Playmates Toys returns to Star Trek with universe-spanning releases starting in 2022

Playmates Toys are returning to Star Trek! The company that has twice before produced extensive range of Star Trek toys are back on board thanks to to Star Trek Prodigy opening Trek up younger audiences. Playmates will start producing toys for that series alongside Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and the rest of Trek TV and movies, from next year. 

As announced on StarTrek.com, their license spans "action figures, vehicles and ships, role play and other toy categories for all Star Trek properties". The announcement also promises "Playmates will bring to the Star Trek Universe are its attention to brand detail, authentic portrait sculpting, and new product innovations it plans to introduce to its forthcoming Star Trek collections."

There's also this teaser images, which with a little enhancement gives us the first glimpse of six action figures on the way. Continue below to have a look!

Playmates Star Trek toys box art by Ron McPherson

I recently came across the art of Ron McPherson, the artist who created much of the box art for the 90s Playmates Star Trek toy range. Between his website and Behance portfolio, he has shared much of his work on the range, giving a rare opportunity to checkout the artwork without all the other box titles and labels. I've paired each piece up with the final box art, to give a look at how the packaging design works. Continue below to check out:

I have to start with the artwork for one of my favourite ever Star Trek toys, the glorious "transwarping" Enterprise, as Playmates named the tri-nacelled future Enterprise from All Good Things....

McPherson's artwork captures stages of the transformation, complete with the hull panel flaps you have to flip out to reveal the refit components.

Star Trek action figure prototypes at auction

PropStore have launched an auction of toys and collectables, which include numerous Star Trek lots. Among the items on offer are lots of well kept vintage toys, but perhaps more interestingly a whole load of prototypes from several different ranges. Continue below to check out the highlights:

One of the most unique items on offer is a prototype Klingon action figure, made by Playmates. At 6 inches tall, the quiet caricatured design would have been larger than Playmates normal 4.5 inch range. It seems a little reminiscent of the even larger Alien Combat figures that came towards the end of Playmates run; I wonder if this was an earlier take on the same idea.

Star Trek toys prototypes and production assets at auction

There's some pretty cool Star Trek stuff on offer in Prop Store's latest auction, of toys and memorabilia. Among the reams of Star Wars stuff you'll find a healthy selection of Star Trek toys, spanning a good chunk of Star Trek toy history, including some pretty unique items, such as unreleased action figures, prototypes, and production art. Continue below to check out what's on offer:

My favourites among the listings are a series of molds for The Final Frontier figurines produced by Galoob. These were made by roto-molding, which Prop Store have an excellent description of in their auction catalogue:

Rotational molding or “roto-molding” uses liquid vinyl material to create items such as baby doll heads or squeeze toys. The molds are composed of one piece with an opening. A set amount of vinyl is poured into the opening, which is then capped and rotated in many directions while heated until the material forms an even, detailed coat on the inside of the mold. While still warm, the part is pulled from the mold and allowed to cool. Roto-molding is a very economical manufacturing method because the mold is cheap to produce and simple to use.

The molds themselves are made by submerging a wax pattern in a bath and electroplating onto it until the desired mold thickness is reached. The wax is then melted out of the mold, leaving the “clean” form inside. The inside of the mold is where the detailing lies; therefore, the exterior may only provide a marginal representation of the final toy.

All five character's in Galoob's Final Frontier range are available, Klaa, Sybok, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, although most of the molds are missing parts, with just Klag and McCoy complete (I wonder if you could make your own figures from them?)

Cancelled Kelvin timeline Playmates toys revealed

Back in 2009, the relaunch of the Star Trek movies with the first Kelvin timeline film brought with it the return of Playmates to Star Trek toys, coming with ambitious plans for a large range of of Star Trek action figures at multiple scales, role play props, and model ships. Alas those ambitions quickly became the latest chapter in Star Trek toys' long history of flops, and after the initial wave plans for expanding the collection were quietly forgotten, while the lingering remains of the first releases found themselves covered in discount stickers.

By the time Playmates pulled the plug they had already announced the line-up of a second wave of action figures, which would have expanded the available cast considerably, including the Delta Vega creatures! But it was known Playmates were already at work on further releases too, and now thanks to an eBay seller we can get a look at what they were developing. Kateunc2 is offering copies of several pieces of concept art, which were apparently "personally obtained via previous worker at Playmates"; they seem fairly credible, as they illustrate several lines Playmates were known to be working on. Continue below to check out what could have been.

Many of the pieces shown are versions of Spock, so I guess either Playmates were really keen on Spock variants, or whoever smuggled these out just had that preference. That includes Spock prime as we first met him in the movie, in his Delta Vega thermals. This design is for one of Playmates smaller 3.75 inch scale "Galaxy Collection" figures; in fact all the action figure artwork shown here appears to be for the smallest scale range Playmates were working on.

Triple Tri-nacelle Enterprise-D Review

The third subscription extra with Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection, is the first of two model ships offered just to subscribers, the USS Enterprise-D, All Good Thing... version. That is the one with three nacelles. Inspired by that extra ship with an extra nacelle I thought I'd throw in a couple more models in this review too. So as well as the Eaglemoss version, I'll examine the much larger Diamond Select Toys model, which was most recently reissued last year, and the Playmates "Transwarping Enterprise" from the 90s.

Eaglemoss

I'll start with the most recent, and smallest of the three, the Eaglemoss rendition. As you might have guessed the case would be, to create this extra model, Eaglemoss have taken their Enterprise-D model, which was the first issue of the series (see my previous review), and added the extra components to make the refit design. Overall then the model is to the same very high standard as the regular Enterprise-D, with crisp molded and printed details, included an extensive and intricate aztecing print which makes the small model look very detailed.

The extra details on both surfaces of the saucer, and the third nacelle support, are new parts added on top of the existing model, with the printing on the underside of the saucer amended so that the registration fits around the new phaser cannon. The top sides of the nacelles have been swapped out for new parts which incorporate the extra section on top of each nacelle, and the entire top/back section of the engineering hull also appears to have been exchanged for an alternate part which includes the extra fins at the base of the nacelle struts.

The new elements of the design which are molded into replacement parts of the ship are obviously slightly better integrated into the model than those simply stuck on top. But generally those parts are pretty good too, with the only noticeable gaps showing where the big phaser canon rests against the underside of the saucer - You can only see any gap at all if you look directly side-on though.

If I have one criticism it's not the model at all, that's excellent, it's the fact it is only a model. I would have really liked this model to have come with a magazine, like the other ships in the series, to give us some technical details of the Enterprise-D refit, and maybe show some of the ideas bounced around in developing this different take on the familiar ship. Alas as a bonus model, the model is all we get.

Continue after the jump for more photos of this model, and a look at the other two renditions of the All Good Things... Enterprise.

Old-TOS coming from Playmates?

Well here's something interesting... according to a press release posted on Toy News International Playmates is set to release a new array of Star Trek stuff, including continuations of there current lines, a new line called Starfleet Defenders which "includes a full array of movie characters articulated in small-scale in dynamic animated-style action poses. Collectible iconic mini space ships from the 2009 movie include the U.S.S. Enterprise, the U.S.S. Kelvin, and the Narada." And notably (given until now Diamond Select Toys has retained the licenses for TV series toys) a new line of Galaxy Edition figures based on The Original Series: "action figures and diorama’s based on the classic Star Trek series. These figures will be highly detailed with authentic life-like likenesses and feature over 16 points of articulation. Iconic scenes from the most popular episodes will be depicted in two-figure pack dioramas." Fascinating.

Playmates, wave the second

TrekMovie have revealed the contents of Playmates second wave of toys for the new movie, coming later this summer. They are:

In the "galaxy collection" of small scale figures. This wave includes McCoy and Chekov in Enterprise uniforms, Kirk and Sulu in their space-jump gear, Kirk in cadet and off-duty uniforms, Spock as an Academy instructor, Ayel, Sarek, and Keenser, plus the Drakoulias. Here are most of those:


In the mid-scale "warp collection" will feature a rather similar range: McCoy and Chekov in Enterprise uniforms, instructor Spock, and Kirk in space gear and cadet uniforms, plus the two Delta Vega animals, Drakoulias and Hengrauggi (the same names the novelization uses, and scaled down again, but might be good in comparison to the galaxy figures):


In the largest scale "command" series we get Scotty and Uhura in Enterprise uniforms, plus Nero, and additionally Toys'r'us exclusive Sulu and Pike in Enterprise uniforms.


Finally there's a role-play item, the "interactive utility belt", which generates missions you have to use the included communicator and phaser to complete (fun!)

trailer trailer sequel

A new TV trailer for the new film:

And one for the Playmates toys:

And news: Work on a sequel has been confirmed, a script is to be delivered by the end of the year with a target release of 2011.

Packaging and answers from DST and Playmates

The Art Asylum blog has been updated with shots of their packaging for the "Ultimate Quarter Scale" line of figures, they look like this (and you can see more angles, here):

The Blog has also posted the latest Q&A session with DST, the highlights of which include:

Possibles for their next ship could include the Defiant, Excelsior or a Borg ship, but DS9 and Voyager are unlikely at the moment. Meanwhile the All Good Things... version of their next ship, the Enterprise-D, is close to finding a buyer.

They would like to do Guinan and Yar figures, and have previously considered the Duras sisters. The previously announced Kruge and Maltz two-pack has been put on hold due to low orders.

Meanwhile the Japanese website Hot Toys has revealed packaging shots from Playmates new movie line. Here's a sample:
See Hot Toys for the rest of the range.

Playmates toys for new movie

Trekmovie.com have released images of the first wave of toys made by Playmates for the new movie. This rather large range consists of:

An assortment of three and three quarter inch figures, dubbed the "galaxy collection", which include Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Pike in standard uniforms, McCoy and Chekov in Cadet uniforms, old Spock and Nero.
To go with that scale of figure are two playsets, the bridge and transporter room, each figure comes with additional parts to add to these playsets to expand them.
There will also be a six inch "warp collection" of figures, which include Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Sulu and Pike in standard uniforms, McCoy, Chekov and Uhura as cadets and old Spock and Nero.
Finally for figures, there will be a twelve inch series, the "command collection", which will consist of four figures; Kirk, Spock (old and young versions) and McCoy. There will also be a Nero, exclusive to a major retailer.
At the people scale, playmates will be issuing three role play toys, a phaser, tricorder and communicator. Each have light and sound features.
Finally there will also be a model of the Enterprise
See TrekMovie's report for lots of detail on this line.

New movie Kirk figure

Toy News International have released the first look at one of Playmate's six inch figures for the new movie; Captain Kirk, wearing a woolly jumper apparently...

New movie toys

TrekMovie.com have reported on what toys will make up the first wave of releases by Playmates to go along with the new movie.

The assortment includes; Model of the Enterprise and Nero's ship, which is apparently called the Narada; Action figures at 3.75, 6 and 12 inch scales; Playsets of the bridge and transporter room to accompany the smallest scale figures; Props, including a communicator, phaser, tricorder and utility belt; Walkie-talkies; And a "phaser tag" game.

See TrekMovie's report for full details.

Playmates returns

TrekMovie has reported that the toy company Playmates will be returning to Star Trek, as it has obtained the license for making toys for the new movie. Diamond Select Toys will continue to hold the license for the rest of the Star Trek franchise.

TrekMovie are spinning it as great for bringing Trek back to the mass market, which is true, DST are quite a specialist (and comparatively small) company targeting older collectors. Personally I receive this news cautiously, as Playmates’ previous massive range of Trek toys was numerous but rather poor in terms of detailing and quality. Here's hoping they've upped their game in the years between then and now.