Ah, so Hasbro is doing damage control. They still haven't updated the webpage so I had no idea.

 

Yeah they announced it on Instagram at the very least. No prototype yet so I'm betting this is a very recent addition. Glad it's a base level and not a higher tier, definitely a better call

 

He doesn't

 

Hmm. I see this as a bad precedent for hasbro. Either the project was “too big to fail” , they may eat a loss on this with the additional cost unless it’s a cheap remold, or they really built in a excessive profit from the start. Either way adding something extra to the base ( I understand necessary changes to the project) may lead to a whole other entitlement wave and result in people holding off from future projects to squeeze out more “add ons”.

 

Yeah I feel like they tried to build up a big profit margin to make up for the loss of sales in Star Wars as a whole as reported recently. The Rancor is the same price as the Sentinel which is taller, has more moveable parts, more paint apps, and electronics. That is not even counting the accessories either, just the base figure. I think Hasbro got greedy on this one.

 

I have a bad feeling the Sky Striker won't hit it's goal.

 

Seeing as how the Rancor/ Sky Striker haslabs haven’t been doing as well as Victory Saber (I hope that they succeed and hit all their goals last minute for the sake of those excited about them) I hope that the next couple of TF Haslabs follow the Victory Saber formula. Less than $200, more obscure than big but not too obscure, sick figure, etc. Cause if the next TF Haslab is a $250+ Haslab running at the same time as 2 other Haslabs I can definitely see similar results happening.

 

I just hope we get a Ginrai and Godbomber set at some point.

 

I can do you Powermaster Optimus Prime (with Hi-Q) and Apexbomber take it or leave it- Hasbro (probably)

 

I think that could be done at retail but I’d for sure back it if it was a haslab.

 

I'm honestly amazed there is even a market for Ghostbuster stuff. I mean, I grew up with it like most 80s kids. Had the costumes and the toys and the proton packs and all that. But I figured aside from older Millennials watching the original movies sometimes, it's basically a dead franchise. But apparently Ghostbusters merchandise is doing great. I thought for sure the Proton Pack was going to be the one that failed (for stated reasons: who wants to spend that much on Ghostbusters?! Turns out a lot of people!). I'm stunned it's done so well. Equally I'm surprised the Rancor is struggling. The Skystriker is where I expected it to be.

I think the Skystriker will *just* get over the finish line. But I think the Rancor is screwed. And just a personal anecdote: I haven't seen new significant Star Wars products at my local retailers in a very, very long time. I'm wondering if there is a general decline going on with it in general.

 

Well the new movie definitely helped boost Ghostbusters nostalgia since it is the kind of movie that parents show their kids because they loved it which creates more fans each generation. Personally I find Ghostbusters just OK, noting really special but people love it so good for them.

As for Star Wars, Hasbro recently said in a quarterly sales call that Star Wars is doing so poorly that they didn’t make their profits are down even though almost all of their other brands exceeded their sales goals by quite a bit. That is how bad Star Wars is selling right now. The sequel trilogy really did hurt the brand’s popularity. Plus their are only so many characters they can pull from the original trilogy that people will buy now since that was their best sellers.

The Rancor does feel like a cash grab with Hasbro being greedy. If we compare the base package to the HasLab Sentinel which was the same price (before Hasbro did damage control and added an extra figure to the base package) the Sentinel gave you more bang for your buck. It was 26” tall, made up of 300+ parts, super articulated, varied and detailed paint apps, LEDs that make the chest and eyes change multiple colors, a figure of a character that you can’t get anywhere else, and 2 tentacle accessories. The Rancor is about 17” tall, basic paint apps, and basic articulation (the tail isn’t even articulated) yet they are the same price. Maybe the Star Wars licensing fees are higher but I doubt it as the Star Wars and Marvel Legends figures are the same price at retail and are on par with each other minus the Marvel BAF pieces some have. I honestly think Hasbro was trying to recoup some of their losses by charging more for the Rancor and hoping no one would notice.

 

If nothing else, Ghostbusters is a perenially popular cosplay subject. While the pack is a bit strange as a collectible, when you compare to what people will spend on a good quality cosplay pack (usually custom built), the HasLab version is an absolute steal. On top of that, it's more lightweight than how most custom builds tend to be, and has features out the wazoo. It's pretty much a no-brainer in that regard.

 

Knowing tfw, if God ginrai was a haslab project there'd be people insisting that a massive optimus prime toy would never sell at retail.

 

When is this expected to be shipped by again? I’m not familiar with HasLab projects as this would be my first.

 

If God Ginrai/Powermaster Prime wound up as a HasLab project, it wouldn't be a question of Optimus Prime himself being problematic. It'd be that there'd be so much stuff included in the package that it defaults the set right out of the retail ecosystem.

 

The only big issue I'd have with a haslab god ginrai is that it'd make it very unlikely for a fire guts repaint to happen, unless it's something like both decos are offered at the start and you can pick which one you want

 

I can't imagine the base PMOP figure needing to be more than a commander. Godbomber could just be a leader. Anything else would get into upgrade kit territory.

Victory Saber was Haslab because because obscure, not because the two robots don't fit into pricepoints.

 

I think if they pushed it, they could have gotten Victory Saber out at retail. There's enough fan-prestige in the characters, to the point where they're probably not significantly more obscure than Sky Lynx and Doubledealer (operating under the vague assumption that SS and VL are roughly Commander and Leader-sized, respectively). But forcing them into that retail price structure would likely have axed all possibility of releasing the shield or V-Lock Cannon, or the stand. HasLab gives them more ability to press the envelope.

Similarly, a retail God Ginrai would be likely to see cutbacks. Possibly by cutting Ginrai/Hi-Q, or the sword, or having as crappy a God/Apex Bomber as the Legends release, etc, etc.

Obscurity is only one reason why figures might not be retail viable. A planned toy could easily push the boundaries on several different counts. HasLab, in theory, can cover for those all.

 

My main concern for a retail PMOP is budget constraints. Godbomber as a leader could work just like Virctory Leo could have but I am not sure Star Saber could have since he is basically a deluxe and commander combined with extras to make it the complete package (definitely in the no man's land between commander and titan). I think the upcoming Motormaster/Menasor skeleton will be a good gauge on how a retail PMOP could work. If the skeleton is a good size with good articulation through out then I have no worries that PMOP could work. If either the articulation or size are compromised for the sake of the other then I think HasLab would be the best bet.