Author Topic: 3.75" Black Series Rumors  (Read 86466 times)

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #60 on: May 31, 2014, 05:42 PM »
I like when a hallway is labeled a "playset".  I think that's probably the fundamental miscommunication taking place haha.

Me, I like hallways actually, but they're really a glorified accessory.  Like the Lars Homestead.  Not a lot of "play" in that set.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #61 on: May 31, 2014, 06:12 PM »
Count me in the group that is VERY glad there is nothing new to these sets.

I would much rather spend my money on something else than spending it on a set that has one new figure in it for $100+

I'm hoping the Cantina and Rancor sets are 100% re-releases as well.

« Last Edit: May 31, 2014, 06:12 PM by Pete_Fett »
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Offline Qui-Gon Jim

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #62 on: June 2, 2014, 11:25 AM »
Star Wars collectors should be happy that Hasbro doesn't delve into this kind of "one new piece in a box of ten others." 

"My son" has been collecting the Disney Planes.  There are four or five planes that are available only in multi-packs, most containing 4-7 items we already own  There is even one plane that was only available at Meijers, and they don't exist in the north east.  It is really an e-bay dream come true.  I've given up on these few, but I always think that this stuff was rare with Hasbro and Star Wars.

Offline Jayson

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #63 on: June 2, 2014, 11:42 AM »
So something related to this rumored Rancor Pit TRU exclusive wound up in my Facebook feed recently.  I follow a number of sites on FB (I'll refrain from identifying the particular site), and all of a sudden I saw in my news feed an image of a Rancor, Oola and some scenery including the gate to the Rancor's pen.  Instantly, my interest was piqued.  Was this an actual image of the Jabba's Rancor set that we had been told would make us "wet our pants"?  Was it actually something new instead of what we've been discussing here in this thread?

And then I read more of that Facebook posting.  And sure enough, this was NOT something newsworthy.  Not at all.  But it was actually an attempt by a collecting site to use some of the hype surrounding these new rumors and revelations to do a couple of things:
1 - To promote the customs section of their forums and...
2 - To beg Hasbro for playsets.  Again.

Frankly, I found this both deceitful and annoying.  Deceitful because it was a blatant attempt to cash in on some excitement regarding new product announcements to promote customs and dioramas.  And while both of those things can be cool to look at, they aren't news.  It diminishes the value of a website whose stock and trade with their readers is supposed to be NEWS.

As for it being annoying?  I stand by that assessment.  Hasbro conducted the Star Wars Q&A's for several years.  Time and time again the subjects of dioramas and playsets came up.  And like clockwork Hasbro had to state categorically that in the current non-movie year model, playsets were not viable from a business standpoint.  This continued harping on the subject has grown tiresome.  Especially when Hasbro has offered up a clear answer.  It reminds me of an old adage:  the definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing over and over, but expect a different result.

Don't be shy, name the site.  ;) We post suggestions/speculation/what if posts like this all the time (e.g. Concept Series, and the like) . It's all about generating forum discussion, not click baiting front page traffic (where the article isn't even posted). There was nothing malevolent in our intentions.

While I don't disagree that Hasbro is not going to come around on the dedicated playset topic, that is no reason to abandon the desire or discussion about it.

Sorry that you are so annoyed.
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Offline Jeff

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #64 on: June 2, 2014, 11:44 AM »
Had a dream last night that the "Cantina Showdown" pack was a 4-pack of modern takes on the Kenner Walrusman, Hammerhead, Snaggletooth, and Greedo - modern sculpts/acrticulation but the classic Kenner look/deco. 

It was awesome and now whatever they reveal for this set (probably Evazan/Ponda/Obi-Wan/Luke like so many are speculating) will leave me utterly disappointed if it isn't the Kenner deco stuff.  Thanks a lot, brain. :(
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #65 on: June 2, 2014, 12:32 PM »

Don't be shy, name the site.  ;) We post suggestions/speculation/what if posts like this all the time (e.g. Concept Series, and the like) . It's all about generating forum discussion, not click baiting front page traffic (where the article isn't even posted). There was nothing malevolent in our intentions.

While I don't disagree that Hasbro is not going to come around on the dedicated playset topic, that is no reason to abandon the desire or discussion about it.

Sorry that you are so annoyed.

This seemed like a clear case of click baiting.  Sorry, gotta call it like I see it.  It seemed like an attempt to capitalize on traffic generated by someone else's content without adding any new information to the discussion.
« Last Edit: June 2, 2014, 12:54 PM by Nicklab »
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #66 on: June 2, 2014, 02:46 PM »
Yeah your brain just disappointed me too Jeff.  Way to go.
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Offline JediJman

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #67 on: June 2, 2014, 05:57 PM »

Don't be shy, name the site.  ;) We post suggestions/speculation/what if posts like this all the time (e.g. Concept Series, and the like) . It's all about generating forum discussion, not click baiting front page traffic (where the article isn't even posted). There was nothing malevolent in our intentions.

This seemed like a clear case of click baiting.  Sorry, gotta call it like I see it.  It seemed like an attempt to capitalize on traffic generated by someone else's content without adding any new information to the discussion.

I saw the post as well over the weekend.  Maybe I'm just more used to the custom content that Yak puts out, but it didn't even occur to me that this was authentic.  The comment right above the picture uses the words "rumor" and "image mockup."  These are pretty good indicators if you take a few seconds to read.  I think It's kind of disingenuous to skip the words then accuse someone else of shady behavior caused by your misinterpretation of the photo.  The post in question had like 75 likes - did anyone else comment about the image being deceitful?  Furthermore, it didn't prompt me to click on anything.  I read the title, looked at the picture, read a few comments, and moved on.  I see plenty of sites hint at news then force you to their page to get the scoop.  THAT is click baiting.

What I find far more annoying is the supposed "ownership" of collectible news and information these days.  If I told you there was a new 6" Bounty Hunter on the way, wouldn't your first thought be to start guessing which character?  Are you not allowed to wonder or discuss the topic if you're not affiliated with the site that first posted the news?  Looks pretty clear to me that there was a rumor about an upcoming set, so Yak put out a custom visual representation in the spirit of driving discussion and speculation.  Not sure how or why you find that so annoying, but it might be time for some honest self reflection, Nick.   

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Offline Greg

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #68 on: June 2, 2014, 06:17 PM »
Personally I thought that particular Rancor-related post was fine, since Hasbro would never make something as cool as what was presented in that image. :D I will admit the white background photoshop images of toys do annoy me a bit, as they look extremely similar to Hasbro's press images especially when I scroll quickly thru my FB feed.

Also thinking further about the Cantina set(s), I'm really hoping it will have mostly new figures. I think some Cantina characters like BoShek, Duros, Wuher, and the Wolfman could use updated figures. Some repaints like a blue Snaggletooth wouldn't be too bad either.

Offline Nicklab

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #69 on: June 2, 2014, 07:05 PM »

Don't be shy, name the site.  ;) We post suggestions/speculation/what if posts like this all the time (e.g. Concept Series, and the like) . It's all about generating forum discussion, not click baiting front page traffic (where the article isn't even posted). There was nothing malevolent in our intentions.

This seemed like a clear case of click baiting.  Sorry, gotta call it like I see it.  It seemed like an attempt to capitalize on traffic generated by someone else's content without adding any new information to the discussion.

I saw the post as well over the weekend.  Maybe I'm just more used to the custom content that Yak puts out, but it didn't even occur to me that this was authentic.  The comment right above the picture uses the words "rumor" and "image mockup."  These are pretty good indicators if you take a few seconds to read.  I think It's kind of disingenuous to skip the words then accuse someone else of shady behavior caused by your misinterpretation of the photo.  The post in question had like 75 likes - did anyone else comment about the image being deceitful?  Furthermore, it didn't prompt me to click on anything.  I read the title, looked at the picture, read a few comments, and moved on.  I see plenty of sites hint at news then force you to their page to get the scoop.  THAT is click baiting.

What I find far more annoying is the supposed "ownership" of collectible news and information these days.  If I told you there was a new 6" Bounty Hunter on the way, wouldn't your first thought be to start guessing which character?  Are you not allowed to wonder or discuss the topic if you're not affiliated with the site that first posted the news?  Looks pretty clear to me that there was a rumor about an upcoming set, so Yak put out a custom visual representation in the spirit of driving discussion and speculation.  Not sure how or why you find that so annoying, but it might be time for some honest self reflection, Nick.   



I've revisited that FB post.  Since it was first posted it HAS been edited.  Perhaps someone else found it misleading, too.

Let's look at it purely from a story standpoint, first:  RS reported the news first based on some info from a TRU computer in the UK.  It came with UK pricing (it's own issue) , etc.  That's the first step in the story.  A perfectly acceptable way of passing that info onto readers is to post a headline and a link to the other sites story.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Especially if you offer attribution and links to the original source.  That's journalism 101.  I don't even care if you provide a link to a topic about it in the forum section of your site.  Topics like this are good for discussion.

So where does the actual story go from there?  The next step would be to develop the story:  release dates, figure lineups, price points, and most importantly IMAGES.  When you can provide a verified IMAGE of a new figure/vehicle/multipack you are going to see a tremendous uptick in site traffic.  And you get the ultimate confirmation in the story.

But ask anyone who runs a SW collecting website about when they get a new product image.  There is a DRAMATIC increase in site traffic.  And those clicks don't just translate to popularity.  They can also translate into higher advertising revenues for a site.

Very often when a story like this breaks you may have multiple outlets working a story.  One site may get the initial product listing info.  But another may get an image.  It happens all the time.  But in this case the RS story got people interested.  All of a sudden YF has something on the story and THERE'S AN IMAGE.  WHAT?!?!  An image in relation to a story like this INSTANTLY draws interest.  But since it was not an image of the product in question, what are readers left to think?

As for "Likes" and comments on FB postings?  Having worked at a SW collecting site that had a Facebook presence, I was witness to instances where responses that were critical of certain postings were deleted.  Some people have thin skins when it comes to their social media presence.  And some websites are not interested in having a dialogue about the quality or integrity of their content.  Likes and comments can be manipulated to suit the needs of a given page, so I'm not that inclined to give all of that information a tremendous ammount of creedence.

And following the Rancor posting, there was ANOTHER FB posting about wishlist type content.  On that occassion the first posting showed images of Hoth themed items as part of a proposed battle pack.  Evidently, that posting seemed questionable, as well.  Because there was a followup posting with almost identical imagery that now featured the bold word MOCKUP.  But already there was misleading imagery that might have led someone to think that some new Hoth themed exclusive multipack was on the way.

FWIW, JediJman, I am entitled to an opinion about what I find annoying in terms of content.  Especially if a collecting site wants people to follow them on social media.  If you put your content out there for public consumption, then that outlet opens themselves up for honest criticism in how they present their content
« Last Edit: June 2, 2014, 08:52 PM by Nicklab »
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #70 on: June 2, 2014, 07:36 PM »
If it's marked as such, I have no issue with it...  If it's being dangled like a carrot, and not true, and not marked what it is, I find it annoying too...  I enjoy good speculation though, but speculation wanders (usually) into the category of wishful thinking, and then nerd deflation.  We've all been there.  :'(
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Offline JediJman

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #71 on: June 2, 2014, 09:05 PM »
FWIW, JediJman, I am entitled to an opinion about what I find annoying in terms of content. 
Especially if a collecting site wants people to follow them on social media.  If you put your content out there for public consumption, then that outlet opens themselves up for honest criticism in how they present their content

Of course you are entitled to your own opinion.  And likewise, the rest of us are entitled to disagree with you, especially when you claim someone is being deceitful after you failed to read their post correctly.  Now you're going to accuse them of deleting posts because you can't find one comment that maps to your line of thinking?  When your public opinion is nothing more than a blatant attack aimed at  discrediting a highly reputable source then you're the one opening himself up for criticism. 
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Offline Jayson

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #72 on: June 2, 2014, 10:03 PM »

I've revisited that FB post.  Since it was first posted it HAS been edited.  Perhaps someone else found it misleading, too.

Let's look at it purely from a story standpoint, first:  RS reported the news first based on some info from a TRU computer in the UK.  It came with UK pricing (it's own issue) , etc.  That's the first step in the story.  A perfectly acceptable way of passing that info onto readers is to post a headline and a link to the other sites story.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Especially if you offer attribution and links to the original source.  That's journalism 101.  I don't even care if you provide a link to a topic about it in the forum section of your site.  Topics like this are good for discussion.

So where does the actual story go from there?  The next step would be to develop the story:  release dates, figure lineups, price points, and most importantly IMAGES.  When you can provide a verified IMAGE of a new figure/vehicle/multipack you are going to see a tremendous uptick in site traffic.  And you get the ultimate confirmation in the story.

But ask anyone who runs a SW collecting website about when they get a new product image.  There is a DRAMATIC increase in site traffic.  And those clicks don't just translate to popularity.  They can also translate into higher advertising revenues for a site.

Very often when a story like this breaks you may have multiple outlets working a story.  One site may get the initial product listing info.  But another may get an image.  It happens all the time.  But in this case the RS story got people interested.  All of a sudden YF has something on the story and THERE'S AN IMAGE.  WHAT?!?!  An image in relation to a story like this INSTANTLY draws interest.  But since it was not an image of the product in question, what are readers left to think?

As for "Likes" and comments on FB postings?  Having worked at a SW collecting site that had a Facebook presence, I was witness to instances where responses that were critical of certain postings were deleted.  Some people have thin skins when it comes to their social media presence.  And some websites are not interested in having a dialogue about the quality or integrity of their content.  Likes and comments can be manipulated to suit the needs of a given page, so I'm not that inclined to give all of that information a tremendous ammount of creedence.

And following the Rancor posting, there was ANOTHER FB posting about wishlist type content.  On that occassion the first posting showed images of Hoth themed items as part of a proposed battle pack.  Evidently, that posting seemed questionable, as well.  Because there was a followup posting with almost identical imagery that now featured the bold word MOCKUP.  But already there was misleading imagery that might have led someone to think that some new Hoth themed exclusive multipack was on the way.

FWIW, JediJman, I am entitled to an opinion about what I find annoying in terms of content.  Especially if a collecting site wants people to follow them on social media.  If you put your content out there for public consumption, then that outlet opens themselves up for honest criticism in how they present their content

After the discussion here, and via PM, I went back and clarified the post to avoid any additional confusion. Again, FWIW, I'll state that absolutely ZERO attempt was made to deceive anyone. We posted links to YN story on May 23, RS developing story on May 28, "All of a sudden" (i.e. 2 days later) Justin posted his mockup/what if image on Facebook ONLY - not our front page. I'm clearly not understanding the vitriol about it.

That being said, I'm no journalist, nor do I pretend to be one but I am responsible for the content on our site and social media channels and stand by our method(s) of reporting as flawed as they may be.

Anyway, how 'bout those TBS figures? I'm not convinced that the Endor set is all repacks. Something about that Imperial Officer looks "just different enough to make you mad™*".

*Credit Adam Pawlus, EntertaimentEarth, Galactic Hunter, 16bit.com
« Last Edit: June 2, 2014, 10:13 PM by Jayson »
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #73 on: June 2, 2014, 10:46 PM »
I'd not looked at it closely but a head is enough for me to not really care.  Could see them doing a new one or repainting any myriad of ones that fit it though, and making it a nuisance for many.

Classic move.

I still can't get past people wanting just like one or two new things in there and a pile of stuff most of us already have, for the prices that it'll inevitably go for.  Who, at this stage, would possibly be ok buying the Rancor, again?  I have 2 TFU ones, 1 of the new Jabba ones (the shiney slimey one), and then the POTF2 of course (not delving back into vintage)...  I'm pretty ok on Rancors.  Very little would make me want to buy something like that again, and anything I would want put into the set would annoy me immensely.
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Black Series Rumors
« Reply #74 on: June 2, 2014, 11:10 PM »
Let's fix one thing first here...

Of course you are entitled to your own opinion.  And likewise, the rest of us are I AM entitled to disagree with you

After the discussion here, and via PM, I went back and clarified the post to avoid any additional confusion. Again, FWIW, I'll state that absolutely ZERO attempt was made to deceive anyone. We posted links to YN story on May 23, RS developing story on May 28, "All of a sudden" (i.e. 2 days later) Justin posted his mockup/what if image on Facebook ONLY - not our front page. I'm clearly not understanding the vitriol about it.

That being said, I'm no journalist, nor do I pretend to be one but I am responsible for the content on our site and social media channels and stand by our method(s) of reporting as flawed as they may be.

Anyway, how 'bout those TBS figures? I'm not convinced that the Endor set is all repacks. Something about that Imperial Officer looks "just different enough to make you mad™*".

*Credit Adam Pawlus, EntertaimentEarth, Galactic Hunter, 16bit.com

Thanks for chiming in here publically, Jay.  I know we had our private dialogue, but I think it's important that some of this is aired in an open forum.

FWIW, I hold YF in high esteem.  The site has a long history in the online SW collecting community and is one of only a few "Legacy" sites that have been consistent, reliable sources of info.  And my criticism here isn't an exercise in breaking balls.  It's really more about concern for the credibility of a site that's been around at least as long as I've been online as a collector.

Frankly, I think that we should be having MORE discussions like this in an effort to keep everyone in the community honest.  Several years ago there was a push for more sites to openly acknowledge sponsor communications that were being relayed on their front pages to readers.  The community seemed to adapt to the idea and move forward.

That being said, there is an inherent responsibility that comes along with operating and writing for a SW collecting site.  Why?  Well, we all know that Hasbro and other Star Wars licensees aren't always forthcoming with information.  And the collecting sites have served to fill in a lot of the blanks for collectors in the U.S. and internationally.  As such a lot of collectors depend on these sites for information.  Many collectors get involved in working for sites for the fun of it and their love of collecting.  But they are also taking on a responsibility to their fellow collectors.  The attention, perks and profile that a collecting site draws comes with an obligation to provide good information in a clear manner.  Sorry, but that's part of the deal.

I absolutely appreciate the effort to clarify those Facebook posts, Jay.  Thanks for doing that.  As the largest social networking site in the world, the impact of posts on Facebook should not be discounted.   Generating interest in discussion forums is a good thing.  But it should be done in such a way that's clear to the reader.

As for the Endor pack?  I think Adam is wrong on the Imperial Officer.  I think it's a straight-up reissue of the figure from the K-Mart exclusive 2-pack.
« Last Edit: June 2, 2014, 11:19 PM by Nicklab »
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