[Lionheart]

Quote:

All three at once....in that order.

Teacher...

Quote:

I'd rather watch all three do my dishes!

That's just sick.

[LordMudd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lionheart

Teacher...



That's just sick.

Have you seen his dishes? I haven't, and probably don't want to.


CCC.

[Jay West]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Cattivo

saw the two packs at big lots. picked up zentai cap and papa doc cap.

What is this? Comic two pack with Falcon Cap?

[Ninjinister]

I just don't want a Marvel ReAction type line.

[Kernel]

^ Agreed!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilkster

Some new bits

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilkster

Dang Pilk those look sick! I really like shiklah and Dracula, but wow they all look fantastic!

Hey that gives me an idea... deadpools wedding as an SDCC exclusive? That cover had so many characters that you could pick anyone just about. Or maybe Draculas gauntlet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Cattivo

would.

blonde
redhead
brunette

in that order.

Come you guys... this conversation is devolving pretty quick what's wrong with you all...


I'd pick the brunette first!

[Universe]

Pilkster' customs get better with each batch

[Harbinger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordMudd

Have you seen his dishes? I haven't, and probably don't want to.


CCC.

My dishes are very clean thank you.

[LordMudd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitelife

My dishes are very clean thank you.

With a KP crew like that, I'm not surprised.


CCC.

[Kernel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Joe

Yes. They surely spend much more, by a wide double digit lead.

Millennials (18-34 years old) account for 50 per cent of the spend among grown-ups buying toys for themselves.
Gen X-ers' (35-54 years old) account for around a third of sales.
Growth in toy market is driven by millennials | Daily Mail Online

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lionheart

In the right way...



See, this is interesting stuff. We need more info like this on the Ark. That means the 'Toybiz' strategy might work. What confuses me though, is that the stuff Millenials grew up with - Toybiz Superhero's, PotF Star Wars, just doesn't seem to be in demand anywhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Joe

The "Toybiz" card strategy can re-kindle a long forgotten demand. Millennial demand exist. It's just hidden, in plain sight. Ever saw Comic-Con? A bulk of female cosplayers are Millennials. When I buy action figures, sometimes young female cashiers stop, stare, and say the figures are "cool." Conversations follow, with their fond childhood memories usually of 1990s X-Men toons or toys.

So all 3.75" carded toys should mutate to a "vintage" design to attract a greater demographic. Print a more retro "Supply" to re-kindle their "Demand" / interest. It'll be interesting to see new figures (Jewel, AoA Magneto, Hydra Cap) on a "vintage" cardback. One reviewer on Amazon said the "package is so nice you almost want to not open it." The poor reviewer / potential Millennial, now has to buy doubles! That's twice-as-good for Hasbro business. Good for the line's continuing existence. Good for all, each generation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lionheart

Well, would that be because Millennials are in the age range where they can pull off skin-tight Lycra whereas Gen X are less likely to be at this point? Some people like dressing up, some people like attention. And nerd culture has been cool for some time. That doesn't necessarily equate to being a toy collector.



Pre the explosion of the internet, multi million dollar movies, etc - comic reading and superhero fandom were still almost exclusively male. I can even recall the turning point happening. If you're being served by young cashiers I can almost guarantee they weren't around in the 90's, let alone watching superhero cartoons and buying the toys. Comics, superheroes, etc, were, until the end of the 90's / early 00's - a 95% male thing.



I would like to see more toys made, and if the card worked, great. But I honestly think you're overestimating what the demand would be.



AoA Magneto on vintage cardback? Where is this? People usually don't double dip unless they're hardcore collectors. I am a toy collector and I passed on Star Wars 40th anni stuff because I'm an opener and refused to buy 2 of each for the collectors packaging. The Star Wars Vintage Collection line did exactly what you suggested, and once it got a wave or two in the novelty wore off and inevitable pegwarmers start appearing.

Don't get me wrong, I like your enthusiasm and if a Toybiz cardback got us some new waves - great, but I don't think it will be the winner you think it is for general retail, and I'm still not convinced that Millennials will be spending their money on 4 inch action figures when the pool of options is so large. Looking around these forums I would say that the 4 inch line is sustained more by those Gen X'ers that gew up with Star Wars and GI Joe than anything else. But I'm guessing. Anything that would get new figures out would be a good thing.

Superjoe wins the debate.
it amazes me on this thread how much some people have to back up what they are saying with research and articles only to get a quick dismissal and another subject tossed in to disagree about.
As for me, I miss the MU card art and being a millennial myself, I would love the old toy biz card art.

[LordMudd]

I still don't care about cards. Figure repaints depend on which character it is and what/who it can be customed into.


CCC.

[Autobot_Goldbug]

Here are UKMU's new figures...


comparison shot


when was Shocker on the Thunderbolts?

[MUfan97]

Whilst I give the blond points on hair color, what are their personalities?

[ukmu]

Awesome!!!! Oscar is sending me Hobgoblin and should arrive today or tomorrow....That completes me for Spider-Man. All the factory releases anyway. Still need a better Venom (said everyone) as I have the short one with articulated knees. He looks WAY too small next to others, so I was "hanging" him off the side of the playset away from the others. I like the one that is tall one with non articulated legs. My favourite is the beefy one with the symbiotic pop up bits. Problem is, I am fortunate enough to have an Anti-Venom so I don't fancy two of the same suit. First world problems I guess.

Also getting Karnak from Oscar and tomorrow I am ordering a Lockjaw so that is two teams dusted. Funny, because as of Christmas, I didn't want Spider-Man villains,but January came and some guy was dumping a complete collection and I got Anti-Venom for 20 quid and some others for like a fiver each. Then got that awesome Daily Bugle playset for SUPER cheap. I went all in. Also, the In humans a few weeks ago I didn't care about. Only had Medusa and a busted Black Bolk and only wanted them for the Avengers. Then I got a Crystal custom off Pilk in a trade, scored that old Gorgon and Oscar helped me with Karnak...I'm all in on that one too!

I will say, the stuff from Oscar or Autobot Gold wouldn't have happened of it wasn't for Jackie Boys post about community. I.for the first time asked for what I needed (well, other than HYDRA) and was helped out almost immediately at great prices! Awesome stuff- we have some great people here!

[En Sabah Nerd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autobot_Goldbug

when was Shocker on the Thunderbolts?

The mid 2000s for a brief stint in his more classic costume but in the late 2000s or early '10s he returned along with every other former Thunderbolt and in the new modern costume. He even kept on wearing the Thunderbolt badge until Luke Cage took it from him for returning to a life of crime.

[Il Cattivo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay West

What is this? Comic two pack with Falcon Cap?

yes

[Il Cattivo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MUfan97

Whilst I give the blond points on hair color, what are their personalities?

who cares.

smash and dash bro.

[LordMudd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Cattivo

who cares.

smash and dash bro.

Me.

CCC.

[Lionheart]

Quote:

Superjoe wins the debate.
it amazes me on this thread how much some people have to back up what they are saying with research and articles only to get a quick dismissal and another subject tossed in to disagree about.
As for me, I miss the MU card art and being a millennial myself, I would love the old toy biz card art.

I wasn't trying to win anything - just offer my opinion. And I wasn't dismissing him, I just didn't necessarily agree with the contention that new card art + Millennials = more sales for 4 inch figures. Like I also said; I would be happy to be wrong about that. And you're right, he had a good link for how Millennials spend more money on toys, but the article specified things like 'Lego'. He also said cosplayers were proof of this, which I disagree with since nerd culture is popular culture right now, and being young and hot has always been reason enough to dress up, which doesn't equate to toy sales. He also gave an anecdote about 'young female cashiers' commenting on the toys he buys with their 'fond childhood memories usually of 1990s X-Men toons or toys', and I pointed out they would have to be about 30 to have grown up with those things, and even if they were, that was not a time in which girls actually gave a fig about superhero's or superhero toys. You may think that's irrelevant, but I was making the larger point that there is a split between what interests / influenced Gen X'ers and Millennials, and that there is even a split in different ages of Millennials as to what influenced them growing up - which I think is a relevant point.

But regardless of what I said above, and regardless of whether anyone agrees. If re-branding in retro cards got us more figures - great. And if the figures sold well - even better.

[Exodus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super Joe

Yes. They surely spend much more, by a wide double digit lead.

Millennials (18-34 years old) account for 50 per cent of the spend among grown-ups buying toys for themselves.
Gen X-ers' (35-54 years old) account for around a third of sales.
Growth in toy market is driven by millennials | Daily Mail Online

I wonder if it's because of the movies and tv shows that are driving the millennials into the toy market, for Gen X'ers I'm sure it was the comics and toons....

[ukmu]

Plus, I think a lot of the decline of our scale has to do with the movie lines of 2010-2014.... Iron Man after Iron Man and Cap after Cap and hoards of Thor figures. Then Avengers came and just more of the same. Now the MCU is much more diversified, and 6" MCU figures learned a great lesson from our scale and sales. That line has implemented a winning sales strategy off the back of the failure of our lines. That had a HUGE deal with Vonner leaving and no one knowing what to do during the transition years. Every year it was the same 6 figures in every movie and toy line. Clogged the aisles for years and thus seriously hurting our scale long term. Also the 6" have integrated the MCU into the standard line as opposed to trying to create a new line each year.

[Sender]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukmu

Plus, I think a lot of the decline of our scale has to do with the movie lines of 2010-2014.... Iron Man after Iron Man and Cap after Cap and hoards of Thor figures. Then Avengers came and just more of the same. Now the MCU is much more diversified, and 6" MCU figures learned a great lesson from our scale and sales. That line has implemented a winning sales strategy off the back of the failure of our lines. That had a HUGE deal with Vonner leaving and no one knowing what to do during the transition years. Every year it was the same 6 figures in every movie and toy line. Clogged the aisles for years and thus seriously hurting our scale long term. Also the 6" have integrated the MCU into the standard line as opposed to trying to create a new line each year.

Agreed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe represented both the rise and fall period of our beloved scale. The movies was also Hasbro's experimentation period with both 6 inch and 3.75 inch lines. Both scales offered an entire line specific to each movie. We even got vehicles....VEHICLES!!! Remember those!?!

Somewhere between The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, was the peak of our 3.75 inch scale. From there, Hasbro switched up their tactics and decided to concentrate more on the 6 inch scale, while even attempting a short-lived 2.5 inch coup over our scale. But the 3.75 inch did not survive unscathed. Our scale (including other brands as popular as Star Wars) would suffer the dreaded 5 POA disease that plagued the 2.5 inchers. Since Avengers: Age of Ultron, there is no longer a series of figures for each movie. Replaced, instead, with a new or updated figure to each movie. Simultaneously, classic Universe waves remain less articulated, sparsely available, and chaotically distributed. Lastly to add insult to injury, the 3.75 inch Marvels have been clearanced and pulled from shelves at some stores. And as of middle June, we haven't even received any word on SDCC or other future exclusives. Don't get me started on Amazon's price hike on the Sinister Six pack.

Rather than end on a negative note, i will say i am happy with what we did get this year as i would not have otherwise expected such figures like MCUs Strange, Starlord, Yondu, Spidey, and Vulture not to mention MUs like Maestro, Wolverine Laura, etc...
Some can complain about 'this' figure or not offering 'that' figure. At this point where our scale barely gets any love from either toy companies and the public at large, i will take what i can get with the same grin i had when i bought my first Marvel Universe figure.

[snake5289]

I can't really describe how happy I am with the Dr. Strange pack. When I set my figures back up I wanna get one of those clear stands to make the Astral Plane Strange float in the background.

[Lionheart]

Quote:

Plus, I think a lot of the decline of our scale has to do with the movie lines of 2010-2014.... Iron Man after Iron Man and Cap after Cap and hoards of Thor figures. Then Avengers came and just more of the same.

It's true, there was a point where it just seemed to be over saturated with 4 inch. Some of the movie figs were just variants that had nothing to do with the movies (Iron Man, Cap). There was a point where we had Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Avengers, MU all on shelves at the same time. And many of the first waves would pegwarm and then be clearanced, making the follow up waves harder to find because retailers didn't want them.

The over saturation was definitely a mistake, but when they 're-branded' along with a reduction in artic (works for some figs), reduction in accessories, and hike in price. That's when people started to bail - and it happened at the same time as the Legends line was re-launched at bargain prices. Remember that when they re-branded they claimed it was so retailers would understand the line better and be more likely to stock the figures, yet the same thing happened that had been happening for years; 1 wave appears in a lot of places, the next appears almost nowhere - rinse and repeat. The re-branding did literally nothing, other than cost more for 'simpler' figures.

[Sithlord1963]

Need suggestions for a 3.75" Luke Cage and Elektra. So far have only managed to source a cast of the SDCC Jinx head for Elektra so at the moment my imagination/creative juices are literally dead from the neck down on that one :-)

[ukmu]

I have yet to watch it yet.... so I can't help. Plan to though, just haven't yet.

I think my favourite line was the in-betweener line AVENGERS ASSEMBLE. Sandwiched after MU but prior to MI. The definitive Black Widow, Leader, a great Nick Fury, a cool Red Skull with tiny HYDRA hat (of which oddly I still have never gotten) a really nice Hulk that I have always wanted to upgrade to but haven't done so yet, a Mich better Falcon(of which we all have scratched our heads as why they did not use THIS version when they did Vulture) and a somewhat cool but forgettable Ultimate Hawkeye with a strange ab crunch in a 3.75" figure. Two wave of under articulated under appreciated gold. And a whole bunch of Caps, Iron Man and Thor figures that killed that line too. Even though it was sort of over before it began.


Anyway, back to SENDERS last sentence..... what was your very first Marvel Universe figure.... mine was a Dr. Doom bought at a brick and mortar store.