Re: DC Collectibles doing Batman The Animated Series figures!!!!!
Had it not been a 5 pack, I'm sure people would buy multiple singles too. I'd have gone nuts with Freeze but being in an expensive 5 pack, that ain't happening. Yeah S. griffin the stores and local comic stores are like that around here too, but $28 is a hard sale for pegwarmers like Creeper, Etrigan, first issue Harley Quinn, TNBA Ivy, etc.
In addition to the loose BTAS figures, I was building up a MOC collection because I liked how the characters looked lined up on the wall. I didn't really care about missing the TNBA numbers or it being out of order because it looked nice. Thankfully I wasn't that deep into it (only have Batman, Robin, Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, Mad Hatter and Man-Bat carded) so now that there is confirmation that single figures are dead, I don't care. I'm going to keep it loose, if I get anymore at all. Boxes are getting trashed.
They got to think about space too. Who the hell is going to want to keep that long, flimsy, horizontal box, (especially folks that have been all in with the Batmobile, Batplane, signals, etc.)? If it's anything like Mattel's exclusives, over time, that LED won't even work when the flap is opened up. Those electronic cardboard boxes are notorious for having wiring and battery issues because it's literally a small contraption glued into a cardboard box. It won't last.
Should have either sold them individually carded in a Wave like they had been doing (no work or cost involved since the box wouldn't need a lighting system or crazy production folds/flaps and illustration graphics) or bundle packed the 5 of them in a plain old cardboard mailer box with just the BTAS red and black Batman logo or something. If/when this thing doesn't sell and it's used as a scapegoat for why the line died, it's their fault. Same with that Batcave which is currently the only way to get Alfred.
You would think after how pissed people got with the Deluxe Batmobile, Batman, Robin and Batsignal set, they'd cut it out, but I have a feeling they're just going to double down on it. If they aren't doing well and sales are bad, don't keep making the same mistakes and developing big expensive sets that push people away. Look at your individual single figures and see what needs to be cut out so you can offer a $20 figure instead of a $30 one. Cut out the bases, cut some of the articulation (oh wait, they already have), just give Mr. Freeze his freeze gun, snow globe and a gripping hand and apply this concept to everyone of the figures and I'm sure things would go better.
These gift set packs should have been for less desirable characters and less desirable versions of characters. Why the hell did they allow themselves to have TNBA Two-Face, TNBA Freeze, TNBA Riddler, TNBA Croc, TNBA Bane, TNBA Ivy as singles before getting the classic versions out there first? If anything, the TNBA ones should have been regulated to these packs (not all of them, just the tough sellers).