[Snowflakian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K Dubious

I really think it looks bad for our line that something that was previewed last year at SDCC ended up the next years exclusive. I think that means they were not able to get Lockjaw to retail, so Snow might be onto something. If a store won't order it what else can they do with it?

I'm afraid that it might mean we will only continue to get the comic packs and single carded, but more deluxe sets are probably out of the question right now.

They could still single card Lockjaw. The way retail orders work is based on case assortment interest. No clue how well he'd sell as a single carded figure though. They did already attempt this with Rocket Raccoon before, and he had a movie behind him at the time.

Exclusives don't preclude us from getting a character. Exclusives only mean we may not get that exact paint app version of the character, or a slightly retooled mold of the character. (See Red Skull exclusives, Cap, etc. from previously.)

More deluxe sets are probably out of the question for right now because of the lack of retailer support, but later when buzz starts going good again and the action figure market hits another boom, we should have more leeway to see diverse figures. Right now, comic packs and single carded are what we're lucky to have.

A lot of what I was saying before was from experience of watching what hasbro does from the collector standpoint as well as having worked retail for way too long. So I was talking about that from experience on both sides of the equation.

Like I said though, the hype ball will probably get rolling again the closer we get to the two year team movie cycle, and Thor 3 should push more in that direction too if it's good. Market trends come in waves. Action Figures will have a boom again, it's only a matter of when.

This is why diverse coverage in the comics to pull fans in is a good thing. Stuff like the new Ironman and more, generate new readers and create new collectors too that may want a figure of this new character.

For example, up until this week, I haven't been able to find the Jane Foster Thor comic pack anywhere. Stores have had the comic packs, but not that one. So then I've had to wait until they sell through the others before a new re-stocking happens.

Same issue I'm seeing at my local TRUs too. No Gamora wave because they haven't sold through on the Tritons and Uliks of the first wave.