flimsy stand should be transported to an ice outpost! This stand can barely support the model and the ball joint is flimsy and will most certainly break. Did you include this stand for anyone to actually use? 2. Why are there no lighting effects on this version’s warp nacelles? Did the ISS figure out a new way to conduct warp fusion with no charcteristic warm red glow? I think you cut corners here. 3. There are obvious seams in the saucer section and on the outer section of the warp engines. These should be corrected to give the ship a smoother more realistic look. 4. The sound effects are really just carryover from the other models with a few added from this episode. Come on AA. Spend a little more $ on the licensing and get more specific sound effects! Hope this helps.
DSTChuck: I will try and address each question as best I can.
1. That is the original design stand made by AA when they started the line. We do not want to try something totally different because of how it will look as fans add to the line. That said we think we have made several change to the material and design to make it a more durable display. If you have issues with yours please contact customer service.
2. Each time we make a ship or role-play item, the most difficult part is managing all the cool features we want to add but keeping the cost in line with a toy. These are not replicas and have to be delivered at a relatively low price to retailers then consumers. I would not call it cutting corners, it’s a matter or project managing.
3. I had not heard that issue before so its something I’d have to look into with the project manager and the reference.
4. Yes for the most part they are the same sounds when we do a variant. The cost and minimum order for new sounds chips is not insignificant and would add substantial cost to the ships that are made with smaller runs. That’s why you seldom see larger companies create variants of their ships or role play items. DST has been very lucky to have factories that understand the specialty market and innovative project managers that try to thing ahead so variants are easier to bring to market.
Erik Duncan
Hi Chuck. I wanted to start by saying that I love all the ships and Trek Tek that you do. I look forward to everything you put out. I was wondering if we could get an update on the TWOK communicator that is supposed to be out this year. Keep up the great work!
DSTChuck: The TWO communicator is still on schedule for 2010, we’re hoping to have a good sense or timing when the factory returns from their New Year’s break.
James White
You guys have given us some amazing figures. TOS, TNG,DS9. All of which have most of the core characters and a few surprises thrown in to round them out. I consider my TOS and TNG Collection Complete and all DS9 is missing is Quark. But I have an empty spot in my display. I really really really need some Voyager figures to fill the gap. Please DST… Please find a way to get Voyager out to us. Figures and the ship herself. Help Me DST. Your my only hope…
DSTChuck: There are several characters from Voyager we would like to make at some point but based on feedback from retail and the response to our last couple planned releases we’re going to take a little break from traditional action figure releases.
Taylor
1. I’ve thought about it and it makes sense to have ships in scale with each other. I would settle for non electronic ships to match in scale with the Enterprise-D. What are the possibilities of these? 2. Falling short of that there are a few ships I would love to see. USS Prometheus, with the ability to seperate. USS Voyager with the moving nacelles, but please leave out the motors, or at least try to do it better than PlayMates. USS Defiant, can we possibly get a detaching nose section like the rumors claim? An Akira class would be nice too. Maybe even a Nebula class with the triangular sensor array. That one could be done in scale with the D mostly because the saucers are the same size, and the parts are reused between both ships. I’d also like to see some shuttlecraft, like Delta FLyer, Runabouts, and shuttles from TNG and Voyager. How possible is all of this? 3. Are we ever going to see some Trek Tek from the TNG era? Namely the Tricorders, both medical and science. Maybe even some phasers, like the Type 1, Type 2, 2a, 2b, and 2c. Would you ever concider a couple of the rifles? 4. Are you ever going to create some alien tek such as romulan disruptors, and klingon disruptors? I’d love to see some Cardassian tek too.
DSTChuck: 1) Right now we have our hands full with the ships and roll-play we have planned, if we get to the point where we are done with all of those, we will have to take a serious look at the scale issue.
2) Right now none of those are planned but to be honest we have not really thought past the ships you saw from Toy Fair.
3) Not in 2010 we’ve show all we have planned in roll-play and ships.
4) Rifles are not being considered.
5) In the future yes more alien gear is possible.
Shaun Baer
I want to preface this by saying I am a huge fan of your product. I have collected the majority of the Star Trek line as well as BSG. And, though not AA exactly, of DST’s Buffy and Angel lines as well. My frustration comes from the passion you re-awakened in me for action figure collecting and the fact that I can no longer continue my collections. My impression, much like I had with the Buffy line, is that you are pretty much done but hope that those few die hard fans won’t mind spending more money on more sets of Kirk and Spock. I am not one of those fans. I would rather you be honest with us if your intention is to end the action figure line. If you do intend to keep it going, I wish you would close up shop, build some momentum and refocus your marketing strategy to relaunch with a bang to get new and old collectors to pay attention. My perception is that your year of re-releases is just you treading water to stay visible in the market in some way. I also have the impression it did not work. So, my question is would you please be honest and direct with what your plans are for this line? Can you offer us some hope of its future? Or, can you offer us some peace as we lay to rest a fabulous line of toys? I am not alone in thinking that I’m waiting on a sinking ship. Will you tell us something more substantial please?
DSTChuck: I try and always be honest in these Q&A’s, if I was not going to be why even have them? Sometimes there is no good answer. If it will make you feel better , the chances are the traditional action figure line is on hold for Trek in 2010. That said there might be a two pack release here or there or maybe some international buyer will be found that has to have Borg figures and the line will get into production but for all intents and purposes the traditional AF line is on hold.
David Rothman
In your last Q&A, you mentioned that your license has size requirements for the ships. Why is that? You said that it would be unfair for DS9 fans to get a small Defiant. As a huge DS9 fan, I respectfully disagree. I own the Playmates Defiant, which is very well done, but it looks awfully stupid being just as big as your Enterprise-D’s saucer! In sum, I would LOVE a small electronic Defiant that’s in scale with the E-D and E-E. It is, after all, a “tough little ship”. Scale consistency is something I wish toy companies paid more attention to. P.S. The TWOK phaser is awesome!
DSTChuck: All license are very specific in the sizes and categories they grant, its just the way they are written. In the case of Star Trek you can see several other companies are making Ship from the property in various sizes and types.
Andrew Lehtola
Any chance of you acquiring a license for the new Star Trek Online game? Maybe for figures or something?
DSTChuck: Right now that’s not something we’re considering BUT when the license comes up fro renewal we might discuss it.
Jeff Weber
Hello, I was wondering when will the USS Enterprise ncc-1701-b and the USS Excelsior NX-2000 be released will it be early mid or late 2010. Thank you.
DSTChuck: We have no plans to actively solicit or advertise any ships or role-play items until the factory is ready to being actual production.
Roddy DeHart
Have you considered making the Star Trek III Phaser yet? There is a forum on www.trektoy.com that has a poll on whether they would buy the Phaser and there are 15 people so far who say they definitely would! Put me down for three+!
DSTChuck: Yes it is something we have considered but at this point I’d guess 2011 at the soonest.
Dan Black
Love the Star Trek line and can’t wait to see the Excelsior and Enterprise B ships made. Maybe some day the Reliant from Wrath of Khan will be made? I wondered, since Playmates never had the guts to produce Kirk, Spock or McCoy in Nazi disguise from “Patterns Of Force”, will DST ever consider this?
DSTChuck: I do not think that’s something we would consider. The swastika symbol itself creates advertising and distribution issues we’d have trouble working around.
Paul Newland
It’s so frustrating that the recession seems to have the Star Trek figure sales so hard and I appreciate what this means for the development of new figures. I’m hopeful that things will start to pick up this year but I was wondering whether there is any hope of there being any other TMP anniversary 2-packs? I’m desperate to pad out my TMP collection. It seems that we already have the basic male body and a Troi body could be modified easily for Ilia/Uhura/Chapel/Rand. Decker and Ilia would be the perfect two-pack. I’ll freely admit that I’d buy at least six packs for head swaps with TOS and/or TWOK figures but I’d still buy multple copies of any other crew you’d care to make in this line too - there were hundreds of crew in the Rec Deck scene of that movie and they’re all fair game to the customising fraternity…
DSTChuck: While I do agree it seems the economic times have taken a big chunk out of Trek figures, we do need to keep in mind that everyone at DST is grateful to still be able to do what we do. Others out there have lost jobs, homes and families through these tough times and we’re so grateful that fans are willing to invest the dollars they do have into this hobby. Now is not the time for DST to take too many chances or putt too much product into the market. We’re going to do the best job we can with the items we do release and stand ready to ramp up more product as demand returns.
David Walter
Do you have the Geordi La Forge figure in 2nd season TNG uniform and VISOR and the movie version where he has his ocular implants ? if so how much are they ? If not will you be doing them in the future ?…
DSTChuck: Our web store is sold out off all the TNG figures so you’d have to try an online retailer or maybe your local comic stores.
