Mystery Man Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 I constantly hope to see more (and sooner) rather than later because Minimates are really the only toy line I purchase other than oversized Godzilla monsters. Nothing meets the gold standard for me if it's not as a Minimate. So no classic Romulans, Salt Vampire, Shuttlecraft, etc. gives me the same troubled feeling I had prior to finding out that there would be: - no Invisible Man, Metaluna Mutant, Phantom of the Opera or others in the Universal Monsters line - no more Calico Jack line with that cool-ass skeleton and all those neat two-packs for an unreleased series 2 It's true, I'm a worrier. But when a line is released and after a goodly amount of time there isn't hints or news of more coming when the sheer amount of characters that could be made is there... yeah, I've started to prime myself for disappointment "just in case". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all... I would advise setting phasers to... cry. Edited October 3, 2013 by Lobsterman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 If this product category doesn't set the Trek brand on fire, nothing will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkerbean Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Great now I need a dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 But what color shirt would you get him? I guess it depends on his name. Captain Bark? Chief Engineer Spotty? Or just stick with Bones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmeaux Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Definitely not red one. Might as well tell him to play in traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkerbean Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I'll get a scottie dog :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 That dog in the picture looks so unhappy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tones Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 That dog in the picture looks so unhappy.... that's because he's still waiting to hear some news about Star Trek Minimates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross-Junkie Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, byt ToyArk already has pics up from NYCC, and no Trek Minimates... right here! This sucks, what the hell is up with DST... Zach, were talking to you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 There are no Walking Dead Minimates either so I wouldn't be too concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stack32 Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 It's certainly not good news. If I were a betting man I'd be putting a lot of money on Trek minimates being dead. Again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross-Junkie Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Zach, what's up with this line... Some of us are frothing at the mouth waiting to hear something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Something tells me this is going to be a once-a-year offering at best, with new Minimates revealed annually at Toy Fair. That seems to be the most reliable pattern when it comes to news. Chuck did say that if they offered another Minimates vehicle for this line, it would most likely be the 1701-D Enterprise. That's an unusual admission from someone who often doesn't reveal things in Q&As even when they've already been announced elsewhere so I can't help but wonder how far in the development process that ship might be. (Note on a napkin? Concept art?) It doesn't look like the NCC-1701 flew off the shelves. Despite this being a movie year that features characters from TOS, and as much as I love her, the old gal just looks dated. Maybe they should have gone with the refit or the -D or -E, something with a more contemporary aesthetic. Maybe that would have caught TRU's eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross-Junkie Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Something tells me this is going to be a once-a-year offering at best, with new Minimates revealed annually at Toy Fair. That seems to be the most reliable pattern when it comes to news. Chuck did say that if they offered another Minimates vehicle for this line, it would most likely be the 1701-D Enterprise. That's an unusual admission from someone who often doesn't reveal things in Q&As even when they've already been announced elsewhere so I can't help but wonder how far in the development process that ship might be. (Note on a napkin? Concept art?) It doesn't look like the NCC-1701 flew off the shelves. Despite this being a movie year that features characters from TOS, and as much as I love her, the old gal just looks dated. Maybe they should have gone with the refit or the -D or -E, something with a more contemporary aesthetic. Maybe that would have caught TRU's eye. Well, if they did bring out the D, it would be a ship I wouldn't be interested in. I'm more interested in the Shuttlecraft (which is something that has potentially made it further than the D in development), and I hope they would move forward on this project. But I do understand DST is ultimatly a business, and if ships don't make them money, then I can see the reason for them to discontinue the line (of ships). It would be nice to see the refit version though... As for the mates themselves, I know my TRU has a few Kirks & Khans left (which I will be soon cleaning them out of), but it seems the rest of the line did fairly well. I know it didn't blow the doors off like the first and second wave of The Walking Dead, but it did O.K.. It would be nice to see DST give the line some more attention than just once a year, because as a Trek fan who actually makes diorama's and plays with his Minimates, I just want more. There's so much demand for aliens it's ridiculous. You can't swing a dead cat in this thread without someone asking for a TOS or TNG Romulan, a TNG Klingon, or a TOS Andorian. Plus with Salt Vampires, Muggatos, Elosians, Ferengi, and more, the equation is almost endless. I just think DST is shooting itself in the foot by alienating a proven fanbase, their only problem is they don't listen to what the fans are saying, which is why we ended up with 4 Spocks (including the god awful Spocks Brain), Gladiator Kirk, 3 different Bones, no Red Shirts, and 1 Scotty in the original Minimate lineup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 I was against the starships from the beginning and while I've come to admire them, I wouldn't mind if DST took the line in another direction. If that category disappointed, obviously you need to ask why and I can't help wondering what DST's conclusion would be. As with many things, I don't think there's one reason. More likely it's a combination of factors but in this case I'm sticking to my initial gut reaction that starships in this scale just don't have as much play value. And given the super-deformed look, their display value is also sketchy at best. That's why I'd also revisit the shuttlecraft and other smaller vessels from the different series and films. Give collectors a ship that makes more sense in terms of scale and a toy that the young and young-at-heart can fly around, land, display and use as a display for Minimates. I don't know about anyone else but I don't display my Enterprise ships with the "hood" up and the navigational sensor open. (That Jeffries Tube is clever but not ideal for showing off a figure. I'd have preferred a base that resembled a transporter pad to display the crew.) Now a shuttlecraft or a runabout would be better if only because the play pattern is different. Unlike a starship it could land as well as be displayed in flight. It could also hold more figures in one area. I know TRU wasn't interested in the shuttlecraft but since they're not interested in the Enterprise either, there's not much to lose. I know DST got me to buy two or three of these things thanks to the variants the Enterprise allows but the same could have been done with the shuttle. Cross promotion could have been better, too. Maybe timing didn't allow for it but the inserts with the ships made no mention of Trek Minimates, just role play replicas and the electronic ships as I recall. There was plenty of real estate on the back of that packaging to call out the availability of more Minimates. And yes, my TRU is brimming with leftover Kirk and Khan Minimates as well. And while Kirk at least looks like the current movie version at first glance, Khan is unrecognizable. I'm sure to newbies he's Khan in name only. The other figures seem to have done better but it's hard to tell. Hopefully TRU can track that info by UPC and give DST an accurate breakdown of sell-through. Now that Star Trek Into Darkness has been on home video for a few weeks, maybe that's the information needed to make a final decision on how – or if – to proceed. But yeah... more aliens, please. Especially this guy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Ape Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 their only problem is they don't listen to what the fans are saying The problem with listening to the fans is that some fans scream "MORE TOS!" Then other fans yell, "NO TOS! TNG!", when others want both. Then other fans yell "No more Kirk!" when I would love a ST:III Kirk & Kruge pack. No matter what DST does some fans will feel like they are being ignored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 their only problem is they don't listen to what the fans are saying And the only problem with fans is they assume they're the only ones talking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 The Trek fandom has been fractured since Paramount decided to make the first film. (Some would argue it happened even earlier.) Thanks to so many spinoffs, sequels, and such, even the fans can't agree on anything. I think I'm one of the few fans who embraces EVERY Trek series and film, warts and all. So in terms of Minimates, I'll take what I can get. There's no denying it's a passionate group. TOS might sell well but you might argue that DS9, VOY or ENT would do well, too, if only because there's so little product out there for that segment. But when it comes to recognizable characters – the mascots of the franchise, if you will – I think most people would identify Kirk's crew with Picard's in a close second. However, even Disney doesn't do Mickey 24/7/365. I still believe in mixing up the assortments with characters from every era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WookieFodder Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 i blacked out for a while there, is there a Worf minimate yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellpop Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Couple of thoughts from a non-Trek fan that does watch this line with interest: 1. The problem with the Enterprise: it's too expensive. I would have bought one for fifteen or even ten dollars less, but that price is just too much for a casual fan. I think it's a nice looking toy, but frankly I'd just as soon buy the Kre-o set for a little bit extra and build an Enterprise I can fit a bridge crew in. 2. I understand the "let's make all the Captains!" reasoning, but that never seemed like a great idea to me. The captains from Voyager and Enterprise don't come near the recognizability of the characters from TOS or TNG. So those sets seemed a bit doomed from the start (though making Seven of Nine, the most recognizable character from the other shows, was a good idea). 3. Remaking the only two characters released from the TNG and DS9 crews, and only those two characters, was also a bad idea. I understand that they are the most recognizable characters from those shows, but it really just isn't a good idea to go the redo route for a line when you've got so many other characters to do. 4. From what I've seen, I think PL's right on in talking about the fractured nature of Star Trek fandom; it seems like the most divided fan base in all of geekdom, and maybe even the most hard to please. Just read some of the Trek AskDST's sometimes, they are brutal. Also, while the new movies have certainly raised the profile of Star Trek, I don't think they've done a lot in creating new fans, certainly not the type of fans that get really into the property and start buying merchandise. My hunch is that we won't be seeing another wave of Star Trek Minimates, which is too bad. I feel bad for you guys, because you had your hopes raised up, but I honestly don't think there was all that much of a chance of success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'll agree that Enterprise's captain isn't as recognizable (I own the Minimate, and for the life of me can't remember Scott Bakula's character's name), but I don't believe that Janeway isn't recognizable. I never watched Voyager or Deep Space Nine, but I'd say she's more well-known than Sisko (whose name I didn't know until the first Minimate came out). I've always known who she was, and I'm not quite sure how (since I never watched the show), lol, but I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross-Junkie Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I'll agree that Enterprise's captain isn't as recognizable (I own the Minimate, and for the life of me can't remember Scott Bakula's character's name), but I don't believe that Janeway isn't recognizable. I never watched Voyager or Deep Space Nine, but I'd say she's more well-known than Sisko (whose name I didn't know until the first Minimate came out). I've always known who she was, and I'm not quite sure how (since I never watched the show), lol, but I do. I think the reason you know Janeways name is that she got the reputation of being a stone cold b!#€h early on, which set her apart from the lack luster performance of Sisko, and the short lived career of Enterprises Archer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 the lack luster performance of Sisko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlecat Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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