[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Condiment King

Yeah to be fair I did reignite this thread, but only to comment on the falling numbers, it’s an interesting and still ongoing topic dude, I’d try taking to my wife about it, but I know she wouldn’t give a shit, so I come here. I still see chatter about the Rancor and Reva’s lightsaber, this Haslab is no different. I’m not here to trash the thing, its a cool enough car, and Mephisto and Goblin Queen are decent looking figures, and I would NEVER trash the people that want it, I get the desire, you think I don’t want things that are overpriced? You think I’ve never fed a scalper?

I agree with you on Eternia to an extent, I don’t think it’s trash, but it is overpriced, and I’m not into the old school toy thing anyway, I was there the first time around back in the 80’s, I don’t need to be there again, but I appreciate what Origins is trying to do, and obviously lots of people dig it, and the Eternia playset has been a wet dream of some MOTU fans for decades at this point, so good luck to them.

No worries, I don’t view anything you’ve offered in the way of comments as offensive. However, you’ve potentially read the thread through and should be able to see that there’s been a vociferous few that have done nothing but shit-talk this project making one wonder why they would participate so very often if they don’t give two shits about the Lab itself. By the way, I had a laugh (with you, I hope ) at the scenario with your wife. I only choose women that share a healthy interest in my interests, but that’s not always easy to come by and I’ve been very fortunate in that regard throughout my life.

We don’t line up on how much of a conversational point this HasLab remains to be, as the Marvel Legends team itself seems content to let this trickle away with nary a whimper and I’m inclined to allow them to do so. There are but so many ways to say, “Hasbro fucked up” before you find yourself saying, “up fucked Hasbro.” The numbers are going to keep falling. They know. We know. Nuff said, the countdown to zero includes no prize for anyone…unless Hasbro’s official failure brings some sense of joy.

About the Eternia playset, I was a kid of the 80’s as well and MOTU designs quickly gave way to my interest in other action figures with more realistic proportions and conveyances that look like they might actually work, or at least fit comfortably the figures for which they’d been developed. Nostalgia doesn’t drive me in that regard; I’m not interested in the past being revisited anachronistically; I want properties updated to take advantage of modern sensibilities/manufacturing techniques/standards while also reflecting the essence of whatever the license might be. I used to enjoy 5POA and Playdoh Playsets, but I’d never buy those things now out of nostalgia because my tastes have changed dramatically and this transition happened a long time ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Condiment King

I think there is an argument that all these crowd funding toy projects are overpriced, I get the production costs, and I of course expect the company to want a profit, so I guess it boils down to the project itself.
I completely agree that Ghost Rider was a risky Haslab, especially a Robbie Reyes one, I’m not even sure if a cheaper price point would have made it a success, I remember as a kid I desired a huge Sentinel to go with my X-Men figures so bad, I even recall feeling that way about a Galactus figure too, I think all successful projects so far have managed to tap into that lifelong desire, Jabbas barge, the Hiss Tank, Eternia, even Super7 managed to flog a Thundertank for $500!

When all is said and done though, I think it’s just a shame, it’s a shame the fans that want this probably won’t be getting it, it’s a shame the fans desperate for a Mephisto figure are back to square one, it’s a shame for Hasbro who will have already spent a bit of money on promoting this. Let’s hope the next Haslab has that wow factor and can unite collectors in an ‘this is awesome’ kind of way.

All toys are luxuries, in my opinion, whether they are $20, or $200. All of these HasLabs are risky, yet some act like these Labs are money printing machines designed exclusively to bilk consumers with zero potential downside to the manufacturer. Personally, I obviously think these labs are pretty cool as opportunities to get some spectacular shit; I’ve 4 Sentinels (had 5, but gave one away to a close buddy) and I just received 5 Galactus Labs. They’re pricey, I can afford them, and I knew what I was doing when I bought them. In a year, or two, I’ll sell the surplus and more than recoup my money spent using the profit to further propel my collection. I’ve been buying expensive toys since I was a kid. My tastes in Godaikin robots and everything Japanese as a child quickly had my parents rethinking the token-economy they’d set up with me as an incentive for doing well in school. At 14 I secured a worker’s permit and, of course, my first job was at a mom & pop toystore in my hometown. I haven’t looked back since, working from 14 years old to make sure I’m in a position to enjoy at least some of the aspects I dig in life. As you alluded to, none of these toys are actually worth what’s being asked. If you can’t eat it for sustenance, use it as a tool to fix something, or barter with it in a meaningful way, it’s an amenity.

The idea that there is some sort parity between toy cost and actual value is a myth I disabused myself of even as a child. What can happen, though, depending on your taste in toys, is that you’ll nab something that ends up being a collector’s item that accrues in value exponentially. I genuinely believe that Hasbro is offering these sorts of opportunities with their HasLabs. However, depending on the dial-up, consumers will be fickle. I do worry that HasLabs will go the way of the dodo once Hasbro filters through the fallout from these failures and determines this is no longer worth the effort and potential bad social-media footprint given the spectator sport it has become and the inclusion of bad-faith actors who never had any intention to follow though on support. I don’t believe these HasLabs have achieved profitability, nor do I think they constitute a significant money-making arm of what Hasbro does in the big scheme of things. I simply hope we reach the point of a getting a Blackbird, so I can make some of those X-Fanatic toy-monies.