Marvel Universe Gold ???
 

What would it take for Hasbro to sponsor a Marvel Universe Club?? With all the troubles that seem to be plagueing Getting Marvel Universe product to Market,What would it take for Hasbro contemplate such a thing?? They could do the thing themselves( How many would be willing to pay a yearly fee and at what amount to be able to buy new Hasbro offerings) or they could make arrangements with several of the toy distributors and toy shops to release exclusive figures. Toy Biz did this years ago with the Marvel Gold series.
I know there is a huge demand for product and at what point would they make a decent return.( I think the Marvel Gold runs were between 5,000-10,000) What would be an acceptable price??

Or they could combine all their lines in 1 club and offer exclusive figures from ALL of their lines. Something like HASBRO GOLD or some such .. They could then still have their Mass market releases and ALSO offer exclusive figures to collectors . Every 3 moths release a couple of GI JOE followed in another 3 months by a Couple MU, then StarWars etc. Just an idea.

The problem i personally would have is i'd be paying for figures i wouldnt always want,but i do like the idea of a "Hasbro Universe" Collectors club!!!!

Maybe pay a yearly fee with a min requirement to purchase a stated number of figures. With the fan base of each line I would think this would be feasable.

well, I'd be interested, Only in a way to get characters you wouldnt really see in retail. more obscure characters. Moondragon for example

EXACTLY , Figures the collectors WANT.

I'd be interested depending on the parameters and everything, but I'd only be interested in the marvel stuff only. If they did something like $100 for year with one figure per month or so I'd be totally in, but yeah it would have to be stuff worth singing up for.

personally, I have never been involved in a collectors club. But with the MU stuff I would be all in (sight unseen). wouldnt matter to me, if it meant a year of 12 figures, 12 being repaint-rebucks, I would still be in if the other 6 were brand new figures...

I would think the cost of a full year 12 figures would probably be around 140$...

I would be in at that pricepoint

I think this would be an amazing idea so long as we don't get anymore Iron Men, Wolverines, or Spideys. I'm thinking of joining the GI Joe figure subscription this year for the first time. Cool figures and obscure characters are the appeal for me.

With all the Marvel , GI Joe, StarWars,Transformers collectors out such a club would defintely be a revenue stream for Hasbro. Figures could be advanced ordered with deadlines for orders( so the runs will be limited to orders+plus what ever Hasbro feels appropriate.) That way no collector who wanted a figure would "lose out"

yeah, I would buy 2 subscriptions if the breakdown were great, but there would also be a lot of outcry if the club included great figures that everyone would want...

Anyone would be able to join at anytime, Another plus for Hasbro if they put out great figures that everyone wants. With exclusives being pre-ordered everyone who wants one should be able to get one. Hasbro would then produce a number over the pre order ( for defective returns, lost etc. The surplus if any could then be sold on HTS. Being in the club guarantees you a figure if you want it. I guess it would work like their SDCC exclusives the difference being you are guaranteed a figure if you want one and are a member. Limits per figure could be worked out

and if they wanted them bad enough, they could sign up. It's their own fault. They shouldn't complain if they passed the opportunity.

The problem is this: I have yet to see a good model for a toy collector's club subscription. FunPubs can't get there sub going. MattyCollector's is universally hated. DC's might work - time will tell. Since Hasbro already is working with FunPubs, they would likely hand it off to them, and they are over their heads with TFCC and GIJCC. Neither produces many particularly new parts - usually a head if anything - so you can't expect anything extraordinary. What you get are production quality repaints. And FunPubs is infamous for producing figures that they want to do, not what fans clamor for. (They have had massive hits and misses in recent years.)

Personally, the only criticism I have with what Hasbro is producing is that it is slower than I like - but they are doing a great job. Sure, they make too many Spider-Man, Caps, IM, etc., but they also make a Puck and 3 Absorbing Man figures in various forms of transformation. They make female characters. And they are creative.

Not sure what a club would offer except VERY expensive figures that might fill a few holes that Hasbro hasn't gotten to yet or that would not be particularly popular with even the most ardent fans.

IF done RIGHT ,would be gold for Hasbro. They could do a Fans pole, much like Vonner did with MU to see which figures most fans and collectors are clamoring for. If Hasbro IS scallling back the MU line, maybe something like this can be an alternative.

I think a fan poll is a must for this to catch on. I'm cool with repaints but new head, hair, and accessories are important for general satisfaction. Also using the right molds for the right figs. They could even poll these kind of options to give fans a say in how they're put together. Would be interesting to see something like this.

Makes me think of the Red hulk 3 pack. That figure really needed its own head sculpt. Something with the hair pulled back more and a big grin.

I could see it working if they did like those mail order movie/cd club things where you get like 6 free then they you send you the figure of the month unless you tell them not to and then you have to buy 2 within the year and then you get another for like .02 or whatever

and I would totally be on board

This^

I'd sooner see some of the folks that cast parts make a serious effort to sell painted products so we can just kitbash our own.

While it would be a great way to get more obscure characters out there, I think MU is far to profitable right now for Hasbro to turn it into an MOTUC/CIE-style business.

If Hasbro does anything, it would probably be closer to what they (and Fun Publications) currently do with Transformers and G.I.Joe. And the toys would most certainly be more expensive than the ones currently at retail.

Um, I have no interest in a Moondragon figure. ;)

That won't happen. Look at MOTUC and the number of He-Man and Skeletor figures that have been put out.

But it could mean we might see more obscure costumes of those heroes, such as Armored Spider-Man and maybe some of the weirder Iron Man armors.

I disagree- for Hasbro it would be a hassle and the cost involved with producing unnique figs would never be met by the club revenue.

So you'd have non-stop repaints at best...at worst you'd have club exclusives that eliminate better produced characters from becoming retail figs.

For example- the club makes a repainted Firestar into a fairly inaccurate Mockingbird, this killing any chance of her being produced as a carded retail fig.

And of course, as with Mattycollector, fans would never be happy with what is offered- AND it gives Hasbro an "out" to sell figs only as club/online/diamond exclusives at a higher price point, which is bullshit.
And it would be scalper heaven.

Nope. It's a bad idea.

Plus the TF side seems to have issues when people try to order the exclusives of CC fraud and what not...

I think this would be a terrible idea. For all the above reasons. Not to mention the ridiculous claim that "collectors" don't want the figures that have been coming out.

Seriously? Do you think you speak for all collectors ever? I'm pretty excited with almost every wave they've put out so far. I see all sorts of characters I really want. Sure, I see a few that I want that haven't been made, and a few I couldn't care less about, but I'm not so deluded as to stand up and say "Hasbro won't cater to my exact desires and nostalgia".

Even this forum is a terrible example of what's the demand is. You know who this forum represents? Those of us who want to talk about the line online. Not the thousands of collectors who don't even post online. And don't even get me started about the posters who think that since they have every figure put out, there should never be any repacks for new collectors.

And this is exactly my point. You'd be forcing the line into long term fans only. Came in late? Sucks to be you, you're not getting those exclusive club only figures. Not enough money that month? Tough cookies. Oh, just re-release them later at retail? Well why did we pay extra to get them early at all?

yeah, not a good idea.

Going with that Firestar reference. If she was used for MI-13's Spitfire I'd be down for it. Plus as long as the retail figure is different looking than the exclusive, they can still do it.

For example:
Archangel - X-Force v3 Archangel exclusive - variant Death - Still can do a variant Uncanny X-Force Archangel

So for Firestar, they could do her Marvel Divas attire for an exclusive, or classic or modern Spitfire(literally just Firestar with some new gloves and maybe Ms. Marvel's hair), and still do the other interpretation for mainline. Like say New Warriors or Avengers Jacketed Firestar, or whatever spitfire costume is still open.

At least that's how I see exclusives working out the best. Go for the utterly obscure that may not move at retail(spitfire was a bad example because vampire figures move pretty well apparently after blade's release). Then the more common in comics iterations let go to store shelves.

Like someone mentioned above, Silver and black Armored Spidey, but leave Iron Spidey as retail. Same to captain america really. They could do his armored form from when he lost his powers, or some other brief obscure form no kid really wants but collectors would jump at. Okay, cap and spidey are again bad examples. Kids eat them up no matter what it seems. Something like Purple man though or Spot could make sense. Spot especially since he's literally just a buck that's white with black spots. Heck his accessory could even just be a playing card that has little black circles you pop out of with different sizes which would definitely be more adult line oriented for how small they are.

Super skrull Secret Invasion variants though would work perfectly. There's so many that can be made that hasbro could never cover them all. Same to really Skrull versions of characters.

Speaking as a foreigner and with purely selfish reasons, I have to say I really don't like the idea of this at all.

I don't want to repeat all the usual stuff about how hard it is to get the retail figures in the UK, (let alone exclusives) but the price for FunPub's Transformers Collectors Club and the Joe Club is beyond ridiculous for international members. I know postage isn't cheap but its nearly double the US membership fee. I haven't checked to see what MattyCollector charge, but I can't see it being much better, if they even do international membership.

I was beyond p*ssed that Baron Zemo, a figure I've wanted from the start of the line (since Toybiz Marvel Legends to be exact) was revealed as an SDCC exclusive. If every one of my more wanted characters became exclusives in one form or another, it would mean I would have to look to eBay and Scalper Central, costing me several times what they orignally 'sold' for. I'd probably start thinking of giving up on the line.

As it is I will almost certainly never own an 'official' 616 Nick Fury, X-Force Archangel or Maria Hill for this very reason.

And as Jason Abbadon said; if Figure A is made by repainting Figure B with a Figure C head, and the end result sucks, that figure has been made, it can be crossed off the list and wont get another (possibly better) version at retail or otherwise.

What if they made a figure from repainted Avengers or Spider-man figures? Would you want to be forced to pay for that?

Please leave them at retail.

{apologies for the essay, thank you for your time}

I like the idea of getting figures we normally wouldn't. However, I'm not too big on commitment. I think it would be cool if members of the "club" had priority to purchase online exclusives. I love hunting though. If I don't find it now, I'll come by it soon. The hunt is the best part to me.

Part of what I love about these toys is being able to find clearance priced ones on occasion. A collector's club essentially negates that...