More Diamond Select Figures

[MatthiasRussell]

No, I'd look at New Force Comics, Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth. Sites like that which cater to the niche. Toys R Us and Amazon have virtually no interest and are too big of a market place to give a rats ass about our e-mails.

So if we want to try to show we want more and hopefully generate production, how about once a week send an email to DST (customerservice@diamondselecttoys.com), Big Bad Toy Store (service@bigbadtoystore.com), and the st.com store (startrekstore@ordering.com) and just say you and people you know are looking for more DST toys and want to make it happen. Maybe if a bunch of us do this for a month, we'll get noticed.

 

[Caesar753]

No, I'd look at New Force Comics, Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth. Sites like that which cater to the niche. Toys R Us and Amazon have virtually no interest and are too big of a market place to give a rats ass about our e-mails.

So if we want to try to show we want more and hopefully generate production, how about once a week send an email to DST (customerservice@diamondselecttoys.com), Big Bad Toy Store (service@bigbadtoystore.com), and the st.com store (startrekstore@ordering.com) and just say you and people you know are looking for more DST toys and want to make it happen. Maybe if a bunch of us do this for a month, we'll get noticed.

That sounds like a good plan to me.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

As for the Sisko chair, it's worse than them just never making it. Just like with that Stargate SG-1 wave I mentioned, they actually were going to release the chair, but they canceled it.

As you can see, it would have included an exclusive Season 4 Sisko figure.

Aww, crap, for real? They were THAT close to selling this?

My Worf in First Contact uniform would have looked sweet in that chair...

 

[Biffette]

I bought my nephew some G.I. Joe's for X-Mas. I literally took one out of the package for him, and his arm was broke within 5 minutes. The plastic was just sooo low grade, it wasn't funny. It was a joke. I beat the hell out of my G.I. Joe's and I never broke them in all those years. These new ones? I could sit on one accidentally and break it in 6 pieces.

What I'm ranting about here is that, maybe if they lowered their prices even just $2 or so, they would sell that many more. Enough to make it profitable for them and affordable for us.

And again:

I bought my nephew <spam link deleted> for X-Mas. I literally took one out of the package for him, and his arm was broke within 5 minutes. The plastic was just sooo low grade, it wasn't funny. It was a joke. I beat the hell out of my G.I. Joe's and I never broke them in all those years. These new ones? I could sit on one accidentally and break it in 6 pieces.

What I'm ranting about here is that, maybe if <spam link deleted> lowered their prices even just $2 or so, they would sell that many more. Enough to make it profitable for them and affordable for us.

This is an awesome spambot, can we keep it for a week or so?


ETA: Original Quote changed by Misfit Toy to:

I am a spambot. My post has been deleted because it is spam.
In closing, I'd just like to say that I am a spambot.

Thank you.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

I emailed the 3 targets last night. No response from DST; note have they for the past several weeks. BBTS replied simply saying they anticipate no new trek toys. The st.com store empathized and said they would forward the suggestion/request along. So, I'll do the same next week.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

Anyone who wants to help out with this, please join in the email campaign this week.

DST (customerservice@diamondselecttoys.com), Big Bad Toy Store (service@bigbadtoystore.com), and the st.com store (startrekstore@ordering.com)

 

[Therin of Andor]

Who said anything about the Playmates' ST XI line being "less exciting/accurate" than those previous lines (well, other than consumers)?

Ok. Well, you said you were partial to all the predecessors, leaving us to assume why you were complaining. You can't blame Playmates for over-producing; they were simply filling orders made by the stores. The stores overestimated demand of Wave 1, then refused to order Wave 2 (or changed their minds and cancelled their pre-orders).

 

[C.E. Evans]

Who said anything about the Playmates' ST XI line being "less exciting/accurate" than those previous lines (well, other than consumers)?

Ok. Well, you said you were partial to all the predecessors, leaving us to assume why you were complaining.

Huh? I said nothing of the sort, nor was I "complaining." All I said was that I tend to favor 3.75-inch figures. Didn't say anything about hating other kind of figures (of which I own, BTW).

You can't blame Playmates for over-producing; they were simply filling orders made by the stores.

Actually, Playmates did over-produce. They--not the retailers--determined how big Wave 1 was going to be. They released multiple figures all at once in multiple sizes all at once. Most consumers picked either one size or the other, so retailers were stuck with either lots of big figures or lots of little figures that weren't selling. Some individual stores never ordered more than one shipment as a result.

The stores overestimated demand of Wave 1, then refused to order Wave 2 (or changed their minds and cancelled their pre-orders).

It was Playmates that overestimated demand of Wave 1. Retailers cancelled Wave 2 because they couldn't get rid of all the Wave 1 stuff they were sent. In hindsight, it probably would have been better for Playmates to have only picked one size and only released a smaller number of figures with Wave 1, with more figures released in equally small waves over the course of the next three years.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Huh? I said nothing of the sort, nor was I "complaining." All I said was that I tend to favor 3.75-inch figures. Didn't say anything about hating other kind of figures (of which I own, BTW).

Your original statement was: "I've always been partial to a 3.75-inch line of figures from every Trek series and movie. Playmates had the opportunity to do it, but screwed the pooch big time with their ill-fated Star Trek XI line..."

That sure sounded like "complaining" to me. And it sounded like you were preferring all previous 3.75" figures to the recent ST XI figures. Why is there such a problem that at least one person misunderstood your meaning? I don't think I accused you of "hating" anything.

Actually, Playmates did over-produce. They--not the retailers--determined how big Wave 1 was going to be. They released multiple figures all at once in multiple sizes all at once. Most consumers picked either one size or the other, so retailers were stuck with either lots of big figures or lots of little figures that weren't selling. Some individual stores never ordered more than one shipment as a result.

It's my understanding that the wholesalers' pre-orders at Toy Fair suggest how many figures will be made. When the wholesalers don't order in large quantities, lines and waves are reduced or cancelled.

Retailers cancelled Wave 2 because they couldn't get rid of all the Wave 1 stuff they were sent.

Sure, but they also ordered too many in the first place.

In hindsight, it probably would have been better for Playmates to have only picked one size and only released a smaller number of figures with Wave 1, with more figures released in equally small waves over the course of the next three years.

That's not usually how movie tie-ins are done. It's usually all-or-nothing, to be in stores between the movie's theatrical release and the DVD, a window that gets shorter as the years go by.

It seemed that toy buyers wanted figures in the old Playmates scale, but also wanted playsets. Smaller "Star Wars"-size figures mean more saleable/shelvable playsets. The retailers had already rejected the idea of more playsets like the old TNG bridge, which they said was too cumbersome.

Retailers cancelled Wave 2 because they couldn't get rid of all the Wave 1 stuff they were sent.

Retailers get sent what they ordered, and sometimes less than they ordered, if orders exceed manufacturers' expectations.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Huh? I said nothing of the sort, nor was I "complaining." All I said was that I tend to favor 3.75-inch figures. Didn't say anything about hating other kind of figures (of which I own, BTW).

Your original statement was: "I've always been partial to a 3.75-inch line of figures from every Trek series and movie. Playmates had the opportunity to do it, but screwed the pooch big time with their ill-fated Star Trek XI line..."

That sure sounded like "complaining" to me.

Nope. Just an observation or opinion based on the cancellation of the line due to poor sales and retailers' reluctance to order more. It wouldn't really be true if I said Playmates won big with it.

And it sounded like you were preferring all previous 3.75" figures to the recent ST XI figures.

And how is preferring a particular size complaining? If I had said I hate figures in other sizes, yeah, that would be complaining, but I said nothing of the kind as I do own figures in different sizes.

Why is there such a problem that at least one person misunderstood your meaning?

I don't see anyone else having a problem with what I said.

I don't think I accused you of "hating" anything.

I was just informing you that just because I have a preference for one size doesn't mean I hate other sizes.

Actually, Playmates did over-produce. They--not the retailers--determined how big Wave 1 was going to be. They released multiple figures all at once in multiple sizes all at once. Most consumers picked either one size or the other, so retailers were stuck with either lots of big figures or lots of little figures that weren't selling. Some individual stores never ordered more than one shipment as a result.

It's my understanding that the wholesalers' pre-orders at Toy Fair suggest how many figures will be made.

But not the kind of figures that will be made. Retailers are shown what comes in an assortment at Toy Fair, but they don't determine which figures are made. Toy companies do their best to produce figures for the retail market that have a good chance of moving there, which is generally why you'll see more of certain figures in a case than others (the general rule of thumb in the U.S. is that female action figures don't really sell, so they tend to be short-packed the most often. The exception tends to be for those toylines aimed at older collectors like the various comic book toylines).

When the wholesalers don't order in large quantities, lines and waves are reduced or cancelled.

Some stuff winds up in the direct market where they're produced in low quantity and sold only at select specialty shops and online retailers.

Retailers cancelled Wave 2 because they couldn't get rid of all the Wave 1 stuff they were sent.

Sure, but they also ordered too many in the first place.

No more than they did with any other toyline. But Wave 1 included both the Warp Series Collection with ten 6-inch figures and the the Galaxy Series Collection had ten 3.75-inch figures. They generally came twelve figures to a case. Additionally, there was the Command Series Collection featuring six 12-inch figures, but only Toys R Us carried those.

In hindsight, it probably would have been better for Playmates to have only picked one size and only released a smaller number of figures with Wave 1, with more figures released in equally small waves over the course of the next three years.

That's not usually how movie tie-ins are done. It's usually all-or-nothing, to be in stores between the movie's theatrical release and the DVD, a window that gets shorter as the years go by.

But Star Trek has the luxury of being an established brand that most people have at least heard of. They could have easily have released an initial set featuring three to five characters under the Star Trek XI banner and then continued with another set under simply a new banner with new outer packaging--Hasbro does it all the time for their Star Wars and Transformers toylines. I think Mattel is even doing it too with their DC Comics toys.

It seemed that toy buyers wanted figures in the old Playmates scale, but also wanted playsets.

Playmates didn't really make any Star Trek XI figures in the old Playmates scale (5-inch), but they went with a 6-inch line (the Warp Series Collection) that was a compromise between the old Playmates scale and the larger 7-inch figures that Art Asylum/DST were making.

Smaller "Star Wars"-size figures mean more saleable/shelvable playsets. The retailers had already rejected the idea of more playsets like the old TNG bridge, which they said was too cumbersome.

They really don't like very large playsets. In addition to being bulky and cumbersome, they tend not to sell very well. Stuff scaled for 3.75-inch figures and smaller tend to do better.

Retailers cancelled Wave 2 because they couldn't get rid of all the Wave 1 stuff they were sent.

Retailers get sent what they ordered, and sometimes less than they ordered, if orders exceed manufacturers' expectations.

And sometimes they're sent stuff that just doesn't sell and don't order any more of it.

 

[doubleohfive]

This thread reminded me that I have two or three boxes (the kind you get at Staples or Office Depot with ten reams of paper in it) crammed with the Playmates and Art Asylum figures from the '90s and early '00s that I spent a small fortune collecting... and which have been in those boxes collecting dust for the last seven or eight years sitting in the back top shelf of my closet. I'm trying to decide if it'd be worth it to dust them all off and hock them on eBay.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

There is a resurgence of fans/collectors but not much new stuff on the market to buy. I'd say it is a good time for ebay.

But it is a better time for Diamond Select to put out more figures!!!

 

[MatthiasRussell]

Anyone who wants to help out with this, please join in the email campaign this week.

DST (customerservice@diamondselecttoys.com), Big Bad Toy Store (service@bigbadtoystore.com), and the st.com store (startrekstore@ordering.com)

Another week, another chance to join the campaign to bring back Diamond Select figures.

 

[Caesar753]

^^
Just shot off a few emails. Hopefully something comes of our effort.

 

[P0sitr0nic]

Same. Mentioned the Voyager line by name.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

Thanks for the support.

I just noticed the AGT Ent-D that was supposed to be rereleased this month just got kicked back to Oct. That is the 4th time they've kicked it back this year. Big Bad Toy Store and Amazon both show preorders available so apparently they are ordering but DS is not supplying.

Perhaps we should add Amazon.com to the mailing list.

 

[Caesar753]

^^
I'm patiently waiting for the Nemesis Enterprise E. Unfortunately, DS pushed back the release date, yet again...

 

[MatthiasRussell]

Yeah. DST needs to just stop posting potential release dates. People on ebay need to not be auctioning preorders also.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

http://startrek.com/article/first-look-diamond-goes-retro-with-picard-and-borg



DST has failed to deliver, giving us dolls instead. If you aren't satisfied, please let them know.

 

[Caesar753]

^^
Ug, depressing.