I'm not going to label anyone here, but I do take issue with the idea that this line is likely to be propped up by children. Absolutely nothing about the line -- the price, the product features, the marketing, the licensing -- indicate kids as the primary market. There's nothing that means they're exclusively for adults, but these are clearly collector toys rather than play toys.

That doesn't mean this fandom is the primary market, though. I expect the success or failure of the line will come down to whether they're adopted by the sports memorabilia community more than action figures fans. Hasbro's licensing partner is Fanatics, and that audience has been their bread and butter.

50 BUCKS!?!? LOL!!! Fuck you Hasbro.

Blind boxed?

There goes the LeBron heads again!

I'm guessing it's $50 because they know most people will just buy the players from their own teams and maybe a Big Name like LeBron, MJ, etc.

The price is definitely prohibitive, but most kids don't buy many things themselves. Granted, $50 is steep but children cajole their parents into buying many things from games (same price point) to phones. Now, both of those items have more utility than one of these figures, but I'm positive a Stef fig will be an easy go to for parents of young Warriors fans when searching for gifts during holiday seasons and birthdays.

Again, who knows what will happen, but I just don't see this being supported on the back of adult interests. It reads like a play-line given the articulation alone.

Young over Booker?

At $50, though, once you get beyond the stars who will be paying that for the back-up Center for example? Or some MLB reliever?

I can't see this line lasting long without quickly devolving into putting out every HoF'er they can from the past to get people to purchase.

Not defending Hasbro in any way, I think $50 sucks. However, licensing go into play here, right? I imagine NBA gets $10 and the person himself gets $10 for every figure sold? I'm not a licensing expert, this is a legitimate question.

And maybe the sneaker companies get $5?

https://c.tenor.com/6qdDDD0Y4dEAAAAC...-are-those.gif

I'm interested in NFL and a couple MLB guys but $50 is a hard pill to swallow.

Adult collectors are the ones who want articulation. Tons of toy photographers out there and guys that like to pose.

This line will fail!

I don't think they get the sports collector market. Its all visual. And toys for kids who play sports are tchotchkes and used as display and aren't played with. We don't live in that era anymore. If collectors don't support this line at the ridiculous $50. It won't succeed. If Mcfarlane couldn't sell articulated sports figures (and he did make them) I don't think anyone will be able to. But maybe I'm wrong. I'm usually not.

Sure, I like the photography aspect myself and prefer higher amounts of articulation. But wouldn't say that sentiment represents most adult collectors, as I've seen many posts here on the Ark bemoaning "ugly" articulation.

Lebron is missing his tattoos and it seems wrong. Even the Space Jam McDonalds Lebron toys had tats. Especially when they are hyping it as being realistic.

It kind of reminds me of the deluxe ML Black Widow movie figure that came with the stand, but that was only $5 more than the standard figures. And that stand is a lot nicer than the ones that come with the SL figures.

Maybe.

Cult can be any group someone dislikes at thus point because it's the current thing. Language and words gives a lot of sub info

When I have meetings with kids and adults in schools and doing quick assessments, i get the impression of kids and society about their overall interests and trends.

50 bucks? Kids are not going for that and most adults will not. I get paid well, but will never be taken advantage of, or at least try not to be.

Hasbro is in for a world of hurt if they think fans will pay for it. Black series basically vanished, Legends no longer sell beyond the top 3, and MBA for 50 will not either.

Hasbro need to tighten business but they will not. They will want us loyal fans to pay for the lines that fail. I got news, I am not loyal and what data i see, fans are fed up.

Alternate heads that are smiling and/or have some kind of expression wouldve been cool, as well as a "dribbling basketball" FX accessory.

Typically I would not post in anything sports related, but I kind of hope these scale with ML and GI Joe so I can have more civilian bystanders if they ever go on sale for cheap enough.

I just want some sneakers for my SWBS Chewbacca, thanks!

I joked with you because my 'quick assessment' revolved around your use of 'celebrity culture' and the parallels to some of the language commonly employed by QAnon cultists. But, beyond that, I agree that kids are more susceptible to lionizing celebrities. However, many adults, buttressed by the inflection point we find ourselves at here in America, aren't slouching in their capacity for idolatry.

You ain't kiddin. Hasbro does not care one iota that $50 may be a bit steep for kids. "Mooooooom! It's ___________ you know he's my favorite this week!" Same as it ever was.

Yeah I forgot to type..kids aint gonna consider buying a $50 figure when they can buy a video game around the same price point or less depending if bought used.

My guess is that Fanatics is Hasbro's primary licensing partner and that they manage the relationship with all of the licensors. There are many: NBA (for team names, team and league logos, jerseys), NBA Players Association (player names and likenesses), equipment manufacturers (shoe companies, Wilson for the basketball.) There's also a product partnership with Panini for the trading cards and related NFTs. There are a lot of other companies getting paid from these, though who knows how much and how it's managed.

These, while the faces look ok, scans and all are kinda meh. Shoes are also..kinda done well. I have alot of kicks and they are just ok on these figures. I don't think these look realistic. As someone pointed out in this thread.. these look like video game versions of the players. BUT these aren't even real figures we are seeing just mock ups.

4Reelz! Radio Disney put the world of marketing on notice telling them to hold their beer as they demonstrated the power of the 'whine-factor'. When I worked with kids/families, oh so many moons ago, I would warn parents about the insidious nature of Radio Disney's marketing strategy to hypnotize (lol embellishment for effect, but they achieved a similar result) children into inundating them with requests for the various products they droned into their heads. Parents would return and thank me saying they hadn't really paid attention until I'd mentioned it to them and that their children were, in fact, regurgitating wants immediately following ads on the radio.

Lol, they've got 20 variants just from his hair. Jordan has young/older, number variants, and about 100 sneaker variants with colorways factored in. Pippen could redeco several times too. Goatee, sneaks, etc.

I'd dig a Jordan Vs. 2 pack too, Starks, Dumas, Magic, Drexler, etc. Ehlo so he can get posterized lol. Playoff face off stuff.

Anyway, let's see how it goes with modern x 50 bucks before getting into all that hehe.

Would only buy for classic players, maybe they’ll complete teams like the 95 bulls or the lakers and Celtics from the 80s