Hasbro & Collectors

[speedermike]

I agree.  The thing that keeps me interested in SW as a collector is how deep the line goes.  Hell, Hasbro has siad that they won't even male Palpatine from TCW.  C'mon!  We need his.  Repack two clones a wave if you have to, but I want more interesting choices in TCW.  However, I do enjoy that line very mcuh, and also buy one of each, no matter what.

Heh...wet dream of a cunsumer...

[Greg]

Well, I'll say this: if you are an adult collector of the TCW line, Hasbro would like to pretend that you do not exist. I just read another Q&A response from GH where they slapped down the Duchess Satine figure while going out of their way to point out that it's only kids that collect this line. 

Nevermind Satine has had quadruple the screen time of Shaak Ti and she has been involved in way more action sequences. "Kids won't buy her"

As long as you keep repacking Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan in every wave, you should have plenty of wiggle room for non-iconic support characters.

I get the economics and demographic angles. I understand I am part of a minority here. But it is not an insignificant minority. I literally buy every single thing they put out in this line, often purchasing multiples for opening. I am hasbro's frigging wet dream of a consumer. Not asking them to bend over backwards or anything, but some acknowledgement would be nice. I don't doubt that there are more adults buying the animated stuff than they suspect.

Judging by the Pade figures and Luminara, the females aren't exactly hot sellers. Both Pade figures sat in my area, and they weren't carried forward. Luminara, though under shipped, was the weakest figure of that particular wave. As of this past Saturday, I could snag a Luminara and/or adventure Pade at a local K-Mart. So I don't think Hasbro is far from the mark with their assertion that female figures aren't popular.

[Jesse James]

I don't doubt that there are more adults buying the animated stuff than they suspect.

I do.

I think Hasbro's probably pretty savy about who's buying their CW figures.  There are surely some guys buying, but it's really the vast minority.  The proof is really in the pudding that the line's doing insanely well, and it's rarely getting "new" characters.  That's solid evidence as to who is supporting the Clone Wars figures.  Collectors pass on the repacks, but kids are sucked in.

Comparing Satine and Shaak Ti isn't totally fair either...  Shaak Ti's an alien, a Jedi...  These things play into the mix.  A more close analogy is Padme and Satine, and Padme (Anakin's wife, and an integral figure to not just Clone Wars but the Star Wars Saga overall) does dismally at retail.  There's absolutely no reason to assume Satine would be ok then, but I get the desire for her.

It's a weird place where the line is right now.  The "collector line" is actually a whole separate line, and the kid's line is basically Clone Wars (and Legends, though I think some collectors are expected to support it too, but that's dwindled).  In the past, the collector line was just better poseable figures with cooler accessories and stuff, while the main line aimed at kids were figures with action features, and giant missile firing cannons and crap.

I do think there are some adults really geeked on the animated line, but I just don't think they're a drop in the bucket compared to who is putting the most money in.  And Hasbro said pretty clearly there that they don't want to risk anything bogging that line's sales rates down.  One figure screwing up one wave...  They're avoiding Yularren situations I guess.

And it does suck for the adult collectors of the line, but I don't think Hasbro's misguided in their thinking is all.  With the realistic line they could strike a balance.  I don't think they can do that with a line that seems to really have the support of kids propping it up.

Ultimately though, kids are needed for both lines.  Maybe as time goes on, the CW line will be able to have a better balance to it too?  Right now it's really such a cash cow though, it seems, that Hasbro doesn't want to mess with that. 

[McMetal]

it does suck for the adult collectors of the line

Yeah, that's all I'm sayin' really. I don't mean to imply that they're misguided, I'm just bemoaning the fact that the animated line does not seem to aspire to the level of engagement with the consumer that the TVC line does. (horses of a different color, I realize)

I guess when you have a hot commodity that is primarily targeted to kids, and supported by current entertainment, you just don't have to try as hard in that regard. I get that though.

[Darby]

This probably belongs in a CW thread but Hasbro's answers this time around actually painted a picture of diminishing returns for collectors with that line.  What I got from the QA was no Satine, no new Fives/Echo, no Master Di, very few new figures next year period.

Doesn't make me, an adult collector and huge CW fan, very excited.

[McMetal]

This probably belongs in a CW thread but Hasbro's answers this time around actually painted a picture of diminishing returns for collectors with that line.  What I got from the QA was no Satine, no new Fives/Echo, no Master Di, very few new figures next year period.

Doesn't make me, an adult collector and huge CW fan, very excited.

Yep, and don't forget no more TCW mail-away promotions either. 

Not a very optimistic round of responses this time around...

[speedermike]

Regardless, I think that there are plenty of cool CW characters that can still be made.  More of the bounty hunters...The mandalore guys with the big helmets...Greedo...Sy Snoodles...the wierd egyptian aliens that sold the poisoned tea (!)

and I really want the Senate Blue 3PO droid...it's an easy repaint.

[JACKOFTRADZE]

Not that I care about the animated figures but the CW mail away answer seemed to contradict itself. Nabar had to have a second run due to them not making enough, I even got a form and just received him 2 weeks ago. So it hardly seemed like a Frito Lay Spirit Obi-Wan promo. Sometime I choose to read between the lines and ignore their answers.

It is possible Bric is failing but they limited themselves to only including the form to CW figures. No Saga Legends come with a form for him.

[Matt_Fury]

No saga legends come with the form for Boba Fett either, and they did not come with order forms for the Qui-Gon/Eopie sets either.  You can use the SL UPCs though.

Although I don't collect the animated line, I'm sure they will revisit the mail-away offer in the future.  But the fact is that they are marketing TCW to kids more than collectors and the Vintage line is more towards collectors than kids.

[McMetal]

Not that I care about the animated figures but the CW mail away answer seemed to contradict itself. Nabar had to have a second run due to them not making enough, I even got a form and just received him 2 weeks ago. So it hardly seemed like a Frito Lay Spirit Obi-Wan promo. Sometime I choose to read between the lines and ignore their answers.

It is possible Bric is failing but they limited themselves to only including the form to CW figures. No Saga Legends come with a form for him.

I agree, the response did not make sense to me either in light of the successful Vebb promotion. The latest promotion I think was also hurt by the differing mailaway forms - one just for the Battle Mat and then one for Bric AND the battlemat. A plain old battlemat for some game I don't think anyone is even playing is not going to attract much interest.

[speedermike]

I think the Bric packaging might be an issue also.  Vebb's package matches the rest of the line, Bric comes in a big box.  I'm an opener, so I could care less, but many fans do care.  Also. when this promotion started, we had no idea who the character was...

Either way, I just got the Vinatge ROTJ wave and holy sh*t!  Hasbro is my new best friend!

[Scockery]

it does suck for the adult collectors of the line

Yeah, that's all I'm sayin' really. I don't mean to imply that they're misguided, I'm just bemoaning the fact that the animated line does not seem to aspire to the level of engagement with the consumer that the TVC line does. (horses of a different color, I realize)

I guess when you have a hot commodity that is primarily targeted to kids, and supported by current entertainment, you just don't have to try as hard in that regard. I get that though.

Personally, I think Hasbro "owns" so much of the action figure aisle as is, that they don't have to try very hard. That's why they can not ship new product for once vital properties to stores for 6 months without  a problem.

[Jesse James]

I missed the thing about Bric...

Kind of weird.  Though I'm not ordering many because I don't buy enough CW figures, and when I did buy them this year none of them had an order form in them for Bric, so it kind of diminished my interest in multiples.  I'll likely print off another form and order one more, but that's it.

Then again, I've only gotten 2 BOba's too...  I just didnt' order many this time, unlike the Eopie.

[Pete_Fett]

I've read through the Q&As and I must have missed it - was there an announcement about Bric?

Should I be concerned that I haven't sent away for him yet?

[McMetal]

I've read through the Q&As and I must have missed it - was there an announcement about Bric?

Should I be concerned that I haven't sent away for him yet?

Sorry, wish I could link you directly to the Q&A. but the gist of it was that Hasbro came out and said they will not be doing any more TCW mailaway promotions going forward. Bric will be the last. Apparently the implication is that this promotion is not doing as well as the Vebb one. I just sent away for another one recently, and although it sounds as though they have plenty, I doubt they will commission another run if they should ever start getting low.

Yeah, it's a bummer. I really like Bric too, I only wish he came carded.