JediDefender.com Forums
Collectibles => Past Hasbro 3.75" Lines => The Legacy Collection => Topic started by: Brian on December 23, 2008, 11:59 AM
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I think we've discussed this in other threads before, but with the confirmations coming out of Hasbro in the last couple Q and A's, it sounds like we're in for another big (huge?) year of figures for Star Wars. I know we've sort of gotten used to "big years" pretty much ever since the ROTS line (maybe slightly before). I've said it before, but although its nice to get all the new figures, I sometimes miss the days of keeping up with maybe 40-50 total figures in a year, instead of 60-100+. Anyways, it sounds that if you are a collector of both the Legacy and Clone Wars line (which seems to be a minority of people here right now), we're looking at over 100 figures again. Its been confirmed that the Legacy Collection will see at least 54 figures, and I've read (and heard via the ForceCast from DePriest himself) that the Clone Wars line will see 40+. This isn't even counting comic packs, battle packs, exclusives, etc. I guess my question here again is, how much is too much? What would be a good number of figures per year? I guess if you just grabbed one line over the other (and also skipped the various multipacks), maybe it wouldn't be as bad, but it does seem like a lot to keep up on these days - just for the "regular" line.
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I'm bailing on about 70%-80% of Star Wars in 09 at some point due to the insane amount of product and my growing lack of interest - not to mention the size of my current collection. I would love for things to be the way they were back in the POTJ days, but that'll never happen again.
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I agree, I remember being able to keep up in the POTJ days (really the first time I was collecting almost one of each figure) without any trouble - and that was at a time when I was still a poor college student for the most part. Like you said though, we won't be seeing that again. I do sort of think that all of the releases between the 2-3 basic figure lines, comic packs, exclusives, battle packs - not to mention vehicles and all that - is some of what is driving some people to cut back or stop completely. I mean look how many long-time collectors we've seen do just that - or consider it - around here over the past few years. It becomes a bit overwhelming.
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I only got back into collecting like 2 years ago and I already have to cut back. I have an insane amount of figures now (around 500-600) and dont have the space anymore. And often times I find myself asking why I even collect, I have so many lukes,vaders,obi, and all the other main characters to the pint its getting ridiculous. Next year I will pick up a few figures such as the new Obi (my old man ben is from the 90s) space troopers and a few animated figures but that is all. I am going to try putting a $30 a month limit because I know if I try to complete a line like I tried with TAC I will be broke. I just just wish hasbro would stick to 50 figures. 25 Legacy and 25 clone wars. it would make things easier for us all.
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I am going to try putting a $30 a month limit because I know if I try to complete a line like I tried with TAC I will be broke. I just just wish hasbro would stick to 50 figures. 25 Legacy and 25 clone wars. it would make things easier for us all.
Its funny, that's exactly what my monthly budget was when I was first seriously getting into collecting. I had picked up some vintage and loose POTF2 figures here and there, and then got more serious post TPM when I grabbed more POTF2 stuff that was still around and really bought most of the POTJ line. $30 a month was never a problem then. I remember passing on an exclusive vehicle here or there maybe, but otherwise - figure-wise - it was easy enough to keep up. It just ballooned from there though, and it would be tougher to have that budget these days.
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I am going to try putting a $30 a month limit because I know if I try to complete a line like I tried with TAC I will be broke. I just just wish hasbro would stick to 50 figures. 25 Legacy and 25 clone wars. it would make things easier for us all.
Its funny, that's exactly what my monthly budget was when I was first seriously getting into collecting. I had picked up some vintage and loose POTF2 figures here and there, and then got more serious post TPM when I grabbed more POTF2 stuff that was still around and really bought most of the POTJ line. $30 a month was never a problem then. I remember passing on an exclusive vehicle here or there maybe, but otherwise - figure-wise - it was easy enough to keep up. It just ballooned from there though, and it would be tougher to have that budget these days.
Yeah I know what you mean. But this is my way of dealing with the OCD (obsesive collecting disorder). And since I am trying to transfer Uni's and will have to live in my own house...well rent wont pay itself lol.
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54 basic figures a year is way too much. I appreciate the effort and all, but I've been collecting since 95 and have way too much stuff as it is. I've already cut out a carded collection, so Hasbro is now loosing half the money they used to get from me. Perhaps I'll be cutting PT stuff out soon enough.
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I think the volume may be too much now, with both lines going full force. I'm being much more selective, but if it was in the movies I'm buying it, so I guess that's still a lot. I'm skipping the majority of the EU stuff, so the comic packs and a lot of the random clone repaints I leave behind. The BAD concept has pulled me in though on figures I would have otherwise left on the pegs.
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Has anyone actually counted up the # of figure releases over the last 5 to 10 years? I know we're getting more than in early years, but I'm not so sure that its any bigger than the past few years worth of releases...
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Yeah, I think it's starting to get to be a bit much.
But I also remember what it was like in the wake of the Episode 1 crash. The POTJ line was very hard to come by and in most stores (even TRU) the Star Wars section almost seemed to be an "after thought" in terms of the plan-o-gram space allottment.
I really hope that Hasbro slows things down a bit, it's already starting to show that perhaps, at least exclusive-wise, they might have gone a bit overboard this year. Since it doesn't appear to me that they're slowing things down single-carded-figure-wise, perhaps in the wake of X-mas '08, we might (hopefully) see a slow-down in exclusives.
I don't mind them in moderation, but just in the past four months we've gotten:
- Lars Homestead
- Dagger Squadron B-Wing
- "Flaming Wampa" ARC-170
- "Lucky Lekku" Gunship
- A-Wing Starfighter
- Ecliptic Evader TIE
- Crimson Empire Crucible Box Set
- Sarlacc Ultimate Battle Pack
- Battle of Christophsis (sp?) Ultimate Battle Pack
- Yoda & Clones Battle Pack
- Obi-Wan & Clones Battle Pack
- TFU Vader & 2 Inferno Troopers Pack
- TFU Emperor & 2 Shadow Troopers Pack
And that's ON TOP of getting 29 BAD figures, 24 Legends figures (including variants), ~20 Clone Wars figures (including variants), 12 Comic 2-packs, 6 battle packs, 4 new Evolutions sets, 4 new $20 vehicles, the $100 AT-TE and the $150 BMF. Not to mention the fact that I'm leaving out the repacked battle packs, vehicles and evolution sets, the K-Mart third round of Tins and the Legacy of the Saga 5-pack.
WOW.
I really do hope the retailers are still generally "happy" with Star Wars after this season, although, my local TRU is sitting on a mound of "Flaming Wampa" ARC-170s, Lars Homesteads and BMFs.
My local Target has an abundance of the Sarlacc UBPs and two of the WMs I frequent still have plenty of the "Lucky Lekku" Gunships. And it's already Christmas Eve....
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They clearly have been successful putting this much product on shelves or they wouldn't be doing it again. The 50 or so figures comes out to roughly one per week. I can certainly handle that. I wish they'd slow down on some of the other stuff though like the waves of comic packs that have 4 packs in them... or the large vehicles with unique figures in them... or the Power Ranger Exclusive EU packs... but as long as they keep coming up with creative ways to improve on old figures, and ways to keep giving us new figures, the size of the line hasn't bothered me at all - especially since I skipped the animated line.
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Well put Rob. Yeah, the comic packs are a bit much and I'm less interested in those. Same with the EU exclusives.
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We're just going to get inundated with figures in 2009. Combine the TLC, Clone Wars and Saga Legends releases and we're well over the 100 figure mark. And that doesn't account at all for exclusives, battle packs, comic 2-packs or vehicle pack-ins.
On the one hand I see it as very positive for Star Wars. Clone Wars is a hit with the kids and a lot of product is selling. I just hope that we as collectors can keep up.
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Well I actually do not buy much anymore. I like a lot of it but the $8 pricepoint apparently is my breaking point. If they were $6.44 I would probaby buy much more. I know it does not sound like much but let's say I buy 4 figures today. That's going to be at least $35 with tax added on. I feel like an jerk when I got a mortgage, family, other bills and necessities at home and I spend that much on action figures. Plus, I am kind of in a burn out stage after 12 plus years of collecting them.
I am into Sideshow's 12 inch figures more nowadays. Even though they are expensive I only end up buying a few a year and it's spread out during the year. I am not constantly plunking down the coins throughout the year on 8 figures waves every month and a half. Then again you buy 4 of those and it's probably $400 a year. So, I guess either way it's kind of a lot. I can do it but I just get sticker shock after buying a couple figures at retail nowadays.
I will end up buying the ANH wave because I have wanted all of those figures either redone or made. I will probably buy a few OT figures after that. I will skip the Legends, Comic Packs, and most of the Clone Wars stuff. I do think it's great they added the big vehicles like the Falcon and AT-TE. I hope they come out with the Turbo Tank.
Yeah, I will agree and always thought that Clone Wars would be good for Star Wars overall. It keeps it alive in the public's eye and everything else that goes with it...the OT, PT, and EU all thrive off of it. But yeah 100 figures a year I can not support it. Maybe 15-20?
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Prices have been reasonable if you found everything at WM, which I did... And Target finally got their **** together and got competitive too. It's not SO bad, but the things like comic packs and whatnot are piling on.
I avoid Clone Wars, I don't buy much Legends stuff unless it's army building items like the SBD (very nice). I'm skipping the Previews TIE and whatnot, so certain things cut out will help ease the pain any given year and I'm sure '09 won't be any different. I'm waiting to get the Crimson Empire set (especially after seeing the **** legs) for a sale price which I'm sure we'll see (look at past multi-packs for a pretty constant trend).
Yeah, i'm not worried I guess. Not buying CW stuff (save for a figure here and there for either customizing, or because it blends in like IG-86 does) is basically the only reason I'm not crying when I take out my wallet.
Wish I could get into 12" SS figures, but alas the price keeps me away. I wanted to get into the militaries line really bad, but that price on the armored guys kills me. I may get the Fleet Trooper because I love me some Rebels, but it sucks to not be able to cave and buy the Imp Officers as they look bitchin'. Always love military stuff in SW and those are great, but just too pricey for me. Hasbro has taken over.
Part of me almost hopes Hasbro is sparing with the big ticket items in the future. I like the AT-TE, but honestly unless it's scale or so close it's negligible, I don't want it. So from my perspective things that are just too big to be done to-scale are a waste of money that I'd like to see reinvested into cooler stuff. Cooler stuff like say the upcoming Droid Fighter, or a future Snail Tank Droid which is long overdue IMO and totally doable to-scale.
And I'd like to see some things that are not SO huge like the Juggernaught... If they're gonna make something big, I'd rather see a Y-Wing that they crank out for $50 and is to-scale, ya know? Rather than Juggernaught that isn't gonna come in anywhere correctly in size (or an AT-AT, or Sandcrawler, etc.). I'd love a scale X-Wing to go with the new TIE Fighter ya know? The FX sculpt is like 80%, so it's off by a bit... The Y-Wing's dismally small... Same for the B-Wing. Those are much more important/iconic to me, so I could do without the $100-$150 pipedream ships that just never will be full sized.
Anyway that's me... I'm not looking at '09 much different than '08. It's a lot easier though when you skip numerous items like the entire CW animated line. That helped a ton.
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Yeah, the $8 thing sucked, but it seems like it's only an issue at TRU now. It was right around the start of $8 figures that I decided I was done buying two of everything.
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It's an absurd price for what you get, honestly... SW saw a spike that I only saw in other Hasbro toys really... I'm not sure why but it's certainly frustrating from a consumer's POV. Barbies didn't spike in price. The military line I collect saw a $.20 "jump" in price at Target (who love to spike where they can it seems). Yet IJ, Star Wars, JOe... Weird that all that stuff went up high percentages.
It certainly has cut into how I collect too. I used to buy lots of army builders, now I've cut the numbers down. If it weren't for price matching those $4.99 sales KM had, I wouldn't have a lot of the '08 stuff I have now. I know I was dreading the Leg wave 2 figures thinking how they were chock full of army builders, but that sale with KM helped me out a lot.
Anyway, I'm just glad Target's being competitive right now... That at least leaves shopping options open.
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Meh, $8 ain't so bad once you've seen POTJ hit $14. That was scary. And the POTJ stuff was what brought me back in.
But I canned the carded thing back some time around then or after Ep I when it got silly. Then I canned vehicles around ROTS and not too long after that I canned the completeist in me. Honestly I can't even tell you what I do and don't own at this point. The comments regarding so many Vaders, Lukes, etc. is bang on. So I'm at the point where I look at what is being released and decide if I want it or not and lately it's been a lot of not.
I will hand it to Hasbro though, the BAD stuff has made me buy a number of figures I really don't give a crap about. Though of late I've not opened much so I've been able to hold out and watch some re-releases of figures that I wanted, but didn't need the duplicate BAD part, so back to the store they go. I fully expect Hasbro to bone us down the road and release all the BADs in box sets so they can continue to spite me.
I'll but new OT characters and better versions of previously released OT figures, selling the old stuff for fodder.
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Jesse makes a good point about the Animated Clone Wars line. I've been in on that line, buying one of each character, since the beginning. I had hoped to continue that, but going into '09 I don't know if that will be possible. I should probably just pass on it altogether, but I get so into the series it makes the figures more tempting. I need to have a better attitude of just liking the show but not "needing the stuff" because of it. Going forward, I might just pick and choose from that line, getting figures like Fisto (and probably the other Jedi), main characters, and astromechs.
Like it was mentioned, it wouldn't be nearly as bad keeping up if there was just the one line - and avoiding the "other" stuff. I've already started to cut back on comic packs as well. I'm selling off some of the EU stuff I don't really need, and from now on, I'll likely just pick up packs that are "OT EU" or otherwise Original Trilogy related. A lot of the figures are nice, but I don't need them and I'd rather put that collecting money towards the basic figure line or something. Although I don't mind the animated style figures (obviously, since I buy them), I would have been ok with everything being in realistic style. Have one line, 45-50 figures a year, and be done with it. It would be a lot easier to keep up with and keep track of, although I can see why they have a seperate branding for the kiddos/parents/etc.
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In line with the discussions about nearly $8 figures, as well as the huge volume of new releases that Hasbro is doing, I read in IIRC the last issue of SW Insider that Star Wars was the number one product line for all toys (boys, girls or preschool) this year. So not only is Hasbro releasing a lot, and charging a lot for each unit (I know, the store gets a cut, as do the distributors, etc.), but they also have enormous demand for this product line. I think the huge popularity of SW is what is driving the huge number of new releases. But I'm no where near a completist, so I see that as a positive. More time and energy on Hasbro's part to produce products I might want to buy. Sure that means more things I can pass on, but also more things I might want.
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They gotta slow down, especially now with the economy going to way it is. I can't see them offering anyway where near the number of figures over the last two years next year.
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I'd like to see a slowdown as well, but judging from sales around here (particularly around the holidays), I don't know if it will happen. Things at many stores have sold out (Target in particular, at least here). Still, I'd like to see the return to a more manageable number - which we really haven't seen since before the ROTS line.