[predaking000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by predaking000

Economies of scale aside (smaller production run?), I wonder if the company is passing on the expense of licensing to us as well. And maybe there's a dash of opportunism/greed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukefett

I don't know what you're talking about there, EVERY product you buy passes on the licensing cost to the consumer in one way or another. Kotobukiya statues are larger than these buy proportionally more expensive, their 1/10 Star Wars stuff is like $100+ starting and a bunch don't have swap out parts. I don't see these as any different and the prices are comparable.

I should have phrased more carefully. I meant that that's one of various factors/excuses for what seems to be an excessive price for what these things are ($50-$70 for 4- to 5-inch statuettes). You mentioned economies of scale on the previous page (not in those words, but the same thing) and so I wanted to acknowledge and get all the usual reasons/excuses out of the way.

If we're going to compare, the 1/10 Star Wars stuff is in a bigger scale and more detailed, and a number of the figures in the line are set at around the same retail price as Penny/Brain (https://www.hlj.com/1-10-scale-star-...-ren-kbysw-109), at the $68-80 range. Same for some of the Marvel ArtFX statues (https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Produ...nDetails/69272).

However, I really don't think the 1/10 ArtFX stuff is worth it either. So saying the two are comparable--even assuming they are--ain't gonna convince me that the prices are "justified."

Companies get away with what they think they can get away with, whether it's jacking up prices on popular characters or throwing in extras fans don't want/need to explain away a higher price point. These things aren't cheap to produce, but they also want to make a decent profit. It's a balancing act.

I mean, if they'd charged $70 for a fully articulated Penny and Brain (and given her her messenger bag, too, which is the first thing my wife noticed was missing), then yeah, I'll happily make the purchase, and I won't complain a bit. But this is an easy out...they make a cool, fully articulated Gadget figure and surround him with small, easy-to-produce statues that are priced really high because they know collectors will want to complete the set. Come on, man, they know what they're doing.

I think the prices for the Gadget statues (not the Gadget figure itself) are a bit insane, but the same has been said of a lot of the stuff I collect, too. I don't begrudge anyone for jumping in wholeheartedly on this line. And I don't usually balk at pricing either. This one, though...a company like this, product like this, I want to support. But man, they're pushing it.