I suppose you're right on some level.

The issue is that the big 2 has a near monopoly on the large + current properties. Any hot movie, show, cartoon that comes out, they get it.

Sure, we have NECA putting out some fantastic figures with far superior sculpt, paint, articulation and just general quality at a similar pricepoint when compared to the ML or DCM figures, but they are limited to older/fringe licenses.

So, collectors can complain all we want about how the 6" Spider-man or Batman figure is far inferior compared to the 7" Predator, but we'll still need to buy them since there are no alternatives.

That said, Mattel has been picking up their slack lately, with the DC movie figures and we're seeing some more heart and dedications put towards ML by Hasbro. Maybe it'll be a loss for the consumers if they merge afterall?

wrong. do you know what monopoly means? its always good to have options versus just one company. not only in toys but other things as well like; cable company etc...

Ok, I generally agree with you that Hasbro and Mattel already have a near-monopoly, but I have to say, NECA, while generally superior in paint and often in sculpting (although Hasbro's sculpts are rarely bad, just not quite as good), is roughly the same if not worse than Hasbro in terms of QC, and is generally outclassed by Hasbro in articulation.

But yeah, it is a bit of a problem that we have only two companies that get all the big/hot licenses. Not that there aren't other companies, but they're all way behind the big two.

I love NECA's work but I'm not going to pretend that their articulation matches Marvel Legends, granted it doesn't need to. Well actually their xenomorphs pretty much match Legends for articulation. Their sculpted and painted details are almost always superior because they are specifically aiming at that collector market whereas Legends has a broader goal and this also accounts for the QC differences. NECA product isn't made to be played with so they tend to go for less durable builds while Hasbro and Mattel make toys that a 6 year old could potentially play with.

Do you? Do other companies like DST, NECA, Playmates, Funco, Bandai, McFarlane, and Jakks Pacific not exist? Or does the only thing that matters is who gets to make your 6" Marvel and DC figures?

Also not sure the FTC would ever hold toy makers to the same level of scrutiny as they would communication companies, especially when they've already allowed Hasbro to become the billion dollar big fish that's been eating up the little fish for a long time now.

Technically yes, when all of the new hot movies are from properties where they've held the license for decades.

Putting aside things Hasbro owns completely like Transformers and My Little Pony, a large chunk of Hasbro's (and Mattel's) toys are licensed properties. But while they have the license to make toys for those properties, they do not own any of them out right, and licenses are available for multiple companies to share to make merchandise, and in many cases even make other action figure alternatives.


Except arguably the best Batman and DC figures available to collectors are not actually made by Mattel, just the cheapest. But there are actually quite a few options if you're unhappy with Mattel's mass retail offerings (and no such thing as an action figure anyone needs to buy).


I'm not sure I believe much anything would change. The battle consumers face between figures losing quality versus the raising prices will continue as it has since forever.

Well, I did say “Aside from Marvel Legends” Meaning you can exclude them from my feelings about Hasbro. But, Toy Biz made some pretty damn good Legends back in the day. At least their Ghost Riders included a motorcycle.
Other companies could make better versions, but they’ll take forever to get around to them. Plus not a lot of people want a SH Figuarts, or Revoltech version because the price. Imagine what Galactus would cost!

Aside from that, I agree about the DC figures. NECA, Hot Toys, Mafex, and DC Collectibles have been my favorites. The Mattel ones are terrible anymore. Last ones I collected were from Dark Knight Rises.

Yes, but it's going to get even worser. In the past we used to have a lot more toy companies than today...

You're right, other companies COULD make better versions, but they won't, because that would require them putting dedication into the line. Companies can't even be bothered to provide a full ranger team for Sentai, how can they stomach doing 20000 different Marvel characdters?

Many of those are specifically collector-oriented. In terms of general kid-oriented toys (which is where the problem with this merger mainly lies), there's only Playmates, Jakks, and Bandai. Maybe TakaraTomy as well, but after losing the Pokemon license, we're gonna be seeing even less of them over here. In general, none of these companies is anywhere near as big as Hasbro and Mattel, and they're all largely focused on a couple properties, while Hasbro and Mattel both have plenty of licenses and original IPs. Only LEGO is comparable in size, earnings, and properties.

If this happens, I doubt it'll be any different than when Hasbro bought Kenner in the early 90's. They went from two major competitors to two seperate companies that operated under the same roof.

Kenner retained their licenses, their products kept their own styles and they remained their own company and their label graced their products until 1999. The only notable non-legalize change I remember was most of their products switched to shipping in boxes labeled Hasbro Toy Group instead of Kenner Products. No other sizable changes at all.

If you didn't know Hasbro had bought them at any point at that time, you'd never have noticed anything different between Kenner's pre-Hasbro years and after their purchase until Hasbro did away with the Kenner branding on their lines. I've no doubt this is exactly what would happen if Hasbro acquires Mattel (the exception of course being that Hasbro likely wouldn't do away with Mattel from a branding perspective). Business as usual from both parties, just a big change in ownership.

Neither company seem to care about 3.75" comic characters anymore so idgaf what they do.

And then they fired all the Kenner staff (and to think they're people who believe that Hasbro will restore Kenner properties with care, lol) and we saw for example how the Jurassic World and Park toys were inferior to the Kenner ones...I hope Hasbro will fall, Gi Joe is dead anyway and Takara can preserve transfomers. TBH, I hate both Mattel and Hasbro and hope they will shut down (unless they start making good toys again, which is unlikely) and Kickstarter will give use new smaller companies.

Collector-oriented but all on the shelf at Toys R Us. But you'll find many more companies out there in the toy aisle making toys for children, you just have to look at something besides just action figures.

The thing is Hasbro and Mattel have a lot of licenses and original IPs, that's true, but they have obtained all of that now even without a merger. Which is why I think criers of "monopoly, monopoly!" are missing (or denying) that most of their fears may already be the reality.

Plus really I'm not sure it's even possible actually monopolize licensed IP, as again the licensed IP is something these companies do not outright own. A license can be given and taken away by the actual owner when the contract expires, or in some cases whenever the owner chooses to end the relationship.

LEGO I think is also proof enough that in reality no one is terribly concerned over one company controlling the majority of the licensed IPs in one section of the toy department.

Dc legends

Thank god, the last thing I want is everything under the same company. It's like Disney buying up everything out there. Competition is needed for a reason.

The last thing I want is for the Jurassic Park/World rights to be back under Hasbro. The Jurassic World toys from Hasbo were beyond god-awful. Thankfully, the few shots that have been shared of the Mattel stuff look pretty good.

Agreed, this ain't China, although ironically most of this stuff is made by them :P

I’m certainly disappointed, Mattel does nothing but set on licenses and make garbage product, at least as far as action figures go. I was hoping this could lead to DC products on the level of a Marvel Legend, but I guess were still stuck in the mud with their crappy Multiverse line. Even if DC decided to pull the license in the event of a buy out, ANY company could do a better job than Mattel has.

I don’t hold Legends up as the gold standard like some do (because it isn’t), but it should certainly be seen as the bare minimum, and Multiverse doesn’t even scrape by a quarter of that. If I had my way, I’d rather see NECA make DC toys in the style of their versus line, those Batman/Superman figures look far better than anything both Hasbro/Mattel have ever done. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like those figures are ever going to be released. At least what NECA makes looks worthy to be in a 6”-7” scale though. Most of the Hasbro stuff look like scaled up 3.75” figures.

No shade at 3.75” figures though, I prefer that scale actually but the choices are slim. I’d love to see the return of Marvel Universe, now that the Vintage Collection is coming back. I can’t help but wonder what the future of the 6” Black Series is, that line peg warms like there’s no tomorrow, and honestly Legends seems to be peg warming too, certainly no where near as bad as the Black Series though. I’d also like to see a competent line of 3.75 DC figures, hopefully Hiya will pull that off with the Injustice line. I want a 3.75 Swamp Thing so bad!

good news about the takeover not being made. people sure have little memory about toy companies. people complaining about mattels products but remembr when they did DCUC, that line was awesome and competitive with legends and the 4 horseman did the sculpting since you guys have bad memories so mattel has done quality figures...

This is true except for toys IMO because customizing would be so much easier and better if all the toys were made by the same company using the same molds and techniques.

so hasbro offered $4,999,999,999 and mattel balked, huh? oh well.

The problem is they used to make great figures. Now they only put in the bare minimum effort into their figures and make excuses about how it wouldn't be cost-effective to develop new molds and improve the articulation scheme.

Good!
 

I'm mainly into what is now Halo Mega Construx, which has just been taken over by Mattel. It'd be a shame if it, then, were taken over by Hasbro, as their styles of toys are very different, and I'd really hate to see a change in the quality or style of figures in the MC line.