EXO-6 Star Trek "General Discussion" 1/6 Line

[Jimmy C]

I kind of understand a little better now how/why Nanjin is doing things the way he has. Without knowing what the actual production numbers are, I guess if he produces ( let’s say ) 1,000 units of Janeway and 1, 500 of Tuvok and 2,000 units of Archer he brings in enough capital to produce 10,000 units of TWOK Kirk. I dunno.
… But consider the older the series, the older the fan. I’m a 62 + TOS and 1960’s fan (other favorites in my collection are Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, Jimi Hendrix, Vic Morrow in Combat and George C. Scott as Patton) . The older we are the shorter the collecting days we have ahead of us. I don’t intend to collect anything beyond TOS and TWOK. I don’t know if I will still be collecting when they get around to them. ——- I really would have rather had The Cage/Menagerie Pike, Spock and # 1 than the SNW version.

 

[Sarge]

I kind of understand a little better now how/why Nanjin is doing things the way he has. Without knowing what the actual production numbers are, I guess if he produces ( let’s say ) 1,000 units of Janeway and 1, 500 of Tuvok and 2,000 units of Archer he brings in enough capital to produce 10,000 units of TWOK Kirk. I dunno.
… But consider the older the series, the older the fan. I’m a 62 + TOS and 1960’s fan (other favorites in my collection are Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, Jimi Hendrix, Vic Morrow in Combat and George C. Scott as Patton) . The older we are the shorter the collecting days we have ahead of us. I don’t intend to collect anything beyond TOS and TWOK. I don’t know if I will still be collecting when they get around to them. ——- I really would have rather had The Cage/Menagerie Pike, Spock and # 1 than the SNW version.

I'm right there with ya. I don't want to grow old and die before TOS comes out, but it's clear that he's building capital to do TOS and TUC, and do them right. They may not end up being his best sellers due to the age of TOS fans and the time that has lapsed since the show/movies, but they will be the last of it and if they don't make money, oh well. He's already said he'll be out of business after that anyway.

 

[ymba]

I don’t think he will be out of business but then again the ramp up for production of the less demand series must cost a high amount of capital to sell. I don’t under his business model but TBH unsure how he can build up capital when he is selling some lines that might not be big sellers.

To sell any figures ,I assumed there has to be a minimum quantity economy of sale from production to make it work . The issue is when you must produce X and only Y sells. How would you build additional capital? Just saying

 

[Warthog81]

Perhaps you gave up too soon before it got good?

Why not give it another try? You may see it with different eyes now.
Seems it has found a lot of new appreciation these days from people who originally dismissed it, saying it's way better than they remember.

Wasn't there a diagram of it being the most watched Star Trek show currently on Netflix?

At the time I did not want a prequel, it annoyed me they went for that. I wanted a post TNG, DS9, Voyager show that could feature just about anyone we had seen in those shows. Maybe a Captain Riker show etc. Sadly it did not happen. I have since watched Enterprise from beginning to end. I thought it was ok, liked some of it a fair bit, better than I did during the original run, it did not deserve to be cancelled. I don't think I need any figures from it though.

So strange that as someone who loved 90s Trek back in the day and always did like TOS as well I have now ended up only really caring about TOS.

I should add that I am 42.

 

[Astra]

At the time I did not want a prequel, it annoyed me they went for that. I wanted a post TNG, DS9, Voyager show that could feature just about anyone we had seen in those shows. Maybe a Captain Riker show etc. Sadly it did not happen. I have since watched Enterprise from beginning to end. I thought it was ok, liked some of it a fair bit, better than I did during the original run, it did not deserve to be cancelled. I don't think I need any figures from it though.

So strange that as someone who loved 90s Trek back in the day and always did like TOS as well I have now ended up only really caring about TOS.

I should add that I am 42.

Fair enough. As long as you've watched it all the way trough and can judge it as a whole.

Me, I am 50 and very late to the Star Trek party. I watched TOS in 2015 for the very first time. After Nimoy had died and all my friends were heartbroken. I grew up in East Germany with no Star Trek.

So I watched TOS and I liked it very much and got the QMX figures and even met Shatner in 2016 and watched all other things with Shatner as well.

Then some years later I became an Orville fan and there was so much Star Trek talk in the forums that I decided I need to see more of the ST universe. In 2020 I started with Voyager and immediately I fell in love.

It seems to be the perfect intro for women, I have recommended it to many friends since as their first show. Then I had a friend who wanted me to become a fan of Scott Bakula so I watched Enterprise (after also watching Quantum Leap for the very first time. I was more into MacGyver when QL originally aired).

Currently I am making my way through DS9 and then it will be TNG next I guess. I am doing it all backwards Not so much interested in modern Trek either though. Just because it has the sticker I don't need to love it all. I learned that in the Stargate universe.

 

[Skyroes]

I do wonder how much farther TOS can go. Star Trek is way past it's prime, back when it had toys in toy stores and stuff... The Star Trek collectible market still hasn't recovered since that huge crash (what, 90s? early 00s?). Old people are dying off. Fewer and fewer young people pick it up, especially TOS.
I'm a huge Trek fan but I can't really watch TOS. It's too slow and many of it's episodes are just kind of dumb or ridiculously outdated at this point. I appreciate it's history. Some of the movies are really good and timeless. But geez, when my parents and all the old people are dead (I'm getting old myself) there's just a few quirky young people left.

It doesn't have the staying power of Star Wars and stuff. I'm fairly sure in 30 years time whatever new Reboot happens will overshadow TOS to most living people's eyes.


The market is probably smaller than it's ever been because of death and the economic reality of the world too. I'd hate to be EXO right now. It's a TOUGH market. And I'm not sure TOS would be their biggest seller. Though maybe I'm wrong because with the crazy level of wealth inequality between old and young people the old people might just keep spending until they die! And old people really love TOS.

I appreciate TOS but it's just barely watchable. The history behind it is facinating. I've watched it all. There's no denying the cultural influence it has had or the positive movement of some issues forward. But man is it OLD!

I would not be surprised if TNG did better though. But also not surprised if it didn't.

I don’t necessarily believe Star Trek is past its prime - I hope it isn’t but I see what you’re saying in terms of quality. I’d like to think that under the right creative leadership it can find its shine again. If they were smart they’d bring in some of the writers from the previous series to educate this newer writing consortium on the history and general qualities that made the 90s such a successful formula.

There’s not a single franchise from that era or the early 80/90s that I can think of that hasn’t experienced a decline - including Star Wars, the majority are not raving about the Disney Trilogy and the streaming series they’ve produced have been hit or miss.

I would rather watch TOS over STD any day - its characters have depth, the stories are original, light hearted and it’s uplifting. No amount of CGI effects can make up for a lack of character charisma and plot depth.

I’m in my 30s and as I get older I find myself drawn more to the past and what made for some great memories whether that be television series, movies, music, etc. Most of the stuff of today doesn’t really compare, especially in the sci-fi space.

Things like TOS and classic literature may be old but personally I find it still relevant. It’s terms of its longevity with younger audiences (Gen Z, Gen Alpha), most within that group likely wouldn’t be able to name one piece that Shakespeare produced - it’s just a societal thing with these people glued to their devices surfing TikTok or whatever and not experiencing things of substance. There likely will still be a niche that will always be drawn to it though.

 

[Warthog81]

I am 42 and mostly seem to enjoy sci-fi from the 60s, 70s and 80s, even 90s stuff can be a bit modern for me now!!!!!! I watch new shows as well but find them very fast paced and totally reliant on CGI with very little plot. The newer things often leave me feeling empty.

I recently for the first time in years re-watched Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and the classic Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980 on Blu-ray. I really enjoyed them and afterwards wished I could have top quality 1/6 figures from those shows also! Buck, Wilma, Twiki, Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, Adama etc.

 

[Pauln6a]

I am 42 and mostly seem to enjoy sci-fi from the 60s, 70s and 80s, even 90s stuff can be a bit modern for me now!!!!!! I watch new shows as well but find them very fast paced and totally reliant on CGI with very little plot. The newer things often leave me feeling empty.

I recently for the first time in years re-watched Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and the classic Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980 on Blu-ray. I really enjoyed them and afterwards wished I could have top quality 1/6 figures from those shows also! Buck, Wilma, Twiki, Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, Adama etc.

I want a 1:1 Twiki with AI voiced by Mel Blanc.

 

[Jar-Jar Stinks]

I want a 1:1 Twiki with AI voiced by Mel Blanc.

BEETHEE, BEETHEE, BEETHEE….!

 

[ymba]

Let’s be honest until Tam came into the scenes there were not really any strong interest for 1/6 Quality ST figures. No company would touch the franchise as it was always a second fiddler behind SW and the risk to produce the figures outside of the main character were risky. Even QMX stopped after the big three and sprinkled in a few secondary cast abs that died in the vine . Even the TOS chair sat forever and were blown out .

Give credit where credit is due.. he did reignite the franchise. The problem I am concerned about is as he goes deeper into each series he might very well run into series or character that will not sell well and then the whole line can get hurt. Although I’m starting to see sold out characters are in demand now which bods well for the company.

Some of the head sculpts are honestly at par even when comparing to $1,000 custom figures while many other also are not quite up to par with the current 1/6 standards. His clothing is one of the high lights as every character clothing has shine. I do wondered how much life are left after collectors are burned out and out of money when he has 20 + characters coming out each year.

 

[davejames]

Yeah, as excited as he might be to produce so many different characters, and take advantage of this one and only opportunity to make them, it does seem like he might be at risk of overwhelming and burning people out on collecting Trek figures. As it's getting really expensive and hard to keep up.

 

[Pauln6a]

Yeah, as excited as he might be to produce so many different characters, and take advantage of this one and only opportunity to make them, it does seem like he might be at risk of overwhelming and burning people out on collecting Trek figures. As it's getting really expensive and hard to keep up.

Yes that's the difficult circle to square and always has been. Some of the customer base is like, hurry up and give me the figures I personally want, and the others are like, slow down, slow down!

 

[Berry The Music Man]

I just want them done the best they can be done .

 

[GhostBeard]

I don’t necessarily believe Star Trek is past its prime - I hope it isn’t but I see what you’re saying in terms of quality. I’d like to think that under the right creative leadership it can find its shine again. If they were smart they’d bring in some of the writers from the previous series to educate this newer writing consortium on the history and general qualities that made the 90s such a successful formula.

There’s not a single franchise from that era or the early 80/90s that I can think of that hasn’t experienced a decline - including Star Wars, the majority are not raving about the Disney Trilogy and the streaming series they’ve produced have been hit or miss.

I would rather watch TOS over STD any day - its characters have depth, the stories are original, light hearted and it’s uplifting. No amount of CGI effects can make up for a lack of character charisma and plot depth.

I’m in my 30s and as I get older I find myself drawn more to the past and what made for some great memories whether that be television series, movies, music, etc. Most of the stuff of today doesn’t really compare, especially in the sci-fi space.

Things like TOS and classic literature may be old but personally I find it still relevant. It’s terms of its longevity with younger audiences (Gen Z, Gen Alpha), most within that group likely wouldn’t be able to name one piece that Shakespeare produced - it’s just a societal thing with these people glued to their devices surfing TikTok or whatever and not experiencing things of substance. There likely will still be a niche that will always be drawn to it though.

Look at the numbers and you see Disney has killed everything they've acquired from Marvel to Star Wars to Indiana Jones. They've eviscerated what once was Lucasfilm. Trek had an opportunity there during the beginning of the end of SW to fill in that void and it was botched. Other than the Trek faithful I hear NO ONE talking about it, and a good portion of that is derision or hate watching. It appears nearly everything some of us of a certain age grew up with has been dealt a fatal blow. Unsure of the future, but it looks bleak. Other peoples' mileage may vary.

For EXO-6 figures, they still have my interest but (agreeing with another post here) I do not mind a slow down in figure releases as I am also going through a slow down leading to a resolution of the hobby altogether. All this stuff has to go somewhere someday.

 

[DParga21]

Look at the numbers and you see Disney has killed everything they've acquired from Marvel to Star Wars to Indiana Jones. They've eviscerated what once was Lucasfilm. Trek had an opportunity there during the beginning of the end of SW to fill in that void and it was botched. Other than the Trek faithful I hear NO ONE talking about it, and a good portion of that is derision or hate watching. It appears nearly everything some of us of a certain age grew up with has been dealt a fatal blow. Unsure of the future, but it looks bleak. Other peoples' mileage may vary.

For EXO-6 figures, they still have my interest but (agreeing with another post here) I do not mind a slow down in figure releases as I am also going through a slow down leading to a resolution of the hobby altogether. All this stuff has to go somewhere someday.

When I was growing up, I thought I must be the only person in the world who likes Star Trek.
That was in 93-97.
If it weren't for the internet, old-school AOL message boards, I'd have never thought anyone liked it
And even then, those boards were filled with older fans bitching and moaning about NuTrek. Every other poster had "Bring Back Kirk" in their signature. DS9 was too dark and anti-Trek. Voyager was just "Star Trek: Lost In Space". After Enterprise was canceled, we all thought Trek was dead.
Yet now, here we are. Trek is actually in the Nielson top tens. Multiple Teek-only conventions across the globe, including the Comic-Con sized one in Vegas. Two different Trek cruises every year that sell out within weeks.
So clearly, someone watches it. And a lot of people still spend a crapload of money on it.

 

[ymba]

The problem with our hobby is that is can be very addictive and many old/new collectors will buy every figure they see and then they suddenly realized :

1- They have no room to store all the boxes let alone the figures

2- They eventually not opened the new figures and just stored them

3- They soon realized they are burned out and they sell figures that are hopefully worth at least what they paid

4- Finally they are cash strapped and soon realized buying figures instead of buying other necessary home goods is not the prudent necessity .

Many times when you have to sell, you can sell for what you paid and sometimes more but with ST, it looks like it is a hit or miss. Most outside of a very few figures are selling at retail. I do see there are more ST selling and commanding higher prices but are rare.

The demand for these figures after release is not close to customs where collectors will chase and pay if they miss out. On rare occasions you will end up paying more after release but those are exceptions. Which makes buying every series, every figure released buyer beware and a cautionary tale. I see many on F/B selling for a loss after shipping etc..

 

[Sarge]

Let’s be honest until Tam came into the scenes there were not really any strong interest for 1/6 Quality ST figures. No company would touch the franchise as it was always a second fiddler behind SW and the risk to produce the figures outside of the main character were risky. Even QMX stopped after the big three and sprinkled in a few secondary cast abs that died in the vine . Even the TOS chair sat forever and were blown out .

Give credit where credit is due.. he did reignite the franchise. The problem I am concerned about is as he goes deeper into each series he might very well run into series or character that will not sell well and then the whole line can get hurt. Although I’m starting to see sold out characters are in demand now which bods well for the company.

Some of the head sculpts are honestly at par even when comparing to $1,000 custom figures while many other also are not quite up to par with the current 1/6 standards. His clothing is one of the high lights as every character clothing has shine. I do wondered how much life are left after collectors are burned out and out of money when he has 20 + characters coming out each year.

Good points. I'm glad he's around and doing the line. That said, it is a lot to keep up with, and I'm not even to the stuff I really want to collect yet. For example, you figure the original TOS crew, 7 members, $1400 minimum not counting shipping. That's a lot of coin the come up with for figures. I also give him credit in another area as well, his restraint at not making characters his inner fanboy really wants to make. I think most people know he's a Disco homer (and that Sauru figure WAS awesome) and wants to make the whole crew. But he KNOWS they won't sell. I still see both figures available for sale. I suspect Enterprise is the same way. But all that's for him to figure out.

 

[ymba]

Good points. I'm glad he's around and doing the line. That said, it is a lot to keep up with, and I'm not even to the stuff I really want to collect yet. For example, you figure the original TOS crew, 7 members, $1400 minimum not counting shipping. That's a lot of coin the come up with for figures. I also give him credit in another area as well, his restraint at not making characters his inner fanboy really wants to make. I think most people know he's a Disco homer (and that Sauru figure WAS awesome) and wants to make the whole crew. But he KNOWS they won't sell. I still see both figures available for sale. I suspect Enterprise is the same way. But all that's for him to figure out.

My gut feeling is TOS is at minimum still 3 -4 years + away. It remains to be seen if TOS will sell as well as everyone thinks. The TOS fans are all old and many new fans might not even buy TOS over TNG.

It is a pity he won’t even release a single TOS fan to test the demand but it is his business.

 

[Omegaplex]

Latest is that the Cardassians (Garak, Dukat) may be too expensive to make based on DS9 demand, so keep fingers crossed he can find a way over that hurdle... or we'll miss two very important characters in that franchise

 

[Sarge]

My gut feeling is TOS is at minimum still 3 -4 years + away. It remains to be seen if TOS will sell as well as everyone thinks. The TOS fans are all old and many new fans might not even buy TOS over TNG.

It is a pity he won’t even release a single TOS fan to test the demand but it is his business.

He's saving the wad for TUC, which is cool by me but yes, I'd like a TOS release as well. As you said, no one is getting any younger. I suspect he has a feeling TUC will be his best sellers