This Week In Your Plastic Crack, Action Figures and Toy Collection 26 26

[fantastic_four]

On 8/11/2022 at 5:59 PM, Buzzetta said:

@fantastic_four

Just in case you were not aware of this company.  Someone posted this site in one of the GI Joe groups.  Thought you would be interested as the place sells some gear that would work well with some of the Marvel Legends figures. 

http://www.gridironprops.com/store/c1/Gridiron_Studios_Pops_Action_Figure_accessories_weapons

I was not aware of that company.  Thanks!!!  

[fantastic_four]

On 8/12/2022 at 3:45 PM, Cat said:

On 8/10/2022 at 5:36 PM, MultiSig Mike said:

Why do my TDK figures have grey/gray sections? Kept in a cool, dry place and only 14 years old.

Expand  

That discolouration happened shortly after release on some of them. Some people reported it being a powdery substance they could wipe off, while for others it was a permanent change in the plastic. It happens because of poorly mixed plasticisers in the plastic, and Mattel around this time was notorious for it. 

It's a common issue across toy lines.  A small number of Hasbro's Marvel Legends in 2021 also had the plasticizer powder on them.  If you wipe it off--or do what I do and just run water over the figure--it usually comes back later, so I don't even bother.  It's a pretty minor thing I barely care about on the figures I have that exhibit the issue.

[fantastic_four]

On 8/14/2022 at 8:03 PM, BitterOldMan said:

Just showed up… Hot Toys Suicide Squad Harley Quinn.  The sculptor captured a remarkable Margot Robbie likeness.

Most Hot Toys human faces fall into the Uncanny Valley, but Harley is a little easier for them to avoid it because of the heavy makeup that exaggerates her features.  So you're right it looks absolutely stunning.

[fantastic_four]

On 8/14/2022 at 8:35 PM, reptilekingdie said:

Finally with patience I finally found these at my local Walmart. Thank U toy gods… 

I bought all of those for Marvel displays, and yep, all four are awesome.  Really almost every Classified Series figure is great.  Hasbro is killing it with this line.

[Cat]

On 8/17/2022 at 1:17 AM, fantastic_four said:

I bought all of those for Marvel displays, and yep, all four are awesome.  Really almost every Classified Series figure is great.  Hasbro is killing it with this line.

If only they gave 1/100th of a mess about Star Wars. My, how the tides have turned. 

[fantastic_four]

On 8/16/2022 at 11:40 AM, Cat said:

On 8/16/2022 at 11:17 AM, fantastic_four said:

I bought all of those for Marvel displays, and yep, all four are awesome.  Really almost every Classified Series figure is great.  Hasbro is killing it with this line.

If only they gave 1/100th of a mess about Star Wars. My, how the tides have turned. 

My understanding is that the licensing fees for Star Wars are the highest in the toy industry, so that line is severely hampered by what they're able to do and fit into the price point people want to pay.

I keep expecting Hasbro to just dump Star Wars entirely due to the difficulty of paying the licensing fees.  I get that the audience is the oldest due to the Kenner toys defining action figures with their Star Wars line, but that franchise no longer deserves to be the most expensive license anymore.  At best I'd put it on par with DC, and I say this as a HUGE lifelong Star Wars fan who generally enjoyed the original trilogy, LOVED the prequels unlike many hardcore fans, and generally enjoyed Episodes VII through outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed  But the license has lost its sheen under Disney aside from anything revolving around Boba Fett, the Mandalorian, Grogu, and Clone Wars.

Edited August 16, 2022 by fantastic_four

[Buzzetta]

On 8/16/2022 at 11:43 AM, fantastic_four said:

My understanding is that the licensing fees for Star Wars are the highest in the toy industry, so that line is severely hampered by what they're able to do and fit into the price point people want to pay.

I keep expecting Hasbro to just dump Star Wars entirely due to the difficulty of paying the licensing fees.  I get that the audience is the oldest due to the Kenner toys defining action figures with their Star Wars line, but that franchise no longer deserves to be the most expensive license anymore.  At best I'd put it on par with DC, and I say this as a HUGE lifelong Star Wars fan who generally enjoyed the original trilogy, LOVED the prequels unlike many hardcore fans, and generally enjoyed Episodes VII through outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed  But the license has lost its sheen under Disney aside from anything revolving around Boba Fett, the Mandalorian, Grogu, and Clone Wars.

And correct me if I am wrong but Lucasfilm even now that it is under Disney has final say over any and all product from selection to likeness before a figure is released. 

[Cat]

I'm just a grown man who wants more Ewoks and Rebel Pilots, okay. 

We should ideally have a non X-Wing Pilot by now. We should have at least one more Ewok. 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Cat

[fantastic_four]

On 8/16/2022 at 1:27 PM, Buzzetta said:

And correct me if I am wrong but Lucasfilm even now that it is under Disney has final say over any and all product from selection to likeness before a figure is released. 

They do.  Supposedly the reason all of the figures have single-jointed knees and elbows instead of double-jointed like most every other line has these days is because the Lucasfilm rep insisted on it.

The team does so much great work that I can't entirely tell how much is their fault and how much is Lucasfilm's fault.  For example ALL of the Bad Batch figures are absolutely awesome.  So are the Clone Wars figures released in 2021 as Target exclusives; the Anakin and Obi-Wan from that set are my favorite Hasbro versions of those characters.  The Clone Wars Ahsoka is also superb aside from the bad elbow, knee, and ankle articulation most of which is Lucasfilm's fault.  Last year's Return of the Jedi deluxe Boba Fett is also terrific.  More figures are outstanding than bad, so it's clear they can do good work at times.  The new Saw Guererra looks superb as well although I don't have him yet to be sure of it.  Loved Fennec Shand from last year as well.

Hasbro's work on Star Wars definitely deserves some scorn due to the high pricing, numerous repaints, and articulation issues.  But they do so much outstanding work that I just can't tell how much is their fault, and I could easily attribute everything to Lucasfilm by coming up with 5 to 10 very specific questions about the Lucasfilm relationship and getting honest answers--which I wouldn't expect on most of those hypothetical questions.  

Edited August 16, 2022 by fantastic_four

[Buzzetta]

On 8/16/2022 at 1:36 PM, fantastic_four said:

They do.  Supposedly the reason all of the figures have single-jointed knees and elbows instead of double-jointed like most every other line has these days is because the Lucasfilm rep insisted on it.

The team does so much great work that I can't entirely tell how much is their fault and how much is Lucasfilm's fault.  For example ALL of the Bad Batch figures are absolutely awesome.  So are the Clone Wars figures released in 2021 as Target exclusives; the Anakin and Obi-Wan from that set are my favorite Hasbro versions of those characters.  The Clone Wars Ahsoka is also superb aside from the bad elbow, knee, and ankle articulation most of which is Lucasfilm's fault.  Last year's Return of the Jedi deluxe Boba Fett is also terrific.  More figures are outstanding than bad, so it's clear they can do good work at times.  The new Saw Guererra looks superb as well although I don't have him yet to be sure of it.  Loved Fennec Shand from last year as well.

I have been highly impressed with the 3.75" line as I do not own any 6" figures.  I had started buying them but quickly sold them as I did not want to jump into that rabbit hole.  I was disappointed with the construction of Spirit on the GI Joe line as I had documented here.   I taped the box back up and returned it to Walmart as  moving the leg should not cause tears and stress on the internal mechanisms.  I cancelled Stalker and Recondo as well. I am keeping the Retro 6" Storm Shadow I have on preorder though to open.   I am starting to wean down the collection of plastic and realizing that it needs to be further cut down. 

They are killing it in the likeness department on some of the figures on the 3.75" scale.   I had posted a pic of Luke in X-Wing gear at the 3.75" scale and some thought it was a Black Series 6" figure.  I just received my Obi Wan Wandering Jedi figure at 3.75" and was equally impressed with that figure. 

However, I just do not see this stuff at retail.  Anything I have held in hand over the last five years has been from preordering through Hasbro or Amazon.  

Stores do not seem to be ordering it or they do not seem to be ordering it in the quantity that they did twenty years ago. 

Maybe like most properties, it has to go away for people to want it again. 

[F For Fake]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:14 PM, 707comics said:

Love the rolling thunder! I have one myself that is almost complete (those damn antennas!). The box is icing on the cake. I love the boxes, hard finding them in good shape without people asking a boat load for them now-a-days.

Thanks! And yes, I love the boxes too. But with items of this size, the boxes can be a real killer when it comes to shipping costs, so I've always got my eye open on good local deals, Saves me a ton of cash, not paying to ship something that large! I try to pick up one large item every show. Time to save up for the January show!

[toytastik1]

On 8/16/2022 at 11:12 AM, fantastic_four said:

It's a common issue across toy lines.  A small number of Hasbro's Marvel Legends in 2021 also had the plasticizer powder on them.  If you wipe it off--or do what I do and just run water over the figure--it usually comes back later, so I don't even bother.  It's a pretty minor thing I barely care about on the figures I have that exhibit the issue.

You can also put in the sunlight for 20 minutes and it goes away.   Don't keep it out there too long as it will fade but 15mins usually does the trick.

[fantastic_four]

On 8/16/2022 at 1:46 PM, Buzzetta said:

However, I just do not see this stuff at retail.  Anything I have held in hand over the last five years has been from preordering through Hasbro or Amazon.  

Stores do not seem to be ordering it or they do not seem to be ordering it in the quantity that they did twenty years ago. 

Both Target and Walmart definitely aren't stocking Hasbro Star Wars like they used to, but both do still stock it.  For example that Saw Gerrera figure I mentioned is at most of my local Targets, I just haven't been to one in over a month so I haven't picked him up yet; I only know he's everywhere locally because I can order him for 2-hour pickup at all of my local stores, and that only happens when they have something in the store.  Plus he seems like a peg-warmer so I'm also waiting to get him on sale or clearance.  The last Black Series Archive wave was definitely at both Target and Walmart as well. 

But the same is true of Marvel.  For whatever reason this year Target has dramatically increased the number of McFarlane DC figures and dramatically decreased the number of Marvel Legends, including having no pegs on the second quarter Marvel planogram at all for ANY Legends aside from the 3.75" simple retro figures they're doing now.  Target's third quarter planogram added a few pegs back for 6-inch Legends, but still nowhere near as many as the 10+ they're giving to McFarlane.

But Target is also mis-managing the living daylights out of what they actually do stock in stores, too.  All of the Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness figures were released and then put on clearance within 1-2 weeks of being stocked--and BEFORE the movie even came out.  That's just clearly poor planning no matter how you slice it; any intelligent planning would have been either never stocking them at all or at least keeping them at MSRP until the movie came out a few weeks after they clearanced them.  Target has also been ordering cases of 8 of the same figure from a wave instead of getting one or two boxes of 8 that include all the figures from a wave, so every Target for the last year or so has had massive quantities of peg-warmers from waves.  That was just dumb in every way; there was no way 8 copies of D'Spayre or America Chavez were ever going to sell out in every Target in America.  

My best guess is that ever since McFarlane entered the market and had so much success in keeping their price at $19.99 and $24.99 for figures with a BAF part is that they're just winning out at mass retail over Hasbro's figures.  That doesn't fully explain why there are so few Star Wars figures as compared to two decades ago; certainly that's just mostly increased competition and fewer movies that collectors wanted figures for.  Most of the figures from the Episode 8 and 9 bombed, and that's when Target and Walmart seemed to retreat from Star Wars figures.  And that's why I say the licensing fee no longer deserves to be as high as I keep hearing it is.

Edited August 16, 2022 by fantastic_four

[fantastic_four]

On 8/16/2022 at 2:03 PM, toytastik1 said:

On 8/16/2022 at 11:12 AM, fantastic_four said:

It's a common issue across toy lines.  A small number of Hasbro's Marvel Legends in 2021 also had the plasticizer powder on them.  If you wipe it off--or do what I do and just run water over the figure--it usually comes back later, so I don't even bother.  It's a pretty minor thing I barely care about on the figures I have that exhibit the issue.

You can also put in the sunlight for 20 minutes and it goes away.   Don't keep it out there too long as it will fade but 15mins usually does the trick.

Weird.  Or at least it's weird to me not understanding the chemistry of what's happening.  Does it come back after being exposed to sunlight, or is that a permanent fix?

[fantastic_four]

On 8/16/2022 at 1:46 PM, Buzzetta said:

I was disappointed with the construction of Spirit on the GI Joe line as I had documented here.

I haven't opened mine yet so I'll have to compare mine to your notes.  I mostly bought him for the articulated eagle to put on either Falcon or Cap's shoulder.  Just saw a pic on Reddit today of someone who did that exact same thing.  Love how the eagle comes with swappable folded-up or fully-extended wings.

I bought Crocmaster almost entirely for the croc, Storm Shadow mostly just as a ninja to fight for HYDRA or against/with Daredevil in displays, and the COBRA officer as a HYDRA agent in displays.

Edited August 16, 2022 by fantastic_four

[toytastik1]

On 8/16/2022 at 2:41 PM, fantastic_four said:

Weird.  Or at least it's weird to me not understanding the chemistry of what's happening.  Does it come back after being exposed to sunlight, or is that a permanent fix?

It hasn't come back but I can't say with certainty that it won't.

[Yorick]

On 8/16/2022 at 11:41 AM, fantastic_four said:

Weird.  Or at least it's weird to me not understanding the chemistry of what's happening.  Does it come back after being exposed to sunlight, or is that a permanent fix?

I believe it is the heat at just the right levels.  Constant heat at controllable temperature.  Plastic cures in heat, and essentially the "powder" surface is the plastic chemical composition breaking down.  The sun acts as a second "cure".

[Cat]

On 8/17/2022 at 3:46 AM, Buzzetta said:

I have been highly impressed with the 3.75" line as I do not own any 6" figures.  I had started buying them but quickly sold them as I did not want to jump into that rabbit hole.  I was disappointed with the construction of Spirit on the GI Joe line as I had documented here.   I taped the box back up and returned it to Walmart as  moving the leg should not cause tears and stress on the internal mechanisms.  I cancelled Stalker and Recondo as well. I am keeping the Retro 6" Storm Shadow I have on preorder though to open.   I am starting to wean down the collection of plastic and realizing that it needs to be further cut down. 

They are killing it in the likeness department on some of the figures on the 3.75" scale.   I had posted a pic of Luke in X-Wing gear at the 3.75" scale and some thought it was a Black Series 6" figure.  I just received my Obi Wan Wandering Jedi figure at 3.75" and was equally impressed with that figure. 

However, I just do not see this stuff at retail.  Anything I have held in hand over the last five years has been from preordering through Hasbro or Amazon.  

Stores do not seem to be ordering it or they do not seem to be ordering it in the quantity that they did twenty years ago. 

Maybe like most properties, it has to go away for people to want it again. 

Yeah, I really wish I'd stayed with the 3 3/4 line. 

[F For Fake]

Picked these up on the bay this week, got a good deal on the three sets together. I did pick up the original Super 7/Reaction Alien stuff when it was released, but ended up selling most of it a couple of years ago when I sold my modern stuff to finance a couple of big vintage Alien pieces. Since then, I've been slowly picking up the stuff I'd sold off, and some others. I missed these sets when they came out, but am glad I found a deal on them. These really are the toys I wanted so desperately when I was a kid. I admire NECA's realistic sculpts and accessories, but when the kid inside of me thinks of "toys", he's thinking of these Kenner-style pieces. I really love the packaging, but I need to pick up a few of these to play around with as well.

[Krismusic]

Saw these at Costco thought it was cool so picked it up… might give it to my little cousins or keep it and display it in my collection.