The Hasbro Factor - We may see even MORE new SW Lego fans than we thought

[mudcatsfan]

I just wanted to share a thought i had, and see if you all  agree / disagree, what-have-you.

Hasbro has raised the price of the classic 3.75" star wars figure from 9.99 to 12.99

The fact that they're already 9.99 may surprise the casual action figure fan as they were 1.99 in the olden days, 4.99-5.99 in the POTF2 days, and now moving from 9.99 to 12.99 as we transition to Episode 7.

That's a HUGE increase. 30%. If there's ONE figure i'm dying to get, sure i'll pay the 13 bucks (plus tax), but if you want to buy say, all 20-50 new figures that come out in a wave / year,,,,,that's a HUGE increase. 

Many are openly saying 'they're done'. They'll never pay 13 bucks for ONE star wars action figure. I said the same thing a few years back when they were simply impossible to find at retail. The Vintage collection was plagued by poor retail availability (understatement) due to the fact that they derailed the line with a huge glut of Episode 1 figures that nobody wanted. Those sat on pegs for 2-4 years without moving and prevented the line from ever seeing wide distribution.

Where did i go when i quit Hasbro? I came to Lego.

Granted, action figure collectors can be the type to quibble over the poorly sculpted WRIST of a figure and call it a monstrosity, and how could i EVER consider such a piece of garbage as part of my collection......Those guys might not like the limited realism, and limited articulation of lego figures.......But there's something........pure about lego star wars. The confines of the medium make it perfectly OK for scale and detail to be non-realistic. It's charming instead of 'film innacurate'.

Anyway, i say all that to say, if the remaining Star Wars toy collecting fan boys don't like a 30% increase in cost for their collecting dollars,,,,,they might be headed our way.

Welcome Nerds, we've been waiting for you. And we have 4 stormtroopers for 12.99. They're available on every shelf of every store you could possibly stumble into. Enjoy.

 

[Guest TabbyBoy]

I too think that this will rekindle interest in the original trilogy especially with certain chacters and ships making an reappearance. This is why I'm taking a chance and holding onto all my SW sets until the new movie is well received which I trust it will be. It's a timeless theme and I don't think you can lose out with any iconic charactor or ship (apart from the Malevolence but, that was prequel crap anyway).

[zskid00]

I remember when the Episode 1 figures with Commtech chips came out and I think were $8 which was somewhat expensive in 1999.  They sold just fine for a while until everyone went to see Episode 1 in theaters and realized these were going to be sitting on shelves for a long time.  I also remember Episode 3 figures being $4.88 at Walmart for a while in 2005.  

Even with the new MSRP of $12.99 I expect some retailers are going to offer them at lower prices than that and wouldn't be surprised to see them readily available at $10.  The action figure market isn't what it once was though and I can see more kids buying the Episode 7 LEGO sets and roleplay items instead.

Edited August 12, 2015 by zskid00

[scuttfarkas]

I have to imagine that with a SMRP of 12.99, you'll see a lot of BOGO 50%...particularly at places like TRU.  

[exciter1]

Believe it or not, the last movie, "Revenge of the Sith", figures were only $4.99 and Wal-Mart & TRU had them for $4.88 and $4.29 for the first few weeks.  I didn't think anything of picking up 4-5 of any that I liked.

Edited August 12, 2015 by exciter1

[fossilrock]

Hasbro is a very lackluster toy company.  It extends beyond star wars but also goes to transformers too.  I say get ready for mountains of peg warmers that will sit 5 to 6 layers deep.  Making black series obi-wan looking like a sought after item.

I used to collect a lot of these, but i've sold just about everything recently. I sometimes cherry pick the six inch black series line, but the recent sculpts just keep getting worse.  Add in the fact that the new Ep7 chewbacca coming out is the same as the old one just with a different paint job, and it becomes easier to pass on a lot of this stuff.  I probably will grab a few of the captain phasmas, and kylo renns but doubt i'll go deeper than that until I see the movie.   I just saw the new chewbacca, and it's the same version as the original one, but just with "grey paint". 

[thoroakenfelder]

I used to collect a lot fo the 3.75 figures that Hasbro released. I began to lose interest with multiple refreshes of the same characters, limited distribution of the new characters, and slow lowering of quality. They were trying to promote collectors to their 6" lines, which were wholely inadequate in regards to variety and distribution. My Marvel figures began to suffer as they lowered selection and articulation. Eventually I was done with Hasbro entirely when I couldn't find a Wasp for the better part of a year.

LEGO does suffer from refreshes. I am sick of getting Batman, Iron Man and Spider-Man in every set I open. I can't use all of the hero refreshes from Star Wars. But I can sell my extra minifigs in order to offset the costs of the sets I want. I could not do the same with all of the extra heroes if I bought a case of anything from Hasbro. Vehicle and playset options for Hasbro were weak too.

I do love high articulation/high detail figures, but Hasbro couldn't provide a good product reliably. LEGO does. Even casual fans don't have to search for a desired set after release. The longest wait for new product after release is only a couple weeks usually. There's only a limited window for QFLL, so there's almost no complaining about scalpers. in fact, a lot of fans are willing to pay above average for desired minifigures from resellers, just so they don't have to buy a whole set. LEGO creates a different culture in collecting, a somewhat healthier one I think.

[mudcatsfan]

Believe it or not, the last movie, "Revenge of the Sith", figures were only $4.99 and Wal-Mart & TRU had them for $4.88 and $4.29 for the first few weeks.  I didn't think anything of picking up 4-5 of any that I liked.

That's surprising to me,,,,were they lower quality or just 5 points of articulation?  

I missed the whole Ep2-ep3-legacy collection-build a droid years. Vintage Collection woke me back up, but not until i realized how nice they were and that they were really going to try to do the whole line. 

[exciter1]

That's surprising to me,,,,were they lower quality or just 5 points of articulation?  

I missed the whole Ep2-ep3-legacy collection-build a droid years. Vintage Collection woke me back up, but not until i realized how nice they were and that they were really going to try to do the whole line. 

Some were super-articulated, some weren't, lots of accessories, etc.  The "Revenge of the Sith" line was rated well and highly regarded by collectors.  The entire "Saga Collection" line was well-done and they were only $5.49 - $5.99 each.  "Legacy Collection" w/ the first build-a-droids were only $5.99.  They shot up quick after the vintage collection was released.

Edited August 12, 2015 by exciter1

[pickleboy]

I'm excited to see them bringing back Star Wars Micro Machines. 

[labfreak7]

I remember when the Episode 1 figures with Commtech chips came out and I think were $8 which was somewhat expensive in 1999.  They sold just fine for a while until everyone went to see Episode 1 in theaters and realized these were going to be sitting on shelves for a long time.  I also remember Episode 3 figures being $4.88 at Walmart for a while in 2005.  

Even with the new MSRP of $12.99 I expect some retailers are going to offer them at lower prices than that and wouldn't be surprised to see them readily available at $10.  The action figure market isn't what it once was though and I can see more kids buying the Episode 7 LEGO sets and roleplay items instead.

I used to work at toysrus and remember their Black Friday door buster for those figures at .99 each. I bought a few of them and still have them stored away. Don't think they are worth very much though.

[exciter1]

I used to work at toysrus and remember their Black Friday door buster for those figures at .99 each. I bought a few of them and still have them stored away. Don't think they are worth very much though.

Nope, best time to sell those would have been around 2006.

[zskid00]

First look at some of the packaged basic figures for Episode 7:
 

http://news.toyark.com/2015/08/13/lots-of-star-wars-the-force-awakens-figures-leaking-173111

[longshot]

Ive collected various SW figure releases over the years and have found it utterly frustrating the poor quality of the sculpts and the number of times Hasbro rehashes the same old same old. Soooooooooooo.......... Now that money goes either to LEGO, sideshow collectibles or Gentle Giant. As far as articulation and sculpt quality nothing beats sideshow/hot toys. Its not cheap but the quality is excellent.

[Sandwraith]

Never even knew the price of these figs at any point in my life really as i'm not an action figure collector from any genre.

I would have figured $6.99 for one of these figures, $12.99? that's crazy.

[Mathew]

 

Anyway, i say all that to say, if the remaining Star Wars toy collecting fan boys don't like a 30% increase in cost for their collecting dollars,,,,,they might be headed our way.

Welcome Nerds, we've been waiting for you. And we have 4 stormtroopers for 12.99. They're available on every shelf of every store you could possibly stumble into. Enjoy.

 

$13 is insanely overpriced.  But consider this:  For a minifig collector to acquire the new(old) Ep. 7 Han Solo they will either have to fork over $150 for the new Falcon or pay a premium on ebay for him from a reseller.  The Hasbro Han Solo will most likely be easily acquired at retail.  So $13 on ebay for the minifig or $13 retail for the Hasbro toy.  Pick your poison.

[exciter1]

I saw the new wave of Black Series at a couple Wal-Marts this weekend.  My collector's itch started to kick in, but I couldn't do it.  I don't even want to pay $13 for Dagobah Vader.