[Jester]

Medieval Spawn?

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega

Are you having a stroke?

You're the one responding to a post from October 2020.

[guitarchris76]

Would it be too much to ask that before he makes anything else, they work on making something that doesn't break when you look at. The QC on the Year Two Batman is a joke. I would love a medieval Spawn but am not going to keep wasting my money on the crap that MacFarlane continues to put out.

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarchris76

Would it be too much to ask that before he makes anything else, they work on making something that doesn't break when you look at. The QC on the Year Two Batman is a joke. I would love a medieval Spawn but am not going to keep wasting my money on the crap that MacFarlane continues to put out.

Year Two Batman turned out to be an anomaly. The Three Jokers Batman did not experience widespread breakage.

[Truwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harbinger

I still have trouble wrapping my head around these major toy companies begging people to give them loads of money to make toys they should make themselves. I mean i get it....i just think its pretty janky.

100%. Especially when Todd just got done bragging how DC Multiverse was the #1 selling action figure line for 2021 (which I hope he hits with all his rereleases he forces people to buy just to get the alternate head or the whole dumb gold label thing).

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truwe

100%. Especially when Todd just got done bragging how DC Multiverse was the #1 selling action figure line for 2021 (which I hope he hits with all his rereleases he forces people to buy just to get the alternate head or the whole dumb gold label thing).

No one's forcing you to buy anything.

[Tony_Bacala]

Even though McFarlane seems to be doing well as a company, I do think Spawn still warrants Kickstarters for more complex or higher end items. It doesn't compare to DC in scope, and it's hard to get retailers to jump on. But bonkers sales #s for Kickstarters help get Target etc interested. And gives us some more paint, weapons etc that wouldn't be in a 20 dollar release. Basically, expensive Spawn is still a risk, even now.

[Truwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

No one's forcing you to buy anything.

Trust me, I didnt buy them. My point is he doesn't need the capital if his licenses are selling as well as he brags.

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truwe

Trust me, I didnt buy them. My point is he doesn't need the capital if his licenses are selling as well as he brags.

Trust me, you should read every post in a thread before responding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony_Bacala

Even though McFarlane seems to be doing well as a company, I do think Spawn still warrants Kickstarters for more complex or higher end items. It doesn't compare to DC in scope, and it's hard to get retailers to jump on. But bonkers sales #s for Kickstarters help get Target etc interested. And gives us some more paint, weapons etc that wouldn't be in a 20 dollar release. Basically, expensive Spawn is still a risk, even now.

[Black Arbor]

I don't understand what's so hard to grasp about the Kickstarters for big toy companies. Yeah, Todd surely has the capitol to sell these at retail, but I don't go to a fancy restaurant and expect the food to be premade before I get there! This shit is made to order, and is a way to get toys into fans hands without risking making a toy that won't sell. Would YOU want someone telling you to front money you're not positive will turn a profit? (Yes, Spawn is profitable, but there's no guarantees in life!)

[Designincase]

I certainly think Mcfarlane should be doing more for adding industry standard accessories to every figure.

I don't get the Kickstarter/Crowdfund argument about money.

One way of another you pay for the production of figures. You just usually reimburse the store for paying for large batch orders.

I could understand if there were tiers where you get no product. But every back get's what they paid for.

Mcfarlane isn't trying to loose money by spending capital and not getting it back in some way. Same with Haslabs. Like yes these companies can produce the figures without a crowdfund......and they'll character every penny plus interest to get their money back.

With a crowdfund they know exactly how much to produce and avoid "peg warmers".

[Black Arbor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Designincase

I certainly think Mcfarlane should be doing more for adding industry standard accessories to every figure.

I don't get the Kickstarter/Crowdfund argument about money.

One way of another you pay for the production of figures. You just usually reimburse the store for paying for large batch orders.

I could understand if there were tiers where you get no product. But every back get's what they paid for.

Mcfarlane isn't trying to loose money by spending capital and not getting it back in some way. Same with Haslabs. Like yes these companies can produce the figures without a crowdfund......and they'll character every penny plus interest to get their money back.

With a crowdfund they know exactly how much to produce and avoid "peg warmers".

I'd understand hesitancy if this was a newcomer with no prior toymaking history asking for money up-front, but Todd has proven himself capable of delivering on preorders!

[Truwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

Trust me, you should read every post in a thread before responding.

Sorry, I don't have time to sit on here all day/every day like you.

[Truwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony_Bacala

Even though McFarlane seems to be doing well as a company, I do think Spawn still warrants Kickstarters for more complex or higher end items. It doesn't compare to DC in scope, and it's hard to get retailers to jump on. But bonkers sales #s for Kickstarters help get Target etc interested. And gives us some more paint, weapons etc that wouldn't be in a 20 dollar release. Basically, expensive Spawn is still a risk, even now.

That's a fair point but I would rather see him run this though his own website or something vs taking up Kickstarter space. He has the resources to purchase prototypes and set up distributions. Just my opinion, not saying hes wrong.

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truwe

Sorry, I don't have time to sit on here all day/every day like you.

Yet, you have time to bloviate.

[Truwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

Yet, you have time to bloviate.

Says the person getting offended at anyone that speaks ill against Todd and has almost 700 posts in little over a year...

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truwe

Says the person getting offended at anyone that speaks ill against Todd and has almost 700 posts in little over a year...

I have criticized where appropriate.

https://www.toyark.com/mcfarlane-toy...review-187682/

[Truwe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

I have criticized where appropriate.

https://www.toyark.com/mcfarlane-toy...review-187682/

Wow, I stand corrected. Not too bad of a review.

I do stand by my statement that Todd should not be doing Kickstarters and that all his "variants" are bs. He has the capital to prototype and get preorders for items that are too expensive for Target or other retails. Just my opinion, doesn't make it right.

Same with the "variants". No reason customers have to buy two of the same figure just to get the alternate head. Hasbro, Mattel, etc includes alternate heads and does variants another way. Again, just my opinion.

[Harbinger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Arbor

I don't understand what's so hard to grasp about the Kickstarters for big toy companies. Yeah, Todd surely has the capitol to sell these at retail, but I don't go to a fancy restaurant and expect the food to be premade before I get there! This shit is made to order, and is a way to get toys into fans hands without risking making a toy that won't sell. Would YOU want someone telling you to front money you're not positive will turn a profit? (Yes, Spawn is profitable, but there's no guarantees in life!)

I guess because this isnt something thats needed to be crowdfunded. A fig l8ke this should be a regular retail release. Now if they did say a 2 foot malebolgia or something like that then maybe, but not a 7inch fig that could easily just be a retail release.

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harbinger

I guess because this isnt something thats needed to be crowdfunded. A fig l8ke this should be a regular retail release. Now if they did say a 2 foot malebolgia or something like that then maybe, but not a 7inch fig that could easily just be a retail release.

I know that businesses asking for money up front rubs people the wrong way (it offends me, too, depending on the circumstances), but someone once said to me that crowd-funding was similar to a pre-order deposit (which admittedly is a more common practice for statues that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars versus action figures). Either way, you're giving someone a zero-interest loan in the hopes of getting a product that you're unlikely to make yourself.

After that conversation, I was less hostile to crowd-funding/pre-order deposits, but I personally have never done it.

[Mommar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Moore

Fans: I can't find anything in stores. These companies are terrible.

Also Fans: I keep seeing their stuff in stores. These companies are terrible.

Yes, these two things can absolutely be true. Walmart, Target, etc... have absolute shit distribution. They will PILE product up in specific key territories; Atlanta, New York, LA, Austin, etc... and then completely ignore huge swaths of the country.

The example I use is the Walmart Exclusive Black Widow in her Grey Costume. People in major cities were buying/reviewing/photographing their figures in March. I never saw one in store. My online pre-order finally shipped in May at full price plus tax and shipping, meanwhile people in Atlanta were putting photos up on Instagram of RACKS and RACKS of that figure marked down to $8.99.

[BarbaraGordon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mommar

Yes, these two things can absolutely be true. Walmart, Target, etc... have absolute shit distribution. They will PILE product up in specific key territories; Atlanta, New York, LA, Austin, etc... and then completely ignore huge swaths of the country.

The example I use is the Walmart Exclusive Black Widow in her Grey Costume. People in major cities were buying/reviewing/photographing their figures in March. I never saw one in store. My online pre-order finally shipped in May at full price plus tax and shipping, meanwhile people in Atlanta were putting photos up on Instagram of RACKS and RACKS of that figure marked down to $8.99.

I think Target and Walmart have been making an effort lately, getting the Three Jokers and Hazmat Batman figures in stores first before fulfilling online POs (Target) and sending the huge four-sided The Batman pallets to stores (Walmart).

Oddly, Walmart.com is the weak part of the business. They kept inflating Suicide Squad King Shark's price close to $100. When it finally dropped to the originally promised $40, orders were shipped, but their inventory system never actually tracked deliveries. Walmart.com ended up giving away King Shark for free.

[Designincase]

Kickstarter wise

Mcfarlane isn't taking up space on Kickstarter by doing one.
The company isn't taking away money from other kickstarters. If they announced a preorder exclusive to the Mcfarlane Toys website, money isn't freed up for Kickstarter.


For these companies kickstarts and Hasblabs are just preorders with the hitch they just need certain amount of orders. There is more responsibility in showing off the product to me(cough Rancor fail) but still a preorder.

Going through retailers does allow them to bring the costs down...........as long as retailers are willing to buy the product.

There exists the possibility that retailers just said no or had demands that Mcfarlane didn't want to compromise on.


--------

Walmart and Target need to start fulfilling preorders first. I believe that preorders don't mean first to receive but it should be months after the fact.
There shouldn't be one canceled order because they didn't have enough stock.
They've lost the privilege's in my book.