Author Topic: Hasbro's Continuing Case Assortment Ignorance  (Read 8929 times)

Offline Nathan

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Re: Hasbro's Continuing Case Assortment Ignorance
« Reply #30 on: June 2, 2005, 04:39 PM »
I do think they've improved with the army builders greatly for this launch. Past performance probably hasn't helped the Royal Guard situation. Remember all the Saga red guards there were?  Those didn't sell, did they? I mean the ones I got were on clearance.  They certainly didn't sell like other army builders, and so now there seems to be a greater demand, and they didn't really meet it.

Besides the obvious fact these are great figures, I think that situation was self-perpetuating initially. Before the release, people were freaking out about the availability of red vs. blue variants. And on April 3rd, everyone was throwing bitch fits about "Oh Lordy Lordy, I only see red (blue) in my area, I'll never be able to find the ultra-HTF blue (red) guard, I must go online and buy for 3x retail value". I believe people were hoarding these as soon as they found them, afraid they'd never see them again. Then of course enter scalpers/speculators into the equation. Wherever I looked, both types disappeared right quick.

I've been saying all along to chill out and eventually everyone should be able to find some of each variety. Assuming these keep shipping, logically the market will have to reach saturation and both will be readily available.

Though I still don't understand the notion behind red and blue variants instead of releasing them as completely separate figures.
« Last Edit: June 2, 2005, 04:41 PM by Valin Kenobi »
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Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: Hasbro's Continuing Case Assortment Ignorance
« Reply #31 on: June 2, 2005, 05:00 PM »
Quote
Though I still don't understand the notion behind red and blue variants instead of releasing them as completely separate figures.

Neither do I, especially considering the fact that it's not a simple paint variant (along the lines of the POTJ Scout Trooper or Saga Battle Droid).  The thing that really irks me is that Hasbro packed the figure (again, still viewing both RGs as one figure) at one per case in initial assortments, and the distribution of one or the other was totally random.  To me, that means that a store would have to get two cases of one assortment in order for one person to (theoretically) get one of each version.  And that's with the idea that the two cases will have one blue and one red each and not two of both.

Another point of logical fallacy here is the fact that Hasbro said at C3 (according to reports) that the Red Royal Guard is the "chase" figure: now, I'd say the average person out there has no idea what film the blue guards are in, where they were, or so on.  The Red Royal Guard is easily identifiable because he was with the Emperor in ROTJ.  The blue guys have one shot in the new film, and in that one shot they're out of focus and off to the left.  Realistically, if they *had* to make one a bit more of a struggle to find, shouldn't it have been the one that wasn't as recognizable?

This being said, I'm not one of these people that goes for the whole "thrill of the hunt."  I don't enjoy making repeated trips to the same stores over and over and walking out empty handed because Hasbro thinks it would be funny to shortpack a figure or because someone needs to make their week's salary equivalent on Ebay with the figures that aren't shortpacked.

Has the army builder situation gotten better?  Slightly, although the #6 Clone is still nonexistent, as is the #41 Clone, the Deluxe Clone 3 pack, and (believe it or not) the Destroyer Droid.  Clone Commanders and Clone Pilots are starting to sit (the latter because the Gunship and ARC-170 still haven't shown up in numbers enough for people to buy more than one), and the AT-TE Gunner pops up once in a blue moon, but if it's a Clone and it doesn't have a jet pack, it disappears before you can say "Genetic Copy of Jango Fett."


Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Hasbro's Continuing Case Assortment Ignorance
« Reply #32 on: June 2, 2005, 06:44 PM »
Clone Commanders and Clone Pilots are starting to sit (the latter because the Gunship and ARC-170 still haven't shown up in numbers enough for people to buy more than one), and the AT-TE Gunner pops up once in a blue moon, but if it's a Clone and it doesn't have a jet pack, it disappears before you can say "Genetic Copy of Jango Fett."

In this area even the Deluxe Clone w/Jetpack is now impossible to find. Sure it was easy when the Wave 2 Deluxe figures were hitting en masse, but now good luck getting one. Practically that entire Deluxe Wave 2 is gone already. Stupid Jedi Jump Obi-Wan is still clogging the pegs, but the fact that (a) the Vulture droid had variants, (b) Vader on Operating Table and Clone w/Jetpack are in high demand and (c) Yoda on Cancell is now also being shipped in the Wave 3 case - the only non Wave 1 Deluxe figure I can find w/o any trouble is the Yoda. Even the Wave 3 shipped Vader on Operating Table flys out of the store.

So here's my biggest complaint about case assortments so far... the Deluxe line should have been four waves of three, not three waves of four. Especially if you're going to have the cases fit only six figures. Better yet, ship the cases so they fit eight figures and re-ship two figures from the previous wave. So for example:

Wave 1
2x Quick Change Anakin/Vader
2x Quick Change Palpatine/Sidious
2x Deluxe General Grievous
2x Lousy Jumping Obi-Wan

Wave 2
1x Deluxe Grievous
1x Quick Change Anakin/Vader
2x Vader on Operating Table
2x Yoda on Can-Cell
2x Clone w/JetPack

Wave 3
1x Vader on Operating Table
1x Clone w/JetPack
2x Vulture Droid
2x Spider Droid
2x Stass Allie w/BARC Speeder

Wave 4
1x Vulture Droid
1x Stass Allie w/Barc Speeder
2x Clonetrooper 3-pack (all white)
2x Clonetrooper 3-pack (w/unit markings)
2x Crab Droid

Also if they could have made it so Waves 1 & 2 shipped simultaneously and Waves 3 & 4 shipped simultaneously they could have ensured that NONE of them were really peg warmers. Perhaps I'm crazy but case assortments like the ones I listed above would actually make it EASY to find the entire Deluxe Assortment AND reduce the number of eventual peg warmers.

Don't even get me started on the basic figure assortments, they are just bass-ackwards. Why SO MANY older figures are being re-assorted when the new figures first come out is anyone's guess. Hasbro instead of having the single case shipping at any one time mentality they should have two cases shipping - the "new figures" wave and the "Catch-up, replenishment wave".

When they launched the line instead of 1-12 and 13-24 being 1 per case, it should have been 2x of each figure and split the cases up. The Blue/Red Guard should have been split into two separate figures as well.

After that, since the pace has been what it is, ship the next six figures from both Collection 1 and 2 at two per case so that would bring us up to 36 figures. At the same time you're shipping what would be my Wave 3s, this would be the time to ship "catch-up" cases of 1-12 and 13-24 at one per case and with case product levels of 1/3 to 1/4 the number of "wave 3" cases you're shipping. Then when you have the next six figures (the wave 4s) from both collections shipping, have a mix of the first 18 figures from each collection in the case, packed 1-per focusing on the core characters from 1-12 or 13-24 and then 1 each of the follow-on six figures.

Keep continuing the method of large production new figure cases, smaller product "catch up" cases and we would be at 48 figures released so far, all with excellent and sensible distribution.

The fact that you're also offering "catch up" cases allows you to offer different mixes, army-builder heavy mixes, mixes that make up for the "hey we had no idea that figure would be in so much demand" foul-ups, etc...

Hasbro would never do it 'cause it just makes sense, but in the future, I do not see the line surviving unless they start making cases of 100% new 2 per case figures so that online retailers can start offering cases (and half cases) on a subscription-type basis so all collectors can remain "caught up" on their complete collections. Sure this would mean the collectors who "pick and choose" which figures they want to buy would be a bit screwed, but with the case assortments now, they're getting screwed too - at least help the completist collector who wants one or more of each figure - in the long run that collector will be buying the most product.
Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Hasbro's Continuing Case Assortment Ignorance
« Reply #33 on: June 2, 2005, 08:30 PM »
Quote
I believe people were hoarding these as soon as they found them, afraid they'd never see them again. Then of course enter scalpers/speculators into the equation. Wherever I looked, both types disappeared right quick.

Without a doubt!  I remember on 4/2 how there were umpteen guys fighting in to look at the pegs and the mantra they chanted was "The Royal Guard Variants are Rare!", as you watched women and children basically shoved out of the way.

Sad...

I found both on the way home that day at some Wal-Mart stores, but since 4/2 I've seen 2 Blue's and that's it.  It's amazing how a hands-down superior figure to all previous versions will sell.  I mean, even the red Clone from AOTC didn't sell well...  Not even at first really.  He was easy to get on clearance at KB.  It's fun to observe. :)
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