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Witch ML will we never see from sdcc 14?


Ubsessed

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Well this is a rather pessimistic post. LOL.

 

I think Hasbro has learned from their mistakes and that's why we had such scaled-back reveals at this SDCC. We really only saw one and a half waves at SDCC this year. The full Avengers wave 1 had a Jan/Feb 2015 release date (I'm assuming January for case assortment A, February for case assortment B containing swaps), and two promotional shots for Hellcat and Spider-Woman, potentially a SHIELD 3pack, a half a Spider-Man wave. Exclusive sets that would release unreleased figures previously announced...

 

Hasbro didn't over-commit, and their business strategy of tying their lines to existing movie and television properties seems to have secured them shelf space at retailers for the foreseeable future. Warehouse samples of the Target exclusive 3pack are already popping up on eBay. Announcements have gotten us renewed promises on 6 previously unreleased characters (counting the imminent Agent Venom release, and you can make that 7 if you want to count the already in-hand Jubilee figure, 9 if you want to count photographed prototype sculpts of comic Star-Lord and Stryfe that have just landed in consumers' hands as finished products). The list of unreleased figures still in limbo shrank by about HALF and they only legitimately previewed one full wave. So I am placing a lot of faith in Hasbro this year, I don't think ANY company goes into design and production with the intent of just teasing consumers... their job is to create and sell product. Since the landscape in toy stores (and toy aisles, let's be realistic, since so many Wal-Marts and Targets have shrunk the actual toy store business) has changed, it makes sense that marketing strategies needed to shift as well to time product release with promotional tie-ins like movie release dates and television shows. 2014 was that learning curve, 2015 should just be murder on my wallet since they seem to have figured out their solve.

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Well said Dsmith.

 

What still confuses me, however, is when Hasbro said that despite having made the swaps in the Epic Heroes line (Blade, Moonstar), they've only released the colour swaps (Deadpool & Doom) in limited release in the UK and in even more limited release in the US. So... with no plans (yet) for XML wave 2, looks like Moonstar will get the shaft yet again.

 

Oh well. I think Hasbro can commit in delivering all they've revealed so far... I'd be surprised if they didn't, with how much the price went up for the Legends figures in comparison to last year.

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Well the way I look at that is, after the Rocket Raccoon wave, they basically ended the Marvel Legends line as it was, and rebranded as the Infinite series. Packaging redesign, now tailored to movie releases.... shoe-horning those older unreleased characters into those waves wasn't going to work. With the Avengers sequel and the Ant-Man movies (and Fantastic Four) slated for 2015, do characters like Blade and Moonstar work in those lines now? Not really.

 

I think we could stand a chance for Moonstar (and Rogue) in an X-Men wave provided the TRU exclusive proves profitable and popular with consumers. If it's worth it, TRU will go back to that well. The test is whether X-Men can survive at retail while NOT being tied to an existing property (I don't know what the behind-the-scenes drama is with Fox studios, though, since Hasbro entirely ignored cashing in on a Days of Future Past tie-in), and I personally think X-Men can. With proper character choice, dynamic designs, and smart balance for fans of all ages and eras, the line could be as successful as any before.

 

I was more frustrated that we got an unannounced Punisher variant (unknown to us until it started popping up on eBay) in the Rocket Raccoon wave cases, rather than a Blade figure, cause I don't know where he could fit into another line unless it was an exclusive boxed set of street characters. They could try it with a Marvel Knights set of characters, an updated Daredevil, Cloak/Dagger, Silver Sable, etc.

 

Songbird, Batroc, Blizzard, Bulldozer, Tiger Shark, Rescue, Lyra, even Movie Mandarin could all find a legitimate home in the Avengers wave either directly or through ties to major Avengers characters. I don't think they'll bother with Movie War Machine Mark II since he really didn't appear as such in the IM3 movie, and Iron Patriot from the movie was already released. That really just leaves Moonstar, Rogue, Blade, and Jean Grey (white Phoenix or AOA) as release potential question marks. And I personally think AOA Jean was too specific and irrelevant to find release. If you guys remember she didn't appear at later comic cons when White Phoenix still was popping up alongside Jim Lee Jean. It's the same thing with Phoenix 5 Cyclops... they were topical for their time, but if you're not going to walk through that door all the way (by doing all Phoenix 5 characters, or continuing with a bunch more AOA releases) then why open the door at all?

 

2015 holds the potential to catch up on ALL the unreleased figures, if they play this Avengers line the right way.

 

If wave two is

Hellcat / Spider-Woman (swap) (since two women at retail in one wave simultaneously is apparently business suicide, lol)

Batroc / Blizzard (swap)

Bulldozer / Tiger Shark (swap)

Movie Mandarin (Iron Man 3)

Movie Ant-Man (Ant-Man)

Movie Thor (Avengers 2)

BAF: Thanos (modern)

 

Wave Three could be:

Songbird / Rescue (swap)

Vision / Wonder Man (comic remakes) (swap)

Classic Captain America / Iron Man (black & gold armor) (swap)

Movie Iron Man (Avengers 2, Tony Stark alternate head)

Movie Quicksilver (Avengers 2)

Movie Ultron (Avengers 2)

BAF: Movie Hulkbuster Iron Man (Avengers 2)

 

Wave Four:

Crystal / Sersi (swap)

Gorgon / Maximus the Mad (swap)

Thunderstrike / Eric Masterson as bearded Thor (swap)

Movie Falcon (CA2: Winter Soldier)

Movie Scarlet Witch (Avengers 2)

Movie Bruce Banner (Avengers 1 and/or Avengers 2)

BAF: Lockjaw

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I really hope they release more X-Men waves. It has actually made me want to start collecting some Legends. I think its probably doing pretty decent as it went fast at least at my TRU. The Captain America and Spider Man waves just sit there except for Carnage and Black Widow. Although, maybe this has to do with it being an exclusive?


I am not sure how everyone else feels but I think its an awesome wave.

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