Action figures

From Battlestar Wiki, the free, open content Battlestar Galactica encyclopedia and episode guide

Action figures of characters from the Reimagined and Original Battlestar Galactica Series have been produced by several companies at different times. This page is an overview with an emphasis upon the action figures currently in production for the Reimagined Series.

Original Series

Action figures from the Original Series were produced by Mattel in the late 1970s, Trendmasters in the mid 1990s, and by Joyride Studios in 2005.

Mattel (1978/79)

Action figures from the Original Series were produced by Mattel in the late 1970s. The 3 1/2 inch figures were similar in quality and scale to the then-current Star Wars figures produced by Kenner.

Bootlegs of Mattel Figures

Bootleg copies of Mattel's Cylon figures have been found for sale in Mexico and on the internet. [2] Appearing to be made from the same molds as the original, licensed figures, these knock-off Cylons can be found in numerous colors, and sometimes even with heads from completely different toy lines. [3] It is important to note that bootleg toys are often made with cheaper, sometimes even dangerous, materials than authentic licensed products, and care should be taken to differentiate whether a figure is legitimate or bootlegged.

Trendmasters (1996/97)

Action figures from the Original Series were produced by Trendmasters in the mid to late 1990s. These toys included figures and ships based around the Richard Hatch continuation novels. Cylon figures featured LED lights in their visors that glowed when a button was pressed on the figure's abdomen.

Joyride Studios (2005)

Action figures and vehicles from the Original Series were produced by Joyride Studios in 2005.

Re-imagined Series

Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles, LLC (DST) announced in January 2007 a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group to manufacture action figures based on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series.[1] The majority of the show's main characters have been included with President Roslin and Gaius Baltar being the most notable exceptions. Diamond Select Toys has stated that they are trying desperately to get her figure released but it might not happen. Also, it is unlikely that the remaining half dozen 'skinjob' models will be made either.

Series One (2007)

The first wave of action figures on display in prototype form at the February 2007 Toy Fair trade show included: Number Six in her red dress, Lee "Apollo" Adama in flight suit with helmet, gloved and ungloved sets of hands, and Chief Tyrol in green fatigues.[2] Also announced (but not shown) were a second version of the Chief (possibly in his orange jumpsuit) and Hotdog (expected to reuse the flight suit body created for the Lee Adama figure, but with Hotdog's head). Advance sketches shown in January 2007 at the UK ToyFair indicated that an alternate flight suit body was considered that would have featured an unzipped collar.[3] Pending licensor approval, the first wave of figures will be in stores summer 2007 (and the Chief Tyrol variant will be available online exclusively from DST).

Series Two (2008)

The second wave was initially teased as being "a Cylon, a drug runner, a Cylon-lover, a prophet, a wife, a witch, and a wingman," the latter three being retailer exclusives. Diamond subsequently identified the initial four characters in wave two as follows:[5]

Series Three (2008)

The third wave features characters from the special episode Razor. Their packaging is colored blue in contrast to the standard red that has been used for all other releases up to this point. The word "Razor" is printed in red below the 'Battlestar Galactica' title located at the top of the package.

Series Four (CANCELLED)

The fourth wave was to feature various military and political leaders. Originally, the characters listed for preordering included Admiral Adama (Galactica Duty Blues), President Roslin (Presidential suit), and President Adama (Presidential suit). Admiral Cain (Pegasus Duty Blues) was listed separately as a "Previews Exclusive" addition to this series. A mustached Admiral Adama was going to be released as a 'case topper' to promote retailers to buy in bulk (case = 6 figures/2 of each character + case topper) but was later added to the wave. In late November 2009, it was announced that Gaius Baltar would be replacing Presidents Roslin and Adama. In 2010, the mustacheless Admiral Adama was released as a "Toys R Us" exclusive. The wave was officially cancelled early in 2011.

Convention Exclusives

These are limited edition figures and have event logos printed on the cardboard label photos (lower right corner) inside of their packaging.

Toys R Us Exclusives

These figures were only available through "Toys R Us" stores and website. Unless noted, they have a silver circular sticker on the bubblepack depicting the TRU backwards 'R' with the word "exclusive" circling it in three places.

Wave 1 (rare)

Wave 2

Wave 3

Wave 4

Wave 5 (1 Adama for every 3 Cylons in a case)

Two Packs

Characters with special relationships were paired in these sets.

Other Figures

These are additional figures from the line that were released individually.

  • "Downloaded" Cylon Centurion (variant with super-shiny exterior depicting the non-combat Cylons seen planting trees on Cylon-Occupied Caprica from the episode Downloaded) (2007 San Diego Comic Con Battlestar-themed party exclusive)(Limited to 500 pieces packaged in polybags) (Image)
  • "New Caprica" Cylon Centurion (variant in shiny silver) (Formerly available at ThinkGeek.com) (Image)
  • Cylon Warrior ("Soldier" model in silver) (ToyRocket.com exclusive with blue "Razor" packaging and title.) (Image)
  • Guardian Cylon ("Pilot" model in silver) (Identical figure to "Razor" version but with red packaging and different photo in front lower right corner and pictures of 2-packs on the back) (Image)
  • Cylon Commander ("Pilot" model in gold) (Previews Exclusive) (Image)

Signed Editions

Some figures were available with the depicted actors' hand-signed autographs on the packaging.


Note on Similar Products

Similar products sometimes imprecisely referred to as action figures, but considered separate items by Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, include:

Each of the above items has their own wiki entry.

References

  1. Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC (2007-01-23). DST Launches Battlestar Galactica Action Figures!. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-23. (HTML)
  2. Toy Fair images available at ActionFigure.com.
  3. 2007 UK ToyFair images available at ActionFigure.com.
  4. Helo, Anders, and Six (black outfit) information from interview with Diamond Select Toys' Chuck Terceira in Toy Fare Magazine April 2007.
  5. Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles, LLC (2007-07-10). Battlestar Galactica Series 2 Revealed!. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. (HTML)
  6. [1] (2008-07-03). Chief Tyrol Action figure giveaway for donors at Comic-Con's Blood Drive. Press release. Retrieved on 2011-03-30. (HTML)