Playsets... what are the options for the future?

[jimmyfortuna]

i'd pay top dollar for a death star playset that is to scale with the 3-3/4 figures. Hands down. Top Dollar.

[CHEWIE]

I think he's talking about Build-A-Rama, but I may be mistaken.

Check out their site -

http://www.build-a-rama.com/index.shtml

The 1:18 stuff is awesome.  Now why is it so hard for Hasbro to do something like this? 

 

[Pete_Fett]

The 1:18 stuff is awesome.  Now why is it so hard for Hasbro to do something like this? 

Let's examine that:

1) Design skills are required on the part of the team developing such accessory type toys.  Hasbro doesn't seem to be in possession of such skills.

2) The accessories need to be scaled to the figure and to each other. When building a diorama piece-by-piece, each piece must be consistent with the other. Hasbro hasn't been able to maintain the scale of Luke Skywalker figures, what makes you think they could come out with an entire line of diorama building stuff that's all at the same scale.

3) The company making such a line needs to be in-touch with the wants and needs of the collector community as a whole. For example, military figure collectors may want to set up a WW2 war-torn street diorama, so you develop all of the pieces necessary. For Hasbro, the SW collecting community would LOVE to collect an a-la-carte Death Star playset, yet Hasbro is SO FAR out of touch they don't understand the market demand for a Death Star playset exists.

4) The company needs to make the determination what their distribution model is. Whether that be selling the items via the web or getting the regular brick-and-mortar stores to carry them. This company obviously feels that they can market and sell their stuff through their website and most likely print-ads in magazines. Hasbro on the other hand likes to be Target/WalMart's PRISON BITCH - so they bend over and take whatever the big chains want to shove where the sun don't shine, end customer be damned.

I think that about sums it up why you'll never see Hasbro do something like this Chewie.

[Jesse James]

Yeah, I was talking about Build-A-Rama...  Good stuff.

BTW if you guys want SW diorama stuff they have cargo containers and a "generator" piece for "Sci-Fi".  Generic looking...  Neat though.  They don't tap the sci-fi market enough if you ask me...  They don't "go for it" by getting active in customizing communities or talking to websites like here or FFURG.  BAR needs to consider that though because they've got a market for it.

I hold hope for a good modular playset system from Hasbro, but I get doubtful about it every year...  Or I just see Hasbro botching it somehow like they have with other great ideas...  I mean, they can evolutions after 3 sets, but Battlepacks will go for quite a while it seems (and with horrid figure choices at times).  No reason to expect good things even if they DID do a modular playset assortment.

$20 a piece though and I know they could do a simple playset system...  Pack in those incentive figures like VOTC Stormtroopers, or Clonetroopers, or an Imperial Officer sculpt with a new head (Ozzel figure with a generic headsculpt) and it could be pretty sweet.

[CHEWIE]

I've been thinking for years they should do something like those World of Springfield little playsets.  Include an army-builder with each one and we're talking business.

I think if they looked authentic, they could go for $25.00.  Start off with the OT stuff and throw in some random Prequel stuff in there too.  Imagine this -

Death Star sets -

- Detention block w/ Death Star Trooper and circular command console

- Detention cell w/ Stormtrooper and torture droid

- Red Control Room w/ Imperial Officer and chairs

- Death Star Hallway w/ Tie Pilot and black astromech

That would just be for starters.  Test the market with those.  Even randomly mix in those three trooper builders throughout the sets.  Once those go like hotcakes, explore into explanding the Death Star.  And yes, these would interlock universally with each other.  You could stack them, connect them by the sides, etc.  Eventually make a hangar for the Falcon.

Then, make a cool ROTJ addition w/ a throne room and Emperor figure.

Keep it going... Hoth would be good, so would Bespin and perhaps some mini sets like the Cantina.

See where it takes you and then dab into the prequel trilogy some.  Mainly ROTS though.

 

[CorranHorn]

modular playsets or cardboard based playsets would certainly work well, but I think we've seen the end of playsets from Hasbro. I don't know how it is in other areas, but Mustafar Playsets are now clogging up shelf space at every store I find them in. that's somewhat shocking, but also not surprising either. it's a $30 playset that comes with two figures, but it's really not visually appealing so many collectors won't buy it and as far as I can see, it has very little play value which makes kids not want to have it. I'm sure if the Mustafar set has a less than successful overall profit line, Hasbro will use that as the final indicator to not do any more playsets.

[Jesse James]

Yeah, those are a dime a dozen here now too...  It's a pretty weak little set too.  I worried that it would be the last item to really gauge interest in playsets, and it's not gonna leave a very favorable impression.  Whatcha gonna do though, ya know?

Like other GOOD ideas executed poorly, this one'll just be labeled as "Well, yeah, those don't sell well, so we're not doing any more of them".

[Ben]

If they decided to reissue the Shuttle, I'd buy it, but I think I'm done with big SW items. I'll wait for clearance on the Mustafar set, since I sure wouldn't buy it for full retail.

I doubt they'll get around to releasing an AT-TE so I'm not going to worry about that.

[ruiner]

Yep, I think it's official - all large scale vehicles from here on out will be reissues....

[CHEWIE]

Let's have hope that the TV series is a huge hit, and is loaded with AT-TE's and Turbo Tanks... and they decided to make them because of the TV series.  It could happen.

 

[alexandertrooper]

I think the idea is cool but it would never happen.  I know hasbro lost money on the large stuff stuch as the g.i. joe aircraft carrier and the ep1 queens ship.  So why risk it again.  From what I've herd from private dealers is there is a few new largish vechicles coming out that were on the order forms but when they come out who know. 

[CHEWIE]

Hopefully some private dealers will invest in some.  That would be cool.  Here's an example of what could be done.  This is a custom built Imperial fortress that I purchased from Owen D at www.owenscustoms.com.  If Hasbro built stuff like this instead of cheezy action featured playsets, I think they would be pleasantly surprised by the sales.



 

edit... I just shrunk down the size of the pic, for viewing convenience.  The original pic is located at http://www.owenscustoms.com/base1.JPG -- Jesse

[Nathan]

[CHEWIE]

Anyone really wanting a nice playset and says they'd be willing to pay a hundred or so bucks for it, really should contact Owen at www.owenscustoms.com.  He can really help a diorama builder out with his awesome creations.

Speaking of playsets, this caught my eye from the King Kong movie - I don't know how big this will be, but if's anywhere close to being to scale with the Star Wars line I'll probably pick it up -



More on it here - http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PL66047#LargeImage

 

[CHEWIE]

I have these coming too...

COMMUNICATIONS TOWER -









BESPIN GANTRY -









So, yes I would pay for Hasbro to make high end playsets...