Indy Toys at SDCC

[metaphorge]

We're apparently going to be seeing at least some of Hasbro's offerings in San Diego. From this week's Star Wars Q&A at Boba's Bounty:

3. Not exactly Star Wars, but all of our readers are interested....can you give us some hints about Indiana Jones and what we'll see from that line?

We are glad to hear about the interest in IJ - because we are pumped too! While we will be sneak-previewing some figures at Comic Con International, we have to keep the details under wraps for now. We will divulge that there are some very familiar scales as well as a few surprises in the line. Suffice to say that we have top men working on it. The same top men that have been bringing you the Star Wars line, so there should be a lot of consistency in approach.

I would also not be surprised to see a similar deal between Hasbro and Sideshow for the Indy line as we saw worked out for Star Wars 1:6 figures (assuming that Hasbro has the master toy license).

 

[Prime Clone]

Hasbro might want to milk it while the film is out, then hand over to Sideshow afterwards.

 

[Khev]

I could see an Indy PF being SS's top seller ever.

 

[The ill Jedi]

Suffice to say that we have top men working on it. The same top men that have been bringing you the Star Wars line, so there should be a lot of consistency in approach.

Sounds like good news to me!!

 

[IrishJedi]

Actually, I don't like this news at all because Hasbro DOES have the master toy license and I fear that they will hog it in its entirety, including 1:6 scale figures.

And, let's face it... 95% of what Hasbro produces is mass-market Wal-Mart crap. Not to mention that they seemingly have monkeys making some of their creative decisions at times. I can't get excited about the toys at this point at all. Hasbro blows.

 

[Darth Caedus]

Actually, I don't like this news at all because Hasbro DOES have the master toy license and I fear that they will hog it in its entirety, including 1:6 scale figures.

And, let's face it... 95% of what Hasbro produces is mass-market Wal-Mart crap. Not to mention that they seemingly have monkeys making some of their creative decisions at times. I can't get excited about the toys at this point at all. Hasbro blows.

Yea, was and never will be a fan in any way whatsoever of pretty much 99.999999999% of what Hasbro makes. I really hope it's not them.

 

[amarcord]

And, let's face it... 95% of what Hasbro produces is mass-market Wal-Mart crap. Not to mention that they seemingly have monkeys making some of their creative decisions at times. I can't get excited about the toys at this point at all. Hasbro blows.

I am afraid that is so right so right...
Never ever once one Hasbro toy got my attention.

 

[galactiboy]

Yep, Hasbro is the death nail when it comes to quality collectibles.

 

[metaphorge]

I think you guys are being a bit too harsh on Hasbro. Some of its 3.75" Star Wars stuff is pretty amazing for its price (the VOTC Fett and Stormtrooper immediatley come to mind). Sure, there are some clunkers in the line, and the 12" figures they did were largely uninspired (with a few exceptions), but that's why being a completist is a bad idea.

And, even considering the crap, are miles ahead of just about any other company making mass-market action figures at this point. Marvel Toys (formerly ToyBiz) is not really doing mass-market stuff anymore. Playmates is stuck in Ninja Turtle v. 14 hell. With the exception of some of the 6" DC Superheroes figures, Mattel really really bites. JAKKS is laughable. Zizzle is very hit or miss. McFarlane mostly makes constipated plastic statues and is largely a specialty manufacturer at this point anyway.

Of course, some of you guys don't seem to like "toys" in general, preferring "collectibles".

It also seems that Hasbro is not big on 12" figures at this point (ironic since they virtually invented the 12" action figure), so I'm predicting that they will throw 1:6 stuff to Sideshow just as they did with Star Wars, assuming they got this portion of the license. It's not like Sideshow and Hasbro are competing for the same $$$ in 99% of cases.

 

[Trevolver]

Providing these look at least as nice as the Star Wars toys, I'll be buyin' 'em! It's seriously ridiculous how much of my money I'm probably going to throw at lucasfilm and it's license holders for Indy stuff.

Trev

 

[The Josh]

I'd consider getting an Indy Figure.

 

[IrishJedi]

Behold the wonders of Hasbro:

Now, tell me why I should be excited over the thought of Hasbro having the sole master toy license??

 

[The Josh]

That Malak cracks me up. I mean he looks so shocked it's not even funny.

 

[waterfold]

Meh, I hope Hasbro does what it does with the 1/6 Indy license for a couple of years then lets sideshow take over. Sideshow doesn't need another mainstream line until they start producing LOTR 1/6 on a regular basis!!!

 

[IrishJedi]

That Malak cracks me up. I mean he looks so shocked it's not even funny.

And that's a NEW figure!

I also love the age-old Hasbro staple of cutting corners and copping out by giving him Obi-Wan's lightsaber instead of making another blade-compatible hilt with the proper design.

Yes, Hasbro can do SOME good stuff... but I stand by my assertion that the majority of what they put out is pedestrian mass-market stuff and if they have the INDY license in its entirety (including 1:6) that is NOT a good thing.

 

[The Josh]

I know. That's what cracked me up the most when I saw it advertised a while back. I was like man that thing really sucks.

 

[metaphorge]

Behold the wonders of Hasbro:

snip selected hasbro blunders

I could just as easily post a number of photos of some of the excellent work that Hasbro has done on this or other lines in the past as a response (or alternately post Gentle Giant's, Sideshow's and Medicom's Halls of Shame of less-than-stellar releases), but that sort of disengenuous rhetoric is best left to politicians.

The examples you give are not representative of the median quality of Hasbro product, and in any case comparing 1:18 items (as half of your examples) to 1:6 is an apples-to-oranges comparison.

Now, tell me why I should be excited over the thought of Hasbro having the sole master toy license??

I'm excited that someone is making Indiana Jones toys after a 23-year drout period. I expect I'll like some of what Hasbro shows, dislike some of it and purchase some of it.

I also expect that Sideshow will be making an announcement, if not at SDCC, sometime this year that they will be making Indy stuff. I'll be happy to see the 1:6 offerings, but I could really care less about dioramas, statues and the rest .

toys>collectibles

That Malak cracks me up. I mean he looks so shocked it's not even funny.

For reference, that's a proto and should (according to Hasbro in a Q&A) be fixed by production time.

Yes, Hasbro can do SOME good stuff... but I stand by my assertion that the majority of what they put out is pedestrian mass-market stuff and if they have the INDY license in its entirety (including 1:6) that is NOT a good thing.

I agree that I would prefer for Sideshow to do the 1:6 stuff (though I'm really angling for a Hot Toys Indy), as the Hasbro team responsible for 1:6 stuff hasn't been up to snuff in a long time. Poor sales reflected this; that's why Hasbro sublicensed Sideshow for 1:6 Star Wars product. I expect that they would do the same thing if 1:6 is part of their domain of licensing for the Indy films.

I'm not arguing that Hasbro 1:6 product would ever be superior to Sideshow et al; this would definitely not be the case at the price point that Hasbro would be selling such figures at in any case. Once again, apples and oranges.

Hasbro does (by far) the best 1:18 highly articulated action figures on the market, however, and so that is what I'd like to see from them.

 

[The Josh]

That's cool and I'm sure it will be but it still cracks me up.

 

[metaphorge]

That's cool and I'm sure it will be but it still cracks me up.

That's his "Holy-****-Revan-I-Thought-You-Were-Dead" expression.

Now I kind of want them NOT to fix it. ;D

Anyway, we're wandering off-topic.
INDY!!!!INDY!!!!INDY!!!!

 

[Roc74]

That's his "Holy-****-Revan-I-Thought-You-Were-Dead" expression.

What? Revan is not dead? I knew I should of finished the game...

Anyhow, the way I read that comment by Hasbro that was quoted in the first post, is the Indy 1/6 scale will be handled by Sideshow. In the quote it said it will be handled the same way Star wars is being handled now. So that give some hope.