I do not think Hasbro needs tru or whatever the new iteration which may arise. Hasbro should pursue existing stores like Walmart and Amazon for its non-collector brands. For brands like Star Wars black series and master piece Transformers, sell direct through Hasbro shop. Hasbro should invest in Hasbro, develop there own in house online specialty retail presence, they already know that at least for Star Wars, there are 8800+ collectors willing to spend $500 per year on one large specialty piece, and it would of been more, if they had offered a payment plan like sideshow. The blueprint is out there if Hasbro elects to try.

 

Agreed. Not to derail this thread even FURTHER but can we move on from this? No one is gonna convince anyone about liking/hating TLJ or TF5 or whatever. I know its a free country and all but going on and on about hating <insert random executive/movie director> and claiming that person has a <agenda/politics/whatever> is just... tedious. We're all fanboys, we don't have the same views on stuff, we get it, we get it. Thankfully there's enough room for everyone. Simmer down!  

 

Oh...yay? It's just going to be more

I doubt we'll get much insight into the lawsuits, though. I'm still thinking there'll be a settlement outside of court on that.

 

I'm just hoping this does not effect any releases on any future figures. Sure it's bad because a lot of people will be jobless.

 

@AzT, did not know that, currently only buy from Ebay, Sideshow, when an online retailer offers a high discount, like tfsource when computron was $134, occasionally gamestop's and target.

 

You're my new favorite poster. Thank you.

 

And there's nothing wrong with that, you can indeed vote with your wallet. I do it with pointless remolds/retools and redecos, all the time. That said, I might skip a figure or possibly a wave (like some of RID, where it got out of hand with repaints and repacks) but not the entire toyline. That's the problem, a LOT of people are just outright skipping the toys as a whole to make Hasbro pay attention to them. Thing is, they do see our posts and have people who read our comments, so killing sales isn't the only way to get them to hear us.

Honestly, it backfires in our faces, down the road.

Nah. You can blame Hasbro for some of the TF toyline downfall as of late. Bending to Walmart's whim and not shipping the figures in a reasonable timeframe or getting distribution just right (like some areas will never see certain figures or entire waves, for example). People can blame Michael Bay, all they want, but the movie toys do sell, they just can't find a customer because Hasbro sits on them and sends them to Walmart who sends them to podunks no one goes to.

You're right that fans aren't under obligation, that's entirely accurate, but to skip the entire line because of one or two figures? Really? And it's not just Rose Tico or young Han Solo figures, it's the mentality of "If I don't buy it, they'll complain to Disney and Disney will make the Star Wars I want. I don't want Rian Johnson's Star Wars. I hate him, he's a whore." and that's just ridiculous. It also makes no sense because the argument is basically "I'm too old to buy toys for a movie I don't like that ruined my favorite childhood movie stuffs. You forced me to grow up! So you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna neener neener you! I WON'T BUY IT! I WON'T!"

And merely a few people were up in arms back 2011 when the report came out that Hasbro had less than favorable working conditions in their factories and there were investigations and write-ups and responses and so on. Then, that died with a whisper and people went back to buying the toys and carrying on with their lives. Now, Disney hires Hasbro to make Star Wars figures, toys and playsets for a movie them "adulchil'rens" don't like about a Mary Sue that makes them feel funny in their naughty bits because they find her pretty but think she's a bit mannish because she has PCOS and they throw a fit and boycott completely.

And that kind of mindset is my biggest problem. Those people don't deserve to be heard because they're bringing nothing to the table and all they do is drive people apart and force the conversation to come to an end. I'll admit, it bothered me about the reports back in 2011, but I'm a weak person when it comes to TFs, Hasbro said it wasn't true and I carried on. I can admit that I'm weak and love my plastic crack, plus it is giving someone a paycheck somewhere.

These guys are upset to the point that "the bad movie" gives them nightmares and so on. I'm just so sick and tired of it. I really am. This lack of sales can and does contribute to layoffs, that's how business works. People can blame TRU's demise, people can blame Disney, but really it's the people closing their wallets because they can't process that Lucasfilm made movies that don't cater to their dream of fantasy hero with a glow worm on a stick winning the day and they decided to take a different direction for ONE FRIGGING FILM. Everyone has a voice, everyone has the right to say it, no one has the right to be heard. I'm tired of listening, so I'm shutting them off.

I don't care if people loved or hated TLJ. I really don't. I just don't want them costing people their jobs because they can't process that someone else made something they don't like. It's one thing to boycott the figure/character you don't like, it's another to boycott the line entirely because of one or two figures. And yes, that's actually what's happening. People have actually stopped collecting, as a whole, because of characters or movies and it's utterly ridiculous.

Put on your big boy pants, realize not everything in the world is for you and deal with it. Don't steal money out of someone else's paycheck because you can't handle women being heroes, Luke's an old man and Han Solo was a kid once. It's crazy, but it's all true.

I don't like MPs anymore, I don't like Cyberverse, but I'm still buying CHUG and Studio Series because I not only want my plastic crack, it also helps someone make ends meet. I buy 1-Steps for my son, even though I couldn't give a crap about them. I buy Transformers because I'd love the brand, no matter how many missteps there might be. There's something for EVERYONE if they'd look past their own stupid nose, for a moment. I honestly HATE The Last Knight, I think it's a terrible film and it more or less ruined the movies for me, but the toys are still amazing and I can't wait for more Studio Series.

It's more that they're being forced to grow up and they can't stand it. Someone might make them adult more than they already are. Big whoop, welcome to reality.

 

That isn't true at all. And its poor reputation among audiences killed the box office for Solo.
The poor quality of Disney Star Wars isn't Hasbro's fault, but the poor quality of the Disney Star Wars action figures ARE.

Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation
Rank Title (click to view) Studio Adjusted Gross Unadjusted Gross Release
1 Star Wars Fox $1,304,588,900 $307,263,857 5/25/77
2 Star Wars: The Force Awakens BV $988,172,000 $936,662,225 12/18/15
3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Fox $775,307,900 $431,088,295 5/19/99
4 Return of the Jedi Fox $740,188,100 $252,583,617 5/25/83
5 The Empire Strikes Back Fox $720,800,800 $209,398,025 5/21/80
6 Star Wars: The Last Jedi BV $617,813,600 $620,181,382 12/15/17
7 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story BV $552,436,400 $532,177,324 12/16/16
8 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Fox $542,226,700 $380,270,577 5/19/05
9 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Fox $475,392,100 $302,191,252 5/16/02
10 Star Wars (Special Edition) Fox $275,310,900 $138,257,865 1/31/97
11 Solo: A Star Wars Story BV $208,298,000 $213,767,512 5/25/18
12 The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition) Fox $134,606,300 $67,597,694 2/21/97
13 Return of the Jedi (Special Edition) Fox $90,544,600 $45,470,437 3/14/97
14 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D) Fox $50,144,500 $43,456,382 2/10/12
15 Star Wars (Re-issue) Fox $48,113,300 $15,476,285 8/13/82
16 Star Wars: The Clone Wars WB $44,760,000 $35,161,554 8/15/08
17 The Empire Strikes Back (Re-issue) Fox $41,273,800 $13,276,241 11/19/82
18 Return of the Jedi (Re-issue) Fox $28,970,300 $11,252,123 3/29/85
19 Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience (IMAX) Fox $13,309,700 $8,485,488 11/1/02

 

... So you're saying people should continue to buy things even when they no longer like the thing? Hmm.

Look, if something sucks I'm not going to buy it anymore. I have a feeling this has a lot less to do with sexism and a lot more to do with people seeing their favorite characters dragged through the mud.

I quit buying superman when they gave him electric based powers. I started buying it again when his real powers returned.

The rest of your logic is colored by ideological lenses. It any of the new female leads were any good I don't think there would be any outrage aimed at them.

This type of nonsense wasn't thrown at Buffy or Xena or any of the other WELL WRITTEN female action stars that have been around for DECADES. The problem is the way these new female action stars are written. Poorly. You can use that sophist logic to back up whatever slanted point you want to make, but this isn't sexim. This entire situation is a rejection of poorly written characters. Full stop.

Oh, and Windblade sucks.

 

The issue he's trying to present it's that how certain people take thir displeasure over certain directions in geek media way too far to the point of doing more harm then good lately and truth be told he's not really wrong. Some fans for example tend to show some hostility or at least be more critical over certain female characters regardless if they're well written or not as well as being either old or new. Geeks for a long time can be quite nasty a-holes when it comes to things they hate the Star Wars fandom being a good example of that.

 

Oh, I agree with you. That's not how he's framing it though. He's saying that people dislike these new shows because of 'wammans' and that you should just get with the program or you're a sexist. That's not what's happening here

These new characters blow dead bear and people are rightfully rejecting them. That's it.

Rey sucks for a variety of reasons. None of which have anything to do with her sex or gender. Woe be to those that say that, though.

Now as far as this relates to the situation at Hasbro? Well... Market research is a thing. Who ACTUALLY buys these toys? Who is Hasbro marketing these things to? There seems to be a disconnect there somewhere. The market that they're being told to appeal to isn't there in big enough numbers and never will be.

 

Yes and no. You're only taking from it what you want. I explained it in detail, I'm not doing it again.

I can see that with a certain repaint or reuse of a figure/mold, I don't expect anyone to buy that. I think it's ridiculous to skip EVERYTHING because of ONE. (And yes, that is EXACTLY what's going on.) And to get the figures you DO want, the figures you don't have to be made to recoup costs and make way for those yet to come. It's how it works. You don't have to buy the figures you don't want, but someone has to or this will end a lot quicker than you think.

Congratulations. You're somehow magic and your lack of buying fix'd it. *golf clap*

Right. Right. Yeah. Okay.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer started with a cult following loved film that Joss Whedon hated (and still does). I remember the movie, I couldn't get into the show.

Xena is campy and horrible. So's Hercules. Part of the reason it's still such a big hit is because people love Lucy Lawless and Bruce Campbell, but a sizeable portion of the fandom is same-sex oriented and feel it's part of the LGBTQ community (Which is fine! Perhaps it is? I don't know.)

Fast forward to today and people hate Rey because she happens to be a previously unknown Force user who was left to be an orphan seeking to find her place in the universe much like Luke? Or Rose who wanted to free enslaved animals from being used in horrible sports (much like in real life) and put her own life on the line to stop Finn from doing something pointless and thus giving them another chance with still more survivors to help fight back against a new empire in its infancy?

Xena fought fake monsters with Hercules.
Buffy fought vampires.
Rey and Rose fight an empire to free everyone and one of them follows a path of faith while not preaching to others.

I fail to see how Rose and Rey are less important or impactful than the female characters you mentioned. I fail to see how they're not doing something just as important in their own way. Some little girl is going to watch TLJ and see that even girls can be just as powerful as Luke or Kylo Ren, much like Leia was. That's important. If it was important when Xena and Buffy did it, it's important when Rey and Rose do it, too.

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean they don't have an impact. I can't really stand Buffy, I hate Xena with a passion, but even I see that they made kids and teens proud to have a woman be the hero and a strong one, at that.

 

Yeah, let's look at that as an example. A STARK example  !

For the longest time Hasbro Star Wars figures were fully detailed, fully articulated, no special packaging, single line figures 3.75 figures. It was so simple to get your favorite figure with all the benefits of 21 century toy engineering at $8 to $10 (to now what would have been $14 a figure). Then Hasbro started this questionnaire, just before Force Awakens, asking "how cool it would be to go back to the 70's and have only 5 point articulation?" Yes, Hasbro framed it as if having less articulation was even cooler because it was nostalgic. OMG I have never seen so many STUPID fans fall for the lamest move. Holy crap, I mean the one thing I love about Transformers Fans is our limited tolerance for BULLSHIT. Star Wars fans, hook line and sinker said yes to; "Do you want less articulation, detail and features in your figures only to sell to you later at double the cost?" Yep, they all said YES! and that was it for me when it came to Star Wars.

Hasbro has several times tried to sneak that kind of mentality in to Transformers but was met with immediate negative response. This Cyberverse line is a great example.

I guess the point I am trying to make here is if Hasbro would just stick to one or two things and makes those things just AWESOME they have a better chance at surviving any financial bad weather. They wasted so much money and plastic and more money on terrible ideas. Why Cyberverse? Just stick to the generations and movie branding and be done with it. You save money in oil and plastic costs, engineering costs, Don't make 2 versions of Star Wars figures, one that sucks at regular price and one that's good but double the price. Just make awesome versions of your figures and and sell at regular price....no R&D cost, no new design costs, packaging costs and so on.

I think the one line they got right is their marvel figures...legend sized full of awesome, no other kiddie version just one line of well made action figures...DONE!

Then let's talk about the marketing of the toys through, cartoons! With Star Wars, Hasbro got this part right...I mean solid!!!! Real commitment here with stories both kids and adults can enjoy and not feel intellectually insulted. Clone Wars was just amazing. Rebels was damn good especially since it was ment to tie into Clone Wars, oh and Clone Wars is coming back!!! Cartoon wise, Star Wars has the most love.

Imagine if Transformers got that kind of cartoon love. Clone Wars had 5 seasons!!!! Why couldn't Hasbro commit to 5 seasons of Transformers Prime? IMHO, Hasbro needs to stick to a well written story with complex characters and intricate plot lines, twists and commit to 5 years or more. I Mean MTMTE, Lost Light, Come'On the script is already written for ya!!!! Every freaking Transformer line change it's a new hunt for animators, new writers, new voice actors, production...and more money blown blown and blown on starting over once again!

Yes, competing against iPad apps and video games is tough. That means you have to get those little eye balls onto your product by making AWESOME toys. Hasbro was on the right track back in the Revenge of the Fallen days. Kids are not stupid! If they can figure out the complexities of the new RPG games and Mine Craft, they can most certainly figure out a masterpiece Prime figure. And if your figure is not as complex as that Mine Craft game, YOU LOST A SALE!!!!! To iTunes!!!!

I sincerely hope Hasbro changes their tune for Siege and developed a proper animated series, with a ton of seasons, and makes Siege their main line and stops treating their customer base like tiny kids from the 1950's.

 

"Adjusting for ticket price inflation" may be a valid measurement, but it doesn't make my claim untrue. Indeed, I consider it moving the goalposts.

The film critic reaction, that is, professionals, WAS near-universally positive. I can source that, and stand by the claim. That said, it has nothing to do with the toys, so that's the last I'm saying anything on the subject. Anyone else who tries to call me a liar, I'll just report them and be done with it.

 

People need to stop blubbering over TLJ already. It made $1.3 billion in theaters and another $80 million in home release. Some Internet randos hated it, the same way they'd hated Mad Max: Fury Road to no impact at all. If the movie itself performed extremely well, which it incontrovertibly did, then any problems with the toys reflect only problems with the toys themselves, their distributors, or the decline of the toy-buying market as a whole.

Toys R Us was killed off by vulture capitalists. It had accounted for 15% of all Hasbro toy orders. TRU Canada is staying open. Canada has Amazon and Walmart, but TRU Canada WASN'T bought by Bain and Vornado. Crikey, Dangermouse, what can this clue possibly mean?

Talk about that, not more about some YouTube blogger DESTROOOYYYYYYing Rose Tico again. Look at the real world, not parochial hobbyist crap.

 

No. No it doesn't. Go into the youtube comment section for the trailer of any female led video game these days and say that again with a straight face.

 

Here's some realtalk:

Kids are way less into toys than any of us can comprehend, ESPECIALLY less into Star Wars.

I have 2 kids, 9 and 6. I see them with their friends, I hear them and their friends talk. I visit my neighbors' houses who have young kids too. Kids today don't get "into" toys the way it was in the 1980s or 90s. They like little blindpacked stuff like Shopkins. They like ccg's. Mostly they like iPads and apps and vloggers. They like Jojo Siwa and those guys who do video game walkthroughs.

My son said Transformers were "over" when he was about 7. None of his friends were ever into Star Wars. Kids are not into movies with 40 years of continuity. Nothing can stand up to MCU and to a much lower extent Harry Potter. If anything Star Wars needs MORE of Rey: it needs more of the awkward, scared teenager as protagonist, sadly by ep9 she'll be too old. That was the only hope to catch on.

 

….. ummmm…. WHAT?

You're not making a lot of sense to me.

It's real simple: if I don't like it on screen, then in all likelihood I won't buy it IRL. That's how most people are.

I can count on 1 hand the number of figures I have purchased from Armada, Energon, Cybertron, Armada, and Animated- combined!
Nor do I buy anything Cyberverse, or RID.
Heck, some people don't like the movies and skip out on the toys.

I've never conformed my tastes, preferences, viewing habits or spending habits to anyone's world view, and I'm not about to start. If that upsets someone, then I dunno what to say- that's their problem not mine.