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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

I Bought Them All - the Figures, the Ships, even the LEGO! (Part 2)

Discussion in 'Collecting' started by LAJ_FETT , Sep 8, 2012.

  1. Who's the Bossk

    Who's the Bossk Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2013
    Ok thanks. Anybody having a hard time not seeing the new figure line? And paying $10 a figure?!
     
  2. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    I'm not %100 sure what the new schedule is. Like PLJ said, Hasbro sort of changed strategies at the last minute. The original plan was to refresh the look of the packaging--from the Maul motif to one featuring Yoda in action--with two separate lines; Clone Wars and Movie Heroes retailing for the same $9.99 price point (In the U.S anyway). So not much of a change from the last few years there. They were also planning to re-release some of the more popular TVC figures that collectors had a hard time finding at retail the past few years. But at Toy Fare I think we were all shocked when Hasbro announced they were canceling the Clone Wars/Movie Heroes line (In the U.S. at least. Canada and Europe will still get them) in favor of a new two-tiered strategy. A "basic" line aimed at kids that features figures with limited articulation and a much lower $5.99 price point (as well as scaled down versions of popular vehicles and ships that will also retail at a lower pp) and the so-called "Black Series" aimed at adult collectors that will feature the higher articulation and more detailed sculpts we've become accustomed to, and holding @ the same $9.99 retail, as well as the new 6" line of figures.

    Mid-August is the same date I'm hearing for the 6" line, though I can't imagine Hasbro won't have new product on the shelves before then. I suspect we'll get the new basic and 3 3/4" Black series lines by late Spring/early Summer.

    Has anyone heard if Hasbro still plans to re-release a sort of "greatest hits" of TVC? I was really hoping for a chance to pick up the ones that I had missed at retail. I did finally find a Bespin Han Solo a few weeks back, but that was a case of that particular Walmart putting out a TVC case from the back room (for the first time in nearly a year!).
     
  3. Who's the Bossk

    Who's the Bossk Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2013
    Good update. thanks. Picked up Kmart V-19 Starfighter and AT-ST walker the other day. Both were on sale.
     
  4. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    So, I'm watching an auction for the Applause bounty hunter green resin statue... I may be able to add that to my collection. Certainly will look interesting, and will be a nice and rare addition to my collection.
     
  5. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    I've got that statue - it's a really nice piece. I hope you get it!
     
  6. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Seven hours to go! I should go to bed and dream about not being bid-sniped.
     
  7. whostheBossk

    whostheBossk Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 16, 2002
    Picked up Commander Wolffe (who is awesome), Aurra Sing, and Clone Cadet the other day. Last two were on clearance but had to pay that hefty $10 for Wolffe
     
  8. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    The Applause statue is mine! I just paid for it. It's used, been previously displayed, has no original box, but it's mine!
     
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  9. PadmeLeiaJaina

    PadmeLeiaJaina Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 23, 2002
    Woot! Congrats!
     
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  10. my kind of scum

    my kind of scum Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2002
    August is the date that Hasbro gave for the 3 3/4" black series as well as the new 5.99 kids line. It's going to be a long dry spell for Hasbro collectors, unfortunately...
     
  11. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Sounds like :(

    I listened to a Toy Fare themed podcast a few nights ago from the Star Wars Action News website. One of the hosts interviewed someone from Hasbro who was there for the presentation and he offered some really interesting insights into what went wrong in 2012 and what is in store for 2013 and beyond.

    - Lucasfilm really over-sold how big the 3D release of TPM would be and Hasbro decided to go all-out. Unfortunately the release didn't generate much interest and Hasbro lost their shirt on their Star Wars in 2012.

    - The distribution issues that plagued the line in 2012 were partially a result of a policy that dictates that when a store orders a new case of figures the warehouse sends the oldest cases out first; hence why you tended to see nothing but TMP figures from TVC last year.

    - Hasbro will be scaling way back on the number of figures they release.

    - While he said the new 6" isn't meant to replace the 3 3/4" line, he also wouldn't comment on speculation that Hasbro plans to end the line in the near future.

    On a side note, there are a lot of rumors swirling that Target plans to stop carrying the Star Wars action figure line all-together.

    Even with new movies looming and interest in all things Star Wars once again high, the future of the 3 3/4" line is about as shaky as it's been since 1984.
     
  12. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Congrats! When you get it check on the base and let us know what issue number it is. Mine is 3580/5000.
     
  13. PadmeLeiaJaina

    PadmeLeiaJaina Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 23, 2002
    Sheesh that would be dumb, there are always people lurking around in the Star Wars aisles.
     
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  14. my kind of scum

    my kind of scum Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2002
    I don't think that Target will drop the line altogether. Honestly, I think the rumors came from the fact that Target has dropped the vintage collection going forward (which will only be older cases anyway). It really isn't a surprising move considering that some (many, depending on area of the country) Target stores were still full of the initial ESB wave with no sales beyond that. I'm sure that Target's buyers know that the Episode seven hype will start driving toy sales again and will support the line when it comes back. I don't expect them to order as heavily, though.
     
  15. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    As a Target stockholder, I will be complaining immediately to whoever will listen. There are always people in the SW aisle in the 3 Targets near me. It's Hasbro and Lucasfilm's fault for still not clueing into the general dislike for TPM of collectors. A simple check of ebay can tell one that. I can't give away my early release TPM figures and ships away with a very few exceptions.
     
  16. my kind of scum

    my kind of scum Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Well, if you listen to interviews with Derryl DePriest at toy fair, he said that the TPM wave sold as well as or slightly better than the other Vintage Collection waves. The problem was that it was produced in 30% larger numbers because LFL said they would be making a huge push for the 3d release. So, there doesn't seem to actually be a general dislike of TPM among collectors - It just can't support the higher production numbers. Which is the exact same issue with the '99 line. If Hasbro would have produced the ESB and TPM waves in the same numbers as the other Vintage waves, we wouldn't have had such huge distribution problems for the last two years - the same problem happened with the initial wave of the Legacy line, though not as badly. They say that they will be producing the initial waves of the 3 3/4" series in considerably lower numbers to avoid this problem. We will see if that is the case in August or so, I guess.
     
    JUKE-SKYWALKER likes this.
  17. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    Just acquired the new comic star Wars #2.... missed out on #1 though. The new issue is pretty cool!:cool: I'll have to see what i can do about finding SW#1.
     
  18. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Good info, thanks :D

    My guess--and it's just a guess--is that Hasbro will eventually (Possibly by the start of '14) phase out the s/a 3 3/4" figures (at retail at least) in favor of the scaled-back line (Scaled back numbers, scaled back articulation and scaled back price point), and that the so-called Black Series of 6" (and possibly the 3 3/4" as well) will move on-line ala Mattel's MOTU series. We already see Hasbro sort of testing the waters this year with some on-line exclusive vehicles. This would keep the retail-level focus on kids and shift the adult collector focus to an on-line, possibly subscription based, model.

    We'll see what happens, but one thing's for sure; The times they are a changin'.
     
  19. my kind of scum

    my kind of scum Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2002
    On one hand, I could see that happening. On the other hand, I could see them wanting to keep the SA collectors line around through the start of the episode seven line as with increased production, the per-unit cost would come down for them and they wouldn't lose more collectors in the meantime.

    Hard to see, the future is. At this point, it all depends on sales. If they continue to drop on the SA line, that will be enough for Hasbro to pull the plug on it.
     
  20. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    Absolutely. I'm sure Hasbro has a long-term gameplan, and that the new movie(s) play a big role in that, but their recent actions have shown that they're willing to adjust on the fly. Speculation abounds that the 2015 date for Episode VII announced when Disney acquired Lucasfilm might be pushed back a year and that would force (no pun intended) Hasbro to adjust their strategy accordingly. The fate of the animated Clone Wars series would also factor in this a bit.
     
  21. Darth Venator

    Darth Venator Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2013
    I picked up The Emergence of The Sith battle pack earlier with Sidious/Maul.

    I've started collecting Palpatines so had to grab it seeing as it was only £7 on sale in my local Tesco - its going for £30 on Amazon so I was pretty pleased :)

    They had the 'Rise of Darth Vader' set too (Vader/Young Anakin)- but I didn't get that. May pick it up next time seeing as its the same price ...Whenever that may be seeing as I've broken my foot!

    Anyway, I love the Sidious in this set - the face detailing is awesome. Not sure where to head next though! Gutted I won't be heading to the Celebration... Anyone wanna get me Ian's autograph? ;)
     
  22. my kind of scum

    my kind of scum Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2002
    Not sure how much the Clone Wars will factor in since Hasbro has cancelled the Clone Wars toyline. Otherwise, I agree. I think this year (and possibly 2014) are "experimental" days for Hasbro - see if the 3 distinct line approach can work or not.
     
  23. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Postman brought the April issue of the UK Clone Wars comic magazine and an Amazon UK order containing SW: The Last Jedi.
     
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  24. J_Girl

    J_Girl Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    I would do that for you actually, but you would have to wait for the next Celebration in the States. We blew the last bit of the travel budget at CVI and it's gonna take a while to save up again. Unless I somehow stop buying SW collectibles and just.... ok, forget it, that's is just unrealistic.
     
  25. Darth Venator

    Darth Venator Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 1, 2013
    Haha, I know what you mean! Finding that balance between spending is thoroughly impossible!

    I'm gonna start stockpiling food so that I can survive when VII hits... I can't imagine wanting to spend money on 'living' when there's gonna be such a colossal amount of merch around! Damn... All those food chain promos and everything are gonna kill me.

    ...Curse the obsessive collector in me...
     
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