captain_cbecker

I figure someone would have posted here if that were the case. The winners may not find out until they receive something mysterious in the mail.

Well, since I decoded the message relatively soon after it posted, responded and got some DST love in today's mail, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that I'm one of the winners.

For me, the prize consisted of:

White AA Blank

White DST Blank

Zombie Luke Cage

Zombie Hulk

SDCC08 BSG Red Dress Six

NY Toyfair 09 Unification Spock

and... drum roll

Nightcrawler.

A big thanks to our fine friends at DST who send us cool stuff even though we foiled their evil code scheme.

AHHHH! Unification Spock! LUCKY!!!!

So the first prize and winner have been found. god, i feel like i just fell into a bad remake of Willy Wonka.

So, was it UPS, Standard Post, what?! And you live where?! Lol, i'm so into wanting one of these prizepacks. I've been craving Six since i came into BSG too late for the Red Dress, Spock would (ignore the rhyme here) rock, and Nightcrawler!! Holy crap, they have EXTRAS!! While i'm positive that no one will recieve the exact same package, if i;m a winner i'd love and devote my toy buying to DST...and a few other brands ...forever!!

Good Ol' USPS standard post - manilla padded 5" x 7" envelope - post date 5/14

I figure someone would have posted here if that were the case. The winners may not find out until they receive something mysterious in the mail.

Well, since I decoded the message relatively soon after it posted, responded and got some DST love in today's mail, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that I'm one of the winners.

For me, the prize consisted of:

White AA Blank

White DST Blank

Zombie Luke Cage

Zombie Hulk

SDCC08 BSG Red Dress Six

NY Toyfair 09 Unification Spock

and... drum roll

Nightcrawler.

A big thanks to our fine friends at DST who send us cool stuff even though we foiled their evil code scheme.

I see Stikfas as something of a cautionary tale for this. They took a great run at making generic, highly-customizable figures for just about every genre you can think of. They tried several channels of distribution, from mass market to online retail to direct sales. They had a loyal, vocal fanbase. Yet they never really caught fire.

I'm not sure what the magical secret for Minimates is, but licensed properties seems to be the only difference between those two scenarios.

I found the quality of the Stikfas marginal - which also may explain their limited appeal

I'd be all over a set of little green army men mates - even if they were olive drab blanks with a helmet and weapon (grenade, rifle, minesweeper etc) as well as zombies.

I think generic military mates would go over as army builders too

What a great, fun movie.... nice way to reboot Star Trek.

I was especially impressed by the

.

Some of the other points of interest:

.

.

.

Just lots of cool stuff, and plenty of fun action

And for those of you who aren't sure if you want to see it... all I got to say is hot Orion women in lingerie.

Check out the DST site - more ghosts from the movies will be available as TRU exclusives

I was pretty fortunate...

I had to work at 2:00 AM and couldn't get to the only (barely) local LCS about 20 minutes away, so my wife took the kids... they got there 20 minutes before opening and found a huge line... but they still managed to score several Free Comics and she also got me a FCBD mate and bought the marvel villians set. In spite of spending almost 10 hours at work, it was overall a pretty good day

hey had BSG figures at TRU last night. Great price, $12. I almost for the Cylon, but they were Razor. I'm sorry, but I just love the modern ones. The Razor ones leave me feeling limp.

EDIT: That came out so very, very wrong...

There's an abundance of new medications on the market to cure that...

ED jokes notwithstanding...

I really think that DST did a good job with the cylons - and though the modern cylons are really cool, the Guardian cylons did a nice job go melding the classic BSG with the modern

BBTS with some news:

Boomer & Athena 2-pack:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail

Razor Cylon Commander (Previews exclusive):

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail

Razor Cylon Pilot Figure:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product...amp;mode=retail

Also, the Blue Dress Six bust is up for order. Looks like DST is clearing out their site exclusives.

And from The May Previews:

DIAMOND SELECT TOYS

MAY09 1363 BSG BOOMER & ATHENA AF 2-PACK (C: 1-1-4) 09/30/09 SRP: $31.98

MAY09 1364 BSG RAZOR CYLON COMMANDER PX AF (C: 1-1-4) 09/30/09 SRP: $15.99

PAGE 339

MAY09 1365 BSG RAZOR CYLON PILOT AF (C: 1-1-4) 09/30/09 SRP: $15.99

MAY09 1366 BSG CYLON CENTURION AF (C: 1-1-4) 08/26/09 SRP: $15.99

PAGE 340

MAY09 1367 BSG CHIEF TYROL AF (C: 1-1-4) 08/26/09 SRP: $15.99

MAY09 1368 BSG BLUE DRESS SIX BUST (C: 1-1-4) 08/26/09 SRP: $50.00

PAGE 341

MAY09 1369 BSG AUTOGRAPHED HOT DOG AF (C: 1-1-4) 08/26/09 SRP: $30.00

I promptly pre-ordered that Bopomer/Athena pack - those look sweet.

Also - the TRU figures w/ the guardian cylons & Husker hit stores last week - I got the Commander - DST did a sweet job on the articulation & detail of both types of cylons - esp the moving hydraulic cylinders

So AFX said they are going to have 1 more boxset for SDCC right?

I'm hoping it has something to do with BSG, seeing as how in the last Q & A, they said if any of these sets are released, it would be in a different form and AFX seems to be pushing alot of boxsets lately....so.....any speculations?

Can't we let this die in piece?? Horse-beating sticks ready??

We already found out what the last box set was...well, not technically. They gave us a silhouette of 4 and we're guessing. There isn't a chance it's BSG.

I think it probably would die in peace, except DST keeps teasing with false hope that something is gonna happen - as was the case in today's Q&A. Once again, they decided to emphasize the "on hold" aspect of that line. DST are the ones who keep this alive...

I hit the jackpot tonight with both TRU sets coming in stock today -

And one of DST's 7" TRU Exclusive Cylons to go along with

woo hoo!

Thank Gozer that DST didn't stick any important characters in this thing, like Janine or the library ghost -- personally I couldn't give a toss about random ghost mates with no nostalgia factor, but I feel for those who want them...

Exactly what I was thinking - I'm not losing too much sleep about these since they aren't relevant to the movies - and I'm certainly not throwin' down $100

I saw the Star Trek Playmates figures in Target today -

Blah!

The 3.75" figures aren't really good representations and the heads are small for the bodies. They also look like they lack articulation. The build-a-bridge bits are also pretty cheap with $hi++y looking decals. The only good news is that they're under the nearly $8 pricepoint that's been set by SW and Marvel 3.75"

The 6" line is a little nicer, but there aren't a lot... not a whole crew.... yet(?) And for about $2-$4 more, you can get really nice DST figures with much better detail.

The role play stuff is the worst - if you wanna scan something or hail the ship or vaporize the crap out of something - then DST's Trek Tek is far superior. The lights and finish of the Playmates role play is just cheap. When I see that stuff, I can't wait for my science tricorder from DST

And - by the way - the flip-type phaser emitter is just lame.

As for the lights & sound ship... the only thing that is saving it from judgement is the fact that the box doesn't have windows.

Evasive Action - steer clear of this stuff.

I honestly think these will die a silent and anonymous death.

I don't know about anyone else, but it's my distinct impression that once a line goes cold, it's as good as dead... all this "on hold" and "showing the line around" talk is just throwing the fans a bone until the hype of Ghostbusters or Wolverine provide a distraction.

Face it - As long as there are more Spidermen and Wolverine's to make, these are gonna sit on a back burner until they're forgotten Any suggestion by DST to the contrary is pretty much lip service

Nothing out here on the West Coast yet...

I remember TRU.com showing up a few weeks after they made it west

I just picked up the Suncoast 5 Cylon exclusive (from a couple of years ago) at the FYE in Trumbull CT for $3.94! (There's 1 left)

They also had quite a few Series 1 & 2 two packs for $1.88 (well, .94¢ seeing as they are 50% off)

I can see why they didn't go for the next few planned waves...

I try to give Suncoast some business when it comes to DST product - be it Minimates or BSG and ST Action Figures.

Unfortunately, Suncoast's ability to stock anything is pretty spotty and people I know don't shop there regularly because Suncoast doesn't consistently stock things - somethimes they have a lot, sometimes nothing and rarely do they stock the same line across more than 1 or 2 waves.

They also have a lousy merchandising plan that usually has all the collectibles randomly piled onto a huge, messy wall of pegged toys and action figures that is jammed back in the store - not exactly consumer friendly.

So... the moral of the story is, if we're gonna toss out some broad generalities about the saleability of BSG minimates, let's choose a retailer that seems to have its act together - afterall, Suncoast almost put themselves out of business once.

To your point, Suncoast was the only retailer that picked up BSG in the first place. I am sure other retailers were given the option to sell them, and they chose not to... so we are right back to non saleability.

The fact that Suncoast was the only retailer to commit to BSG really has nothing to do with it...

My point is, that Suncoast does a crappy job of merchandising all of their toys & collectables which is a more likely explanation for the amount of product (like BSG mates) that are still on the shelves. Even lines like Hasbro Star Wars as well as the 7" ST, Stargate and BSG (which are lucrative according the DST Q & A) are being blown out on clearance in many of the stores... obviously these are solid product lines, but people aren't shopping at Suncoast for those items (but they are buying them everywhere else).

It is my assertion that people don't shop at Suncoast for the following reasons:

1. Suncoast does not make it easy to shop for figures & collectables because their displays are disorganized and it's hard to distinguish one theme or section from another in a random field of peg racks

2. Hardcore collectable shoppers don't go to Suncoast because they don't consistently get new merchandise and they often do not get subsequent waves or series that would encourage return buyers.

3. Suncoast does not use their primary draw (DVD's) to sell collectables such as placing Sci-Fi toys and figures near the Sci FI DVD's but instead putting them by the adult anime and skin films.

4. Suncoast's pricing can be a bit on the high side (which probably has a lot to do with the high $$ real estate they choose)

I'm just saying - I wouldn't use Suncoast as proof of a product's viability in the market

I just picked up the Suncoast 5 Cylon exclusive (from a couple of years ago) at the FYE in Trumbull CT for $3.94! (There's 1 left)

They also had quite a few Series 1 & 2 two packs for $1.88 (well, .94¢ seeing as they are 50% off)

I can see why they didn't go for the next few planned waves...

I try to give Suncoast some business when it comes to DST product - be it Minimates or BSG and ST Action Figures.

Unfortunately, Suncoast's ability to stock anything is pretty spotty and people I know don't shop there regularly because Suncoast doesn't consistently stock things - somethimes they have a lot, sometimes nothing and rarely do they stock the same line across more than 1 or 2 waves.

They also have a lousy merchandising plan that usually has all the collectibles randomly piled onto a huge, messy wall of pegged toys and action figures that is jammed back in the store - not exactly consumer friendly.

So... the moral of the story is, if we're gonna toss out some broad generalities about the saleability of BSG minimates, let's choose a retailer that seems to have its act together - afterall, Suncoast almost put themselves out of business once.

I'm glad we got to see the

.

The final character revelations were OK -

as well.

The scene where

Good way to bring that

imagery back

And the

was pretty cool too.

Here's a cool set:

Aliens of Star Trek

Klingon

Borg

Romulan

Andorian

And whatever that thing is...

ALL HAIL THE SALT VAMPIRE!!!

That is still one of the coolest aliens from trek. Sad that it never showed up again. Oh right... it's the last one.

On a non-minimate note: the next wave of 7" ST figures from DST are supposed to include the Salt Vampire - I can't wait

On the topic of box sets, what if that were the way forward with Trek? If DST were to do box sets for the other series, or even for aliens, to round out the lines, who would be "must-haves?"

Here's my list:

TNG

Riker

Crusher

Data

Geordi

Warf

DS9

Kira

Odo

Dax

Bashir

Quark

Voyager

Janeway

Chakotay

Tuvok

7 of 9

EMH

I'd like to see some of the TWOK characters finished up:

Spock

Saavik

McCoy

Chekov

Khan

We also have to remember that everything seems to slow down when the DST crew is off at Toy Fair or wherever...

...and there's also that business on the DST site about moving warehouses... which may factor in too -

I'm not defending DST, but they also do a crappy job of keeping to their ship schedule. Since we all got blindsided by the BSG cancellation, and then they jerked everyone's chain for a few more weeks for good measure, I certainly wouldn't rule out cancellation, but it may be premature (esp since they bothered to shw at Toy Fair.

It seems like they keep adding conflicts, instead of resolving. The addition of the

and

as well as the unresolved

issue are only a few things. Obviously this

is another thread and there's still the conflict with

. And let's not forget the

and

.

Instead of getting more clear, it's getting a lot more complicated

After reading the latest Art Asylum blog, my hopes of seeing these last 18 minimates have once again been dashed. I just wonder what they were thinking before Toy Fare when they said we would see something there...

I'll tell you what they were thinking...

Plan A: Keep buying time with these lame excuses & false hope, even in small increments, and ride out all this Battlestar hype until the series is over in a month and they lose interest. And if that fails, there's always Plan B: Distract them w/ Ghostbusters & T2

I'm somehow doubting that they're serious about completing this license... all this "wait for this..." and "wait for that..." is just a smokescreen to buy time until interest dies to a level that it can be ignored outright.

The distinction between "On Hold" and "Cancelled" are just a matter of semantics for what amounts to : "Not Gonna Happen so long as there are more Wolverines to make"

(Sorry for the rant - but I' gettin' a little frakkin' tired of the DST Two-Step on this particular issue)

After reading the latest Art Asylum blog, my hopes of seeing these last 18 minimates have once again been dashed. I just wonder what they were thinking before Toy Fare when they said we would see something there...

Perhaps it would be better for all of us BSG fans to look to the Cylon Oracle rather than the Orifice of the AA blog which blows hot air continuously.

I'm thinking that it's not the Hot Air-Blowing Orifice that we should all worry about

I took my kids last year and I'll probably take them again this year, if I can swing the schedule... Otherwise I may sneak over on my lunch break on Friday... though I'm really interested in seeing the Star Trek panel and previews on Saturday afternoon.

Panel discussions are OK - though they are definitely more movie, TV and comic oriented - not too much by way of toy or merchandise related panels. There weren't any toy manufacturers (DST or Hasbro etc.) booths (though some video game distributors), but a huge vendor floor where you should be able to find minimates... I scored some Rocky mates last year - you just gotta know where to look. Lots of comic booths and plenty of other toys... I even think that cool Brickarms dude was there last year (if you need to restock your Lego arsenal).

The build-your-own R2-D2 is an interesting discussion that they are repeating again this year - that is if you wanna talk to big, R2-D2-buildin' geeks who have way too much money to spend.

A few minor stars this year - most notably Adam West-the one true Batman, and others signing autographs for $$$ including some Star Trek guest star (Leeta, Marlena Moreau), WWE wrestler Honky Tonk Man, the "these aren't the droids you're looking for" Stormtrooper and others. Also a couple of no-names (Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher) signing for Star Wars (just kidding). Richard Hatch and Herb Jefferson (BSG) were around last year as was Lou Ferigno (the original TV Hulk for you youngsters).

Also lots of people dressed in costumes, including a few too many who should not have access to spandex in any form

It's worth a day pass- If your spending 3 days there, you're probably gonna lose interest fast unless you're hardcore into comics.

Is it too late to schedule an intervention?