[Jmacq1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cellardoor

I can still remember picking toys as a kid, and I never went for toys with "real-punching action!" or anything like that. I'd have picked Snake Eyes over anything else simply because the toy looked cool.
I think Hasbor sell kids short by putting all these over-sized and dull accessories in with their toys. Surely a nine-year old boy is going to pick Crossbones over rocket-launcher cap because he looks rad?
I think you can still market to kids and collectors, we share very similar mind-sets after all!

Thing is, when you look at some of the most successful lines over the years, "action features" do indeed appear to be something kids like:

Masters of the Universe virtually had a gimmick for every figure, at least after the first wave or two.

Transformers has the gimmicks integrated into the figures in such a way that most collectors don't even consider them "gimmicks."

Power Rangers - yes, I hear 80's nostalgia collectors scoffing but it's been one of the most successful lines of the past 20 years - is laden with action features.

Don't get me wrong, like I said above, I'm hoping that these gimmick-shields can be stripped down or that they also come with "normal" shields, but the toy companies don't make these decisions in a vacuum or just for the heck of it. Somewhere along the way they did some research that tells them action features help them sell toys to kids. If they hadn't, they wouldn't bother.

Also from my personal perspective, if the action feature is something independent of the character (like a spring-loaded launcher or those gimmick-swords that the Thor figures look to be coming with), then it doesn't bother me. Just toss it in a box (or throw it away completely) and be done with it. It's not like the toy companies would charge any less without it.