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Messages - Nicklab

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Shadows of the Dark Side / Re: 2011 Saga Legends Figures

« on: March 8, 2011, 01:09 PM »

I think it would be almost foolish of Hasbro to pass on the opportunity to get more Gamorrean Guards out on the market. The secondary market prices of $20+ for that figure should definitely give them good reason to get more of them out on the market. And Hasbro does actually watch what's hot on eBay.

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Collect All 92! / Re: Luke Skywalker (Hoth Battle Gear)

« on: March 8, 2011, 12:45 PM »

Given the versions of Luke Skywalker that we've seen over the past year+, it seems only natural that Hasbro would revisit Hoth Luke within the next year. The only other version of Luke that seems somewhat lacking at this point in time is a Dagobah training Luke.

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Shadows of the Dark Side / Re: 2011 Saga Legends Figures

« on: March 8, 2011, 11:56 AM »

Quote from: 501ST on March 8, 2011, 11:09 AM

Quote from: McMetal on February 5, 2011, 07:39 PM
the SL line is just a useless anachronism now. I can't imagine anyone would shed tears over its extinction.

Nope,no tears from me. But I am a heartless bastard.

And what if this line proves to be the avenue by which we might get the Gamorrean Guard re-offered? And how about the running change of the Hoth Rebel Trooper that was packed in the Defense of Hoth pack which was a Target exclusive? These are figures that I am very hopeful to see offered in Saga Legends at some point in time.

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The Clone Wars '08-'13 / Re: Clone Wars Fall 2010 Mail-Away: Sgt. Bric and Game Mat

« on: March 6, 2011, 05:27 PM »

I sent in for 2 of these. I may send in for one or two more, but I don't know if Bric will really have any trade value.

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The Clone Wars '08-'13 / Re: Clone Wave Wave 21 (Spring 2011 Wave 2)

« on: March 6, 2011, 05:26 PM »

Commander Wolffe actually looks pretty cool. He's got to be one of the first Clones I've gotten excited about in some time.

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The Vintage Collection / Re: 2012 - "One EU Figure In Every Wave"

« on: March 6, 2011, 05:24 PM »

Hasbro's been indicating that they would like to reintroduce the comic 2-pack concept at some point. Whether or not they're going to hold onto some EU characters that were in development for that eventuality remains to be seen. I was just looking through the EE exclusive comic 2-packs and there was supposed to be a set with Luke Skywalker in a white flightsuit and Han Solo from TESB. And they also said that there's likely to be a Force Unleashed II multipack some time early in 2012.

As for the EU figures on TVC cards? I think it's likely that Hasbro will play it relatively safe. Jedi and Sith seem to sell well. And some army builders, too.

But I think they're likely to focus on core characters from a few sources, and they're going to do so somewhat thematically. For instance, in TLC RED we got Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo and later this year comes Nom Anor. This appears to be Hasbro's nod to the NJO. It gives collectors a chance to group some characters together along a theme. In the NJO's case it's 2 x heroes and 1 x villain. This is a pattern we've seen before: in the 30AC line we got both Darth Revan and Darth Malak in the same wave so that these two KOTOR characters might complement one another.

Based on this pattern, it seems like Hasbro is likely to either pair up EU characters or complement some previous offerings. Bastila Shan is on the way. Is she supposed to add on to the previous KOTOR game offerings? Given what we've seen in the past that seems possibl, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we got another KOTOR game character. The ones that immediately come to mind would be a Sith Trooper, Darth Bandon, Carth Onassi or *SOME* way of representing Revan as a Jedi. I'd personally like to see Zaalbar or Master Vandar, but they seem like minor characters in comparison.

As for other EU character sources? I think video games can be a pretty strong contender. The ones that immediately come to mind would be from The Old Republic. The cinematic trailer "Deceived" made a big splash, and I could see Hasbro trying to capitalize here.

Darth Malgus

Ven Zallow

Shae Viszla

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Watto's Junk Yard / Re: The Apple iPad Thread

« on: March 2, 2011, 07:37 PM »

Steve Jobs posed for quite possibly the most ironic photo of the day:

6938

The Vintage Collection / Re: 2010 "Vintage" Collection Wave 4 - AotC

« on: February 27, 2011, 09:05 PM »

I found most of this wave at a Target store today. But it looks like Zam, Jango & the Senate Guard may be the most popular offerings in this wave.

6939

Discover the Force / Movie Heroes / Re: New Packaging for 2012

« on: February 25, 2011, 09:55 PM »

Quote from: Jeff on February 25, 2011, 09:51 PM

Quote from: MisterPL on February 25, 2011, 08:07 PM
...even though this new look will reportedly have zero impact on the beloved Vintage line, discussions are taking place in the Vintage forums rather than the Clone Wars or Saga Legends forums. It's pretty misleading..

I would have started the thread over in the Clone Wars section, but I wanted more than five people to read it...

LOL!

Hmmm. 2012 packaging? TPM coming out in 3-D in May 2012? Darth Maul on the packaging? It certainly makes sense to me.

6940

The Vintage Collection / Re: 2011 "Vintage" Collection Wave 5

« on: February 21, 2011, 06:54 PM »

Quote from: Rob on February 21, 2011, 06:37 PM

Yeah the last Target I looked at here was $10.39 per figure... that's $11.46 per with tax.

Hopefully they're not all like that.

I saw someone at the otherR forum post a cellphone pic of TVC prices like that from a Target store somewhere in the SF Bay area. And it seems that your Target and theirs might be among the stores in the chain that have higher pricing. I have one of these Target stores in my area, too. I'm not sure how Target sets the criteria for that higher tier of pricing. But it seems to be only a few stores that are doing this. Almost every other Target store I've been to in the past few weeks has TVC figures priced at $8.99 each.

6941

The Vintage Collection / Re: How Much is Too Much?

« on: February 21, 2011, 06:26 PM »

This Reuters article on Hasbro from February 11th is absolutely germain to this discussion.

Quote

UPDATE 2-Hasbro counting on price hikes to offset costs

* Says price rises should help fight rising costs

* Does not see costs rising as much as they did in 2010

* Planning for labor rates to rise in mid-teens in 2011

* Shares down 22 cents

NEW YORK, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O), the No. 2 U.S. toy company, is counting on price increases to combat rising costs of commodities, freight and labor.

The company, which hiked prices by mid-single digits this month, said it will monitor the cost environment closely to see if it has to raise prices again before fall, CFO Deborah Thomas told investors ahead of the toy fair in New York.

Larger rival Mattel Inc (MAT.O) on Feb. 2 also said rising costs of oil and Chinese labor would entail price increases in 2011.

Manufacturers of everything from food to soap to appliances are grappling with rising costs of metals, plastics, packaging paper and labor costs in manufacturing hubs such as China. Many are raising prices to pass the costs to customers, but industry experts worry if the price hikes will stick in a slowly recovering economy.

Hasbro, the maker of Nerf foam toys and Monopoly board games, is planning for labor rates to rise in the mid-teens in 2011. However it does not see overall costs rising as much as they did last year.

Hasbro missed sales estimates in the key fourth quarter on tepid U.S. demand for games and puzzles. The company has forecast a rise in sales and profits in 2011 citing a strong entertainment lineup for 2011, including toys modeled after the movie "Transformers -- Dark of the Moon."

Its shares were down 0.5 percent or 22 cents at $45.47 on Friday morning on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

This is not fan or collector analysis (despite the fact that a number of people in this discussion have some credibility on the topic). This is from Reuters, which is one of the leading business news services in the world. And it is very much the same message: costs are up. Labor, materials, transportation....everything. And it's not just Hasbro. Reuters cites Hasbro's chief competitor Mattel for comparison's sake in the toy industry, and that increasing costs in China are affecting other businesses as well.

And the reality is that we're talking about publically traded companies when we discuss Hasbro or Mattel. They have an obligation to their shareholders to stay profitable. There are no clear economic indicators that this could be a temporary rise in costs which companies like Hasbro or others could try to absorb in the interest of retaining customers. And even if such a strategy was undertaken, the shareholders could very well vote out Hasbro's current board of directors and put in place new management that would return the company to profitability, and likely increase prices.

I don't think anyone is happy about price increases. But understanding the reasons why seems very relevent.

6942

The Vintage Collection / Re: Defender Wishlists 2011 Discussion

« on: February 19, 2011, 06:07 PM »

Quote from: Scott on February 15, 2011, 09:36 AM

Quote from: shmashwitdaclub on February 15, 2011, 09:14 AM
Why is Darth Maul not on more people's lists? Is it just cuz he is so obvious and people are sure Hasbro will make an ultimate Maul?

I'd say its totally that...he's so close and there are other glaring holes in the TPM line

Agreed. The Evolutions Darth Maul really brought the figure a long way towards being comparable to most other Jedi or Sith figures. I'd still like to see an ultimate version of Darth Maul with lots of ball joints (shoulders, elbows, hips, knees & ankles), but that kind of treatment seems like a lower priority in the grand scheme of things. That's why my own list didn't include Darth Maul. And you kind of get the feeling that Hasbro will revisit him in time anyway.

My own wishlist had a variety of characters: droids, pod racers, senators, characters with dialogue, and never before made versions of Queen Amidala. I think there's still plenty of interesting ground to be covered with The Phantom Menace. And that could very likely be addressed next year with the 3D release of Episode I.

However, I think Hasbro has been a little gun-shy with Episode I in general. Especially since that toy line wound up being such a HUGE presence at retail but took a really long time to sell off. This has been discussed for a long time, and it seems as though Hasbro and Lucas Licensing may have both over-estimated the potential sales for Episode I merchandise.

6943

The Clone Wars '08-'13 / Re: RC Hailfire Droid

« on: February 16, 2011, 05:15 PM »

Target's clearance of the R/C Hailfire Droid appears to be in full swing. I found a couple at a local store that were marked at $24.98 or so. Given that price drop I was ready to pull the trigger on this vehicle. And imagine my oh so pleasant surprise when I got to the register and to find that the current clearance price was ACTUALLY $14.98. A nice score in my book.

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