Hot Toys Quality Control: Whats Goin On?

[Lejuan]

I am just happy Hot Toys exists at all

 

[Darkseed]

I am just happy Hot Toys exists at all

I may not get every character ever imagined nor all grand slams likeness but at the moment the best there is at what they do.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

I never really understood this line of thinking. Why is Hot Toys obligated to finish a license? It's not as if they have stated they will be releasing a complete lineup of figures from a certain license. Given what we know, I'd just assume their initial figure(s) release from a given license is all they're gonna release and make my purchasing decision from there.

Cos they're in a business of making figures from those lines, otherwise it wouldn't be called a 'line', it'd be called a ... Something else that isn't a line.

Plus HT have a bad habit of making less profitable characters in their intial runs

Would you think it good to spend money on a license for Back to the future, make Jennifer and Doc figures and leave it like that?

The correct answer is no, why leave out the best and most wanted character Marty, the did it with New Goblin and Odin recently.

Uh....I produce an item which doesn't sale, I won't continue making that item or anything related. It suxs more often than not we deal with incomplete licenses but I cannot fault HT.

I agree. They are in business of selling figures that will sell. Both "Sucker Punch" and "Tron" were slight disappointments at the box office (well, Sucker was sort of a bomb) so they can't be expected to full-steam ahead with a full line-up of characters from those properties.

How do they know it will sell good or not unless they try?

They are with Sucker Punch, a little, seeing as how they delayed them for 2 QTRs.

You cannot determine a character in 1/6 or statues worth based on box office results of the franchise, there are tons of fantastic characters and design from crap movies and great movies that didn't earn millions.

There are five main characters in SP, Hot Toys have got two up for order, so fans aren't asking for ten figures and variants like iron man, but three more is hardly difficult.

Same with Tron and Platoon, fans don't need the 20 odd figures that Iron Man has gotten just a handful based on the amount of good characters featured.

X-men doesn't need Havok, Darwin or Riptide as they aren't key players, but Mystique, Beast, Magneto, Xavier and Emma Frost are and other characters have great design that push them over the top in that a figure would look fantastic despite the reaction or earning of the film, like Azazel.

 

[Raymond F.]

God it's true and it scares me to think of the Mcfarlane comparrison. the kings cold be falling?

2001 and you have the coolest looking 6 inch figures on the market.

you get big. you get hockey, baseball shrek and everything else under the sun... flash forward a decade and you get THIS...

 

[Darkseed]

How do they know it will sell good or not unless they try?

They did try with Platoon (Barnes | Taylor) and SP (Babydoll | Amber) Tron (whoever) and apparently those figures haven't done as well to warrant additional figures. Just a guess......

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

They did try with Platoon (Barnes | Taylor) and SP (Babydoll | Amber) Tron (whoever) and apparently those figures haven't done as well to warrant additional figures. Just a guess......

They haven't tried yet with Sucker Punch and Tron cos the intial figures arent out yet, so they dont know if its profitable yet enough to can the lines, which they've most likely already decided.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

The question is how iconic the characters are - or become. HT rolls the dice on these newer project licenses in the hope a new icon will be created - they do try, but more often than not, these movies don't deliver a new icon. Sucker Punch did not deliver in that regard. I have seen the movie and really can't remember much about baby doll except the obvious, let alone the others - and you can get a Cy girl cheap for that.

Agreed on X-Men, and most of your other points. Hot Toys' obsession with Iron Man is a whole other thread.

Sucker Punch did deliver on design (figure-wise), each girl has

A unique costume
Great weaponry
And above all are kick ass female characters, there arent many female characters by HT

Those three points make for a great figure, for me at least.

 

[EVILFACE]

Sucker Punch did deliver on design (figure-wise), each girl has

A unique costume
Great weaponry
And above all are kick ass female characters, there arent many female characters by HT

Those three points make for a great figure, for me at least.

Yea but $170 for no-name chicks is too much.

A movie failing can also means lack of interest in collectibles, so you can't fault HT there. Babydoll and Amber will show if the line might have legs.

And WFAF what Genital Giant does.

Is anyone else just kind of "over" Hot Toys or Not?

Never!!

 

[galactiboy]

What does WFAF mean

 

[Lejuan]

What does WFAF mean

WFAF? WGAF or GTFO

 

[a-dev]

What does WFAF mean

I don't know but

 

[EVILFACE]

What does WFAF mean

Who Flaunts A Fauk

 

[SwedishHeat]

They haven't tried yet with Sucker Punch and Tron cos the intial figures arent out yet, so they dont know if its profitable yet enough to can the lines, which they've most likely already decided.

They don't need to get the figures out to see if they are profitable. See, there's this thing called a pre-order. . .

 

[a-dev]

Regardless of the itty bitty details Nova-Force may be overlooking surely you guys agree, as collectors rather than objective business analysts, that its a bit frustrating when HT drops licenses before all the most obvious characters are done and/or puts out less desireable choices first and focuses so intensely on one line while other lines are put on an indefinite hold?

 

[Lejuan]

Regardless of the itty bitty details Nova-Force may be overlooking surely you guys agree, as collectors rather than objective business analysts, that its a bit frustrating when HT drops licenses before all the most obvious characters are done and/or puts out less desireable choices first.

I've never had a problem with it because I don't collect that way. I tend to pick up the central character of a movie and for me that encapsulates everything I love about that movie. I made an exception with Iron Man (picked up WM too) and I collect the Bruce Lee line - which may potentially begin and end with 3 releases. I can see why completists would find it frustrating to not have an Elias, or another SP girl etc... but I can also see that HT aren't spending one coffee break of their time wondering how to piss off their fans. Business is business. They need to keep their fans happy only insofar as they need their fans to keep buying what they put out. And here we all are, buying the hell outta 'em.

 

[banthafett]

They don't need to get the figures out to see if they are profitable. See, there's this thing called a pre-order. . .

But the pre-order idea to judge numbers may be coming to an end. With them shipping out bad product, not doing important characters from the lines. People are tired of PO and having to wait delay after delay, and still risk of getting a turd sent to them.

I dont know if its just me, but Ive been noticing alot of NRD on a bunch of stuff lately. Makes you wonder doesnt it?

 

[a-dev]

They need to keep their fans happy only insofar as they need their fans to keep buying what they put out. And here we all are, buying the hell outta 'em.

Apparently not in the case of the Platoon line. Well I've already stated, though I can't prove it was the case, that I believe HT's reputation for dropping lines without a second thought contributed to that lines slow sales in a sort of catch 22 scenario. Anyway, I'm off to bed I think.

Edit- Just to add, if HT did make Elias now I have no doubt you'd see a lot of people who passed on Taylor and Barnes scrambling to get all 3. Any that are still left at retail would sell out and people would have WTB threads going in the commerce section.

 

[Rorywan]

God it's true and it scares me to think of the Mcfarlane comparrison. the kings cold be falling?

2001 and you have the coolest looking 6 inch figures on the market.

you get big. you get hockey, baseball shrek and everything else under the sun... flash forward a decade and you get THIS...

Jesus, is that McFarlane?
I didn't think things had gotten that far down the toilet.

 

[Raymond F.]

It sure is! Its also like 5 inches tall, glossy... I haven't seen a toy company put out anything looking this bad since the mid 90's. Honestly! What the hell is Todd not even caring anymore?

Walking Dead is a big score for them too.. i almost gagged when i saw these in person at the comic shop.

 

[a-dev]

Looks like MooreActionCollectibles early Buffy the Vampire Slayer figures. Granted thats the comic book version but the TV show figures don't look a great deal better. Very shoddy. Ugly @$$ joints on them.