LOST ARTICLE....sometimes one just slips the net - here's a mini review of the "recent" show looking at Trek toys that I somehow missed publishing...
Already one of my favourite Netflix series, The Toys That Made Us opened up its four episode second season with a corker.
Not particularly known for its toy lines, Star Trek has a rich history of merchandise and with the online streaming service now showing every televised minute of the franchise its fitting that Star Trek gets to sit alongside luminaries such as Transformers, GI Joe, Lego, Hello Kitty and...erm...Star Wars.
The toy lines have an incredibly bizarre history as the show explores from the 1960's era of AMT model kits, re-stickering existing unrelated items with the words Star and Trek through to the 70's period of flashing light helmets and the important Mego figures then on into the 80's Galoob figures (and all their errors!), the phenomenal success of the Playmates range in the 1990's and cruising to the Diamond Select, Eaglemoss and MacFarlane licences of the 21st Century.
The Toys That Made Us displays a somewhat colourful picture of the past to Star Trek merchandise. It seems that the companies responsible for producing the goods couldn’t time releasing their ranges with the franchise’s highs for many years and the quality was varied especially in the early days. Add in a flying Enterprise, tanks and even freezicles and you can see a franchise being plundered in any way possible no matter the accuracy and quality.
For an overview, talking heads come from the former head of Mego, the Tenuto family, the Trimbles, Doug Drexler - but noticeable through absence are any faces from Eaglemoss (Ben Robinson) when the show heads into the realms of The Official Starships Collection and the future of the franchise in toy form - although I might disagree with calling that collection a toy?! In addition, there's not even a mention of the Micro Machines starships from the 90's which reflects the fact this is much more tied to the history of Star Trek action figures rather than ships and playsets which get the occasional aside.
There are more than a few memories in there for myself as a collector since the 1980's but it's what's not mentioned that really isn't explored as much as it could have been. There are not only some stupidly off the wall ideas that actually made the production grade but what of the cancelled Galoob second wave of toys or more recently the axed Diamond Select Deep Space Nine waves? Hearing about what happened to cause these "failures" would have been a great addition although I might suspect it's down to the matter of timing that the licence holders have been getting wrong for decades. There is mention of the "1701" collections that meant collectors were scrambling for a limited number of items to complete their sets and which inadvertently was a factor that made sales crumble.
It's amazing as well, considering how precise fans can be around screen accurate replicas how much has been produced "cowboy" style or with some major tweaks to make it highly cost effective with one of those being the mix-and-match creature parts pressed into service for the brown-skinned Mego Gorn figure.
This is perhaps one of the more prominent The Toys That Made Us because it focuses on a franchise that is blindingly present but yet really failed to make a significant dent on the market when it comes to kids toys. Look at the other names in the series and all of them have reached silly heights of popularity whereas Star Trek has trundled along in the background, some might say, for many years just keeping itself above water and paddling for dear life. Each of the lines has fallen foul of some error along the way which has caused them grief but the show looks positively to the future with the continuation of the JJ reboot and the launch of Discovery providing not only a new range of potential toy lines but (and unsaid), a whole new generation of buyers too. Interestingly this is one series of toy lines that seems to admit it's appealing to an older generation of collectors rather than children playing with them which has led to the need for superior accuracy on all levels and an adherence to canon rather than continuing to stick new labels on other toy lines. Maybe there could have, ironically, been a little more detail in each of the sections covered but there is only a 45 minute run time for each episode of the series which might prove to be the restriction. How I managed to miss publishing this so long ago is a total mystery but hey, this is a great episode that fills in some gaps and shows that Trek's merch history is certainly eventful. Definitely worth checking this one out on Netflix as soon as you can!
As my son was zooming his Hot Wheels mini JJ-USS Enterprise around the lounge, hoping to blow my USS Vengeance out of the sky, my wife raised a very good point.
"He loves ships and the whole space thing," she observed, "and he does like watching Star Wars Rebels - how come there's no Star Trek for kids? Surely they're missing a trick and an audience?"
That's a very good point indeed, especially when it comes from a someone who has no serious love for the franchise. Flashback; the only non-live action Star Trek in 50 years was the 1973 animated series and while it's a good diversion, these days it's classic fans who are the most likely to buy it on DVD and laud some of its exemplary stories. Either that or take berate the brilliance that was the personal forcefield belt.
Star Wars on the other hand has certainly cornered the market not only producing excellent animated shows such as The Clone Wars (twice) and Rebels in recent years but let's not forget Droids and Ewoks back in the 80's. Plus there were the more child friendly(!) Ewok movies and that "amazing" Christmas special. So why not Star Trek? What has stopped a 50 year old franchise from branching out and potentially extending its lifetime even further. Even in recent years Doctor Who has realised the opportunity within the younger audience. While kids will watch the show, Russell T Davies brought in The Sarah Jane Chronicles to appeal to a younger generation and, I suspect, prep them to watch Doctor Who when they get older. As a footnote here, '60's retro series Thunderbirds has been rebooted in CG and already I can see what the bulk of my son's Christmas presents will consist of and I'm hooked on it for Saturday morning viewing. It's a good example where that rebooting has succeeded in capturing fans of the original and finding a new, adventurous and young audience.
However Star Trek has always aimed for a slightly highbrow audience intending a branch of sci-fi that provokes discussion and is cleverly multi-layered which, no offence intended, has made it less accessible to children. Yes I and many others will have watched it in our formative years but I wouldn't think we're in any for or majority. There wasn't a ton of action, it wasn't all explosions and space battles and there was a fair bit of talking.
Looking back and thanks to some input from Dennis Koch on Twitter, I recalled that there were forays into material for a younger audience - certainly the comics of the 80's and 90's were looking to expand the ranks of fandom. Likewise there were the 100+ action figures in the Playmates range that many of us still have mint, styro-chipped and vacuum-sealed for future generations, there were books about the main characters at the academy, the Corps of Engineers books, handheld computer games, Galoob figures (yeah, they were great...), Micro Machine starships, I could probably go on but there was, indeed one thing missing, perhaps the hook that needed to be there to secure a more successful merchandising/revenue stream for the future - a TV show.
Think about it. Kids and adults watched Star Trek, kids and adults watched Star Wars but the later pulled out something that meant the younger generation were hooked even more and wanted X Lego set or Y action figure because there was a show which was "exclusively" theirs. At a push there were the Kre-O sets for Into Darkness and we'll be seeing a Mega Bloks USS Enterprise from The Original Series on the shelves of your local toystore in 2016 BUT Star Trek has never hit that mark and while there have been numerous lines or toys, books or games which could attract that market. They've not had an alternative visual gateway which could have then led them on to the experience of the main Star Trek series.
I am in no way suggesting we dumb Star Trek down, nor am I suggesting that The original Series or Deep Space Nine are inaccessible for younger fans but there needs to be something which is more encapsulating so it's not just the "geeky" kid in the class who watches it. in fact we could even speculate that The WorfChronicles is perfect for a younger audience if we slap an inexperienced, rookie crew in with the angry Klingon captain(!) and some horrific comedy character - or Neelix.
So is it time to change? As with the JJ movies that have dragged Star Trek more firmly into the 21st Century is it now time to draw in that younger audience because it might well secure a better future for a franchise that, at the moment, is relying purely on a third motion picture in its 50th anniversary year. It could easily be set in the JJ-verse, it could be live or animated I don't think it really matters but it does need to aim for that demographic because there has to be something to ensure the longevity of the franchise. Star Wars is managing to do that through its multiple projects but Star Trek still seems blinkered or maybe it really doesn't appeal that strongly or want to appeal to that younger generation. Before you mention it, yes I have thought about the ever increasing comic book/graphic novel range but they seem more focused on the older viewer and collector especially with cash tie-ins such as The Planet of the Apes, Doctor Who and most recently Green Lantern. Even more singular titles have revisited old concepts such as The Tholian Webs. No guessing what that was about which is going to interest more invested fans than perhaps younger, newer ones.
Of course such a conversation also kicks off other possibilities. With some clever scripting there could be characters dropped into Star Trek Beyond (or taken from) that would lead into said children's spin-off and launch a whole new strand of the franchise. Interest in the movie is certainly starting to gather momentum with visual confirmation of Idris Elba's involvement by his appearance in the launch video to win a walk on role in the third installment (has it really come to this?!). Nice twist on that video guys just adding Idris in there but I can't forgive the break-dancing. Seriously, is there no better time to grab that hot iron and expand the universe as we're seeing DC and Marvel do with their superhero franchises?
I might be going crackers here but Star Trek has always remained, at least on the screen, 100% pure to a single vision, one crew and a seven (not always) season run with no variation outside the lines. The reboot did blur those lines and I would like to think that adding a more juvenile-aimed show could really smudge those boundaries for all time. There needs to be a good head in charge to give it the edge and feel of Star Trek that some recent spin-off elements have tragically diluted. Certainly a spin-off wouldn't do the merchandising department any harm...as long as it's done right and doesn't turn out to be a Bucky O'Hare that is and not allow it all to end up in the 99p bin after six months.
It is after all about getting it right and if there's one thing Star Trek hasn't been good at it's consistency. The last 50 years - and the last 15 for definite have been rocky, uneven affairs that have distanced fans and potentially begun to cut off that younger audience. Taking the bull by the horns and exploring new avenues just as the rebooted films have done could be the key to unlocking some new potential and who knows, we might not be looking forward to a Sulu series in a couple of years but a Sulu movie. I could see an animated version doing well and the options would be limitless. Heck, I'd even go as far as saying George Takei would be onboard immediately to voice.
Whatever happens, the next 12 months will be critical to the future of Star Trek and it's existence for another 50 years. I just hope that it's going to keep the vision focused and cater for all potential parties.
Have I got it right? Does Star Trek need to explore other media avenues to remain a strong player in the sci-fi market? Let me know below!
A few bits have crossed the desk at Some Kind of Star Trek this week worth at least making a note of on our PADDs.
First up, our friends over at Jacobs Brown Media have informed us that These are the Voyages is now being offered in a limited run of signed copies. This hard-cover first edition is autographed by both Marc Cushman and Sue Osbourne and is certainly going to warp out of Roddenberry.com probably before this note hits the internet.
If you want to see if you can grab one, head over to the site now to bag yourself a reduced price, signed bargain! I won't bore everyone again but yes, it's a bit good.
Second up it's our other friends at Eaglemoss who slipped a couple of additions onto the issues line and we've only just noticed - maybe we're just a bit slower than usual on the uptake but hey, we can't be everywhere (just yet).
From top to bottom, left to right we have the Valdore from Nemesis, the Deep Space Nine Runabout, the Hideki Cardassian fighter, the Surok Class Vulcan ship from Enterprise and the Klingon Bird of Prey also from Enterprise. For me, I'll be waiting for the Runabout being a fan of that show in particular.
Third up we can show the box art for the new Select action figure - Captain Jean-Luc Picard. We featured this one a while back but our contacts at Diamond Select Toys have now provided some extra shots of Picard and a bit of extra info on the figure:
"Dynamically sculpted by Patrick Pigott, Art Asylum’s lead Star Trek figure sculptor since 2003, Picard’s default stance is firing a phaser at an unseen foe, but seven points of articulation in his upper body allow him a wide range of expressive poses. Also, his hands and legs are interchangeable with other figures in the Select line, which means you’ll be able to give him Mr. Spock’s classic Tricorder and Phaser. He stands atop a base representing the interior of a Borg cube, and the torso and arm of an exploded Borg rests at his feet. The parts are also removable from the base, so you can take them back to the Enterprise for study when the figure hits stores in late December."
When all that's out of the way and you want to settle down for an hour of your favourite episode, why not chill that prune juice with some ice made in your The Next Generation silicon tray? Just saying....
And Finally...
It looks like due to my ineptitude to check my schedule we'll be pushing back the relaunch date by a week or so. Nothing major but we want to ensure that everything is ready, set and perfect to take us through into 2014. We will update you as soon as we confirm a more definite day!
Diamond Selectcontinue to advance their excellent Star Trek range with a recent release and some great news about what we can expect in 2014.
We've all probably seen this one by now, but the first Star Trek Femme Fatale has arrived and it's Voyager's Seven of Nine! Based on Jeri Ryan's character from Star Trek: Voyager, this PVC statue stands 9 inches tall and comes packaged in a window box.
It's a great figure although the background colouring seems to be a little different to how I remember it (although it was quite dark in that cargo bay). At first glance it appears to be a decent likeness and I can tell this is one of those collectibles that will be flying off the shelves just because of who it is. Diamond Select have set the RRP at $45.00 (£28.31)
Next up is a stunning and surprising release from DST - the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B from Star Trek: Generations. While I always welcome something new to do with this awesome and little seen starship it's excitement squared here at Some Kind of Star Trek as they've gone as far as marking her up with damage sustained in the encounter with the Nexus energy ribbon. Now you can see the spot where Kirk made his last stand in the 23rd Century! The adapted Excelsior-class starship has an all-new paint deco to replicate its on-screen damage Packaged in a Try Me window box so customers can test its movie-accurate lights and sounds, the Enterprise-B measures 16 inches long and comes with an adjustable display stand. For this space-bourne beauty is recommended for sale at $60.00 (£37.75). We look forward to seeing what lights and sounds are included as these have yet to be announced. You might have spotted that we're a bit of a fan of the old Enterprise-B so this is much anticipated and we look forward to seeing her in the flesh and out of the box in the near future - great choice to release her, DST - Enterprise-C a possibility for later next year?
One of those "surely they'll make this..." models finally hits the shelves - and while it might just be a painted ship name it's sure not to disappoint.
Captured from Kruge in The Search for Spock and providing the escape route from Genesis, the HMS Bounty is now part of the Diamond Select Toys range and you don't have to travel to Vulcan, Q'onoS or 1986 to get it!
Measuring 19 inches wide by 12 inches long, this new edition of the Bird of Prey includes exclusive sounds and dialogue. The big thing that we're all looking for though is there - a set of landing gear with HMS Bounty on it!
Overall the ship isn't new but the changes and additions are something that hasn't (in my memory) been marketed before. I seem to recall that the first Bird of Prey kit AMT produced was for Generations. The recommended retail price for the Bounty is $70 (£44.96). Personally I just love this model. The design is, without a shadow of a doubt, a classic and it's great to see a model that directly ties into one of the movies - even if it is just a ship name on a landing leg cover. While I haven't heard the sounds, I'll pray that it has Scotty declaring "Admiral; There be whales here!" From the pictures it looks well detailed and film-accurate. Great work here, Diamond Select, you might be convincing me to part with some money.
The second reworking of an existing Diamond Select item is a new version of the Minimates-style USS Enterprise, this time based on the pilot episode, The Cage.
With new paint and sculptural details and an exclusive figure of Captain Pike, the ship measures 10 inches long and features an opening cockpit and a hidden Jeffries tube in the engineering section.
Decalled up on the bridge as per the first pilot, Pike also comes in his pilot episode uniform and totes one of the more pistol-like phasers from The Cage.
For comparison The Cage starship is on the left while the Enterprise released with Kirk and his Tribbles is to the right. The clear difference is the addition of the spikes on the front of the engine nacelles but aside from that there (at first) appears to be very little difference between the two. Personally I'd probably aim to get this new variant just to be that little bit different.
Next question - any possibility of a movie variant of the Enterprise with a version of the Admiral or Captain Kirk to suit? Maybe even get an "A" suffix in there? Suggested retail price for this addition to the range is $29.99 (£19.26). With this release of Pike as part of an Enterprise set could there be the possibility of more figures from The Cage in the future? Number One? Spock? Boyce? Now there's surely a couple of double sets just waiting to be licenced!
I love the publicity shots that Diamond Select Tous send out with their launch material.
The pose of the new Minimate Kirk from the USS Enterprise set is definitely rivalling the "Khaaaaaan!" pose of the Legends series figure we featured recently. Anyway, before I get too indulgent in marketing, let's talk sets and features.
Aside from producing those great new figures recently, Diamond Select Toys have provided some mobility for the crew, coming out alongside an awesome recreation of the USS Enterprise!
With an opening bridge dome, a removable command chair and a hidden Jefferies tube in the engineering section, the ship measures 10 inches long and comes with an adjustable display base. But thats not all, you'll also find included an exclusive Minimate of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, with phaser, phaser rifle and communicator accessories - so you can recreate that awesome promo pose above!
Packaging is pretty standard for the Minimates range although since to have a little bit of construction work to do before she can be set up and displayed. Sadly, no image of the back of the pack this time from Diamond Select Toys however that doesn't detract from how great this squat recreation of the legendary ship is.
Personal opinion? Great model and just that little bit quirky. The secondary hull/Jeffries tube is probably a nice place to stick your accessories when Kirk is on the bridge. The colouring looks good but once again I've not seen it in the flesh so I only have the images to go by. The addition of the captain figure is great and as usual the quality appears up to its usual standard - nice to see Kirk totting the once-seen phaser rifle from Where No Man Has Gone Before. Maybe we could suggest adding a Gary Mitchell to future ranges perhaps? Oh...and a Romulan Bird of Prey from Balance of Terror...and a Klingon D7...and...
Designed and sculpted by Art Asylum this new arrival is suggested for retail at $29.99 (£20.13).
The first wave of Legacy Minimates Series 1 is out this week!
We've previously covered these eight twin packs on Some Kind of Star Trek so we'll skip the detail and just say it's time to get yourself down to the shops to get your fill. Costing around $9.99 (£6.39) per pair, these little (literally) beauties stand 2 inches tall with 14 points of articulation and an array of interchangeable accessories appropriate to the character point in Star Trek history. It was also a damn good excuse to stick the above picture on the blog because I just love it! (Thanks for the pic, Diamond Select - made my day) and just having the chance to get a mini-Kirk into the legendary Khaaaaaaaaaan pose is sure to get a lot of people reaching for their wallets or PayPal account log in details. Just check out the coat detail including the emergency beacon and the roll-neck sweater beneath - great detailing.
Kirk and Khan seem to be having a good week actually as we also get the release of the Space Seed diorama featuring the two legendary characters in action. Priced in around $24.99 (£15.98) you'll be able to spend hours recreating the Enterprise captain beating up the 1990's genetic superman. Not only that, but it also includes the ability to place Kirk into a leaping position with support to pose the figure. Including a to-scale engineering wall panel this is a great addition to any collection - from the looks of it, this is one pipe dream Khan might wish to forget!
Kirk and Spock are certainly getting a good airing in the last few months and you have to suspect that Star Trek Into Darkness has something to do with it.
Alongside the "Kirk vs Khan" and "Spock and Horta" sets, come two more posable action figures from the ever impressive Diamond Select Toys range with these two available as 7-inch TRU-exclusives. It seems that the toy giant is getting a good deal from Diamond Select recently as they are also carrying a special range of the Legacy Minimates that we featured recently. Here's the extract of information from the press release:
"...Kirk and Spock each feature ball-jointed necks and shoulders; pivots at mid-bicep, wrist, waist and mid-calf pivots; and hinged elbows. As with the upcoming Star Trek Select versions (referring to the Kirk/Khan and Spock/Horta sets), the hands, heads and legs are interchangeable between figures, allowing for greater variety in posing. Each figure comes with an exclusive terrain base, and the two bases fit together to form a continuous display..."
Effectively these are the Kirk and Spock figures from the diorama sets minus bases and settings but we can hope that if these great collectibles are a success there will be more in the pipeline - so get buying!
You would think that the 20th anniversary of Deep Space Nine for one would provide a great window in which to release some more figures and expand on the limited range that hit shelves a few years back and I'm crossing fingers that the comment in the press release above is an indication that this will happen. I for one would love to be able to stand a Garak, a Weyoun and a Jem'Hadar next to my Sisko, O'Brien, Worf and Martok. Voyager certainly could do with a range of figures from Diamond Select and with all the current hype when would be a better chance to highlight the quality of their range? I suspect this is just driving me towards a piece on my small collection of figures. One to stick onto the calendar!
Ok - also we've been given (unusually) the packaging shots as well for the new pairing and it's standard issue. although it only mentions these two figures. Again, this makes me think that we could get a full set of the original crew before they expand to other series with the packaging limited and designed around these two just in case sales don't hit projections. As a side thought we did have Picard standing astride a downed Borg recently which could be a water-testing release to see if there's still life in The Next Generation.
Considering how much focus there is on the classic crew of either Roddenberry or Abrams universes it would mean they don't have to take a massive leap initially. The notable absence of the three subsequent series could make you think that there isn't that much faith in the Star Trek universe as a product line across all its incarnations but Diamond Select are welcome to prove me totally wrong and I hope they do however there are no immediate plans for more figures after those pictured here, the diorama sets, and Picard.
So look for both figures now in Toys R Us stores across North America (yep, if you're in the UK once again we're not getting them) and find them soon on toysrus.com!
Where's the loo??? Is that the warp core? What's inside the saucer? Created by the team behind Dragon Models' Project Cutaway line and available NOW,this plastic, fully painted model of the original TV series Enterprise uses transparent pieces to reveal the detailed interior of the ship that started it all. Measuring 18 inches long (good size that) and with a metal display base it also has the lovely RRP of $174.99. A bargain of course(!)
It looks awesome from every angle on these photos and I suspect Diamond Select Toys have got a winner on their hands no matter the cost. Having not seen the finished item face to face I can't comment on the quality, scale or detail contained within but I don't think fans will be disappointed. An A, D and E variants must surely be coming at some point if the market takes this well enough? It's certainly unique and goes a bit further than the posters we saw in the 1990's of the A and D which were included in the boxes for AMT models (blast from the past). It just shows you how far technology has come in the last 20 years. I would have liked to have seen a bit more detail on the saucer pics as it just looks like it's showing the internal structure and corridors and not what's in the rooms. Warp core takes up a bit of room though, doesn't it?
Just to indulge for a second, I had both of these on my wall at home and the detail was beautiful. I hope in some ways these get re-released at some point as they were some of the best images created for the 30th Anniversary in 1996. I suspect a project might be to delve into their past a bit more and see if we can find out who was responsible for putting them together. (both images from memory alpha). Out of the two I preferred the "A" poster as it was easier to see all the finer points of the ship with less decks to fill up the image. It included a great little drawing of the bridge, the shuttle and even the never-seen saucer landing legs! I recall spending a lot of time crawling over both to spot the minor details and things that were drawn in to find - transporter rooms, backup control rooms...the loo....
Also released this week were the packaging images for the new Minimates range of figures. We've talked about these extensively before so I'm going to just include the pic for reference - at least it'll help you spot them quicker on the shelves after launch in June 2013.
Stores carrying Star Trek: Attack Wing will host tournaments for players to challenge each other for dominance of the Alpha Quadrant. Players will collect a participation prize each month as well as compete for a new playable ship that will only be offered via the Organized Play events. The player with the best record over the six-month event will be bestowed the title of Fleet Admiral and awarded a special grand prize at the end of the program.
Two more bits of "stuff" for you take a look over in the next few days. Firstly there's Hero-Clix. Now at initial glace it's a kids' game but what does make me a little bit more interested is the ships that are involved. Already in production, there's now a special event called Star Trek: Attack Wing coming online. The six-month storyline Organized Play program focuses on the Dominion War from the Deep Space Nine timeline and looks like a lot of fun (big kid mode engaged).
Pre-orders are now being taken for the Star Trek: Attack Wing Starter Set and first eight expansions packs that launch this August at GenCon 2013. At the event players will be able to experience demos at the WizKids booth as well as limited tournaments to get a first look at the game.
Under license by CBS Consumer Products, Star Trek: Attack Wing utilizes the FlightPath™ maneuver system featuring pre-painted miniatures of iconic ships from the Star Trek universe. Players can assemble their fleet and customize ships with different captains, crew, weapons and tech upgrades.
Now this is where is gets a bit more exciting for fans as the Star Trek: Attack Wing Starter Set includes the USS Enterprise-D, a Klingon Vor’cha-class cruiser and Romulan D’deridex-class ships (featured on the poster above) as well as a rulebook and all the components needed to play. After that initial set up, there are further releases planned with the first eight expansion packs of two each of Federation, Romulan, Klingon and Dominion faction ships leading the charge. Anyone know if these are available in the UK? I just want the ships!
The upcoming release of another item might just help contain my Inner Trekker and give me the ships at the same time however. The Eaglemoss Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection which launches in August 2013.
If you register through the website you can get yourself a free trial of the product which gives you access to view the first issue for a limited time and then choose whether to buy or subscribe. I might be tempted to have a look over the first issue (priced £1.99) and get the Enterprise-D but once the price hikes up to £5.99 for issue 2 and then higher for each subsequent issue I'm not sure if I would be able to justify purchasing this regularly. It might be one of those where only specific ships influence my purchase along the run of 65 magazines promised.
Taking a look at the pages available it appears like a cross between the Star Trek: The Next GenerationTechnical Manual and the Star Trek Factfiles. Blatantly timed with the release of Star Trek Into Darkness this is going to be aimed towards the younger, newer fan market rather than the more seasoned fan as the content doesn't appear that "technical". The preview images are heavy on full colour pictures and low on text but it's more about the model and the quality that they can produce on a fortnightly basis. I look forward to seeing the result in a newsagent near me soon. Upcoming issues (two through five) promise the refit movie Enterprise, Klingon Bird of Prey, Romulan Warbird and the NX-01 from, of course, Enterprise.
If you pre-order then there's a plethora of goodies you'll get alongside the first few issues - binders, Enterprise-D dedication plaque, Borg cube (not full size), a digital copy of the magazine and, probably the best bit, a model of the Enterprise-D from All Good Things... resplendent with third nacelle. Oh, and you have the chance to win an iPad mini.
Eaglemoss are doing a good job with the presentation of the website and the offers to get people onboard ahead of launch but I would personally rather wait and get a better idea once it's had a first issue release as it could all be hype and I've seen this kind of publication before with Bond cars and all sorts of promotions. Certainly all the pre-launch material makes it look super-tempting for new, moderate and hardcore fans and I will endeavour to provide a review of the first issue when it's launched for the budget price of £1.99. No doubt office desks across the land will be adorned with miniature USS Enterprise models from August. While there is that sense of caution I am intrigued as to what will be on the shelves in two months. If Eaglemoss are reading, can you make sure there's every version of the Enterprise, Defiant, Voyager, Prometheus and Dauntless....!
giantfreakinrobot.com
One thing I can say is that their customer service team are on the ball. I've had some issues logging in but Arlene from Eaglemoss has been very helpful throughout the process...shame I still can't get into the trial section however.
Enterprise and Minimates images courtesy of Diamond Select Toys Star Trek: Attack Wing images courtesy of NECA/Whizkids Star Trek: The Official Ships Collection images from Eaglemoss
The wait for the US is almost ALMOST over. Less than 24 hours to go until we can see how the movie will perform on home territory after already breaking records across the globe. Simply it's the biggest Star Trek movie YET. It's been a few days since my last roundup but hey, it's been a busy time for Star Trek Into Darkness and I just had to share a couple of things. The first is the gorgeous .gif file from Are You #The1701 which I've added above. You can get it from the site by hitting the "play" button bottom left.Watch closely and you'll manage to spot five or six scenes from the move that have been featured within the trailer.
Also, have you been on Bing today??? If not, get over there pretty quick, type "beam me up" (no quote marks) into the search bar; let the page do the rest. Once it settles out, you'll find yourself here! The ship warps away on the first page you come to but you can still click where it was to get "onboard" (second pic down)
beam me up - and get here!
Bridge + tribbles - click on the Enterprise in pic one
This is where you land after clicking the far right planetoid
Central planet take you to Earth
Note the search bar and...of course.. the tribbles (why?!?!?). I also believe that you can now use the Bing search engine in Klingon which should make the experience at least a bit more understandable. Anyway, aside from clicking on the Enterprise there are also two worlds to click on - one which takes you to Earth and some trivia and the second to another image of the iconic Starfleet flagship (erm...? why not Vulcan or Qo'noS?) plus a few more trivia bits to click on as demonstrated above.. Should fill a five minute coffee break....
Besides that there's this awesome little featurette on the new movie which includes soundbytes from JJ, Zachary Quinto, Alice Eve (and I've included a pic above because of who she's listed as), Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana. Good for a watch, nice teaser. That is all, folks. Just strange how now they seem to be back-tracking on Eve's character when we already know precisely who she's playing and have done for flippin' ages!!! Come on, give us at least some credit, it's not like there's someone else's ID that's a secret in this movie or anything!!!!
One other little gem I've managed to pick up today is the rather spiffing Benedict Cumberbatch video that's floating around of him trying to work out if Star Trek episode titles are real or fake. He's not too bad but I'll let you guys judge.Thanks to benedictcumberbatch.co.uk for pointing this one out
Over on trekmovie.com there's some new TV spots (the last ones apparently) before the release of the movie TOMORROW in the US and I've added them all here for your delight. There's some new pics on there too but we've already featured them on SKoST in previous features. There's not a lot new here apart from some review quotes and generally a massive amount of over-hype...but we're all expecting that anyway?
If you're not totally videoed out with those three then settle in for some opinion and comment from these boys as the actors behind Chekov, Pike, Scotty, Harrison, Kirk and Spock drop a few lines in about Star Trek Into Darkness. Be warned there might be some tiddly spoilers before you start clicking play. Below videos from trekmovie.com
Perhaps also worthy of a quick side note is that the graphic novel, Countdown to Darkness has been released in it's combined form with an altered cover in the UK. I would have rather it retained the same concept as the prequel comic to the 2009 reboot but since I don't work for Titan I suspect that's why it's been changed (!)
I've added the design we thought was going to be used as well here as a comparison. I think we know which one would have been better received....
In other related/unrelated/delete as applicable news, Diamond Select have announced their new USS Excelsior and USS Enterprise-E models for later in the year.
Of an unspecified LIMITED run, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E is toted as the Star Trek First Contact edition. Featuring a new, detailed paint scheme based on the movie, this new ship is visually distinctive from the previous edition, which was based on its appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis. All toy ship images from Diamond Select Toys
Later in the year, the 16 inch long USS. Excelsior, NCC-2000 (so it's from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) features new sculpted parts and includes all-new sound files with quotes from Captain Sulu, using the voice of actor George Takei. I've also included the video below which demonstrates the second vessel plus some pics of the new Enterprise variant alongside the older Nemesis version...spot the difference!
Remember recently we also talked about the new and upcoming Kirk and Spock action figures
from Diamond Select? Well there's a third on the horizon in the form of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in his standard Starfleet uniform. Now the spiel for this says we're seeing him in a "...captured in the middle of a previously unseen engagement with the Borg, firing his phaser aboard a Borg ship, with a fallen foe at his feet." but if I'm honest that's a bit lame. At least with the Kirk and Spock figures they're in poses that link them with classic episodes of The Original Series. This just looks a bit false and doesn't carry well. I just can't see Picard in this situation.
The figure will feature limited articulation and a detailed likeness by Patrick Piggott (prototype shown), and will come in shelf-ready display packaging. I just hope that the final production version is a bit better than this because the pose and Picard just don't look right somehow. I'm not even sure I like the dismembered Borg. Is this a bit extreme? Or am I just overreacting?!
This latest announcement is due for release in the Autumn (Fall) of 2013...I think I'd rather have Spock and the Horta thanks if anyone's looking for ideas for Christmas..
.If you're liking what you see or want some more Star Trek Into Darkness goodies, check out the link below to the Countdown to Star Trek Into Darkness and see what else we've been rabbiting on about over the last few weeks. We've still got the novelisation review to come...
For an overview, talking heads come from the former head of Mego, the Tenuto family, the Trimbles, Doug Drexler - but noticeable through absence are any faces from Eaglemoss (Ben Robinson) when the show heads into the realms of The Official Starships Collection and the future of the franchise in toy form - although I might disagree with calling that collection a toy?! In addition, there's not even a mention of the Micro Machines starships from the 90's which reflects the fact this is much more tied to the history of Star Trek action figures rather than ships and playsets which get the occasional aside.
This is perhaps one of the more prominent The Toys That Made Us because it focuses on a franchise that is blindingly present but yet really failed to make a significant dent on the market when it comes to kids toys. Look at the other names in the series and all of them have reached silly heights of popularity whereas Star Trek has trundled along in the background, some might say, for many years just keeping itself above water and paddling for dear life.
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