Whatever happened to the second batch of Marvel Q & A's???

[ToBeLoved]

Let's remind them (Hasbro) of what made the line successful okay? First of all, when these came out they had nothing comparable to them in scale and sculpt and features. But it is 2008 going 2009 ! At this time, a bunch of these old sculpts (pre-2005) look dated and could be redone successfully (like Series 1 Cap was to FO or Iron Man to a 2 pack), looking to what made this line a bestseller, let's do better X-Men figures refreshed in sculpt and articulation. Lots can be made with that Elektra body or Shanna base body. Let me see Rogue, Mystique, Binary, Frankie Raye Nova, Hepzibah. C'mon now. Where are the War Skrulls and their derivative uniforms to catch up with the current storyline? again I need a better Scarlet Witch that looked the actual prototype back in the day. We need a much larger Abomination from the movie in scale with Legends and a buffed up true to scale Iron Man Mk III that doesn't look like a C3PO next to FO Captain America. Where is that comic accurate ULTRON ? I haven't seen a really, really good Jim Lee Cyclops, EVER !! Modern Sabretooth was way out of scale and so with Omega Red. On Cyclops, it's either his head is out of proportion or his body looks like a teenager or he's as big as a bodybuilder. I NEED Titanium Man MADE, single carded if need be. I need ODIN as a two pack with a classic LOKI. The Enchantress. I NEED a BIGGER Cable, the size of CROSSBONES. I haven't seen Storm in her classic costume (FA), I haven't seen a Jim Lee version of Jean Grey. the 90's era X-Men are a sure fire hit to make as a resculpts. Most of the early ones look obsolescent (I want a better Nightcrawler noggin'). A lot of these will sell. I just can'e imagine Hasbro tryin' to make unmade characters their priority and their are people who are just starting their collection and have not had these previously released characters that are in short supply in EBay anyway! If Marvel Toys can make Pitt that big, I bet Hasbro can make a similar sized Dragon Man too! And yes, if Hasbro's focus is the 3 3/4" line, the only one I'll get is the Fantastic 3 ! Why ?, because I need them to complement my only Super Showdown figure that survived from being thrown down the trash bin, Ben Grimm !!

 

i totally agree. we need more x-men!

[cozzy]

i totally agree. we need more spider-men!

 

Seconded...haha

[clonekiller72]

Let's remind them (Hasbro) of what made the line successful okay? First of all, when these came out they had nothing comparable to them in scale and sculpt and features. But it is 2008 going 2009 ! At this time, a bunch of these old sculpts (pre-2005) look dated and could be redone successfully (like Series 1 Cap was to FO or Iron Man to a 2 pack), looking to what made this line a bestseller, let's do better X-Men figures refreshed in sculpt and articulation. Lots can be made with that Elektra body or Shanna base body. Let me see Rogue, Mystique, Binary, Frankie Raye Nova, Hepzibah. C'mon now. Where are the War Skrulls and their derivative uniforms to catch up with the current storyline? again I need a better Scarlet Witch that looked the actual prototype back in the day. We need a much larger Abomination from the movie in scale with Legends and a buffed up true to scale Iron Man Mk III that doesn't look like a C3PO next to FO Captain America. Where is that comic accurate ULTRON ? I haven't seen a really, really good Jim Lee Cyclops, EVER !! Modern Sabretooth was way out of scale and so with Omega Red. On Cyclops, it's either his head is out of proportion or his body looks like a teenager or he's as big as a bodybuilder. I NEED Titanium Man MADE, single carded if need be. I need ODIN as a two pack with a classic LOKI. The Enchantress. I NEED a BIGGER Cable, the size of CROSSBONES. I haven't seen Storm in her classic costume (FA), I haven't seen a Jim Lee version of Jean Grey. the 90's era X-Men are a sure fire hit to make as a resculpts. Most of the early ones look obsolescent (I want a better Nightcrawler noggin'). A lot of these will sell. I just can'e imagine Hasbro tryin' to make unmade characters their priority and their are people who are just starting their collection and have not had these previously released characters that are in short supply in EBay anyway! If Marvel Toys can make Pitt that big, I bet Hasbro can make a similar sized Dragon Man too! And yes, if Hasbro's focus is the 3 3/4" line, the only one I'll get is the Fantastic 3 ! Why ?, because I need them to complement my only Super Showdown figure that survived from being thrown down the trash bin, Ben Grimm !!

 

Nuff' Said & "Sweet Christmas"

[Jmacq1]

People, get a grip on reality. Hasbro didn't arbitrarily decide to just dump the 6" line and make the 3 3/4" line. They had a bunch of people who know the toy business a HELL of a lot better than any of us do take a look at how the line was selling, and likely with heavy input from the retailers chose to make the 3.75" line. Hasbro barely does anything without retailer input. If retailers hadn't expressed interest in the smaller scale line, it probably would barely have made it to prototype stages.

 

I don't know how many times it can be re-iterated before it sinks in: IF MARVEL LEGENDS WERE AS POPULAR AS YOU SEEM TO THINK THEY ARE THEY WOULDN'T BE DOWNSIZING THE LINE. That is a FACT.

 

Seriously? Do you honestly believe that Hasbro would have a "secret agenda" to torpedo a successful line for a new one, when the successful line can make them just as much profit (or more) than the new, untested one (and can even be on shelves at the same time)? You really think Hasbro has become one of the biggest, most successful toy companies in the world by being a pack of idiots that don't know how to sell toys?

 

I GUARANTEE Hasbro has tried to "pimp" the 6" line to retailers (they sure as hell convinced them to buy a crapload of HML Waves 1 and 2). If the retailers still aren't buying after that. There isn't crap that Hasbro can do about it except try to make lemonade out of the lemon the retailers handed them.

 

And for those of you who claim that somehow making "A-List" characters and "fan-picks" would save the line: Which "A-List" characters does Marvel have that we haven't already got multiple iterations of? Which "fan picks" and "secondary characters" are going to be any less obscure than the figures Hasbro has already given us (or are about to give us)?

 

If a line only sells to collectors, it's not enough for Retailers to keep it on shelves unless that collector base is HUGE. The only two lines that have that are Star Wars and Transformers.

[annihilator]

Alrighty then, they listen to the retailers more than the consumers. This is definitely gonna go nowhere, since they listen more to them than us. They chose to eff around with the formula and not look at what the historical data shows. Mainstream characters sell more and add a little bit of the supporting cast every now and then. Meanwhile they also muddle around with different scales and experiment with new joints and see what works (Unleashed, tiny Movie figures anyone?). In the meantime they neglect the Legends line that is the big seller and cut down on paint apps and lessen the articulation in Series 1 and 2. This is a train running straight through a waiting cliff !! Bring back the Classic X-Men of Cockrum and the 90's Jim Lee characters X-Men and rejuvenate the line with newly refreshed sculpting to update the collection! and add some Asgardians and add some Starjammers, Initiative, Cosmic characters, Praetorian guard, etc. or is it a bit too much an insult to rub salt in it for Marvel to reproduce some Jim Lee/ Rob Liefield / Image founders, versions of these characters now that they work for rival companies? like for example Jubilee? JL Cyclops? JL Jean Grey ? JL Maverick ? RL Stryfe? Sunspot? Boom Boom? Shatterstar ? This might be something to think about . . . . . .

[Rollo Tomassi]

The Hasbro guy said retailers were south on Legends because kiddies weren't buying them. Did you miss that? Collectors only can't support a line. But here is Hasbro. They have a line they can make for $1 a figure and sell for $10, or they have a line they can make for $4 a figure and sell for $10. Hmmm...which one are they more excited to get retailers order? The one with the higher profit margin? yes. It's not so much a "secret agenda" as it basic business sense.

 

 

[annihilator]

I still say it is the overall product presentation that will make 6" scale's viability and what will make kiddies buy these things. Case in point, Halo 3 figures. They look like they really jumped out of the video game and into 3D immortality. The makers of these did their market research right and studied what people looked for in action figures cum collectibles. These can barely be found on the shelves and selling out. Hasbro is slow in getting the picture and just jumped and started reusing basic molds per se. When the ML's paint apps were stripped down to begin with, Series 1 and 2, people found the noticeable drop in figures' appeal (Happy Meal Hercules, perky She-Hulk, terrifying Emma F) , next came the change in joints, and people started voicing their gripes and indifference perhaps more noticeably in FFML and the only saving grace with these were really Dr. Doom and the BAF which still retained the double knee joints. You see, taking something off and when the product no longer does not meet the expectations, it affects the sales and bottom line of the retailers. Perhaps these newer waves is correcting the shortcomings of 2007 and 2008, but I'm afraid Hasbro is so into playing with scales too much (MU) that they don't see it like the rest of the ML patrons.

[resident73]

valid point, I think ya hit the nail on the head there annihilator, so to speak?

[Jmacq1]

Listen to the figures you're naming. Figures from comics that haven't been appearing regularly in the forms you're describing for nearly 10 years. You think kids are going to be excited about characters that are in costumes older than they can remember, or even older than they are? Liefeld's X-Force hasn't been "A-List" for a loooooong time.

 

Beyond that, if Hasbro went back to strictly the "mainstream" characters, you know what we get right? Superman/Batman syndrome. We already have enough Spider-Mans and Iron Mans and Wolverines and Hulks. We've got quite a few Captain Americas and Fantastic Four members, too. Guess what? For the average kid/average non-comic reader...that is Marvel's A-list. When you figure that the highest-selling comics on the market usually sell well under a million copies, trying to market strictly to comic-fans is a losing proposition.

 

Hasbro doesn't want to see any line fail. They've already said they're trying to see if they can find ways for 6" Marvel Legends to continue. I know no one wants to believe them because it's too easy to b***h and whine and try to claim Hasbro is the evil anti-collector corporation rather than admit that Marvel Legends is on the downswing, and its' collectors aren't a large enough group to keep it alive in the retailers' minds.

 

Melodramatic statements like "they dont' listen to us then, so why bother?" don't take into account that they sure as hell do listen to us. Sometimes the changes don't come as quickly as we like, or don't go as far as some of us like, but compare the exclusive series we're getting now to the HML 1 and 2 (and even 3) series and tell me there's no improvement? Look at characters like Adam Warlock, Crossbones, Spiral, Cat-Beast, and the rest and tell me they aren't listening for some of the characters some of the fans want (don't confuse what one person individually wants with what "every" fan wants, now)? But when retailers and consumers' interests collide, and the consumers aren't buying enough of the product to make the retailers happy, then yes, the retailers win out. They're already holding all the cards to begin with, because if they don't buy the line in the first place, it never gets to consumers to be able to buy.

 

Even the "higher profit margin" on the smaller figures isn't true. In a perfect world (for Hasbro), they'd be pulling in the higher profit margin on the smaller figures and the lower (but still significant) profit margin on the larger figures, because both lines would be selling at a level that they (and the retailers) would be happy with.

 

Despite what everyone seems to think it's NOT an either/or proposition with the 3.75" figures and the 6" figures. Not to Hasbro, not to retailers, and not to us. I can assure you that if 6" Marvel Legends were rolling along as successfully as one might hope for, they'd still be pushing the 3.75" line right alongside it. Unfortunately the reality of the situation is that HML hasn't done as well as folks hoped, so yeah, it looks like it's taking a back seat for now. That's not because it's being "sacrificed" for the 3.75" line. It's just bad timing that the line's own failures coincide with the unveiling and launch of the new line.

 

Bottom line: Hasbro (and retailers) would happily give us both lines with full support...if we were buying at a level that warranted that support. Maybe quick sell-throughs of these exclusive waves will help retailers see the viability of the larger scale Marvel figures. Or at least position them better for a potential "big comeback" in a year or two. But for now, we can either sit here and stew and b***h, or try to have some shred of hope for the future and accept that for the moment the HML line has hit a stumbling block and may need some time to recover.

[clonekiller72]

The bottom line is all that matters, and HML wave 1 & 2 showed that more clearly than ever. Hasbro knew their buisiness model right out of the gate. Make them as cheap as possible to maximize profits. Good and bad buisiness. Cheap figures means more monitary gain for the company, yes, but alienating customers and retailers is over all very bad in the long run.

 

And would Hasbro tank a line to develope thier own interests, yes. I think they would. They were more than happy to begin shrinking the scale immeadiatly with the FF2 & SM3 figures right out of the gate. And each time they've brought in a new scale that didn't work, they had to go back to the scale that did work. Marvel Legends were forced to improve and they did. How many Fantastic Four Legends are clogging shelves. None in my area. HML 3 was a major improvement and only Danger can be found in my area now, but there were always cloggers even at the hieght of toy biz's popularity. Spidey 3 legends were gone really quickly , and the Red Hulk wave is impossible to find.

 

So I ask, What doesn't sell about this line?

 

They learned real quickly, that there has to be a combination of popularity and quality.

 

As I've said before, it comes down to Hasbro wanting the line to be 3 3/4 all along. It's thier thing. They're geared up for to produce this line, and not so much the 6". I'll guarantee that the day they signed the papers with Marvel to take over the line they knew this was where they were going. There WERE hints immeadiatley that this was thier intended direction.

 

And for the record, Hasbro's test marketers are the people who thought the 5 inch line was a good idea, that scaling down the Hulk line would sell, and that the quality of HML 1 was good. And that's just marvel related. Too many times I look at shelf clogged tie ins to lines wondering "what the hell were they thinking?"

 

Overall Hasbro has some of the worst test marketing available.

 

True, ML won't be popular unless kids want them. There is a balance that can be achieved between retail, collector and children's popularity. It's all in the line-up and quality vs the production cost.

 

Example of a balanced 6" Marvel Legend line-up

Spider-armor Spiderman: the McFarlane Silver and Black padded costume. It has the historic vibe, kids think it's cool looking and there hasn't been a legend caliber copy made yet.

New Captain America: Retail strengh, ML desired, Avenger for collectors, and kid friendly. Write they history of a kid who was cap's sidekick growing up to become Cap on the back and Kids can relate to the new character, while a current character in comics is made in ML scale for the first time.

DeadPool: Fans want him, he's vigalante cool, quasi villian and looks like an evil spiderman for the kiddies. Add in a Wade head, a Spidey Head, weapons and joke web-shooters and you have the trifecta.

Modern Cable: Right now there is a mean looking custom on ebay with the baby across his chest. Big figures appeal to kids, Cable's a stable that collectors want to see remade, and well enough known to get the retail support, especially with Deadpool in the line-up. Add some guns and knives and you have a winner.

Polaris: Collector's have wanted her for years now, she fills an "X-need", Magneto's daughter might even appeal to kids, but this is the collectors gem of the line. Plus green women sell. It's actually a proven fact. No kidding, I read that women in green appeal more to men! So you might get non-ML guys buying these. Varient: x-factor costume

Thanos: Every line needs a bad guy and a monster, he's both. He hasn't been produced in legend scale and is a needed figure whose appeared in multiple marvel cross-overs. Kids like the monsters, collectors need him, and he has some retail appeal. Add in a skreet, for added play & display goodness.(the pixie from Annhilation that followed him around)

Optional BAF Super-adaptoid: This baddie is big but doesn't have to be huge to cut on plastic costs, but would have a few extras like stylized versions of Cap's shield, Mjolnir, visions cloak, and Iron Man's repulsors. 9-10 inches would be enough and he's taller than he is bulky. This guy has appeal due to his looking like many avengers and actually being one of thier villians he has good playability.

 

Alternate BAF: Stature, but that's more my want list, I don't think she has much kids appeal.

 

Remember this is one line-up and it doesn't answer all our collectors needs but it could have kid and retail support, and that's what's needed, right?

 

Another extra that could bring kids back is comics. I know that this is added cost, but what if instead of a printed comic the figures each came with a trial subscription to Marvel Online? However limited it meets the need to get kids to read, and inspires circular sales. The more kids read about characters the more they want toys of those characters. This was one of the main reasons original ML's appealed to kids, it went beyond a toy it got the into the genre of comics, and that alone feeds upon itself. Inserting a coded insert for an online site keeps costs down while achieving the goal of drawing in kids. Each figure could have a highlight issue list on the insert so in the day or three that the subscripion lasts they could read alot of issues, or issues about another character completely.

 

What hasbro doesn't realize is that sometimes kids bought the toys for the comic inside, and that was completely lost with ditching of the books in HML 1.

 

 

uhg. Another winded post brought to you by Clonekiller.

[annihilator]

They just don't get it, or are not putting their full suport on it. If there is unfamiliarity with the older variation of the characters, they can solve that problem by putting back the comic book pack-ins. It is not a good excuse to say it will cost more, because they do it for their own two pack Star Wars line. They copy an idea for their favorite niche but don't think it is a great idea for the line that started it all ??? That is a ton of BULLCR_P! I see it WITH MY OWN EYES. WalMart sells these SW things and they have comic book pack-ins. They adopt BAF for SW but take it out of the ML ?? Talk about double standard. I still think they (Marvel) don't want to revisit the older characters once they have been offered before, specifically figures of creators that have migrated to their rivals and they don't want to have anything to do with these creations like Jubilee, Shatterstar, any Jim Lee versions of the X-Men. These also probably apply to Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefield, John Byrne or Marc Silvestri's versions of some characters. Could it be these independent creators might demand some sort of royalty?? I don't know. Why can't they just reissue DEADPOOL. What is keeping them from pulling the trigger on this ??

[clonekiller72]

They just don't get it, or are not putting their full suport on it. If there is unfamiliarity with the older variation of the characters, they can solve that problem by putting back the comic book pack-ins. It is not a good excuse to say it will cost more, because they do it for their own two pack Star Wars line. They copy an idea for their favorite niche but don't think it is a great idea for the line that started it all ??? That is a ton of BULLCR_P! I see it WITH MY OWN EYES. WalMart sells these SW things and they have comic book pack-ins. They adopt BAF for SW but take it out of the ML ?? Talk about double standard. I still think they (Marvel) don't want to revisit the older characters once they have been offered before, specifically figures of creators that have migrated to their rivals and they don't want to have anything to do with these creations like Jubilee, Shatterstar, any Jim Lee versions of the X-Men. These also probably apply to Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefield, John Byrne or Marc Silvestri's versions of some characters. Could it be these independent creators might demand some sort of royalty?? I don't know. Why can't they just reissue DEADPOOL. What is keeping them from pulling the trigger on this ??

 

I don't suspect there will be many "historic" figures going forward. "Iconic" versions and "current comic" are more likely.

 

But I agree that ML has inspired other lines while losing it's own uniqueness.

 

I really don't understand the departure from BAF's. I've never complained about BAF size, though the Larger TB ones were awesome, I can understand how they were expensive as all get-out. It really was a way to get those larger (hulk-sized) figures out with-out having to raise the roof on prices.

 

Oh that's right they just did that anyway.

 

What really baffles me is that BAF's made people purchase characters they otherwise wouldn't have. This was a good buisiness move, it works for other genre's and lines, why abandon it in line that originated it?

 

Marvel Legends made the BAf it's signature.

[Jmacq1]

And people wonder why toy collectors have such a bad reputation....

 

Seriously...the lengths some of you are going to try to "blame" the 3 3/4" line defies any shred of common sense, let alone business sense. Does Hasbro own some of the blame for the decline of Marvel Legends? You bet they do. Did they "engineer" the downfall just to make a 3 3/4" line? Hell **** No.

 

There wasn't a blasted thing stopping them from making a 3 3/4" line whether 6" Marvel Legends were on the shelves or not. That's a fact. Some of you still live in that dream world where apparently Marvel Legends are the hottest things going, when the facts clearly tell us otherwise. (Sorry, but figures that were released about a year ago not being on pegs anymore isn't exactly evidence of being a "hot seller.") Heck, figures being hard to find in general aren't evidence of a hot seller...it can just as easily be evidence of a low production run...something that happens when retailers stop ordering the line in large quantities.

 

Seriously, can one person on this board provide a plausible (read: Not based on some conspiracy theory) explanation for why retailers (and Hasbro) would drop support for a successful (as in currently successful) line?

 

 

 

 

 

[annihilator]

Nobody wants to be labeled a Hasbro rep, but you certainly sound like one. When did they plant you into these boards to quash everyone's views ?? May 2008, that sounds about right.

[clonekiller72]

And people wonder why toy collectors have such a bad reputation....

 

Seriously...the lengths some of you are going to try to "blame" the 3 3/4" line defies any shred of common sense, let alone business sense. Does Hasbro own some of the blame for the decline of Marvel Legends? You bet they do. Did they "engineer" the downfall just to make a 3 3/4" line? Hell **** No.

 

There wasn't a blasted thing stopping them from making a 3 3/4" line whether 6" Marvel Legends were on the shelves or not. That's a fact. Some of you still live in that dream world where apparently Marvel Legends are the hottest things going, when the facts clearly tell us otherwise. (Sorry, but figures that were released about a year ago not being on pegs anymore isn't exactly evidence of being a "hot seller.") Heck, figures being hard to find in general aren't evidence of a hot seller...it can just as easily be evidence of a low production run...something that happens when retailers stop ordering the line in large quantities.

 

Seriously, can one person on this board provide a plausible (read: Not based on some conspiracy theory) explanation for why retailers (and Hasbro) would drop support for a successful (as in currently successful) line?

Wow, and you're giving collector a good name with your attacks.

 

Excuse me for being passionate about something I care about.

 

This WAS a discussion until you started insulting people.

 

Simply put retailers bought the farm on HML 1 & 2 and Hasbro has been trying to catch-up ever since.

 

However, they are more excited about thier 3 3/4 line. Just read the round-up Q&A I posted. Every ML question is a ho-hum, very non-discript answer that left readers questioning what the future holds, but at least there is some kind of future. Yet all the 3 3/4 questions had discriptive (at least for a Hasbro Q&A) answers that ended in exclaimation points and smiley faces.

 

To someone who's poured in alot of time, money, and caring into the 6" line is like a slap in the face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sniper1]

*Grabs popcorn and watches thread*

[Rollo Tomassi]

Nobody wants to be labeled a Hasbro rep, but you certainly sound like one. When did they plant you into these boards to quash everyone's views ?? May 2008, that sounds about right.

 

 

 

I've had similar thoughts.

 

But honestly he's just pointing out the obvious. Hasbro is looking at their bottom line. If Legends isn't profitable for them or the retailers, they come up with something that is. Like the Puniverse. Retailers like A-List characters and Legends collectors already have too many of those. Too many Wolvies. Too many Spideys. So while Hasbro would like to cater to us, they eat because of Wal-Mart and Target.

 

I only wish that if they relaxed on their almighty profit margin a little, we'd all be getting what we wanted and a lot more people would be happy. But that ain't in the cards.

[cjflan32]

Places like Wal-Mart and Target want to stuff as much stuff in the toy aisle and the pegs as humanly possible. That means the smaller the better. This is a fact, there's a Star Wars toy blogger out there who can confirm this. Never mind the fact that that this BAF stuff has gotten completely out of control. How many people had to buy a Mr. Fantastic just to get Ronan's Hammer. HIS HAMMER?? They made everyone buy an extra figure just to get an accessory?

 

Anyway, I digress. The point is you can put a lot more 3.75 figures on the shelf than six inchers. It's strictly business and Hasbro couldn't give a damn how much heart and soul you put into you collection.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Places like Wal-Mart and Target want to stuff as much stuff in the toy aisle and the pegs as humanly possible. That means the smaller the better. This is a fact, there's a Star Wars toy blogger out there who can confirm this. Never mind the fact that that this BAF stuff has gotten completely out of control. How many people had to buy a Mr. Fantastic just to get Ronan's Hammer. HIS HAMMER?? They made everyone buy an extra figure just to get an accessory?

 

Anyway, I digress. The point is you can put a lot more 3.75 figures on the shelf than six inchers. It's strictly business and Hasbro couldn't give a damn how much heart and soul you put into you collection.

 

 

Well put. Not to mention that making a smaller figure with less packaging, less articulation ( which means less joints, and less toolings to make body parts) and more space in each case, and on each giant sea vessel bringing them over from China, means HUGE profit margin for the 'Bro. Holes in your collection be damned. Thar's shareholders to cater ta, gawldarnit!

[Jmacq1]

Ha, I -wish- I was a Hasbro rep. Then I'd probably get free stuff. But no, I'm not a rep, nor a "shill." I don't own stock in Hasbro (at least that I know of), I just happen to collect a few of their lines. Note that I said Hasbro can certainly be blamed for the failures of HML 1 and 2 (and thus the decline of the Marvel Legends brand in the mind of retailers). I'm more about pointing out how pointless this overwhelming negativity is, and how ridiculous the belief that it's some kind of "conspiracy" behind the problems with the Hasbro Marvel Legends is.

 

It's fine to be passionate about your hobby. But people are acting like:

 

A: No toy line in the history of toys has ever ended with "gaps in the collection." (All of which is premature, since we have no real confirmation that 6" Marvel Legends are -completely- ending).

 

and

 

B: That pretty much any toy line that's enjoyed any sort of multi-year success in the last 20 years hasn't eventually returned to toy shelves within 1-5 years of being put "on hold." Many of these being Hasbro lines. Even if Marvel Legends does get completely axed, it's highly, highly unlikely they'll stay that way forever.

 

I know it's hard to see the forest for the trees right now, but it's not the end of the world. Really.

You don't have to like the 3.75" figures or buy them if they're not your thing. But not buying them simply because you think they're somehow "victimizing" the 6" Marvel Legends is a pretty lousy reason to avoid them. Not buying them isn't likely to bring ML back any sooner, and in fact, the line being a huge success probably would bring 6" Marvel Legends back sooner. Retailers do understand the concept of "brand strength." They also don't object to multiple scales of the same "brand" being out there (See the current Dark Knight toys, the DC Infinite Heroes and DC Universe Classics, or the recent re-introduction of 12" figures to the G.I. Joe line).

 

If the Marvel Universe line takes off and sells like gangbusters, it lets retailers see that the "Marvel Comics" brand (as opposed to the "Marvel movie tie-ins" brand which retailers seem to love) is strong. That's something Hasbro can leverage in their sales presentations to convince retailers to pick up 6" Legends again. If Marvel Universe pegwarms/gets clearanced out, then retailers aren't going to magically turn around and say, "Hmm, let's try those 6" figures again." They're more likely to say, "You know what? Let's just stick to the movie tie-ins and those cute little Superhero Squad things. These comic-based lines just aren't working."

 

Yeah, retailers like to cram more stuff on shelf-space. But shelf-space is one of the areas where Hasbro can actually negotiate with the retailers. If they can convince them that say, the Marvel brand is strong enough that 6" Marvel Legends figures will sell better than say, toys from whatever pseudo-anime show that the kids loved last year but aren't even watching this year, then they'll give that shelf-space to the HMLs.

 

All I'm trying to say is that it isn't the end of the world. There have been plenty of collectors and plenty of toy lines over the years that have been forced to deal with "incomplete" collections or good lines that came to an end. Many of these folks also had to "start over" with new collections later on and we're all still here. Yeah, you can choose not to deal with it, that's fine. That's your choice. But the overwhelming negativity here isn't helping anyone. It might even be a serious contributor to why "these boards aren't as active as they used to be."

 

I wasn't around (on these boards) when Superhero Showdown was first unveiled, but I can't help but wonder if Toy Biz was hailed as geniuses, while Hasbro offering figures that will likely have superior quality and far better distribution is "the evil empire at work" because due to poor timing and bad luck on their part the 6" line is in decline at the same time.

 

PS: Just a note as to the Q&A questions about Marvel Legends - How can Hasbro give out information they very well may not have? They're supposedly working with retailers and trying to find out ways to keep the line alive in some form or another. If they don't know what final form that will take...how are they going to give a "detailed" answer?

 

I'd also note, it's the various sites that ask the questions. Hasbro can't be blamed if they're asking lousy ones. I've seen some sites lay out questions that are outright attacks on Hasbro in some of the Star Wars Q&As, and Hasbro still politely answers them.

 

You kids these days are spoiled. Up until a couple years ago us older collectors didn't have "internet Q&As" every month or so to give us ANY information on these lines. It isn't something Hasbro or Mattel or anyone else has to do. Yeah, they tend to hoard information until their own press releases (though oddly enough they seem to offer a lot more info on the Star Wars line than any of their other Q&As), but at least there's some degree of communication there.

[clonekiller72]

You bring up some strong points, many, if not all are true.

 

But thier really isn't that much negativity being thrown around here, as displeasure. You should have seen these boards a couple of months ago. You couldn't say anything without some.....person attacking your feelings.

 

And that's just what most of these rants are, feelings.

 

And it hurts even more to KNOW, that no matter how much we try to vocalize these feeling the big corporations don't give a damn.

 

Personally, I've tried to make the point that there can be a balance in lines, and for Hasbro to not give up too easily, which, reading thier comments in the Q&a's FEELS like thier doing.

 

There is a fact here, if you have nothing to push at retailer summits, it's really hard to sell the nothing. So far, these Q&A's haven't offered much hope other than we're trying.

 

Well. It's hard to sell we're trying to Walmart & Target.

 

 

Anyway, I think we can all agree on something here. We all want our 6" legends to continue. I just hate to wait for word from Limbo.

 

Speaking of Limbo, A Illyana Rasputin Magick figure would be awesome.

[annihilator]

Magik?? that would be an awesome character. But as the trend now seems to show, Marvel/Hasbro frowns on releasing any 80's/90's versions of characters associated with the X-Universe from that era, and wants to release mostly current incarnations. Really, I've seen only the Blob, Spiral and Banshee. They must as well rename this line as Marvel "Currents" instead of "Legends". Oh they are already creating their own spin, Marvel Universe for the Lilliputian line.

[clonekiller72]

Magik?? that would be an awesome character. But as the trend now seems to show, Marvel/Hasbro frowns on releasing any 80's/90's versions of characters associated with the X-Universe from that era, and wants to release mostly current incarnations. Really, I've seen only the Blob, Spiral and Banshee. They must as well rename this line as Marvel "Currents" instead of "Legends". Oh they are already creating their own spin, Marvel Universe for the Lilliputian line.

 

Magick is back next month in X-infrernus story arc. She would actually be a very timely character. New design and spin on the Illyana character.

 

I'll bet you anything that if the 2 pack line-up continues you'll see your 90's Cyke & Jean.

Maybe a Havok & Polaris X-Factor also.

 

If we see more of them. These are awesome packs, but these seem to not be any other retailers radar other than Walmart.

[Jmacq1]

Magik?? that would be an awesome character. But as the trend now seems to show, Marvel/Hasbro frowns on releasing any 80's/90's versions of characters associated with the X-Universe from that era, and wants to release mostly current incarnations. Really, I've seen only the Blob, Spiral and Banshee. They must as well rename this line as Marvel "Currents" instead of "Legends". Oh they are already creating their own spin, Marvel Universe for the Lilliputian line.

 

Magick is back next month in X-infrernus story arc. She would actually be a very timely character. New design and spin on the Illyana character.

 

I'll bet you anything that if the 2 pack line-up continues you'll see your 90's Cyke & Jean.

Maybe a Havok & Polaris X-Factor also.

 

If we see more of them. These are awesome packs, but these seem to not be any other retailers radar other than Walmart.

 

Actually, I saw the two-packs on-shelves for the first time yesterday, at Toys R Us. Who if they had half a brain would offer to pick up Marvel Legends as an exclusive line. Get collectors in their stores with some exclusives that aren't lame. Even if the Collector market ain't -that- big for ML, TRU needs all the help they can get.

 

Hopefully the 2-packs will continue. At first Hasbro seemed fairly certain they would, anyway.

 

The Spider-Man Classics line may well continue, and they're slowly starting to introduce new designs to that, I think (Tarantula is new, isn't he?). It may be a bit of a stretch, but there are plenty of Marvel characters that they could work into that line, particularly among secondary folks, given how many cross over with Spidey. Say like, Silver Sable, for an example off the top of my head. Or even Cloak and Dagger (though they'd be a perfect 2 pack if ever there was one). Over time it could sort of become a "stealth Marvel Legends."

 

The Wolverine movie line will probably be mostly "realistic" based, but that doesn't mean we might not see a "Wolverine Classics" Legends line that either runs concurrently or spins out of it. That could quickly shift into a de-facto "X-Men" line if it was successful and went on. (Plus there's the "Wolverine and the X-Men" animated series coming up, too).

 

Likewise with "Thor" and "Iron Man 2" in 2010, and of course Captain America and The Avengers in 2011.

 

There are opportunities out there where we may well see more 6" figures even if Marvel Legends as we know them don't continue, in other words. We just kind of have to wait and see.

 

Disappointment is understandable. Heck, there are plenty of ML characters that I still want to see made, too. It just really seems like "Doom and Gloom" around here. Particularly any time the 3 3/4" line is brought up.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Magik?? that would be an awesome character. But as the trend now seems to show, Marvel/Hasbro frowns on releasing any 80's/90's versions of characters associated with the X-Universe from that era, and wants to release mostly current incarnations. Really, I've seen only the Blob, Spiral and Banshee. They must as well rename this line as Marvel "Currents" instead of "Legends". Oh they are already creating their own spin, Marvel Universe for the Lilliputian line.

 

Magick is back next month in X-infrernus story arc. She would actually be a very timely character. New design and spin on the Illyana character.

 

I'll bet you anything that if the 2 pack line-up continues you'll see your 90's Cyke & Jean.

Maybe a Havok & Polaris X-Factor also.

 

If we see more of them. These are awesome packs, but these seem to not be any other retailers radar other than Walmart.

 

Actually, I saw the two-packs on-shelves for the first time yesterday, at Toys R Us. Who if they had half a brain would offer to pick up Marvel Legends as an exclusive line. Get collectors in their stores with some exclusives that aren't lame. Even if the Collector market ain't -that- big for ML, TRU needs all the help they can get.

 

Hopefully the 2-packs will continue. At first Hasbro seemed fairly certain they would, anyway.

 

The Spider-Man Classics line may well continue, and they're slowly starting to introduce new designs to that, I think (Tarantula is new, isn't he?). It may be a bit of a stretch, but there are plenty of Marvel characters that they could work into that line, particularly among secondary folks, given how many cross over with Spidey. Say like, Silver Sable, for an example off the top of my head. Or even Cloak and Dagger (though they'd be a perfect 2 pack if ever there was one). Over time it could sort of become a "stealth Marvel Legends."

 

The Wolverine movie line will probably be mostly "realistic" based, but that doesn't mean we might not see a "Wolverine Classics" Legends line that either runs concurrently or spins out of it. That could quickly shift into a de-facto "X-Men" line if it was successful and went on. (Plus there's the "Wolverine and the X-Men" animated series coming up, too).

 

Likewise with "Thor" and "Iron Man 2" in 2010, and of course Captain America and The Avengers in 2011.

 

There are opportunities out there where we may well see more 6" figures even if Marvel Legends as we know them don't continue, in other words. We just kind of have to wait and see.

 

Disappointment is understandable. Heck, there are plenty of ML characters that I still want to see made, too. It just really seems like "Doom and Gloom" around here. Particularly any time the 3 3/4" line is brought up.

 

 

I was thinking the same thing. Either TRU or maybe KMart, although I think KMart would end up screwing themselves.

 

And I agree on the "Classics" lines. I think Hasbro/Marvel missed a huge opportunity with the comic movies not to do "Iron Man Classics" and give us a bunch of the different armors people have been asking for, like the classic underwater armor, the Neo-Classic armor, etc as well as IM's rogues gallery like Whiplash, Crimson Dynamo, Blizzard etc. The main goal to be getting kids interested in the actual monthly comics again. Any exposure in that regard is good, whether it's in the cinema or the toy aisle.

 

When the initial rumblings of Legends being "cancelled" started popping up late last year/early this year. I thought they were breaking up the Legends line into various "Classics" line. The FF wave would have been the first. But you can do X-Men Classics, Spider-Man Classics, Thor Classics, etc I thought they were branching out in order to gain more retailer space. Five lines takes up more peg space than one all inclusive Legends line. Yeah, that wasn't the case though. I hope that the new wave of Spider-Man figures does well, and does continue as a "stealth Legends" line as you put it. There are plenty of great Spidey villains and allies that are still viable. Even if you didn't know a single thing about Spider-Man, characters like Prowler, Silver Sable, Cardiac, Swarm, etc are visually interesting and would grab a child's attention. I remember when old MOTU characters showed up in stores BEFORE they were on the cartoon. It was just your imagination and excitement at seeing a new character that got them in the shopping cart, not brand name recognition. These days it feels like if the character hasn't been in a $400 million movie kids wont go for it. I don't think that is true.

 

 

We'll see.

 

Incidentally, when Super-Hero Showdown was first announced, there was a lot of eye rolling back then for the same reason. "Oh they want us to buy all the figures over again in a different scale." But I bet if you go back far enough, some people probably said the same thing about Legends. I only ever got a Silver Surfer to go with my BAF Galactus, but that one figure was enough to make me disinterested in the series. It was poorly crafted. I can't say the same for the Puniverse line, but seeing those DC Infinite Heroes and how tiny they are and realizing the Marvel figures will be as tiny makes me not very interested in them.