Mattle BSG Question...

[SexySkottie]

Something I've always wondered...with the Mattle BSG line, why no Applo, or boomer even? With figures like Ovion & Borat, I was always left scratching my head.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Good question. They might have produced the figures off of preliminary sketches with minimal notes and didn't know who was important and who wasn't. They may have picked characters that were more playable; Apollo and Boomer would be more guys in tan, like Starbuck.... so they may have passed. The Ovion is unique, and cool; so even though they were only in the pilot, they made for neat toys.

Don C.

[samurainoir]

http://www.battlestargalactica.com/toys/rarebstar1.jpg
Battlestar Data: The Mattel "GALACTICA" Found!
(http://www.battlestargalactica.com/toys/toys_0005.htm)

[palitoy]

The story I've heard is that Richard Hatch wouldn't allow a figure. I've always been partial to Don's thoughts on it though, it's just another guy in the same uniform as Starbuck.

[Werewolf]

The story I've heard is that Richard Hatch wouldn't allow a figure.

That doesn't make sense because He he obviously didn't have any problem with the cut out figure on the Trix cereal box or all the other BSG mercandise at the time that had his likeness.


I've always been partial to Don's thoughts on it though, it's just another guy in the same uniform as Starbuck.

That makes more sense. They probably just thought alien figures would sell better than Starbuck with black hair.

[YANOULI]

That Galactica is sweet.

[vulcan2074]

http://www.battlestargalactica.com/toys/rarebstar1.jpg
Battlestar Data: The Mattel "GALACTICA" Found!
(http://www.battlestargalactica.com/toys/toys_0005.htm)

Thats one Amazing toy. I've been on a real BSG kick lately. I Love it. :beaming1:
Sammy

[UnderdogDJLSW]

The Galactica looks like it would have been expensive for the time, but that Landram looks just like what they had in the show, I would have wanted that. As a kid I used Fisher-Price Adventure People to fill out the crew.

[david_b]

I LOVE looking at the Galactica and LandRam toys.. I don't have the 'thousands' to purchase them, but I'm still scratchin' my head as to why the LandRam didn't make it down here in the US. (I know the cancellation halted a lot of distribution plans..).

Hatch, action figure story..?? I heard the same story about him refusing the figure plans back at the 20Yarhen LA Con. Eh, it could be true, but I'm doubting it. 'Corporate Universal Studios'..? They were convinced they had a winner, so they would have just pushed forward and created the figures.

BUT, some points do come to mind..:

1) Why Starbuck? Initially, as you've probably all read.., the Starbuck character was originally just going to be 'one of the pilots', until he started gaining some recognition with the female audience. So the 'logical decision' would have been Apollo, since the original concept was to focus on 'the family' (Adama, Athena, Apollo, Boxey).

2) Producing another tan figure..? Not necessarily. As with the ESB jacketed Han Solo, I could see another figure being done with a jacketed Hatch. Molded, probably not because all the other figures were pretty 'mono-colored' except the boots, hands and heads. It could have been a vest or something disappointing like that (like the 12" Warrior, which was pushed out much earlier).

I do agree on the aliens focus.. Mattel was trying to compete with Kenner with their SW line, so naturally 'variety is key'.

david_b

[cjefferys]

I've always doubted the story of Hatch not allowing a figure made in his likeness. Would he have any kind of pull at all to make such a demand? I doubt it. I'm sure it was a standard part of the contract back then where merchandising rights of the actors' likeness was a part of the deal. If Hatch didn't like it and didn't want to sign the contract, Universal would just have found someone else for the role. Only a big star would have had any kind of power to get Universal to back down on a contract provision like that.

I'm sure that Mattel just rightly thought that aliens and robots had more appeal to boys, so why make two figures that would look very alike (Starbuck and Apollo) when they can make a cool looking alien, even if he just briefly appeared in one episode. If the line was continued past the second wave, Mattel could very well have thrown in some other human characters like Apollo.

[TCM Hitchhiker]

Yeah, I am sure they just felt the aliens and Cylons would sell better. Makes sense to me, since I only cared for and had the Cylons and aliens as a kid.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

It's possible Hatch had the rights to his own likeness at that time. The Star Wars thing was still pretty new, so the merchandaising might not have been a big enough deal for Paramount to want all the cards. (Or it MIGHT have been, but the contracts were inked before Star Wars mania hit.)

Don C.

[david_b]

I believe we're all in agreement here. Again, it's down to 'who was in the room when decisions were made'..

We'll never truely know, unless there's some R&D memo about the planning of the toyline that mentions decisions, or some character's name 'lined-through' and rejected for some reason.

So, other than using toyline common sense (aliens, variety, Starbuck).., who can really call Hatch on his story...? Who really cares at this point..? Fun for speculation, though.

I do agree that if the series would have continued on, an Apollo, Boomer, and perhaps some a Viper vehicle or two would have been considered, pending Mattel's profits margin.

I'm STILL drooling over that Galactica and Landram... :licklips:

[UnderdogDJLSW]

I think if that Galactica had come to be, it would have annoyed me the same the Dinky Enterprise annoyed me back in the day. (e.g. the lower hull opening up for a shuttle craft). Regardless, if it had come out I would have begged and pleaded for it, but things opening up that shouldn't (or didn't look like it should on the TV show) always bothered me as a kid ;). Ironically, I was the same child that thought the Mego Batmobile was spot on. Weird.

[Ranger 3]

I do agree that if the series would have continued on, an Apollo, Boomer, and perhaps some a Viper vehicle or two would have been considered, pending Mattel's profits margin.



Can you even imagine a 3.75"-scale Viper or Landram?? There's a couple pieces that would still be holding their value today...

M

[palitoy]

One thing I do know for sure because I have records is the toy line got to market a little late but sold really well while the show was on the air. When the show went off the air, it just rotted on the vine.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

One thing I do know for sure because I have records is the toy line got to market a little late
Hi Brian, I'm curious on that statement. Was there a difference between US and Canada, because I remember seeing the first wave of figures and the ships in a big display at Montgomery Wards in the summer of 1978.

[palitoy]

Well in Canada we got the movie earlier but I misspoke, Mattel got the license late, so they scrambled a bit. I was once they didn't even have a lot of reference material when they began.

[Captain]

Not sure about all the Hatch stories, but I do know a Apollo figure was in the planning stages. I've seen an apollo card, although it had a Starbuk figure on it....I've mentioned this before in the old days, but I'll say it again for the new folks. We used to have a bookstore here in town that used to also sell toys...usually oddball stuff you never got to see anywhere else, and I'm convinced the owner used to buy from a source that liquidated stock directly from the toy manufacturers, and their Canadian offices. In short, sales samples and that sort of thing.

I bought a Land Ram here, saw the Galactica (wanted it too, but it was pricey and Mom said no). The Apollo carded Starbuck (never thought at the time it would be worth anything...I wanted an Apollo figure...not yet another Starbuk!). they also had a lot of the Canadian re-packaged Karl May Mattel stuff (which no one else out here carried)...and other odds and ends. Odd little figurines and such, which I later learned were from Europe.

I miss this old store. got bought out by Coles years ago. We used to have a privately owned Drug store that carried a lot of Marx and corgi stuff too. the old guy that owned it was a toy nut, but when he died, Shoppers Drug Mart took over, and out went the toys!!

[SexySkottie]

wow...a 3.75" scale viper would've been awesome.
Any one got a pic of the apollo carded starbuck?

I'm not much of a reader, just learned from my wife that Starbuck was Capt Ahab's 1st mate in Moby Dick!

[Captain]

I've only ever seen the one Apollo card, and never heard of any others. I have a feeling it was a mockup card/sales sample of some sort. I can clearly recall the Richard Hatch drawing on the front, he was sort of smiling laughing, and was wearing a brown jacket.