Maybe these go to all retailers first and then stay "in stock" on Pulse afterwards.
As great as having new "waves" all the time has been for the hobby in many ways, I have wondered why the toy companies don't produce a "greatest hits" type wave every holiday season for things like Star Wars or Marvel or DC to get your basic Luke and Vader and Spidey and Superman out there.
I still remember Christmastime about a year or so after Star Wars PotF2 launched (so almost 30 years ago) - I was at TRU looking at pegs and pegs of things like Hammerhead and Greedo and Sandpeople and so on from the current waves, and an older woman was looking for basic Luke, Han and Vader for her grandson and looking through each peg. Her disappointment when I spoke with her that those figures were released the year prior and were hard to find (at the time) and this was what was currently being made - I think she had been to many stores trying to find the figures her grandson wanted - it was sad to me as she realized she might not be able to get them. Not having the core re-released seems like a mistake to me ever since. I know retail is a lot different now, but Kenner sold that same Vader for 8 years in vintage line and you could have walked down almost any toy aisle during those 8 years and picked up a new one, which was great if yours broke, or got lost, and chewed on by your dog. Feel free to put the Abe Simpson yelling at clouds meme up...
In the past Hasbro has done stuff similar with the international waves for whatever MCU stuff they put out that year, and now the ongoing Marvel Studios line essentially seems to be that.
It’d be cool if they did something similar for comic figures.
I just want a properly done Iceman with plenty of effects / slide parts. I could see Cable with his giant shoulder gun from the Phalanx Covenant that was eventually a ToyBiz figure back in the 90s. I dunno how much more Wolverine stuff I'd need but I'll leave the option open. This Spiderman, while cool, misses the mark for me with the Uncanny Valley looking Peter Parker head, and mostly accessories that would come with other figures, so now you can just buy this to get all of that. The eyes are a bit far apart on this Spidey for my tastes so I dunno how this would realistically be THAT much more than most deluxe figures, but I'm sure Hasbro will find a way.
Look at that balls-to-the-wall 90's art! I love it.
I do not know that I would be so confident about this. It very much depends on where and how Hasbro expects to sell these and what kind of numbers is a "success" for them. If they expect to do dramatically higher numbers than the import competition at a $40 to $50 price point they might be tested. As enthusiastic as a few of you are here who are used to spending import prices - I doubt that market it is a tenth of the market of Legends. So the math on this matters.
I think it's a lot higher than that. Collecting is a luxury hobby. Most people who collect are probably 30–60 years old. They're making as much money as they ever will. Even if $50 is a splurge, I doubt it'll be a problem for most collectors.
Collectors have become accustomed to buying high-end figures. Whether it's Figuarts to get anime-based figures, Mezco for a niche license like Popeye, or MAFEX to get a decent 6" Batman, I think people are buying them. It's definitely not the whole Legends fandom, but I think it's probably at least half.
I think he could have been improved with a ball joint articulation right above the web belt area. That would have been mostly hidden by the belt line, and given him additional ability to tilt to the side. As is, the lower crunch only allows that area to bend forward. And Hasbro engineering sometimes not being peak means that whatever is going on at the upper torso ball joint might be stifling some of the articulation possibilities it could potentially get. Yes, it will get motion up there, but going by the promo picture poses, the real bulk of the more impressive articulation work is being done by the increased leg articulation.
100%. Hasbro is afraid of that lower ball joint, but it's the way of the future.
As far as another figure given the Maximum treatment, a classic Thor with a brand new hammer sculpt, spinning hammer, fabric cape, revamped articulation, better neck (so he can look up) lightning effects and so forth would be my top choice. I loved the 80th anniversary figure but the plastic cape held it back. Mafex was weirdly short, and the upcoming Mezco looks great but is pricey.
That Mezco figure won't have any torso articulation to speak of.
I feel like this figure is going to be overpriced, but I still prefer that to jamming a standard release into a two-pack with a figure I don't want. That's been Hasbro's MO for a few years now and I missed out on Daredevil, Punisher, and Sabertooth for it. I've all but dropped the line because of it (I buy maybe 5 MLs a year now). Coincidentally, one of the last multipacks I bought was purely for RYV Spiderman.
My only hope for it, isn't related to price, but plastic quality, I hope it's close to Secret Wars Spiderman with stiff plastic. The worst part is that we won't know until reviews hit. I'll likely be preordering regardless, since Amazon wants to play the scalper game now and this figure will no doubt be scalper bait. You guys want to play scalper? I'll play "guy who returns a bunch of stuff."
Last note, I'm kind of in with the camp who prefers his blue to be brighter. Maybe for the MvC line we'll get a RYV Spiderman with a bright blue, similar to '97 Wolverine.
I'd be highly skeptical that MAFEX marvel figure production volume is even a very small fraction of Hasbro's per figure. However I'm sure that Hasbro's also varies greatly by offering. I feel like I've seen numbers on this in the past from ToyNewsInternational or Nerdzoic on YouTube but not recently enough that I remember much. I tried to google it quick but didn't find anything right away. Hasbro's production volume also seems to often swing back and forth from overproduction to underproduction whereas I'm guessing MAFEX is generally more fixed.
MAFEX doesn't work for me because my collecting is all about world-building with the most distinct characters possible. The current $25 price point is already pushing what I'm willing to pay for a standard figure. I've got at least one version of every Marvel character ever made in this relative scale over the last 20+ years by Hasbro, Toy Biz and Diamond and at least one version of every DC character ever made by DC Direct/DC Collectibles, Mattel and McFarlane. I'm all about the deepest of cuts and the most obscure characters. I'd never be able to do that at the Mezco or MAFEX price points (if they would ever even make those characters, which they don't). I'm not even willing to pay NECA, Fresh Monkey Fiction or Super7 prices, let alone what is being asked by Medicom, Mezco or Loose Collector, for example. I mean, I still buy the HasLabs and stuff, but I'm talking about for a standard 6"-7" figure.
The only Mezco 1:12 figures that I've ever bought were the Black Bolt / Lockjaw combo and the 18" Ultimate Godzilla. The only Medicom figure I own is a 12" New 52 Superman that I won in a blind auction at a comic book store for $20 just because no one else bid.
To each their own. Fortunately for these companies they all have their base of consumers or they wouldn't be in business. The more choices that we have as consumers, the better it is for everyone.
If I find a link to those production volume discussions I've seen online (ToyNewsInternational? Nerdzoic?), I'll link it. If someone takes the time to find it before I do, please feel free to beat me to it.
My guess is Hasbro will price these closer to import prices than Legends prices, and competing with Mafex and Figuarts is exactly what they have in mind with this line.
What if they didn't compete with Mafex? What if instead they competed with Jada?
One dedicated sculpt, well painted, well proportioned, well articulated, nothing left on the table, nothing held back for next time around (which is the primary draw).
One masked head, one unmasked head.
Wall crawling hands, thwip hands, fist hands.
One effect piece to mimic his power (maybe Spidey sense, maybe webs)
$25 (OK, $30 because licensing fees ((Oh wait, Jada pays licensing fees too))(((Quiet, you!)))).
It's possible to do. It's been proven.
No one would pass on that offering. Everyone would rebuy Spider-Man and do so with bells on.
This has always been my definitive Spider-Man.
I'm glad we're finally getting an upgrade to that SDCC exclusive one we got like almost a decade ago.
Would it be nice if this figure had a double balljoint torso? Maybe. Do I think Hasbro would give either joints the range needed to actually be useful? No. Every figure I've bought from Hasbro with just a balljoint at the upper torso basically just has a glorified chest swivel. They never give it the clearance needed to actually move in a worthwhile way. I feel I've heard GI Joe Classified has been struggling with this since they switched from the old set-up, but can't say for sure since I've never bought any figures with it.
Still, unless they figure out how to maximize range, I'm okay with them sticking with the inverted ab crunch and balljoint upper torso set-up.
I honestly think anyone believing Spider-Man will be less than $50 is kidding themselves. Phoenix is just a deluxe and costs $50. She comes with 1 extra head, 1 extra set of hands, and the Phoenix base. MCU Colossus costs $40. 1 extra head and set of hands. This Spider-Man has a ton more accessories. 6 pair of hands, 5 of which have articulated wrists, 3 heads, 5 web accessories, spider sense, stand... yeah, he's more than likely going for $50. I'm hoping not more.
Hopefully it’s $40 or less. I will probably still buy it, but I wont be happy. These toys aren’t worth that much.
What a world we live in when a single Spiderman marvel legend might be $50, but I can suddenly get Storm Collectibles figures at $25.
Every figure I've bought from Hasbro with just a balljoint at the upper torso basically just has a glorified chest swivel. They never give it the clearance needed to actually move in a worthwhile way. I feel I've heard GI Joe Classified has been struggling with this since they switched from the old set-up, but can't say for sure since I've never bought any figures with it.
They've been garbage. Maybe like one in five has decent range, the rest need to be taken apart, trimmed, and reassembled to get any forward crunch at all. It's even worse than a chest swivel, since a lot of them audibly "click" when rotating the upper torso, which makes me wonder how much the rod inside is twisting rather than spinning. The trick to shopping for Classified is to be really critical of posing from superstar Shooting the Galaxy, who does the promo shots. If he doesn't put the figure in really cool poses, it's safe to assume it's because the figure can't do it.
I do not know that I would be so confident about this. It very much depends on where and how Hasbro expects to sell these and what kind of numbers is a "success" for them. If they expect to do dramatically higher numbers than the import competition at a $40 to $50 price point they might be tested. As enthusiastic as a few of you are here who are used to spending import prices - I doubt that market it is a tenth of the market of Legends. So the math on this matters.
I think it's a lot higher than that. Collecting is a luxury hobby. Most people who collect are probably 30–60 years old. They're making as much money as they ever will. Even if $50 is a splurge, I doubt it'll be a problem for most collectors.
Collectors have become accustomed to buying high-end figures. Whether it's Figuarts to get anime-based figures, Mezco for a niche license like Popeye, or MAFEX to get a decent 6" Batman, I think people are buying them. It's definitely not the whole Legends fandom, but I think it's probably at least half
So I don't have numbers but I think you are vastly over estimating the numbers for the high end things you like. Im not saying that there isnt a market... plenty of people like high end stuff bit theres no chance its close to half. Hasbro's MOQ's for a retail line are an order of magnitude different than those high end collector properties. Numbers that Mezco would be doing cartwheels over for their 1:12 collective line wouldn't get Hasbro to consider giving the factory a go ahead.
Maybe there is still a market big enough to satisfy Hasbro at the higher price point. We will have to see if the quality is truly as elevated as it appears and if Hasbro delivers what people are expecting.
I do not know that I would be so confident about this. It very much depends on where and how Hasbro expects to sell these and what kind of numbers is a "success" for them. If they expect to do dramatically higher numbers than the import competition at a $40 to $50 price point they might be tested. As enthusiastic as a few of you are here who are used to spending import prices - I doubt that market it is a tenth of the market of Legends. So the math on this matters.
I think it's a lot higher than that. Collecting is a luxury hobby. Most people who collect are probably 30–60 years old. They're making as much money as they ever will. Even if $50 is a splurge, I doubt it'll be a problem for most collectors.
Collectors have become accustomed to buying high-end figures. Whether it's Figuarts to get anime-based figures, Mezco for a niche license like Popeye, or MAFEX to get a decent 6" Batman, I think people are buying them. It's definitely not the whole Legends fandom, but I think it's probably at least half
So I don't have numbers but I think you are vastly over estimating the numbers for the high end things you like. Im not saying that there isnt a market... plenty of people like high end stuff bit theres no chance its close to half. Hasbro's MOQ's for a retail line are an order of magnitude different than those high end collector properties. Numbers that Mezco would be doing cartwheels over for their 1:12 collective line wouldn't get Hasbro to consider giving the factory a go ahead.
Maybe there is still a market big enough to satisfy Hasbro at the higher price point. We will have to see if the quality is truly as elevated as it appears and if Hasbro delivers what people are expecting.
I'm not saying half of Legends collectors buy every MAFEX figure. MAFEX is my main line and I don't even do that. I'm saying half of Legends collectors are accustomed to being asked to spend more than $25 for a toy. They might not do it all the time, but they've definitely done it before. They spent $250 for a HasLab or $90 for a Mezco Indiana Jones at one point or another.
Anecdotally, I've seen more and more people come around on spending $80 for a great high-end figure than $75 on three lower-quality figures. If I'm not mistaken, yojoebro is one of the converts on MAFEX's DC line.
I don't think the price will be as difficult an ask as people think. If Spidey is $50 and Hulk is $75, Hasbro might have more trouble. We'll find out relatively soon about the price and how willing people are to pay it based on how long this line lasts. If we get to the Magnetos and Mr. Fantastics of the world, we can reasonably say higher prices weren't an issue.
Thats fair. I can see what you are saying. I dont know that this Spider-Man will be good enough to entice me. I'm not sure any of these will be awesome enough to be definitively better than the figure I already have in my display, since I don't do a ton of super dynamic posing.
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