Trek figures in the stores?

[Captain]

I've been following the UK toy fair news over the weekend and rumor has it that Diamond Select is making the EMCE figures available to mass outlet retailers over there, along with their other Trek (and other) products?

If they are doing it there, I'm betting the same is coming over here?!?!

Paul....anything you can add to clear this up?

[Sideshow Spock]

DST and Toys R Us announced a deal this past December.. TRU will be carrying many DST products.. I think the jury is still out if EMCE's offerings will be included.

[ScottA]

So far our TRU has had the 2 packs of Kirk and Spock from TMP and from Amok Time from TOS. They also have single carded figures of Kirk and Spock from TOS. I have not seen the screaming Kirk yet. They also have the phaser from TOS as well.

If everything pictured on the back is sold at TRU it would be a pretty decent display. Is shows not only more waves of figures but EMCE figures, mini-mates and more playsets.

[jwyblejr]

I haven't been to one in awhile but I wouldn't be surprised if they've showed up at Suncoast.

[Eric]

I saw two Keepers on the rack at an FYE store in Albany, NY. Figures they were both of my least favorite character.

[Captain]

TRU in Canada has been carrying some of the Diamond figures for over a year now. A source of mine in the UK is telling me that Diamond is offerring the EMCE figures to ANY AND ALL retailers at the UK toy fair this past weekend....thats why I'm wondering/hoping this will be a case of monkey see/monkey do, and Diamond offers them to retailers in North America.

I dont know how, but Diamond isnt doing very well of late just serving the comics industry (hard to ponder when you realize they pretty much have a monopoly?)...This was the driving force behind Diamonds TRU partnership, and they are looking at moving into more mainstream retail distributing deals. Dont know if it will work or not, but if it means EMCE at Wal Mart, etc, I'm all for it!!!

[thunderbolt]

^^^ Maybe Diamond is doing poorly because the big comic publishers aren't doing so hot either?

[blastphemey]

I saw two Keepers on the rack at an FYE store in Albany, NY. Figures they were both of my least favorite character.

same, except they have had all of the figures since kirk and kling.

[Hulk]

I think its because the mass market toys suck eggs, and the lack of major retailers limits the choices too much. There is an infinitely greater variety of items available through Diamond, so they offer a way to differentiate, even if only on a small scale.

[GAFan]

I haven't been to one in awhile but I wouldn't be surprised if they've showed up at Suncoast.

That's where I've seen them.

[jasonmego1277]

same, except they have had all of the figures since kirk and kling.

I have saw Kirk and Klingon at an FYE store recently.

[jasonmego1277]

That's where I've seen them.

I could see these at Suncoast. They used to carry everything. Never failed, If i couldn't find a figure at KB, TRU, Wally world, Target , or KMart I'd be off to Suncoast or Spencer Gifts and BAM ! there it was.

[drmego]

Comic shops are Diamond's primary customer. Comic stores are like yarn stores -
they serve a very small segment of the population and you don't need a lot of
them. Comics and toys are impulse and luxury items. If you want to cut down
on your spending, that is usually what gets eliminated.

In the best of times, comic shops are hand to mouth, mom and pop operations.
I'm sure many of them are closing up across the country.

In order to stay viable, Diamond needs to expand its distribution into traditional
retailers. When the economy recovers, comic stores will re-open, but it will
still take a while.