CBS Consumer Products and McFarlane Toys just announced a new licensing deal covering the entire Star Trek franchise, including TV shows and movies. The announcement specifies that MacFarlane will be creating figures, role play weapons and accessories for the new Star Trek: Discovery television series.
The initial line will also be 7″ articulated figures for Captain Kirk from the original Star Trek and Captain Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. These figures will debut in window box collector packaging and feature iconic accessories such as phasers and communicators. They will be available in the spring of 2018 at major retailers worldwide starting at an MSRP of $19.99.
McFarlane is well-known for high-quality collectible figures from a number of brands including Spawn (originally created by Todd McFarlane), The Walking Dead, South Park, Rick and Morty, Gears of War, the NBA and the NFL. The below Sara Ryder 7″ articulated figures from Mass Effect: Andromeda (which sells for $19.99) should give an idea what kind of work they do.
McFarlane Toys 7-inch Mass Effect figure
“Star Trek is hands down one of the most groundbreaking and innovative franchises in the history of entertainment,” said Todd McFarlane, Owner and CEO of McFarlane Toys. “We plan on carrying that forward with our upcoming toy lines, giving fans a fresh and detailed look, that their favorite characters deserve.”
The announcement also says that “various characters from the highly-anticipated Star Trek: Discovery TV series and other adaptations will follow.” McFarlane already has a head start on the Michael Burnham figure for Discovery, because in July they will be releasing a 5-inch Sasha figure from The Walking Dead (MSRP: $15.99), and both roles are played by the same actress, Sonequa Martin-Green.
McFarlane Toys’ figure of Sonequa Martin-Green’s Sasha from The Walking Dead
In a statement, Veronica Hart, senior vice president of CBS Consumer Products said “We are excited to sign McFarlane Toys as the first licensee for Star Trek: Discovery. Its commitment to quality and dedication to fans is the perfect combination to bring this line-up of products to life.”
Note: Article has been updated with details from press release.
Keep up with all the Star Trek merchandising news at TrekMovie.
i hope amt/round 2 gets the plastic model kit contract for discovery
evidently no1 else wanted to touch it.
The only thing we can know is that nobody BIGGER wanted to touch it (ie: Hasbro, Playmates, Mattel), and even that’s a bit of a big assumption. McFarlane is one of the more prominent toy companies around, particularly in the “geek” sphere, alongside NECA and Mezco (the latter of which also has a Trek license, but their figures are $80+).
CBS may very well have been looking specifically at one of these companies.
And McFarlane has distribution in every major channel– it’s not like some no name company that only sells in tiny hobby shops.
I would take McFarlane Trek figures over Hasbro, Playmates or Mattel any day. I’m soooo excited for this.
I guess no one wanted The Walking Dead deals either
Anyway, silly whiners aside, great news. Adds a little “geek” cred to it too.
I wonder if the Kirk figure will look like Shatner or Pine…. lol Yeah right
Agreed.
Any news on how this impacts Diamond Select Toys?
I don’t think this changes what DST is doing with their current license. They’re actively producing new products, this latest “Ask DST” column from about a week ago talks Trek merch.
http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/2017/05/ask-dst-356-ghostbusters-star-trek-pulp-fiction-and-more/
They mention the TNG phaser (personally, I’ve been waiting quite some time for that one), and a USS Reliant coming soon.
My guess is McFarlane Toys is seen as a different take on the collectable figure merch, specifically for their highly detailed figures.
do you know who will get the plastic model kit license for discovery
I think this effectively ends DST’s Star Trek line either after the Reliant, Borg Select and the TNG Phaser or before. I think due to legal reasons DST were not able to comment on any meetings with CBS, but it seems that whilst I’m certain DST wanted to expand their line with the new movies and Discovery, McFarlane won out in the bidding process. Regardless of any AskDST, this could of been a deal done after that blog was posted.
The reason being I very much doubt DST’s continued Trek line is that they are direct competitors to McFarlane Toys, producing similar product for a similar consumer – retailers who look at who to buy from won’t want to buy the same kind of product from the same kind of companies. It would be like handing the licence to Hasbro while Playmates continued to make the same kind of toys – never gonna happen.
The only thing I can think of that would make DST carry on with Star Trek is if they have struck a deal with CBS to continue with their electronic starship line, which I don’t see coming from McFarlane – but who knows, when Art Asylum took the licence in 2001, I never saw them doing something as costly as ships.
McFarlane seem like a great company and we shall see what comes of this line. It seems like they are serious about doing a lot of characters from the various series and movies.
My hope is that Mega Bloks/Mega Construx continue with their Star Trek construction sets. While McFarlane have dabbled in this arena, I think Mega are in a better place to expand upon their fantastic 50th Anniversary sets from last year with a better quality of product.
I wouldn’t say that so quickly: this article only mentions figures, not ships or toy prop replicas.
If you read the original article, the deal seems pretty comprehensive including not just action figures but role play weapons and accessories from Star Trek: Discovery as well as from the entire Star Trek universe…
Seems pretty much a certain DST aren’t going to continue.
Looking at McFarlane Toys, they don’t seem to do anything but figures, they have no existing product lines with prop replicas or ships like DST does. So we’ll see what they turn up with.
Note that the wording pertaining to the role play weapons is Star Trek Discovery specific:
“McFarlane Toys has signed a toy license deal with CBS Consumer Products to create figures, role play weapons and accessories for the Star Trek: Discovery TV series.”
The rest of the press release focuses on “characters”, i.e. figures, which is clearly McFarlane Toy’s wheelhouse.
That’s why I assume DST will keep their existing license for TOS/TNG stuff.
If dST loses their license I say “good!” McFarlane will make toys the fans want at a price they can afford!
Don’t be so sure. As a collector I can tell you costs have gone up across the board. When Art Asylum started making ships and selling them for $24.99 to $29.99, marvel legends were selling for around $7.00. Now marvel legends are $19.99 so the increase in process for the ships to 59.99 isn’t beyond the pale. Granted with more retailers to sell their wares they may be able to lower prices; I only see DST Trek items at either specialty shops(rarely), Toys R us, or online.
Also its hard to get retailer buy in for a product that has no major media tie in. Outside of JJ trek, which seems to have had very little in terms of licensing that led to actual product finding its way to shelves, there hasn’t been any new TV Trek since Enterprise ended. As a result I’m sure it’s been hard for DST to justify putting money into Trek with a record of under performing toy lines and the inherent heavy upfront cost that goes into creating new figures, toys, and role play items.
The bigger problem with DST, at least in regards to ships and role play items is A) getting them out in any kind of timely fashion and B) getting out a product that doesn’t have numerous QC issues for the first and sometimes second production run.
I think DST will continue with ships. That’s not in MacFarlane’s wheelhouse, and the press release says nothing about ships.
And I think the DST Select figures will continue since they are probably in a different classification. Similar to how Hasbro has traditional Marvel figures, DST makes Select Marvel figures. The Ask DST Q&A last week said the “Select line of deluxe figures will continue.” And I think that’s the distinction: articulated figures (MacFarlane’s license) and deluxe, low/no articulated diorama figures (DST’s Select Line).
But yeah, based on the press release, DST probably isn’t going to make prop replicas after the TNG Phaser.
Awful news. I want to go off on a rant by why it makes no difference to anyone who reads this or the toy companies or CBS consumers products. But just a bad choice, they must have been the cheapest bid.
Is this a fans perspective, or do you work in the toy business? If you don’t like McFarlane’s toys, I can understand why you’d be disappointed, but i’m not sure how you can conclude otherwise why it’s a bad choice for CBS, or why it must have been the “cheapest bid.”
DST last entry of Star Trek figures the legacy series aren’t even real figures. There basically statues with changeable parts. I want action figues like they use to make. I like articulation and being able to pose and display. Mcfarlane’s 7″ inch series figures do not offer that. Yes their 5.5 series of Walking Dead does but if you look at their 7″ inch series of figues majority have little to no articulation. How is that an action figure? That is way their cost is lower. Less parts cheaper to make. Some of us collectors actually take them out of the package and enjoy them for the product they are. With the quality that is out there to make both a good likeness sculpt and an articulated figure I don’t see McFarlane toys has that company. Especially when it comes to there 7″ series.
I like this guy.
Agreed. VERY unlikely to hold a candle to DSTs’ work.
But likely to be in Toys R Us, and affordable for a more mass audience.
I love DST’s Trek line but they’ve been ridiculously slow in rolling out new product. We also haven’t gotten a new figure from them in years (I hardly count the semi-statues/dioramas, neat as they are). As a long-time collector I’m really glad that someone else has been given the keys.
This is my only problem with DST. The waiting. 3 years for a phaser? I don’t remember how long we waited for the TOS Communicator! Does it end up being worth the wait? Usually. But the waiting is brutal.
Will they be Coming out with any Ships ?
Ditto. I want starships at a price I. An afford. I have a ton of MicroMachines of Trek. Would love some slightly larger ones.
Have you looked into the Eaglemoss ships? Those are amazing, and they’ve pumped out over 100 unique ships so far, including the randomest alien/Starfleet ships that only showed up once or in the background. And they’re only about $20 each, including a 16-page magazine.
I have SOOOO many Eaglemoss ships, including some I had no idea existed, and I’m kind of a ships guy. They are really well done, with the large sized JJ Trek ships being actually kind of gorgeous.
I’ve heard that was part of the delay in production.
Nobody wanted to merchandise the show.
They didn’t think it would sell very well
Wow, would love to read the articles about that, because i’m not sure why merchandising would affect the show– considering Netflix paid a fortune for it to air overseas (enough to cover production), and licensing/toy merch deals would not EVER garner enough dollars to make it worth delaying.
Are you Kidding?
Paramout/CBS make all their Star Trek money off Merchandising.
No, i’m not kidding. I happen to know quite a lot about this, so let me elaborate:
Star Trek licensing has been very sluggish since the late 90s, and while there has been somewhat of a resurgence thanks to TNG entering the nostalgic realm, it’s not a big money maker. It by far the biggest brand in CBS’ portfolio, but only by default, as they don’t have a ton of content that works for mass market merchandise.
To give you some context, in 2015 CBS Consumer Products ranked as the 88th top brand owner with $300M in revenue (and remember, this includes their ENTIRE portfolio which is dozens of shows, brands, properties, etc), behind such huge merchandising powerhouses as Goodyear Tire, Welch Foods, and Energizer Batteries.*
My larger point is not that they aren’t doing well, but that they wouldn’t hold up production because of lack of interest. Generally, content comes first, merchandising after. Particularly for a series like Trek that has not been a huge moneymaker for some time.
Conversely, and to my point, it’s the licensing of the show itself to distributers like Netflix that really earns them money, as it was reported that those deals boosted CBS earnings last summer.**
As for toys, the early/mid 90s was the last time a major toy company (Playmates) had success with Trek action figures. Trek hasn’t been a strong license for toys the past 20 years or more, and several companies have held the license, from Playmates, to Art Asylum to DST, and Mezco for higher end figures.
*http://www.licensemag.com/license-global/top-150-global-licensors-2
**http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cbs-corp-results-idUSKCN1082LP
Of course nobody does, there is nothing recognisable & marketable about it.
Wow. Soooo many “experts” here with the inside scoop! LoL. “I HEARD no one else wanted to touch it.” Conjecture at best.
I don’t understand all the hate Trek is getting. Why are you guys even on these boards anymore if you have so much hate for new Trek. It’s not the 60s or late 80s anymore. Do you even remember the crappy episodes of TOS or TNG? Don’t you remember the crappy, cheap toys they had back then? The Spock helmet with the red flashing light on it? Really guys? Stop the bashing already. Don’t watch it if you hate it that much. We get it.
No, sadly you don’t get it & you seem proud to not get it.
What are you talking about. It’s simple as stated.
Ramping up marketing for the 60th anniversary, I see….
This comment makes no sense, not even as a sarcastic one. Try again.
Phil’s just poking fun at both the past’s Paramount and the present’s CBS penchant for licensing Creation Entertainment to launch the OFFICIAL Anniversary celebrations earlier and earlier with merchandising emblazoned with their official anniversary logo:
https://www.creationent.com/cal/sthi.htm
“How lucky are we? We get to kick off our year long celebration of the amazing 45th Anniversary of STAR TREK [2011] in the world’s most beautiful place: HAWAII! For one glorious weekend, December 4-5, 2010, we are rolling out the red carpet for everyone to join us for a two day party like no other!” — Creation Entertainment
I get what he’s doing, it still doesn’t work, even as a sarcastic comment.
Sadly, this just further illustrates one of Trek’s major hurdles. Again, Mcfarlane is aimed at collector’s. And I love their stuff. The likenesses are usually very nice. But theyre not toys. Kids won’t be clamoring for Discovery playsets. The kid factor is one area of Lucas’playbook that Trek would be well served to steal. Kids want fun and adventure and imgination…Trek used to have that once upon a time. Grab a kid that can enjoy it as a kid, but make it smart enough he can enjoy it on a whole different level as an adult and you have a fac for life. Roll out pretentious, talky soap opera and kids will roll their eyes and move on, they have way too many choices.
Discovery is not a kids show. What I am hoping for is something like TNG, in that it is a show intended for adults that is acceptable for kids who have more liberal parents (not in the political sense).
But I also don’t expect them to make kids toys, nor do I think that’s really a major problem. Star Trek doesn’t have to be Star Wars.
Well said once again. A quick roll through ebay contrasting the Trek vs. Wars toys says it all.
They tried releasing more mass market action figures for the recent Star Trek movies, and no one really bought them (I did lol).
Exactly, MattR. Kids toys are not a place where Trek has done well for a LOOONG time, and i’m not sure they ever will again. Trek is now a collector brand, and will attract collector companies like DST, Mezco, Eaglemoss, IDW, and McFarlane.
Agreed Torchwood. I’m happy to pay more more collectible items vs toys. I have most of the old Playmates toys, and have all the new DST toys. And I love the Eaglemoss ships.
Because they messed it up so badly- Playmates. They went for a different sizes & split the range by uniforms, you couldnt get a ses & although they did a bridge playset it had no walls, the floor was a mat & you only got half the pieces & had to clollect all the figures to get all the consoles- it was a mess.
True dat
Nice, we could finally have some nice, affordable figures.
This works as I’ve wanted something Trek that is similar to the Star Wars Black Series. This looks like it’ll be it
I’d still also like to see more Kelvin Timeline figures and toys!
But this is awesome news!
We’ll be seeing all these items about 6 months after their release in flea market type stores and garage sales along with the loads of other Star Trek inventory dust collector releases that can be found there…and they still don’ move.
I remember seeinga carton load of large vinyl Star Trek “action” figures and other related Trek toys with “Forbidden Planet” (a Sci Fi shop in NYC, not the movie) price tags still on them and they still weren’t selling.
This will be not different.
I still go to flea markets and find old Trek Playmates figures from the 90s.
Score, Torchwood. I loved those.
I don’t go in for many of them, but one I see one of a character I really love, or an obscure one from a particularly favorite episode, I am wont to pick it up. The last one I grabbed was “Tosk” from that early DS9 episode.
This is good news. McFarlane seems to make good stuff. I’m in for a Discovery communicator.
Now we know why DST had no plans beyond its delayed TNG phaser role-play weapon. Good. Maybe McFarlane will be more proactive about making these. I hope to see a TOS Klingon disruptor, TNG Romulan disruptor and a DS9 Cardassian phaser.
On the action figure front, at the top of my wish list are DS9’s Lt. (j.g.) Ezri Dax and Ensign Nog (or Cadet Nog).
I wish McFarlane Toys the best of luck. I hope to collect many of their Star Trek figures, starting with DSC.
The really appealing thing for a toy company is the HUGE back content available, and Trek has literally thousands of characters through 5 shows, not to mention hundreds of popular props and ships.
A “Captains” Box Set would be really cool, or complete main cast sets. The action figure landscape has really change since Playmates made their popular lines in the mid 90s, and I think these kinds of themed sets would go over quite well. A line of “Build-a-Figures” that you could assemble a ship if you bought all 6 could be fun too.
Box sets containing 3-5 figures from a specific popular episode would probably sell decently and allow them to re-use certain sculpts to lower costs (toy manufacturing these days is incredibly expensive).
A lot could be done with the right creative team behind it.
Just curious, If Funko were to hypothetically get a license for Star Trek in 3 3/4″ (and start out fresh, let’s just disregard those Reaction figures of TOS they did a couple years ago) would anyone else be interested? I’d say use the new Twin Peaks action figure four pack as an example of what they can do when they really set their minds to it!
I want cbs and paramount studio to go down into the hole and i want the person who wants to get everypart of the licensing from creation entertainment and go right to them and all of the model makers to get it back from cbs. I know cbs will not do a thing with it just like making good star trek movies like axanar have dun. Cbs don’t have us on there side no more. I am on axanar side all the way. Go go go get them all the way.
Axanar is not Star Trek. Go give them your money though, i’m sure it will be used to grease the pipes in their drains.
I think I’d be more into McFarlane doing this if they were to do them similar 5.5″ line from Walking Dead. Like someone mentioned here, those have more articulation and would be a fresh and interesting new scale. I do feel like McFarlane’s likenesses are rather good, so I’m curious to see what they do, but I still feel many of the Diamond 7″ figures still hold up pretty well.
I too, would prefer 5.5″ scale for Star Trek. It would just be more interesting to start a new line in this scale.