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Collectibles => Past Hasbro 3.75" Lines => Rogue One => Topic started by: Jesse James on February 10, 2007, 03:37 PM

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on February 10, 2007, 03:37 PM
With the news from Toy Fair trickling out slowly, I found it interesting the news on Gentle Giant's Bust-Up line and it moving to full figures and possibly scenes.  Scenes could equate "sets" or something nice to display figures in if the Bust-Up line stays at the current scale it is at...  right around 3.75" sized.

Could it be Gentle Giant are delving into an area they know Hasbro will not?  Since no photography of these unfinalized items was allowed, it's tough to say, but even if say the Death Star set with Tarkin (I must have this) and a Gunner is just a section of hallway it'll be something pretty bitching to display Death Star figures with I think.

The Endor one could be cool too... 

I'm at the least intrigued at how these will mesh with the basic Hasbro line...  I know I use bust-ups in customs, and sometimes the weapons are fantastic to mix into the Hasbro figures (Bossk's gun kicks much ass, as do lightsabers you get).  I was already looking forward to pilferring some of those Clone Wars Clone weapons like the mini-gun and Sae Sae's armor pieces.

I might be doing some ordering on GG stuff for once if this turns out to be some compatible items.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Morgbug on February 10, 2007, 04:42 PM
No.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/Morgbug/P2100020.jpg)

I take it all you guys are familiar with star wars bustups but not familiar with the Simspons line?  In that picture are what I think are Simpsons versions of what they are planning on releasing in the Star Wars line.  Regular SW bustup on the left, regular TAC 3.75" figure on the right.  Playsets, if you will, in the middle.

I'm guessing you're all way too optimistic about this and what size these things are going to be.

I also think that if they move to full figures, they'll be half sized rather than a direct competitor for Hasbro.  I'd think Hasbro has something in their license that would prevent a competitor from doing something remarkably similar in plastic at a similar price point.  Attakus isn't the same because it's metal and about 10 x more expensive. 
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on February 10, 2007, 05:30 PM
Good points Brent...  Definitely could be a letdown.  There might be something useable to them but perhaps not if that's any indication.  I'm not familiar with anything GG really, even the SW stuff to a great extent, so that could be a downer for sure.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on February 12, 2007, 12:36 PM
Jesse, I really, really... really, really, really hope that Gentle Giant is answering the playset call.  Maybe I'm too much of an optimist, I don't know.  I just hope that Gentle Giant is making mini scenes that are in scale with the 3-3/4 line... I know some people think it's foolish to think that we'lll ever get playsets or dioramas and are sick of hearing some people push for them... but I really do think that they could be a great addition to our collections and be beneficial for the company that produces them if they are made right.

I think if they did, given the quality that Gentle Giant is known for, that we would be very happy with it and Gentle Giant would cash in on market that just isn't being tapped.

Keeping my fingers crossed, but not going to be let down if Morbug's right, which he very well may be. 

 :P

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dan on February 12, 2007, 12:49 PM
I would bet my money on Morbugs assessment as well, but I would be ectstatic if someone/anyone made some decent diorama/environments for the figures. I'm one of those people who has kept harping about these things (Hasbro Q & A be damned), so don't give up Chewie.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on February 12, 2007, 03:30 PM
I saw the diorama pieces that Gentle Giant was showing as part of their Bust Ups line.  Morgbug's comparison photo was pretty dead on in terms of the size of these pieces.  They're quite similar to the Tomy mini-dioramas of a couple of years ago, and those aren't all that fantastic.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on February 12, 2007, 03:41 PM
Given GG's precedent with the Simpsons line I'm not hopeful.  I used the exact wording of "Playset" (in quotes) in the title because I never was intending to imply actual playsets, but more possible "environments" if you will...  Something useful for display.

Like I've said to Brent though, if the floor's useable I think I'm fairly happy with that...  It's like the Bust-Up 3PO coming with part of the oil bath chamber...  That's cool to me.  But that's hardly constituting a playset by any means...  I'd have been happy with just something small/useable out of it though was more what I was running with in this thread.

Brent certainly makes every case WHY that won't happen, this is just speculation...  Not wishful thinking even or anything, just considering what could come of the sets.  Same as I'm always hoping for certain things from the Bust-Ups line to use with figures.  GG's not doing playsets though I'm afraid...  Best I think that can be hoped for is something that makes a nice elaborate stand for figures, or can be integrated into a diorama/custom if someone wanted to go the extra mile with a piece.  I'm ok with that though...  Like I said, I love the 3PO Bust-Up Oil Bath thing.  That's cool to me. :)
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on February 12, 2007, 04:30 PM
I love that piece too for the 3PO.  It's very cool.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Hasbro try something along that line someday with old golden rod.  Look at the big drum coming with Umpas (or whatever his name is) and the moisture vaporator with Luke.  They could make 3PO's oil bath too I would think rather easily.

As for what's going to come out from Gentle Giant, I don't mind saying I'm wishful thinking on it.  If these were to be in scale with Hasbro stuff these wouldn't really be playsets, but more of an enviroment to display figures in.  But we'll just have to wait and see.  I think most people would like to see something like that available.  Those that don't want them could pass on them. 

And yeah Dylan, I won't give up on this.  Someday, I think a company will finally come through.  Imagine that Attakus thing done by Gentle Giant, I wonder how much it would cost then if it was in plastic... it would be so damn cool... I know I'd shell out a few hundred bucks for it.  Heck, I'd pay a hundred just for the walls/hallway area of the Death Star that they made.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Morgbug on February 12, 2007, 09:11 PM
Not trying to be a party pooper, but how would Hasbro respond to someone infringing in a more or less direct way on their 3.75" license (direct as in plastic, same scale, same rough price point)? 

I know you want them and don't misunderstand, I would probably buy some too if they were what you and Jesse are envisioning, but between what they've (GG) already released, the licensing conflict potential and cost issues that Hasbro surely must have with this, I just can't expect these to be anything but what has already been released in the Simpsons/Corpse Bride/Hellboy bustups from Gentle Giant.

Be an optimist, and no one knows if I'm correct yet, but I'll side on the not happening the way you'd like version.   
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Sprry75 on February 12, 2007, 09:41 PM
Thanks for ******** on everything, Brent.

 >:(
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on February 12, 2007, 10:33 PM
Not trying to be a party pooper, but how would Hasbro respond to someone infringing in a more or less direct way on their 3.75" license (direct as in plastic, same scale, same rough price point)? 

I know you want them and don't misunderstand, I would probably buy some too if they were what you and Jesse are envisioning, but between what they've (GG) already released, the licensing conflict potential and cost issues that Hasbro surely must have with this, I just can't expect these to be anything but what has already been released in the Simpsons/Corpse Bride/Hellboy bustups from Gentle Giant.

Be an optimist, and no one knows if I'm correct yet, but I'll side on the not happening the way you'd like version.   

DAMN YOU, YOU OLD, SON OF A (just kidding).

I know you're probably right.  I just like thinking about these sort or things.  I think that Hasbro is very nervous about the playset/environments because what they've made in the past hasn't gone over too well... but I think a lot of that has to do with them making bad product...

BUT - I do think that Attakus potentially broke new ground with their Falcon/Death Star scene and has maybe opened the eyes of other companies.  Seems like a lot of collectors who see the Attakus set say they'd love to have it if it were more affordable... am I wrong?  Companies like Gentle Giant might be looking at doing something similar, but at a more affordable pricepoint.  And to counter it being used for Hasbro figures, perhaps they could do what Attakus did - make a line of 4" figures that are pre-posed statues for the scenes - you can use the setup with the new Gentle Giant 4" figures OR populate it with your Hasbro figures.  That's what I want to see. 

Maybe they could start with smaller sets, and move up from there if the smaller ones take off.  Or make them modular.  I'd be all over this. 

And I've given up on Hasbro making these.  I no longer want to see them try playsets.  If they make them, they'll screw them up.  They have proven that they have no idea how to make playsets that will sell.  For vehicles they've improved but they really don't seem to have a clue when it comes to playsets (or mini scenes).

 :P

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Morgbug on February 12, 2007, 11:21 PM
Thanks for ******** on everything, Brent.

 >:(

You sir, are welcome. :-*
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jediknight760071 on February 13, 2007, 12:03 AM
Thanks for ******** on everything, Brent.

 >:(

You sir, are welcome. :-*

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/DynamiteGelatine/YouSonOfABitch.jpg)

You owe me double in the next Secret Santa.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Daigo-Bah on February 13, 2007, 12:29 AM
I see it as a possibility after what has happened with SSC and the 12" line.  It's counter-intuitive to what you might think a toy giant like Hasbro is willing to spend money on, but it seems these smaller companies are making accurate products.  Let Hasbro make the figures and vehicles, and license out the diorama/playsets.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on February 13, 2007, 03:03 AM
I'm all for that DB, but some food for thought on that is this...

The basic and 12" lines were really separated within the already separated SW group...  Hasbro works under a sort of bracketed "team" business model...  I can't recall the proper name for this from my school days off-hand though, but basically it separates things a lot.  I think what Hasbro would see is a part of a team being handled by another division instead of an entire team's project being handed off to someone...  if that makes sense how I worded that.   :-\

I think the playset sell-off is a much more distant possibility than handing off an entire figure line/sub-division of the Star Wars line would be.  Either way though, that's just some other thoughts on the matter.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on February 13, 2007, 09:36 AM
It would be neat if they did venture into the 3 3/4" playset side, but I think Brent's outlook is much more realistic. :'(
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 4, 2007, 03:57 AM
Any update on this that anyone's heard?

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on July 4, 2007, 09:27 AM
In lieu of deafening silence being your answer, I haven't heard a peep. :(
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on July 4, 2007, 05:54 PM
Any update on this that anyone's heard?

 :P

Why?  Are you hoping for some more playsets or something?   :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Deanpaul on July 5, 2007, 02:58 PM
Gentle Giant reviewed all of the bitching and whining over scale around here and decided making playsets for Star Wars fans just wasn't worth it, because the vocal majority is never satisfied.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 5, 2007, 05:10 PM
Ok then, just what is there to be satisfied about in terms of playsets/dioramas?  Not one single item in the modern era has been made that comes remotely close to a nice environment for figures (outside of the Attakus Falcon diorama which is way too expensive for most collectors).

I think all it would take is one well designed playset with a collector-aesthetic appeal kept in mind and it would be successful, and Hasbro would be willing to invest some resources into it.  But, I'd rather see Gentle Giant actually go that route because I have more confidence in their approach.  There is a market for it, though it's a smaller niche than vehicles. 

It's just too bad that the Attakus Falcon diorama is so pricey.  It would be great to see something like that made out of plastic if it was affordable.  Something like the Attakus display probably could be made with some other material in an affordable price range.  I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon, but nothing's impossible.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on July 5, 2007, 05:28 PM
(http://www.brisnet.com/pictures/barbaro5-16mjm.jpg)

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 5, 2007, 06:00 PM
Whew - you remembered the " :P " face in your edit. 

And here I was, all concerned because I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on July 5, 2007, 06:16 PM
Whew - you remembered the " :P " face in your edit.

I know!  It's a crucial element to every post I make.  I can't believe I left it out originally.

Quote
And here I was, all concerned because I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore.

 :P

"Anymore?"  But that implies that there was a point when I actually did like you, doesn't it?

I see what you did there.  Pretty clever.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Deanpaul on July 5, 2007, 08:05 PM
Gentle Giant reviewed all of the bitching and whining over scale price around here and decided making playsets for Star Wars fans just wasn't worth it, because the vocal whiny minority is never satisfied.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on July 5, 2007, 10:43 PM
(http://www.brisnet.com/pictures/barbaro5-16mjm.jpg)

 :P

Ah, hello Barbaro.  Might I flog you some more?

;D



Gentle Giant has too many issues to tackle with their own line of products.  Let's not involved them in 3.75" scale playsets too.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 03:14 AM
What issues are they having with their other products?  All I've ever collected from them is some of their Bust-Ups, because they are kind of 3-3/4" scale.  I don't know much about their other products, other than they seem to do a great job on them.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on July 6, 2007, 08:44 AM
Even if GG wanted to, Hasbro would never give up the rights.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on July 6, 2007, 09:13 AM
Even if GG wanted to, Hasbro would never give up the rights.



Check and mate.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 11:17 AM
I'm not sure it's that cut and dry.

If Hasbro has exclusive rights to everything in the 3-3/4 scale, how is Attakus able to produce something in this scale?  What exactly would prohibit another company like GG doing so if they created something similar, but not cast in metal?

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Deanpaul on July 6, 2007, 01:39 PM
What exactly would prohibit another company like GG doing so if they created something similar, but not cast in metal?

 :P

Whining about scale.  Whining about price.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 03:12 PM
What exactly would prohibit another company like GG doing so if they created something similar, but not cast in metal?

 :P

Whining about scale.  Whining about price.

We're not talking about Hasbro.  Gentle Giant, Attakus, Sideshow, etc. target a more mature audience wtih deeper pocket books and not competing for shelf space in the traditional brick and mortar stores.  The Attakus piece is outstanding, but when the price is that expensive, very few can afford it and they know that - hence the low production number.  Besides, scale would not be a problem with dioramas or mini scenes.  We're not talking about AT-AT's, Sandcrawlers or Geonosis Arena playsets here.

Hasbro's playsets have sucked because they've targeted kids with them.  The've pretty much mastered the figures themselves but haven't gotten too far past that.  I don't think they'll ever get a clue about how to make a playset that would go over well.  But I guess ruiner is probably right, the problem mostly lies in Hasbro holding the rights in their back pocket, but does nothing with it.  Funny how they say there's not enough demand for playsets, considering I think they said the same thing about the 12" line, now look how successful Sideshow has been with it.  Ha!

I believe the only way GG could get away with something like this in this scale would be to promote it as a collector piece with non articulated figures, similar to what Attakus has done, but of course smaller pieces than that gigantic mega set.  For those that have trouble visualizing a collector targeted type of diorama, the customs that I commission from Owen D. are exactly what I have in mind.  Most of you are probably familiar with his dioramas.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/021507deathstar8.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/021507deathstar24.jpg)

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/021507deathstar22.jpg)

When a company finally makes something like this to where it's actually affordable, people like me will quit beating a dead horse.  Until then, I'll continue to beat the living **** out of it.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jeff on July 6, 2007, 03:19 PM
the customs that I commission from Owen D. are exactly what I have in mind.  Most of you are probably familiar with his dioramas.

I can't say I am familiar with Owan D as I don't think I've seen those before.  Are those pics of a large playset or are each of those items separate playset?
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Brian on July 6, 2007, 03:22 PM
Quote
Funny how they say there's not enough demand for playsets, considering I think they said the same thing about the 12" line, now look how successful Sideshow has been with it.  Ha!

This is one thing that makes me think Hasbro won't be giving up the playset rights anytime soon (if that applies here).  They did that with the 12" license, and I think they see how much success Sideshow is having with it and it has to be frustrating.  Granted, its two different markets in a way.  I don't think Hasbro is as interested in a "direct market" type of $50/figure line the way Sideshow is doing it.  They're more about the mass retail, and toys in that price range don't really sell all that well at retail on a regular basis (maybe at Christmas time).

Those pics (from Owen D's custom work) look amazing, thanks for posting those Chewie.  I think we'd all be on board for playsets that looked like that.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 03:28 PM
the customs that I commission from Owen D. are exactly what I have in mind.  Most of you are probably familiar with his dioramas.

I can't say I am familiar with Owan D as I don't think I've seen those before.  Are those pics of a large playset or are each of those items separate playset?

Jeff, Owen Driscoll from www.owenscustoms.com made 4 levels of a Death Star playset for me.  It certainly wasn't cheap but it's probably the coolest Star Wars piece that I have.  Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to afford many more pieces this nice though.

(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/021207owen.jpg)

Sorry for the large image, but that's all four levels stacked on top of one another.  If anyone wants more images just shoot me a PM or I could start a thread showing about 20 or so images of this in the customizing section here.

Brian, yeah, I think most collectors who spend as much money on their collections as most of us seem to here would probably bite, but I do realize that the chances of anything like it actually being made are pretty slim.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on July 6, 2007, 04:34 PM
I guess Barbaro wasn't quite dead enough for you.

(http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/kosovo/photos/deadhorse.jpg)

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 06:24 PM
Matt, that's the kind of reply I'd expect out of a zit faced 7th grader who mutilates his arms for attention.  You need help.  Good luck with that, because you do need it.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Adam_Pawlus on July 6, 2007, 07:03 PM
<snip>

 Funny how they say there's not enough demand for playsets, considering I think they said the same thing about the 12" line, now look how successful Sideshow has been with it.  Ha!

This depends on your definition of "success."  For Hasbro, selling under 10,000 units of a 12-inch figure (including variants) isn't usually a step in the right direction.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 08:38 PM
For a larger company such as Hasbro they're almost always going to look at something that they can capitalize on higher production numbers with, as their product is being distributed through retail chains.  Naturally they are going to be more interested in a broader base than a narrow market.

For a smaller company like Sideshow, they recognized a niche and have done a fantastic job marketing their product to their target.  They obviously did their research and found a forumula that would work for them in order to be successful - lower production, with higher quality and a higher pricepoint that is still reasonable for the market.  So where Hasbro failed, Sideshow is experiencing success.

I'm not surprised if you would side with Hasbro though.  ;)

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on July 6, 2007, 10:29 PM
<snip>

 Funny how they say there's not enough demand for playsets, considering I think they said the same thing about the 12" line, now look how successful Sideshow has been with it.  Ha!

This depends on your definition of "success."  For Hasbro, selling under 10,000 units of a 12-inch figure (including variants) isn't usually a step in the right direction.

Adam is more right than you know here Chewie.  10,000 units won't satisfy Hasbro's retail partners.  Just look at this breakdown in terms of the number of stores that Hasbro is serving with their major accounts:

Toys R Us:  586 stores in the US / 670 stores internationally
KayBee:  605 stores in the US
Target:  1502 stores in the US
WalMart:  3366 stores in the US / 2701 internationally

That's 9,430 stores that Hasbro has to serve with product.  And that's not counting K-Mart, Meijers, Zellers, Diamond distribution, etailers, etc.  With Sideshow producing in the neighborhood of 10,000 figures for a single 12" figure run, that doesn't go far enough to supply those outlets.  Those numbers should give you an indication of just how different of a playing field Hasbro is on compared with the boutique licensees.

And get this:  Hasbro had to CONVINCE WalMart to carry the 30AC assault vehicle line.  WalMart had cancelled that SKU in their inventory system after The Saga Collection.  Now we know just how popular the vehicle line is, right?  To lose WalMart on that segment of the Hasbro Star Wars line could be potentially devastating to the health of the 3.75 inch line.  Hasbro literally had to show just how good Target's sales on that line were to WalMart just to convince them to carry those $20 vehicles.  WalMart doesn't seem to care that Star Wars is one of the most profitable licenses of all time, and they're not being generous with space in their planograms.  So mass retail is pretty much out of the question right now for playsets.

As for Gentle Giant?  They're having a difficult time satisfying their own customer base right now in a number of ways.  Their limited edition pieces have not necessarily met demand.  Their website architecture has not been able to cope with high traffic levels.  Their deliveries tend to be behind  schedule.  They don't seem to be sure what to do with their Bust Ups line, which has really been one of their only broader market products.  Some people are questioning their dedication to collectibles, when they also seem firmly entrenched in their film business.  And there are rumblings that GG's customer service has been poor to the point where Steve Sansweet may be questioning the value of having them as a Star Wars licensee.

As for the Attakus Falcon?  It's well outside of the price range of any toy at a price of over $2,000.  It weighs in excess of 300 lbs.  And the metal figures are a larger scale than the Hasbro 3.75 inch figures.  They also cost about $80 per figure.  Try army building like that.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Artoo on July 6, 2007, 10:52 PM
Well, W*M shouldn't have a problem wanting vehicles next year. I haven't seen one vehicle there this year, some interesting stuff Nicklab.

That dead horse picture was disgusting.  :-X
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 6, 2007, 11:09 PM
Very disgusting indeed Artoo.   I didn't realize this thread was going to turn into a rotten.com slide show.  :-X

Thanks for the reply Nicklab.  Those are good points that you make and I'm not saying at all that I disagree with Hasbro needing to have well over 10,000 of an item to satisfy the retailers.  I wonder how many of the exclusive Imperial Shuttle were produced though, or TIE Fighter?  Granted those weren't new molds (or not much of new molds outside of the TIE wings) but they didn't have to try and supply each retail chain. 

Exclusives, whether it be at retail or online is the only way I think we will ever see anything like this made.  Which is exactly why I applaud the way Sideshow has handled the 12" line with their niche marketing.   

Also though, just to make it clear I was never trying to say that a $2000 toy is affordable, or that $80.00 figures are.  Maybe if Attakus molded these in plastic it would cost less.  A lot less.  But maybe the mere fact they are doing them in metal, and at such a premium price is why they are able to do so - because it really isn't any sort of competition at all for Hasbro.

Regarding Gentle Giant, thanks for the information on them.  I don't follow much about them other than I've bought several of the bust-ups, which are great items.  I think their style is condusive to what a lot of us would like to see though in a diorama.  If they're having all the issues you say, hopefully they can get them resolved.  I do know that I had frustration ordering from them before - I've tried ordering bust-ups through them, but their site wouldn't let me increase quantity on any items.  Do they have a strict 1-per-customer policy or is this just a bug with their site?

Anyways, I know that odds are that some sort of playset like I'm describing won't be made by Hasbro, Gentle Giant, or whoever.  So I'm certainly not holding my breath waiting for something like this to be made, which is why I commission Owen D. from time to time. 

I think we'd all be happy though if somehow, someway, playsets/dioramas made a comeback and were designed with collectors in mind.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on July 6, 2007, 11:19 PM

Thanks for the reply Nicklab.  Those are good points that you make and I'm not saying at all that I disagree with Hasbro needing to have well over 10,000 of an item to satisfy the retailers.  I wonder how many of the exclusive Imperial Shuttle were produced though, or TIE Fighter?  Granted those weren't new molds (or not much of new molds outside of the TIE wings) but they didn't have to try and supply each retail chain. 

Exclusives, whether it be at retail or online is the only way I think we will ever see anything like this made.  Which is exactly why I applaud the way Sideshow has handled the 12" line with their niche marketing.  

New products are too expensive to design, tool and produce for most of them to be exclusives.  That's why you're seeing big so many recycled items being done as exclusives.  Just look at this year's exclusive vehicle lineup:

EXCLUSIVE VEHICLES/BEASTS
___  ARC-170 - Clone Wars deco TARGET EXCLUSIVE
___  Gold Squadron Y-Wing Starfighter TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  181st Squadron TIE Interceptor TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  Geonosis Creatures TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  Jedi Starfighter w/ Hyperdrive ring TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  TIE Bomber TARGET EXCLUSIVE


Then compare that with the general market lineup for vehicles:

VEHICLES
___  AAT
___  Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Starfighter
___  AT-AP
___  Darth Vader's Sith Starfighter
___  Darth Vader's TIE Advanced X-1
___  General Grievous's Starfighter
___  Hailfire Droid
___  Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter
___  Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter
___  Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter
___  Sith Infiltrator
___  TIE Fighter (white deco)
___  V-Wing Starfighter


Hasbro needs to be able to make those new designs work for them in volume.  So that means trying to get them in 10,000 stores as opposed to 1,500 stores in the case of Target or even 5,000 stores in the case of WalMart.  Greater volume helps Hasbro to recoup the costs of new designs, otherwise it isn't worth it financially for Hasbro to produce new product.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on July 7, 2007, 03:24 AM
Matt, that's the kind of reply I'd expect out of a zit faced 7th grader who mutilates his arms for attention.  You need help.  Good luck with that, because you do need it.

 :P

Very disgusting indeed Artoo.   I didn't realize this thread was going to turn into a rotten.com slide show.  :-X

It may have been a tad untoward, but to me, it's no less disgusting than the neverending pimping (or is it whoring?) of BLOwen_D's customs around here, just so you can get a break on all the crap he makes for you, which is already overpriced to begin with.

But thanks for the psychoanalysis, Doctor. 

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 7, 2007, 04:32 AM

It may have been a tad untoward, but to me, it's no less disgusting than the neverending pimping (or is it whoring?) of BLOwen_D's photonovels around here, just so you can get a break on all the crap he makes for you, which is already overpriced to begin with.

But thanks for the psychoanalysis, Doctor. 

 :P

The stupid comments you make as you slither behind my every post looking for something to cry about rarely get under my skin these days, but when you accuse me of something you know nothing about, then your complete ignorance of the subject truly shows.   Normally I wouldn't feel any reason to explain anything to you that you aren't going to understand anyway, but when you accuse me of something like that, you are blasting my integrity; which is starting to cross a line.  You really don't know me as well as you thought you did Matthew.  So perhaps you need a refresher course.   

First off, Owen makes dioramas, not photonovels.  Big difference.  Keep it straight next time. 

Do I kiss Owen's ass?  At times, yes (he is my best friend in his hobby after all and my collection would be pretty bland without his dioramas).  But I think he deserves a hell of a lot of credit regardless if he's my friend or not.  Owen is making dioramas that would be the ultimate playsets if Hasbro followed his style.  And, he's the only person who is doing so that I'm aware of, and filling a huge gap in my collection by doing so, as well as for a lot of other people in the community. 

But why did I start pimping Owen's work here?  Not that I feel obligated to explain myself, but for you I'll make an exception, because lately you seem to be getting a bit stressed.  I started discussing Owen's work here a while back because Owen doesn't post at Jedidefender and I thought people should see his work.  He doesn't have DSL and only posts at RS, which is pretty rare for him to even post there.  So, after getting my first diorama from him a couple years ago, I was amazed at the quality and wanted to show some new items in my collection, and naturally I credited Owen for his work.  So I opened This Thread (http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=7698.0) showing the stuff I had purchased from him.  And from time to time when a topic comes up where I want to reference something with a visual, I'll use one of Owen's items as an example if it applies.   

Now, if you think Owen's stuff is overpriced, whatever.  You've never ordered something from him and I doubt he'd deal with you anyway.  And I've never seen evidence of you doing absolutely anything in customizing, so I'd say you're have a lack of knowledge on how much work goes into a work of art.    Overpriced?  What a joke.

As for you questioning my integrity, I started getting some discounts from Owen after my first 10 or so items I ordered from him (more than anyone else has ordered to that point), but also because we've become friends.  But you mean to tell me that I also get discounts from Owen because I show pictures of his work?  That's new to me!  I'll have to tell him that since Matt said so, I get a discount moving forward. 

Really Matt, if you have any more questions about the fine art of customizing, there is a great customizing section here where many people would be more than willing to assist you, or please feel free to PM me.  This is a thread about playsets; not rotting horses in Kosovo.




Thanks for the reply Nicklab.  Those are good points that you make and I'm not saying at all that I disagree with Hasbro needing to have well over 10,000 of an item to satisfy the retailers.  I wonder how many of the exclusive Imperial Shuttle were produced though, or TIE Fighter?  Granted those weren't new molds (or not much of new molds outside of the TIE wings) but they didn't have to try and supply each retail chain. 

Exclusives, whether it be at retail or online is the only way I think we will ever see anything like this made.  Which is exactly why I applaud the way Sideshow has handled the 12" line with their niche marketing.   

New products are too expensive to design, tool and produce for most of them to be exclusives.  That's why you're seeing big so many recycled items being done as exclusives.  Just look at this year's exclusive vehicle lineup:

EXCLUSIVE VEHICLES/BEASTS
___  ARC-170 - Clone Wars deco TARGET EXCLUSIVE
___  Gold Squadron Y-Wing Starfighter TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  181st Squadron TIE Interceptor TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  Geonosis Creatures TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  Jedi Starfighter w/ Hyperdrive ring TOYS R US EXCLUSIVE
___  TIE Bomber TARGET EXCLUSIVE


Then compare that with the general market lineup for vehicles:

VEHICLES
___  AAT
___  Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Starfighter
___  AT-AP
___  Darth Vader's Sith Starfighter
___  Darth Vader's TIE Advanced X-1
___  General Grievous's Starfighter
___  Hailfire Droid
___  Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter
___  Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter
___  Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter
___  Sith Infiltrator
___  TIE Fighter (white deco)
___  V-Wing Starfighter


Hasbro needs to be able to make those new designs work for them in volume.  So that means trying to get them in 10,000 stores as opposed to 1,500 stores in the case of Target or even 5,000 stores in the case of WalMart.  Greater volume helps Hasbro to recoup the costs of new designs, otherwise it isn't worth it financially for Hasbro to produce new product.


I think the only way that any sort of good quality playsets/dioramas/enviromas can be done successfully would be a different approach than what they've been using with their mass retail.  And they're probably not even interested in a different approach.  We know they're out to make money, which is what they should be doing.  But I think if they researched this some more they could find a way to get it done.  I'm guessing internet exclusive is the best way.  Maybe they could do something along the lines of a preview of the playset, and take preorders to get an idea on what the production should really be.  Or something.

Anyways, your arguments do make complete sense Nicklab and I'm not disagreeing with you, just throwing out ideas.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on July 7, 2007, 08:43 AM
The stupid comments you make as you slither behind my every post looking for something to cry about rarely get under my skin these days, but when you accuse me of something you know nothing about, then your complete ignorance of the subject truly shows.   Normally I wouldn't feel any reason to explain anything to you that you aren't going to understand anyway, but when you accuse me of something like that, you are blasting my integrity; which is starting to cross a line.  You really don't know me as well as you thought you did Matthew.  So perhaps you need a refresher course.   

Oh, goody.

Quote
First off, Owen makes dioramas, not photonovels.  Big difference.  Keep it straight next time. 

Simple mistake.  I was confusing your neverending pimping of your own horrible photonovels for your neverending pimping of BLOWen’s dioramas.  Caught it, and fixed it a moment later, though.

Quote
Do I kiss Owen's ass?  At times, yes (he is my best friend in his hobby after all and my collection would be pretty bland without his dioramas).  But I think he deserves a hell of a lot of credit regardless if he's my friend or not.  Owen is making dioramas that would be the ultimate playsets if Hasbro followed his style.  And, he's the only person who is doing so that I'm aware of, and filling a huge gap in my collection by doing so, as well as for a lot of other people in the community.

It’s good stuff, sure, but not the be-all, end-all, like you try to make it out to be in every other post here, and every other “news story” that you put up over at Yak.

Quote
But why did I start pimping Owen's work here?  Not that I feel obligated to explain myself, but for you I'll make an exception, because lately you seem to be getting a bit stressed.

How do you mean, Doctor?  I’m not the one blowing a gasket and writing 3,000 word responses in here.  Just a couple of pics of some dead horses, that’s all.

 
Quote
I started discussing Owen's work here a while back because Owen doesn't post at Jedidefender and I thought people should see his work.

Finally!  We get the backstory of the BLOWen/PHEWIE pimp/whore saga.  I’ve been waiting for this!

Quote
He doesn't have DSL and only posts at RS, which is pretty rare for him to even post there.

Go on!

Quote
So, after getting my first diorama from him a couple years ago, I was amazed at the quality and wanted to show some new items in my collection, and naturally I credited Owen for his work.

Naturally.

Quote
So I opened This Thread showing the stuff I had purchased from him.  And from time to time when a topic comes up where I want to reference something with a visual, I'll use one of Owen's items as an example if it applies.

Simply fascinating, Sir.  Thank you, thank you so much.  Allow me, on behalf of the entire online Star Wars collecting community, to thank you for sharing this incredibly gifted artist’s work with the rest of the world.  And please keep doing so!  We are all tremendously lucky to have someone like him around.  I’m glad he doesn’t post here, really, because I don’t know what I’d do in his presence!  Probably piss myself.

The only thing we need now are updates on BLOWen's bowel movements.  With pics, please.  I'm sure they're spectacular.

Quote
Now, if you think Owen's stuff is overpriced, whatever.  You've never ordered something from him and I doubt he'd deal with you anyway. 

I wouldn’t deal with him in the first place.  As shown by the few posts he’s made here, he’s a huge ass—and your head being permanently lodged up there isn't helping matters any.  But you’re right, I don’t have any direct knowledge of his prices.  All I know is what I’ve read in threads like this one, where you yourself mentioned the silly Death Star playset, and that it was so pricey that you don’t know if you’ll be able to order stuff like that from him anymore.  So I get the feeling that, even with all the pimping you’re doing for him, that his stuff isn’t exactly on the cheap side.

Quote
And I've never seen evidence of you doing absolutely anything in customizing,

Right.  Outside of a couple of quick-and-easy customs a few years ago (like fixing the original R5-D4), I don’t have much interest in customizing at all.  It’s not my thing.

 
Quote
so I'd say you're have a lack of knowledge on how much work goes into a work of art.

You could say that, I guess, but you’d be wrong.  For a long time, I was good friends with a fairly well-known member of the customizing community, and my best friend is a painter, who drives all over the country going to dozens of art shows every year.  So I do have a bit of an idea about this stuff.

Quote
Overpriced?  What a joke.

But you already touched on that earlier.  Here, let me help you:

Quote
Now, if you think Owen's stuff is overpriced, whatever.  You've never ordered something from him and I doubt he'd deal with you anyway.

Moving on.

Quote
As for you questioning my integrity, I started getting some discounts from Owen after my first 10 or so items I ordered from him (more than anyone else has ordered to that point), but also because we've become friends.  But you mean to tell me that I also get discounts from Owen because I show pictures of his work?  That's new to me!  I'll have to tell him that since Matt said so, I get a discount moving forward.

Hell yeah!  Cut me in on some of that action!  Just tell BLOwen to keep it out of my hair.

Quote
Really Matt, if you have any more questions about the fine art of customizing, there is a great customizing section here where many people would be more than willing to assist you, or please feel free to PM me.

No thanks.  Like I said, I’m not very interested in customizing, and even if I was, I’d never ask a shameless whore like you for help, anyway.

 
Quote
This is a thread about playsets; not rotting horses in Kosovo.

It was about playsets, and turned into yet another area for you to bitch and moan and whine and complain about Hasbro not making any, which you do almost as much as you peddle BLOwen’s **** for him.  That’s when the dead horses came into play.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on July 7, 2007, 09:32 AM
I'm not sure it's that cut and dry.

If Hasbro has exclusive rights to everything in the 3-3/4 scale, how is Attakus able to produce something in this scale?  What exactly would prohibit another company like GG doing so if they created something similar, but not cast in metal?

 :P

Great point, but I think (I can't say with 100% certainty) that Attakus' international status is less of a threat to Hasbro's domestic profits which is why they were granted permission. Also, I believe that they advertize that the scale is close to 3 3/4", not exact. Could be wrong about that too. :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 7, 2007, 01:09 PM
Anton, you're probably right that their international status is less of a threat to Hasbro.  I didn't think of that.  I guess limited production run too and of course the very small market that can afford their 3-3/4" (or close to it) scale. 

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 7, 2007, 01:43 PM
I wouldn’t deal with him in the first place.  As shown by the few posts he’s made here, he’s a huge ass

Seeing how you're never an ass and find a way to get along with everyone, I'm sure you could work something out.


But you’re right, I don’t have any direct knowledge of his prices.  All I know is what I’ve read in threads like this one, where you yourself mentioned the silly Death Star playset, and that it was so pricey that you don’t know if you’ll be able to order stuff like that from him anymore. 

It's more of changing priorities.  I'm a dad now, and will probably be spending more of my time with my son, and would rather spend my money on him.  I'm sure I'll still be getting some things from Owen (wait until you see the Palpatine's Office and the Wookiee Treehouse he's making, you'll love these!!!) but I'm sure moving forward things will slow down.



Like I said, I’m not very interested in customizing, and even if I was, I’d never ask a shameless whore like you for help, anyway.

Why Matthew, what an ugly thing for you to say!  Does this mean we're not friends anymore?   ;D

 :P

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on July 7, 2007, 01:59 PM
Seeing how you're never an ass and find a way to get along with everyone, I'm sure you could work something out.

Brother, I'll be the first to admit that I'm always an ass.  Difference is, I'm not trying to sell anything.  I don't have any former, current, or future customers that I'm giving an attitude to.

Quote
It's more of changing priorities.  I'm a dad now, and will probably be spending more of my time with my son, and would rather spend my money on him.

That is excellent, excellent news.  Good for you, good for him, good for everybody.

Quote
(wait until you see the Palpatine's Office and the Wookiee Treehouse he's making, you'll love these!!!)

Pins and needles, man.  Pins and needles.

Quote
Why Matthew, what an ugly thing for you to say!  Does this mean we're not friends anymore?   ;D

 :P

Didn't we do this one before?

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth Slothus on July 7, 2007, 06:08 PM
*sigh*..shakes head


I'll put this spin on it.
I would like a new, well designed, playable playset-I really would. Unfortunately, from all the product out there from all the vendors right now- I really wouldn't be able to afford one this year anyway- So I'm pleased none are announced by anyone.

DS

 ::)
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediMAC on July 8, 2007, 05:36 AM
For what it's worth, I discussed the playset/diorama issue with Hasbro at length at C4 last month, and believe it or not, they're actually finally starting to entertain the idea of delving back into this realm.  I thought I mentioned this somewhere already, but if not, they said their priorities on potential playsets/dioramas would be Death Star I, Cantina, Jabba's Palace, and possibly Death Star II.  It was the first time in the last several years that they didn't throw out a "no way, fat chance, get lost" response, which was certainly encouraging.  They also mentioned they finally understood that folks might actually buy additional figures to display in such dioramas, which may help make up a little bit for the lower/unacceptable  profit margin they've long feared on these things.  They also said they were exploring the best way to bring some of these items to market (as exclusives, or modular sets, or whatever).  If I was a betting man, I'd expect to see these in the next several years...

They did however say (as they have the past couple years) that there's no way they'd license out the potential playset rights to GG, Sideshow, MR, or anyone else for that matter.  I discussed the amazing Attakus pieces with them, but don't recall now what they said about the licensing issues on those pieces.  I'll double check on that at Comic Con though.  They did realize that some of the more affluent adult collectors were more than happy to fork over the crazy cash to buy the Attakus Falcon and Death Star sets to use with their Hasbro figures, which they thought was rather surprising (and eye opening).

So there ya' go (and yes, I realize I'm posting in an already locked thread).  Maybe we'll reopen it a little later, once the horses are feeling better.  But I've gotta admit, I enjoy beating them too (just ask the Hasbro reps what a pain-in-the-ass I am)...

- M
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: speedermike on July 24, 2007, 09:22 PM


Has anyone seen this new Hallmark ornament?  This is the sort of small environment stuff I'd love Hasbro to to make.  Almost similar to the old Simpson's playests.  It could come with one figure, and some props.  Any thoughts?

(http://www.rebelscum.com/hallmark/hallmark07Luke_Obi-Wan.jpg)
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on July 25, 2007, 01:11 AM
I'd happily buy more playsets.

Give me Dagobah, an updated Ewok Village, Death Star... new ones... whatever.

As long as they're reasonably movie accurate I'd be interested.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CloneF13Y35 on July 25, 2007, 02:49 AM
I know I'd like a new version of the Death Star, I still have the original. Now my son would like the death star, bespin cloud city, kamino, jedi temple, lars homestead - providing we GET ep2 Owen and Beru. And coruscant plaset with jedi temple, senate and palpy's office.
I've thought of making simple sets for the death star, tatooine and kamino out of cardboard boxes but I know it won't look like Owens or Attakus' sets. Just something simple for a fan.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 25, 2007, 05:33 PM
I was looking at that too speedermike and ever since I first saw those Simpsons enviroments I've been hoping Hasbro would try something like those.  Make them decent quality/realistic looking and $20-$25 each, with a figure, and I'm sold.  I'd buy that kind of stuff more than vehicles.

CloneF13Y35, those are good ideas - I'd be interested in all of them.  So many memorable areas from the films that I want to have on display in my collection.  It's fun making your own of course too, but I wish they would make something like what you're describing.

And I think Rob's sentiment is what Hasbro should take into account if they dabble with playsets again, make them reasonably movie accurate...

I don't think they've really done anything similar to that idea outside of this -

(http://www.rebelscum.com/potf2/POTF2playDSdetentionloose.jpg)

If that missle launcher hadn't been part of this/taking away from the aesthetic value, I would have gotten more of these... they also should have designed that item with the edges to be able to line up so you could connect a long hallway if you wanted.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on July 25, 2007, 06:00 PM
The problem with the set pictured above is the fact that it does not market / merchandise well.

Look at it - outside of the missle launcher (which you hate) it's not fun for kids. 


Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 25, 2007, 08:11 PM
The problem with the set pictured above is the fact that it does not market / merchandise well.

Look at it - outside of the missle launcher (which you hate) it's not fun for kids. 




Then perhaps they should try marketing items like this towards the collectors instead of trying to mesh the two markets they have...

I think a lot of the problem that Hasbro perceives is if they market towards kids, collectors won't like it.  If they market towards collectors, then kids won't like it. 

I agree with their approach that if they market something towards kids, the collector market won't find it very appealing.  Too bad they don't just market something like this with collectors in mind instead.  I know there's a lot of reasons that people have given as to why Hasbro hasn't done something like this - and many are great points.  But until they actually make some sort of diorama/playset that has a movie esque feel to it (which they haven't done), then I don't see any proof that can indicate that something like that couldn't succeed.

Also, seeing the Sideshow Enviorama of the Sandtroopers gets me wanting a Tatooine diorama made in the 3-3/4" scale, with this sort of attention to detail -

(http://www.sideshowtoy.com/placed/071307looksirdroids.jpg)

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on July 26, 2007, 08:13 AM
Quite simply, the key to a successful item (according to Hasbro's SW strategy) is that it must appeal to both consumer markets (kids and collectors).

I challenge anyone to examine their line and find an item that doesn't (role play being the exception).

Look at the lines that they've dropped and you'll see that they didn't fit the above criteria - they either appealed to collectors only (Titanium figures) or kids only (choppers and Jedi Force).

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dan on July 26, 2007, 10:11 AM
I've been jabbed on these board before for pushing for playsets, but I'll toss in another couple of cents anyway.
The battle packs have almost become playsets- they have fantastic backgrounds, sometimes come with props/extra items, and have scene specific figures that fit the environment. If Hasbro is looking at ways to do it, they are halfway there with the battle packs. Make some plastic panels with sticker sheets instead of cardboard so the background can be used once the package is open. Lose a figure and add some more props and droids. I would much rather buy a $20 battle pack with 4 figures and the moisture vaporator than blow $7.50 on a crappy luke to get one. And the $20 price point is drunk prom date for Hasbro, it just keeps putting out. It is a value price point for collectors getting multiple figures, it is a gift pricepoint for parents/grandparents, it is the reason all vehicles now have to be shrunk or blown up to meet the target selling price.

So they don't need to make something as detailed or large as Owen's to please 80% of the market. If they happened to make parts of it work together, that would be incredible (and unexpected).

I agree with DS, the amount of product currently available is probably a deterrent both for Hasbro and collectors alike. Maybe now isn't the right time. But a year or 2 from now, it might be just the thing to keep the figures selling and the stores buying. Remember in the end it comes down to what the stores want at least as much as what we want.

We all have unique ways of collecting, and sometimes change our habits. The overload of 30th product, combined with the huge Saga collection I picked up last year, convinced me to bail on the basic line for now. Anything I want to go back and get later will probably be cheaper, and I won't end up with things I wish I hadn't gotten. Other than some exclusives and the McFigures, Hasbro isn't getting my money this year- I probably have more figures than I can ever reasonably display/enjoy anyhow. But if they made some cool places for me to display some, I would be very pleased.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on July 26, 2007, 10:38 AM
And the $20 price point is drunk prom date for Hasbro, it just keeps putting out. It is a value price point for collectors getting multiple figures, it is a gift pricepoint for parents/grandparents, it is the reason all vehicles now have to be shrunk or blown up to meet the target selling price.


That's probably the most accurate statement I've read this week.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: jedi_master_sal on July 26, 2007, 03:39 PM
...I probably have more figures than I can ever reasonably display/enjoy anyhow. But if they made some cool places for me to display some, I would be very pleased.

I have to completely agree with this staement.

I'm into the several thousand figures and nowhere to put them that looks like a nice display. While I've got my plans for large diioramas, I'd still be more than happy to buy small dioramas made by Hasbro. So long as they ar close to movie accurate, have a few accessories and better yet interlocking/modular.

If they did that, it might curb my diorama building. I'd welcome that too as it's much more expensive to design and build one yourself than to have a manufacturer do it for you.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 26, 2007, 04:01 PM
Quite simply, the key to a successful item (according to Hasbro's SW strategy) is that it must appeal to both consumer markets (kids and collectors).

I challenge anyone to examine their line and find an item that doesn't (role play being the exception).

Look at the lines that they've dropped and you'll see that they didn't fit the above criteria - they either appealed to collectors only (Titanium figures) or kids only (choppers and Jedi Force).



Challenge accepted - I'd say the vintage line is directed at collectors too, which for the most part has done ok.  Just overpriced because of packaging.  But these days more and more of the basic line is reaching the vintage style quality anyway, so the vintage line to me is a dying breed (but also because they are running out of appealing figures to add to the line).

I agree with Dan that the $20.00 pricepoint is the way to go for Hasbro in most cases, at least if they're going to try and mass market something.  If they go towards a smaller niche, they could get away with higher prices (in theory).

I'm running out of display room too, not for enviroments but actual shelf space for figures.  My scenes are mostly all custom made, which is a lot of fun but some non-custom environments would be nice.  Just stuff like this would be welcome in my book -

(http://www.toysrgus.com/images-toys/figuretoys/impattackbase-front.jpg)

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on July 26, 2007, 04:45 PM
You're right on the vintage collection but is it really a line?   It's difficult to consider it a successful line when they produce six figures a year. 

To me, it's more like a promotion. 

Retailers carry it for what, three months, and then drop it.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Deanpaul on July 26, 2007, 05:18 PM
The thing about the vintage line was that items seemed to have a much longer shelf life.  I seem to remember almost always being able to purchase a Millennium Falcon or other vehicle and whatever the current movie playset was at retail most of the time.  It might have meant ordering from the Sears catalog, but they were at least fairly available.  Good luck picking up a Falcon over the last 10 years.  Even with a number of rereleases, they've had short shelf lives and been pretty spaced out.

The vintage line isn't a comparable situation to today's market.  I've never heard Kenner or Hasbro comment on who was buying the vintage line when it was available, but I believe the ratio was more skewed to the kid/consumer than we see today.  The price points were also different, and as Travis mentions so were the number of items available.  I don't remember anyone commenting that they had thousands of figures with no means of displaying them effectively back in the day.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on July 26, 2007, 05:23 PM
I thought we were talking about the 'new' line of vintage figures?

You know, the $9.99 ones that you only see for three months of the year at your local Wallyworld before they hit the clearance aisle next to lawn care.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jeff on July 26, 2007, 06:10 PM
so the vintage line to me is a dying breed (but also because they are running out of appealing figures to add to the line).

And right there, you just proved that the "Vintage" premium figures are ultimately aimed at kids too.

Think it's a coincidence that we've seen multiple Hans and Lukes in the assortments so far?  Nope, because kids love Han and Luke.  If the line was solely aimed at Collectors, there would be no need to worry about having each wave having a Han/Luke in it.

Sure, the nostalgia evoked by the line is targeted at the older collector set, but the character selection that goes into it shows that Hasbro is thinking about making sure it's appealing to the kids too...
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on July 26, 2007, 06:15 PM
I have to concur with Jeff there...  I've got a kid here right now pestering me for the whole vintage wave this weekend if we can find it cheap enough.  He's already got IG-88 as a gift.  Kids like those too when they see Luke's/Han's they don't have, I just don't like paying $10 a figure. ;D
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 27, 2007, 11:29 AM
Ok, so in a sense the modern vintage stuff may be keeping kids in mind, but I think a lot of adults want to see the main characters made in this line before we see a wave consisting of something like this -

- Walrus Man
- Lobot
- Romba
- Imperial Dignitary
- B-Wing Pilot
- General Madine

Now a wave like that, would bomb with collectors too.  I guarantee it.  Even if there are the diehards who want to see those made on vintage cardbacks, I'd be in the group waiting on those to hit clearance (I'd get Walrus Man though right off the bat).

Also, I didn't mean to imply that no kids want the vintage figures.  Just with the higher pricepoint and vintage-esque packaging, the niche they are going for is primarily collectors.  If it wasn't they wouldn't be packaged in those plastic casings.

 :P
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on July 27, 2007, 02:04 PM
Maybe it's not that it would bomb with collectors so much as it would bomb because it was aimed only at collectors and we cannot carry anything without the other demographics.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on September 12, 2007, 12:24 AM
Looking around now the only figures left from the vintage figures in my area are Han and Leia - at TRU and Walmart.  I think that collectors have had their fill of this year's line, and the more "kid friendly" characters are being passed on in favor of the basic line, which is around $3-$4 cheaper depending on where you shop... though I did pick up a Bossk on clearance for $8 the other day at one Walmart for a custom.   All they had after that was the typical main characters.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on September 12, 2007, 12:34 AM
I was at Toys R Us in Times Square over the weekend and they had all the vintage figures - right down to a crap load of Snowtroopers - all for $9.99.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on September 12, 2007, 01:05 AM
I think at one time EE had listed a "refresh" case of the VTAC figures with 6 Snowtroopers per case!  Or did I read that wrong?
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on September 12, 2007, 04:33 PM
No, you're right.

Though I don't think they ever made it to mass retail.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediMAC on September 17, 2007, 04:47 AM
I know everyone enjoys bashing the hell out of playsets (and Justin) around here for whatever reason, but what happens once they finally come out in 2 - 3 years?  ???

Speaking of which, I'm a bit surprised that no one's commented on this little blurb from one of GH's Hasbro Questions (http://www.galactichunter.com/absolutenm/templates/full_article_template_1.asp?articleid=6724&zoneid=2) this past round (unless I just missed it elsewhere here).  Indeed, I did miss it, as it's all lumped into the Q & A thread.

Quote
Galactic Hunter: At Dragon*Con 2007 this [past] weekend Heath Hammond from Sideshow Collectibles stated (to the audience) that Sideshow and Hasbro are in talks to produce playsets/environments in the 3 ¾" scale. Can we get any sort of official comment from Hasbro on this?

HASBRO: We can confirm that we have had discussions with Sideshow but any public confirmation beyond this is premature.

Interesting.  I was yelling at the Hasbro guys several years ago (and ever since) to pass the playset portion of their license along to Sideshow, GG or MR, and they said "never".  Heh.

I'm curious now as to exactly who is working on the OT playsets that they've said they're already developing (Cantina, Jabba's Palace, Death Star), including one that was supposedly already in, or pretty close to, production - Hasbro, or Sideshow.  I guess if the Sideshow deal's not quite complete yet, it couldn't be them, unless they were just in the proposal stage so far.  Either way, we'll be set up with some nice dioramas pretty soon here, so that's a major relief.  I'd probably prefer to see Sideshow produce these sets, since they're geared more toward higher-end collectibles, and are more detail-oriented than Hasbro is, not to mention they wouldn't be messing around with silly action-feature oriented playset kinda crap.  Of course, that means exclusivity could be a negative factor, along with the price, so who knows.  Can't wait to see how this plays out...

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 17, 2007, 09:21 AM
It just occurred to me that while I'd love to have playsets, and would pay a few dollars more for them, if sideshow's offerings are going to be excessively expensive I might pass with not felling completists guilt since sideshow isn't Hasbro.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on September 17, 2007, 09:10 PM
The possibility of Sideshow doing a playset line is very interesting.  I think we would definitely get something impressive.  The Sideshow Star Wars offerings have been extremely well thought out so far.  I don't think they're going to offer anything as elaborate as Attakus's Falcon/Death Star or Dagobah environments.  But it would have to be quite a bit better than some of the Hasbro offerings, like the EPISODE I Naboo Hangar or the ROTS Mustafar set.

I think the tipping point for a number of people is going to be price.  If Sideshow can offer something cool for under $80 - $100, then they might have something going in this product range.  But they'll also have to take a serious look at how much of the market can support a product like this.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on September 25, 2007, 10:45 AM
It just occurred to me that while I'd love to have playsets, and would pay a few dollars more for them, if sideshow's offerings are going to be excessively expensive I might pass with not felling completists guilt since sideshow isn't Hasbro.

Actually I'm thrilled that a company other than Hasbro might be taking these on.  And when it comes down to it, I've got no loyalty to Hasbro at all - if another company picked up the license for the basic figures, and they were good, then I'd be fine with that too.

Can the market support Sideshow playsets?  My gut feeling is yes.  They produce a lot of high end items that seem to do fine for them, so I see no reason why branching into this niche would be a failure as long as the prices are reasonable - as in the $100.00 range.  But what would really be the safest way to do these, in my opinion, would be to make their sets modular.  I always like to look back at the old micro sets for reference -

(http://www.toysrgus.com/images-toys/micro/micro-dsworld-front.jpg)

I think something kind of like that, but in the 3-3/4" line could really do well.  They'd need to break it up into several sections though; perhaps the structure on the left would be three separate pieces that you can buy one at a time, then the main section on the right could be three sections too - the base, the second level, and the elevator.

In a way though that micro set seems more along the Hasbro style of a playset than what we'd see from Sideshow, which I would gander would be more like a film set.

Here's another idea just for the fun of it -

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/palmerstar19.JPG)

(http://www.owenscustoms.com/palmerstar20.JPG)

If Sideshow could make something that looks like that in the $150 range even, I think they'd sell just fine.  Maybe some people would balk at it, but there's people out there really craving something like this.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jeff on September 25, 2007, 11:12 AM
Can the market support Sideshow playsets?  My gut feeling is yes

If there are 1250 collectors out there willing to drop $50 on a 12" scale Dejarik Holochess Set, then there are definitely 1250 collectors out there willing to pay $100 for a really nice, really detailed playset.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Brian on September 25, 2007, 11:41 AM
I think that's a good point Jeff.  It really depends how these are priced.  I think we all want the detail, but there is a limit for many of us on how much we can/will pay for these.  I know for some that isn't an object, but I know for me - just collecting the "cheap" stuff is tough enough these days.  If we get several $200 or more playsets a year, I just wouldn't be able to keep up.  Hopefully there will be a medium between detail/price, so that everyone can be somewhat happy.

Heck, there's a part of me that looks back pretty fondly on the vintage sets - and those really weren't all that detailed, just fun.  If they would have re-issued the Death Star playset, I know I would have picked it up.  It will be interesting to see how this news turns out - and if the deal is done, what kind of playsets we'll see.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on September 25, 2007, 02:45 PM
The question is, will it be $100...  or $200...  Or $300...

And will it catch people's attention as being worth that kind of money when they see it?  Will it have opening doors?  A functioning elevator?  A detailed multi-piece bar?  A working jacuzzi?  A massage parlor?

It's easy to say "I'd drop $100 on a set Sideshow made!" without having seen it, but if it's $100 for a 10"x10" thing with basically 2 walls, a floor, and very little moving/separate parts otherwise...  I bet the number of people willing to plunk that kinda scratch down is going to begin dwindling quickly.

I cannot imagine SS getting into it and not knowing what they'd be "expected" to deliver, and knowing their customers are primarily 3.75" collectors too now, not people who necessarilly buy busts and 12" figures and whatnot. 

And that's to say they're even going to get the license because this is still on-going I guess, but it's fun speculating anyway.  I think they could do cool ****, but I don't have a good feeling (or a bad one really) that they can deliver really cool at really low pricing.  I think that's yet to be determined really.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Adam_Pawlus on September 26, 2007, 08:05 PM
I seriously doubt most fans who say they'll drop a bunch of money on something will-- in Transformers, I remember fans saying they'd pay $250 or $500 for a half-decent Unicron.  A very decent one came out for $50 in, I believe, 2003 and a lot of people decided to hang on to their money.  Fans not putting their money where their mouths are could be the subject of a great book or, failing that, a magazine article.   (I count myself in this number for some things.  Just because I asked for it doesn't mean I'll buy it if I don't like it.   I'm looking at you, G.I. Joe from 2001-2003.)

I have no doubt there's a market for 1,500 or so of it, because it seems that it isn't much of a challenge to sell 1,500 units of anything if it's Star Wars and more or less decent as far as value.

Some people are saying anything is better than nothing, but I don't know about that.   If my options are to let someone do high-end stuff that's extremely limited and permanently turns Hasbro off from considering "toy" playsets, I don't like that option.  I'd rather wait it out and see if Hasbro changes their minds to revisit this kind of product five, even ten years down the road.  I'll still be here, I've been here this long, I'm patient in my old age.

Plus let's not forget it's not this OR the Hasbro line, for most of us it would be this AND the Hasbro line.   Seriously, just Target's Q4 3 3/4-inch exclusives will set you back $110, plus those two Ultimate Battle Packs-- assuming there are two-- makes it $210.  Plus there's Wal-Mart's stuff, the recently released Toys "R" Us stuff, the Kmart tins, EE's Mandalorians, Diamond's Battlefront sets, and that's not even looking at the regular line.

Limited edition items are their own beast, but I really hope that what we end up seeing are things that at least vaguely resemble toys and not $1,400 monuments to a hallway.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on September 26, 2007, 11:04 PM
Well, a lot of the exclusive stuff that different retailers get in, to me, are pure junk.  Stuff like the Lava figures, repacks of figures in tin sets, Battlefront sets, Mandalorian sets, etc.  To me, for the most part, they are a complete waste of my money.  Not being a completist or loyal to Hasbro saves me a lot of money (but buying multiples and tons of extras for customs is also my downfall financially in this hobby).

Anyways, the thing about some well done playsets is we haven't ever even gotten any in the modern era.  They'd be something truly special for the collectors that have been craving them for so many years. 

I'll be one to go ahead and say that I'll put my money where my mouth is, as long as these things look nice and aren't priced over a few hundred bucks a piece.  I can afford maybe $500.00 a year extra for playsets - if that means two per year, count me in as a happy camper.  If they are priced higher than that, but are still nice, I'll find a way to get them, whether it be scaling back on Hasbro stuff or selling some customs.  Doesn't matter, I want good environments for my collection rather than putting them on plain old shelves or spending weeks or months making my own dioramas (which is fun, but I don't have that kind of time anymore).
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on September 26, 2007, 11:36 PM
I think cost is going to be the breaking point for any potential Sideshow offerings in the playset arena.  I look back to this year's Toy Fair and the pricing that was revealed for the Anakin VS Obi-Wan diorama.  It clocks in at $280.  The $200 + price tag priced me out of getting that piece.  I like it a lot, but when I saw that price I had to say "no thanks".  Where am I going with this?  Well, size wise I think that piece is in the ballpark of what Sideshow *COULD* offer collectors of Hasbro's 3-3/4" line.  So will the price follow suit?  I certainly hope not.

And if you look at the high end collecting market, that $200 price plateau is a considerable milestone.  $50 is acceptable for a lot of people.  $100?  You weed out some people, but there's still a good deal of product out there that's close to $100.  $200?  There's not much above that.  Most of Gentle Giant and Sideshow's offerings fall below that point, as do Master Replicas popular series of Force FX sabers.  There are far fewer $200+ products on the collecting market, most being offered by Sideshow, Attakus and Master Replicas.  And those $200+ items are not quite as widespread.  I REALLY think that Sideshow needs to try to stay below $200 for any kind of playset offerings.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on September 27, 2007, 01:06 AM
I agree completely - anything over $200.00 is going to be very hard for most people to digest.  I'm hoping they go modular... please go modular Sideshow... (assuming these even happen).

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on September 27, 2007, 09:10 AM
Chewie, is that an Owen's custom pictured above?
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on September 27, 2007, 10:43 AM
Chewie, is that an Owen's custom pictured above?

Yes sir - here's a link to a page with more images of it:

http://www.owenscustoms.com/palmerdeathstar.html

Apparently he's stopping most of his commission work, which I hate to see - but it's very understandable.  I never understood how he's able to sell the playsets he's made for the price he asks - for the amount of time he puts into them, I could see him charging at least double.  But then again, not many collectors are going to be able to afford that.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: jedi_master_sal on October 2, 2007, 01:25 PM
I agree completely - anything over $200.00 is going to be very hard for most people to digest.  I'm hoping they go modular... please go modular Sideshow... (assuming these even happen).



I've been a big proponent of modular playsets for years now.

I've posted this on a few other sites before, so I'll add my thoughts here too.

Going with the Death Star playset as it's probably the easiest to do as modular sets. Here is what I have in mind.
First off, each piece will have a way to connect to ALL other pieces in some manner, so we are not forced to buy one set or another to make everything fit together. Doing this also makes it easy for us to fit into whatever space we have available for modular playsets instead of having to make room for them that we might not have otherwise and would have to pass on buying them at all.
Also, these pieces can stack on top of each other. Which is important as there will be an elevator set. Besides, the ability to stack these also saves us room as we can go high instead of wide which most of us have more room for anyway.
 
There needs to be a few different pricepoints depending on the size of the modular piece.
For this example there are three different pricepoints.
At the $15 pricepoint:
• Short hallway: with floor, wall and curved wall (the "bump" that protrudes on some of the walls in the Death Star) accessory.
• Long Hallway: floor and hallway and some packing crates as accessories
• Curved hallway-floor and inner AND outer walls-either of which can be removed per your needs depending on how you wish to set them up. Comes with a packing crate and mouse droid.
• blast door: is same length as long hallway but with a blast door that is half the length and two short wall pieces, plus a floor of course. By having the short walls, you can place your blast door on the left with the two short walls on the right, vice-versa for the right, OR have a wall on each side with the blast door in the middle. Truly modular, plus the blast door actually opens and closes.

At the $30 pricepoint-small rooms:
• Red control room. Who among us who likes playets doesn't want this set? Working blast door, walls on three sides (as you see it in the movie), corner "closet" area where the droids hid, with working sliding circular door. package crates as seen in the movie (different from the hallway though), workstations and chairs. Good set with plenty of accessories, that are repeated for cost reduction.
• Garbage masher- okay yes we've seen this a few times in various ways, but this one would have a working crank to "mash" the garbage (and figures) together to a point. Walled on four sides, however you can remove one of the end opposite the door, OR one of the mashing walls to view it from a different direction. plenty of soft plastic or foam "garbage" pieces. Cheap stuff mind you, not something terribly accurate, except maybe the pipe that Han holds up.
• Detention Area-includes security stations, wall "cameras" or whatever they were supposed to be, hexagon cell block hallway with four cell blocks-two on each side. ...The hallway can be expanded to be longer by purchasing the "exclusive" hexagon hallway expansion set. Heck, we've got to have at least one exclusive right, besides, it's not really neccessary to complete the set, just adds more to it.
• Elevator area-includes three elevators that go 3-4 levels high. Good for connecting to the detention area...

At the $60 pricepoint-large rooms:
•Falcon Hangar room-great for connecting hallways to, walled on four sides with the wall opposite the hangar opening to be removable. Red control room can be attached on that wall (so long as you have a hallway underneath of that to stack it on, so tht the opening from the red control room can peer out on to the Hangar room-just like in the movie! Cargo crates, throw in a proper scanning crew (2 figs-NEW SA molds-hey, Hasbro has even said they want to remake this fig, so it's the right place to put it into!)
•Emperors throne room-okay this one is not so modular in that it doesn't really connect to any of the others, still the set does include, Throne, security stations, viewscreens, steps, overhead walkways. Basically as you see it in the movie. No need for any moving parts, save the throne which just rotates.


Now these don't all get released at once as that would flood the market and stores and e-tailers both would be stuck with them.
Instead, stagger the different sizes. At first coming out with a $15 set AND a $30 set, then in 3 months a new $15 set, then in another 3 months a $60 set. Repeat the process until all sets are done, keeping the $15 sets a little more readily available as we'd need more hallways to connect sets together more than anything else.

This example is not meant to be all inclusive as there are more ideas for Death Star sets. Rather it's just an example of a working idea with some of the sets presented for examples of pricepoints, size, accessories, and "modularity."

-Sal
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JACKOFTRADZE on October 2, 2007, 03:27 PM
If its really cool I would buy it and I always put my money where my mouth is. I agree with the overall price points $50-$150 is the way to go. $200+ needs to be amazing. I would love to display my figures in realistic sets. I do not have the time, tools or desire to make them.
Lets not forget Sideshow usually works with polystone & thats affect the price greatly. These sets would have to be more durable, at least I would think so if I were designing it.  If the enviornments are made mostly of plastic then we can get a lot more bang for our buck. I am sure they will want to add several other materials to make them realistic and kee the sideshow tradition but for $150 it has the potential to be killer.

I like modular but on a larger room/scenes cale. I do not want to buy just a Hallway I would want more of the overall scene. EX: If its a Bespin Freeze Chamber and connects to the prison/dining hall that works better in my opinion.

I would love to see:

- Jabba's Throne room
- Cantina Bar
- Falcon interior/cockpit
- Star Destroyer Bridge
- Death Star 2 Throne Room
- Palpatines office
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on October 2, 2007, 03:39 PM
You guys are nuts if you think these things will be affordable.

Refresh my memory - how much was that 12" Jabba throne?

Originally.  Not clearance.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JACKOFTRADZE on October 2, 2007, 05:22 PM
You guys are nuts if you think these things will be affordable.
Refresh my memory - how much was that 12" Jabba throne?
Originally.  Not clearance.

$200, I have it and its 100% Heavy as **** polystone. Its massive in size if you never seen it in person. What was a major factor into that price was freight due to the outer/inner cube box, it was huge and the inner box has a large amount of EPS foam to protect it. After 7 years of radio control design I can tell you that stuff is not cheap. We get killed on freight all the time.

The playset's weight, if not made of polystone, will drastically reduce freight cost as well as how its packed. If designed well they can keep the overall cube down.

So yes, if designed right they can make this affordable.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on October 2, 2007, 05:38 PM
So yes, if designed right they can make this affordable.

I agree - and it's nice to see a positive outlook in this thread rather than hopeless negativism.

Really, it seems like there's always a segment of the community that doesn't think that good things can happen... I remember back around 2000, people insisting there would NEVER be repacks in the line, that we would NEVER see a CZ droid made (I remember that back at the old Yak forum when I thought a CZ droid would be nicer than K3PO and everyone said that an obscure droid like a CZ would NEVER and SHOULDN'T be made)... I also remember the negative nellys saying we would NEVER see army builders in significant numbers... that we would NEVER see figures with ball joints becoming a standard... people saying the line would be DEAD by 2007... etc, etc, etc.   

It's almost laughable seeing how negative some people can be about this hobby.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on October 2, 2007, 05:58 PM
You're right.

I was basing my statement on the vast selection of inexpensive SW items Sideshow currently offers.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: jedi_master_sal on October 2, 2007, 06:02 PM
...I do not want to buy just a Hallway I would want more of the overall scene...

I get that. My thinking though is that by breaking up the sets into smaller pieces it will be an easier pill to swallow for all of us.

Take a look at my example and you'll see that a complete set  (with no duplicate hallways-which we know many of us would buy more of to flesh out the overall set) would cost $300 when finished. While a large amount at once, having the set modular and smaller makes it more affordable over the long haul instead of walloping us over the head with a big price.

Also, while not movie accurate, my vision for the modular sets would still allow for the rooms to inter connect. So just for that purpose, those who wouldn't want the hallways aren't forced into buying them. Like wise those of us who would want many of the hallways to build bigger sets don't need to spend a fortune on scene specific room playsets to get a portion of a hallway.

This really can work if given the opportunity.

Mind you Hasbro would need to roll out with the WHOLE plan at a ToyFair or Comicon and NOT hold back info on the line. Letting us know what's coming out for the complete set will get us excited and anticipating the next set to be released.

I think Theed would be another very interesting setting for modular playsets.
Naboo Fighter Hangar, Queen's palace (advisor area-think where Sio Bibble was in AOTC), hallways of course, the three main areas of the Obi/Maul/Qui-gon fight (platforms/energy hallway/end circular room), even some outside street areas with the backdrop being some of the European style houses. Overall it would be a harder sell than the iconic Death Star, but it does have it's merits.

Jabba's Palace definitely needs to be done as a playset. At the least his throne room and the Rancor's pit.

Sandcrawler as a playset where we can take off panels from the vehicle to show different rooms. This can be a non rolling one or not. But importantly this needs to be BIG! It could also double as a toy chest, thus being fun as well as functional. Same goes for the Turbo Tank (Juggernaut). Take off several different panels on the top of the vehcile to expose the play areas. Lots of room for clones.

Various areas in Bespin would look great as playsets. Namely all the areas where Luke and Vader fight.

Personally I'd like to see Palpatine's complete Chancellor's suite done as several interlocking (not modular though) playsets, but I know that's a pipe dream. But I can dream...

-Sal
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on October 2, 2007, 07:49 PM
You're right.

I was basing my statement on the vast selection of inexpensive SW items Sideshow currently offers.



If they produce something along the lines of playsets/dioramas, it's definitely not going to be cheap - I don't think anyone is expecting $30 or $40 stuff from them.  But I do think there's things that are doable in the $100.00 range that a lot of people would be thrilled with.  I say let's give it a chance before we start saying it's impossible... if that's how people looked at everything (not just Star Wars related), nothing would get done.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JACKOFTRADZE on October 2, 2007, 09:30 PM
I get that. My thinking though is that by breaking up the sets into smaller pieces it will be an easier pill to swallow for all of us.
-Sal

I do not disagree with that at all from an idea standpoint.  But from an industry standpoint its harder to pull off than you think. Separate packages, separate art/photography, separate transit tests, more skus in their order system to track, development & timeline schedules, more for their sales team to sell.  Its more cost effective to sell bigger higher priced items than it is to sell several lower priced ones, especially in a high end collector market. Lower production runs & lower price on playsets that are not at mass market are very hard, if not near impossible to pull off a real profit. It becomes too high risk of an investment & can sink a company. There is a lot of development that goes into the toys we buy, most people are very unaware how involved it gets.

1 tiny section of a hallway or room can have a development cost of $50K-$75K alone with man hours, models etc. You have to make that up, pay for your production -run and turn a profit to make the venture worthwhile to pursue.
Think about it, lets pretend we are going to make Palps office, a middle sized room. Cost us $50k in upfront design/model/development. Add tooling cost of $78k. Package misc $10k. 

-We already spent $138k.
-We want to retail it for a $160 playset
-Production run of 5000.
-Sideshow EXF(cost to make) $40 (including royalty to Lucasfilm)
The math
-5000 units =$800,000 in overall sales if they sell directly themselves at $160 each
-5000 x 40 = $200,000 EXF
-So we end up with $200k in costs to manufacture/raw materials + $138k development (package/design/models etc) = $338K sideshow has to make before getting a profit
- Final profit to sideshow if they sell all 5000 units = $462,000

As you can see thats not much at the end of the day to a large business like Hasbro. But for a smaller company like Sideshow its not bad. Actually it should be better but thats marketing guys job to crunch numbers. If they can sell more units its like printing money. If they sell to retailers their profits would diminish so they have to sell direct, in my opinion to make this happen.

So hopefully some of that will make sense why it does not make sense to sell parts of a hallway.
I think this is a very real scenario that we can see some great display enviornment playsets. Leave the doom & gloom to politics.

WORD!
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on October 3, 2007, 09:20 AM
You're right.

I was basing my statement on the vast selection of inexpensive SW items Sideshow currently offers.



Well based. I have no illusion that Sideshow playsets will be affordable either, but to me, if it's good quality, the extra expense should be worth it.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on October 3, 2007, 09:44 AM
Hey Jack,

I think your forecast is 2X too high.

They struggle to sell 5K pieces of some of their SW 12 inchers @ $60.

And I think you need to factor in a royalty to Hasbro.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jeff on October 3, 2007, 11:48 AM
And I think you need to factor in a royalty to Hasbro.

Yeah, you definitely have to take that into account.  Hasbro is not letting Sideshow make these things out of the kindness in their hearts, they are still in it to make money.  I heard from a reliable source at one point that Hasbro actually makes about $3 for each $60 12" Star Wars figure that Sideshow sells because of their deal.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JACKOFTRADZE on October 3, 2007, 12:37 PM
Hey Jack,
I think your forecast is 2X too high.
They struggle to sell 5K pieces of some of their SW 12 inchers @ $60.
And I think you need to factor in a royalty to Hasbro.

For a 3.75 scale item, in my opinion, I think thats an accurate forecast for at least 5k. 12 inch is not as popular to collect and there not as many 12inch collectors as there are 3.75. If they cannot move 5k in this scale do not bother. This is very do-able

I am not surprised on the 12' being hard to move. I was never impressed and I personally do not care for their body template but thats for another thread......

And I think you need to factor in a royalty to Hasbro.
Yeah, you definitely have to take that into account.  Hasbro is not letting Sideshow make these things out of the kindness in their hearts, they are still in it to make money.  I heard from a reliable source at one point that Hasbro actually makes about $3 for each $60 12" Star Wars figure that Sideshow sells because of their deal.

OK, I did not know that, but it will not impact too much. FYI - My marketing math was not meant to be spot on but an example to show why low end playsets are not feasible. You actually helped my point more. You can see how things add up fast. Thanks!.
(Keep in mind I am a designer and not marketing, but I know the  general workings)

So it sounds like a 3-5% royalty to Hasbro , so just adjust the my math from my last post. 3% of $160 is $4.8 (Rounding lets say $5.00 we will add to the EXF)

-We already spent $138k.
-We want to retail it for a $160 playset
-Production run of 5000.
-Sideshow EXF(cost to make) $45 (including royalty to Lucasfilm & Hasbro)
The math
-5000 units =$800,000 in overall sales if they sell directly themselves at $160 each
-5000 x 40 = $225,000 EXF
-So we end up with $225k in costs to manufacture/raw materials + $138k development (package/design/models etc) = $363K sideshow has to make before getting a profit
- Final profit to sideshow if they sell all 5000 units = $437,000

As you can see the Hasbro impact took a small chunk but still profitable. Even lets say there is another $37k in misc expenses they can clear an easy $400k on 1 item. For a small company thats great, for Hasbro its a waste of time. Larger companies want a single item to do at least 1 million+ to make it a worthwhile venture.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on October 3, 2007, 01:33 PM
You're right, the scale has more mass appeal, it's the price I'm concerned about.

Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: JACKOFTRADZE on October 3, 2007, 02:30 PM
You're right, the scale has more mass appeal, it's the price I'm concerned about.

Agreed. But I do not think there is a way around it.
If its nice & well detailed I will spring for it.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on October 3, 2007, 02:57 PM
Quote from: JACKOFTRADZE link=topic=14787.msg325414#msg325414

If its nice & well detailed I will spring for it.

4,999 left to go.
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: jedi_master_sal on October 3, 2007, 05:32 PM
Jack I think you are thinking that I was talking about Sideshow doing the Playsets. I wasn't. I would still MUCH rather have Hasbro do them. Hasbro has a much broader distribution set-up than SSC. Playsets NEED to be a mass market thing (for them to work/sell/make money). Making playsets in limited editions is ludicrious. Most kids won't find them online (excpet for the exceptionally savvy ones-and those are arguably future collectors anyways). No, I still think playsets need to be on brick and mortar store shelves for them to have any chance of selling and lasting over the long run. We collectors would no doubts pick them up as well as the casual fan may get one here or there. Factoring in the kids too. Seeing these in TRU or the like will get some kids drooling for the sets and may convince parents or other older relatives) to buy the sets for the kids.

Again making these limited edition, online only, and expensive just doesn't do justice for the general fandom. Everyone should have a fair chance at FINDing and buying these.

Regarding all-in-one sets, there's no way I'd plnk down that kind of scratch for a playset. And seeing the dwindling interest by even the most hardcore collectors on various sites also tells me that the collecting community at large is tired of overpriced or large purchases.

There is not too much over $100 that makes me drool and make me think I have to have it. And of those things that have, they were not "toys." Mini bust or maquettes, maybe. But certainly not a playset. They need to be interactive PLAYsets, not mini sets that just sit there for display and that while may be highly detailed, can't interact with other sets (as in modularity and accessories).

Just my take on this subject.
-Sal
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on October 3, 2007, 06:43 PM
Personally, I don't want to see Hasbro making playsets - I think their attempts look too fake, and would much rather see Sideshow take this and run with it.  I'd rather see attention to authenticity than play features implemented... that's why I agree with whoever it was in this thread that said they really don't consider what we're talking about to be "playsets" but more or less "dioramas." 

I'd much rather get something that looked something like this:

(http://www.entertainmentearth.com/images/%5CAUTOIMAGES%5CACD104lg.jpg)

...than this:

(http://www.brianstoys.com/store/images/products/star%20wars/vintage/playsets/afa/vintage_playsetafa_18095403.jpg)

If they're good and not costing over a couple hundred bucks, sign me up too. 
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: Daigo-Bah on October 3, 2007, 06:48 PM
Since my job workload has ramped up, I've gone into semi-retirement with dio-making  :P and I'm pulling in a better paycheck, so I'd go for a couple of really well-made dio scenes by sideshow per year!
Title: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on October 4, 2007, 09:13 AM
4,998
Title: More Playset talk...
Post by: CHEWIE on November 12, 2007, 04:26 PM
I know what you think, Chew':  You think that because I bitch about other people bitching about the AT-TE, or other vehicles, or playsets, or whatever, that must mean that I'm against the AT-TE, or other vehicles, or playsets, or whatever.  And that isn't the case at all.  I want all those things to happen.  I want people to get what they want.  I want them to be happy with what they get.  I want you to be able to get your $200 Random Death Star Hallway Playset, if that's what you want.

I never really knew if you were for or against things like that being made - usually I just see your comments replying to people that are wanting them.  So now I do have a better understanding of where you're coming from.

Personally I think that Hasbro's got the resources to be able to make a lot of things happen that they claim they can't do.  I understand that most of the higher end items are things that need to be targeted towards a certain niche.  Hasbro has seemed to have a philosphy of thinking that they need to go with lower priced items that they can mass produce - and that has been a formula that does make sense.  But I also think that they can also market towards the people clamoring for larger items being made...

In terms of vehicles, they should be able to pull this out on their own.  AT-TE, Juggernaut, whatever.  Make it look cool and leave out the electronics, and you're going to have a lot of people buying it.  Some people will never be happy if it's not 100% to scale (I'm not one of those) and they can pass if they don't like it.  But something like a to scale AT-AT would cost probably $500.00 (plus where can one even fit it?).

In terms of playsets, this is something I do hope they outsource to a company like Sideshow.  Let the people like me who've been starved for large environments put their money where their mouths are.  Modular would definitely be the way to go... I'd love to see something like this old Bespin set, but in the 3-3/4" line. 

(http://www.theswca.com/images-toys/micro/micro-bespinworld-front.jpg)

I'm sick of having to display my stuff on wooden shelves or spend hours on end trying to make something on my own, so I'd like to see Hasbro (or an outsourced company) capitalize on the possibilities of realistic looking Star Wars enviroments. 
Title: playsets...
Post by: ruiner on November 12, 2007, 04:42 PM
Devil's Advocate:


Personally I think that Hasbro's got the resources to be able to make a lot of things happen that they claim they can't do. 

Having the resources and being able to maintain a preset level of profitability / ROI is another.

Quote
Hasbro has seemed to have a philosphy of thinking that they need to go with lower priced items that they can mass produce - and that has been a formula that does make sense. 
  It not only makes sense, but also works. 

Quote
But I also think that they can also market towards the people clamoring for larger items being made...
  Again, they can, but does it fit their business model?  Probably not.  Obviously they are looking for mass retail placement and I think we can safely say that $100+ items do not work in the action figure aisle.  Maybe I'm wrong here but I cannot think of one $100+ in-line item (this excludes store exclusives) that was successful.

Quote
But something like a to scale AT-AT would cost probably $500.00 (plus where can one even fit it?).
  And where is MR these days? 

Quote
In terms of playsets, this is something I do hope they outsource to a company like Sideshow.  Let the people like me who've been starved for large environments put their money where their mouths are.  Modular would definitely be the way to go...
  You're probably right here.  SS could most likely pull it off...but you're going to pay for it. 

Quote
I'd love to see something like this old Bespin set, but in the 3-3/4" line. 

(http://www.theswca.com/images-toys/micro/micro-bespinworld-front.jpg)

Chewie - there's a reason they chose the scale they did....

Quote
so I'd like to see Hasbro (or an outsourced company) capitalize on the possibilities of realistic looking Star Wars enviroments. 
  I don't know if I'd use the word 'capitalize.'  I don't think the demand is there for modular, high end playsets.  I also think SS could use some help in product development.  Their 12" SW line was a HUGE announcement - and IMO they dropped the ball big time in regards to character selection. 

Title: playsets...
Post by: Adam_Pawlus on November 12, 2007, 07:57 PM
I'm sick of having to display my stuff on wooden shelves or spend hours on end trying to make something on my own, so I'd like to see Hasbro (or an outsourced company) capitalize on the possibilities of realistic looking Star Wars enviroments. 

*puts on buzzkill hat*

Cost cost cost cost cost.

I'm just happy the AT-TE is supposedly on track.   Environments make me squeamish... aside from cardboard I don't see it as a viable option.   Although I do think you can get people to shell out more for vehicles because if their "personalities" in some cases.   That or maybe someone out there is looking forward to the prospect of a $200 Sideshow Hasbro-compatible snow drift.
Title: playsets...
Post by: CHEWIE on November 13, 2007, 10:27 AM
I suppose we really won't know unless a company actually does put some sort of 3-3/4" environment out that actually looks like a movie setting.  Until then we can speculate whether it would work or would not.
Title: playsets...
Post by: Jesse James on November 17, 2007, 02:00 AM
I suppose we really won't know unless a company actually does put some sort of 3-3/4" environment out that actually looks like a movie setting.  Until then we can speculate whether it would work or would not.

Oh sure we will!  ;)

Clearanced...
(http://www.sshqdb.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/21st-century-toys-playset-bombed-french-building-10500.jpg)
Clearanced...
(http://www.sshqdb.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/21st-century-toys-playset-fountain-10502.jpg)
Clearanced...
(http://www.sshqdb.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/21st-century-toys-playset-normandy-farmhouse-10601.jpg)
And, clearanced...
(http://www.sshqdb.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/21st-century-toys-playset-normandy-hayloft-10602.jpg)

And the sculpting/paint on these was OUTSTANDINGLY done, there were opening doors, etc.  The detailing went down to individual bullet holes in mortar and wood, grain on wood beams and floor plans, multiple paint applications for ultra realism...  And in the grand scheme of things (compared to Hasbro), the prices were excellent...  $40 for the biggest sets, and lower for each of the smaller sets.

21st Century Toys made them, and their reaction when asked for more (becuase a full set of Series 2 playsets was planned, even grander than the first series) was, "The costs involved in making these sets, and the cost we must put on them for a MSRP, isn't feasible for us, so we're scrapping our series 2 playsets"...  More or less.

I honestly don't mean to be a wet blanket either, but there is some proof in the pudding there...  These are along the lines of what everyone's asking for, and these are things that came in at prices that sort of undercut what Hasbro probably would want...  And they didn't sell.  I bought mine...  I put my money where my mouth was on these, but they still didn't sell to the majority, and it wasn't like they were oversaturated either... 

Now 21st's found they can sell $40+ vehicles to their targeted market just fine, but the playsets, not so much...  And they were (and still are) highly demanded items.  I love the ones I have, I'd buy more, but at the end of the day I think I'm the minority ultimately...  And I have little doubt Hasbro delivering the same thing to us, but in a Star Wars theme, would cost at least 50% more...  Not good.
Title: playsets...
Post by: jedi_master_sal on November 17, 2007, 11:15 AM
The problem with the analogy Jesse is that these sets are not Star Wars. I don't see people clamoring for these military sets like we see many SW collectors asking for playsets.  Granted those sets where nice, but they weren't based on anything from a movie and could be made up without thought to accuracy/comparison to a movie.

SW sets have been and continue to be a desired product by many fans. I do venture to say that if they were made they'd sell. Yes, there are a lot of factors going into how well they sell. Accuracy and price being the biggest two, then size and availability, as well as cost to produce them.

The key for hasbro is to come up with sets that people want, sell them for a fair price that people won't look to wait for clearance, and dare I say it, NOT flood the market with them. Make them more difficult to get and demand will stay high.

While I'd love to see these at retail, I don't think it would work unless each retailer gets an exclusive set, each set is modular, and the only way to complete larger sets is by having to get each set from each retailer. I know that's not a popular idea among collectors, so that really leaves us with Internet sales. Problem there for some is buying sight unseen. No matter how good it may look on the net, it may not so in person.

So I do think these need to be done and there's a market for them. Hasbro just has to put some effort into and do the market research necessary to determine which is the right course of action to take (not making them not being an option...).
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on November 18, 2007, 04:03 AM
Quote
I don't see people clamoring for these military sets like we see many SW collectors asking for playsets.  Granted those sets where nice, but they weren't based on anything from a movie and could be made up without thought to accuracy/comparison to a movie.

That's because you aren't in the circles of people that are INTO these toys...  Believe me, they're being begged for, and it's the same basic "I'll pay 3 billion if they do it right" mantra too...

But first, the reply was based on what CHEWIE said, "we haven't seen this played out in reality to know that it would happen either way", (paraphrasing), which clearly we have in a current, and incredibly popular toy line that routinely DOES promote "big ticket" (at least by Hasbro's standards) toys...  $40 and $50 are common sights is my point, but even these sets didn't sell, and this line's bread and butter (as most line's are) is its basic figure line-up ultimately.

As far as them being based on anything...  Well, this line's popularity spurred from films such as Saving Private Ryan, or Band of Brothers...  So there's some film basis for these items too, as I know for a fact some of the Series 2 sets (at least) were sculpted with impressions from the films, and their accuracy/detail clearly surpasses anything Hasbro ever did. 

As I said though, these are everything everyone here has said they want in a SW playset, but they're for a different toy line is all...  One though that's got equally ravenous fans, and a toy line that supports no less than THREE major companies producing figures, vehicles, and such for it too...  So it's impossible to say that military 1:18 toys don't have the popularity thing going for them.  Secondary prices are INSANE on some things, with upwards of 250% increases (or more) in value too, depending on the items.  Modern SW can't say that  for the most part.

It's just an example playing devil's advocate is all though.  CHEWIE said there wasn't a premise and I'm showing there is, and it's to a similar (adult/disposable income) market, and it's in similar styling to what's requested (hyper realistic, detailed, semi-complex, etc.).  Like others have said, I'm all for playsets, and I shelled out the bucks for the above playsets...  All of them, and only ONE I waited on clearance for, and that was the fountain as I'm not overly fond of it myself.  Otherwise I paid the full $40 for the two larger sets and full price on the other set.

To me, it helps root the precedent that Hasbro sticks by, but that's me...  It's a toy line where guys routinely shell out $40, $50, $60, and even $80+, for stuff...  We don't do that in Star Wars, at least not at one time, so I dunno...  I really do begin to believe Hasbro's stance on the whole playset thing after a while.  Was the Theed Generator set REALLY that bad?  I didn't think it was, actually, and as a display for Maul/Obi/Jinn, it's not bad, but it flopped...  I dunno guys.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: jedi_master_sal on November 18, 2007, 01:11 PM
You're right Jesse, i don't know that line like you do. And I'm not on any message boards that pertain to that line, so I don't see a market for them. As well I never see anyone looking at them when I'm in a toy aisle.

"Real world" stuff might have a broader appeal, I'm just saying in my experience, I'm not seeing it at retail.

Yet everyone knows Star Wars.

The Theed set wasn't bad. However I think it's the gimmicky things that ruin those sets. I think what Hasbro should do is leave the imagination up to the consumer. Meaning, make a decent looking playset, but leave it to us (collector/kids) to play or display it as we see fit. Besides, it's less moving parts, therefore less cost.

I wasn't really trying to disagree with you Jesse and I know you're passionate about the military lines. I just don't see the direct correlation to the SW line as it have a different fanbase. Yeah, there are similarities, but at least for me, not enough so to compare.

I still think Hasbro can get these done, their just too gunshy over past results. They need to think a bit more out of the box with this. That's something I don't think they are willing to take the risk on.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on November 19, 2007, 01:47 AM
I don't compare the two lines, but I do see where you're coming from and your point of view Jesse. Those sets were awesome, but didn't sell well.  Very true.  In my area though, the vehicles always hit clearance at Walmart and the figures don't move too well either and very often end up on clearance (sometimes very quickly) - I do check that line quite often because I look at that stuff for custom fodder a lot.  That whole line doesn't seem to have nearly the mass appeal that Star Wars does.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: clonebuyer111 on May 14, 2008, 04:44 PM
do you think they will do a playset of the death star ever again?
hopefully they will
since the vintage one is expensive
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on May 29, 2008, 06:41 PM
do you think they will do a playset of the death star ever again?
hopefully they will
since the vintage one is expensive


I'd think anything these days would cost more than a vintage one actually... especially if done "right."
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on May 30, 2008, 09:19 AM
I think the Larrs Homestead BP is the closest thing we'll be getting in a while. Although, I also thing the BMF might qualify too.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CloneF13Y35 on June 1, 2008, 12:08 PM
I keep making up rough drawings of several playsets I'd like to try and make out of boxes. No, they won't look anything like owens' customs - dang those are SWEET! But it'd be something my son would like. I keep toying with how to do a death star playset, mostly taller, with some kind of elevator and the floors/scenes from the movies (ep4&6). Plus he wants some kind of hoth set I thnk i could easier than anything else except I don't have the bacta tank luke, deluxe reikeen with display console or the wampw but I know I can get em ff ebay.
Plus something from maybe kamino, or the jedi temple or even a tatooine layout.
I even thought up a few modular sets that could go together or be seperate scene-specific displays. oh well, that's what the summer is for.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 24, 2008, 04:25 PM
Bumping this lovely thread for the sake of the past debates that have gone back and forth, as we now know that a Sarlacc Pit playset/diorama-esque Battle Pack is coming.

Along with the Lars Homestead, this makes two environment pieces for collectors to look forward to this year - thank you Hasbro.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Brian on July 24, 2008, 04:35 PM
I definitely like this "environment pieces" approach Hasbro is testing out now (although the Lars homestead pack is a little pricey for my tastes).  I hope this is something we continue to see.  If we can't get true playsets, these are just fine with me.  What else could we see in this size/format?  Personally, I always wanted to see a Dagobah playset (even just the vintage one repainted/spiffed up).  That is something that, size wise, could probably fit into this sort of assortment.  Lots of options here though.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on July 24, 2008, 04:49 PM
I think complexity becomes the issue there Brian...

The Lars homestead is, according to Hasbro, not much more than a base and a dome...  Likewise the Hoth Turret is a base with a top (not counting the hatches) and not much more.  Simplistic is the key...  That's part of why price becomes such an issue to me.  Hasbro claims an impressive tooling expensive and I'm assuming that's all based on the size of the item, as the complexity (number of parts, etc.) is minimal...  A $20 fighter/ship is far more complex than these items, but costs only $20... 

The other factor I'm thinking is production numbers...  They're low.  Targets got what, 2 of each UBP or slightly more/less per store, and ONLY at Target?  That's pretty low production numbers for anything in SW...  That means higher costs too.

If Hasbro's willing to put these items out again to lower costs, maybe that's something that'll help move things along with "bigger and better" things, but I dunno...  More UBP's this year means more $50 low production numbers items.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 24, 2008, 05:07 PM
Do you mean to say Jesse that the Target stores in your area only got in two of each UBP last Christmas season?  Each of the stores in my area must had dozens of each (on the endcap, and tons on risers about the toy aisle), though different districts might get different shipment quantities. 

Also, I think that a lot of the "cost" for Hasbro is made up by the repacks they throw into these sets.  Without those, they probably at this point would not justify making these.  If they continue to sell well however, we might see Hasbro start looking into making some of these "stand alone" sets; i.e. not packed with a bunch of extras, which also makes the cost to the consumer jump.

I agree that these sets are more than what I'd like to pay... I'm not all that surprised though to see TRU have such a high price on the Lars set, their Star Wars items past the basic figures are about 20-25% more pricey to consumers than what we see at Wal-Mart and Target (at least on things like this - basic figures, when exclusive to Target cost about $15.00, which is completely insane).... mid sized vehicles and Battle Packs are $25.00 there as we already know, as compared to $20.00 at Wally and Target.

Really, 2-3 years ago, the idea of something like this was all just speculation and opinion on our part.  So, we've come a really long way the past couple years on the playset front.  Not as far as I'd like to see, but we're getting closer.

BTW - a Dagobah environment sounds great Brian... I'd be up for it.  Seems very doable in this format too.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on July 24, 2008, 05:08 PM
Some seemed to, yes.  I'd say never more than an endcap full though.  Never saw a pack on the risers here...  All endcaps, and all sold through at full price at any store I visited.  There were hardly enough to go around actually it seemed.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on July 24, 2008, 05:47 PM
I saw the Endor set on clearance a few times after Christmas.  Never picked up that set though. 

Just wasn't anything "new" other than the logs to warrant me getting it.  Still, a great set for a Christmas gift though I'd think.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: iFett on July 24, 2008, 06:03 PM
I saw the Endor set on clearance a few times after Christmas.  Never picked up that set though. 

Just wasn't anything "new" other than the logs to warrant me getting it.

Those were the best parts of that set.   :)   I love me some lame pack-ins.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on July 24, 2008, 10:28 PM
There were tons of the UBP's at the Targets around here last year.  Endcaps at every store I went into.

I never did see one on clearance.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Morgbug on July 25, 2008, 12:42 AM
Bumping this lovely thread for the sake of the past debates that have gone back and forth, as we now know that a Sarlacc Pit playset/diorama-esque Battle Pack is coming.


Well I re-read my three posts back on page one and stand by what I said at that time.   :-*
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Sprry75 on July 25, 2008, 08:26 AM
Me too.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on August 22, 2008, 09:40 AM
From Sandtroopers:

Quote
1) In every Hasbro Q&A I have seen, every site complains about wanting more playsets, more playsets, MORE PLAYSETS!! Now the Sarlacc Pit and the Lars Homestead playsets are coming out and most people are underwhelmed by these offerings. To be honest, they're rather lame and have very high price tags. What kind of marketing research was done for these playsets? I really don't see the Lars Homestead set as being a good seller at all. Shouldn't playsets be based on scenes of major action in the movies therefore making it an exciting piece that children as well as collectors would want to buy? The Lars Homestead is not. Our fear is that these are test items. So my question comes down to this - If the Sarlacc Pit and Lars Homestead playsets don't sell well, will we see a further turning away from Hasbro manufacturing playsets?

And Hasbro's response:

Quote
We're sorry you feel that way, Troops. We hope that collectors are willing to consider these. In our opinion, these are some pretty cool sets.  Who thought that we would ever see toys of the Sarlacc pit or Lars Homestead? It should be a dream for fans, and we hope that these will find an appreciative audience.  We don't consider these two to be playsets in the traditional sense, as they don't have multiple play areas, lots of kid-targeted features, etc. Instead it was our intent to capture the flavor of two very iconic scenes from the OTC, an alternative to what otherwise might be a vehicle-based exclusive. The Sarlacc set is built to follow the format established by last year's Ultimate Battle Packs, and would not otherwise exist without the success of last year's sets and Target's support for the concept. Unfortunately, we did not have the set to show in package, as it looks *great*.  Likewise, the Lars Homestead set is not a playset per se but given the central role the homestead plays in the story of Luke, we felt that if was something that many collectors would want to have to build out their Tatooine scenes. Our stance on playsets has not changed, namely that unless there is a compelling, persistent (i.e. in many episodes) environment in the upcoming entertainment around which we can build a strong playset, then we will not pursue due to the extraordinarily high cost of tooling, development, and marketing.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on August 22, 2008, 09:42 AM
Leave it to Sandtroopers to call Hasbro's product "lame" to their face.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Phrubruh on August 22, 2008, 10:03 AM
That would make me mad enough not to do anymore of these type of enviroments ever again. Nice job Sandtroopers. No wonder no one ever visits that site.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on August 22, 2008, 10:05 AM
Yeah, not cool.  Hasbro is taking A LOT of time out of their busy schedules to answer these questions.  The least Sandtroopers (among others) could do is show some respect and common courtesy.

Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: jedi_master_sal on August 22, 2008, 10:08 AM
what's teh horsecrap thought from Hasbro about not doing playsets if it's not in UPCOMING ENTERTAINMENT??? That's a NEW stance. They've had other excuses before. This one is NEW.

What about the frickin' Death Star? There's hardly anything more iconic than that for playsets where a lot of action occurred. It's in the 3 OT movies and made an appearance in ROTS. It's the place of many great scenes. There's so MUCH potential for playsets with the Death Star.

it's a shame that Sandtroopers called Hasbro out and no doubt that is a sting that Hasbro is feeling. I wouldn't blame Hasbro at this point for saying "screw collectors."

Hasbro, not all of us feel this way as Sandtroopers does.

While I'm not overly excited about teh Sarlaac pit, I DO want the Lars set. And if getting these means the future for larger playsets, I'm ALL FOR IT!
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2008, 11:13 AM
I think that people are overreacting to the question, but I do think they could have taken out the "To be honest, they're rather lame and have very high price tags" line.  But, in all fairness, that's what a lot of people have been saying across various forums.  In that sense I don't see what the fuss is about, unless it's just people who don't like ST anyway trying to cause a stink, which is what tends to happen even if their name is mentioned over here.  For those of you that have the notion that they're just a bunch of jerks, I'd suggest spending some time over there and you'll probably find they're a actually nice site with a lot of good forum members.  Even though I heard nothing but negativity from folks over here about them, I gave them a chance and quite enjoy the atmosphere.  But, I'm not in a cave either like some people are - I'm active at 5 different forums... and I've never been bashed for my opinions at any forum like I am by some members here, but I still come back.  ;)

Anyways, I don't think anyone believes these are playsets in the traditional sense.  A lot of us have been clamoring for diorama-esque environments for a long time, and anything BUT traditional playsets.  We already know what those end up looking like (http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/ROTS/rots05mustafarbuild4.jpg).  Who wants more of that?  Certainly I do not.  I'm quite happy with what we're seeing with the Lars set and the Sarlacc, and hope they continue going that route, and hopefully expanding down the road like jedi_master_sal said.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: David on August 22, 2008, 11:16 AM
That was rather lame of Sandtroopers to say that. >:(
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2008, 11:20 AM
I agree on the Death Star, Sal - even if it doesn't appear in many episodes of the live TV series.  But, it might?  It apparently plays a somewhat significant role in TFU at least.  So who knows.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: DSJ™ on August 22, 2008, 11:24 AM
Quote
To be honest, they're rather lame

Very (http://www.soloops.com/forums/images/smilies/lame.gif) remark.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: David on August 22, 2008, 11:29 AM
LOL! Leave it to DSJ to post the perfect smiley-enhanced remark where others struggle to put their comments into words. :D
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2008, 11:31 AM
Yeah, I wouldn't have included that line, the more I think about it.

I guess we (and Hasbro) will really know how the market feels about these once they hit the shelves and we can all see how well they sell.  Right now we can speculate.   :)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jayson on August 22, 2008, 11:45 AM
I guess we (and Hasbro) will really know how the market feels about these once they hit the shelves and we can all see how well they sell.  Right now we can speculate.   :)

And this has held true since the relaunch of the SW line in 95. Ultimately, it has always come down to the numbers sold versus demand. It's pretty safe to say that number of collectors wanting an item like the BMF outnumbers those that have actually purchased one and I think the playset/environment would follow the same model. There can be all the desire in the world for an item, but if it's not purchased (despite the "lame" or "cool" factors) it doesn't matter.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on August 22, 2008, 11:53 AM
That's a good point Jayson.  I want the new Falcon but don't want to pay for it.

Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 22, 2008, 01:46 PM
Same with me...  I've not bought the Falcon yet myself, hoping for a sale at some point.  First it's too big for me to find a good home for it in the collection right now, but second it doesn't fit the "scale" rules I go by so it took a backseat to the AT-TE which I've vowed to force into the collection somewhere, haha.

As far as the comment...  Well, sites have editors for a reason, and usually editors jobs consist of showing some tact with the questions asked by any given site.  I don't think much was shown there by telling Hasbro "your sets are lame" in the Q&A.  I'm the last guy to feel Hasbro can't take criticism, believe me, but we've found the more constructive and mature you ask the question, the usually better response you get from Hasbro...  And that question was just asked in an inanely boneheaded manner any way you slice it.

To be honest I think the Sarlacc Pit is pretty damn cool...  I'm looking forward to it, but the Lars Homestead I feel is a tad dull and I'm not sure I'll spend $50 to get one.  Would I like one?  Hell yeah...  It'd look great next to the Landspeeder and some vaporators obviously.  Who doesn't think that?  But is it enough for me to spend $50 or whatever to get it?  At the moment, no...  The Pit though is more likely where I'll put my money.  I just dig it.

As far as people's opinions of Sandtroopers here, I don't see a ton of bashing them on our site...  Actually I don't see anyone really talking about them at all, ever, so I don't get that notion at all.  Some of their members aren't friendly with some of ours, and that's the extent of our interaction basically.  No huge deal there...  This isn't about who likes or dislikes their site, it's about a question asked in a pretty dumb manner regardless if it was Curto asking it, or as the case may be one of the smaller sites asking it.  It came off mostly as a slap in the face of the Q&A overall, which isn't good for anyone IMO.

I think some sites try too hard to "act tough" in the face of Hasbro...  I don't know how to word it really I guess, but I just get that vibe by some of the questions some sites let through.  I think civil discourse is more appropriate, especially dealing on a professional level with a company like Hasbro.  People need to keep in mind that despite some mistakes, there are guys on that board doing their best.  I don't think they're offended, or they'll quit the Q&A or any of that horse ****.  That's blowing stuff out or proportion.  I do think simple tact and cvility requires that, even if you have a beef, you should try to be constructive in your confronting Hasbro with a question about it.

Their answer seemed pretty much to match what I've always thought too...  These aren't playsets.  They're more like a big assed accessory (IE: The Hoth cannon or logs), to complement your figure.  Let's face it...  That Lars dome is no different than the boxes that came with the Death Star Technician...  They're no different than getting some plastic barrels, or whatnot.  The Sarlacc is like getting the Dagobah Dragon thing, or a Rancor...  To me that's a beast and almost counts as a figure.

A Death Star that stacks with hallways and opening doors and this and that though, that's a playset...  And it's not comprised of two or three injection molded pieces (IE: Simplicity), but rather a complex design, with "features".  I believe I read the dome's biggest feature is it has a molded table in the middle of it?  I thought I recalled that from somewhere.  That's not a playset at all.  It's a big(ger) accessory.  And it's gonna cost you $50 to buy that big accessory I guess.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Phrubruh on August 22, 2008, 02:58 PM
I think we would all like the homestead better if it came with semi-new figures. It's possible that it will and the Owen/Breu are just placeholders for newer versions of them. It makes me wonder why we couldn't have a Luke with Saga Landspeeder included with the dome also.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2008, 03:34 PM
I think we would all like the homestead better if it came with semi-new figures. It's possible that it will and the Owen/Breu are just placeholders for newer versions of them. It makes me wonder why we couldn't have a Luke with Saga Landspeeder included with the dome also.

YES!  If they had just included that Landspeeder with the Luke, I'd be thrilled.  Even at $50.00.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2008, 04:18 PM
A Death Star that stacks with hallways and opening doors and this and that though, that's a playset...  And it's not comprised of two or three injection molded pieces (IE: Simplicity), but rather a complex design, with "features". 

This LINK (http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/021207owen.jpg) directs to a custom Death Star playset/diorama.  But I don't think it's a playset design in the "traditional" sense - each level seems more like a diorama to me, with more of an "aesthetic appeal" than "play value."

Anyways, would the market be interested in this sort of a layout, if the levels were modular like this, and you could connect them on top of each other, side by side, etc.?  And if so, what would be a fair price for each level?

Or, would the market rather see something more like THIS? (http://www.theswca.com/images-toys/figuretoys/deathstar-catalog.jpg)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 22, 2008, 11:53 PM
Depends on complexity...  Let's say the Lars Homestead dome is 2 or 3 (max) pieces of injection molded plastic.  From what I gather, that's about all it is...  That's 3 tooled pieces to form the item.  It costs $50 with its smattering of old figures.

Looking at the stackable Death Star items, you're looking at 3, 4, or so similar "items" comprised of probably similar total number of parts to make each "section".  You're already looking at $150 or so then...  Let's say $120 to be liberal though.

So is anyone willing to shell out $120-ish for 3 unique stackable little Death Star halls to display figures in?  That's ultimately the question.  Or to simplify it, would people pay $50 per section (assuming you get 3 or 4 rehashed figures too) to buy any given section?

And by "anyone" I mean mostly collectors, because honestly will kids give a **** about any piece of that first Death Star?  I doubt it.  And bear in mind also that none of those sections can have anything complex added to them (IE: lights, sounds, "working" elevators, springloaded anything, etc.).  At best maybe a door that opens ala the Hoth Turret's door or something.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on August 23, 2008, 01:23 AM
Well consider me part of the appreciative audience Hasbro is expecting.  I'm more geeked up about the homestead than the Sarlacc Pit for a few reasons.  One, it seems really well done and I think it will display well where the Sarlacc Pit looks like a block of sand with a hole and a monster in it.  Second, that special edition Sarlacc Pit with a mouth still bugs me a little.

I like them both though and will be buying both.  I just hope Hasbro knows better than to listen to those knuckleheads at Sandtroopers when it comes to what people do or don't find lame.  Somehow I think they do.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dan on August 23, 2008, 07:58 AM
I spent a lot of time voicing my interest in the notion of Hasbro designed props or environments to display my figures. I'm not a customizer, and wanted something different than steps or shelves to line figures up in rows. The Cantina bar and tables are great, but I need a backdrop. Reiken's map is great, but it needs an icy cave setting.

So in that sense, I really like the Lars homestead. It is a cool big prop, not a lot of tooling/assembly for the big H, etc. But $50 is too much unless the figures are better. I could go $30 or so for the dome itself given an opportunity, but I don't see something this big being re-released a dozen times like the speederbike so this may be the only shot at it.

I agree with Rob about the Sarlaac. I didn't walk out of Jedi thinking they needed a little shop of horrors monster with electronic sound effects to make the movie better, and the addition of the sar-sac is still annoying to me. But I agree that it is a cool environment choice to get some figures displayed and re-release the skiff.
 
But getting back to Jesse's point about the Falcon (another massive playset in many ways), how many of us have room for too many of these now? When I was making my noise on the subject, it was several years and several hundred figures ago. Now I bought the Falcon, and have almost completely re-done my collection room trying to fit it in- it still hasn't worked. And I have thinned out my collection considerably, probably by nearly half from strictly a storage/display standpoint.

The prequels brought a lot of new collectors in to the mix, so maybe they are in a better spot to fit some of these great monstrosities in to their collection. But I know space and storage issues have become their own threads in places, so for sure I am not alone either. For me, the time of big props may have come and gone- I like how they look, but financially and physically they don't fit very well with what I am willing to make my collection become. I may still end up with Lars homestead, but I don't know how many more items like it I could take.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 23, 2008, 11:58 AM
Depends on complexity...  Let's say the Lars Homestead dome is 2 or 3 (max) pieces of injection molded plastic.  From what I gather, that's about all it is...  That's 3 tooled pieces to form the item.  It costs $50 with its smattering of old figures.

Looking at the stackable Death Star items, you're looking at 3, 4, or so similar "items" comprised of probably similar total number of parts to make each "section".  You're already looking at $150 or so then...  Let's say $120 to be liberal though.

So is anyone willing to shell out $120-ish for 3 unique stackable little Death Star halls to display figures in?  That's ultimately the question.  Or to simplify it, would people pay $50 per section (assuming you get 3 or 4 rehashed figures too) to buy any given section?

And by "anyone" I mean mostly collectors, because honestly will kids give a **** about any piece of that first Death Star?  I doubt it.  And bear in mind also that none of those sections can have anything complex added to them (IE: lights, sounds, "working" elevators, springloaded anything, etc.).  At best maybe a door that opens ala the Hoth Turret's door or something.

I agree with you Jesse.  These sets aren't too complex.  I think that's the key to making them a success myself.  With a working door or two on each level, and the accessories removable - that's what I'd like to see.  No silly play features that distract from the aesthetic value.  I really think $50 is more than reasonable to collectors for that kind of quality too... maybe here's how I'd market a similar set -

Level 1 - w/ Stormtrooper Han, Stormtrooper Luke, Chewbacca
Level 2 - w/ Tarkin, Leia, Death Star Trooper
Level 3 - w/ Vader, Obi Wan, Stormtrooper
Level 4 - w/ C-3PO, R2-D2, Imperial Officer

For the record, I've had a number of collectors and kids alike view that Death Star custom set in person.  They really do freak out when they see it... yes, even the kids.  We have a garage sale or two each summer, and just two weeks ago we had one.  I sell off some old Star Wars stuff I don't need at them and when kids start buying stuff, my wife ALWAYS invites them in to see my Star Wars room.  Pretty neat that they always seem to gravitate to the items that Hasbro DOESN'T make.... like the custom Death Star, Star Destroyer, Imperial Fortress, etc. that Owen D. made for me.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Brian on August 25, 2008, 09:59 AM
I spent a lot of time voicing my interest in the notion of Hasbro designed props or environments to display my figures. I'm not a customizer, and wanted something different than steps or shelves to line figures up in rows. The Cantina bar and tables are great, but I need a backdrop. Reiken's map is great, but it needs an icy cave setting.

So in that sense, I really like the Lars homestead. It is a cool big prop, not a lot of tooling/assembly for the big H, etc. But $50 is too much unless the figures are better. I could go $30 or so for the dome itself given an opportunity, but I don't see something this big being re-released a dozen times like the speederbike so this may be the only shot at it.

I agree with Rob about the Sarlaac. I didn't walk out of Jedi thinking they needed a little shop of horrors monster with electronic sound effects to make the movie better, and the addition of the sar-sac is still annoying to me. But I agree that it is a cool environment choice to get some figures displayed and re-release the skiff.
 
But getting back to Jesse's point about the Falcon (another massive playset in many ways), how many of us have room for too many of these now? When I was making my noise on the subject, it was several years and several hundred figures ago. Now I bought the Falcon, and have almost completely re-done my collection room trying to fit it in- it still hasn't worked. And I have thinned out my collection considerably, probably by nearly half from strictly a storage/display standpoint.

The prequels brought a lot of new collectors in to the mix, so maybe they are in a better spot to fit some of these great monstrosities in to their collection. But I know space and storage issues have become their own threads in places, so for sure I am not alone either. For me, the time of big props may have come and gone- I like how they look, but financially and physically they don't fit very well with what I am willing to make my collection become. I may still end up with Lars homestead, but I don't know how many more items like it I could take.

I'm in much the same boat in a number of ways.  I'm not a customizer, haven't tried, so I'm more than happy that Hasbro is starting to make some diorama-type pieces to dispaly figures in and around.  Like you said, its a nice change up from lining them up on shelves or on little spice rack risers.  I'm also running into the problem of space now too, to the point where I'm thinking about dropping prequel era vehicles and larger items so I can have room for these OT set pieces (and new vehicles, if more get the BMF treatment).  I like the prequel stuff, but I'm really at the point where I'm out of room for stuff now - and like you, and others I'm guessing - I really had to work things around just to fit the Falcon somewhere.  Even though I look at the AT-TE each time I'm out, I don't know why I even consider buying it as I know its just going to have to stay in the box.  I can't really set things on the floor with a one year old, so if there's not room on the shelves, I have to pass for now.  Like I said, I'm really happy with the new interest Hasbro is showing in larger items (vehicles and environment pieces), but I do think it might force some collectors (like me) to make decisions on what to buy/pass on, or keep/sell - many of us have been buying stuff for 10 years or more, so that's a lot of crap to find room for :) - even if you only buy Star Wars (which I wish I was smart enough to do).
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: ruiner on August 25, 2008, 02:10 PM
Quote
and when kids start buying stuff, my wife ALWAYS invites them in to see my Star Wars room.

I'm just sayin'...
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt on August 25, 2008, 02:30 PM
I think some sites try too hard to "act tough" in the face of Hasbro...  I don't know how to word it really I guess, but I just get that vibe by some of the questions some sites let through.

It's simple, JJ.  Sandtroopers is keepin' it real, bitches.  They're not afraid to let Hasblow know what's up.  They're not like all these other namby-pamby sites out there, *****-footing around with their namby-pamby questions, sprinkling in their "pleases" and their "thank-yous" and all that other silly girly-man bull****.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on August 25, 2008, 10:00 PM
You can't teach that kind of awesome - you're born with it.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 28, 2008, 02:00 AM
Quote
namby-pamby

I can't stop laughing.  "Namby-pamby" indeed. :)
Title: Re: playsets
Post by: speedermike on January 20, 2010, 03:34 PM
I keep thinking of modular playsets, and the only way that that would work was this if a costumer could logically buy 2-3 of a certain set.  For instance, if they made a Death Star, you would only need 1 Conference Room.  But if they made a generic hall/doorway/elevator, you could buy 2-3 and make your own set.
Title: Re: playsets
Post by: CHEWIE on January 20, 2010, 03:53 PM
Yeah, and they'd just need to produce the "generic" areas in higher numbers.  Include a rehashed Stormtrooper and a reworked main character in each set, and they could be very popular.

But hey, I'd also buy 3-3/4" scaled versions similar to the vintage micro collection:

(http://theswca.com/images-toys/micro/micro-dsworld-catalog.jpg)

(http://www.theswca.com/images-conce/micro-rotj-2.jpg)
Title: Re: playsets
Post by: jedi_master_sal on January 20, 2010, 04:03 PM
I'd pay $200 for large killer playsets.  But would actually rather see them be made modular, and be around $40-$50 each.

heh, I've said this several times on this very site!

Even laid out the plans for different sized rooms, hallways, elevator, etc.

I keep thinking of modular playsets, and the only way that that would work was this if a costumer could logically buy 2-3 of a certain set.  For instance, if they made a Death Star, you would only need 1 Conference Room.  But if they made a generic hall/doorway/elevator, you could buy 2-3 and make your own set.

And a collector too...lol.

Seriously though, as I mentioned above, I've posted how the DS could be several playsets to come out over time.

Without repeating myself all over again (and being lazy as I don't want to find my own post) here is the basic rundown:

Rooms:
Conference Room
Red Control Room
Emperor's Throne Room
Hangar (that the Falcon was in)
Trash Compactor
Detention Center

Hallways: Each set contains parts to make it a wall or a door.
Long-twice as long as the short version
Short
Curved make either or both 45º and/or 90º curves to connect hallways/rooms

Misc other related parts:
Elevator
Interior Trench/Tractor Beam

Rooms can vary in price according to size. The Conference, Red Control, Trash Compactor and Dentention Center would be smaller sets that should cost around $30-40. The Hangar and Emepror's Throne room would cost a bit more. Since we now have a much large Falcon, the size of this "room" would be enormous. Though since it IS mostly walls, could be packed more tightly and definitely NOT be a window box. THe throne room would be smaller than the Hangar but would have more interactive stuff. (Rotating throne, stairways (one that could break apart), etc). These could come out once every quarter thereby giving everyone time to save for them as well as drum up anticipating getting the next set.

Hallways would be readily available and CHEAP. Since they are after all just hallways and nothing special, the sets should cost nor more than $10-15. Again, they would be just floor, walls, and blast doors.

Oh and these sets, both hallways and rooms would be stackable (no more than three high for safety), except the Hangar and Throne room which would likely be that high already.

Hasbro would NOT keep us in the dark about these sets. Rather they would have a carefully crafted plan to release these at the time intervals mentioned above. Having a marketing strategy in place for a year or two with this ultimate modular playset again helps we consumers plan for it, keeps us excited knowing what is coming next and when to expect it to come out. Barring a problem with the manufacturing plant, stick to the timeline.

There may be other DS environments I forgot, but you get the point.

Whew, I just can't condense that any further.

Anyway, Hasbro I feel is giving up a gold mine here that they could mine for a few years. The sets would be relatively cheap to produce. We DO NOT need figures as pack-ins for these. We already HAVE the figures. Maybe some accessories, but cheap ones. Cargo boxes come to mind as they are aplenty on the DS.

So there is is yet again...lol.
Title: Re: playsets
Post by: jedi_master_sal on January 20, 2010, 04:07 PM
Yeah, and they'd just need to produce the "generic" areas in higher numbers.  Include a rehashed Stormtrooper and a reworked main character in each set, and they could be very popular.

But hey, I'd also buy 3-3/4" scaled versions similar to the vintage micro collection:

You got your post in before mine and before I could read yours.

Not trying to sound defiant here, but really do we need more hero figures for these sets? These would clearly be directed to collectors and we don't need any more Vaders or Emperors. I suspect most of us have enough Stormtroopers by now.

Okay maybe an Imperial Officer, but a generic one. Or finally the grey suited Death Star Trooper.

But really any others beyond that are practically pointless. It would drive up the cost of the sets and one main point of these is to keep the sets at a cost the consumer will actually pay for.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on January 20, 2010, 04:52 PM
Well, I'm looking at it from more than just what I want to see - do I really want another Han or Luke?  Probably not, but it could help convince parents to buy this sort of thing for their kid it it included a core character they are familiar with.  Though if they can upgrade figures like they did on Luke for the Resurgence of the Jedi Battle Pack, then I'd absolutely have no problem with adding another Luke and company to my collection.

And I totally get what you're saying on the format of the actual environments, I've spent a lot of "spare change" on some custom ones (http://www.owenscustoms.com/VehiclesNewPageOneasofJan2006.html) in the past and there's a recent poll at Yak that seems to back up collectors being interested in a similar format.  I don't think too many collectors who actually DO want a Death Star playset would argue against it being modular (and aesthetically appealing).  I guess the real question lies in whether or not there's enough collectors willing to shell out the dough... I get the feeling there is a window that is starting to close and if Hasbro's going to do it, they need to get moving before it's too late.  Of course, if the Death Star shows up in the TV series, that's a different story and that window will be larger than ever.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JesseVader08 on January 21, 2010, 01:44 AM
I guess the real question lies in whether or not there's enough collectors willing to shell out the dough... I get the feeling there is a window that is starting to close and if Hasbro's going to do it, they need to get moving before it's too late.  Of course, if the Death Star shows up in the TV series, that's a different story and that window will be larger than ever.

Then let's hope it does show up in the TV series!  I'd love to see these modular sets come to fruition...  And sell well so that they make more.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth_Anton on January 21, 2010, 09:48 AM
I've said it before, and I'll say it again so hasbro doesn't have to dig far back into the thread for my opinion, but I'm all for the modular playsets. Fantastic idea.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darth Broem on January 22, 2010, 05:04 PM
Yep, I have said the same stuff repeatedly as well.  I just don't really get why they can't come up with a decent playset of THE most iconic environment of Star Wars.  I really love Hasbro for making such a wide range of action figures and vehicles over the years.  Why they can't tap into the Death Star is beyond me?  There is plenty of action and screen time.  All of the main characters and troopers and vehicles they have been selling repeatedly for 30 years now interact with each other inside and outside of it.  I think modular would be the logical way to go.  If they are all bent ouf of shape about the price of a single playset I understand that.  So, go the modular route.  If nothing us collectors would be all over it.  I am sure some kiddies would even go for it.  If they make it nice and not crappy like those older POTF2 things.

If they want to jazz it up with action features like cannons and such then come up with something.  You would think a toy company would just be DYING to come up with something cool related to the Death Star.  Honestly I think ever other toy company would shove something out Death Star related if they had the license.  Maybe I am wrong but if GI JOE can get a mobile playset they can do something with the Death Star.  The company that made the Star Trek toys even has a Beam Me Up (sorry I don't know the correct term) playset environment.  Granted it looks dull as hell but you know that most environments or rooms in the Death Star are a bit more action oriented and would probably do better.   

But that's my opinion.  I just think it's a shame we don't have something great involving the Death Star by now.  At least Kenner had that vintage Death Star playset that I am sure a lot of us had.  Hell they could even do something like that and just break it down into 3 seperate sets that either stack upon each other or side by side, whatever. 

Ok, I am done now.  LOL! 
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jeff on June 3, 2015, 11:04 AM
Putting this here to troll the "we want playsets" thread...  :D

Another SDCC exclusive via Entertainment Earth - KISS Alive II Stage with 1:20 Scale Action Figures (http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BBP29100&id=JE-405087801) - $159.99

That's right - $160 gets you four 3.75" scale action figures and a limited edition, light-up stage with working wireless speaker.



Makes you wonder what Hasbro could give you for Episode 7 for that same $160.  Other than just re-issuing the BMF, that is. ;)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on June 3, 2015, 02:02 PM
Rebo Band stage? 
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt_Fury on June 3, 2015, 04:35 PM
That Kiss set should come with pyrotechnics at that price!   ;D

Also, they can't just re-issue the BMF Falcon for TFA...they need to change the dish.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on June 3, 2015, 05:51 PM
I'd have been all Beavis and made my own with Sparklers as a kid.  :-X
Title: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Jesse James on April 25, 2016, 08:11 PM
"Modular playsets" have been done, and done really well, but just not by Hasbro...  I think the problem with them is they're cool to the 30+ crowd, but to a 12 and under, do stackable hallways matter?

There was a playset put out eons ago for military toys.  It was the first time I'd seen anything like it, and it's nothing you can buy now (short window of availability).  Tiny little cheapo toy company in China made it.  It was simply AWESOME!  I got mine from someone who collected 1/18 military figures, and that was how I actually heard about this thing at all.  I wish I'd bought a dozen of them at the time but alas, hindsight is always 20/20.

It is very customizable, very simple...  Walls slot into posts which plug into floor squares.  Everything is perfectly square, and can be built atop/under each other, and side-to-side, front-to-back, etc.  Walls are thin printed sheets more or less (cheap in feel and look).  It makes a cool display for really military stuff, Star Wars stuff...  almost anything.  I loved it though.  It's not amazing, but it's fun and looks neat with figures around it.

That said, I think Hasbro looks at that really for what it is...  It's like a stand on steroids for older people.  A cool way to display toys rather than play with them.  And while I personally want that too, do kids?  I honestly feel I would've at a younger age, actually.  I loved the Terror Drome playset, and it was the action in the little hallways underneath that you could open and play in that I enjoyed the most as a kid.  But I was a weird kid (and adult), so do kids today want that or do they want a playset with all the bells/whistles that make up something like we're accustomed to seeing from Hasbro?  I think they'd lean that way with one, not in the stackable display route.  I mean, the TFA Falcon kind of sums it up.  But hey, any year anything is possible at this point too.  Hasbro has every year to try something else out, if they want.

I have seen some cool things in the world of customizable displays or "playsets" though, but I just don't think Hasbro's going to bite on something like that, as a big Christmas time toy/gift idea. 

And looking at what garage casters have done, it's doable on the small scale, but it ain't cheap for the buyer.  :-X  Also a risk of dealing with someone who just decides life's in the way and they can't get it done...  even if they've been paid.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: CHEWIE on June 16, 2016, 12:43 PM
That said, I think Hasbro looks at that really for what it is...  It's like a stand on steroids for older people.  A cool way to display toys rather than play with them.  And while I personally want that too, do kids?  I honestly feel I would've at a younger age, actually.  I loved the Terror Drome playset, and it was the action in the little hallways underneath that you could open and play in that I enjoyed the most as a kid.  But I was a weird kid (and adult), so do kids today want that or do they want a playset with all the bells/whistles that make up something like we're accustomed to seeing from Hasbro?  I think they'd lean that way with one, not in the stackable display route.  I mean, the TFA Falcon kind of sums it up.  But hey, any year anything is possible at this point too.  Hasbro has every year to try something else out, if they want.

Honestly, I think they do like that stuff.  I know my son and his friends do.  When they play with their toys, it's all about having "a base" for the good guys, and "a base" for the bad guys.

Star Wars, army men, Imaginext, whatever they play with - that's what they want to focus on... setting the guys up in their respective bases, and then having a battle with the figures.

Just look at TRU - in the cheap 3.75" lines, they have numerous playsets.  Military headquarters, adventure jungle playsets, mountain playsets, dinosaur playsets, etc.   Hasbro is just stuck in a mentality that they don't want to do it.  If they want to, and invest in it right, it can and probably would be very successful.  It's just not in their mindset.  I've pretty much given up any faith in Hasbro on this front though now - and on many fronts.  I pretty much think they suck these days on most levels.  I think the only hope is that Disney farms these things out to another company.

BTW, the Terror Drome is a perfect example (a Death Stay playset in that spirit would be awesome).  My kid wants a Terror Drome so damn bad.  I guess it's getting to be about time that I finally look to restore my vintage one for him.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Scockery on June 16, 2016, 10:28 PM
Most of modern Star Wars' play sets have been half-baked.

The POTF2 ones were more like set pieces for a stage version of Star Wars. The most realized set being the Hoth one, which was of course, the one of the four that needed updating from vintage the least (and they still got the turret wrong). I never owned the carbon freeze set, though...was that POTJ?

The cardstock diorama set were great display pieces, but a kid would destroy those in a few days.

Episode one...the generator duel wasn't much. The hanger was hampered by the Qui-Gonn electronic WOOKIE RAGE Jedi attack figure (it was sort of fun to make a small Liam Neeson attack everything). Oh, and that R2 case that was sort of a trade federation hall way. Yeah.

Episode 2....the Geonosis Arena had potential, the idea of smaller sets connecting to it. But it didn't look good. I never owned one. Later modded in COBRA MOUNTAIN...why did Cobra have battle droid parts on the floor?

Episode 3. Akator Mustafar....if they'd made the bottom a separatist control room, it would've felt substantial instead of just a big stand for Anakin and Obi-Wan.

I sort of understand Hasbro. There were always large vehicles they could make instead.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Jesse James on June 17, 2016, 01:59 AM
Honestly, I think they do like that stuff.  I know my son and his friends do.  When they play with their toys, it's all about having "a base" for the good guys, and "a base" for the bad guys.

And thus God created Lego, a company who does it better because, well, they've had decades of experience and the built-in product design/manufacturing for kids to "make bases".  So why would Hasbro attempt to get into the "customizable base" idea where kids can build their own creation?  Why try to compete in an arena you're woefully outmatched in?  That's not smart business...  Kreo anyone?  They even see THAT model as the smarter direction to go, for that kind of product.  They wanted a piece of it, and basically realized (I think) that getting a piece of that isn't very easy.

Nevermind the fact you're ignoring my point about "Playsets"...  Kid's like "Playsets", which you cited like the cheapo chap mei, out of scaled, printed plastic, action featurey, detail lacking things most people would call a "playset".  I'd agree with that.  It has kid-appealing things.  It's NOT a stackable, expandable, hallway.  It's not the Death Star hallway, with a Death Star Control Room that can attach to it left, right, forward, back, up, or down...  Which I think is a cool thing, but it's nothing more than a glorified display stand than a "playset".  The two things aren't one-in-the-same.  And what happens when that Chap Mei copycat Playset comes out from Hasbro?  And at a probably inflated price?  Endless complaining from collectors...  maybe not kids, but collectors, incessant bitching.  Collectors nitpick EVERYTHING.  People poo poo'd the Bespin Freeze set (I kinda like it) (and yes, it's POTJ Scockery), and every other set they've made.

What Hasbro makes will be out of scale, feature oversized, springloaded weapons, it'll have "action features", it'll have "Play value"...  It won't be Emperor Palpatine's private bathroom or the red control room from the Death Star Hangar...  It'll be a sphere that opens up, it might mix micromachines to make small environments out of larger scenes, it'll have a couple spaces with crammed in features and stuff, some cheap printed panels to convey a larger space, cheap plastic...  cheap.  Or cheap feeling, by a collector's POV anyway. 

Actually, it's funny...  Hasbro does kinda suck in many ways, at least as a dedicated collector's concerned (myself included)...  They're not focused on us, and that's hitting people emotionally in different ways.  For me, I have other things I'm interested in and a myriad of ways I can spend my time, $, etc., so I don't look at Hasbro as something I should treat as a dartboard beacuse they're not catering to me.  They're a business, and a quite large one with shareholders, and they have their responsibilities.  And they're making $, so they're smarter than collectors apparently realize.  I want an expansive SA quality 3.75" line for TFA...  I don't have TFA Han in his regular coat, with Super Articulation.  That blows. 

I want super duper hallway displays I can stack and customize in any way I see fit too.  Used to talk about 'em on Rebelscum, long before I was here even.  But I also know Hasbro would NEVER make something like that so I don't wish for it and torture myself.  Why dwell on it?  Where we differ is simply I say it's NOT possible for them to do that, and it be profitable.  I believe them on that.  They're capable of doing it, just not making it make money. 

Every set Scockery listed above has been lambasted...  I hate them too.  I don't want that.  But I also realize what I want is really just a stand on roids.  And that I'm sure I'll be happier with anything I make myself over whatever Hasbro attempted, because Hasbro has limitations they have to live by to make $ as they're designed.

The fact you think the Terror Drome is a perfect example of what Hasbro SHOULD recreate today as a Death Star?  C'mon man!  I didn't think we'd get something like that in the 90's or early 2000's, much less NOW.  I'd suggest getting a dust rag and some grey and black spray paint, as I don't feel you'll see anything like the greatness that was the toy overload of GIJ:ARAH in the 80's.  Especially when kid's attention spans aren't there because they aren't the kids of the 80's anymore.  It's been a few decades, and things have changed.

It's funny though...  How spoiled were we from 2005-2012 at least?  A 2007 slideshow alone is what Hasbro could walk up to ANY collector who's been through it all, smack them in the mouth for complaining, and drop the mic.  :-X
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: JediJman on June 17, 2016, 11:00 PM
Well, the amount of money they are missing out on is what stuns me.  I have bought 2-3 vintage death stars in the last few years alone and own 7 total.  None are from my childhood.  Without anything significant to buy from Hasbro, I've spent thousands on third party Transformers.  Missed opportunity.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Jesse James on June 18, 2016, 02:30 PM
Yeah but that's like saying Dodge is missing out on selling 69 Charger replicas because you own a couple originals.  To make that, it'd cost X and they'd have to sell Y to be profitable...  Just because you are buying old ones and want them to do new ones doesn't mean that's a good idea for them, or that it's going to make them $ guaranteed.

It might, but making that DS is way different in 1978/79 than it is in 2016.

It's back to my original point that I want cool stands on steroids like Death Star halls you can stack and connect, but I'm one guy, and they need to sell to a lot of kids and others and simply don't feel that concept will work to that group.  It'll work to me/collectors...  We are an ever shrinking group though.  :-\

We are also kings of waiting on sales and clearances...  Playing a waiting game is an art with adult collectors. 

So while they're leaving your thousands on the table, the $ they feel they'd lose on investing in that product outweighs it I guess. 
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Scockery on June 18, 2016, 04:43 PM
Who was making the unofficial Ewok village huts?
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Muftak on June 18, 2016, 05:37 PM
Twelfth Parsec makes "Space Trees" and "Desert Dens."

(http://m2.miiduu.com/store2/105904/image/cache/data/201502/F-main-300x500.jpg)(http://m2.miiduu.com/store2/105904/image/cache/data/201502/rsz_f_front_elect_reg-300x500.jpg)

http://twelfthparsec.miiduu.com/ (http://twelfthparsec.miiduu.com/)

And as for Rogue One playsets...

(http://forum.rebelscum.com/photogallery/data/500/R1_Box_Art_Concept.jpg)

(That's not real though, just a mock-up featuring my Yavin IV playset design.)
Title: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Nicklab on June 19, 2016, 10:16 AM
I think we're absolutely going to be in store for a different looking toy line when both the ROGUE ONE and Episode 8 toy lines launch.  Hasbro and the other licensees have a ton of new data from the retailers that will show what sold and what didn't.  I think that some of the gimmick/novelty stuff will move to the wayside and the segments of the line that did sell well will get a little more attention.  It's basic business and Hasbro, like any other savvy business, will invest in the segments of the line that were the most profitable.  So will the Battlers continue?  Or what about the Micro Machines?  How about the Hero Series 12"?  I think that segments like that are vulnerable, while the 3.75" figure system could use some retooling, and I think they're also going to continue to pursue the roleplay line.

I've pretty much given up on the notion of Hasbro producing playsets.  It just seems like a dead issue, and I'm tired of getting my hopes up.  Continuing to talk about it just seems crazy.  The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same over and over again while expecting a different outcome.  Rather, I think that the future of playsets with adult collectors lies in 3D printers and a network of fans who are building the things that they want.  BTW, thanks for that link, Muftak!  I really like the look of the twelfth parsec offerings.

There's also the matter of where does the toy industry go from here?  And I think we're in a transitional period.  The action figure sector has changed.  Manufacturing in China is much more expensive now than it was during the PT era.  I know some people are banking on this notion of the 40th anniversary.  Maybe Hasbro is holding back for that?  Who knows. 
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Darth_Anton on June 19, 2016, 10:33 AM
Twelfth Parsec makes "Space Trees" and "Desert Dens."

And as for Rogue One playsets...

(That's not real though, just a mock-up featuring my Yavin IV playset design.)

Hey, didn't you develop these with a member of this forum and then cut him out so you didn't have to share your profits?
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Muftak on June 19, 2016, 10:43 AM
Hey, didn't you develop these with a member of this forum and then cut him out so you didn't have to share your profits?

Wrong guy I think.

I have no hand in the Twelfth Parsec stuff and no knowledge of their history.

My "boutique brand" is Cardboard Galaxy. And there's no profit in CBG, just fun.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Darth_Anton on June 19, 2016, 10:44 AM
Hey, didn't you develop these with a member of this forum and then cut him out so you didn't have to share your profits?

Wrong guy I think.

I have no hand in the Twelfth Parsec stuff and no knowledge of their history.

My "boutique brand" is Cardboard Galaxy. And there's no profit in CBG, just fun.

My apologies to you then.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Darth_Anton on June 19, 2016, 10:48 AM
Sincerely, I jumped the gun there. Twelfth parsec did do that to a close friend of mine, so it chaps my hide to see them promoted.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Muftak on June 19, 2016, 05:53 PM
Sincerely, I jumped the gun there. Twelfth parsec did do that to a close friend of mine, so it chaps my hide to see them promoted.

No worries.  ;D

If that's true then my esteem for their work has dropped considerably. This hobby is hollow without its ability to build ties between fellow collectors.

Karma will get them theirs.  >:D

Back on topic, I believe a lot of what Nicklab wrote is true, but I don't think Hasbro feels they had too many "misses" with the last Force Friday offerings. I expect more of the same from them this time out.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Jesse James on June 20, 2016, 01:22 AM
Hasbro made $ and didn't lose...  It's not like they're doing things wrong really, it's just a matter of whether you like it or not ya know?  They've always made things that didn't work and things that did, so I honestly don't see things changing much either.  It's also, as I've said before I know, uncharted waters not only for us but them.  A movie a year for Star Wars is very different than this line ever had to deal with.  Kinda weird to see what they may look at doing differently going forward.

Re: Twelfth Parsec, that sounds like an interesting story, and that this was an honest mistake... so thank you for the apology to Muftak, Anton.  No harm no foul.  I tend not to promote things unless I'm sure it's a legitimate dealio, especially on the front page.  Twelfth Parsec appears to be, but not all of these "garage kit" guys are and that can bite you in the ass IMO.

I think the future, if one is there for these playset/diorama display things, really only exists with these guys building stuff out of their garage for people in small runs.  And clearly they're priced where you either can afford it if you want it bad enough, or you just didn't want it that bad in the first place.  :-X

And the garage model kit world is like that too...  They're resin, they're usually pricey...  But if it's your bag, you'll pay it.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Nicklab on June 20, 2016, 10:33 AM
Kind of bummed to hear that there may have been some chicanery and shenanigans with regard to Twelfth Parsec.  But with any situation like that the reality may be a little different from any one person's perspective on things.  I don't have a dog in that fight other than to regard some of the product as being very cool to look at.

As for Hasbro reevaluating post THE FORCE AWAKENS?  Like I said, some of the novelty items will probably be the area where we see the more sweeping changes.  And I think there will be more fine tuning with the 3.75" figure system.  Notably in some of the assortments.  Buyers seemed to focus much more on buying main characters and troops this time around.  Third tier characters like Goss Toowers, PZ-4CO, Zuvio, etc seem like they might get a little less love from Hasbro this time around.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: P-Siddy on June 20, 2016, 01:05 PM
Third tier characters like Goss Toowers, PZ-4CO, Zuvio, etc seem like they might get a little less love from Hasbro this time around.

I just hope that Hasbro doesn't take this as, "Why should we release the Tonnika Sisters or Sim Aloo.  Background characters don't sell."  I believe fans would prefer those characters from the OT and PT than the NT.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Dave on June 20, 2016, 01:54 PM
Third tier characters like Goss Toowers, PZ-4CO, Zuvio, etc seem like they might get a little less love from Hasbro this time around.

I just hope that Hasbro doesn't take this as, "Why should we release the Tonnika Sisters or Sim Aloo.  Background characters don't sell."  I believe fans would prefer those characters from the OT and PT than the NT.

I just think their character mix was off.  Too many background characters packed with not enough heroes. 

For the most part I appreciate all the blink and you miss them characters they created for us, but they needed more Rey, Chewie, Kylo Ren, etc. mixed in.  You almost never saw those figures on the pegs, and if you did they didn't last for more than a day before they were snapped up.

I hope with all the new movies coming in rapid succession they find a way to have a constantly evolving mix of heroes, background characters, OT, PT, ST, Rebels, Clone Wars, and EU all thrown together.  I think if they try and have individual lines for each successive movie they risk missing the mark with the short window they'll have between movies.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Nicklab on June 20, 2016, 03:24 PM
Third tier characters like Goss Toowers, PZ-4CO, Zuvio, etc seem like they might get a little less love from Hasbro this time around.

I just hope that Hasbro doesn't take this as, "Why should we release the Tonnika Sisters or Sim Aloo.  Background characters don't sell."  I believe fans would prefer those characters from the OT and PT than the NT.

I just think their character mix was off.  Too many background characters packed with not enough heroes. 


This is probably spot on.  But the lack of scarcity of the core characters was definitely an issue after a while.  Poe and Kylo Ren were probably the more plentiful of the core characters.  But Rey, Finn and Han Solo all became a bit tougher to track down in the basic figure line.  Especially after the movie had been released.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Diddly on June 20, 2016, 04:47 PM
I believe more casuals, i.e. women, were buying figures too, if the #wheresrey movement showed us anything. And they were not the people buying Sarco Plank figures.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Darby on June 21, 2016, 01:08 AM
I think - relative to the character selection - it was a situation where Hasbro was stranded between what they could and couldn't show, and there was no real '2nd tier' in this movie. There was front line main characters, defended against day one spoilers, and people who had nothing to do with anything and therefore were ok to promote, except those characters by and large either got pushed into deep background (the equivalent of Kenner leading out with say Wuher in 1978) or pushed out of the movie altogether (Zuvio, Sarco Plank). So that's one aspect that I don't think worked, especially in the wave with PZ and Hux where the majority is people not on screen.

So the combo of not enough Rey relative to the seeming avalanche of Who the F is this has made for some odd pegs at retail, but as others have pointed out, Hasbro has clearly $$$ in on TFA and isn't looking back. There will be come course corrections with Rogue One (Rey all over the place, maybe less who is this, but doubtful - that ship has largely sailed) but all in all TFA got SW back on track in the toy aisle and that matters. It's not all fun and games but then, it hasn't been for a lot of us for a long time.

Playsets - just not a factor anymore in SW. Clearly Playmates is giving it a go, but the play pattern for SW has been broken for a very long time. It's about the figures and nothing else. LEGO owns environments and until Hasbro finds some answer or counter to that, we've seen the last of anything outside of significant vehicle / playset combos (Falcon, AT-AT, etc.)
Title: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Qui-Gon Jim on June 21, 2016, 08:23 AM
Hasbro has eschewed playsets in lieu of "environments" like the play features of the Falcon.  It isn't really what we consider a playset but it serves the same purpose.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Matt_Fury on June 21, 2016, 09:21 AM
While I loved the playsets that came out with Vintage (the Death Star was one of my favorite toys as a kid), I honestly wonder how seomething like that would be received today.

I have the Mustafarr playset from ROTS and think it's a decent effort, much like the AOTC Geonosis Arena.  Both of those were not received that well.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Muftak on June 21, 2016, 04:24 PM
While I loved the playsets that came out with Vintage (the Death Star was one of my favorite toys as a kid), I honestly wonder how seomething like that would be received today.

Today a Death Star playset would look a lot like this:

(http://www.toyhypeusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtle-Movie-2-Technodrome-Playset-14.jpg)

...and collectors would love loathe it.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Jesse James on June 21, 2016, 04:40 PM
Yup.  THAT is a playset.  A 6"x6" floor with a wall is a stand on steroids. :)  Once that is universally agreed upon we can have a more honest debate on the topic.

Hasbro does tons of things I don't like and won't do things I wish they would...  I get it though, on this one.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: JediJman on June 21, 2016, 10:00 PM
Yeah but that's like saying Dodge is missing out on selling 69 Charger replicas because you own a couple originals.  To make that, it'd cost X and they'd have to sell Y to be profitable...  Just because you are buying old ones and want them to do new ones doesn't mean that's a good idea for them, or that it's going to make them $ guaranteed.

That might be the worst analogy. Ever.   ;)  Look, the "We can't make enough money on this" bit is so tired and overplayed and frankly, lazy.  These things have a fixed cost.  If you need to make more profit from them because you estimate low volume, then charge a premium.  Make it an exclusive.  It can't possibly sit around any more than a number of the random vehicles like Finn's Dunebuggy or even Ray's Speeder that dropped down to $5 clearance.  People said Hasbro couldn't make a 6" line work at $20 either, but that line is constantly in demand outside of stores that get bogged down with Zuvios and Finns, and I know zero kids that are collecting 6".

I don't want to get on a bash Hasbro session, but I seriously doubt they have any solid data on how much of their product gets purchased by collectors vs. kids.  I know kids that have Star Wars toys and my collection is easily 100 times beyond what any of them has.  You would need an awful lot of kids to make up for the buying power of a serious adult collector.  I work in Consumer Research for a CPG company and in many cases you have 20-30% of the buyers accounting for 70-80% of the volume.  I'd be surprised if Star Wars was much different.  I've never once been polled or surveyed despite 20 years of collecting and daily activity posting about Star Wars toys and neither has any collector that I know.  Exactly what data is Hasbro basing their analyses on?  And this all assumes kids don't like playsets - you know, like the ones Lego constantly sells out of.   ::)

Conversely, think about the added benefits from selling playsets.  Collectors and kids already have a plethora of figures and ships.  Each additional ship or figure can become diminishing returns, but a playset could be new and more appealing.  It's also a companion piece to the rest of the line.  If someone buys a playset, they're likely also buying a few figures to join it.  Sure, many would have bought figures anyway, but there's a level of incremental figure sales that accompany ships and playsets.  Making them modular can drive "army building" as well, so you'll benefit from some people buying multiples, whereas it's unlikely that someone is going to stock up on most characters or ships.  There's a lot of rationale that these could succeed in the face of a blanket "playsets aren't profitable" stance.

Getting off my soapbox now...
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Nicklab on June 22, 2016, 10:16 AM
The part of this playset equation that really needs more attention is what do the retailers want?  Because the retailers are on the front lines here and they've got the sales data.  Very likely they're seeing things like Force FX lightsabers or vehicles selling in higher volume than the playsets.  Those are the sorts of offerings that would occupy the shelf space where you would probably find a playset.  And those tend to sell in fairly high volume.

Likewise, look at a line like GI Joe.  Hasbro owns that IP, which means no licensing royalties, which translates to lower costs/higher profit margins.  Well, when is the last time that GI Joe offered a really large vehicle or playset?  And what about the Marvel licenses?  The last really big item they offered was the Helicarrier.  The trend across these licenses seems to be a smaller retail shelfspace footprint and only rarely going into that $100+ price range.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Dave on June 22, 2016, 10:28 AM
I think there are two things we're talking about:
1 - a kid oriented environment/playset
2 - collector oriented environment/display

I get it that maybe #1 doesn't have a huge market, but I'm surprised Hasbro/Disney hasn't sub-licensed the collector oriented environment/display, maybe even as a shared exclusive for EE or someplace.

I know there have been a few marginal attempts at this over the years, but as I recall the price points were crazy high (someone refresh my memory on the company and price point - I think they were $100+ and not modular - sort of like nice reproductions of some of the classic mail away displays).

I find it hard to believe that someone couldn't engineer and produce a semi-generic Death Star / Star Destroyer / Blockade Runner / Starkiller Base hallway environments at a reasonable price.  I know some 3D printer garage shop guys have done hallway environments, but this needs to be an injection molded higher run product that gets distributed through a professional company.  I know I would likely buy a handful of these to act as stands and display environments.  How many of us have bought hundreds of Hasbro and non-Hasbro stands to display our figures???

Back in the day Kenner got halfway there with their mail away Arena Display.  Something like this concept with some vertical supports that could allow you to stack them and build environments couldn't be that hard to pull off.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7vYZVBCMAArUo7.jpg)


I'm sure some kids would buy them too, especially if you were clever about how accessories and other items could plug in to the environment.  You could make them a mail away and online shared exclusive.  And they could be refreshed with new accessories or inserts with each new movie.  For example, it looks like a chunk of Rogue One is taking place inside of Star Destroyers and the Death Star. 

This seems like a no-brainer.

Where is EE when you need them?  I'm guessing Hasbro just won't let anyone do this.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Scockery on June 22, 2016, 04:00 PM
Some of those backgrounds never made sense. Look how close Yoda's picture is to the figures on display. He's huge. Who is standing on an  asteroid in space watching the Falcon being pursued?
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Muftak on June 22, 2016, 06:29 PM
I know there have been a few marginal attempts at this over the years, but as I recall the price points were crazy high (someone refresh my memory on the company and price point - I think they were $100+ and not modular - sort of like nice reproductions of some of the classic mail away displays).

There were Action Figure Display Dioramas made by a company called Pride displays back in 2006...

(http://www.toyzmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sw-dio05.jpg)

They were officially licensed and sold for $60. They made 3000 in their initial run and couldn't sell through.

They didn't market them well IMHO. Clearly these were designed to hold the two waves of vintage ANH figures, but they didn't want to spell that out and alienate modern figure collectors. People poo-pooed them (myself included at the time) as too retro and too pricey for being "just a stand."

The company went out of business before they could release designs intended for ESB and ROTJ vintage lines...

(http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/users/3011/13/96/10/album/2006_p10.jpg) (http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i306/DSJcdn/Stormtrippers%20Customs/ROTJPrideDisplay.jpg)

...as well as planning to finally throw modern collectors a genuine bone with a ROTS themed display...

(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i306/DSJcdn/Stormtrippers%20Customs/ROTSPrideDisplay.jpg)

Definitely not playsets. Nor marketed as such.

Definitely a failure, business-wise. And the last thing tried in the Star Wars realm that was a display or a playset.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: McMetal on June 22, 2016, 09:34 PM
My local comic shop has one of those for sale and while I always found it curious, I never considered buying one because it seemed like a cheap knockoff, not a proper Hasbro release. I would for sure be interested in some official play sets though.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Scockery on June 22, 2016, 11:15 PM
What were those grey action figure displays that were stackable and space themed. IIRC, they had swappable foot pegs. Can't remember the name of them.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Muftak on June 23, 2016, 07:47 AM
What were those grey action figure displays that were stackable and space themed. IIRC, they had swappable foot pegs. Can't remember the name of them.

Those were the Ultarama...

(http://www.toymania.com/sdcc2000/images/ultarama_3.jpg)

I had some of those back in 2000! They weren't expensive, but  they were extremely generic. Still, I was glad to have something figure-specific in the days before I was brave enough to build my own...
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: JediJman on June 23, 2016, 12:22 PM
I own the Tatooine Pride Display.  It's definitely not what I would call a "Cheap knock off".  The plastic is high quality and equal if not superior to the vintage playset materials.  The stand and background are really high quality too.  I never heard about these when they came out, but bought one a few years back off Craigslist along with some vintage figures.  Its a really nice piece and I absolutely would have bought others if they were ever produced.  I'd agree that the failure was probably more marketing driven than any issues with the product itself.

I also bought up several of the Ulteramma stands and still have a handful of them.  They were a great design with swappable footpegs for new or vintage characters. You can put a cool background on it to enhance the scene.  I actually printed my own backgrounds and connected them into a circle vs. a half circle.  Then I put it on a lazy susan that allowed me to rotate it 360 degrees like a retail display.   Of course, I tried stacking it too high and it was a bit wobbly, and it felt like it took up a lot of space for the number of figures I could get on there (think round pizzas vs. square).  Cool concept though and it has a nice Death Star feel to it with the gray plating.

That said, these are really more of a "stand" than a "playset" in my opinion.  I'm looking for something more similar to what Dave suggested.  Stackable, connecting hallways, maybe with some cool blast doors or windows or trap doors.  You could make something smaller like this in the $20ish price range, or maybe a larger set that the smaller hallways can connect to.  The added ability to customize and make it your own would likely appeal to collectors and kids alike.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Scockery on June 23, 2016, 04:31 PM
Those were the Ultarama...

I had some of those back in 2000! They weren't expensive, but  they were extremely generic. Still, I was glad to have something figure-specific in the days before I was brave enough to build my own...

Thanks. I knew it was something-rama...  :D Kept thinking Build-A-Rama, but that's a site for military model dio stuff.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Nicklab on June 23, 2016, 05:17 PM
I know there have been a few marginal attempts at this over the years, but as I recall the price points were crazy high (someone refresh my memory on the company and price point - I think they were $100+ and not modular - sort of like nice reproductions of some of the classic mail away displays).

There were Action Figure Display Dioramas made by a company called Pride displays back in 2006...

(http://www.toyzmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sw-dio05.jpg)

They were officially licensed and sold for $60. They made 3000 in their initial run and couldn't sell through.

They didn't market them well IMHO. Clearly these were designed to hold the two waves of vintage ANH figures, but they didn't want to spell that out and alienate modern figure collectors. People poo-pooed them (myself included at the time) as too retro and too pricey for being "just a stand."

The company went out of business before they could release designs intended for ESB and ROTJ vintage lines...

(http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/users/3011/13/96/10/album/2006_p10.jpg) (http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i306/DSJcdn/Stormtrippers%20Customs/ROTJPrideDisplay.jpg)

...as well as planning to finally throw modern collectors a genuine bone with a ROTS themed display...

(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i306/DSJcdn/Stormtrippers%20Customs/ROTSPrideDisplay.jpg)

Definitely not playsets. Nor marketed as such.

Definitely a failure, business-wise. And the last thing tried in the Star Wars realm that was a display or a playset.

I really, REALLY wanted that ROTS set.  It would have made for a fantastic Palpatine's office diorama.  But I take it the only one that got released was the Tatooine set.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: JediJman on June 23, 2016, 05:46 PM
I really, REALLY wanted that ROTS set.  It would have made for a fantastic Palpatine's office diorama.  But I take it the only one that got released was the Tatooine set.

Yeah - I love that Jabba's palace set too with a spot for Carbo Han on the wall.  Unfortunately all they ever produced was the first Tatooine one.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: CHEWIE on June 24, 2016, 04:35 PM
I wanted the ROTS set as well for a Palpatine throne room.  Years ago, I even contacted whatever company in the UK that was distributing it - they had a preorder for it for a long time before finally taking it off their website.  I thought the ROTS and Jabba sets looked the coolest.  This was a nice concept, but I didn't like the first set because it was too vintage-esque for me.

Like I said in my earlier post in this thread, I've given up on Hasbro on this front in any capacity whatsoever.  I hope somehow Disney farms out something to a company that could figure it out someday, but I see this whole concept as a missed opportunity and "what could have been" - and expect it to always be that way now.  The only way it will ever really succeed is if someone puts the resources in to do it right rather than the handful of half-ass attempts Hasbro has grudgingly done in the past.

Anyone buy any of the McFarlane Walking Dead lego-esque sets that actually look realistic?  I've bought a few.  Would think that would be an awesome concept for 3.75" scale stuff.  Also the Galactic Merchants stuff is fun.  But they couldn't keep up with the demand/etc. 

I've been buying cool stuff from HoleinthegroundPro for a while now.  It requires some painting on your own skills, but it's fantastic stuff.

Next set from them I plan on picking up is this:

(http://www.holeinthegroundpro.com/images/starship%20wall%20and%20doorway%20web.jpg)

http://www.holeinthegroundpro.com/dioramas.html


Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: CHEWIE on June 24, 2016, 04:42 PM
Regarding Twelfth Parsec, I'm not privy to whatever was being discussed, so if anyone cares to PM me, I'd be interested as I used to promote their work.  I also own several of their items (pretty nice quality, but I still do not prefer 3D printing quality to old school processes... at least not based on the products I've purchased).
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: evenflow on June 27, 2016, 02:27 PM
That Jabba set is awesome. I don't remember that one.
Title: Re: Re: Rogue One Toy Rumors
Post by: Nicklab on June 27, 2016, 03:35 PM
What were those grey action figure displays that were stackable and space themed. IIRC, they had swappable foot pegs. Can't remember the name of them.

Those were the Ultarama...

(http://www.toymania.com/sdcc2000/images/ultarama_3.jpg)

I had some of those back in 2000! They weren't expensive, but  they were extremely generic. Still, I was glad to have something figure-specific in the days before I was brave enough to build my own...

I've got several Ultaramas.  And they were pretty good for what they were at the time.  They're definitely pretty durable.
Title: Re: TFA 3.75
Post by: CHEWIE on August 1, 2016, 01:48 PM
Speaking of Playskool, anyone else noticed that Hasbro is now experimenting with playsets in that line, but not the 3.75" line?
Title: Re: Re: TFA 3.75
Post by: Scockery on August 1, 2016, 03:48 PM
Speaking of Playskool, anyone else noticed that Hasbro is now experimenting with playsets in that line, but not the 3.75" line?

Mattel has huge business from its similar kiddie offerings. Hall of Doom, hall of Justice and various Batcaves.

They can also release an army builder pack for Playskool, but the most recent 3 3/4" is online only.
Title: Re: Re: TFA 3.75
Post by: CHEWIE on August 1, 2016, 08:55 PM
I've always been in awe of how well Imaginext does with playsets... my son (age 9) and his friends STILL use them for stuff - Walking Dead, GI JOE and Star Wars...
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jeff on August 3, 2016, 12:58 PM
Attention CHEWIE (and playset fans) - please don't pass out when you hear the JD Q&A with Hasbro, which we finally managed to get posted today (thanks, tech issues!  ::)).

Playset talk is at the end (around minute 9) -> https://soundcloud.com/jedidefender/hasbro_sdcc_2016_qa
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 3, 2016, 09:41 PM
Yup, it sounds like at least someone at Hasbro has them on their radar...  I only hope people buy them if (when?) they come to fruition.  If they're hallways, I'll be shocked. :P
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 7, 2016, 11:38 PM
Ha ha, yes!

It does sound really interesting.  I think something may be indeed be on the horizon!  Whether or not it's something that really appeals to the old guys like me... kind of doubt it.  But, that's okay - I do believe there's some 3rd party stuff coming really soon that's exactly what I've been hoping for... and the price is going to be fair...

Very nice QnA, by the way...
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 8, 2016, 02:00 AM
You should check out a story we did recently on Galactic Trading Post's "Space Walls".  This is more in tune with what you want for a display. They're 1/12 but are working on other things.  It's in the story here:  http://www.jedidefender.com/index.php?id=2136

They're quality pieces, I can attest.  No fuss no muss, and endlessly customizable.  Basically only limited by your budget but not expensive for what they are by any means. 
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 8, 2016, 10:26 AM
Yep, that's who I'm referring to!  I was on vacation away from the interwebs when you posted that article.  What they are doing is extremely exciting and I think looks better than the Galactic Merchants stuff.... just hope they can fulfill demand and don't get in over their heads like Galactic Merchants did.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 8, 2016, 09:10 PM
They're already miles ahead...  Injection molding with a high grade plastic, etc.  already fulfilled initial run.  Their stuff is outstanding.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 18, 2016, 01:48 PM
I placed my first order today.  I'd say these guys have pretty much "nailed it" - this is exactly the type of thing I've been begging to be made now for years. 

Once the 3.75" ones are available, I'm going to probably drop a few hundred bucks on that first order.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediJman on August 19, 2016, 12:06 AM
I placed my first order today.  I'd say these guys have pretty much "nailed it" - this is exactly the type of thing I've been begging to be made now for years. 

Once the 3.75" ones are available, I'm going to probably drop a few hundred bucks on that first order.

Thanks for the tip.  I just placed an order for two of the core sets and one add on set.  I was going to get two add on sets, but it knocked the shipping up from $27 to $45.  Woot!?  I must have crossed a threshold for shipping. 
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 19, 2016, 03:42 PM
I ordered the starter set and two add on sets.

I'm so sick and tired of Hasbro right now that as soon as the 3.75" sets are available, I'm going to drop a few hundred more bucks on these things.  Hasbro is so out of touch, I'm honestly getting sick and tired of them with the brand.  They have handled the 3.75" line so poorly these past several years; there's no excuses for it.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediJman on August 20, 2016, 04:11 PM
For anyone else ordering, be sure to play around with different options for shipping. 

1 x Wave One Starter Pack = $9.95
2 x Wave One Starter Pack = $27   :o
2 x Wave One Starter Pack & 1x ACS 2pk = $27  (no change vs. above)
2 x Wave One Starter Pack & 2x ACS 2pk = $45   :o
1 x ACS 2pk = $4

If I had ordered my 2x Starters and the ACS 2pk all as individual orders, it would only cost $24 to ship in three packages vs. conveniently grouping them together for $3 more.  I sent their CS a head's up, so hopefully they're getting this fixed.  They also kindly offered to include free shipping on the second ACS 2-pack I was hoping to buy, so that got me back to about what it would have cost to ship each item separately.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on August 21, 2016, 07:20 AM
On a related note, has anyone bought the Star Wars Blueprints Classic Deathstar Deluxe Pack Building Kit (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UC40D5G/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=XQXWWURIJPMS&coliid=I1DNQ6UI3FHE17)?  I've seen it on Amazon and I saw it in TRU yesterday.  And since I'm now in the process of working on my collection room I'm thinking of possibly getting this piece for a ROTJ Throne Room duel diorama.

....Just without the ridiculous looking cardboard figures.   ;D

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91%2BZ97a19OL._SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Scockery on August 21, 2016, 12:49 PM
But with the creepy effeminate boy, right?  :P
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on August 21, 2016, 12:58 PM
Yeah, for that added Children of the Corn effect.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediJman on August 22, 2016, 04:57 PM
That would make an awesome Kubrick display...
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2016, 10:55 PM
Got my order of 6 inch walls today, damn these are really impressive.  They are pretty much exactly what I've been begging for Hasbro to make for quite a while now.  I can recall a few years ago mocking up something very similar to this as a "would be awesome SDCC reveals" fake presentation.  I'm so happy!!!

Once they get the 3.75" sets in stock, I can see myself dropping a hundreds of $$ right off the bat,  maybe closer to a 1k order.  These are that good and are a game changer for displaying a collection. 

Hasbro really missed the boat, in my book. 
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 22, 2016, 11:42 PM
Pics...

(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=7258&t=1)

(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=7261&t=1)

(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=7259&t=1)

(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=7257&t=1)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dave on August 23, 2016, 05:19 PM
Thanks for posting.  How do these stay standing?
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 23, 2016, 08:56 PM
You clip them and they kind of hold themselves up on a flat surface...  Many people are using a piece of glass painted black on one side for a shiny floor of sorts.  I'd like to see the guys at the company come up with a floor solution themselves, but floors mean more cost, so it's kind of a weighed decision ultimately.   If you had them on a shelf with a back to it, you can just set them up to cover the back...  That works ideally as well.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dave on August 23, 2016, 09:03 PM
So they're thick enough and stable enough to stand on their own?
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 23, 2016, 09:08 PM
Hmmm, I'd say yeah, kinda, but the company had double-sided tape to "stick" them down to a flat surface if that makes sense.

In CHEWIE's pic there you see those binder clips, which hold them together length-wise, but IMHO having a backer wall for them to be against too, is a huge help, as far as standing upright goes, or making a "corner" with them instead of a straight wall.

Right now though, double-side tape is the best sticky to the floor to keep them upright solution.

I'd again LOVE to see a floor done that they "clip" to.

The company is working on their own clip system too, to clip them together.

Mine are currently up on my customizing table and standing, and not falling down easily, but they can fall down if you bump them and they're not against a back wall to keep them propped up or taped to the surface.  I don't like the tape route, personally.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediJman on August 23, 2016, 09:25 PM
So they're thick enough and stable enough to stand on their own?

Yes and no.  They are pretty thick (about half an inch) and they stand up fine on their own, but without a backing or support, a little push will also easily knock them over.  They are one sided anyway, so you could either stack them up against a wall for support or double stack them to look like a finished wall from both sides.  If I don't have them up against a wall, I'll probably have some kind of paper weight to make sure they're a little more stable.  Here are a few quick unboxing pics...

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff43/jman5544/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244206918_zps0iostgkw.jpg) (http://s243.photobucket.com/user/jman5544/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244206918_zps0iostgkw.jpg.html)

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff43/jman5544/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244307521_zpsuehyre2h.jpg) (http://s243.photobucket.com/user/jman5544/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244307521_zpsuehyre2h.jpg.html)

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff43/jman5544/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244919232_zpsiqavnaep.jpg) (http://s243.photobucket.com/user/jman5544/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244919232_zpsiqavnaep.jpg.html)

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff43/jman5544/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244955797_zps9ymcpws9.jpg) (http://s243.photobucket.com/user/jman5544/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244955797_zps9ymcpws9.jpg.html)

Great packing job, so they came in really minty shape and they feel super sturdy and thick.  I put an LED flashlight behind the light-wall and it looks pretty cool if you can work that into your display.  The walls are a bit high for the 4" stuff standing by themselves, but that's probably the size you'd want for display shelves anyway.  The clip on pieces work really well and you get far more than you actually need.  They do not connect at a 90 degree angle, which is my only disappointment so far.  I'm guessing we'll see adapters for different configurations and stability in the near future.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 24, 2016, 12:39 AM
Nice pics, and Jesse and both JediJman explained these spot on. 

I am so happy!  These seriously have uplifted my outlook on the hobby a lot.  It just opens up display possibilities so much.  I hope that this is just the tip of the iceberg with what these guys are going to make available.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on August 24, 2016, 08:48 AM
The pieces look fantastic.  I'm very interested in these, but I'll be even MORE interested if/when they can find some way of connecting the pieces together with some sort of built in fasteners.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediJman on August 24, 2016, 05:15 PM
The pieces look fantastic.  I'm very interested in these, but I'll be even MORE interested if/when they can find some way of connecting the pieces together with some sort of built in fasteners.

I really wouldn't let the fasteners hold you back.  You don't see the back of the wall anyway once they're displayed and the little clips hold really well from what I've seen.  Plus I feel like official fasteners would probably come with an official cost increase.   :-\
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on August 24, 2016, 09:27 PM
Yeah I wouldn't let that be a deterrent nick.  These are production quality walls.  Not cheap materials but something that feels made by a large company.  I think you'll dig them even if you need to buy those binders.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on August 25, 2016, 01:53 PM
Agreed, I really think that pretty much anyone who displays their figures loose will find a good use for these.  The little clips come with the order and really work out way better than I would have imagined.  Definitely can't wait for 3.75" scale ones.  GTP toys indicated that they think the 3.75" ones will be even better...
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on September 30, 2016, 10:18 PM
OK so as we promo'd on the front page, Galactic Trading Post put up pre-orders for their 3.75" Space Wall sets!  First foray into that scale for them, but I can only imagine it's going to be as good as the 1/12 walls have been.  Love mine, even for 3.75" displaying.

(https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/10110108/429616006.jpg) (http://galactictradingpost.com/shop_single.html#!/Classic-3-75-Spacewall-set-7pc/p/71696953/category=20796178)
3.75" Space Walls 7-Pc Set $55 Pre-Order...  Or Pre-Order 2 Sets & Get Support Beam Set Free + (Free Support Set is sold out or taken down for some reason) 8% off the pre-order price down to $50.50!

(https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/10110108/429547662.jpg) (http://galactictradingpost.com/shop_single.html#!/Classic-3-75-Hallway-Support-beams/p/71255185/category=20796178)
3.75" Hallway Support Beam Set (2 beams in a set) $12.50 ea

(https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/10110108/429562379.jpg)
Also listed as coming soon is a 3.75" Accessory Set, which we're guessing are the 2 cargo boxes and barrels that were made for the 1/12 sets, however no pre-order on those yet.

I'm pre-ordering a couple sets myself, as I really enjoy having backdrops for figures, even if just on my desk to goof around posing my figures while I work or whatever.  I also think I'm going to pick up enough to do a complete backdrop for my Imperial shelf I think, once I get a solid measurement guesstimate here.

The "Support Beam" sets are as the name suggets, a decorative way to keep the walls upright...  I'm guessing those are more a necessity in this scale than the 1/12 sets which I feel sure were thicker, and thus sturdier.  My 1/12's stand pretty well without tape but I can see how they'd topple easily especially if the shelf they're on isn't perfectly level.

So, anyway, the pre-order page is up for the two options!  Order up!  I was pleased enough with the 1/12 sets, and since they sell out fast (at least twice now), that I'm going to order a couple of these wall sets now "sight unseen" I think.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on October 4, 2016, 01:14 AM
I placed an order as well for 2 sets of the 3.75" walls on Friday.  Can't wait to get them!
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on October 4, 2016, 07:25 PM
And, just revealed... 

Doors in 6" and 3.75" scales!

(https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/10110108/429562199.jpg)

Looking at the design, these appear that they'll be opening doors to boot.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on October 19, 2016, 10:25 AM
For Justin:

http://www.gamespot.com/gallery/21-amazing-action-figure-playsets-from-your-childh/2900-852/

Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: McMetal on October 19, 2016, 11:37 AM
For Justin:

http://www.gamespot.com/gallery/21-amazing-action-figure-playsets-from-your-childh/2900-852/

Man, that was a fun read. Playsets really were the best.

Has anyone seen that gigantic Batcave playset on the toy aisle recently? Sure seems like every other company is willing to have a go at these. If Hasbro is so worried about them not selling then make it a con exclusive or something.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Darby on October 19, 2016, 02:20 PM
I've seen the Batcave here in Iowa. It's very large, about the size of the Turtles sewer playset. I think its great they're trying it out. There is a market for playsets. I think part of the problem for Hasbro is that outside of the Falcon, there is no static setting in the films. Death Star, Cantina, Jabba's Palace, they're all great but they're here and gone. The Batcave, the Sewer, or Main St. for the Simpsons, these are places kids and collectors can mine play out of indefinitely. The Falcon fits that mold, but she had been absent for 30 years until TFA. The Nerf Falcon didn't really work the same as the BMF did in terms of a playset, but that's too expensive...
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: StBrianOfMinneapolis on October 20, 2016, 09:29 AM
I've seen the Batcave here in Iowa. It's very large, about the size of the Turtles sewer playset. I think its great they're trying it out. There is a market for playsets. I think part of the problem for Hasbro is that outside of the Falcon, there is no static setting in the films. Death Star, Cantina, Jabba's Palace, they're all great but they're here and gone. The Batcave, the Sewer, or Main St. for the Simpsons, these are places kids and collectors can mine play out of indefinitely. The Falcon fits that mold, but she had been absent for 30 years until TFA. The Nerf Falcon didn't really work the same as the BMF did in terms of a playset, but that's too expensive...

I was thinking about buying this batcave as I have no batcave. Now I'm thinking about buying it to boost the playset "movement".
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Scockery on October 20, 2016, 05:56 PM
For Justin:

http://www.gamespot.com/gallery/21-amazing-action-figure-playsets-from-your-childh/2900-852/

The Rebel Command Center?
Quote
The set included a tauntaun, several snowspeeders, X-wing starfighters, Luke Skywalker and R2D2.

It included Luke and R2...not so much the rest, unless cardboard illustrations count.

Odd choice for that list. Also, the got She-Ra's waterfall set mixed up with her bigger playset.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on October 20, 2016, 06:15 PM
Yeah seriously, the Rebel Command Center?  Hmmm...  ok.  To each their own on that one I guess. :)

I probably had the most fun with the Ewok set when I was young, or the Imperial Attack Base.  Those were pretty good.  But GI Joe had the best.  The Terror Drome and Joe Base were the knockers.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Matt_Fury on October 21, 2016, 03:28 AM
I had the Rebel Command Center when I was a kid.  It came with three figures:  Hoth Luke, R2-D2 with Sensor Scope and the AT-AT commander (IIRC) along with that sweet backdrop and the base.

I still have the figures and the base.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on October 21, 2016, 07:49 AM
Yeah seriously, the Rebel Command Center?  Hmmm...  ok.  To each their own on that one I guess. :)

I probably had the most fun with the Ewok set when I was young, or the Imperial Attack Base.  Those were pretty good.  But GI Joe had the best.  The Terror Drome and Joe Base were the knockers.

+1

I never got the Rebel Command Center, or the Hoth Ice Planet set that used the same base.  I did have the Land of the Jawas playset which had the original incarnation of this base.  and I always liked the cardboard Sandcrawler along with the escape pod accessories.  The Imperial Attack Base was pretty awesome.  That one holds up really well. 

GI Joe really did have some of the best playsets, though.  I had the Joe base as well as the Tactical battle platform.  I wasn't lucky enough to get the Flagg, the Terror Drome or the Defiant Shuttle launch base.  And those pieces were probably the ultimate playsets!
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on October 22, 2016, 12:46 AM
Fun going down memory lane with those playsets, thanks for sharing that Rob.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Rob on October 22, 2016, 01:39 AM
 :)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on October 22, 2016, 01:57 PM
I found some Japanese model sets that look like they might make for a good non-Imperial starship interior:

hanger (http://hlj.com/product/WAVHH-14)
hanger arm mounts (http://hlj.com/product/WAVHH-21)
Mechanical Chain Base A (http://hlj.com/product/KBYMB-43)
Machanical Chain Base B (http://hlj.com/product/KBYMB-44)
System Base (http://hlj.com/product/BAN971628)
H Hanger Octagon (Gray) (http://hlj.com/product/WAVHH-33/Sup)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dave on October 25, 2016, 01:41 PM
Just got my first order of space walls (ouch says the wallet).

Anybody tried hooking up fiber optic or LED lights to these yet?  Just curious where to go about sourcing these.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on October 25, 2016, 02:00 PM
You can try harbor freight for some inexpensive options.  If you wanted to go balls out tho wiring up LEds yourself isn't too tough if you know how to solder. 
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on February 7, 2017, 10:54 AM
Just got my first order of space walls (ouch says the wallet).

Anybody tried hooking up fiber optic or LED lights to these yet?  Just curious where to go about sourcing these.

GTP is now offering their Spacewalls LED panel 2 pack 1/12 scale for 6 inch figures (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MS71FVZ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=XQXWWURIJPMS&coliid=I194I3WEZ8EZRK), and you can also buy them via Amazon.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Dave on February 7, 2017, 11:40 AM
Anybody had any success on buying and adding LED kits to models like this?
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: JediJman on February 7, 2017, 06:06 PM
Anybody had any success on buying and adding LED kits to models like this?

I haven't added a kit, but any kind of light source behind these panels makes them pretty awesome.  I want to add something with a switch, so it isn't a pain manually turn each light on and off.  They'd never get used that way.  Here is a quick shot of how these panels look with an LED behind them.  Pretty sick.

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff43/jman5544/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244955797_zps9ymcpws9.jpg) (http://s243.photobucket.com/user/jman5544/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-08/IMG_20160823_244955797_zps9ymcpws9.jpg.html)


I picked up some of those 3D Printed Bespin figure stands from Slugworth a while back and this post inspired me to finally write up my review of them (https://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=24431.msg597194#msg597194).  Slug doesn't seem to be on much, but he would be a great reference to chime in on where to get these.  The kits he uses for his stands work great. 

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff43/jman5544/Misc/IMG_20170107_104654196_zpsrrkzx7vq.jpg) (http://s243.photobucket.com/user/jman5544/media/Misc/IMG_20170107_104654196_zpsrrkzx7vq.jpg.html)


Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on February 7, 2017, 06:21 PM
Look at the lighting area in a Lowes, or better on Harbor Freight or even Ebay, for some fairly simple pre-lit LED set-ups. 

The other tips I'd give, look for Xmas lights post-season for cheap.  They're pre-wired and have on/off switches.  I usually go through picking up some electronics like that for cheap so I have some things handy that I like to have for wiring up LEDs.  Halloween anymore is good too since places like Big Lots will have 3mm LED kits and such, and they'll have nifty colors like orange/purple to boot.

If you want white LEDs, Xmas obviously, but you can usually get a small strand with a battery box/switch for cheap after Xmas.

If you just wanna wire junk up, you just have to scour Ebay as there's tons of that junk for cheap from China.

At Harbor Freight they sell LED undercabinet lighting.  Some of it is positional spotlights, some a slightly positional light bar, etc.  You could even technically tear down one of their freebie flash lights and figure something out with it too.

Here's a linky to the HF stuff (but go to a store, it's cheaper to buy there): http://www.harborfreight.com/led-under-cabinet-light-62893.html

The "problem" you wind up with a lot of the time, and Justin's pic illustrates it, is the light kind of intensifies in one spot there rather than even throughout the ovals (if that makes sense).  That's difficult to not have that short of completely wiring something yourself so the lights are off to the side somewhat.
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Nicklab on February 8, 2017, 07:25 AM
On the whole subject of stands for figures, I found these stainless steel spice racks at The Container Store (https://www.containerstore.com/s/kitchen/pantry-organizers/pantry-storage/3-tier-stainless-steel-expanding-shelf/123d?productId=10023942&country=US&currency=USD&utm_source=tcscompshop&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google&cid=cse:PLA).  They're pretty well made and a definite upgrade from the white plastic tiered shelves that you can readily find at a lot of big box stores.  And these can also expand in width, making them pretty versatile.

(https://images.containerstore.com/catalogimages/266078/10048492_3TierExpandingShelfSSV3_600.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&align=center)



There's also a a corner spice shelf (https://www.containerstore.com/s/kitchen/pantry-organizers/pantry-storage/linus-corner-cabinet-organizer/123d?productId=10027638&country=US&currency=USD&utm_source=tcscompshop&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google&cid=cse:PLA) that I've been eyeing, but for a use like the designers may not have intended for it.  I'm planning on getting a couple of these.  And with a little modification (along with flipping it over) it's got great potential for making a Home One briefing room. 

(https://images.containerstore.com/catalogimages/264666/10051800LinusCornerCabinetOrganizer_.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&align=center)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: CHEWIE on May 19, 2017, 12:38 PM
GTP Toys is now shipping 3.75" walls to customers.  Check your inboxes for shipping updates and let's see some pics once we start receiving them!   :)
Title: Re: The Playset Thread
Post by: Jesse James on June 17, 2017, 07:52 PM
The blast door set is on sale for some that came damaged.  Their definition of damage can be VERY mild I've found.  And for over half off that's a steal either way imho.  I'd order up while you can.  They're 1/12 scale but they make nice large doors for 3.75" figs imo

http://galactictradingpost.com/shop_single.html#!/~/cart