Book No. 02: Going Boldly — A Future in Plastic
We're ready for your close-up now, Captain Kirk.
It's a Beautiful Thing Publishing presents Book No. 02, a definitive publication on the complete Star Trek seven-inch action figure collection produced by Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys between 2001 and 2019.
Say hello to our Book No. 02
Going Boldly: A Future in Plastic explores nearly two decades of one of the most ambitious and celebrated lines in science-fiction collectables.
Covering every major era of Star Trek—from The Original Series and The Next Generation to Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise and the films—these seven-inch figures set a new benchmark for character likeness, articulation, and packaging design.
The book is presented as a love letter to the craft, culture and legacy behind these iconic collectables.
All designs are conceptual and subject to rights-holder approval.
Going Boldly: A Future in Plastic. The complete Star Trek seven-inch action figure collection produced by Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys, 2001–2019.
Over nearly two decades, these figures grew into one of the most ambitious and celebrated lines in science-fiction collectables. Covering every major era of Star Trek – from The Original Series and The Next Generation to Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise and the films – these seven-inch figures set a new benchmark for character likeness, articulation and packaging design.
"For somebody who has been active in the Star Trek community for over 40 years, it isn't very often that I see something new that captures the joy of Star Trek – that's exactly what this book does. Not only is it a wonderful resource, but the stylisation is simply breathtaking."
"There's a difference between collecting things and collecting meaning. Most figurine books mistake one for the other, filling pages with specifications where stories should be. This one doesn't. They aren't treated as merchandise stilled from something living. They're read as artefacts, each one a frame from a larger story that never really ended. You feel that on every page."
The 7-Inch Legends
Across every era and every frontier,
two decades of legacy stand poised for discovery.
Going Boldly: A Future in Plastic brings together 190+ Star Trek action figures across 282 full-colour pages, including three fold-out spreads, chronicling Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys' remarkable journey from 2001 to 2019. More importantly, the book explores the story behind the figures – the designers who brought them to life, their production history, packaging and marketing, and a good few prototypes that, sadly, never made it to the stars or our shelves.
Heroes, villains, and very small trousers all in one definitive volume for the first time ever! You won't want to part with this book – no matter how much gold-pressed Latinum Quark might offer you!
This is a large-format, clothbound art book that treats the Art Asylum and Diamond Select Star Trek figures like the miniature museum pieces they are. This Kickstarter-exclusive first printing is a landscape hardcover (410 mm × 285 mm) with 282 full-colour pages, including three fold-out spreads, packed with original photography, production history and behind-the-scenes detail from across the run.
The book is casebound in cloth, with foil-stamped titling on the front, back and spine, and wrapped in a soft-touch dust jacket so it feels as good in the hand as it looks on your shelf. The jacket features spot UV gloss on selected elements, adding contrast and depth as they catch the light. Inside, custom Pantone textured endpapers bookend 170 gsm silk pages, giving the whole volume the heft and finish of a high-end art monograph.
Every copy in this run is printed offset in English, signed and supplied with an individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity bearing an embossed seal – this is the definitive "Kickstarter edition" for collectors. At select tiers you'll also be able to add Trek-flavoured extras, including various posters, postcards, and other surprises designed to sit alongside the book and your figure shelves. All backers, at every physical tier, will also have their name printed in a dedicated thank-you section at the back of the book.
- Edition: Kickstarter-exclusive first printing
- Size: Landscape book, 410 mm wide × 285 mm tall
- Page count: 282 full-colour interior pages, including three fold-outs.
- Interior: Full colour throughout
- Binding: Casebound hardcover with cloth wrap and foil-stamped titling to front, spine and back.
- Dust jacket: 170 gsm art paper with soft-touch lamination and spot UV varnish on selected areas
- Endpapers: 170 gsm textured stock in custom Pantone colours
- Pages: 170 gsm silk stock
- Print method: Offset lithography (professional four-colour printing)
- Language: English-language edition
- Kickstarter extras (selected tiers):
- Every copy in this run is printed offset in English, signed and supplied with an individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity bearing an embossed seal
- Your name in print: all backers listed in a dedicated thank-you section
- Posters, postcards, and other Trek-flavoured add-ons available at select tiers
Kickstarter – Setting a Course for Late 2026 / Early 2027
Charging our warp nacelles to maximum efficiency, Going Boldly: A Future in Plastic begins its journey on Kickstarter. To be among the first to join this away mission, leave your email and we'll send your exclusive invitation the moment we go live.
Join the list and we'll let you know the moment the campaign goes live.
Every series produced across the Art Asylum and Diamond Select Toys era is documented in detail, including sculpts, prototypes, packaging design, and the characters, episodes, and creative influences that shaped each release. The result is the definitive unofficial archive of a chapter in Star Trek collecting history that has never before been told at this level. Going Boldly: A Future in Plastic is being developed as a premium collector's publication, with production values to match its subject. A physical object worthy of the collection it documents.
ALL DESIGNS CONCEPTUAL AND SUBJECT TO RIGHTS-HOLDER APPROVAL
We're also putting together an assortment of Trek‑flavoured posters (three kinds), postcards (two types) and more that we hope our backers will love. This includes the WAVE 01 set of six luggage tags – fresh from the replicator, if not yet as well travelled as these. Yours will arrive brand‑new and ready for your next destination, on or off world.
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