Author Topic: Toy Fair 2015  (Read 21893 times)

Offline Darby

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #30 on: February 11, 2015, 11:26 AM »
I agree we'll see OT and maybe even PT stuff into the future in some measure, but the speed at which they're going through the major costume variants of Han and Luke and Imperial troops in the 5 POA line tells you everything. By the time TFA hits, Hasbro will have done all of them, leaving nothing to cover. The same is happening in the 6 inch line, though the release schedule on those is so slow that I'm wondering if we'll see the Emperor by the time the movie toys drop.

Offline Rob

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #31 on: February 11, 2015, 12:27 PM »
I agree we'll see OT and maybe even PT stuff into the future in some measure, but the speed at which they're going through the major costume variants of Han and Luke and Imperial troops in the 5 POA line tells you everything. By the time TFA hits, Hasbro will have done all of them, leaving nothing to cover. The same is happening in the 6 inch line, though the release schedule on those is so slow that I'm wondering if we'll see the Emperor by the time the movie toys drop.

Yeah, I don't see a very long shelf life for the 6" line personally.  You can only afford and have space for so many of the larger scale... the major characters are going to dry up quickly and how many people are going to buy $20 obscure figures that take up three times the space of the ones they've been collecting for years?

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #32 on: February 11, 2015, 07:43 PM »
If I were rich, 6" would be fine and I'd jump ship just out of boredom.  However, since I'm not, nor do I have infinite space, buying a whole new line is just not on my plate.  I may not even buy 6" Bossk.  Coughing up the $20 when I see him might be tough for me at the time.

Regarding Rebels stuff, I'm wondering if that line is going to have much attention paid to it?  Just thinking about the new films...  It's a real weird situation we've never experienced.  Lots of movies coming out while a cartoon is currently the focused media.  It'll be weird if Rebels takes a big back seat?  Then again we've really not even seen much Rebels stuff at retail, and the show's only been on a season now...  Uncharted waters for sure.

I have this weird feeling they'll have little Rebels stuff to show too...  Just feel like Star Wars is going to be the "breeze through" event at this TF.  There's always one (or more).
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #33 on: February 12, 2015, 10:39 AM »
I've been a little pessimistic about the state of things.  But I think that general feeling has been going around throughout the hobby.  I almost get the sense that this current dry spell may be an attempt to reset the hobby in some way.  Anyway, my predictions for the Hasbro presentation?

-3.75" Basic Figures (Black Series) - 2 new waves in addition to what's been shown and yet to be released
-3.75" Saga Legends / Rebels - 2 waves (maybe).  The remainder of the figures that were seen on that poster and perhaps one more wave
-3.75" Mission Series - 1 wave (as seen on the poster) and perhaps one more wave.
-6" Black Series - 2 waves in addition to the NYCC wave.  Maybe a bounty hunter (Dengar or Aurra Sing), Jedi (Mace Windu or Qui-Gon), a trooper (Snowtrooper), clone (Phase II 501st), droid (C-3PO)
-3.75" system vehicles - More Starfighter repaints, possibly including Anakin's green & white ROTS Jedi Interceptor.  New wave of Rebels vehicles including TIE Fighter, scaled down X-Wing.  *POSSIBLE* large Ghost vehicle.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2015, 10:43 AM by Nicklab »
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Online Jeff

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #34 on: February 12, 2015, 10:53 AM »
Star Wars Bladebuilders Revealed.  No surprise that the parts include an Episode 7 style hilt.

More interesting to me in that article was this:  "says Kim Boyd, senior director of the Star Wars brand for Hasbro."

Kim Boyd was previously a senior director for Kre-O at Hasbro...  first time I recall seeing her name attached to Star Wars team.
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #35 on: February 12, 2015, 11:05 AM »
I was wondering when USA Today was going to get their article out there.  This is at least what, three years running where Hunter PR gives them the first crack at some Hasbro Star Wars news in advance of Toy Fair?
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Offline Scockery

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #36 on: February 12, 2015, 01:30 PM »
"says Kim Boyd, senior director of the Star Wars brand for Hasbro."
Soon to be most hated person in Star Wars fandom?

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #37 on: February 12, 2015, 03:03 PM »
Finally everyone who doesn't know Darryl DePriest and his dedication to Star Wars stuff has someone new to irrationally loathe.
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Online Jeff

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #38 on: February 12, 2015, 03:37 PM »
Eh, when Jeff Labovitz was in charge the last few years (he may still be in charge - I'm not sure if Kim is an addition to the SW team or a replacement for him), people were still blaming Derryl. 

I'm sure poor Derryl will continue to get flak even though he hasn't been directly in charge of the line for 3-4 years now.  :-\
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #39 on: February 12, 2015, 04:16 PM »
I don't think they even knew Jeff was in charge.  It's all about name recognition and DD's came up enough I guess the laymen heard it and just targeted.  I never quite understood why his was the name that always came up though.  Always.  Especially given how much cool **** he got made in that line, ultimately.

Half the rebels that got done seemed to because he liked Rebels from what I recall.  That hit me in the heart, that guy.  :'(
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Offline Darby

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #40 on: February 12, 2015, 05:11 PM »
Daryl was a fan for sure. I met him the one time at NYCC 2011. He showed me the Naboo pilot which I think had not been displayed to that point or was just going on the floor that day. I remember it well because to that point no one had seen the coat he wore and I geeked out. And Daryl geeked with me. Good times.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #41 on: February 12, 2015, 06:50 PM »
I reflect back to 2007-2009, any time I start getting really down about the line.  I think part of it is the fact I can't currently see the vast number of figures I have.  I'm not even talking PT, but the vast EU and OT stuff that would make up my "favorites" list.

Those 3 years were pretty sick to collect in.  Methinks a lot of collectors are kind of spoiled by those years, maybe.  Maybe not.  I find though, what we got really cleaned out the stock room, ya know?  It was inevitable that this line was going to hit some kind of wall.
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Offline Darby

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #42 on: February 12, 2015, 10:44 PM »
2007 remains the best year in modern collecting. The range in offerings, the quality, the gonzo nature of some of the figures and the card design all really fell together to create a really fun year. It's crazy to think that was over 7 years ago; that it came a couple years after the last movie (so we thought) or that the line has survived to now limping along as it has. It speaks to the power of the brand (not even TPM could kill it, twice!) but also frankly the management of it. The brand survived and persisted because of good management. Not everything was great, but then nothing is.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #43 on: February 12, 2015, 11:50 PM »
Agreed.

At one time I really felt '08 to '09 was superior because figures were unilaterally SA and you got to build free figures, more or less, and all that jazz.  I still have a gallon ziplock of BAD parts I'd love to complete droids with.

But 2007...  One year, and Hasbro went batshit crazy on character depth and breadth of the line.  Not only were the main figures things EVERYONE wanted, but even the Legends line was nothing but hit after hit after hit...  Pit Droids, Imperial Officers (crewmen), etc., etc.

As a single line, a single year, 2007 is the top.

Now, that said, as an overall offering...  I think '08 to '09 wins in that it was not only the main line packed with greatness, the BAD, but alllllllll those exclusives, the Evolutions, the Comic Packs... 

2007 cleared up so many wishes though.  Hermie Odle is all one needs to look at and say, "Holy cow, they made that dude?", and it's not just because he's weird, and obscure.  It's because he's absurdly huge on top of it all.  He is a single figure who epitomizes that year, to me.

However, the sub-line that epitomizes 2007, to me, is the McQuarrie Concept line of figures, which are to this day my only carded collection I actually appreciate and would want to display.  If you told me in 2000 that in 7 years we'd get basically a super articulated line of ALL McQuarrie Concept Art figures, and they'd really make a nice single collection by themselves within a year of figures that are just all really amazing and fun, then I'd have said you're nuts. 

2008 to 2009 though, equally expensive.  Just spread across a whole lot more stuff.  I mean, I was so broke in those 3 years, and most of 2010 too.

Prices started going up, and that's where the real issues started.  Ultimately Hasbro can only combat that so much too.  I think they really haven't wanted to abandon 3.75" as a scale, but the fight to hold onto it is really evident when you look back at this relatively recent history on the line. 

I'm really curious to see where things go from here.  It's the most uncharted waters this line has been in, in quite some time.
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Online Jeff

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #44 on: February 13, 2015, 09:57 AM »
Jayson had a chance to tune into Hasbro's Investor Presentation this AM from New York.  Check out the Star Wars slides that were included.  Pretty much all kid stuff - Play-Doh, Mashers, Bladebuilders, Furbacca.
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