[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCarterVA

We don't have the labor in the US to produce figures. We are going to have to make decisions on how we spend our $. I started cutting back LY. In looking at my Toy room, I have enough main characters of Avengers, X-Men and Star Wars. Joes are another story. It is time to be very selective. Price increases drove me out of monthly comics along with poor stories and the need to restart every few years.

I've said it before in conversations on the thread that the compensation expectations for American workers, in this case, machinists, in my estimation, is too high for the manufacture of goods at this price point. Most manufacturing in Western culture is unionized and that's a very good thing; employers should be discouraged from abusing employees and that is the principal purpose of any union.

I think a smaller shop could potentially do it, but Hasbro's runs are larger in scale (speculation on my part, as I've no quantitative info) than what I imagine MacFar, 4H, or Boss Fight create. Interestingly enough, the price points for Boss fight are $25 for a 3.75" figure and have been there from the start, I believe. Additionally, Four Horsemen figs have always been at least $10 more than MLs. Neither of these lines generated the sticker shock that Hasbro has experienced.

Hasbro's definitely going to lose patrons, but there is a chance they can muddle through by including extra pack-ins to somewhat offset the sticker price. If deluxe rates are going to be the norm, then add some of what collectors receive from pricier lines. Better paint, more textures, clasping/casting-hands/fists, extra heads featuring neutral/emotive portraits, and gun/weapon/energy-effects could all be added to shift the line to a sincere 'collector's' model.