61
Revenge of the Sith / Re: What Hasbro really wants to do...
« on: April 25, 2005, 02:50 PM »
I think you can't compare 70's-80's Kenner toys to what Hasbro is doing now.
The market has changed a whole lot since then, just about any movie has it's toyline it seems.
Also, figure-lines of current times are huge compared to what the whole OT produced between 78 and 85, only 92 figures total.
Would we be satisfied with an AT-TE in the quality like the AT-AT? I think not. Compare KEnner Slave-1 to Hasbro's AOTC Slave-1, that is a world of difference, with regards to construction, detail, quality etc. etc. etc.
All that has to be taken into the picture as well.
Also, back in the good old days everything was released without there being any exclusives. Today, anything interesting becomes an exclusive. Reason, I don't get it. If you produce an expensive toy, I'd try to get it marketed as widely as possible.
Another thing. Hasbro seems to be seeing the world as the US and nothing much beyond that.
Again, in the 78-86 era, over here in the Netherlands, a lot of the line was readily available in the mainstream shops.
TPM was a big disaster here, AOTC consequently had only some 6 figures, the speeders, Reek and that was it.
Worldwide distribution has also changed significantly since the Kenner days.
All that makes the choice for the AT-TE rather difficult. I remember reading that the SW-line didn't make a lot of money for Hasbro, don't know if that still holds true, but it isn't a cash-cow like apparently GI-Joe is.
Would you pay $90 for an AT-TE? I think the answer is yes. Will the average public pay $90 for an AT-TE? Very different ballgame, and I think the answer is no.
Remember, after this movie... what will come next? How long will an AT-TE toy last? If you have kids, how will you feel if that expensive AT-TE is standing there, collecting dust in the corner of the attic while your kid is yelling for yet another piece of movie-mania toys?
That I think is why Hasbro is reluctant to release/produce the AT-TE. We are not the main target audience, kids are, and even more precisely, parents willing to buy it.
And these days, parents see toylines come and go liek there's no tomorrow.
The market has changed a whole lot since then, just about any movie has it's toyline it seems.
Also, figure-lines of current times are huge compared to what the whole OT produced between 78 and 85, only 92 figures total.
Would we be satisfied with an AT-TE in the quality like the AT-AT? I think not. Compare KEnner Slave-1 to Hasbro's AOTC Slave-1, that is a world of difference, with regards to construction, detail, quality etc. etc. etc.
All that has to be taken into the picture as well.
Also, back in the good old days everything was released without there being any exclusives. Today, anything interesting becomes an exclusive. Reason, I don't get it. If you produce an expensive toy, I'd try to get it marketed as widely as possible.
Another thing. Hasbro seems to be seeing the world as the US and nothing much beyond that.
Again, in the 78-86 era, over here in the Netherlands, a lot of the line was readily available in the mainstream shops.
TPM was a big disaster here, AOTC consequently had only some 6 figures, the speeders, Reek and that was it.
Worldwide distribution has also changed significantly since the Kenner days.
All that makes the choice for the AT-TE rather difficult. I remember reading that the SW-line didn't make a lot of money for Hasbro, don't know if that still holds true, but it isn't a cash-cow like apparently GI-Joe is.
Would you pay $90 for an AT-TE? I think the answer is yes. Will the average public pay $90 for an AT-TE? Very different ballgame, and I think the answer is no.
Remember, after this movie... what will come next? How long will an AT-TE toy last? If you have kids, how will you feel if that expensive AT-TE is standing there, collecting dust in the corner of the attic while your kid is yelling for yet another piece of movie-mania toys?
That I think is why Hasbro is reluctant to release/produce the AT-TE. We are not the main target audience, kids are, and even more precisely, parents willing to buy it.
And these days, parents see toylines come and go liek there's no tomorrow.