Author Topic: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?  (Read 236376 times)

Offline Darby

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #390 on: September 11, 2013, 02:43 PM »
I can see a 'SW Universe' line being an option during the next 5-6 years. Hopefully the new movies bring in a lot of new fans and there's interest in the original films - if Episode VII and the return of all the OT characters doesn't reignite some collector interest, then nothing will.

Offline Scockery

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #391 on: September 11, 2013, 06:05 PM »
I predict the upper management will fire all current Hasbro SW staffers, cancel anything collector aimed and future SW figures will be all 5 POA 3" scale, with even less paint ops than now and weapons molded into the figures' hands.


If you look at Jedi Temple Archives 2012 interview with DePriest from about a year ago, what he said came to pass. Weaning collectors to accept that CW figures would have 5 POA. Happened. Battle Packs gone at  mass retail. Happened. He said that Lucasfilm wanted them to change the size of the figures (smaller), they wouldn't and instead made the current $20 underscale vehicle assortment instead.  Now imagine 2015, new trilogy...the insistence returns (unless the Mouse says otherwise) and Hasbro caves in.

Whatever happens, happens. There's so much past stuff I don't have that I can keep collecting via ebay for years...(looks at rising prices on loose figures)...or not.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #392 on: September 11, 2013, 08:13 PM »
For me, I'd hate to see it end...  I think it would end any initiative I have left to do news and things...  It's tough these days as it is.

There's a lot I want made still...  new, and resculpts.

If it went all 5 POA, I'm sure a figure here and there that is new will get my interest, but probably only to customize it into something better.

And that brings me to the fact I'll probably go full bore into customizing as my "Star Wars" hobby.  I may be more inclined to pick up a SS 12" figure now and again but honestly other than military and the odd OT figure, I want very little they make...  cost is too high these days for my tastes.

Lego might entice me more.  Lego LOTR/Hobbit is already on my plate though.

I am still buying 1:16 scale tanks and that is expanding to other things these days (artillery, etc.), and so that may have my attention more I suppose.

Ultimately I may just enjoy more money, but really I could see stocking up on loose figures/army builders I want more of.  Customizing supplies...  I buy paints every time I get a coupon, and have improved a lot of my workshop with materials of late...

I'll have things to do, for sure.  I just won't have new figures I really want.  Just ones I'll want to make.  *shrugs*

I'd hate seeing things like Mosep never get made, or Danz Borin, or a resculpted Captain Antilles, or Endor Rebel variations...  I'd hate never seeing a Han Bespin with a good belt/holster.  Or a new Han Carbonite.  I'd hate to never see a human Jabba goon from the SE's done either, or Garrouf Lafoe, or tons of Palace aliens.

That doesn't even get into EU, which I'd love tons of stuff from Marvel to Clone Wars done up for this line.

Am I over Clones?  Other than some Commander redoes ala Fordo style, yes.  And more to that point, am I over the Prequals?  Yes.  I'd live without a single PT figure being made from here out.  And there are ones I'd buy for sure, but if they never got made I'd never shed a tear. 

But the OT stuff I'd like, that hurts some.
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Offline Muftak

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #393 on: September 13, 2013, 05:31 PM »
My predictions for the next two years:

2014
We see some new well sculpted figures (exclusively from the OT), all 5POA, in the movie heroes line.

TBS continues in 6" format with three more waves, including a cool ROTJ biker scout. Still no Vader.

TBS 3 3/4 stalls out with several waves planned but none show at retail. No one cares, because the figures are all clone repaints and slight upgrades of existing figures.

For the holidays target gets a gift set of repacked movie heroes from 2013. TRU gets a TBS 6" speeder bike/biker scout set that they sell for $45. Kmart gets a couple sweet TBS 3 3/4 sets including several Jabba's Palace characters and a scaled-up skiff from out of nowhere. Amazon gets a set of "retro-packaged" 5POA Prequel figures that were developed for the movie heroes line but pulled in favor of OT figures. Walmart passes on selling any gift sets.

2015
The year starts off with a wave of three preview figures from the new Ep7 line. One droid, one alien, one trooper. It will eventually turn out that none of these characters even have a line in the movie.

Ep7 line (3 3/4, 5POA) hits in May with a "double wave" of 14 figures, made up of: 2 versions of main hero, 2 versions of his sidekick, 2 versions of cool villain ( who is not main villain but is the visually more interesting one.), 2 versions of R2D2 (both of which are old sculpts,) and 6 versions of troopers resculpted from the preview wave in various color schemes (some never appearing in the movie.)

Two more waves are announced. Wave 2 (containing the main villain) shows up sporadically late in the summer. Wave 3 (containing the cameo versions of Han Luke and Leia) fails to make it to retail.

TBS 6" continues with Vader announced at toy fair for wave 4! The line shifts to a mix of two Ep7 figures and 2 classic figures per case. Surprising no one, the classic figures sell while the new movie ones fill the shelves. The third and fourth wave never reach retail, blocked by new movie stuff.

We get two terribly under-scaled versions of the main vehicles in the movie in May. By August they are joined on the shelf by an equally under-scaled big vehicle and a cheaply made (not cheaply priced) cardboard playset.
 
Five below and other discounters get the 2014 TBS 3 3/4 figures. Collectors shrug and go out to dutifully clear them out.

For the holidays/DVD release, Target gets a gift set of the main characters from wave 1. TRU gets a boxed set of troopers. KMart gets the cameo OT character gift set. Amazon gets a huge box with all the popular characters no one could find from wave 2, and charges twice the price of the other stores for it. Walmart passes on selling any gift sets.



Offline Scockery

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #394 on: September 13, 2013, 06:16 PM »
All the while a few vocal once-respected fans hail the return of Star Wars as toys for kids.

One of them is lynched at SDCC 2015 by assailants disguised as stormtroopers who then blend into a large group of 501sters. No suspects are ever arrested.

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #395 on: October 22, 2013, 09:05 AM »
So it seems that from a business standpoint, Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods may be the future of Star Wars collecting

Hasbro Sells 1 Million 'Angry Birds Star Wars' Telepods.

This begs the question: are collectors who lived through the vintage era in touch with what works for the Hasbro Star Wars license from a sales perspective?
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Offline Jayson

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #396 on: October 22, 2013, 12:17 PM »
How are these numbers calculated? Does "sold" mean ordered/purchased by retailers/etailers to sell in their stores or does it mean purchased by the consumer? The reason I ask is I don't see that much sell through in any store I frequent.
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Offline Jeff

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #397 on: October 22, 2013, 12:51 PM »
The press release says "one million TELEPODS figures in consumers' hands around the globe" and "With one million TELEPODS figures in consumers' hands", so I'd guess that's retail sales not retailer orders.

A few other things to note.  First, it's one million globally, not just US sales. Second, the one million number TELEPODS includes both AB:SWII and AB:Go! Telepods sales.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 12:52 PM by Jeff »
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Offline JediJman

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #398 on: October 22, 2013, 12:55 PM »
Clearly, ABSW is huge in Germany, where they come packed with David Hasslehoff.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #399 on: October 22, 2013, 05:32 PM »
Lotta kids in Angry Birds SW swag I've noticed....  I don't get it myself but I see it.

I think too, even if sell through seems slow to us, I'm pretty sure the AB stuff is insanely cheap to produce and has much more broad margins.
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Offline Diddly

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #400 on: October 23, 2013, 01:03 AM »
I'm no math major but one million worldwide in a world with seven billion people is... not good, right?
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #401 on: October 23, 2013, 01:30 AM »
I don't know how they're sold...  Haven't paid a lot of attention.  Are we talking individual blind-bag figure type deals?  When did these launch?  3rd or 4th quarter 2013?  The Telepods things... 

It could be a very specific item/# they're talking there...  not counting playsets, multi-packs, etc., and other aspects of this specific line.  It really could all be launch numbers...  A million at launch seems not shabby if that's the case.  It's specific, yet vague at the same time...  Kind of tough to gauge how good or bad the reality is.

I don't know what they sell for either...  Let's say hypothetically they're talking some blind-bag thing that they sell for $4 or $5 a piece but costs like $.50 to make...  Not shabby if that's the case...  I can tell you, it's cheap to make, especially comparatively speaking.
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Offline Muftak

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #402 on: October 23, 2013, 04:12 PM »
My 4-year old son has been a big Angry Birds fan ever since he started getting rewarded for good jobs with time on the iPad. He calls the Star Wars version "Space Birds" and loves them almost as much. It's been my way of getting him into the movies...he knows the droids, Chewie and Vader on sight now thanks to the Birds versions. Neither the standard toys nor the Clone Wars stuff ever really caught his interest. The other day at Wal*Mart he found a clearanced Early Bird set that he really wanted to take home, it's the first time he ever picked out a Star Wars toy. He looks at TelePods in the aisle, and has asked for the ABGo! Toys.

That being said, we've only ever downloaded the free apps and there's really no way I can justify bringing home any of the TelePod stuff with his 15-month old brother running around ready to eat/choke on them.

All in all, I can see how this could be the driving force of the Hasbro toy line right now. Certainly the action figure lines are not kid-friendly in their current formats.

Offline Morgbug

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #403 on: October 26, 2013, 11:50 PM »


For the holidays target gets a gift set of repacked movie heroes from 2013. TRU gets a TBS 6" speeder bike/biker scout set that they sell for $45. Kmart gets a couple sweet TBS 3 3/4 sets including several Jabba's Palace characters and a scaled-up skiff from out of nowhere. Amazon gets a set of "retro-packaged" 5POA Prequel figures that were developed for the movie heroes line but pulled in favor of OT figures. Walmart passes on selling any gift sets.



Chuckle. 

I haven't bought anything SW for quite some time.  The bolded part made me LOL.  The red part made me interested.  Really don't see myself buying anything anyway but that sounds more intriguing than anything of late. 
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Offline Darby

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #404 on: November 15, 2013, 12:34 PM »
Outstanding article on the downward trend of action figure sales despite the proliferation of the movies that drive them:

http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=5446

Worth a read.