[Redlantern161]

Sorry this is long but I wanted to get it all off my chest & be as detailed as possible so bear with me LOL

I am progressively getting more upset at the pure laziness with the 3.75 movie figure lines. They were massively ordered by the retailers that had great expectations. I remember back when this specific variation of the figures first arrived, they were the XMO figures that had only weird leg articulation & blocky claws, some even had certain hindrances like no swiveling wrists (I.E. Cyclops & Deadpool's movie & comic versions). These weren't bad for the first foray into these specific figures. I did love how Iceman had an ice board but it unfortunately wasn't used again.

Fast forward a year later to Iron Man 2's 3.75 figures & we saw a vast improvement in sculpt, characters, features & articulation. We saw well done comic accurate figures that had little to no flaws. The movie characters were great on their own as well but not without flaws such as very mispainted figures, paint that faded faster than the paintjobs on the other lines & the oh so dreaded misplaced eyes. These had collectors very careful of small details that can make or break the figures.

To commemorate the release of Thor & Captain America, we got another batch of figures. These figures were almost perfect, they may have slight painting mistakes & a bunch of gimmicky accessories but they still delivered in every department. However, these lines have been plagued by release issues from extremely limited releases or none at all to some retailers. Some scalpers knew a field day was to be had here.

Last year, Hasbro decided to ride the momentum of the success of the Avengers movie with a questionable accompanying figure line. Paintjobs & articulation went down to a point of these figures losing sales & being more pegwarming than the other lines could ever hope to be. The articulation was to the point of only allowing the figures to stand at attention. The main characters especially suffered from the lack of articulation when for some reason Hasbro felt it fine to remove the pivotal (no pun intended) articulation. They even tried using the foul tactic of trying to use an optical illusion of having articulation seemingly hidden by any "crevice" created by the sculpt & paint. This was when i started to take issue with how Hasbro were handling the movie lines.

It's now 2013 & the Iron Man 3 line of figures is far too gimmicked to have articulation that isn't even standard for articulated figures from the 90's. The Wolverine figures don't seem to look any better. I myself am severely disgruntled & disappointed at how Hasbro expects to make money when the people working on this line refuse to give figures to the collectors like myself who feel that these figures should be on par with their Marvel Universe counterparts. This seems to be too much to ask for to them but not to us. If I worked there as a designer of figures I'd make sure to give the people what they want. If this isn't the way to make a great & successful line then what is?

[MeLikeJinx]

Yah, Hasbro seems to be concentrating on the 6" scale figs... the Legends sized figs all look great for pretty much every brand... even the 6" Wolverine figs all look great. I thinks SW is Hasbro's big cash cow (or at least was) and even their 3.75" CW figs were reduced to 7 points of articulation in their last wave.

I did see a Mom at Target buy one of those crappy IM3 figs for her kid though and I think she bought it because it was really cheap. Saw her do a quick scan of the area and she probably bought the cheapest IM fig she saw... the little kid seemed happy enough.

[TheLongestDay]

Less articulation+rushed production/bad paint jobs+cheaper plastics etc+aimed at the kiddies=more money for Hasbro......:/???

[Jackieboy]

well i am going to look at this from a positive stand-point,we have the new Thor movie,avengers(2 lines)GOTG,antman,cap america 2 on the way,we know hasbro have gone back to the quality we love for the thor figures,they have confirmed MORE mu waves and boxsets.so they release a couple of sub standard figures?big deal,you dont like?you dont buy,its that simple.and besides count your blessing that Hasbro DO NOT quit the 3.75" line altogether,how much money have they lost out on because people bitch about the price of a $10 dollar figure,only to wait for it to find the bargain bin,then buy the figure at sale price only to put it on ebay for triple the original retail price,i hear this "scalper" argument come up all the time,and its funny because last years "black friday" sale,remember that?showed me at least that most people that complained about scalping here where full of crap.likewise with those IM2 packs
i can think of only a handful of people here that are genuinely NOT scalpers/opportunists/capitalists.last years argument was the death of MU,this years argument?quality issues......jeez some people will never be happy.

[MeLikeJinx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackieboy

so they release a couple of sub standard figures?big deal,you dont like?you dont buy,its that simple.

IMO it feels different if you mainly shop at retail though... Walmart, Target, TRU. IMO seeing all those pegwarming Spidey, IM3 and soon to be crappy Wolverine figs instead of seeing any new MU makes you more aware of the situation and the direction Hasbro is heading than if you mainly shop online or buy from local specialty/toy/comic shops.

[Jackieboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeLikeJinx

IMO it feels different if you mainly shop at retail though... Walmart, Target, TRU. IMO seeing all those pegwarming Spidey, IM3 and soon to be crappy Wolverine figs instead of seeing any new MU makes you more aware of the situation and the direction Hasbro is heading than if you mainly shop online or buy from local specialty/toy/comic shops.

most of my stuff comes from retail stores,hasbro will get the picture when they do their math regarding sales of these things,given the fact they are aimed at the younger crowd,they could do okay or they could bomb,time will tell.i dont thinks its deliberate on hasbros behalf that the shipping has been crap,but most of the time the states get all the good stuff,i know its a huge country.but id imagine it would be a hell lot easier to get them,than say for someone like me.there are people here and on other forums that are so helpful and will get your back if you have difficulty getting things,im happy in that knowledge.and on the plus side the states has free shipping within its states,so that is a bonus.
after the great start to the year for MU news,i think 2013 is gonna be a pretty good year for us M.U guys despite these "dumbed" down figures that are getting released.

[bmorr]

speaking about movie figure, whens the wolverine movie figures coming out? the film comes out in three months. is it too soon? whatever the 4" figs suck anyways.

i would however, go ape if they actually decide to make a figure line for ant man and not blue ball me with another minimate stunt(im looking at you first class).

but, the Thor figs shown at toy fair were on par with what we had for the first film. the sculpt and detail was great and the articulation was fine. although my warriors three cannot stand up for more than three seconds.

why is there such a disconnect between the different designers for these toys? its like every line has its own design philosophy.

[Jackieboy]

probably around summer time id imagine,i can see another reason for the cheaping out of recent figures,the first 2 IM movie toy lines pretty much whitewashed the board in terms of armors being released in 3.75" scale,not to mention the multiple releases through out the MU lifespan.likewise with Spidey movie line,the ultra posable one was good enough,we got good renditions of spidey comic villains first time round,and they are still making them for the MU line,we have a new rhino and a brand new mysterio on the way,plus a new MU ironman paint scheme.also look at wolverine,the first line released some sweet figures,im sure we will get more.no doubt hasbro has a lot of source material to draw from regarding MU ideas,lets just see how things roll for 2013.also maybe parents NOT collectors felt that some of the MU figures where not durable and suitable for their little ones,those limited articulated figures look like they could withstand a daily pounding from a 5 year old child.and to be fair parents have as much of say in the development of these toys as we collectors do.they dont see the things we do,they just see something that will keep the little guy happy and quiet for a while.

[bmorr]

thats a good perspective jackie. I totally get the durability aspect(the newer mu figs are pretty damn fragile). and we are lucky that MU is a line for us. i just complain because the articulation keeps me from collecting them.

[Jackieboy]

lol, you could also look at it as a blessing in disguise a sign that hasbro want you to save your money for the "Good stuff"
Hasbro could may well leave some of those IM3 armors and villains for GOTG or The avengers 2 toy lines.
you know what it was like last year listening to the rumours about the death of the line,some people took it too much in their stride.and then out of nowhere Hasbro donkey punched that rumour out of the park with some excellent news

[bmorr]

oh i was laughing at all those posts. hasbro knows that is MU is the only thing keeping us collectors hooked onto their drug.

[Jackieboy]

we have a plastic crack addiction buddy,we need help....we need MORE

[Exodus]

I totally agree with everyone on here! WTH Hasbro? Movie stuff does not sell nor move as well as the MU stuff, although I saw Target selling the Legends stuff on sale at 12.00. Thank God for the TF stuff that has been able to fill my plastic crack addiction:P

[Torpedo]

I just want to know why it so hard for them to solve their distribution issues. I've never seen the Professor X wave in the KC metro area and I've only found Nighthawk out of the Nova wave. I want every new figure in that wave and no one is stocking it. It is beyond frustrating!

[Prem1x]

Vonner is out and Falcon has re-focused collector product into the 6" line. The 4" line will be mostly for kids. And with 6" competing for collector money and cheap 4" movie line figures, 4" MU will continue to be squeezed out of the market.

[Jackieboy]

^^^really???despite the fact the MU 3.75" line has more figures confirmed for release than legends,i take that opinion with a large pinch of salt.vonner has been out for a while now.and the legends community just want to be acknowledged with a steady stream of figures,both lines are successful enough.remember hasbro is a business not a club and if there is money to be made then both lines will continue for the foreseeable future.

[bmorr]

Forget that. Im not paying 17 dollars for an action figure. Besides, we already have on bat another years worth of confirmed figs anyways. No reason to cancel this line during marvels new golden age.

[Exodus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torpedo

I just want to know why it so hard for them to solve their distribution issues. I've never seen the Professor X wave in the KC metro area and I've only found Nighthawk out of the Nova wave. I want every new figure in that wave and no one is stocking it. It is beyond frustrating!

Agree with you there, I was fortunate to get that whole wave cause of friends helping me look. If not I def. wouldn't have been able to get it. Only got the Prof X wave through BBTS and splitting the case up, but there was so much old fodder that it wasn't almost worth the buy just for 3 new figures. They should have combined the Nova and Prof X wave together, that would have made more sense.

[redx24]

keep telling u guys we need a class action lawsuit against hasbro mattel and many others for these throwbacks in articulation and cheaper plastics at higher prices. If we dont fight now for our smaller figs our bigger figs will be next on on their list.

[Iceman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeLikeJinx

Yah, Hasbro seems to be concentrating on the 6" scale figs... the Legends sized figs all look great for pretty much every brand... even the 6" Wolverine figs all look great. I thinks SW is Hasbro's big cash cow (or at least was) and even their 3.75" CW figs were reduced to 7 points of articulation in their last wave.

I guess they don't think the 3.75" collector market is big enough to matter to their sales and they are probably right. I don't collect 6" figures but I'm sure it's not much of a difference to the kids and there are enough 6" collectors out there. I just felt we deserved at least the new movie suit (mark 42) in similar quality to the IM2 figures. At least give me something I can add to my hall of armor and not feel bad about it. I'm pretty Hasbro is focusing on the 6" stuff because it doesn't cost much more to make and the higher price point is attractive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by redx24

keep telling u guys we need a class action lawsuit against hasbro mattel and many others for these throwbacks in articulation and cheaper plastics at higher prices. If we dont fight now for our smaller figs our bigger figs will be next on on their list.

Huh? I'm not a lawyer but I don't think that's a thing. Companies are free to offer product with less features and lower quality at a higher price if they want to. It sucks but I'd be surprised if it was illegal.

[MGTAJ]

Yeah, I don't see any grounds for a law-suit. The only way for companies to take notice is to hit them where it hurts - in the wallet. Don't buy the "inferior" lines so they know that's what fans don't want

[wingzero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redx24

keep telling u guys we need a class action lawsuit against hasbro mattel and many others for these throwbacks in articulation and cheaper plastics at higher prices. If we dont fight now for our smaller figs our bigger figs will be next on on their list.

ROFL. No lawyer in their right mind would take that class action suit. You would qualify 'collectors of toys' as a class? What are your damages?

[Jackieboy]

LOL,you may as well be talking to the wall here.IF hasbro wanted to drop the 3.75" line,they would.but they have not,and they are NOT dropping the line to focus on Legends,thats pure B/S.

yeah i can see it now that would be great logic from hasbro as a BUSINESS "hey guys,those legends collectors really matter to us,lets just drop this little money maker we got going on here with the 4 inch figures to focus on keeping the "legends" community happy".it would be like mcdonalds dropping the mcchicken sandwich from their menu,just to focus on the big mac sandwich because some people dont like chicken.you see what im getting at?

with Avengers "phase 2" coming into effect,its safe to say the 3.75" line will continue for the foreseeable future.but im sure somebody will swing by this thread with "inside" knowledge that they ARE dropping the line,ill accept that news when its official,not coming from little toycon troll with nothing better to do than spread baseless rumours,we all seen what came of last years "insider" information.

[trebleshot]

Oh boy, another "Hasblow" thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torpedo

I just want to know why it so hard for them to solve their distribution issues. I've never seen the Professor X wave in the KC metro area and I've only found Nighthawk out of the Nova wave. I want every new figure in that wave and no one is stocking it. It is beyond frustrating!

If the retailers aren't willing to buy the product, there's not much Hasbro can do about it not being on the shelves.

[warmachine6]

Im not sure but i think marvel legends are likely selling better to me because they are still bringing out the waves and the ML movie lines are wonderful although promisingly give them money so by the looks of things MU will stop being MU it will be just er burger king toys, which are cheap and for kids so a 4 year old could play for it although i bet the price for that is £10 which may last up to 2 weeks for a 4 year old so easy money. cause a 4 old may want an different spidey figure where as collectors find their favorite characters and just get that specific 1 or 3 where some people by the whole wave. either way hasbro has the last laugh cause they can sell anything really and someone will buy it
as long as it has a famous name on it like spiderman , iron man , thor (maybe) , captain america , hulk thanks to the films, and the hype of it for example
i wasnt an iron man fan till i saw the first trailer for iron man ( where have you been all my life i had one of those moments) then did some digging on more armours shows etc and found my favorite iron man suit (it's in the name) So i got awareness and got 3 iron man toys from the movie wave iron man mk 3 protoype , stealth operations (wm version) and Iron monger.
So going back in time to toybiz their 1st movie figure was series 3 DareDevil (horrid figure , had to learn the hard way, but made a custom) but my first DD figure was from the comic wave when i saw a varient 2 pack of DD and KP O.O plus i was hyped up at the time cause i saw DD so it was a huge win, and i thought he a cloth mask :'( but he didnt dam plastic ... So if new movie comes out more money for people like hasbro due to hype comic books not so much

you could sell anything with a simple logo and name pretty much