[Goldengreg]

Since I've always worked on entertainment areas (I was in videogames, now I publish mangas) I think I have an edge about this.
(haha, I'm talking like I'm actually briefed by Hasbro )

First of all, I would continue 3.75 line but would try to get it more gimmick-y.
As they did with the collectible shields of Secret Wars, or the chips of the japanese Avengers Disc Wars toys.

(the discs are used in a Heroclix-like game)

I wouldn't go to these kinds of plastic chips because they're costly to produce, and would draw a lot of hate from the fans.
What I'd do would be much more of a collaboration with Freemiums videogames like Avengers Alliance.
When you buy an MI figure, you have a unique code in the package. And as in Skylanders and the others, when you buy the fig, you get the very same character (or an item) in-game!

And in a second time, I would re-position 6" scaled figs for adult collectors with more parts and options as they do in Japan, with a lot of hands, faces, etc... (and if this doesn't work I'd come back to the BAF model)

Then, for 3.75" line, I would produce some henchmen troop-building packs as they did with G.I. Joe some time ago.

Like this...

...but with them!

And after that, I would produce additionnal items like Bandai does. Explosions, fire and ice effect etc... cheap ones for kids and pretty ones for display-loving collectors

Cheap ones

Pretty ones

But of course, that's what I'm saying as me.
If I or anyone else on this board was in charge of Hasbro, they would know the numbers... and unlike DVDs or Games, we don't know exactly how many sells what... it's the kind of critical info you need in order to build an effective strategy

best-selling figure ever! (?)

[Zorro Aullador]

If I were the Hasbro Chief I would try that all figures of all collections would be available not only in U.S. (in Europe we have no all series completed in Toy Stores and Shops).

Last G.I.Joe movie (with Bruce Willis) action figure line were not bought in Europe and only in America... nobody understand in Europe why...

I would like all action figures with same articulations: neck, shoulders, elbows, arms, wrists, waist, legs, feet, knees and ankles... I have some Avengers 1st movie action figures and the chitauri action figure I have came with no knees and elbows articulations... while other characters came with full articulations...

I don't know why other action figure lines like G.I.Joe have full articulations while lines like Star Wars or Marvel Universe don't have...

I would think in young children toys to do simple figures, for example from 3 to 5 years more or less... (I'm not sure about toys and child ages).

A "Marvel Evolutions" pack serie with first appearence, 70's - 80's, actually and maybe Marvel Ultimate Universe appearence. 3 or 4 figures... depending on the character, of course, for example, Ghost Rider had no many diferent suits...

Scenary packs, with street scenaries, office or home scenaries, Avengers Mansion Rooms or Xavier's Mansion Room of Danger pack, for example.

Another two action figure pack serie with civil identity and superhero identity it's a good idea like somebody told here.

Years dedicated to Avengers line, X-Men line, etc. with different waves with superheroes but with supervillains too. Included civil characters if they are important, like J. J. Jameson in Spiderman Comic Serie, for example...

Big vehicles for 3 or four characters: X-Men Black Bird, Fantastic 4 FantastiCar...

Of course, 6" lines too. (usually I don't buy this figures but I konw that they have a lot of fans...). Available with adult collectors toy lines...

Open E-Mail addreses with buyers ideas of course...

And that are only a few ideas...

[Nymesys Prime]

if it was me.. I would look over all the suggestions on these pages here. There's a lot of good marketing and business planning strategies given by those of us who actually buy this stuff.
I would like to propose Lines by Quarters meaning that in 4 quarters per year I would produce a 15 figure potential line with a Boss figure/dio available to those who bought all 15 figures.
example
2015
Q1-Xmen -Boss Figure(Danger Room/Cerebro)
Q2-Spiderman-Boss Figure(Spider Slayer)
Q3-Avengers-Boss Figure(Thanos with IG/Stark Tower set)
Q4-Marvel Infinites-Boss Figure(Giant Man/Accurate Helicarrier)

2016
Q1-Ghostrider-Boss Figure(Mephisto)
Q2-Fantastic Four--Boss Figure(Doom Castle)
Q3-XFactor-Boss Figure(Future Sentinel)
Q4-PowerPack-Boss Figure(SmartShip Friday)

if you reward you customers with some of the obscure figures in a set and then pile on a Dio/Boss figure for staying with the plan..it would prove to be successful in the long run.

As it stands right now I am still waiting for a NorthStar to round out the MU line..this sucks

[ukmu]

might be waiting for a loooong while on that one mate!!!! NirthStar could become the unicorn of the 3.75" line.

Great ideas though about a loyalty scheme of sorts. They always say 'pack ins' would drive the cost up, what if they made like a code or something for the loyalty scheme..... something to 'turn in' to receive it proving you bought it. It may suck for MOC collectors if you had to clip and collect or had a bit of a trade in coin or something. If it was just a number or code, we would (and scalpers) exploit it to get something not always rightly due. Got to be a solution though. I love the idea of a partless BAF type figure or scene and redeem something for it at the end.

[kylactus]

go 80's style with it making Fan Clubs, have modest membership fees, with access to exclusives at discounts. Kind of like the lego club, you could even use this to cross promote compatible 3.75 Hasbro lines. I'd buy in.

[Nymesys Prime]

Given that McFarlane is doing legos with Dios now I would think Hasbro and Mattel would bandwagon this idea for the 6 and 3.75 figures under the guise I laid forth. Something that gives us collectors and fans a payoff for sticking with them. Biggest problem I see is they will take advantage and start putting out shitty figures and repacks with an awesome dio or boss figure..
no one wants to buy junkbots and shelfwarming POS just for a slick Dio.....DAMN DAMN DAMN!

[ukmu]

bet you bought an Iron Man ML just for the Groot baf piece though, didnt ya Nym......

[Nymesys Prime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukmu

bet you bought an Iron Man ML just for the Groot baf piece though, didnt ya Nym......

LOL Smart ass.....yep I did
But I didn't have this version of IM either so I can live with it
now if they were to redo this mold with something else I can pass on it with ease.
Most of the BAF prices rival buying the whole damn thing right now..Overseas shipping kills the BAF piece only buy for me

BTW.. Mancave is coming along.....found a shop to frame the pics when u ship em out. Gonna post some updated pics by the weekend

[Relena Warcraft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukmu

Relena, your Carole will come....someday

but I want her nooooow ;_; the old Ms. Marvel one is dated in more ways than one...

[Jmacq1]

I would look at Hasbro's in-house numbers on what actually sells and what doesn't, and confer with retailers on what they are willing to actually stock on their shelves.

And do that.

Collectors would take a very distant second in terms of priority, because what a bunch of people on the internet say they will buy is completely irrelevant if there is no company out there that will buy the product from Hasbro in sufficient numbers to justify the production costs and licensing fees.

So in short, it would probably look almost exactly like what we're getting now. It's nice to talk about pie-in-the-sky ideas, but most of them completely ignore the reality that Hasbro can't FORCE any product to market. Retailers have to buy it from Hasbro before we can buy it. Many of the ideas here would be loved by collectors, sure, but they ignore the realities of the market and worry about jumping the second hurdle before they've gotten over the first.