Posted at 8:30 a.m. - Wednesday, February 11
When I heard that they were coming out with a new line of toys based on the upcoming Star Trek film by J.J. Abrams, I knew that I had to find out more about them and perhaps get a look at them. Well, not only did I manage that, I was able to talk to toy expert and magazine publisher Gareb Shamus of Toy Wishes and Toy Fare magazine. Comic book geeks also know Gareb as the publisher of Wizard Magazine, the Entertainment Weekly of comic fanboys and girls. Gareb and I spoke by phone where he told me what he thinks about the new Star Trek toy line; what his favorite collectible in his collection is; and what his advice is for toy geeks who can't get their significant others to indulge their hobby:
RED EYE: You’ve seen the new Star Trek toys, what do you
think of them?
Gareb Shamus: I think they’re great. I think they really bring you back to the
days Playmates was making them the first time around. And Playmates was really the company that got
the likenesses right, really, really well back in the day. It was great that they were the ones to get
the license back, because they were the company that got people to collect the
Star Trek figures the first time around.
And because they were the first ones who did that, y’know it really
gives you continuity to your collection.
REDEYE: The fans who collected Star Trek figures back in the
day - and still do today - are now in their 40s and so on. What
do you think there is about this line that will get today’s younger audiences - lets say ten-year olds - to start collecting as well?
GS: Well, there’s a couple things. First, they had a brilliant choice in (film
director) J.J. Abrams for the movie.
Here’s a guy that’s been extraordinarily successful in creating very
contemporary franchises that have gotten people very excited. Things like ALIAS, LOST and now FRINGE. So here’s a guy who’s very, very accomplished
in appealing to today’s youth, people that are on the cutting edge of what’s
cool. What he’s been able to do now,
what he’ll be able to do with this movie, is not only appeal to the people that
were the core STAR TREK fans to begin with, but he’ll be able to appeal to the
contemporary fans- or future fans - now. And what this is gonna do is its going to give
an opportunity for the people that did like the original STAR TREK, whether it
was the TV shows or the movies, to now bring their kids and get them interested
in the franchise.
REDEYE: The toys these days make me kind of jealous. I wished they had some of this stuff when I
was a kid. Is there anything in this
line that evokes the same feeling in you?
GS: It’s always the case, where the new toys come out and
you wish you were a kid. Now,
fortunately I get to be a kid forever, so I am like Tom Hanks in the movie BIG
where I always get the new toys. So, fortunately I am that kid that gets to play
with all the new stuff. But yeah, the
level of sophistication, whether it’s the detail or the electronics or anything
associated with toys today, have gone so far from where they were when (we
adults) were kids. But that’s one of the
things that gonna get kids into a franchise that’s arguably decades old. And that’s what’s gonna be appealing to it, the ability to create contemporary products on a franchise that has
existed for a long time.
It think in
order for a franchise to be successful today, even the new ones have to have a
history to them. Even when Pokemon came out here in the States, it had years
of history in Japan.
And I think what’s gonna happen in this particular case is because STAR TREK
has such a strong and vibrant history, that when the newer generation gets
interested in it, there’s so much depth to the product, there’s so much depth
to the characters and the story, it’s gonna keep a kid hooked for a long time.
REDEYE: What are some of your favorite things in the new line?
GS: Of course it’s
obviously the Phasers, the Communicators, also I like the new replica Enterprise.
It’s really cool. I like the bridge
part, how the figures fit into that. I
like the Transporter Room. And of course
the new Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy – Bones – all the core product that you grew
up on.
REDEYE: I had the original Enterprise Bridge play set with the
Transporter Room as a kid. I’ve seen the
photos of the new one and it makes me jealous!
GS: It definitely makes you want them all for sure!
REDYE: (laughs) Certainly. Out of all the things you have in
your collection, what is one of your favorites?
GS: Not STAR TREK related?
REDEYE: Anything.
GS: I collect original comic art. I’m a comic art collector. My toy collection kind of melded into my
office collection. Now, I actually have some cool STAR WARS stuff. I’m also a big STAR WARS fan and I have this
voice changing Clone Trooper helmet, it’s very cool. And, I have a lot of the action figures as
well. I’m a bit partial to the action
figures.
And also, from my comic art collection, the new WATCHMEN
movie is coming out and I happen to own all twelve covers that were used to
make the original comics.
REDEYE: Oh WOW!
GS: Yeah, that’s a pretty incredible piece, the WATCHMEN
movie is based on this twelve issue series that came out over twenty-five years
ago, so I own all the original covers to that.
REDEYE: I have all the original singles. I collected it when it first came out too. Do you consider yourself a geek or a nerd?
GS: Definitely geek.
REDEYE: And how would you define that?
GS: I’m the King of All Geeks!
REDEYE: (laughs)
GS: Because we (Wizard Publishing) do all the leading
magazines, we do all the conventions and we have the leading web site on all
this. We get everything. I joke that my office is like Noah’s Ark,
we get two of everything.
REDEYE: (Laughs) Ok, any relationship advice for guys who are
trying to get their wives and girlfriends to let them collect toys?
GS: Um, yes. What I
always say is they can have the whole house; all you want is one room for
you. One dedicated to your stuff and
they never have to go in there; never have to clean it up; it’s just
yours. And if you ask for one thing,
it’s hard to say no.
