OK – maybe not the end, but….a significant market correction…and
a lack of variety to boot. Will we ever see the richness we saw in the 1990s,
2000s? While I love Marvel characters, I don’t think I can choke down seeing another
Iron Man, Captain America, or Spider Man. Love McFarlane Sports Picks as well,
but how many Tony Romo’s, Ben Roethlisbergers, and Brett Favre’s do we really
need. I am surprised there hasn’t been a fantasy line put out there, putting
Brett Favre into every NFL uniform since he retired.
As a collector and diorama builder, I am very frustrated by
the lack of action figures in today’s market and the oversaturation of some
character lines. I am also a business manager and operations leader, well
versed in Profit and Loss (P&L) so I get it…I get it why we see the same crap
stuff in the big box stores and see so many prototypes hyped at San Diego Comic
Con and Toy Fair never make it to the market.
Over the years I have seen so many fans/collectors lament the
lack of figures and prognosticate that if Company A would just make Figure B,
it would sell out in a heartbeat. Sadly, I was like that once, and now I pass
by stuff warming the pegs I would have killed for two decades ago, and my
disposable income is better these days as well.
Let’s talk about profit and loss. As much as collectors
state on forums that there is a big market for little known characters, it’s
mom that buys the most action figures. Moms know Batman and Spiderman. They
don’t know Prometheus. Collectors want variety; the market of moms won’t
support it. It’s why we see so many Tony Romo and Iron Man figures. They sell.
Packer and Cowboys fans are everywhere and they are rabid and maniacal…sorry
Jacksonville Jaguars fans…you’re not getting a Blaine Gabbert because you can’t
even fill your stadium, much less purchase enough figures to warrant their manufacturing.
Companies actually do test marketing and keep metrics on what sells. They are
going to make and sell what has proven to make them a profit before.
Licensing. NECA has a fantastic line of Predators. As a kid,
I would have “killed” to get those. Today, I gag when I see another Predator.
So many great characters in the original movie Predator from 1986 and the movie
“Predators” from 2011, I would have loved to see. But why pay the big bucks to
those actors and studios for the rights, when you can use the same mold over
and over again with a different paint job.
If a license does go through, usually not enough for the
enemy. Clash of the Titans? Yay – got my Perseus.
Aliens – Hudson and Hicks. We’ll never see it. They were
originally slated for early 2012. Now expected 2013.
Success is still tied to media. The release of a toy line
right before or during a movie is what generates the most interest
from…kids….and their moms. The collectors will be there, but not enough to turn
inventory. NECA showcased the Prometheus prototypes at the San Diego Comic Con
at the same time the movie came out. The figures aren’t expected to arrive
until late 2012/early 2013. [I had prognosticated that the Prometheus Engineer
and Flight Suit figure would never make it to market – they did]. Let’s see if
David, Holloway, and Fifeld make it. Saw the prototypes. An why no Shaw or
Vickers?
Enemy Combatants – Too politically incorrect. Back in the
50s, when Marx first released its playsets, it was green on tan. They
eventually got to having actual German and Japanese combatants in their
playsets. Today, the 1:18 scale military figures and the McFarlane Military
figures have no one to fight. While the McFarlane Military figures are great
for display, a diorama lacks for enemy combatants. Can you imagine the outcry
of “enemy” Iraqi, Somali, Taliban fighters in a toy set? Hardly. 21st
Century toys released some “Eastern Warriors” in the mid-2000s to fight modern
day 1:18 scale soldiers. I never saw them in retail.
Price – Prices keep going up. Makes me think twice about
dropping $18 for a figure I used to be able to buy for $8 less than 7 years
ago. Hello Marvel Legends.
Scale – Part 1 – I can’t keep up with the different scales.
There are benefits to all of them, I get that. Try mixing some sets to build a
diorama and it gets trickier. Was hoping to put some soldiers (McFarlane Military)
in with some Walking Dead figures (McFarlane) and it doesn’t work. Put the
Walking Dead figures in with 1:18 military – doesn’t work either.
Scale – Part 2 – Marvel Legends were are great. They
have some bulk behind them. Compare them with their 3 ¾ inch brethren which
cost the same as the original Marvel Legends lines, and you see these stick
like, gangly figures. Same with Star Wars. The Vintage Star Wars line had mass.
They could stand on their own two feet…except maybe EV9D9 and 8D8. These days, I
can’t stand a Star Wars figure or Marvel Universe figure on their own two feet.
Series – Manufacturers don’t release all the most popular
figures in the first series, or two, or three. They generally add in some
obscure figures so that the line can keep going infinitely…potentially. As long
as there are more popular figures still to be made, the market for them will
last. Unfortunately, many lines die out before more popular figures ever get
made, yet we are left with 10 versions of Iron Man and Wolverine.
Also, kids don’t play with figures anymore. They are on
their X-Boxes and Nintendo DS. That’s why you don’t have to make the whole lot.
They only get displayed by collectors.
Business Model Change – Make the decision to blast a Single
or Two Series set line. The original Predator movie had 8 characters, 10 if you
count Arnold’s uniform changes. The original Aliens had 20 characters. Release them and be done with them. If they
sell well, there is always a way to make more, but then collectors won’t be
bummed that Mac from Predators and Newt from Aliens were never made.
What’s it Take to make an action figure?
Design, Sculpting, Articulation, Molding, Painting, Market
Research, Big Box Buy In, Packaging, Shipping, Retail
Maybe we need a business model change. Maybe NECA, Hasbro,
Mattel, and McFarlane should try a KickStarter type business model: Toystarter.
Looks fans, you want obscure figure X made. We need 10,000 buyers to pledge
their resources behind it…with credit cards, thank you much. 25% immediately,
25% later, and 50% as manufacturing kicks in. Or 100% all the way. Back it up
with your wallets. I used to think I would do that, maybe not with the prices I
see today.
My 2 Cents!
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