Hasbro July 16, 2021 Marvel Legends Live-Stream Coverage - Haslab Galactus

[Virtualzach]

Sounds like a misunderstanding.  It's not "You can swap heads to make a different character" it's "We can use this mold to make additional characters in the future."  At least that's how I hear it.  Alluding to future large figures with easy modification of the current mold.  

Oh yeah...and lmao @ "rising cost of plastic".  

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 9:37 AM, Virtualzach said:

Sounds like a misunderstanding.  It's not "You can swap heads to make a different character" it's "We can use this mold to make additional characters in the future."  At least that's how I hear it.  Alluding to future large figures with easy modification of the current mold.  

Oh yeah...and lmao @ "rising cost of plastic".  

Except the comment was made in reference specifically to the original tease of one of the add-on options making it an army builder. Suggesting the mold could be used for future figures would have absolutely no baring on that comment. You can never be sure when they get cryptic but taking the reference of the conversation an alternate head like they did with the Sentinel makes more sense and if they wanted to give people incentive to buy more than one that would be the way to do it.

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:00 AM, RyanDaly said:

If this were the case, I wonder if you could remove Galactus' skirt and part of his chest armor/shirt and place a new piece over top of that to go with the Celestial head to further differentiate the two figures.

A swapable or removable skirt piece would seem more likely than chest piece. I dont see it looking exactly like a Celestial but just as the Master Mold head on the regular Sentinel isn't an exact match to how Master Mold looked, I would expect the same case here if an alternate Celestial head is in fact one of the add-ons.

[tarot]

Having an extra head to make another character would make getting another Galactus figure more worth while. If you look at the Sentinel figure, alot (including myself) actually got it to make it into a Mastermold figure with the older Sentinels being the standard sentinel. With this you can use the older galactus as himself with the alternate head being a Celestial.

[toycrypt]

This was just a passing thought. If they reveal a chromed out Silver Surfer that is included with Galactus and not a tier bonus, they would be sure to hit that 14k goal.....IMHO.

[tarot]

Speaking of Galactus, it must have gotten a sudden burst today (it was just over 11800 this morning) as we now have surpassed 12000 with 2 weeks to go.

[leokearon]

If there is/was plans for an alt Celestial head, it would have made more sense to reveal that early on, to entice people to buy multiples. 

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 10:38 AM, toycrypt said:

This was just a passing thought. If they reveal a chromed out Silver Surfer that is included with Galactus and not a tier bonus, they would be sure to hit that 14k goal.....IMHO.

Yes. Also if they offered it for $300 it would have likely easily passed 14k as well by now. What those things dont take into account is the cost to profit margin a business has to maintain in order to make something like this happen. I get some people want to think Hasbro is just milking the fandom and trying to rip them off, and I certainly can't sit here and say definitively they aren't since I am not privy to Hasbro's actual numbers, but my guess is the $400 cost without any additional add-ons based on the min 14k backer numbers they set allows them to make just enough profit that it was able to be green lite. If they charged less they would have had to increase the backer numbers or remove something from it. If they added more stuff they would have had to increase the cost. Yes a business is going to want to make some kind of profit, sorry that's just reality.

Any add-on of any kind increases the production cost, so for that to happen there has to be something to offset that increased cost. The more they sell the more profit they make which gives them the leeway to add more stuff. I know add-on's for these things are marketed to make it seem like its just free stuff they  throw in to make it more appealing, but they aren't. They are done to try and increase sales which in turn allows the project to make more money. The numbers they come up with are calculated so that are able to add more things while still maintaining whatever cost to profit margin they set for it.

Look at it this way. Hasbro isn't throwing in figures for free. We are paying for the figures to be made. The more of us who pay allows them to add more things. Its not free, its just spreading the cost out among more people so we as individuals aren't having to pay more. There is never going to be a scenario however where they allow this to be made and take a loss or even just break even just so we can have more things with it. That's just not how business works.

If enough people truly feel this is not worth $400 as is or they can't afford $400 for 1 figure then it wont get made. I don't think that will be the case with this, but if that is the reality then this shouldn't go forward.

[JayC]

And if figures like Nova dont get unlocked, I am sure they will be released in some way down the road but we will be paying more for them when they do.

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 11:41 AM, leokearon said:

If there is/was plans for an alt Celestial head, it would have made more sense to reveal that early on, to entice people to buy multiples. 

Well you could make that argument with any kind of add-on. We can certainly question the tactic of not revealing all the add-ons up front. My guess they had hoped the hype and just the desire of wanting to know the next thing would incentivize people more than it did. Based on the Sentinel where people where checking regularly to see what the next add-on was I can maybe see why they thought that. In other words there is a physiological element at play with the tactic they choose. Since it didn't really seem to work this time, you may find next time they reveal all the goals up front which I think is the better way to do it.

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 11:57 AM, JayC said:

Well you could make that argument with any kind of add-on. We can certainly question the tactic of not revealing all the add-ons up front. My guess they had hoped the hype and just the desire of wanting to know the next thing would incentivize people more than it did. Based on the Sentinel where people where checking regularly to see what the next add-on was I can maybe see why they thought that. In other words there is a physiological element at play with the tactic they choose. Since it didn't really seem to work this time, you may find next time they reveal all the goals up front which I think is the better way to do it.

The biggest downside of revealing all your goals up front is if they arent really that enticing you've got nothing to string people along and keep them interested. Even if the goals are decent, if you know them all up front you may not stay as invested. Think of it like poker. If you show all your cards up front and you have a weak hand, you have no way of bluffing your way to winning the big pot. If you have a strong hand everyone folds and moves on.

 

 

[RyanDaly]

On 8/17/2021 at 11:43 AM, JayC said:

Yes. Also if they offered it for $300 it would have likely easily passed 14k as well by now. What those things dont take into account is the cost to profit margin a business has to maintain in order to make something like this happen. I get some people want to think Hasbro is just milking the fandom and trying to rip them off, and I certainly can't sit here and say definitively they aren't since I am not privy to Hasbro's actual numbers, but my guess is the $400 cost without any additional add-ons based on the min 14k backer numbers they set allows them to make just enough profit that it was able to be green lite.

I know that $400 is a lot to spend (for some people, it's an absurd amount to spend on an action figure), but I've always seen it more or less as the exponential increase of a basic figure. If a standard six-inch figure costs almost $25.00, it would take sixteen of those figures to make $400.00.

To me, Galactus looks pretty close to the equivalent of sixteen figures' worth of plastic and parts.

[leokearon]

On 8/17/2021 at 4:57 PM, JayC said:

Well you could make that argument with any kind of add-on. We can certainly question the tactic of not revealing all the add-ons up front. My guess they had hoped the hype and just the desire of wanting to know the next thing would incentivize people more than it did. Based on the Sentinel where people where checking regularly to see what the next add-on was I can maybe see why they thought that. In other words there is a physiological element at play with the tactic they choose. Since it didn't really seem to work this time, you may find next time they reveal all the goals up front which I think is the better way to do it.

It's not revealing all the add-ons, it's revealing the add-on that would make people buy more Galacti. The first Tier Unlock for the Senitnel was the Master Mold head, which might have convinced people to try and get more than one Sentinel. The second Tier Unlock was more alt parts. It wasn't until he third tier that another figure was revealed A Herald isn't going to convince people to buy more than one Galatcuts, but able to make him new characters, would be a better motivator.

[GreenwithNV]

After watching the beginning of the interview, I found myself wondering whether costs (including due to COVID) have really drastically risen enough that they had to more than double the backer count (relative to the Sentinel), and if there really is that much of an improvement. I actually think there is something else entirely going on which says more about the Sentinel than it does Galactus. I wonder if they found after starting production that at 6’000 units they were way off on their estimate of cost per unit? Because it got 22k backers they still made a lot, but I can’t help but wonder if they had only gotten 6-7k, maybe they determined they would have lost a lot of money?

[GreenwithNV]

In other words, increased prices made a figure increase 15% from $20 to $23. That’s the same percentage increase from $350 to $400. So is the product itself really that much better in size and articulation than the Sentinel of that they had to more than double the backer count? I doubt it. I just think they were way off on what they thought it would cost to make the Sentinel.

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 12:43 PM, leokearon said:

It's not revealing all the add-ons, it's revealing the add-on that would make people buy more Galacti. The first Tier Unlock for the Senitnel was the Master Mold head, which might have convinced people to try and get more than one Sentinel. The second Tier Unlock was more alt parts. It wasn't until he third tier that another figure was revealed A Herald isn't going to convince people to buy more than one Galatcuts, but able to make him new characters, would be a better motivator.

I think Master Mold was more incentive to buy the Sentinel than the second figure, I know it was for me. The idea for all these add-ons is supposed to make it more appealing.

[Atlantis]

Very gratified that at 11:16 into the interview, they bring up the Original Human Torch and the WW II Golden Age heroes. They specifically mentioned Hammond and re-doing Bucky, which would be wonderful (and in fact long overdue). Apparently there was at least some thought to this (Invaders/WWII) when they did the Sub-Mariner from the Black Panther wave. I would disagree with Boog that the upcoming F4 Torch would be a good base; he's too small for that, and they should look at the first Walgreens Torch for Hammond. If they want to do Toro, then the Miles Morales/Nova bucks are better choices. 

Now of course, none of this means that it'll get done anytime soon, but at least we know they've considered it. There may be hope for my Golden Age box set ideas yet (Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, first appearance Cap, Bucky, Toro, Original Vision, Spit Fire, Miss America, Destroyer, U-Man, Blazing Skull, Baron Blood, Warrior Woman, Red Raven)!!

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 2:03 PM, GreenwithNV said:

In other words, increased prices made a figure increase 15% from $20 to $23. That’s the same percentage increase from $350 to $400. So is the product itself really that much better in size and articulation than the Sentinel of that they had to more than double the backer count? I doubt it. I just think they were way off on what they thought it would cost to make the Sentinel.

Is Galactus that much better than the Sentinel? I doubt it though as far as price goes we are only talking about a $50 difference. We could debate until we are blue in the face why the price is higher and baker count is higher. I dont think it matters. It is what it is and they arent going to lower the price or reduce the number of backers needed at this point. I think people just need to decide if having a 32" Galactus is worth it to them to drop $400 or not. I can certainly respect anyone who decides its not but I also dont really think they are trying to rip people off either.

[JayC]

On 8/17/2021 at 2:14 PM, Atlantis said:

Now of course, none of this means that it'll get done anytime soon, but at least we know they've considered it. There may be hope for my Golden Age box set ideas yet (Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, first appearance Cap, Bucky, Toro, Original Vision, Spit Fire, Miss America, Destroyer, U-Man, Blazing Skull, Baron Blood, Warrior Woman, Red Raven)!!

I think they have considered and probably at one point or another discussed every character in the Marvel library at this point. An original Human Torch would certainly seem like an easy repaint to do so I could def see them doing that sooner rather than later. Since they went out of their way to mention redoing Bucky I think that could be another possibility. Who know maybe next years team boxset will be of the original Invaders???

[JayC]

Phillip on FB made some color changes to give you a better idea of what a Galcatus turned Ziran might  look like which is what I envisioned when they were talking about Celestials in the interview. I think its possible the skirt piece on Galactus could be made removable and/or maybe even include an alternate skirt piece for the Celestial, but overall this is how I would see it looking if they planned to do a Celestial alternate head for Galactus. That chest piece could just be soft plastic you slide over the chest kinda like a cape.

 

[GreenwithNV]

On 8/17/2021 at 1:15 PM, JayC said:

Is Galactus that much better than the Sentinel? I doubt it though as far as price goes we are only talking about a $50 difference. We could debate until we are blue in the face why the price is higher and baker count is higher. I dont think it matters. It is what it is and they arent going to lower the price or reduce the number of backers needed at this point. I think people just need to decide if having a 32" Galactus is worth it to them to drop $400 or not. I can certainly respect anyone who decides its not but I also dont really think they are trying to rip people off either.

I agree they aren’t trying to rip anyone off, in fact i think it’s the opposite. I think they probably realized they were off on the internal estimates to make the Sentinel and adjusted accordingly with Galactus.

This will never happen as it would reveal their internal price points, but I think it would be a great idea if instead of a set price they had each backer give a maximum price they would be willing to pay. For example, you could nominate say $500, at which point the unit minimum is maybe 6k or 8k. So if they don’t hit the minimum backer count at $400, maybe they would at $500. Let consumers decide (with a floor price) what they would be willing to pay for it. Heck, if it barely tops 14k, I would be down if Hasbro emailed me and asked if I would give another $25 if it meant getting Frankie Ray made.

[RyanDaly]

On 8/17/2021 at 1:52 PM, GreenwithNV said:

I actually think there is something else entirely going on which says more about the Sentinel than it does Galactus. I wonder if they found after starting production that at 6’000 units they were way off on their estimate of cost per unit? Because it got 22k backers they still made a lot, but I can’t help but wonder if they had only gotten 6-7k, maybe they determined they would have lost a lot of money?

The only reason I'm somewhat skeptical about that is almost all of the previous HasLab projects have had similar numbers of minimum backers. The Sentinel and the Star Wars Razor Crest were both 6,000. Jabba's Sail Barge was 5,000. Unicron was 8,000. Even though Star Wars and Transformers are different divisions from Marvel Legends, that's still pretty consistent and those numbers would have to be signed off on by the top people at Hasbro. 

[GreenwithNV]

On 8/17/2021 at 2:17 PM, RyanDaly said:

The only reason I'm somewhat skeptical about that is almost all of the previous HasLab projects have had similar numbers of minimum backers. The Sentinel and the Star Wars Razor Crest were both 6,000. Jabba's Sail Barge was 5,000. Unicron was 8,000. Even though Star Wars and Transformers are different divisions from Marvel Legends, that's still pretty consistent and those numbers would have to be signed off on by the top people at Hasbro. 

Admittedly I don’t know as much about those projects, but I feel like the Sentinel, from what I can tell, was a wholly different animal, build-wise. I think it was new territory for them.

[80sboy4]

I have to catch some of these interviews. I do think that revealing all of the tier goals will move that number up significantly before the deadline, especially if this Galactus can be a troop builder of sorts. I'm hoping it reaches all the tier goals since I backed 2!

[MarvelousFan87]

On 7/19/2021 at 6:03 PM, McHogan said:

What about a Norris Radd pre- Surfer figure? that could be a fun tier goal and something Hasbro isn’t likely to make otherwise..

Radd would be interesting indeed..