Jump to content

Marvel Legends 2022 Haslab Live-Stream Coverage


JayC

Recommended Posts

Feels like that is a bit of a catch-22 though, doesn't it? you won't back unless early bird figure is included, but the early bird figure won't be included without sufficient backers. 

Maybe this will end up with sort of a best case scenario - the project funds but doesnt hit any tiers.  So backers will get the car and Robbie. then a year later hasbro announces what would've been the tier figures as part of a pulse exclusive box set or something.  That's kind of win-win, i guess? even if the haslab backers didn't get all that they could've for their $350.  

Altho tbh i think if it doesn't hit tiers a lot of  backers will bail out. 

Oh well i look forward to finding out what the tiers will be.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today is September 20th and that means the Hasbro Marvel Legends Brand Team has dropped a brand spanking new Marvel Legends Series Mephisto as the first unlockable tier for the current HasLab Marvel Legends Ghost Rider Engine of Vengeance Campaign!

The Marvel Legends HasLab Engine of Vengeance is heating up for this September 20th reveal! The first unlockable tier is Marvel's Mephisto, one of the most evil and untrustworthy beings in the Marvel Universe. Many of Earth's heroes have battled Marvel's Mephisto and barely prevailed, as this demon has access to vast resources in his netherworld, as well as on Earth!

If the campaign reaches 12,000 total backers before the campaign ends on October 31, 2022, this Marvel Legends 6-inch scale figure will be added for all backers. Currently the campaign is at 4,195 backers and needs 9,000 backers before 11:59 PM ET on September 23, 2022 to unlock the 6" Early Backer Marvel Legends Human Form Robbie Reyes!

Back now via HasbroPulse.com

mephisto.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my opinion figure collecting should be for everyone, all the figures should be available for everyone. There is no such thing as different categories of collectors. Not everyone is able to give so much money for figures, i think it is time collectors show Hasbro that they should treat everyone the same. I HOPE that this haslab fails, and that hasbro change their ideias about this type of projects. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 9:33 AM, Joao said:

In my opinion figure collecting should be for everyone, all the figures should be available for everyone. There is no such thing as different categories of collectors. Not everyone is able to give so much money for figures, i think it is time collectors show Hasbro that they should treat everyone the same. I HOPE that this haslab fails, and that hasbro change their ideias about this type of projects. 

Just because there are people who can't afford certain price points doesn't mean those products shouldn't exist. Hasbro releases tons of product constantly at different price points, there will always be something for everyone. Furthermore, there are people out there who can't afford a $100 box set or a $50 2-pack. Does that mean those things shouldn't exist either? It's a hobby, not a necessity, we collect because we like things, and if you want and can afford something $300+, you shouldn't be denied that aspect of collecting just because others can't. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Haslab format is not bad in and of itself.  It's an attempt to verify sales before undertaking an expensive project that could potentially fail at the general market level.  By guaranteeing their market, they can produce items that would otherwise go unmade.

That said, I'm still disappointed in this recent offering.  The Cobra HISS ended up with 4 figures and a bunch of additions for a lower price.  While 3 are already available for this, only 2 are "unique" in my opinion.  Why do we need a Robbie when there is no Dan or Johnny?  It's also a "one or the other" situation.  The figures for the Cobra HISS could all be displayed together.  For the Hell Charger, it's likely that only one or the other will be displayed.  The Rider with the flames, or Robbie with the Street version.

I'm loving that Mephisto is an offering for the first unlockable tier.  I'm still going to have to see what comes after that to justify $350 though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 8:33 AM, Joao said:

In my opinion figure collecting should be for everyone, all the figures should be available for everyone. There is no such thing as different categories of collectors. Not everyone is able to give so much money for figures, i think it is time collectors show Hasbro that they should treat everyone the same. I HOPE that this haslab fails, and that hasbro change their ideias about this type of projects. 

I hear you. Its really disappointing (but they've been disappointing for quite awhile so thats not new). While I don't necessarily hope it FAILS, I do think its up to collectors to voice their input with their dollar, or lack thereof. If hasbro is putting out sub-par and/or overpriced products, then collectors shouldn't buy them.

If on the other hand, collectors buy anything hasbro puts out that has "marvel" on it, whether its due to FOMO or in the name of "completionism", then they can't be surprised when hasbro jacks up prices all around. 

I would never spend $350.00 for something like this; if that means I won't get Mephisto, then that's unfortunate, but so be it. Others are more than happy to spend that amount. Who knows, maybe hasbo will sell it later in some other wave, or maybe at 6",  or maybe never. Again, the fans are going to have to speak out, where ever the chips lie. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one of the recent Ghost riders (single figure), I have the Cosmic Ghost Rider and bike, I have the Toybiz Johnny Blaze on the little bike as well as Vengeance and Danny on their little bikes. I skipped (regretfully) the last Johnny Blaze and bike set. So I don't have an optimum Ghost Rider display in my opinion with that Johnny Blaze missing so I don't feel I need Robby without a good Johnny and Danny in the display. 

If a separate rerelease of Johnny and Bike and a new Danny on bike coincided this HASLAB, I think I would be in for backing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 11:44 AM, Ironspider428 said:

Just because there are people who can't afford certain price points doesn't mean those products shouldn't exist. Hasbro releases tons of product constantly at different price points, there will always be something for everyone. Furthermore, there are people out there who can't afford a $100 box set or a $50 2-pack. Does that mean those things shouldn't exist either? It's a hobby, not a necessity, we collect because we like things, and if you want and can afford something $300+, you shouldn't be denied that aspect of collecting just because others can't. 

That's not what I think he is saying ... certain figures should be made for general release and not behind a $350 paywall...Hasbro knew that Mephisto was/is a wanted figure and to put it with Haslab was a dick move...just so they can sell an overpriced light up car....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 9:51 AM, Joao said:

This is not just a hobby it is a passion, and everyone shoulb be able to enjoy their passion. These haslab figures could be done differently so that a wider amount of people can enjoy it

While this logic is endearing, it doesn't hold water. Just because you are passionate about something doesn't mean you deserve it. I could be passionate about my neighbor's house... that doesn't mean he should make it available for me (or anyone else) to purchase. However you may feel about Marvel Legends doesn't mean Hasbro owes you anything. They're a business, taking our money for their gain. These HasLabs exist because they could never offer products at this scale to a wider audience while still making a profit. Making them to order is still a costly endeavor for them, so I'm happy with every project they try, even if they stumble along the way. It's one more thing for me to choose to add to my collection, or skip.

Also, as someone who worked for a corporation making games with huge followings, there ARE in fact different categories of consumers (or collectors) whether or not you choose to ignore it. It's why we get so many similar figures of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, etc..., and why the super niche figures are made into BAFs or "premium" figures. HasLab is just another branch of their products catering to a specific subset of collectors. Just like in games, there are some people that will only play the main campaign, while others focus on multiplayer, and then there are those that will sink countless hours to obtain the elusive platinum trophy. Every type of production team benefits from categorizing its consumers to learn how to better extract value from them.

Side note: For anyone complaining that the HISS Tank offered more for less money... two things: 1. We don't know the full scope of offerings for Ghost Rider yet, and 2. Hasbro wholly owns the GI Joe license, which means their stuff should be cheaper. Instead of pointing at Marvel Legends (which they have to pay a hefty fee for), you should be asking yourself why your regular Classified Series figures aren't cheaper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 1:15 PM, DenXMedia said:

While this logic is endearing, it doesn't hold water. Just because you are passionate about something doesn't mean you deserve it. I could be passionate about my neighbor's house... that doesn't mean he should make it available for me (or anyone else) to purchase. However you may feel about Marvel Legends doesn't mean Hasbro owes you anything. They're a business, taking our money for their gain. These HasLabs exist because they could never offer products at this scale to a wider audience while still making a profit. Making them to order is still a costly endeavor for them, so I'm happy with every project they try, even if they stumble along the way. It's one more thing for me to choose to add to my collection, or skip.

Also, as someone who worked for a corporation making games with huge followings, there ARE in fact different categories of consumers (or collectors) whether or not you choose to ignore it. It's why we get so many similar figures of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, etc..., and why the super niche figures are made into BAFs or "premium" figures. HasLab is just another branch of their products catering to a specific subset of collectors. Just like in games, there are some people that will only play the main campaign, while others focus on multiplayer, and then there are those that will sink countless hours to obtain the elusive platinum trophy. Every type of production team benefits from categorizing its consumers to learn how to better extract value from them.

Side note: For anyone complaining that the HISS Tank offered more for less money... two things: 1. We don't know the full scope of offerings for Ghost Rider yet, and 2. Hasbro wholly owns the GI Joe license, which means their stuff should be cheaper. Instead of pointing at Marvel Legends (which they have to pay a hefty fee for), you should be asking yourself why your regular Classified Series figures aren't cheaper.

HAHA making them to order is a costly endeavor for them you say...you don't really think it cost that much for them to make this..making them charge $350+ for it.... They knew after launch that it didn't go over well so that's why they showed/ added the highly desired Mephisto figure.. Hasbro isn't where fans come first...It's over charge on figures so our wallets get fatter... they raise the price of figures people complain about it and still buy them..so they raise the prices again..  This in no way should cost $350+ no matter what figure it comes with.. Haslab is and will always be an overpriced cash grab..because it's allowed to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 11:08 AM, Typhis said:

That's not what I think he is saying ... certain figures should be made for general release and not behind a $350 paywall...Hasbro knew that Mephisto was/is a wanted figure and to put it with Haslab was a dick move...just so they can sell an overpriced light up car....

They’ve said they can’t release demonic figures like Mephisto at retail, I don’t know the implications of that or if retail means just in store, or fan channel as well, but it’s entirely possible that this was the only way they could do him and they’re just working within the constraints. People love to criticize Hasbro’s team for things but they rarely have all the information behind a certain decision. From what I’ve seen the team behind Legends is very passionate about bringing the fans things they want in whatever venue they can, working within whatever leeway the big boys at Hasbro and Disney give them. It’s not fair to criticize them for things they have little control over. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 1:46 PM, Typhis said:

HAHA making them to order is a costly endeavor for them you say...you don't really think it cost that much for them to make this..making them charge $350+ for it.... They knew after launch that it didn't go over well so that's why they showed/ added the highly desired Mephisto figure.. Hasbro isn't where fans come first...It's over charge on figures so our wallets get fatter... they raise the price of figures people complain about it and still buy them..so they raise the prices again..  This in no way should cost $350+ no matter what figure it comes with.. Haslab is and will always be an overpriced cash grab..because it's allowed to be.

Nailed it on the head. They were hoping this thing was gonna blast right through the funding wall as fast as the Cobra HISS, but as many have pointed out, that was a bigger product at a smaller price. This project is really pushing the boundaries as to how much they can gouge (and yes, I know that's a loaded claim) the fans for and if they get away with it it will set a new price point for future projects. If this thing goes through, and I believe it will, and they had done Galactus after this project, I could see them trying to get $550+ on it. This is a minimal loss venture for Hasbro. Sure, they have a bit tied up in R&D, but if it doesn't fund it doesn't go into production and the losses are minimal.

This Mephisto is clearly an insurance policy. They had that beeyatch locked and loaded if it looked like the funding phase would stall out. After the international numbers came in a lot lower than they though and the in state orders slowed to a trickle they began to worry and got this out, post haste. For me, I'm sorry to say, that was the deal maker. Haven't ordered it yet, but I'm gonna. It did what it was supposed to do and hey, if the boost helps to reach that early bird tier, even better, though I could do with or without Civi Robbie. It's a dirty trick and it's really sad that a lot of people who wanted Mephisto aren't gonna be able to partake. Part of it was brilliant and part of it was stupid by Hasbro. Brilliant in the way that neither Toybiz or Hasbro has done a Mephisto so there is no precedence or comparison to live up to, so any Mephisto is a win over no Mephisto, under whatever conditions. Stupid in they way that they could have done this as a Fan Channel or as an online exclusive, at a premium price no less, and sold tons of them. They could have done it by pre-order only and not have to worry about the unlikelihood that they might overproduce.

Here's to hoping my $350 also gets me a Blackheart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 1:48 PM, Ironspider428 said:

They’ve said they can’t release demonic figures like Mephisto at retail, I don’t know the implications of that or if retail means just in store, or fan channel as well, but it’s entirely possible that this was the only way they could do him and they’re just working within the constraints. People love to criticize Hasbro’s team for things but they rarely have all the information behind a certain decision. From what I’ve seen the team behind Legends is very passionate about bringing the fans things they want in whatever venue they can, working within whatever leeway the big boys at Hasbro and Disney give them. It’s not fair to criticize them for things they have little control over. 

Or they are just saying that so they can put him with haslab because they knew how underwhelming this haslab is... I also don't believe that he can't be sold in stores because they have released some figures just as or more demonic...Surtur looks more like the devil that Mephisto does... Ghost Rider- a guy with flaming skull. so do I think it's a lie when Hasbro says we can't make a figure because of what ever stupid reason...Yes.  Disney itself has released some questionable stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 12:27 PM, monron999 said:

Stupid in they way that they could have done this as a Fan Channel or as an online exclusive, at a premium price no less, and sold tons of them. They could have done it by pre-order only and not have to worry about the unlikelihood that they might overproduce.

This has got to be the backup plan. Whether or not the Hellcharger goes into production, they have a mockup of Mephisto that they can release to Fan Channel or pre-order.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Mephisto come out later as a premium on Fan Channel anyway.  Possibly alongside a retro-carded Robbie GR.  Or gods forbid they do a GR line for the anniversary, with both Robbies, BAF Mephisto or Blackheart, etc. etc.  They're not going to lose on this project regardless.  With any hope, we collectors won't either, Haslab backers or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 2:48 PM, Silvermaen said:

This has got to be the backup plan. Whether or not the Hellcharger goes into production, they have a mockup of Mephisto that they can release to Fan Channel or pre-order.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Mephisto come out later as a premium on Fan Channel anyway.  Possibly alongside a retro-carded Robbie GR.  Or gods forbid they do a GR line for the anniversary, with both Robbies, BAF Mephisto or Blackheart, etc. etc.  They're not going to lose on this project regardless.  With any hope, we collectors won't either, Haslab backers or not.

I actually fully believe them when they say that they wouldn't release this Mephisto or even Robbie in another way if the project doesn't fund. I think they would intentionally just ice the characters from comic figure consideration for a few years at least. I mean they have gone 20+ years without releasing them (Ok the Robbie character has only been around for 8 years). Now releasing MCU versions if/when they appear would probably be a totally different story.... I could certainly still see them pushing those out even if they put the comic versions on ice....   in the end, it won't matter - this will almost certainly fund. I'd be very surprised if it didn't, but in full disclosure I thought that the Rancor would also. I honestly believe that the only thing in question is whether the early bird civilian Robbie hits or not - and I'd say that's 50/50 right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was just looking back at the HISS and realized that not only was it less expensive, it also had smaller tiers.  The 12k that opens up the first tier for Mephisto already had 2 tiers opened on the HISS.  The base production is 1000 more than the HISS and the tiers appear to be based on 3k, where the HISS tiers were 2k.  Smaller and smaller chance that I will be backing this project barring something amazing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 3:50 PM, Reno said:

I actually fully believe them when they say that they wouldn't release this Mephisto or even Robbie in another way if the project doesn't fund. I think they would intentionally just ice the characters from comic figure consideration for a few years at least. I mean they have gone 20+ years without releasing them (Ok the Robbie character has only been around for 8 years). Now releasing MCU versions if/when they appear would probably be a totally different story.... I could certainly still see them pushing those out even if they put the comic versions on ice....   in the end, it won't matter - this will almost certainly fund. I'd be very surprised if it didn't, but in full disclosure I thought that the Rancor would also. I honestly believe that the only thing in question is whether the early bird civilian Robbie hits or not - and I'd say that's 50/50 right now.

I too believe Hasbro when they say these two figures, and possibly others will not go into production if the project doesn't fund. The thing with Hasbro is they like to use word play and nuance just as much as any other company. While I can see the Civi Robbie never seeing the light of day, because he is just an alternate deco of the same mold they'll use for GR, I can see the head sculpt being included as a pack in somewhere in a future Ghost Rider wave. Mephisto is another story. The picture shown is clearly just a computer mock up, there's been no proto or cast made thus far so to scrap it wouldn't be much of a loss. However I think if they think they can get enough interest in this figure they would produce it, with some minor paint or detail changes and make it different from this figure enough that the statement that THIS particular figure will never be done holds true, yet one that is really close to it can be. I just think it would be really foolish for Hasbro to leave that kind of money on the table. Like I said, this thing is almost tailor made to be a Fan Channel release. You know, one of those where they charge like five extra dollars for no BAF part and a pretty decorative card back?

Let's not forget GR will be coming to the MCU, and there are going to be GR waves eventually and these characters are part of a surprisingly small cast of characters that could qualify as legit candidates to be in a wave, assuming the wave(s) aren't full movie waves (which they could be) and they need some comic based figures to fill in some spots. To eliminate any characters that were slated for this Haslab Project altogether would shrink that limited cast even farther. Not really a good idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 2:46 PM, Legender said:

Forget Hasbro! The real question here is ... what is Diamond waiting for to relaunch their Mephisto to kill this Haslab?

Im so happy with my new Watcher and it didnt cost 350 US!

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. On another thread Zach from DST and I had a bout where I kindly suggested it might be a good idea if DST looked into larger characters that hadn't been done yet by ML (like Champion of the Universe or Orka) or figures that were done inaccurately by ML (like Sasquatch or Abomination) and do them right, in a scale that would fit well in ML based on the fact they had done a Hulk using pretty much the same Hulk figure as the one used in ML and he took great offense to that. He said DST has it's own scale (if all over the place can be considered a scale) and said Marvel (meaning Disney), Hasbro (meaning the big dollars paying for the sculpts that they reuse) and fans would not appreciate DST trying to finish things ML started. The part about the fans not appreciating it was totally false, of course, but at least he kinda went around a somewhat civil way of basically telling me to eff off and not tell him how to do his job. He also insinuated, because I mentioned I was a customizer, that I was a counterfeiter who steals other artist designs and probably sell them for profits, all of which is completely false. I guess he's basically under the assumption that the only credible and worthy artists already work in the glamorous toy industry. Dudes a pretty salty guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 2:49 PM, monron999 said:

I too believe Hasbro when they say these two figures, and possibly others will not go into production if the project doesn't fund. The thing with Hasbro is they like to use word play and nuance just as much as any other company. While I can see the Civi Robbie never seeing the light of day, because he is just an alternate deco of the same mold they'll use for GR, I can see the head sculpt being included as a pack in somewhere in a future Ghost Rider wave. Mephisto is another story. The picture shown is clearly just a computer mock up, there's been no proto or cast made thus far so to scrap it wouldn't be much of a loss. However I think if they think they can get enough interest in this figure they would produce it, with some minor paint or detail changes and make it different from this figure enough that the statement that THIS particular figure will never be done holds true, yet one that is really close to it can be. I just think it would be really foolish for Hasbro to leave that kind of money on the table. Like I said, this thing is almost tailor made to be a Fan Channel release. You know, one of those where they charge like five extra dollars for no BAF part and a pretty decorative card back?

Let's not forget GR will be coming to the MCU, and there are going to be GR waves eventually and these characters are part of a surprisingly small cast of characters that could qualify as legit candidates to be in a wave, assuming the wave(s) aren't full movie waves (which they could be) and they need some comic based figures to fill in some spots. To eliminate any characters that were slated for this Haslab Project altogether would shrink that limited cast even farther. Not really a good idea.

The moment they start re-releasing (or repainting or whatever) Haslab exclusive figures is the moment people stop backing them altogether.  I'd never buy any of these if I knew I could simply get a repaint a year later.  Most people wouldn't.  It's one of the most appealing elements of the projects; they actually offer a truly *exclusive* product.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/20/2022 at 6:20 PM, Virtualzach said:

The moment they start re-releasing (or repainting or whatever) Haslab exclusive figures is the moment people stop backing them altogether.  I'd never buy any of these if I knew I could simply get a repaint a year later.  Most people wouldn't.  It's one of the most appealing elements of the projects; they actually offer a truly *exclusive* product.  

True, but that's assuming they re-release a redeco/repaint of a figure that was previously done as an exclusive. I was talking in the sense that the project doesn't get funded. If the project never gets fully funded then the figures will never have been released and to release those characters under another format would have no effect on the exclusivity of a figure that was never done in the first place.

I too would be angry if i purchased a figure that was lauded as an exclusive only seen it done in a different shade, or even worse, with better accessories, at a later time. It is a common practice that many companies do. I wouldn't put it passed Hasbro.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...







Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE