[scarecrow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebleshot

Okay, here we go (again)....



Of course they care about making money. What FOR-PROFIT company doesn't? But it's utter BS to say that they care nothing for the fans, or that their only goal is profit. There were so many good things announced in the coming months for Transformers, GI Joe and Marvel that anyone who says Hasbro doesn't care about fans needs to take a step back and rethink that position.

No, they don't. Hasbro has been quoted several times stating that they never (repeat:NEVER) expect anyone to buy every single version/variant of a character or toy they produce.

Most variants/color swaps of toys are done so Hasbro can make back some of the money they spent on R&D and manufacturing the original release. Any sales on the recolors/remolds are almost all profit, part of which funds future toy releases (i.e. new molds).

On some occasions minor variants/running changes are done to fix aesthetic issues, QC/design issues, or mistakes.

Did Hasbro expect everyone to buy the 1st release of MU Punisher? No, they even said a remold was coming, and that it would have a superior head sculpt. Without actually saying it, they wanted us to wait for the better mold. Hell, most of us could have taken that first release, used an X-Acto knife and called him Jigsaw.



Again, not true. Collectors barely make up 10% of the buying demographic. We aren't even Hasbro's target audience (for any toy line). If we collectors all stopped buying toys from Hasbro, they'd still be making a profit and putting out product.

Granted, for specific lines the percentages are somewhat different (such as Star Wars), but by-and-large it's all for kids.

Why else would toy sales be highest during the Christmas season? If collectors were the bulk of the buyers, wouldn't there be several smaller spikes throughout the year as collectors bought the latest and greatest?



Can you say free advertising? Besides, it's not as if you collected toys just to get something from Hasbro, Mattel or any other toy company. Hasbro doesn't owe you anything for being a fan, or for getting others interested in the hobby.

Let's say we replace toys and comics with movies. Say you really like the Harry Potter series and took a friend to see the first film in theaters. That friend liked it and invited another to go see the sequel along with you. By the sixth installment you have a whole group of people going to see it.

Should you expect to get a cut of the ticket sales from all those movies or have a say in the script for the next film because those people may not have gone without your influence? Of course not. It's ridiculous to even think that way. And it's the same with toys, comics or any other product.

On to the list:
1. Hasbro doesn't have to do that. But it would be a good question for the next Q&A.

2. Do you realize that most toys have a two year turnaround from design to retail? Marvel Universe hasn't even been at retail for two years! The first figures were released in 2009 and it was only this year that Hasbro said they were working on a new female buck. Have some patience!

3. The idea of shortpacking figures is not to screw collectors over, it's to make sure that there are plenty of the "popular" toy available for kids. Most kids want Spider-Man, not AIM Agent #46.

Not to mention that the size of the shipping box usually means they can't have an even ratio anyway.

4. This goes back to my earlier point about variants, remolds and recolors. Some of these are done months apart and can't be packed together. Sometimes there isn't enough room in the mold to accommodate the extra accessory. And before you say "Drop the flaming Cheeto stuff", keep in mind that kids like that crap. And who does Hasbro want to sell their stuff to the most? That's right, boys and girls.

5. Would you honestly want a BAF for Marvel Universe? Because it would basically be the same as what they're doing for Star Wars. Which would mean the finished figure would be the same size as the rest of the line (unlike Marvel Legends) and that it would most likely be a generic thug or soldier. Imagine trying to army build those. *shudder*

6. Last I heard, they were looking into it. Again, this would be fodder for the Q&A.

7. No one's making you do jack, dude. Hasbro isn't out to screw you over personally, but that's how most of your rant has come across. You don't have to buy a subscription to get that figure, but it would be the cheapest method if you want it. Also, it's not like you don't get anything for that $50, either.

It would be a real crime if you paid $50 and all you got was that toy. Oh, wait, those are called Convention Exclusives. But those are ok, right?

8. If it's so simple, why don't you do it? Look at it this way, Hasbro now has an opportunity to redo Magneto with new parts or a new mold for you to buy and you can throw the SW version in the garbage.

Seriously, read up more on the manufacturing process and what a mold actually looks like, what kind of space constraints it has and the costs of making one.

Now I have my issues with Hasbro's sense of scale, but I'm not naive enough to think that it's an easy fix. Or that it's a priority for Hasbro. Just look at the last 25 years of Transformers. It has issues with scale, even within its own fiction.

9. You can ask Hasbro anything you want, just don't always expect an answer you want to hear (or any answer). A large part of the restrictions have to do with marketing and licensing. Also, if there are any problems with the product, they would rather the public not know about it at all or at least not until after it was resolved.

For example, they tell you that they started the design process for Toy X (your favorite) and it will be coming out in 2 years. A year later they find out that they can't make Toy X for some reason, or that no retailer is willing to carry it. They tell you and now you're pissed. If they had waited a year before announcing it, you'd have never known.

10. They can only know about poor QC if you tell them. So by all means, keep telling them. Don't just sift through the pegs for the "one good one" and bitch about it online.

But be polite. I've worked in the service industry long enough to know that it's not the CSA's fault and you shouldn't take it out on them.

I think a collector's club like that would be a great idea. As for everything else, I've given my $0.02 above.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Treble.