QMx reveals its high end USS Vengeance replica

QMx has updated its website with a listing for their forthcoming artisan replica of the USS Vengeance. The 1:1600 scale model is almost a meter long, the largest replica starship in their range so far. Like all the artisan replicas, the Vengeance is hand-built by a team of talented modellers; it apparently takes six artisans two-hundred hours for each ship (and unlike Section 31, they manage it without assistance from an augment). The model comes with a mirrored display base, to make viewing it from all angles a little easier, and features light and sounds effects, using one-hundred LEDS, including warp, impulse, weapons, and running lights, all of which can be remote controlled. QMx also offer a customisation service - I wonder if they'd be willing to build it crashing into a partially crumpled skyscraper... If you want one of these dreadnoughts you'll need to have almost ten-thousand dollars to spare! Check her out.

UPDATE: The nice people at QMx have sent me higher resolution versions of the photos, click to enjoy a closer look:

If you're not feeling quite rich enough to get this particular ship, QMx are also planning a collector's model, which should offer another super accurate representation of the ship, but without any of the fancy features, and somewhat smaller, for something around the one-hundred dollar mark. If that's still to rich, there's always the Hot Wheels version, or the forthcoming Kre-O rendition.

In other QMx news, they have released their latest Trekkies comic strip, this time featuring the Gorn:

The first batch of Trekkies figurines will be available for the first time at the San Diego Comic Con, along with a limited edition mirror-Spock. QMx have released a few more images of the latter, showing him from all angles, have a look (after the jump):

Isn't mirror-Spock adorable?

The first products in QMx's new Trekkies range, the super-cute "Q-Pop" figurines of Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, are due to launch any time now. But it seems it won't just be the noble crew of the USS Enterprise getting the Trekkies treatment, there's also a mirror universe visitor sneaking about: Coming as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive will be a mirror-Spock Trekkies figurine, like the other characters he features a miniature white-board speech-bubble, so you can write in your favourite quotes, quips, puns, or sound-effects:

Fortunately QMx are a nice bunch, so if you're not going to Comic Con they're still offering an opportunity to get a mirror-Spock, from a limited supply they are holding back to sell online. They suggest signing up to the waiting list if you want to get one.

QMx's latest starships

QMx have added product pages for two new starships. What must surely be the most extravagant product based on Star Trek: Enterprise ever, the artisan replica Enterprise NX-01 is on the way. Like QMx's previous artisan starships, the NX-01 comes on a mirrored base giving you a neck-friendly way to examine the details on the underside. The model features over one-hundred-and-fifty LED lights, as well as sound effects which can be played with a variety of sequences such as warp and impulse travel, rotating bussard collectors, and firing weapons. It will also come with a dedication plague with Doug Drexler's signature.

It apparently takes six artisans one-hundred-and-fifteen hours to make each of these models, which can also be customised, should you prefer to add the Columbia to your fleet or such-like (I wonder if they'd go as far as the refit design...). There will be just one-hundred of them made, and one can be yours for just shy of four-thousand dollars (which is actually the cheapest Star Trek starship in the artisan range at the moment). Here are some pictures, you can see more on QMx's website:

At completely the other end of the scale, QMx's other new ship is a new cuddly toy version of the TOS USS Enterprise. Believe it or not this is at least the second plush USS Enterprise, following in the footsteps of the ThinkGeek version. The new QMx take on the idea has much more detailing, check her out:

 

 

QMx also released their latest Trekkies comic strip in their most recent email newsletter, it's full of tribbles:

Incidentally, ThinkGeek have out-paced QMx with this too, tribble slippers are real things!

QMx's Into Darkness extravaganza

QMx were in the pretty cool position of making several of the props used in Into Darkness, and have now announced plans to make many of those items available to use lot in the real world. Because they made them in the first place they are also able to offer them super screen accurate replicas.

Those props include no less than fourteen different aeroplanes, spacecraft, and starships that made up the history of starflight collection in Admiral Marcus' office. The models stretched back from the Wright Brother's first plane through to the USS Vengeance. QMx will be offering several of them as collector's models (which tend to be around the $100 mark) and/or high end studio filming miniature style models (which are several thousand dollars a go). We already knew the Kelvin was coming as a collector's model, and now she will be joined by the Vengeance, which will be released in both formats. The ring-ship will also be offered as a high end replica in limited numbers at Comic Con, and the NX-01 is also planned as a high end release. Here are the starships from the History of Flight display, check out QMx's gallery for the historical vehicles. Update: Added a couple more angles of the Vengeance posted by io9:

 

 

 

 

 

The ships are just the start though, QMX will also be offering phasers, rings, flags, and badges. Check them all out after the jump (and watch out for spoilers in the comic strip at the bottom of the page):

Check out QMx's USS Kelvin

QMx have released a couple of images of their forthcoming USS Kelvin model, the latest starship in their high end studio model style replica range. UPDATE: In fact this will not be part of the studio replica line, but a "collector scale model", comparable to their model of the Serenity, or Death Glider and F-302 from Stargate. Those are all around a hundred dollars, rather than the several thousand of the high end replicas! Check out the prototype of their version of this fine starship:

Elsewhere in the QMx spectrum of Trek goodies, here's their latest Trekkies comic strip (posted on the QMx Twitter), in which Captain Kirk wears himself out:

Tribbles coming from QMx

QMx have announced in their latest email newsletter, that this summer they will be releasing tribbles into the world. They will come in little specimen containers, so if you're careful, and don't feed them, you should be safe from a tribble plague upon your house.

The QMx twitter account also recently posted a comic strip based on their Trekkies version of Star Trek, which also featured a tribble:

QMx aren't the only ones in the tribble business, Diamond Select Toys are also re-releasing their electronic purring (or screaming) and wriggling tribbles this summer. It will be interesting to see if the QMx versions offer anything different (make them climb walls? come with litter of baby tribbles inside??).

Behind the scenes on QMx's Trekkies

QMx have posted a behind-the-scenes look at the development of their new Trekkies Q-Pop figurines. Commenting on them, designer Mohammad Haque noted he wanted to come up with something unique:

I didn’t want just chibi-style figures, I wanted to do something no one had done before. I came up with idea of a speech bubble, with Kirk saying, ‘Pew! Pew! Pew!’ But I wanted the collector to be able to write his or her own words. So I came up with the idea of a speech-bubble whiteboard.

The article also explains the name, Q-Pop, Q, short for quite, and pop is the speech bubble. Also noted is that the speech bubbles can be removed if collector's wish to only have the figures on display.

 

 

The article also promises more Q-Pop figurines on the way, including Doctor McCoy, Scotty, and several cutified villains. The first three figures, Kirk, Spock, and Uhura, will be out this summer.

Trekkies, and other QMx goodies

QMx have just launched a new range of stylised Star Trek products, called Trekkies. According to StarTrek.com the line will include:

...plushes, PVC figures and novelties designed to capture the fun side of the characters, ships and props made famous by Star Trek over the past several decades.

They're kicking it off with a series of three "Q-Pop" style figurines, of Kirk, Spock, and Uhura. Each of the 4.5 inch tall characters, designed by QMx's Mohammad Haque, comes with a whiteboard speech bubble, allowing you to include catch-phrases and quips of your choosing using the included Trekkies board-marker. The characters are designed to:

...embrace a more whimsical style reminiscent of Japanese chibi characters, but with a distinctly American flair.

Here are the three figurines:

 

 

This isn't the first time QMx have dabbled with a stylised Star Trek, a couple of years ago they were showing off a pretty neat animated-style nuTrek Kirk statue. Though I'm not sure that was ever actually released. QMx aren't the only ones either, with the caricatured style cropping all over Trek, including the QUOGs ranges, and the recently announced Star Trek Fighter Pods toys.

Beyond the new Trekkies range QMx are a busy in the world of Trek, having expanded their license last year from products based on the 2009 film, to now being able to produce items based on all the tv series and films. In addition to being one of the distributors of the TOS retro print range, they have so far added a few TNG products to their Star Trek range. Keep reading after the jump for a round up of the latest QMx releases: