Hasbro's boxes for Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black - love 'em or hate 'em ?
 

While searching for Marvel Legends at Walgreens today, I spotted a couple of Funko's Legacy figures (specifically, from the Evolve wave), and noticed that instead of being packaged in the boxes that Funko has used since the beginning of the Legacy series, they were in a smaller, sleeker
type of packaging.

I liked the packaging so much, that I wish Hasbro would adopt this style for Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black figures (although it may present a problem with including the BAF pieces with Legends).
Initially, I really liked Hasbro's boxes, and to a certain extent, I still do, but I've seen too many cases of people fraudulently returning these boxes to stores with the wrong figures and/or BAF pieces in them.

http://i825.photobucket.com/albums/z...psqks2jayc.jpg

What do you guys think? Love Hasbro's boxes? Hate them? And, if you don't like them, what sort of packaging would you prefer to see Legends and SWB figures in ?

I do like the designs of the newer Black Series and Legends figures, which are very reminiscent with what is normally seen with import toys, but I'll take the old school Toybiz clam-shells any day of the week over the newer packaging that's out there. They were durable, clearly displayed the figure, displayed perfectly on wall displays due to the built in hang tab, and more importantly, were very difficult to tamper with (thus preventing the random theft and BAF and figure swaps you are seeing more of now a days.) If you wanted into those clam-shells, you weren't doing it unless you had a knife and were willing to draw a lot of attention to yourself with the noise to do so...

I keep going back-and-forth between preferring the Toy Biz-era clam-shells, or a sleeker, minimalist style of packaging.
Part of me is nostalgic for that bygone era of Marvel Legends, but part of me thinks that a new packaging is needed for a new era, so, I'm conflicted.

This maybe a cheaper way to reduce costs with figures.
Which i think Hasbro could do , but with BAF waves might not be enough plastic. I do want the good old toy biz packaging but they might be more expensive now if Hasbro did it Toybiz ones were big enough for a comic and BAF piece which is why i like'em over Hasbro ones. So there are some pros and cons , i think they should give characters like ghost rider special packaging for like him and his bike for example without a BAF piece. I don't think Hasbro will do something like that for hopefully a long time

I toss my boxes out, so I don't care how Hasbro packages them.

personally, I wish they'd just put them in polly bags and put the added revenue from package design, packing and materials into the product. I'd prefer them to cut cost on something disposable before articulation, paint, ect.

My trash can doesn't really care!

I really like the style of packaging that Hasbro is using for Marvel Legends and the Black Series. It's easy to open and doesn't have a bazillion twist ties. Neca clamshells are a pain in the butt to open and I'm always worried that I'm going to cut the figures or accessories and damage the paint. Marvel Select always have a ton of unnecessary twist ties that could damage the paint and leave impressions in the plastic. I used to be on the Matteycollector forums and we always clamored for more accessories and more new tooling. The standard response from Mattel was that they couldn't afford it, however they seemed to spend a lot on enormous packaging for figures when a simple box or a bubble on a card back would have been sufficient. They always said that posing the figures in the package was a big selling point and their packaging kept getting bigger and bigger. So I personally like Hasbro's packaging because it's simple, easy to open, takes up less room to store and seems like it's less expensive and causes less waste. My figures all get opened eventually anyway, so I would rather toys have modest packaging and see the rest of that money go towards better toys.

I open almost everything so packaging matters very little to me, but I think all figures should be boxed in square boxes like the SW Black or Funko Legacy figures. Marvel Legends would be better if they just made the packages square.

I would also like to say that I think Marvel Legends could do a 30$ boxed figure. That way we could get a figure like Ghost Rider and he can come with a bike. I know stuff costs more now but I remember when xmen and other figures had a figure/vehicle combo pack back in the day. They could do a Wolverine w/bike, Ghost Rider (Ketch)/ Blaze/ Vengeance w/ bike, Xavier w/ Hover Chair, or even include rooftop bases with special figures like the DC Young Justice figures had. So we could get an Armored Daredevil with a gargoyle corner roof base??

I like the new ML boxes that Hasbro does because of the art that's on there, being a partial MISB collector they look great. The MI packaging sucks ass. To go along with this packaging theme, the new IDW/CW TF packaging are a lot better then what they did with the FOC ones. To each their own though.

I wish they did switch to clamshell. It would stop thieves from taking BAF (sometimes who figure) as well as stop me from hoarding the boxes.
The designs are great but I bet it would cut costs so maybe Hasbro would cut us some slack on price.

I don't collect Legends or the Black Series that much so it's not much of a pet peeve for me, but I would rather have "meh" packaging if it meant preventing people from pulling this kind of stunt:

http://i.imgur.com/snAJI0U.png

Sometimes when I spend hours in toy stores I just examine boxes out of boredom and notice that the ML boxes are really easy to open.

The problem is, Legends seems to attract asshole collectors that would rather steal or buy and return w/ fake parts rather than just buy the stuff legit. Now I have seen this type of shit with Monster High dolls as well. Someone buys a 2, 3, or 5 pack, takes out the rare or more desirable or exclusive doll and then returns the item with a cheep doll in its place. and because the return clerk is never going to check the item, it just gets put back on the shelf.
As I have said many times, If you don't have the money to collect then STOP COLLECTING STUFF. Don't be an asshole to others.

they do have the money how else they get the packaging , they more like get their money back

How are you opening them that you're worried about the toy? I use a pair of old school scissors I have in my room and just trim off the edges, it's not at all physically difficult and there's literally no threat to the toy. I saw a guy on YouTube once use a pocket knife to just start stabbing holes to tear a TF2 Pyro open and when he was angry he nicked an accessory pretty badly I felt like "no shit you damaged the thing, you were stabbing it like you were Michael Myers!"

On the subject of the thread, I think the current Legends/Black series boxes are very aesthetically pleasing in the toy aisle (as an opener it doesn't matter in the long run) but they are too easy for thieves to get into inconspicuously or for people to buy, it take what they want, and then return it.

God that was such a crock of shit. How can posing figures in the package make it sell better when the product is being sold ONLINE?! People aren't going to be able to see the cool pose from the packaging until they have it in hand, at which point they have already purchased it and aren't going to care.

Yeah the theft has been rampant everywhere I go. I live on the west coast but when I travel to the east coast I see a lot of baf pieces missing, figures swapped out, or agent coulson missing from that shield 3 pack etc. Just today I was able to pick up tiger shark for $1.90 cuz the baf piece was missing:

http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/...psn0pol6uj.jpg

So yeah, the packaging is great for honest collectors and even better for scammers and thieves. Based on the rampant theft I would prefer the old school clam shell packaging, preferably the all plastic ones like NECA uses that are a pain to open without scissors.

While it sucks, you got a hell of a deal on that!

I just got into collecting Neca Aliens and Predator figures in the last year or so and I don't really have a routine yet. I usually just use a boxknife and cut the bubble off of the card back. I try to be careful, but it just makes me nervous.

The Club Infinite Earths figures came in packaging that was similar to Marvel Legends and the Black Series. I was mostly talking about the DCUC retail packaging. It was always a huge bubble that was 2/3 or 3/4 empty, wasted space. They are kinda nice looking, but they are hard to store and create a lot of waste for people who open their figures for display.

I am pretty indifferent to packaging since I tend to open everything. That being said, when I did not have a place to put open Legends I was leaving them in their packages and the new sloped box design was making them impossible to stack on a shelf. They tended to slide and fall no matter how I set them up.

With Predators I use a hobby knife to go around the bubble because I like to keep the cardbacks, it takes a good level of patience and steady hands but it pays off. For anything in clamshell just get a decent pair of scissors, kitchen scissors or basic craft scissors like you'd find in a school, and just cut off the edge-seal. Place the package down on a flat surface with the back facing up, coming at it from the top starting on the side that is your dominant hand (if you're right handed start on your right) and cut down to the bottom edge, you may either cut all the way down or turn the cut to keep it one piece for easier disposal. After cutting of the first side you do the same to the bottom and then again with the other side, but you do not cut away at the top where the j-hook is. You should now have trimmed away the edges and it should lift open with ease, you may now easily remove the inner bubble with the figure with no resistance and then you can put all of the trimming into the empty shell for easy disposal, just be sure to get it all because I imagine it hurts to step on that shit. That's how I do it anyway.

My rule is BOX OR BUST. I reconsider any purchase if I learn that it's in a clamshell.

My principal gripe is the integrated hang tab. Having worked in retail, I know what it's like having to try to repair those little hang tabs with tape and staples and etc. after some ignorant and/or malicious little turd wrenches a product off its display peg. Some little psychopaths actually damage them deliberately, because they know you as the retailer have to mark down damaged goods, essentially extinguishing any flicker of hope that you might have of turning a profit. Think of it this way: every damaged hang tab means someone has stolen a little piece of a retailer's soul, or at least their livelihood. It's a shame that so many retailers have to install security cameras just because a small number of little bastiches can't restrain themselves from tampering with packages and fondling the contents without paying for them.

It should be obvious to everyone here that the vast majority of collectors want to buy something 'fresh' and 'pristine,' hence the acronym "MIB" (Mint In Box) seen frequently in the secondary market. (Notice: that's Mint In Box, not Mint In Clamshell.) EnSabahNerd just reminded me of what a pain it can be, trying to open a clamshell so as to minimize damage and preserve value and usefulness. I'm averse to such pain.

A good box should be easy to open without damage, for re-use to protect the toy, resale, and for storage. Every product developer who designs a box that stacks easily should get a gold star. Many are the times that I try to take one old irregularly-shaped clamshell out of a stack and have the whole shebang come tumbling down, and falls usually entail damage, to soft cardboard backing especially, but also to brittle contents. Most of the hang tabs that come with a box are affixed with adhesive, and can be folded out of the way or removed entirely (and replaced, if you hang your collection) without damaging the box.

There's another reason why I prefer boxes. The printed surfaces provide graphic designers with more opportunity to add value by incorporating background scenes and graphics, creating a kind of mini-diorama for the product inside. Black Series is a rare exception, but the solid black background is its own kind of branding. (My only criticism in that regard is that I miss some of the full-color airbrush artwork of favorite Star Wars artists.)

If scummy people are getting away with substituting contents, then retailers need to be more vigilant. The same thing is going to happen regardless of packaging. It's amazing and pathetic, the lengths to which some people will go... Rgds

What clamshells have had issues with the j-hook breaking? I know that blister-cards are a bitch to keep in decent shape in store and those j-hooks break ridiculously easy but I don't think I've ever seen a clamshell package have any j-hook issues. Or are you accidentally switching clamshell and blister-card here?

packaging isn't a big thing for myself..... so they looks ok to me. i collect legends regularly, but if they could produce a better looking more secure package for the legends then why not ?