Your thoughts on the current state of sixth scale figure collecting?

I don't know about you guys but I'm beginning to notice we have something of a divide amongst collectors of sixth scale figures on this forum and by extension in the entire hobby itself.

There are some small factions. The ninja turtle and Lord of the rings folks don't raise too much of a fuss, nor do the trek figure or Disney collectors. But the other two big factions seem cranky about everything. The two factions: The "I need every character and every variant of a character from Marvel/"newer" DC/Star Wars group and the "Everything sucks except Terminator/Alien/Predator/Robocop/Burton Batman group".

It's something I"ve noticed more and more over the past few months. It really stuck out for me in the Kylo Ren Last Jedi topic and the Harley Quinn dress outfit one. So much venom and hatred. Also in the Ripley thread. So many pissed off folk.

I'm not taking any kind of side as I'm a fan of ALL of these things(to be fair, I do buy more of the Marvel/Star Wars stuff BUT I have Robocop, a T-800, 89 Batman and some others too) but I do wonder how we got to this point. Why are the older franchise people SOOO annoyed about another Captain America or an third Harley Quinn? You don't have to buy them. On the other side, why are the DC/Marvel/Star Wars people buying so much of the same thing? Do we need that many of Iron Man? Why ARE there so many Leto Jokers? Do we not have more Marines from Aliens all because Hot Toys decided we need another Stormtrooper variant?

For me, I just buy what I like and I don't begrudge others for feeling excited about something I don't care about. I love Star Wars but I found Rogue One to be just okay so I have no real desire to own any figures from it. I can admire an figure or say I don't care for this sculpt or whatever but I'm not gonna ***** all over the people who can't wait for more of that character/figure. I also think that for real change we really do have to vote with our wallet. If you don't like that Drax body, don't buy it anyway just to complete the team. If you think they're not making anymore figures worth caring about and everything is too heavily focused on Disney and WB, collect something else. I used to be a major comic book collector and was buying from the big two as well as smaller imprints from maybe 1991-2007. Somehwhere around 2008 or so I began to get more and more disenfranchised with the stories being told. I went from not liking some elements to being annoyed to just plain hating titles I used to enjoy. Eventually...I just stopped. I no longer buy new comics. I don't dislike the hobby and still have thousands of older comics I love but I'm no longer actively collecting new comics every month or week or whatever. I've moved on.

Anywho, those are just my thoughts about things I've been noticing. I'm very curious to hear what some of you think is going on in the collecting community. Again, I'm not judging or picking on anybody, just analyzing different trends I've began to see and wondering what some of you all think of those things or what other habits/behavior you've noticed of late.

darthkush said:

I'm not taking any kind of side as I'm a fan of ALL of these things(to be fair, I do buy more of the Marvel/Star Wars stuff BUT I have Robocop, a T-800, 89 Batman and some others too) but I do wonder how we got to this point. Why are the older franchise people SOOO annoyed about another Captain America or an third Harley Quinn? You don't have to buy them.

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For me, it's Hot Toys' sense of priority. Seeing yet another Harley Quinn or Letoker announced and not Catwoman from BR or Romero Joker always leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but I can't blame them since the new summer blockbuster figures probably sell better than crusty ol' Keaton Bats.

They can release the older stuff whenever they want, and there will always be a niche audience for it. Those figures won't become "outdated" when the next new CBM releases.

Although I have no right feeling disappointed since I'm enabling them by having bought a few of their Batfleck figures, so I should just shut up.

On the other side, why are the DC/Marvel/Star Wars people buying so much of the same thing? Do we need that many of Iron Man? Why ARE there so many Leto Jokers

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Completists and/or people who need to have the newest version of a character. Partially guilty of this too.

I buy all over the map...I do not get angry if a license I care about is not being made and one that I don't is because it boils down to economics...can't take that personally. Typically it's all about the figure for me and then the license comes second but if I am passionate about a license then that can shift things. I did get rid of almost all of my Marvel pieces though and essentially made a recent decision to stop buying Marvel Hot Toys. I still love Marvel but it dawned on me that every year my Hawkeye would become obselete when this year's Hawkeye is released and that became a little too tedious for me. Personal choice though, if someone wants six Hawkeyes and 4 Falcons more power to them...

jal76 said:

I buy all over the map...I do not get angry if a license I care about is not being made and one that I don't is because it boils down to economics...can't take that personally. Typically it's all about the figure for me and then the license comes second but if I am passionate about a license then that can shift things. I did get rid of almost all of my Marvel pieces though and essentially made a recent decision to stop buying Marvel Hot Toys. I still love Marvel but it dawned on me that every year my Hawkeye would become obselete when this year's Hawkeye is released and that became a little too tedious for me. Personal choice though, if someone wants six Hawkeyes and 4 Falcons more power to them...

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If only more people thought likes this.

darthkush said:

There are some small factions. The ninja turtle and Lord of the rings folks don't raise too much of a fuss, nor do the trek figure or Disney collectors. But the other two big factions seem cranky about everything. The two factions: The "I need every character and every variant of a character from Marvel/"newer" DC/Star Wars group and the "Everything sucks except Terminator/Alien/Predator/Robocop/Burton Batman group". .

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I resemble the latter. Add Back to the Future - any 80s classics.

Nothing really to say about this though. I think this thread only stands to pit those factions against eachother again while having a few too-cool-for-school aloof commentators laughing at everyone else most likely.

a-dev said:

I resemble the latter. Add Back to the Future - any 80s classics.

Nothing really to say about this though. I think this thread only stands to pit those factions against eachother again while having a few too-cool-for-school aloof commentators laughing at everyone else most likely.

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Honestly that wasn't my intention and I hope it doesn't end up like that. I'm just really wondering what everybody else thinks and how we've gotten to this point.

People like what they like and don't what they dont.

I guess one of the things that bugs a lot of people about Hot Toys specifically is that they started by concentrating on movie classics like Terminator, Alien, Predator etc. A lot of us got hooked back then. The people at HT at least seemed passionate about those types of movies, and I'm not saying they're not passionate about Marvel, Star Wars etc., but it is definitely more about money now. They have in a sense abandoned their roots and all those people who supported them in the beginning. I for one can't complain about 7,950 Iron Man figures, because I would want that many different Terminator figures if that were possible. BUT, SERIOUSLY, not to throw us classic lovers a bone once in a while to instead issue a porcelain pattern Stormtrooper is just a damn slap in the face.

I collect Marvel and Star Wars and anything else that interests me, but I do get tired of things that seem unfair. The most recent Harley figure for example. The movie bombed for crying out loud. Move on to something else. Is she really going to sell better than some updated colonial marines or Kyle Reese or Indy or someone they have yet to give us period? They'll release a third Harley and not at least give us a Beast from a movie that killed it all over the world. How do you NOT produce one of the two characters in the title of the movie?!!!!!!

We're lucky to be getting anything, but as collectors we have expectations. One of the custom figure producers did Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz with the understanding that the other main characters would get released also. Even though she could be a stand alone figure, you want the whole set. I spent over $700 to get Dorothy only to have the others cancelled. So on ebay she went. You can't play with people that way. Somewhere along the way it has to backfire on you.

darthkush said:

Honestly that wasn't my intention and I hope it doesn't end up like that. I'm just really wondering what everybody else thinks and how we've gotten to this point.

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Well, Hot Toys moved away from older licenses that used to be their bread and butter in favour of newer licenses. Those newer licenses throw up multiple characters that feel less worthy of having figures whilst time-tested classic licenses yet have unfulfilled potential. What few they announce are constantly getting shunted down the road to make way for more troopers 'n ***t.

There are those who find this very frustrating. There are those who find the people who complain about this very frustrating. There are those who find the people who complain about the people who complain about this very frustrating and so on.

There's nothing to be done about it really. It just is.

I am a bit frustrated with HT as well and their seemingly endless way to beat a license to death.

Recent Harley is a good example. The first release was great....now it's cash in time. Seems like a lazy attempt to cash in on the completist and fanboys (which is good news for them I suppose)

For me, when I see these releases, I see HT cashing in. And especially when the figure is lack luster, it disappoints me to no end.

This is one of the reasons most of my purchases this year are from BW, TBL, VTS etc etc.....

Now had they made a decent Harley 2.0 with lots of extras , a few outfits or something it wouldn't bother me so much.....

They do the same with SW Marvel and D.C.

HT is just getting stale IMO.

Saying so is what a forum is about . I like to read positive and negative about a release. In the end if a figure is something I like I buy....if not I don't . The discussion on the merits of the art work or salability of it still should be a good topic to discuss.




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jal76 said:

I buy all over the map...I do not get angry if a license I care about is not being made and one that I don't is because it boils down to economics...can't take that personally. Typically it's all about the figure for me and then the license comes second but if I am passionate about a license then that can shift things. I did get rid of almost all of my Marvel pieces though and essentially made a recent decision to stop buying Marvel Hot Toys. I still love Marvel but it dawned on me that every year my Hawkeye would become obselete when this year's Hawkeye is released and that became a little too tedious for me. Personal choice though, if someone wants six Hawkeyes and 4 Falcons more power to them...

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I totally agree with this statement...its a positive response to your question. However, I will add a negative one. People feel entitled to tell a company what it should and shouldn't sell. They act like they know how many employees they have and who to hire, they act like they have the right to say why do you have so many versions of one character (Iron Man, i.e.) meanwhile where is my gawddamn Ripley?! Let me say this, we don't know what the hell goes on at Hot Toys, Sideshow or any other company. We don't know how they get or keep their licenses...All we know is what they what us to know. IF you don't like it, don't buy it...****, Im a teacher and I have students and parents try to tell me what I should teach or how to grade...I usually, respond by saying when you get your degree or degrees in teaching and when you get your own classroom, you can dictate what you want, but to be honest, its the school district that tells me what to teach. The parent, well, I give them the political response.

So yes, Hot Toys started with licenses like Rambo, Aliens, Terminator, Rocky, etc...and granted I wish they would they would redo some of those figures. But most companies get into business to make a profit, so don't fault them for getting into bed with Disney, DC/Warner Bros., those companies are the biggest in the world and if that was my company and I don't have to hunt for licenses and the money is flowing in, so what, I would make 16000 versions of Iron Man, 400 Harley Quinn, 500 Batman, 200 Stormtroopers, etc...whatever makes my profits, Disney, and WB happy...

But if one doesn't like it, thats their opinion and Im good with that.

rjszar said:

I guess one of the things that bugs a lot of people about Hot Toys specifically is that they started by concentrating on movie classics like Terminator, Alien, Predator etc. A lot of us got hooked back then. The people at HT at least seemed passionate about those types of movies, and I'm not saying they're not passionate about Marvel, Star Wars etc., but it is definitely more about money now. They have in a sense abandoned their roots and all those people who supported them in the beginning. I for one can't complain about 7,950 Iron Man figures, because I would want that many different Terminator figures if that were possible. BUT, SERIOUSLY, not to throw us classic lovers a bone once in a while to instead issue a porcelain pattern Stormtrooper is just a damn slap in the face.

I collect Marvel and Star Wars and anything else that interests me, but I do get tired of things that seem unfair. The most recent Harley figure for example. The movie bombed for crying out loud. Move on to something else. Is she really going to sell better than some updated colonial marines or Kyle Reese or Indy or someone they have yet to give us period? They'll release a third Harley and not at least give us a Beast from a movie that killed it all over the world. How do you NOT produce one of the two characters in the title of the movie?!!!!!!

We're lucky to be getting anything, but as collectors we have expectations. One of the custom figure producers did Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz with the understanding that the other main characters would get released also. Even though she could be a stand alone figure, you want the whole set. I spent over $700 to get Dorothy only to have the others cancelled. So on ebay she went. You can't play with people that way. Somewhere along the way it has to backfire on you.

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I won't defend the Suicide Squad movie with all of its problems but financial success was not one of them. It would be inaccurate to say that a movie that made over $325 million domestically and $745 million world wide on a budget of $175 million"bombed." Aliens only made $131 million world wide and even adjusted for inflation it does not come close to what Suicide Squad earned. So if the measure of whether Hot Toys should invest in a line is box office...they are right on track with their current decision making.

If HT wants to keep customers in this business they had better be listening to them......and producing what they want.

If they think the marketers are the people to listen too, they are doomed.





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Don't get me wrong, if I had my druthers the majority of figures made would be exclusively from films produced between 1970 to 1987...but clearly collectors, many of whom don't even know that the SSF Forum even exists, are voting with their dollars. Hot Toys is a business not an art collective so their bottom line will always be the bottom line. I don't think that they love Iron Man and hate others things so much that they produce figures at a loss just to satisfy their own interests...

jal76 said:

Typically it's all about the figure for me and then the license comes second.

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If I put figures first and licenses second my credit card would be maxed out permanently and I would have zero savings. And in fact I have been down that road, not anymore thankfully.

It's pretty simple to me--everyone wants a lot of the things that they like. Marvel and DC guys want a lot, get a lot, but want more. Alien and Terminator guys want a lot, but don't get much, and are frustrated about the tradeoff that HT is making, even if it is perfectly sensible from a business POV, which most recognize. That doesn't make it sting any less though, when you get 8 or 9 Harley Quinn variants announced and released while Ripley takes a couple years to get released, and there seems to be nothing else really on the horizon at all, while Harley is getting a spin-off movie and Suicide Squad sequel that will each spawn multiple figures of her, I'm sure.

If HT produced 10 variants of 1984 T-800 figures, guys like a-dev and myself would probably still be interested. I've actually got 5 different variants of that figure on display (one being a T2 Endo that I pretend is from the '84 film). If only one version of Affleck Bats were released and took forever to come out, fans of that character would be frustrated and complain about it. No real difference here, apart from how your preferred license is being handled.

Personally, I see it for what it is, because I'm too cool and aloof for the rest of all you bozos, and prefer to just sit back and laugh.

Well the truth is if the thread count is any indicator , Marvel , DC and SW still have the most interest and discussion......

And therefor the most sales are likely..

So, me, myself and I are the minority.

People obviously like to buy lots of Iron Men.

But I wonder what release this year will be the biggest seller , (not the biggest issue)




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xipotec said:

Well the truth is if the thread count is any indicator , Marvel , DC and SW still have the most interest and discussion......

So, me, myself and I are the minority.

People obviously like to buy lots of Iron Men.

But I wonder what release this year will be the biggest seller , (not the biggest issue)




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Given all the re-releases and law of diminishing returns, that's harder to gauge than it was in the past for me. I'm not sure that it will be a predictable, Iron Man or Batman type figure.

It's all about Star Wars, Marvel and DC. That's what's popular. That's what collectors are buying. That's what companies are making. Anything else is secondary or not even on the radar. I see this trend conintuing for a long time to come. There are other companies out there other than HT with niche licenses, but the quality isn't as good. And that's the trade off.

Well here is the 10,000 question....

Is there a release this year that will rival HT's current lineup that's is not SW Marvel or DC


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