How Playmates Toys embraced the Star Trek fan base to create the adult action figure toy market.
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- YES. I know I mispronounce "Transporter" as "Transformer". Ooops!
Scott Toy Guru Neitlich reviews the vintage Playmates Toys Star Trek line (1992-2008) and illustrates how their foresight in embracing an aging Star Trek fan base inadvertently crated the adult collector toy market. And then their was the toy where they went too far... Clips used in this video are inline with the Fair Use Guidelines and are noted as copyrighted to their respective owners. Clips are used for humor and information purposes and not represent the main focus of this video.
You forgot To mention that the Next Generation had a short-lived line from galoob
I was going to mention this too. It was in 1987/8 and was closer to the 3 3/4 scale. But Playmates took it way way further.
@@ModerateHipster I think they only licensed the pilot...or first season
I did! Better do a follow up
@@MichaelJKyzer Yes first season. They also included a Selay and Antican and Ferengi, none of which were in the pilot. The reason it didn't go on, as I understand, is that the Galoob company folded.
@@ModerateHipster In terms of Galoob, we have no Galoob.
One of my favorite lines of all time. I still have all of my figures, almost every ship, the props, it was awesome and still is.
A worth while line to collect
@@spectorcreative1872 the borg collective are a race that not every person has encountered before. they will make you a part of them no matter what.
and of course we have seen the federation get wiped out by them.
The Galactic Empire focused on control and in search for greater power rebels have faught and outrun the empire their technology was easy to destroy.
The Borg more advanced would assimilate the Empire fast first they would study them to find out what this empire was all about. The Death Star might be able to take out cubes in a row but fire only every hour. so the empire would not have a chance against this race unless they find someone powerful enough to destroy the Borg.
lets say for example the Emperor knew the Borg was coming he turns to Vader on what can stop them. Vader tells him he knows of some girl called Jean also known as The Phoenix. she can destory the Borg Vader also knows she is young enough to be manipulated easily.
well either that or Vader finds sith that can join him in stopping the Borg.
but here is the question could the Empire survive war against Borg?
crossover battles have facinated me and if Mork wanted to I'm sure he could use his power to kill humans. many have opinions and ideas on how such crossover battles would end.
imagine Rainbow Bright and her friends fighting Purple Pie man. oh what about Strawberry Shortcake and her friends against Murkey and Lurkey.
yes a rediculous look at what could be in crossover stories but you get the idea.
if it's going to be a good story line it must have good script writting to be a movie or television show. I like the idea of Sam Fisher and Snake Pliquine in a deadly fight it shows how agencies can be in conflict with each other.
as we seen in television shows Cobra terrorist group enemies of GI Joe faught against the Decepticons. this gave us an idea on which forces were stronger.
granted Cobra was powerful and yes several GI Joe soldiers have died.
we're not always talking friendly family series after school specials here.
rememver if we want to we can make Care Bears, My Little Pony's,
Rose Pettal Place, He Man,
and many into the darkest stories ever told deep and really horrifying if your really into those kind. back to the Borg they can think in seconds shield themselves and keep coming.
what are other ways the Borg could be stopped you got answers great because we don't need no Borg ducation we don't need no Borgs control no Borgs sarcasum in the classroom teacher leave them Borgs alone hay
teacher leave those Borgs alone.
I have several playmates figures carded and autographed by the actors. That became my go to way of getting autographs
That's pretty damn awesome! 👌
Nice. Worth the signatures
Me too I still have mine and it does mean more signed to you a figure of the character at maybe your favorite moment in the series ..it was a good line awesome
That's great. I do the same with Models of the Starships: get them to sign the bases.
I still love my Playmates Star Trek collection and still display it prominently in my toy room!
Nice. A shelf worthy line
Big fan of the whole ST line, but man did they have variants of variants of variants lol. The TMNT/ST crossover is still a WTF moment for me lol.
More here:
ua-cam.com/video/FcpXV2RZtwo/v-deo.html
Those figures began hitting the shelves, when I was 16. I was working at my local TOY'S R US and would grab them as soon as we displayed them.
They were one of the first brands that I started collecting seriously ( along with 1989's WWF figures and the Star Wars re-launch figures).
I still have all of those mentioned figures, to this day. The Trek figures are all uncarded, but mint, condition!
It really was an ideal transition line
@@spectorcreative1872 definitely. I had only recently fully "graduated" from toys when I saw these at Kay-Bee, and had to have em. These brought me back, POTF2 locked me down, and I've barely taken a break since.
Playmates Star Trek was an amazing line. Largely underrated and over-looked today, maybe because of the value collapse.
Likely. And all your comments true
The problem of collecting an item that 75 percent of the population kept new in box.
Mighty morphin power rangers in comparison having a boxed figure ed is rare, or not destroyed is rare so valuable
Spent a few years and way to much money to get the 1701 figures and now have 3 figures worth less than a 1/3 of what I paid for them.
can still be found in near mint boxed condition on ebay very cheap i just started collecting the 9'' figures last year and found quite a few for 20 bucks a piece .
Playmates was great for it's time, the peak of Star Trek in the 90s... Current Star Trek doesn't deserve a merch line.
It does. Where are the toys indeed?
Eaglemoss collections , Mcfarlane toys, Mego toys are have the current rights. They just announced discovery getting new Mega action figures at classic scale. Eagle miss is doing model starships based on the filming models.
Hallmark cards still has the rights for.Christmas orniments in production since 1990 with the 1701.every ship every show.
I would've bought Beyond toys,or the doctor from Lower Decks. She's hot.
@@JeffreyPiatt Mego seems appropriate for Discovery, since it appeals to the senile crowd. Glad McFarlane dropped plans for current Trek.
Playmates also produced great Star Trek roleplay toys like phasers and recorders. Still have my old ones.
And one of them was used in an episode of the show!
Tricorder
@@keithrobertson8101 Correct. I should have paid attention when my phone auto-corrected to "recorders". I figured people would know what I meant.
Its great to learn history like this. I'd always heard it was McFarlane who sparked the adult collector market but to think it was actually Star Trek is pretty cool. This is especially interesting since Super 7 just announced Star Trek TNG ReAction figures and potentially even more products for the property.
Yes I am excited to see what they do!
The problem with Super 7 is that you could buy a lot of Playmates figures, even MOC, off ebay for the cost one wave of Reaction figures.
When I think of great Picard episodes, I think of the one where they encountered the probe, and he lived someone else's life.
Star Trek did have a way of getting very cerebral.
"The Inner Light"
it was a mistake to do two scales simultaneously for the 2009 movie.
3 scales actually: 3-3/4. 6-inch, and 12-inch 'dolls'.
3 scales actually. And yes it was!~
Playmates did three or four different scales for their pre-Abrams Trek toys, sometimes at the same time.
@@CanadianPale You're right! The main line(s) of 5 inches, 6-inch 'action feature'/with console/First Contact, 9-inch 'Collector's Series', 12-inch. Figures/Insurrection, and I'm gonna add the 1-inch Innerspace/Strike Force.
But at least OG Playmates built up to it through the years, not dumping everything at once.
@@DegeneragentX don't forget the 7-inch "Space Talk" figures. 😉
Playmates Toys 90s Star Trek line was and is my favorite toy line.
I just recently completed my collection. I now have every Star Trek toy Playmates put out, aside from the 9 and 12 dolls.
A collection over 25 years in the making.
That's awesome!! Congrats on completing your collection. 👍
It had quite a run!
Brings back memories of braving Black Friday at Kay-Bee Toys to get Piece-of-the-Action Kirk and Spock 9".
@@justafanofnerdculture7602 Thanks. I'm not usually a completionist, but this line was so special to me and I already had so much of it from my childhood, I figured I might as well.
Galoob made a series of 3.75" Star Trek: The Next Generation figures during the shows first season. Its one of those lines forgotten into the mists of history. (I still have mine!)
You are totally right! I forgot about those
Ha ha, I forgot about those while I was watching this video too. I have several of them Mentone card and still forgot. I don’t think I have them displayed.
I recent lost mine (including a Tasha Yar damnit!) in a fire at the storage place I kept my stuff in.
Also I think Galoob made Star Trek 3 toys in a GI Joe RAH style ... But I may be wrong.
@@OriginalNeomoon Yup. Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Klingon Leader(Kruge) by ERTL
I caught you in that MOTU doc! I threw it on and I’m like “hey I recognize that voice! I’m subscribed to him on UA-cam”
Still have that red couch
You never mentioned the figures had serial numbers on them..
Which was specifically labeled for Collectors! XD
Point taken!
Awesome job making this video without saying the Word "nerd" not even once!
I aim to please.
As a kid I got Data (season 2 uniform), Riker (ripped uniform), and Locutus. I also had the _Goddard_ shuttlecraft, the Mark-I and Mark-II phaser pistols, and a tricorder. But my favourite _Trek_ toy, which I took with me everywhere I could, was the Galoob _Enterprise-D_ . It's all metal, has the livery all marked, and even sports saucer separation.
A couple years back I got back into _Trek_ stuff when I found _Star Trek Online_ , as well as the Eaglemoss line of ship models, which I started to collect. _STO_ also has a partnership with GamePrint that allows players to print models of their customized ships, so that's another source for models.
Yeah I need to go back on the Galoob stuff. Sounds like you had a cool collection
The Playmates Star Trek line was a true gift to the fans.
One that still holds up
@@spectorcreative1872 I still have mine. I'd love to see Playmates do some "retro" versions of the new shows.
5:00... You forgot about the Next Gen line of toys (figures, ships, etc.) from Galoob in 1988/89. There were also three figures for Star Trek III by MPC in 1984.
I totally did!
It's easy to forget just how big Playmates Trek lines were. I remember picking up Toyfares at the time and seeing the ridiculous aftermarket prices for pieces like Tapestry Picard.
I never was big into the figures, but I had a lot of the electronic ships. Yes even the lauded Enterprise B....which got destroyed in a move by clumsy movers.....
Sigh.
Damn clumsy movers. The lost some of my SW accessories too
My Michael Burnham action figure keeping leaking water from the eyes. Did it come defective?
Ha ha!
She is getting a new Mego figure along with Pike from Strange New Worlds and Saru.
The current Mego Disco crew is surprisingly very good. I'm no fan of the show but the figures look great especially Saru
this has always been one line I'd love to collect just for the depth or the roster of characters, like I'm fairly certain there will never be as good a star trek line as the playmates line, same for the playmates simpsons line. it's weird how toy companies go all in on certain lines
A great transition line form kid to adult toy collector
The simpsons line is leaps and bounds better than anything else ever released after all these years , not even lego got close.
The boar monster accessory that came with one of the Klingons is still a staple of Goodwill and yard sales.
Ha! I'll keep my eye out
Yup. That's a "targ", and if someone found a landfill composed of nothing but discarded targs, I wouldn't be surprised.
I think what makes TOS figures a little tricky is that they are wearing "ordinary" clothing - those 60s-era uniforms are basically long-sleeved T-shirts. It's not spandex, or armor, or anything fancy - they have wrinkles like the stuff we normally wear, and that just feels weird compared to everything else you see on the toy shelves.
Hey maybe in the future we will all dress like that
If they had made the 2009 figures in the same style as the earlier ones, they would have sold way better
Once again, scale matters!
The 2009 figures look amazing, but the rubbery uniforms will fall apart if opened and displayed. The playmates line were great for display and keeping packaged.
The call number of the Enterprise is 1701.
I got an "Old Spock" and Nero for Christmas, and I was disappointed they weren't in scale.
I am surprised you didn't mention that the primary hint that these were produced for "collectors" is that on the bottom of one foot, each figure was numbered from its production run.
Excellent point! I'll add that to the follow up
How Playmates destroyed Star Trek toys in one fell swoop. The 30th anniversary. Summer 1996, the line limped on for another 18 months and we all knew by summer 1998 it was over. The threw in the towel at the end of the year, beginning of 1999 if memory serves correctly. It was still a great line. 1992-1995 were fantastic years. Post 1996 they just were a shadow of their former selves. It was truly tragic.
Truly it was
Somewhere during the Voyager line, the figures stopped. I wanted a Seven of Nine figure and never found one at retail, then I stopped collecting. I had most of TNG, DS9 and Voyager figures then Star Wars came back and I quit Star Trek and went right into Star Wars.
I have always enjoyed this toyline, I recently just completed my journey to collect all the tos figures in this line in fact. I wish they went back to this size figures there is so much potential for more figures.
Potential was clearly left ont he table
the term "play pattern" is amusing, it sounds so behavioural science-y. brings to mind images of toy producers studying kids through one-way mirror and taking notes
It does come from that a bit!
Always happy to see the Playmates Star Trek line get some much deserved love!! These hit the shelves when my best friend and just kinda on the cusp of outgrowing actually playing with toys in favor of girls and other almost teenager sort of things, but man in that little window we had AMAZING adventures with these toys since we were already a few years into our Star Trek fandom. Very fond memories of the detail and size of this line, and all the amazing playsets that still hold up today were just a young Star Trek fan's dream come true. The bridge playset is easily in my top three of all time!! As I got a little older, I transitioned from playing with the figures to more of a collector standpoint, as I started tracking the rarity of certain figures in stores, and began actively trading/selling them on old AOL message boards and Usenet newsgroups. I remember the "Lore" figure being damn near IMPOSSIBLE to find for the seemingly longest time, which in retrospect was probably a matter of months that in my kid brain seemed like years!! lol...........
Anyways I could ramble on for a very long time about this line, but great video!! I see in the comments my small issues like the omission of the '87 Galoob TNG and '83 ERTL Star Trek II figures have been covered, as well as the individual figure numbering. I hope you do a follow up to the Star Trek franchise sooner than later!!! Playmates definitely had a game changer in this line!!
Yeah this line does not often get the justice it deserves as far as toy history
And the Borgs and Ferengi were hard to find, everybody wanted those to army build.
@@lamarravery4094 Very true! I had two Borg drones, Locutus, and Hugh as my tiny-but-mighty collective. Only one solo Ferengi however.....dude lost a lot of battles. lol
I remember going on the hunt for these figures from store to store. It was actually fun! Not as much now since all you have to do is go online and order what you want.
And as long as it is fun it is good. When it becomes a hassle, we’ll…
Now if only a company would make a Trek line in the style of Star Wars Black Series, Power Rangers Lightening Collection, or Marvel Legends.
There have been a few 7” lines but yeah, we need a more accessible 6” line!
Interesting notion...
That photo at 1:17 features either lots of customs or prototypes, would love to fill out my collection with those! Excellent explanation. The numbering on the feet drove people crazy back then, flipping through the pegs trying to get the lowest number. I was 10 in '92 and was even doing it back then!
Yeah it was pretty easy to do customs in this line
I really got into collecting this line of figures. Then in 1995, Kenner was making new Star Wars figures again, so most people that were collecting Star Trek figs, switched over. And that line just faded away. But the Playmate figures were articulated and well sculpted at the time.
Ah thé Gréât Star Wars trek
I remember the 1701 fiasco. My mate who had a complete set up to this point and couldn't get hold of this one had a meltdown and not only stopped collecting, he opened everything.
It had quite an effect
What about Diamond Select's broken promises? They produced the Enterprise line with the bridge stations. But, the Travis Mayweather helm console was never released...Which is INSANE!!! We got the Science, Tactical, and Captain's chair...But, NO HELM CONSOLE!!!!
The first 2 sets didn't sell well, and they cut their losses while making T'Pal.
Oh I know! I have all the others! So annoying
@@spectorcreative1872 I know the guy who actually has the Mayweather Helm console prototype. He has it on his desk, in Florida. He has a comic shop. I bought the Commander Trip Tucker from him. It's a very rare piece, sold online. He comes in his duty uniform...Not his EVA suit.
I bought a Riker and Picard in 1992. That reignited my passion for action figures. The depth of that line and an emerging eBay meant I was off to the races and never looked back. My best guess off the top of my head is I still have between 200-250 figures in that line. Which again lead to the collection I have now which clocked in at close to 3000. Great content Scott, always.
Sponsored by BBSPS. Get all your Sandpaper at big bad sandpaper store!! They just posted a pre-order for the new 80 grit today!
Wow that is one heck of a collection! Nice job. You must have an amazing looking shelf.!
It’s getting a bit unwieldy, but I love it.
More accurately, Playmates had the first SUCCESSFUL line since Mego. Not only was there the first attempt at a TNG line from Galoob (which made a few missteps right out of the starting gate that probably did it in), but they also produced figures based on "STV: The Final Frontier" (marketed as action figures but more like statuettes). Earlier than that, Ertl produced a limited line of figures from "STIII:The Search for Spock" which didn't really take off.
Excellent video! First time I've heard the concept of "souvenir" type collecting being given a name, but it's spot-on. Playmates' TNG line was what pulled me into collecting as an adult (for good or for ill).
Yeah I totalyl forgot the Erl and Galoob stuff!
Souveniring really describes a good portion of my collecting - well, any time it's related to something pop culture and not just the weird stuff I've already been doing.
Yup. We collect to remember now
I remember being a teenager at the time, going to cons and shops trying to find that 1701 set.
It was a struggle!
@@spectorcreative1872 1701 but made 1702? 12:26
That sandpaper ad at the beginning was perfect. I loved Star Trek Playmates. Still have some off card. I also have mint working versions of the O-ST Communicator, STTNG Tricorder and the big STTNG Transporter (which is an excellent example of the old Pepper's Ghost illusion used in the various Haunted Mansions at Disney parks). Shame, shame, you should have known is was Lt. Yar, not Yara.
Yeah, I totally screwed up her name! D'oh!
Ertl (for 'The Search for Spock') and mainly Galoob (since '88 until Playmates took over) held the ST major toy licence back in the '80s and both companies produced action figure lines.
You forgot about the short lived Galoob line of TNG figures
I totalyl did! A follow up is needed
Oh wow, I see 3 of my old collection pics in there (I'm Artistix on forums). Voyager figures, TNG main cast on bridge & the big pic of all the TNG main cast figures (soooo many Picards!!) :D
I am very honoured you chose my pics Scott. And those pics still give me warm fuzzies 25 yeas later. I will never part with my 90's Playmates Trek figures. After BTAS, they were the second figures I collected as a 12 year old.
I was on an old mailing list in the 90's called Playtrek (actually I am still on it!), so I may have known about the 1701 figures back in the day, but they were versions of characters that didn't interest me much at the time. Eventually I got the 3-pack.
I eagerly anticipate Super7's upcoming TNG figures. I've been posting a lot of my old pics on the Fwoosh forums lately (yes, toy forums still exist).
Thanks Scott. You're a legend.
I'm more than happy to give you pic credit in the description too! Just drop me a line at spectorcreative.com with copyright details and I will add it to the video!
@@spectorcreative1872 No copyright issues Scott. Just happy you love my old pics as I do :)
"when adults buy toys it's not to play with them on their living room floor" hey man speak for yourself! :P
Guilty
The Star Trek parachute line was never seen on screen until JJ Abrams made it a reality in 2009. So right there we see the amount of abrams trek knowledge, old, out there toys.
Wow I had not put that together! How funny
I was collecting cardassian figures I remember They are keepers From the time I was doing conventions ( In my Cardie outfits ). Trek seemed like it was fun back then never thought it would not be after 30 years going strong. I'm keeping my playmates toys tho a reminder of the good times :)
And when toys added to the fun of the entire property, that was good times
I always felt the adult market also took root due to three things in the 90’s: more “mature” licenses (Kenner’s Alien/Predator/Terminator lines, for example), more detail (McFarlane especially), and definitely nostalgia (95’s Star Wars POTF being the big one). The Star Trek line makes sense, though I did not realize it was out as early as ‘92!
As for remakes vs classic designs:
When Trendmasters did the Lost in Space remake film toy line, they also did a small line based on the original series. Each line had a large electronic robot, of course. Guess which version of robot was more popular? Same with the Thundercats line from Bandai, who released a set of classic versions of characters in their series devoted to the remade cartoon. Again the original designs were more popular in the end.
Same end result with MOTUC, Transformers, GI Joe, etc: original designs, only with more detail and more articulation. Not to mention the trend of reissuing original releases from the 80’s means repackaging what began as a kid’s toy back then into an adult collectible for today.
It is always a hard balance and now the market does seem to be going in the opposite direction
I was a huge fan of this line as a child, and so were my siblings, with Playmates Star Trek figures frequently showing up as birthday and Christmas gifts from our parents and other relatives. I wonder what the percentage of adult to child collectors of the line was?
I would say 70/30 as my best guess
I remember the first post-Mego line being the extremely limited group of figures that ERTL produced for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
You are absolutely correct! I have an ERTL Kirk figure moc. That line was extremely limited, (like you mentioned) only four figures... seriously!?
You are 100% right!
Ertl produced a line of four 3.75" figures with GI Joe: Real American Hero style construction, consisting of Kirk, Spock, Scotty and the Klingon Commander Kruge; plus three die cast ships - the Enterprise, Excelsior and Bird of Prey, which was issued in powder blue, with the words Star Trek emblazoned disc each wing. It was reissued in a green paint, and then was reissued again with more movie accurate paintwork, alongside the Enterprise (now Enterprise-A) for Star Trek V.
Galoob on the other hand, issued several figures for the first season of The Next Generation, along with ships and playsets.
I clearly need to do a follow up!
Most of the early toys came out in the mid 70s with the popularity of reruns and the animated series. There were very few toys released in 1966-68 during the original run of the series.
That be true. Syndication makes a show in this case
Star Trek 3 the search for Spock had a toyline by Ertl
I totally forgot about that! Thanks.
Just for the record you also made a few other minor mistakes
For example with the “1701” set....You refer to it as 1702 at least twice
Also with the same set, you Pronounce the name of the character Lieutenant Yar as “Ya-ra”, That is not how it’s pronounced
There was also a Star Trek the next generation toy line prior to playmates from a company called Galoob
@@spectorcreative1872 Forgot Galoob too.
I was a kid and collected toysfrom the old shows from playmates.
Hope you still have a few!
Just ran across this, good video. I agree that the 1701 set started to cause issues as I remember people complaining back then but I don't think it was just the Picard figure that was the issue. Even though the hair and uniform are totally wrong(Yar never wore a true Season 3-7 uniform like that toy, the Yesterday's Enterprise uniform is slightly but noticeably different), I think the Yar figure also ticked a lot of people off as upto that point she had never been released as a figure by Playmates even though the TNG crew has been released in both Season 1-2 uniform styles and season 3-7 uniform styles. I think even a Sela figure had come out by this point but nothing for Yar who was still a fan favorite so fans were ticked off that the only way you could get one of her was to buy this set which was extremely limited and hard to get. Plus they had also done that with the Ro Laren figure and Data in red uniform and other sets yet released other variations in mass amounts - fans were mad that Playmates was artificially inflating the value of these by limiting the numbers on things fans wanted but then releasing tons of variations no one wanted, especially when a lot of those wanted ones were just repaints or new head on old body situations so they literally cost Playmates nothing to produce. I think that is what ended up killing the line for a lot of adults too and suddenly stores had tons of Trek figures that they couldn't get rid of so they weren't about to order more new ones.
Toys based on "R" rated film was nothing new by the time of the 1701 line. "Alien" had an action figure of the Xenomorph in 1979 and even advertised it on Saturday morning, and Robocop had a toyline in 1988-9 and Aliens had on in the 1990s.
Oh the history of R rated film with toys aimed at kids is long and deep
It's a history that is still being written, to varying levels of success. I thoroughly enjoy figures from adult properties(my Neca Pinhead is right in front of me as I type) yet I am still thrown when I see these themes clearly marketed at children. I can't quite recall the manufacturer right now, but the Xenomorph playsets that came out last year are a prime example of this. The play features combined with the oversaturated neon colors makes the target buyer obvious, yet I can't think of a single movie or book in that universe I'd want to give to a child for viewing.
I had a ton TNG Playmates action figures. Then I saw this video and realized I only had fraction of them. LOL.
I felt that way a lot as an adult on finally seeing the full line up
I can't wait to see what Super7 does with the line now, but i miss the Playmates figures.
Me too
I remember I had quite a few of the Spawn collector figures.
And then they were stolen, along with a HUGE classic GW collection, when they were in storage!
I was sooooo pissed!
Karma will get them. You can’t use toys for sadness and get away with it
@@spectorcreative1872 well said good sir.
I do miss those Spawn figures though.
They were incredibly detailed.
Didn't like standing up though. 😂
@@spectorcreative1872 also, big fan of your content. I grew up watching He-Man and She-Ra as a child and I had loads of the toys.
I remember thinking Hordak was the better looking villain though. But He-Man won on the other villains. I even had She-Ra too.
I remember a couple of my mate's had her at the time too. She seemed to appeal almost as well for the boys as she did the girls.
Did you notice that with the MOTU collectors line?
I had all the enterprise crew tng figures, the bridge, the shuttle, the enterprise, and Romulan warbird and played like there was no Covid
I love that expression! Ha
The Star Ships are always welcome. Keep producing please.
Galoob did some great Micromachines!
Thanks for shining some light on an often (nowadays) maligned toy line! I had several cases of the figures & was often impressed as to how diverse these were- from comic/ book) characters (ST Academy) to Data as Sherlock Holmes or Cowboy Worf. They were awesome!
I love Data as Sherlock!
I couldn't help noticing that Riker's action figure sported a torn uniform. What was up with that? Jean-Luc would never let Riker walk around like that. LOL.
I still want one with chair sitting action
These videos are excellent! Thank you so much for making them!
You are most welcome! Tell your friends! It helps the channel a ton
This line is another good example of your sacrificial wave vid. Some of the original figures had odd sculpts. Worf and Data had arms to their knees. Later waves were much better.
Yup, those first wave often take it on the chin for the sake of the line
I have all but seven of these figures - and I never intended to collect them, but I found the entire first series in a newsagent's shop, each priced at £1 the shopkeeper, who I knew well, let me have them all for £7. Bargain of the century. The only thing that annoyed me about those early figures, was William Riker. His uniform is covered in 'Kirk Fight Rips & Tears™', and I always wished they had just given him a normal uniform. I had to wait for the figure in season 2 uniform, and do a head-swap with a spare 'Q in Starfleet Uniform' and alter the body slightly. Otherwise, they were a bit of an obsession. I have a book which shows pictures of every prop used on Star Trek's iterations, up to, and including 'Voyager'. I used this to paint all the accessories, and removed the 'phaser blast' effect from the weapons. To be honest, I liked the original series figures best, out of the hundreds of others.
that is an impressive collection you have! Must have taken a while to accumulate. And sometimes as you note the first can be the best
I have the Playmates Classic Star Trek Bridge Crew Set action figures as well as Captain Koloth and the Gorn. I also have a lot of the Star Wars Power of the Force action figures released in 1995 and ‘96.
Oh wait until my SW series on these coming up!
I've not been much into Trek figures, as nifty as they are, but if there's a Gorn available, and I have some spare cash, I'm getting myself a green, bug-eyed alien figure!
All aliens should be bug eyed
That's what I thought when he appeared in this episode too.
(Btw searched up your Jawa hisss and it's very cool! It gave me the idea that one done with hull plating replacing the cockpit would be great for gaming minis. Well done👍)
@@TitularHeroine Thank 'e, mate! I was planning on putting SOME plating on the canopy, but leaving enough clear window to see out of. Unfortunately, I didn't get as far as that before Real Life got in the way, and the project was put aside indefinitely. I hope to finish it, next time I'm home.
I think the best basis for such a vehicle would be the Cobra HISS II, but those are too expensive to use as custom fodder, at least as far as I'm concerned. Crossing fingers for a cheapish reissue, someday....
Oh man those were some great action figures by playmates. I have many of these figures 9inch and 12inch scales. Would love playmates to do more star trek figures again.😃👍
Alas, the license has moved in. Still, maybe someone will do homage figures
The Playmates TNG shuttle was one of the best toys ever.
Fun and functional!
Your Comic-Book-Guy impression is disturbingly on-point. 😅
Years of field work
Not only still have mine, but am still actively trying to finish my Playmates collection (Damn Target exclusives!) I've looked to AA, DST, Todd etc to step up and regain the Trek magic, but no one's come within light years.
Even most of the many variants were worthy and made sense, at least until the Academy stuff. Truly an all-time great line.
But CURSE YOU, 1701!
Nice, you have part of toy history
Not only were there TNG figures made by Galoob, there were Star Trek III: The Search For Spock figures from Ertl. So, there WERE Star Trek figures made between Mego and Playmates.
Totally right! A follow up is needed
The second wave of figures that were supposed to come out for the 2009 reboot Star Trek movie was never even released, leading to the playsets made for them being forever incomplete, since parts of the playset came with each figure.
Yup. Retailers said no
5:08 Ertl had a line of action figures for ST:III The Search For Spock, with Kirk, Spock and Scotty figures (all in uniform and including phasers), as well as a Klingon (with a Targ, anjd based off of Christopher Lloyd, im pretty sure) and can still be gotten on card with eBay etc (Scotty and Spock seem to be the most common). The toys did get some advertisements, i mainly saw them as half page color ads in comic books, mainly DC, who showed off all four, and i think was in more in conjunction with DC's own ongoing licensed Trek series. Also, they were articulated like the 3 3/4" Joes but im unsure of their actual scale.
Point taken! I'll need to do a follow up
@@spectorcreative1872 i look forward to it, as i dont know much beyond that. i had wanted the figures as a kid when i had seen the ads. also ive met the guy at the end of the vid in the still, that's Darren Hann, i had to do a double take, hes on the other side of Newfoundland from me.
I was a kid when this line came out and I collected and played with it for years
A worthy toy to have had!
Thank you for all your work. I always learn something noteworthy ever time I stop by.
Tried to collect this line but too many things were coming out. Had 3 Borg and a Warf, alas could never find data. But I did get to at least have Warf vs. Xenomorphs vs. Borg though. Epic as Ward was left to search for survivors he could never find.
Delighted you continue to enjoy them Jk
I collected this line thru 2 Companies ,& every 7-of-9 done ( & some naughty adult garage resins of Gerri ).I was sorta happy when adult collectors were "targeted" LOL ! good show ,as always Scott , thanks
Everyone has a memory of these! And you are welcome as always Gene
Speaking of collections for adults, have you explored gunpla (gundam plastic models) and other similar plamo, or lines like figma, Amazing Yamaguchi, and Nendoroid? People are generally more familiar with Funko Pops than they are these.
Also, Hasbro came out with a 'Drizzt and Guenwhyvar' set of figures based on those two characters from the _Legend of Drizzt_ novels series. It's an interesting business decision, since children are very unlikely to have read such a fantasy novel series, at least not until their teens. Already the series has a possibility of earning plenty of money since it's a _long_ series, but fans and collectors who would want collectible figures of the Companions of the Hall, as well as other major characters like Jarlaxle Baenre, would likely jump on this if given the chance. And adults generally have a disposable income, whereas kids have to ask their parents for an allowance, or to buy it as a present like I used to when I was a kid.
I'll need to look into that! Thanks for the tip!!!
Maybe I missed this bit of news, but did Playmates get bought by Bandai? I saw at NY toy fair prior to the pandemic, that Playmates got the license for the Miraculous toy line. However on the boxes of the items I've purchased they have Bandai on the front and Playmates on the back. I can't think of any other reason for that.
No that I am aware of.
Dude that 'Airplane' clip was VERY well placed!
Well thank you! I feel like I am getting better at making these
Kinda opposite to R-rated movies spawning kid's toys in the 80s like RoboCop, Rambo, Commando, Alien etc. Hey kids here's toys of characters from violent movies you shouldn't be watching (ok some of them got a kiddy cartoon adaptation but not all... there was no Alien cartoon. Hm.)
I have an old Christmas catalog with a Rambo tricycle in it. Stallone's picture is on it, not the cartoon version. Rambo: First Blood Part II must have been popular with three year olds.
I would agree on some levels & I really don't like how Deadpool is marketed to children.
Oh I am too. Especially when sold in the toy aisle
I was hoping that Mega Construx would eventually work up to the Playmates number of Star Trek figures when MCX started releasing Star Trek sets and eventually carded figures. But that didn't happen (I still ended up with a nice sized Borg Collective in that MCX scale). Hopefully the MCX MotU line will get up the the same amount of characters as the MotUC line.
We can only hope so!
I picked up a dozen of these in the box for 2 bucks each last year.
They do go cheap these days
The Playmates figures looks great , but for me it's still a mystery why even unopened figures can be found for just few bucks .........
low demand
It's like many other collectibles, when something is sold as a "collectible" to begin with and a relatively high number of people buy them with the intent of keeping them MOC/MIB and eventually flipping them, more of that stuff ends up on the secondary market keeping the value down.
@@lukasp5892 Correct!! I feel the exact same way! I was blown away when I found the Original series crew members box set at a flea market for $65.00 around twelve years ago.
Production numbers were big
@@spectorcreative1872 You've said multiple times that the silver Wolverine had abnormally large production numbers, and while I realize you're not always at liberty to share specific details, I would be interested to know what the normal production range for an action figure is.
Good video. Learned a lot. 👍🏼
Nice video. I have nearly all the figures, including the bridge, transporter & engine room. Just now, no room to display everything. I loved them, but wished they had stayed with the 3.75" scale. But that's just me.
Super 7 has the license to make 3.75" retro style TNG figures starting this year.
Looking forward to what Super 7 does!
I'm trying to remember...didn't Micro Machines do a line of the ships, same as they did for the Star Wars ones? Also trying to remember who did the mini-playset ones (my brother had the TNG Shuttlecraft one).
They did! And I have a video on this coming up in fact!
Dude, I WISH I had known about Star Trek toys back when I was a kid! Reminds me of a long, boring story...
...
...
So, when I was maybe ten or so, my family went to the beach. We stayed at my aunt's beach house on Emerald Isle. Since she's always been a shrewd businesswoman, it was pretty rare to get a slot there, even for family members. We got there, and naturally I rummaged through all the drawers. One of them contained a Ninja Turtles Rat King action figure. I was pretty jazzed, as it was one I didn't have. But it wasn't mine, and I didn't bring any of my other toys there anyway, so I let it go. But, during the vacation, what I DID do was to make a model of the Enterprise out of paper, and some paper facsimiles of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. I'd have them fly around at the beach and analyze stuff they found. At one point, my mom got incredibly flustered because I was walking up the beach holding a Portuguese Man-o-War by its bubble with the stingy tentacles dangling about an inch from my leg. I guess the takeaway from this is that I have fond memories of action figures and Star Trek from being a kid, and if I had had access to Star Trek toys, I totally would have wanted them!
Well it is never too late to start off as an adult collector
Definitely appreciated the in scale with each other . Thats one of the things that legends are a hit or miss with each new wave . At least Gi Joe is trying to give us that so far .
Trying...;-)
Yeah, I remember a lot of adult toys around the 90's. I can't say I recall anything that was exceedingly adult. There were $20-$25 action figures and nostalgia figures when I was in high school.
This is when the market started to emerge
I’m a completist and have been collecting playmates for 15 years. The three Tapestry figures are way out of my price range because they go fo silly money, it’s the same with a handful of others ie the blue seven of nine’ it’s so frustrating not being able to finish my collection
Oh I 100% agree. It is like being kicked when we are down. Here is something and you can't have it.
I wish they'd bring back the 4.5" figures. [The 2009 film figures were not to scale with the previous sets.]
I know, scale is so important
I'm not the type that cares all that much about having an incomplete collection, I'm fine with just having the pieces that appeal to me. But this one has a missing figure from the line itself that I can't get past. The fact that there's a Kirk in a gangster outfit from A Piece of the Action and not a matching Spock KILLS me to this day.
Been buying them for about 3 loose to 5 to 10 bucks in package . So many figures were made. Omg playmates. But unlike Star Wars not many vehicles or playsets
No not too many
Don’t forget the 5 figure/statues from Galoob for Star Trek V!
Of course! A follow up is clearly needed.
You are incorrect sir. Galoob did a series of Star Trek: The Next Generation figures and ships in 1988 before Playmates. I had the entire set.
Point taken!
This line should be textbook for companies making collectable toys/action figures. I remember trying to make custom figures with this line (which is how I ruined my collection 😫).
It is a great example
You've forgotten that He-Ro eventually transforms into King Grayskull due to a blood transfusion from a giant.
No.... that never happened. That was something n a He-Man.org fan pitch but it was rejected by Mattel.