[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boy Blunder

It's still a collector-oriented line, even if it's not 'Collector's Grade.' They're just aimed at the mass market - hence the limitations on paint apps and accessories due to budgetary restraints, and subsequently the lower price. Are they still marketed as a children's toy? Sure, but that's just Hasbro maximizing their possible buying audience. They likely wouldn't even make the Marvel Legends line if they weren't aware of the large base of adult buyers that buy the majority of the figures.

If the line were primarily a 'play' line, I highly doubt we'd be seeing Misty Knight, or Thundra, or Machine Man and the Sentry. At least, not without them being highly visible characters in some media or another. Nor would we get things like Taskmaster's 'Udon' head, or the 'Dirk Anger' head on the new Nick Fury figure, or probably any of the Walgreens exclusives.

Does Hasbro want kids to buy it? Sure; they want the profits, regardless of who gets the figure. But it's still primarily a collector's line - just one that fits within the budget to be mass released through big-box retailers, rather than the more limited releases of items like Marvel Select, or Transformers Masterpiece.

Otherwise, why would we be getting an X-Men wave with the right head to finish our Onslaught BAFs? It's not like most of those characters are in the forefront of children's minds these days.

I hear you. That was essentially why I clarified my use of 'collector's grade' (the implication being that it was made with the intent of being valuable) vs 'collector's line' (representing the creation of a product for fans of a genre). In truth, the two designations aren't mutually exclusive. After rereading our discussion, I realized that the grade/value of something may have no bearing on whether or not a collector 'collects' said thing. I know some people that collect refrigerator magnets (go figure) and shot glasses (that...I can get behind) from wherever they travel to on vacation or business. Obviously, there's little value to these items outside of their personal interests, but they collect them nonetheless.

I still view Marvel Legends as a 'play line' for all the reasons I've mentioned. I'll even add articulation to that list. I just can't see any company taking on additional costs in manufacturing to create multiple POAs for a toy that was going remain in its packaging or sit static on a shelf. It doesn't represent a winning business proposition. Sometimes, I think we adult action fig. collectors overestimate our participation in sales figures (and our numbers in the wild). We often think that children are the ancillary factors in the equation, but it wouldn't surprise me if we were the gravy and they were the meat. I'd be interested in seeing the raw data on sales to adults vs sales to adults - buying for children/children buying for themselves. It'd be hard to parse that info out without introducing a potentially intrusive survey at the point of sale, but I would be very excited to find out who constituted more of the 'business.'

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

Zemo HATES Used Leg Salesmen

I like this pic. I was going to buy those Can of Beams blood splatters...and a bunch of other things...but I just can't stop buying figs. $40 for a pack of those things, or another fig or two? The accessories always lose...one day I'll nab some.