LOS ANGELES – February 20, 2013 – The creation of our wildly popular Trekkies™ Q-Pop™ Figures was a result of luck, timing and what QMx Design Director Mohammad "Hawk" Haque calls "art mojo."

"The concept hit me," says Hawk, "and it just worked. It's something that happens to me now and then, when things magically fall into place.

"I'm glad fan reaction has been very positive. This is my favorite work in figure design, because it has a genuine playfulness. And it's fun."

Hawk recalls that initial moment at the drawing board, when some very pivotal decisions were made. First, he and QMx CEO Andy Gore determined that they wanted to diverge from the pack of serious, brooding maquettes and create something that was cuter and friendlier for Star Trek. 

"I didn't want just chibi-style figures," recalls Hawk, referring to the Japanese term for anime and manga characters that are drawn super-deformed - with oversized heads, big eyes and cute look.

"I wanted to do something no one had done before," says Hawk. "I came up with idea of a speech bubble, with [Captain James T.] Kirk saying, 'Pew! Pew! Pew!' But I wanted the collector to be able to write his or her own words. So I came up with the idea of a speech-bubble whiteboard."

Andy loved the idea. So the idea of a Q-Pop was born. Q is for "quote" - the text that can be written on the mini whiteboard. Pop is for the bubble that "pops up" over the figure. The speech bubbles add an extra dimension of personality and help the characters come to life.

The speech bubble sits atop a clear acrylic post, which fits in the base of the figure. The post and bubble are removable, if a collector wants to display the figure by itself.

Hawk says his biggest challenge was to allow the personalities of the characters shine through. When so many maquettes and figures cast blank, faraway gazes, the designer was bent on making Trekkies Q-Pops expressive in body language and facial features.

Hawk came up with Kirk right away. His 4.5-inch figure takes an active stance as he takes aim with his phaser. His can-do attitude is palpable as he squints at his target.

First Officer Spock followed quickly thereafter. Hawk has him with hands behind his back, a tricorder slung cross-body and his eyebrows arched with that typical quizzical expression. It's vintage Spock.

Communications Officer Lt. Nyota Uhura is depicted as happy and eager to help, just like the character. With her wireless communications earpiece and relentless enthusiasm, she's an unstoppable force for Starfleet.

Says Hawk, "I've really enjoyed working on Trekkies Q-Pops." And there's more to come.  Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy is in the works, as is Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott. Fans can expect to see some favorite Star Trek villains later on. Who? We can't say yet, but they will be scary and adorable!