You may have read about this on TrekToday or at the Art Asylum website forums or even any other trek site you may frequent.
A number of large Chain stores such as Toys R Us and Walmart are refusing to stock Art Asylum Star Trek Products. This includes Art Asylum's forthcoming Enterprise A toy which has generated reasonable interest here. Over at the Art Asylum forum this has caused some upsetment as the forthcoming releases over the next months determine whether or not Art Asylum will continue to produce their toys. To give an example of what you would be missing out on should they stop production is Toys like the Enterprise E which is the next planned release and the Enterprise D which has been stated to follow the Enterprise E at some point. Hinted has been the Reliant and Prometheus.
What the campaign plans to do is to get as many people as possible to mail letters, postcards and send e-mails to the companys involved. the motivation is to secure a future for he product of Art Asylum Star Trek figures, Ships, role play items such as phasers and mini mates.
much more information can be found at the Art Asylum forum. Leader of the campaign is "OneAngryDwarf".
Please support the cause, it will benefit you if successful as there would be more Ships released.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Since the reason why no one wants to stock Star Trek toys is that no one wants to buy Star Trek toys, I don't quite see what you're hoping to accomplish.
Posted by aneurysm (Member # 906) on :
Well actually the organisers have said that since starting the campaign and talking to others it is suprising the number of people who didnt even know about Art Asylum Trek toys because they havent ever seen them. Also there is apparently a large number of people who would buy the figures were they more readily available.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
It is remarkably easy to get people to say things on the internet. Personally, I'd love to get my hands on my very own phaser toy. I could carry it through airports to assure myself that we are now as safe as can be from terrorists equipped with plastic rayguns. But, uh, I rather suspect I am not in the middle of any demographic that's particularly appealing.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Vote with your wallet: AA Trek toys are at Target: buy them there and you'll see new Trek toys there eventually. It all comes down to sales. Even good sales on a limited scale will get new lines produced by AA (although on a harder to find, limited basis).
For spite, mail off a letter to Toys R Us (or wherever) stating that you won't shop there because they don't carry the toys.
Posted by aneurysm (Member # 906) on :
That is what alot of people over at the Art Asylum boards do. We buy as many toys as possible for a number of reasons. There is a group of people who customize various toys, be it mini mates, action figures or accurizing the phaser. some people also buy duplicates simply so its a few more sales for Art Asylum.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
BUying several won't help if the major chains percieve the line to be dead weight: the KB at the mall in San Jose has cut the price on the bridge sets by $10 already (from $25 to $15). Chopping prices on something so new is not a good sign.
Posted by aneurysm (Member # 906) on :
HA! in certain stores in America they have been reduced to around $5 according to members of the forums. The problem is that the products wont sell in America where they are reaily available, yet here in england where the products have to be bought mail order or through import dealers, I have a huge problem in trying to find the products as no sooner have they got the products delivered then they are sold out!