[Condiment King]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

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.



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.

To be fair to her she’s alright, she’s a major nerd for Harry Potter, something I won’t entertain, so she’s got her own fandom and I have mine, and she does pass the odd ‘oh that’s cool’ comment to some of the figs I bring into the house, but yeah I don’t think she’s ever even heard of a Haslab.

Agreed completely about the retro stuff, I have zero interest in origins or Re-action figures and the like, I want the best versions of the toys I had as a kid, not the same. I understand the appeal though, and I’ve seen comments from a lot of Dads enjoying these figures with their children, for that alone I’m glad these figures exist.

I also agree with your sentiments in regards to the potential for value growth, I genuinely think Mephisto would go for £80-£100 on the secondary market, possibly the same for Goblin Queen, I almost bought the Hiss Tank just purely to flip it, I know those included figures are numbered, completists gotta complete and they are gonna want them. FYI I don’t scalp, anything I ever resell is done on an auction basis, collectors are big enough to know themselves what they are willing to pay. I’m collecting NECA’s toon TMNT line, I recently got everything they offered on Targets Geek out event, I purposely bought multiple Usagi Yojimbo’s to sell on to try and recoup the shipping costs and potentially take a bit of the sting out of what I paid for the figures, that toy is near impossible to get in the U.K. and I know he is highly sought after, needless to say my plan was a success.

I guess I should rephrase what I’m saying, to call this overpriced suggests I don’t think other things are too, I guess it’s more it lacks the X Factor that a Haslab needs to succeed in my opinion, it’s still not the worst Haslab decision that’s been made though, Reva’s lightsaber holds that position until further notice…in my ever humble opinion of course.