Ask DST #450 - Star Wars, Pacific Rim, AEW, & More!

Another Monday, another Ask DST! Star Wars™ fans will want to tune in for an update on Emperor Palpatine™ and the Maquettes. Plus, Lord of the Rings collectors recieve an update on The Rings of Power! Read on to find our what Gentle Giant, Ltd.'s and Diamond Select Toys' president DSTChuck has to say! Don't see your question? Submit it to diamondselecttoys.com/ask-dst/!

Gregory T.: Why did the Star Wars: Return of the Jedi™ - Emperor Palpatine™ Statue get cancelled? That was a thing of beauty.

DSTChuck: I am glad you liked it, and I’m sorry we had to cancel existing orders. That is not something we take lightly. The issue was with rising production costs and shipping costs; there was no way to put that statue on the market at the price we advertised. We plan to bring the piece back, but it might be slightly modified or at a new cost, we’ll have to see.

Andrew G.: How come you didn’t show your Jean Claude Van Damme merchandise in figures and all at SDCC 2022? Are you still going to make any figures of Jean Claude Van Damme?

DSTChuck: We are still doing action figures for JCVD, but the figures and the accessories were not at the place we needed them to be at in time for the show.

Carson M.: Hello, Diamond Select. I have a question to ask. Are you going to make more Muppet Action Figures in the future?

DSTChuck: There is a chance we will do more Muppets; we are discussing that right now with Disney.

Sarah M.: I have recently purchased all the available Avatar: The Last Airbender Gallery Diorama characters, specifically Aang, Katara, and Zuko. I have greatly enjoyed purchasing and having these figures of these three characters. As I would be extremely interested in purchasing any new figures in this line, I was wondering if there were any plans for any new Gallery Diorama figures to be made of any other Avatar characters, specifically Toph, Sokka, or Iroh? Thank you.

DSTChuck: I cannot confirm characters right now, but yes, we are working on more Avatar Gallery pieces.

Aaron Y.: Hi! I’m very much into the new Select Star Wars™ line. I love my Boba Fett™, and started to wonder, will we get a Mandalorian™ plus (maybe) Grogu™? If this came out it would absolutely make my day!!!

DSTChuck: That line is done in cooperation with the Disney Store and Disney parks, so we’ll have to see what they decide – hopefully we’ll all know soon.

Keith F.: Will you be releasing another Lost in Space Robot?

DSTChuck: If you mean another color of the B-9 Robot, there is not another one planned yet, but it has been discussed.

Abraham T.: I have a question about the new Pacific Rim figure Gipsy Danger and his lineout, it´s just going to be a one-off figure, or will there be more Jaegers from Pacific Rim 1? Have a nice day!

DSTChuck: For now, it’s a one-off, but we hope it will do well enough that we will see the demand is there, and we can do a second piece, etc.

Hovik S.: For the Lord of the Rings line and other lines you carry for characters like the Witch King, would you consider making them with cloth goods at a premium price? Whether it be $5 or $10 more? Because I feel like some characters need the cloth goods and sculpting would hinder a figure like the Witch King.

DSTChuck: We have looked at cloth before, and as you suggest the cost of a figure with a mix of plastic and cloth would cost more, and the production number would have to be higher. So right now, it’s not in the plans, but since we have looked at it before I can’t say no.

Nick W.: Are there plans to make more Star Wars™ Animated Maquettes from the original series (like Luke Skywalker™, Han Solo™, Boba Fett™, and others)? It seems like it has been a while since one was released.

DSTChuck: Gentle Giant, Ltd. did those a long time ago, before we were involved, so there are none planned at this time, but never say never.

Mark P.: With Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power getting more buzz and closer to release this September any plans to make any figures from the TV series? Are you allowed to and if so any interest?

DSTChuck: Right now, we are just going to focus on the classic Peter Jackson movies.

Matt S.: Your “Green Hornet” Kato action figure looks incredible! Will there be a stop at just Kato, or can we expect a Green Hornet himself as well?

DSTChuck: It has been discussed, but we would need to work a deal out with his estate, and we have not discussed that yet.

Maddie T.: Will there be a NBX series 11? Or any continuation of the NBX line with new characters/new things? Is there a chance for Corpse Bride figures?

DSTChuck: There are no plans at this time for Corpse Bride, but we have had some talks with Disney about more NBX figures.

Jeremy D.: A few years ago, you guys announced the reliant and Enterprise C to your electronic starship line did you guys scrap those plans?

DSTChuck: They are not scrapped, development hit some roadblocks, but we still hope to be able to get them both into production.

Rick E.: Hello! Very excited to hear that you will be doing AEW product, as a fan of the promotion from the beginning! However, one thing I did not see mentioned in the press release was Select figures. Are those/will those be a possibility, or is that locked down by other companies? Thanks!

DSTChuck: Sorry, action figures for AEW are locked down by another toy company.