Hot Toys, you’re going to put yourself out of business!

[thenammagazine]

When Hot Toys produces figures for huge prices and then months later you start seeing sales on them to try and move them out that should be telling you something (New Goblin for example).

My point is, look how much the figure was priced at when it first came out and look how low they can go to try and get rid of their stock of it after a year or so. The difference really starts to show you how much we're over paying for these figure and how much Hot Toys is sticking it to us.

Flawed logic though, bud. You have to know how much they have to sell to turn a profit and then know whether or not they made that profit before making a statement like that. Plus, then there're the blatant rehashes of late which are just all profit since they're only out of pocket a headsculpt and an accessory.

 

[SwedishHeat]

Hot Toys doesn't care. They've already made their money selling it to their distributors (Sideshow, etc.)

Pointing to one example, New Goblin, saying "SEE!!! I told you so" is silly when there's 14 other figures that are sold out selling for a premium. 2 years from now New Goblin will be selling for $300 on eBay just like that POS Harvey Two-Face. Eff, even that crummy Dastan figure is still sought after, if only for the body.

All these people who have sworn off Hot Toys. . . right after they finish their Avengers set.

Or right after 89 Batmobile.

Or right after whatever the next thing is that's coming out.

Hot Toys ain't going nowhere.

 

[robbiethepainter]

Hot Toys doesn't care. They've already made their money selling it to their distributors (Sideshow, etc.)

Pointing to one example, New Goblin, saying "SEE!!! I told you so" is silly when there's 14 other figures that are sold out selling for a premium. 2 years from now New Goblin will be selling for $300 on eBay just like that POS Harvey Two-Face. Eff, even that crummy Dastan figure is still sought after, if only for the body.

All these people who have sworn off Hot Toys. . . right after they finish their Avengers set.

Or right after 89 Batmobile.

Or right after whatever the next thing is that's coming out.

Hot Toys ain't going nowhere.

Exactly. HT only makes what is ordered by the retailers. As long as its over the cost to produce, they will always be golden.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Good post SwedishHeat.

It's funny - that with all their horrible business decisions, they've managed to thrive for the last seven plus years.

(Folks - please make sure your sarcasm meters are charged. )

 

[Dollmanron]

Give it time.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Give it time.

Nothing lasts forever anyway.

 

[Dillon]

Nothing lasts forever anyway.

they should try to make them last.

 

[Collector47]

Other companies are beginning to take some of these ideas and carve their own niche in the marketplace. As time goes by, Hot Toys will cease to be the only game in town and pricing will have to adjust to remain competitive. Until then, Hot Toys will set the market price for all it will give.

 

[thenammagazine]

Other companies are beginning to take some of these ideas and carve their own niche in the marketplace. As time goes by, Hot Toys will cease to be the only game in town and pricing will have to adjust to remain competitive. Until then, Hot Toys will set the market price for all it will give.

And so long as people keep paying, they'll laugh all the way to the bank.

Is that what The Bangles meant in their song 'Eternal Flame'..?

-50 testosterone points for listening to The Bangles

 

[choopie]

Other companies are beginning to take some of these ideas and carve their own niche in the marketplace. As time goes by, Hot Toys will cease to be the only game in town and pricing will have to adjust to remain competitive. Until then, Hot Toys will set the market price for all it will give.

Actually I think it's just the opposite. HT is setting the price that other companies are following in order to remain competitive. Yeah, 12" inch existed before there was HT, but not at the quality that HT provides. Now companies that were around before HT are now charging HT prices.

Same with Sideshow. People have been saying for years that Sideshow will cease to be the only game in town. When it comes to statues and their flagship PFs, they are king, and they know it. Sideshow jacked their prices before other companies even thought of producing 1:4 scale and now other companies' pricing structure is competitive to that of Sideshow's.

 

[SwedishHeat]

Actually I think it's just the opposite. HT is setting the price that other companies are following in order to remain competitive.

Yup.

That's what Sideshow did. They were losing ground to HT, you looked at something like their ANH Luke at $65, versus something amazing (at the time) like the POTC Jack v1 at $130. It's just a night and day difference. I will always link back to that interview at Cool Toy Review with Brant Bridges in which he talked about how Sideshow tried to stick to a price point, but there's just so much more you can do when you make the best figure you can, and the price be damned.

You don't win any fans by keeping prices low. You're just shooting yourself in the foot. Does everyone want to buy a Hyundai because they make affordable cars?? No, everyone wants a BMW because it's the best.

I mean, who makes the cheapest boxed figures around right now?? Probably Dragon, right?? And who gives flying füt about Dragon??

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

-50 testosterone points for listening to The Bangles

Awww.....

It's a pretty well known song.

 

[Mr Walker]

I've given this topic some thought. Here's what I come up with.

Price won't necessarily put them out of business. What will/would put them out of business is a lowering of quality mixed with high price.

I look at the DX13 BD T800. It's not great. The sculpt is soft and too young and inaccurate and it's expensive. It's not a great combination. Unfortunately, too many people just see "OMG OMG A BD T2 T800 INSTABUY!!!!!1111Eleven!" Another case in point. Indy. Terrible, terrible sculpt. Maybe, on a dark night, when I'm too drunk to see properly, it could pass as Indy's long lost brother. Again though... "OMG OMG IT'S INDY OMG HAVE TO HAVE!!!!".

All these together... not a great combination. But eventually even the most rabid of fan will say "mmm nope, that's just not good enough". And before I get labelled as a hater, I love HT work. Their Godfather is close to perfection. CR Supes is amazing. Jack Sparrow DX is brilliant. The quality can be there, no doubt about it.

What HT have done though, is demonstrate there is a demand for accurate high end dolls - uh, I mean... action figures. That's something every collector can (and should) celebrate.

So if they go out of business, another company will step in to fill the void. Capitalism 101. Look at Blitzway. Their Carlito sculpt is only a proto, I know, but man, it is seriously, properly good.

 

[Monger]

Before prices I would say quality control and choice in licenses would be the likely killer for Hot Toys, but nothing is going to actually take them out as they are too big for that. It might reduce their dominance over the market for sure, but that is already happening. It is when they charge more but then the problems with each figure seem to be increasing and at the same time licenses are being suspended or put into limbo while they do rereleases of the same characters. Those sorts of things isolate the fanbase and drive them away toward other companies or for customs. That's what I think will and currently is hurting Hot Toys. I think that is part of the issue with Sideshow right now too. A lot of quality control problems happened with the PFs the last few years and people are left baffled because the prices are soaring yet the quality control is somehow dropping. It has lasting consequences. I'm sure the Rogue fiasco (and Psylocke etc...) will continue to haunt Sideshow for years likewise people are fearing 2.0s for Hot Toys figures now. Sure it might be mostly a joke people throw out, but the point is that it is on everyone's mind. Who wants to buy a figure knowing it might get outdone not by a rival company, but by the very same company and within a year or two?

If Hot Toys starts to fall apart in the next few years, I think the figure that would deserve the most blame would probably go to that new Terminator DX as I think it really sums up a lot of the problems with Hot Toys (I am referring to both new T-800 DX).

 

[Collector47]

Monger you make a good point. I've learn to stay away from first offerings on newly licensed characters that are widely popular. It seems HT has to go through their own trial and error to find the best sculpt and create a better outfit/body to work the bugs out. I've lost count of how many times a character looks measurably better after HT has attempted it a couple of times. That is true on most all of their characters. Just look at Jack Sparrow. Look how far they went before they really nailed him with the last offering. And then sometimes the accuracy is there, but nothing else. Superman/Reeves is a good example. No Clark head and a campy box? I sat that one out because there needs to be a DX version of him that gives you everything. I wonder if that will also be the case when they put out the Batman/West figure? Will it be bare-bones? No Wayne head? Or will HT dive in early and get it right the first time?

 

[Wake]

Ive grown accustomed to merely selling figures and buying replacements. I did it with Iron man mk 2, t-800, batman, joker, thor, etc.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Yep, they must be hurting - look at all those Hawkeye figures sitting around. They better drop that price if they're going to move them.

What? Sold out?


Nevermind.

 

[EXOTICLEX]

I don't think they made very many Hawkeyes.

https://www.sideshowtoy.com/listing...min=&pricecap=&status[]=2&startDate=&endDate=

Superman
Shadow Predator
Angelica
Capt America Rescue
Classic Predator
New Goblin
Iron Man Mark II AU
Iron Man Mark 1 2.0
Jake Sully
Indiana Jones DX
89 Joker DX
Tracker Pred
Captain America
red Skull
Amber
Noland
Bruce lee casual

Geez forget it. 33 in stock and only 3-5 are fairly new releases. Most of these will be in stock for a while. Not to mention how many does SS give away for contest and then discount heavily for Black Friday and 12 days of SS.

Anyways look at that Top Gun figure. $110 for that? Prices are crazy nowadays.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Before prices I would say quality control and choice in licenses would be the likely killer for Hot Toys, but nothing is going to actually take them out as they are too big for that. It might reduce their dominance over the market for sure, but that is already happening. It is when they charge more but then the problems with each figure seem to be increasing and at the same time licenses are being suspended or put into limbo while they do rereleases of the same characters. Those sorts of things isolate the fanbase and drive them away toward other companies or for customs. That's what I think will and currently is hurting Hot Toys. I think that is part of the issue with Sideshow right now too. A lot of quality control problems happened with the PFs the last few years and people are left baffled because the prices are soaring yet the quality control is somehow dropping. It has lasting consequences. I'm sure the Rogue fiasco (and Psylocke etc...) will continue to haunt Sideshow for years likewise people are fearing 2.0s for Hot Toys figures now. Sure it might be mostly a joke people throw out, but the point is that it is on everyone's mind. Who wants to buy a figure knowing it might get outdone not by a rival company, but by the very same company and within a year or two?

If Hot Toys starts to fall apart in the next few years, I think the figure that would deserve the most blame would probably go to that new Terminator DX as I think it really sums up a lot of the problems with Hot Toys (I am referring to both new T-800 DX).

Agreed with the first point wholeheartedly, everyone knows that

The 2.0 thing makes collecting and the figure threads pointless imo. All the effort and time the sculptors, tailors and painters put in to make a figure thats almost piece of art is undone because the majority sell it off to get the latest version of it, that also renders and the anticipation from announcement, reveal, P.O, first in-hand pics and everything else before and after in the threads a waste as people won't have the figure to show for it anymore, plus it leads back to the same old characters again and again while new ones get passed over.

I only buy figures i know won't get remade again, they'll remain special and unique which is what 'collectible' stamped on the box means to me

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Yep, they must be hurting - look at all those Hawkeye figures sitting around. They better drop that price if they're going to move them.

What? Sold out?


Nevermind.

Heh. Beware business advice from the peanut gallery.

SnakeDoc