Anybody have Art Asylum Trek figures?

[Cardbuff]

I bought just a few of the first Enterprise figures that were easily found at TRU. The Away Team suits and equipment are very well done, I've still got Archer out on display.

Later, it seemed that they were too hard to find, and variations and limited ones annoyed me, so I just stopped. I've already got a ton of Playmates figures that became worthless after the 1701 fiasco, including dozens that are open and can be re-displayed whenever I want, so I'm just sticking with those now. They are more 'toy-like', which is more fun to me anyway.

[Captain]

The TPol set was released...at least in Canada. I picked a couple up when they were on clearance. They fit Megos better than the Art Asylum figures, so I have been using them for custom bridges.

I think it was the Mayweather helm set that got the short shift, and only a few of those hit the shelves before the line was axed.

[Sideshow Spock]

I bought just a few of the first Enterprise figures that were easily found at TRU. The Away Team suits and equipment are very well done, I've still got Archer out on display.

Later, it seemed that they were too hard to find, and variations and limited ones annoyed me, so I just stopped. I've already got a ton of Playmates figures that became worthless after the 1701 fiasco, including dozens that are open and can be re-displayed whenever I want, so I'm just sticking with those now. They are more 'toy-like', which is more fun to me anyway.

The original Enterprise line was available at stores like TRU and Target, but not long after AA realized these figs were best offered via specialty markets only, and that's where they've been confined to since; comic shops and the like that do business with DST.

Also, Playmates Trek figs didn't become "worthless" after the 1701 chase figs.. demand at that point was already slowing for what was already a 5-year old line, and that's one of the reasons PM did it to begin with. The line managed to survive another two or three years and did some good work during that time.

It's true that PM 5" Trek has really tanked on ebay in the last few yrs, but that's just indicative of the glut of 5" figs out there and the general state of Star Trek and the apathetic public.

1701 Picard, however, still commands a very steep price. Usually around $400.

[spamn]

The TPol set was released...at least in Canada. I picked a couple up when they were on clearance. They fit Megos better than the Art Asylum figures, so I have been using them for custom bridges.

I think it was the Mayweather helm set that got the short shift, and only a few of those hit the shelves before the line was axed.

Didn't know that, or if I did, I forgot. Is her bridge set identical to the Malcom Reed one?

[Cardbuff]

Also, Playmates Trek figs didn't become "worthless" after the 1701 chase figs.. demand at that point was already slowing for what was already a 5-year old line, and that's one of the reasons PM did it to begin with. The line managed to survive another two or three years and did some good work during that time.

It's true that PM 5" Trek has really tanked on ebay in the last few yrs, but that's just indicative of the glut of 5" figs out there and the general state of Star Trek and the apathetic public.

1701 Picard, however, still commands a very steep price. Usually around $400.

I think Playmates did great work making Star Trek figures and toys. I bought a boatload of them, including multiples of the 5 inch and 9 inch figures. I also was thrilled to get the Classic bridge set, and many of the electronic toys.

Maybe things were different by you, but the 1701 chase thing DID affect things by me, and my extra 'regular' figures became worthless. I wasn't selling on ebay, but I was trading extras to the comic store, and after the 1701 release they told me they wouldn't take any more because collectors were angered because they knew they couldn't get a complete set. I felt the same way then, and still do. I like to complete sets, just like with trading cards, and they made that pretty much impossible for an average person.

Sure, 1701 Picard is worth big bucks, but despite all the time and money I invested in that series, I would not even consider buying that figure now - I thought it was a crummy thing then, and even if I changed my mind, I'd still need the other 2 ridiculously rare '1701' figures'. Those kind of prices for a recent release are for people INVESTING in toys, not someone like me who buys them for fun.

I have many Playmates Trek figures here, 5" and 9" - if anyone is looking for something, LMK and I'll look. I used to buy additional figures just because the accessories were a different color, and I only opened ones I had dupes of.

[Sideshow Spock]

Maybe things were different by you, but the 1701 chase thing DID affect things by me, and my extra 'regular' figures became worthless. I wasn't selling on ebay, but I was trading extras to the comic store, and after the 1701 release they told me they wouldn't take any more because collectors were angered because they knew they couldn't get a complete set. I felt the same way then, and still do. I like to complete sets, just like with trading cards, and they made that pretty much impossible for an average person.

Sure, 1701 Picard is worth big bucks, but despite all the time and money I invested in that series, I would not even consider buying that figure now - I thought it was a crummy thing then, and even if I changed my mind, I'd still need the other 2 ridiculously rare '1701' figures'. Those kind of prices for a recent release are for people INVESTING in toys, not someone like me who buys them for fun.

I have no doubt that there were many completeists like yourself that were irritated, but I didn't personally know any collectors that abandoned the line because of it. I'm sure it did lose some, but it probably gained others in all the publicity the 1701s generated. Heck, I was only a casual Trek collector (usually buying stuff on clearance at my Kmart), and knew nothing about the 1701 figs - until I saw the Picard fig featured on TV! There used to be a collectible show on the FX Network called "Personal FX", and somebody brought in Picard for one of their appraisals. At that point he was going for more than $500, and that just floored me. An episode months later featured a 1701 Yar that was found by a lady at a Walmart in a small city that was coincidentally only a 45 min drive away from me.

I also remember 1701 Picard gracing the cover of White's Guide (a popular collecting mag at the time), and reading all about it there.

I never found any of the 1701 figs at retail either, but I did find the later 10K limiteds.

Did you consider buying the 1701 figs that PM released later in the 3-pack to try and make up for cheesing off people? Not like having them on card, but better than nothing, I guess.

Btw, this Trek toy ref site has a good entry about the 1701s:

http://members.aol.com/RDBousquet/1701.html

And also does a good job conveying the same feelings about them that cardbuff expressed..

[davidb]

Did you consider buying the 1701 figs that PM released later in the 3-pack to try and make up for cheesing off people? Not like having them on card, but better than nothing, I guess.

I know from experience that this is the only way I ever got them, and I bought them because I was really wanting a Tasha Yar (I'd picked up the other one they released but couldn't bring myself to open her because her number was under 1,000).

[Captain]

Didn't know that, or if I did, I forgot. Is her bridge set identical to the Malcom Reed one?

Pretty much. The "main screen" part in the middle is slightly different (its only a decal anyways as I recall) , and of course the sound bytes are different.

[Cardbuff]

Did you consider buying the 1701 figs that PM released later in the 3-pack to try and make up for cheesing off people? Not like having them on card, but better than nothing, I guess.

I considered it, but I passed. I decided if I was going to give them any more of my money it would only be for specific figures that 'grabbed' me, not to try to complete any particular series, like I had been doing.

[Ranger 3]

I considered it, but I passed. I decided if I was going to give them any more of my money it would only be for specific figures that 'grabbed' me, not to try to complete any particular series, like I had been doing.

Same thing happened to me, only a bit earlier around the time when figures like the Thomas Riker became rare, and then around the same the JCP exclusive Redemption Data. I got ticked, no so much that the figure was a store exclusive, but that right out of the box it became very expensive to get one on the secondary market.

From there it just got worse with other store exclusives and some figures that were very rare to find at retail. By the time the 1701s came along, I didn't care any more. I had realized that they had- at least for me- taken the fun out of 'collecting' these figures.

Since then I've sold off most of what I had and only kept certain ones that I really like, mostly TOS characters.

Mark

[Hamonrye]

Pretty much. The "main screen" part in the middle is slightly different (its only a decal anyways as I recall) , and of course the sound bytes are different.

Whoops! I believe spamn was asking about the Mayweather section, not the T'Pol one.

Mayweather was a guy and his Bridge module was the helm, which would have attached directly in front of the Captain's Chair. If any did hit the street I never saw 'em.

[spamn]

Whoops! I believe spamn was asking about the Mayweather section, not the T'Pol one.

Mayweather was a guy and his Bridge module was the helm, which would have attached directly in front of the Captain's Chair. If any did hit the street I never saw 'em.

Nope, I was asking about T'Pol. I remembered the situation as 'the last one in the set was never produced,' and mistakenly thought T'pol's was that last one in the set. But this thread's set me straight; I'm positive the Mayweather was never produced due to lack of sales.

I think very few T'pol's showed up in the states. I remember considering getting one on Ebay, but deciding there was no point in fighting for one when a second Malcom Reed one would do the job visually if could deal without the sound, which I could. So I was curious if the two were identical physically.

I wish we'd gotten the Mayweather station though, I didn't realize it was a unique piece instead of another arc of the circle. Though as it is we got a cool little mego-scale bridge set. How awesome would it be if Art Asylum did the same with the TOS or TNG crew (not just Captain's chairs)?

[spamn]

I have another favorite set from Art Asylum that I think might be overlooked in favor of the lines from the shows: The three figure Borg Alien Assimilation set. They were tall, bulky figures, around 8" or 9". The cards were designed to look like the Borg 'Regenerator' station or whatever that creche thing that they slept in looked like. There was a Klingon and a Cardassian, and here's the Hirogen figure:

[Sideshow Spock]

Nope, I was asking about T'Pol. I remembered the situation as 'the last one in the set was never produced,' and mistakenly thought T'pol's was that last one in the set. But this thread's set me straight; I'm positive the Mayweather was never produced due to lack of sales.

You're right, Mayweather was never produced; after the cancellation was announced, NewForce Comics attempted to get the set made as their exclusive, but it didn't happen. Here's the shot of Mayweather and console that AA solicited..

[spamn]

You're right, Mayweather was never produced; after the cancellation was announced, NewForce Comics attempted to get the set made as their exclusive, but it didn't happen. Here's the shot of Mayweather and console that AA solicited..

Dayum, I wish that'd been made.