One issue is, we don't know how Hasbro determines that it is doing well. Likely just based on profit, but if you are building something for a dollar and selling it for 20, you are very profitable, but potentially not successful. What percentage of units manufactured were sold? What percentage of those were at MSRP? Discount? This is not specific to Hasbro, but many companies only look at profit because of shareholder greed. But that is a short-term myopic view that does not lend itself to success over the longer-term. That is why CEOs get fired and companies "re-invent" themselves every couple of years...they forget what their value proposition is.

 

It's profits. Expected versus actuals. The numbers they deliver to their stockholders at the beginning and end of every fiscal year.

If profits are down, but still above expectations...that's good.
If they're up, but below expectations...that's bad.

 

I know its profits, I know how this works. However, focus on profits alone and they will diminish, unless you have a great product that people feel is of value. Many people on this forum seemed to be getting a bit jaded on Hasbro because of diminishing quality, maybe even enough to stop buying. That will hurt Hasbro. For me at least, I stopped buying the main lines because I don't see the value. I switched to MP/3P to get (in my opinion) a better value (notice I did not say price, but value).

 

You know how a company can tell what its customers value?

...What they buy.

You know how a company can tell what people are buying?

...What generates profit.

It all comes back to profit. They don't give two shits what we complain about on the forums if the profits are telling them it sells. That's why they went back to combiners for PotP despite places like this throwing daily tantrums about CW.

 

T-Hybrid pretty much summed up my response. All this "the reason 3P companies are thriving is because Hasbro is making shitty product" talk is mostly nonsense. 3P thrives because most of them deliver what Hasbro has yet to deliver...Masterpiece <insert character> or upgraded versions of Hasbro product that costs less money to produce because Hasbro already made the primary investment in design and engineering. While these are problems, they have nothing to do with Hasbro's actual product, per se. I've yet to see fans cast aside TR Getaway in droves because there's some great 3P version of the character being offered somewhere.

As for raising the cost by doing essentially Takara Legends versions of the product in America, that would be a risky move. Would the market support $25 deluxes and $40 voyagers? I'd be very suspect of that. Chances are, Hasbro is VERY suspect of that as well.

 

Τhe very fact that I need to answer it in the first place is juvenile at least. I never said that they have to look like anything.

Stockholder reports are nice and all, but stockholder reports are neither exactly an income projection, or accurate (at least as far as the public is concearned). And since I know you will ask me to provide you reports, I will say to you that I cant, its just from experience. As to 3p companies, they are not our concearn here. As I said a million times till now, 3p should be considered as a means to energise them to improve their product.

I ve answered that question 5(? I dont keep count but its more than 3) times as of now. And I see that we dont exactly transmit to the same wavelength, causing problems in understanding and repeating the same things again and again. Lets agree to dissagree and carry on.

 

Really? Cause the last time I looked at them, like a week or two ago, movie figures were like $16 ($15.82 I think it was) and the Generations figures were the same price, give a few cents here or there. I haven't seen them priced more then the regular Generations figures at all, across the lines. But yeah, I get what you mean and if it come down to a $1-2 more per figure to get a Generations figure again of comparable quality to what we use to get and to what you typically see currently in the movie line then yeah, I'm okay with that.

But, as it is currently, we know Hasbro wants to raise prices on the Generations figures as they currently are without increasing the quality of them and even going so far so to replacing tamps with those god awful shitty stickers. Those thing can't going away any time soon....

 

I have no idea how Playmates does it. Their Voltron limbs have more plastic, more paint, and more accessories for $18 than a Hasbro Voyager does for $25. I would bet that a big reason they are willing to make higher quality toys at the same price point is that they are to sacrifice some profit in order to increase market share. They also are an asian company, so they don't necessarily have the same priorities as Hasbro or Mattel.

 

TLK Premier Edition figures eventually went down with their pricing at retailers, but yeah... When they appeared they were priced for slightly more than Generations at the same size classes. I think the Generations line is hitting the point when they have to be cutting more corners to keep the price.

 

I’m disappointed with the number of transformers that don’t come with guns anymore. Sell a weapons upgrade pack or something! Hasbro forced me to go 3rd party plain and simple.

 

I realize you won't see this, at least not right away, but you are wrong with largest margin of income coming from collectors. Kids still make or break these lines, and that's not changing solely because a subline has characters that the grown nerds want.

 

They also don't compete with Hasbro. Hasbro's biggest seller in Transformers is consistently the deluxe pricepoint or similar (supercon, warrior-class etc.) because they are seen by customers as the best value for money (not too expensive, and not too small). 3P companies generally don't make toys at this size, and on the rare occasions they do, they'll be of characters Hasbro aren't selling.

 

I think that's the point of Primemasters and Titanmasters with their gun modes.

 

That’s horrible. Those things are way oversized for my legends scale figures who are the ones without weapons and even if they were scaled properly, why can’t I get a standard black/silver/grey weapon that is mildly concealable in vehicle mode? I know people argue about price point but would it cost that much to plug in a cheap remolded hand gun?

If they don’t come with guns then market them as the scientists or peace mongers of the group.

 

It's not just the legends-class figures. Voyagers Grimlock and Hun-GRR don't have them either.

 

Not really disappointed in big toy companies currently, I'll continue to support Hasbro and stay away from 3rd Parties and KO companies trying to make a profit off Hasbro's properties. And I'll continue to support them because I still find joy in a lot of their action figures (Transformers, Marvel Legends, & Star Wars Black Series). Though I think Mattel could a take page out of Hasbro's book and improve their DC Multiverse line, I still find things in it I enjoy. Heck Bandai America is giving me a cheaper alternative to SH Figuarts Dragon Ball figures and I couldn't be more happier with the results.

 

Right now I'm mostly disappointed with Takara and Hasbro.

Takara for re-issuing old MPs (another one was announced today, Prowl, who already has both Takara and Hasbro releases) instead of adding new characters, and for using so many upcoming MP slots for non-G1 figures when they haven't even completed the Ark crew, let alone all of the Season One or Two cast.

And Hasbro for leaving G.I. Joe fans hanging by ending the Collectors Club, JoeCon, and pausing the 50th line, when they have plenty more characters from the 84-94 lines still to deliver in modern era.

 

Mattel


Mattel sucks


Playmates toys are super hollow, though. They are more guilty than Mattel of abusing the "final product may vary" disclaimer.

 

I would like to see them dump the soap bottles and the 3 types of fast-action-battlers that accompany each line now. They waste design resources, waste production resources, and shelfwarm like crazy. A smaller and more focused line would do everybody a world of good. They're stuck in an arms race of pumping out more and more and the consumption end is showing signs of buckling under the stress.

My question is do you see a market that would respond positively to fewer better products or do you see an ocean of desperate plastic addicts itching for a cheap fix?