Is it just me, or has the Peak of collecting ended?

[facemaker]

Understanding these things are cyclical, it seems there was a mad rush of iconic, vintage 80's characters released from 2009 thru 2012.

The releases coming out now are mostly newer movies and comic book related.

Did the "best era" for iconic 80's characters in 1/6 just pass by??

 

[wookster]

There's no denying that the geek cult closet has been well and truly raided. However I think the slow down in sales has far more to do with rising prices and a down turned economy. Once we have a buoyant economy people will be back to buying stuff on a whim, and in this climate the manufacturers have to be pretty sure that a licence is worth investing in. And as much as people whine about it, Iron Man sells and Platoon doesn't!

 

[The Skull]

No but its tapering off though, kinda depends on what your scale your collecting, if its 1:6 then most of the iconic characters have been made, not all but most of the big ones. Thats not to say they will not be made again though, most like the rambos hot toys made need re doing again anyway.

It does seem latey that most of whats being pumped out is current block buster movie characters like avengers and batman, theres still cool figures on the way though like the bd t-800 and maybe the van dam from enterbay.

 

[a-dev]

NECA are still pumping out the classics - Predator, Robocop and Aliens. I think they're done with Terminator though.

HT aren't finished with them but they're sure taking their sweet time. If you'd told me in 2010/11 that in 13 we'd still be waiting on the BD T2 T-800 and that the T1 line would still only consist of the Tech Noir I'd have been shocked. Especially considering they were coming out at a good pace to start with.

 

[Hydeous]

Be patient. I'm pretty sure MMS 200 is most likely a Terminator related figure, as 1 and 100 are.

 

[Darkmatter]

nope, it's you.

 

[DVD1]

Yup.
I'm well into TMNT, I'm loving the BC Doctor Who line, I'm even going back to CO Who for their PoM set, that 89 Batmobile is out later this month, and then there's the 60s Bats stuff, then...

Far from peaking, it's escalating, and,I'm loving it.

 

[krec9]

To be honest I think people are tired of seeing the same **** how many different versions are going to get of characters and rising prices some prices on figures are statue prices now its insane.

 

[grymg]

No, I think there's still more 1980's properties to exploit to 30&up year olds now with jobs to pay for the toys they never had as kids. Namely myself.

If they chugged out more of these lines, I'd be all over them.
Back to the Future
silverhawks
MASK
Ghostbusters
Rocketeer
bravestarr
captain power
centurions
roboforce

 

[uscmhicks]

I'd agree , I used to have a figure or two arriving every month. 1-3 a year now I'd say.

 

[pixletwin]

yup. My interest has waned little by little since 2008.

 

[IronManny]

I believe the peak has been hit.

High-end collectibles are about to become like baseball cards.

 

[ebor]

Nope, mine is just peaking, started in 2008 dabbling in Toy Biz LOTR and Mego, eased into 1:6th with Hot Toys and others, now purchasing customs and IRON MAN .


...now where is my MMS 196 BD Iron Man, o yeah still processing

 

[Mad Old Lu]

I have definitely cooled my jets since starting on this hobby 5 years ago. But I attribute that to several different things.

Firstly, there was that initial high of starting out and getting as many figures as I could. I started with Sideshow Star Wars and Indy, and there were plenty to be had in 2008. In 2008-2009 I averaged to about 1 a month. I know that's nothing compared to some people on this board, but it was a lot for me. But that impulse to buy everything that looked awesome was part of the whole "honeymoon phase" of the hobby and it was only a matter of time til that stopped.

Secondly: the price. 5 years ago the first few figures I got were only about $65 (ANH Han was the first figure) and that was a huge amount for me at the time. I never paid more than maybe $15 for a single figure, so $65 was quite a psychological hurdle to clear. And I had Indy on pre-order for $90! It was very difficult to justify these extravagant purchases back then. But somehow I did. Since then prices have jumped significantly, which has made it much easier to say "no" to certain figures.

Which now brings me to my last point. I bought a couple of "filler" figures for superficial reasons. Those taught me to think thoroughly of my purchase before I commit to buying. That's really the main reason I've slowed my purchasing: I now buy only what I absolutely love. It's a difficult process, but I'm extremely happy with the focused collection I'm building.

There are still plenty of figures that I'm waiting for anyone to make, so I don't feel like I'm done with the hobby. I still get great pleasure from looking at my collection and am still awestruck at their amazing detail and complexities. But for the past three years I've only bought between 2 (last year) and 6 per year. So far this year I've only gotten Tamashii Threepio and have HT Wolverine coming next month. I'm also hoping to get the Brothers Production Blade Runner Deckard as well. But I think that will be it for 2013. I doubt anything else is yet to be announced this year that will also be released by December. And the only figures that interest me for next year is Iron Man Mark 42, Sleepy Hollow Depp, Prometheus, Sideshow's Vader 2.0, and Grievous (if he ever gets put up for pre-sale), all of which are still big maybes for me. The only sure purchase for next year so far is the Tamashii R2.

So maybe it has peaked for me and I'm living out the golden years of 1/6 collecting. I'd like to think I've matured to the age that I know how to play the game. I'll close with a quote from a great poet who once said:

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.

 

[EVILFACE]

80's has taken a back seat to the new hot trendy offerings.

While recent comic book movies have been enjoyable, nothing about them has made me want to collect $250 action figures of them. The one I was looking foward too, Hulk, is just way oversized, overpriced and too little articulation.

Still waiting on Police Shootout T-800, New T-800 Endo, Snake Plissken, Rambo 4, Rocky DX. . .

I only have three things on order, BD T-800, Major Bludd and Comic Joker. Pretty weak.

Of course that will change once SS gets off their *** and roll out the DC line and more Joes.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Ahh.. come on.

Patience my friends..

 

[mojo customz]

toooooooooooooooooo many toys----------------------toooooooooooooooooo little funds--------------------------------
i think we are all a bit more picky and stingy at the same time------put it like this, instead of buying a toy next month decided to take my wife and i skydiving ----13500 feet ----back in the old days could not wait for a toy now just want to go do things ----------------

 

[Niceman]

Yes, my buying has peaked.

The prices are exploding and I'm running out of space. I do not plan on spending over $100 on anything which will just get kept in a box. At these prices, they must be on display.

Also, I have almost everything I could want. I'm finishing up HT Avengers. When that comes, I'll buy HT Prometheus, Pirates, and Batman, and that's it. I have a LOT of Star Wars 12" figures. I don't need 2.0s or doubles of anyone. I need the final 3 bounty hunters and Darth Vader. A better Chewbacca and the 2 droids would be great, but I'm used to the ones I have.

I recently got into Masters of the Universe classics, but that's a far cheaper hobby and the line WILL end in the next 2-3 years.

The era is ending for me.

I have 6 items shipping in June, and then 5 more scheduled for the rest of the year. I don't expect I will be ordering many more this year.

 

[the angry orc]

Yeah, I have definitely cooled on a lot of stuff. Just so many releases I don't care about. The only thing I have on order is the Sideshow Joker, Malgus and Bludd. I am excited about their DC 1/6 line. Otherwise, there isn't too much I have been getting other than the occasional 3A figure (their Halo release is all kinds of awesome). Would love to see a Rambo 4 figure, Arnold Conan, Mad Max or Jack Burton. And definitely something else from T1.

 

[Collector47]

I think Hot Toys started out as a unique novelty in the figure collecting world. Nothing else really looked like them. And their licensing selections were as unique as their appearance. Covering the iconic action heroes of the 80's was something fans had asked for. And while the head sculpts suddenly took a jump in quality about two years ago, the prices have jumped right with them. But outside of an improved head sculpt and a very flawed eyeball system, the only thing that has changed is the size of the packaging. And I don't know about everyone here, but I don't buy these figures to showcase the boxes. And the bigger they get, the more space they take up in storage. So my purchases have dropped way off. To me there is a ceiling as to what can be done or charged for an action figure. I think we're there. So these days, I will ONLY purchase a figure if it's a character I REALLY want. And the sculpt and overall presentation have to REALLY be nice. It can't be just okay. Because their prices are no longer "okay". My buying has gotten so low I'm down to one a year now. And so far this year, I'm not seeing anything I want. So 2013 could be a big Easter egg if something good doesn't come down the pike soon. Other companies have the licenses I want. Especially the Batman '66 line. I think Hot Toys stumbled here. They needed to be first out of the gate with this line up before other merchandise flooded the market. So I feel like the company has lost it's sharpness on market awareness and is just feeding the shellhead fans right now, while bigger opportunities pass them by.