[Byrnes]

Why has there been a lack of (pretty much zero besides Cyclops and Blue Quicksilver) figures from this team?

Havok, Strong Guy, Multiple Man, Feral and Polaris in the 90's are must haves.

Not sure what the team looks like today, but this old set would be awesome. Maybe they could do a box set eventually.

[Nymesys Prime]

those would make decent 6 inch figures..if only Hasbro read these pages...the ideas and money they could make

[warmachine6]

Ha i'd be surprised if they open a comic book and explore more x-men nischer characters .... maybe if they.. get a ...movie , which i doubt these will see the light of day ...

but i would like Havok and Multiple Man maybe Polaris

[VashTS]

IT is clear Hasbro thinks fans want more Aaptain America's with shield shooting action rather that figures that sell....I'm sure Hasbro knows more about figures than most of us since that non legends Captain America line is doing soooooooo well.

+1 for Strong Guy

We all know multi man would be great in a three pack....but this is Hasbro we are talking about...HASBRO!!!

[kylactus]

I'd love a 90's x-factor set (as long as they don't put that damn "energy tornado" with Havok). they should also do the 90's X-force. most of them would be simple kit-bash/repaints.

[Captain Nash]

I'd be up for this. God only knows how much I've wanted a ML Polaris figure for ages. Eons even. However the compulsive comic book nerd in me must point out that Wolfsbane, not Feral, was a member of Xfactor.

[Spyne98]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Nash

I'd be up for this. God only knows how much I've wanted a ML Polaris figure for ages. Eons even. However the compulsive comic book nerd in me must point out that Wolfsbane, not Feral, was a member of Xfactor.

I'm dying for a Polaris figure. Personally, I would want the 90's outfit, but that's just me. I would take a 90's X-Factor Box set. Hell, I would take a Wolfsbane figure who has a running change that's a Feral (that should be easy enough). I was a 90's kid. I want those outfits. I'm all for current costumes, but let's remember the past just a bit.

[trebleshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byrnes

Why has there been a lack of (pretty much zero besides Cyclops and Blue Quicksilver) figures from this team?

Havok, Strong Guy, Multiple Man, Feral and Polaris in the 90's are must haves.

I wouldn't consider them "must haves", especially since I didn't care for that team or book when it was originally published. But that's my opinion of course.

As far as toys are concerned, I'm thinking that both Hasbro and Marvel are probably going to want to push what's hot right now rather than go digging through 20-year-old story lines.

I'm not saying it's completely out of the question, it's just that I think Hasbro already has a wealth of ideas to work on before they go deep-diving into Marvel's back catalog.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VashTS

IT is clear Hasbro thinks fans want more Aaptain America's with shield shooting action rather that figures that sell....I'm sure Hasbro knows more about figures than most of us since that non legends Captain America line is doing soooooooo well.

What does any of that have to do with the topic at hand?

Quote:

We all know multi man would be great in a three pack....but this is Hasbro we are talking about...HASBRO!!!

You do realize we're talking about 6" figures and not 4", right? The last time Hasbro did a Marvel Legends 3-pack was for SDCC 2012. So if you don't mind it being a Con exclusive, that might actually be a good idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

I'd love a 90's x-factor set (as long as they don't put that damn "energy tornado" with Havok). they should also do the 90's X-force. most of them would be simple kit-bash/repaints.

Again, Byrnes specifically mentioned 6" scale in his OP. I'm also having trouble remembering the last time Hasbro included a translucent effects part in a Marvel Legends release.

[kylactus]

disregard my energy tornado comment then... but the rest still applies.

[Captain Nash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spyne98

I'm dying for a Polaris figure. Personally, I would want the 90's outfit, but that's just me. I would take a 90's X-Factor Box set. Hell, I would take a Wolfsbane figure who has a running change that's a Feral (that should be easy enough). I was a 90's kid. I want those outfits. I'm all for current costumes, but let's remember the past just a bit.

I will gladly take any version of Polaris excepting the late 1980's early 1990's "hulking" version. Heck I'd pay as much for that one figure as I would for an entire 5 pack of other figures.

[Byrnes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebleshot

I wouldn't consider them "must haves", especially since I didn't care for that team or book when it was originally published. But that's my opinion of course.

As far as toys are concerned, I'm thinking that both Hasbro and Marvel are probably going to want to push what's hot right now rather than go digging through 20-year-old story lines.

I'm not saying it's completely out of the question, it's just that I think Hasbro already has a wealth of ideas to work on before they go deep-diving into Marvel's back catalog.

I think this is why Hasbro fails in the eyes of the collectors. The 90's was a huge boom with X-titles. New X-Men teams, X-Factor, X-Force, Age of Apoc, Gambit and the Externals, X-Man, you name it.

Now the guys from the 90's are the ones spending the money. We buy what they put out, cause it's all we got. It's good stuff just not everything we want.

I'm not sure why they can't add these items into the mix along with all the new movie related stuff at some point even if it's just an exclusive. Give us more comic characters!

Havok, Polaris, Shatterstar, Strong Guy, Boom Boom, Wolfsbane, Blue/Yellow Banshee, updated Cannonball, Sunspot, Siryn and from original X-Factor a correct uniform and head Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Beast. They could easily repaint some of the box set they just did. Most everybody wants these figures I would guess. I do anyway so here's my rant.

[Captain Nash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byrnes

I think this is why Hasbro fails in the eyes of the collectors. The 90's was a huge boom with X-titles. New X-Men teams, X-Factor, X-Force, Age of Apoc, Gambit and the Externals, X-Man, you name it.

Now the guys from the 90's are the ones spending the money. We buy what they put out, cause it's all we got. It's good stuff just not everything we want.

I'm not sure why they can't add these items into the mix along with all the new movie related stuff at some point even if it's just an exclusive. Give us more comic characters!

Havok, Polaris, Shatterstar, Strong Guy, Boom Boom, Wolfsbane, Blue/Yellow Banshee, updated Cannonball, Sunspot, Siryn and from original X-Factor a correct uniform and head Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Beast. They could easily repaint some of the box set they just did. Most everybody wants these figures I would guess. I do anyway so here's my rant.

Yes. Do Want! (Maybe not Boom Boom but that's just me, never liked the character). Don't forget Moonstar she was part of X-Force in the later 90's as well. We almost got her once (darn you Hasbro....) but honestly I would of loved to have seen either the one we almost got or her MLF outfit as it was awesome.

[chrisskiba]

"now the guys from the 90's are the ones spending money"

So true! In the 90's I was a baby-small kid but now that I'm older I can go to a toy store and buy the figures I want, if I saw any of those I would grab them instantly. I just want variety, I'm so sick of every store I go to only having Superior Spiderman. I would love to see any version of hvok, but especially the 90's blue bomber jacket type. That's still one of my favorite toys from the 90's marvel action figures. There are some pretty sick customs out there for Havok and Strong Guy. I'm starting to think about just saving my hard earned money for customs, since the toy market is nearly locked down by scalpers and poor customer service.

[trebleshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byrnes

I think this is why Hasbro fails in the eyes of the collectors. The 90's was a huge boom with X-titles. New X-Men teams, X-Factor, X-Force, Age of Apoc, Gambit and the Externals, X-Man, you name it.

Yup, the 90's were definitely the epicenter of the X-boom. Now the Avengers are the in-thing. Popularity is very circular and what was once the big thing may become ignored and/or derided. But if you wait long enough it usually comes back around in some form to be popular again.

Quote:

Now the guys from the 90's are the ones spending the money. We buy what they put out, cause it's all we got. It's good stuff just not everything we want.

Yes, a lot of kids who grew up in the 90's are now financially independent enough to really get into collecting. But you have to understand that that generation is just joining the existing collecting community, already in progress.

Back when I was a kid, it was common to stop buying and playing with toys around a certain age. Now it's more common to never stop, so you have people like me who've been collecting for 30 years now and are still going strong.

Because of that, I firmly believe that 70's and 80's kids are still the dominant force within the toy collecting community (guess who runs a lot of the fan sites like Toyark ). There's probably even a good chunk of Baby Boomers still active, though I don't know of any personally who are still into it.

You also have to consider that we collectors are not the target audience for most of these toys. Hasbro's current two-pronged strategy is encouraging, but even the collector-oriented lines still have to appeal to kids (and parents) on some level if Hasbro wants to continue selling them at retail.

We probably make up about 15-20% of Hasbro's consumer base. I do see that number continuing to increase as geek culture becomes the norm, but it's a slow change. Maybe one day the geeks shall inherit the Earth.

Quote:

I'm not sure why they can't add these items into the mix along with all the new movie related stuff at some point even if it's just an exclusive. Give us more comic characters!

Havok, Polaris, Shatterstar, Strong Guy, Boom Boom, Wolfsbane, Blue/Yellow Banshee, updated Cannonball, Sunspot, Siryn and from original X-Factor a correct uniform and head Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Beast. They could easily repaint some of the box set they just did. Most everybody wants these figures I would guess. I do anyway so here's my rant.

I'm sure if some of those characters were featured more prominently in films or the current comics, Hasbro would probably be much more inclined to incorporate them. But based on what they have produced, it looks like a lot of it is geared towards "current" media (within the last couple of years), tent-pole characters and/or first appearances.

[Nymesys Prime]

I have been in this for over 36 years now...true there was a "break" period where the real world took me away from the one true Mistress of mine. Somehow even through the chitty lines and higher prices...I cant let her go...as Banes speech about Gotham in the Dark Knight Rises... We (collectors) like Gotham will endure!!

[Byrnes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebleshot

You also have to consider that we collectors are not the target audience for most of these toys. Hasbro's current two-pronged strategy is encouraging, but even the collector-oriented lines still have to appeal to kids (and parents) on some level if Hasbro wants to continue selling them at retail.
We probably make up about 15-20% of Hasbro's consumer base. I do see that number continuing to increase as geek culture becomes the norm, but it's a slow change. Maybe one day the geeks shall inherit the Earth.

The Legends lines don't have to appeal to kids at all. They have piles of other crap lining the isles that are just peg warming. Trust me we all have to look at the endless pegs of shit for Iron Man, Spiderman and Capt America right now. I don't ever see kids wanting or buying legends, to me this is purely for the adult collector who is spending his hard earned $20. As far as I can tell the only thing empty on the pegs week after week are the Legends figures.

[warmachine6]

adding to Byrnes i would argee but then again no parent will see the point in buying a £20 1 figure for their kids especially if they're going to play with it and loose the pieces that the figure came with oh the horror

[trebleshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Byrnes

The Legends lines don't have to appeal to kids at all. They have piles of other crap lining the isles that are just peg warming. Trust me we all have to look at the endless pegs of shit for Iron Man, Spiderman and Capt America right now. I don't ever see kids wanting or buying legends, to me this is purely for the adult collector who is spending his hard earned $20. As far as I can tell the only thing empty on the pegs week after week are the Legends figures.

All toys need to appeal to kids in some way, even Marvel Legends and Mattel's Multiverse. Hasbro and Mattel may be aiming more for adult collectors and comic fans with some of their choices (like a Mandroid BAF or a '78 General Zod), but those toys still have to follow safety laws and regulations which are written with the premise that children - not adults - will be playing with them. Just look at the age ranges on the packaging to see what I mean.

The point is they are toys, just like anything else in the toy section. I definitely think there is some appeal for kids when it comes to ML. They're big toys, so you do get more for your (parent's) $20 than that $10 MU/MI or that $7 5POA figure. And what kid doesn't like big toys?

Quote:

Originally Posted by warmachine6

adding to Byrnes i would argee but then again no parent will see the point in buying a £20 1 figure for their kids especially if they're going to play with it and loose the pieces that the figure came with oh the horror

I'm guessing you're not a parent, then. You'd be surprised what your kids will get you to buy for them sometimes.

[kylactus]

I don't want to sound too old or anything, but... 20$ ain't what it was when I was a kid! in the 90's 20 would get you four ToyBiz figures (six or seven at KBtoys). I do think there is something to producing versions of the characters from the height of there popularity. Obviously those designs appealed to the fan base as a whole. As far as the bulk of the Nostalgia market being 70's and 80's kids, I don't know, I think the 70's and 80's toys (being the first real "action figures" as we know them) hold a special place for everyone. I was born in 83' but I love Mego figures, never saw one in a store, but they are so well made and at the same time dated, that I think there a cool collectible, same with Mattel's Secret Wars line, I had several as a kid but I never got one at retail they were garage sale and flea market finds. my point is that a collectors market for action figures didn't really emerge until the late 80's to early 90's, before that old toys were dirt cheep in cardboard boxes at the flea market, not commanding five times there retail price on ebay, or your LCS. I think ignoring the collectors market would be foolish, as I have not seen an actual child looking at action figures in years, and children do not have the buying power that I, a middle aged man do. If you think a disinterested parent will spend as much on something as a serious collector you're nuts! I could buy a new car for what I've spent on MU alone! I think Hasbro needs to put some effort into redefining there demographic, and marketing to them better, or else, recent developments like 3D printing and the shift in children's interests to tech toys will make them a dinosaur, and we all know what happened to the dinosaurs.

[Nymesys Prime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

I don't want to sound too old or anything, but... 20$ ain't what it was when I was a kid! in the 90's 20 would get you four ToyBiz figures (six or seven at KBtoys). I do think there is something to producing versions of the characters from the height of there popularity. Obviously those designs appealed to the fan base as a whole. As far as the bulk of the Nostalgia market being 70's and 80's kids, I don't know, I think the 70's and 80's toys (being the first real "action figures" as we know them) hold a special place for everyone. I was born in 83' but I love Mego figures, never saw one in a store, but they are so well made and at the same time dated, that I think there a cool collectible, same with Mattel's Secret Wars line, I had several as a kid but I never got one at retail they were garage sale and flea market finds. my point is that a collectors market for action figures didn't really emerge until the late 80's to early 90's, before that old toys were dirt cheep in cardboard boxes at the flea market, not commanding five times there retail price on ebay, or your LCS. I think ignoring the collectors market would be foolish, as I have not seen an actual child looking at action figures in years, and children do not have the buying power that I, a middle aged man do. If you think a disinterested parent will spend as much on something as a serious collector you're nuts! I could buy a new car for what I've spent on MU alone! I think Hasbro needs to put some effort into redefining there demographic, and marketing to them better, or else, recent developments like 3D printing and the shift in children's interests to tech toys will make them a dinosaur, and we all know what happened to the dinosaurs.

good point... but if being born in 83 makes you middle age then I must be biblically old..as 71 was my time. anyhow..in 83 I was into Gi joe providing moms could afford them ...told myself when I get older I am gonna buy what I couldn't have as a kid...thus the years and years of stuff I got now. I say this to point out that Kylactus' statement about the garage sales and all rang true..i use to could go to Goodwill or Salvation Army in the early to mid 90's and load up on and replace parts for figures and sets I had...Along comes the internet and ebay and everyone see there is money to be made from what was once considered Childs Play.
At some point H-bro and Matty will realize that there is a plateau to how much they can charge. 3-P companies charge more for smaller production runs but most have delivered high quality stuff that justifies the pricing in some degree. I remember when McFarlane use to set the standard in the action figure world..Neca is doing pretty good holding the fort right now...when will Hasbro and Matty catch up? Hopefully before.... I think Hasbro needs to put some effort into redefining there demographic, and marketing to them better, or else, recent developments like 3D printing and the shift in children's interests to tech toys will make them a dinosaur, and we all know what happened to the dinosaurs. - credit: excerpt from Kylactus post

[Serious Lee]

This thread has taken an excellent turn gang!

I was born in 72, and Star Wars was it! The Kenner figs were $1.29 each and I eventually had them all, then GiJoe's came with a bit more articulation and they were 3 times the price of SW figs.

Then sports

Then girls

Then reality

And now I'm back, and have been for about 7-8 years now. I agree with almost all things said here on the topic and the different points from different ages. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we that collect toys and have been since whenever are all coming together at the same time, and that's why we're getting all the movies, toons and toys.

Toy companies will find out soon, likely from retail how much is too much and things will settle down(for awhile). Neca, McFarlane, and everyone that makes toys has seen, as Trebleshot mentioned, a cyclical effect in the toy game, and now drug stores, grocery stores etc are carrying action figures. That will change when the trend ebbs, who knows, maybe the LCS will make a comeback and flourish during that time?

3D printers? It's really early to say that they will affect the collectors or general shoppers. Great invention yes, but if you ask a person who is using one today, they will tell you there's a lot more to it than just entering your specs. Please don't mistake me as a hater on this, if I could afford one and had the time to devote to it, your damn right I'd be using it to make the 90's style Drax lol. Ultimately, the homemade figs just compliment your stable, I admire all you out there that do it by whatever means you do.

And oh ya, make me a Strong Guy BAF sooner than later too please!

[kylactus]

Oh I agree with what you're saying on the 3D printers being complicated, and from what I've herd, most domestic models don't have the resolution to do 3.75" figures well, but that said, in 1989 my first grade class got the first computer I our school, the screen was three shades of green, but we were told "this will change the world", in 1991 I got a super Nintendo, after playing Super Mario world I was sure that the panicle of gamming had been achieved, in 1999 when I got a Nokia flip phone I might as well have been James Bond! and when the first Xerox, or Kinkos opened I'm sure the owner thought, "there is no way people will ever have the ability to print, copy, or scan color documents in there own home!". Also can anyone (over 25) remember logging on the internet for the first time? my point, Tech moves fast, and gets very simple, I doubt anyone here is putting code into a DOS program right now. in a couple years, I think you will be able to scan a figures parts, print them out, and make your own customs, or just copy existing figures. The only part that sucks is the fact that someone will start forging rare figures and selling them, thus collapsing the collector market. plus like I stated earlier, it will spell the end of the big toy companys, unless they start cracking down on people over licensing issues, it will be like Napster but with toys.

[Nymesys Prime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

.... it will be like Napster but with toys.

then so be it...bring on the self printers and 3p toymakers...maybe then the big boys will put out better products

[trebleshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

I don't want to sound too old or anything, but... 20$ ain't what it was when I was a kid!

Welcome to the concept of inflation. Everything costs more and is worth less.

Quote:

my point is that a collectors market for action figures didn't really emerge until the late 80's to early 90's, before that old toys were dirt cheep in cardboard boxes at the flea market, not commanding five times there retail price on ebay, or your LCS.

And in the late 80's/early 90's is right around the time when the kids who grew up in the 70's and 80's became financially independent enough to buy back their childhoods. Hence the reason I say that our generation is still in the majority when it comes to toy collecting.

Quote:

I think ignoring the collectors market would be foolish, as I have not seen an actual child looking at action figures in years, and children do not have the buying power that I, a middle aged man do. If you think a disinterested parent will spend as much on something as a serious collector you're nuts!

Oh, there's no doubt an adult collector can (and does) throw a ton of money into building a collection. That's not my point. Yes, you are able to spend far more than a kid or parent will on toys. The trick is that there are still far more of them than there are people like you and me.

(technically, I'd fit in both categories. I'm a father and a collector).

Using my earlier example, if Hasbro gets 80-85% of its profits from kids/parents and the remaining 15-20% from collectors, guess who they're going to cater to the most?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylactus

my point, Tech moves fast, and gets very simple, I doubt anyone here is putting code into a DOS program right now.

Yes, tech advances quite fast these days. But capitalism still takes its sweet time. It takes much longer for the pricing to drop to affordable levels for general consumers than it does for the next advancement to come out. In fact, a lot of the time it seems the only reason the price does go down on existing tech is because something better came out. Cell phones are a great example of this.

[Byrnes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebleshot

(technically, I'd fit in both categories. I'm a father and a collector).

Using my earlier example, if Hasbro gets 80-85% of its profits from kids/parents and the remaining 15-20% from collectors, guess who they're going to cater to the most?

I went through the parent thing also. My kid would always ask for the $10 10" Toy Biz X-men and I'd always say no you can get the $4 4" figure. I've been there so many times.

Stop talking about the kids. Again I'll say with Legends it doesn't matter about kids. They aren't buying this line. The only kids that get Legends are the parents who collect also like yourself. You need to flip the percentages around on this particular line. When it comes to these guys HASBRO needs to ask the collectors what they want. Not just shove 3 more Capt America or Spiderman figures in our face. They do well with these, imagine if they polled collectors on what they want and made those figures. It might just surprise them what they sell instead of sending wave after wave over to 2nd hand retail stores like TJ Maxx and Ross. There is a huge reason Jean Grey, Archangel and Deadpool can't be found at these stores. Everybody wants those figures. Not Draxx, Hope Summers, crappy Thor and Klaw.