3.75" Collecting Thread

[Revanist]

I think this was a poor choice for Hasbro to try to kick off this kind of product line.

You may well be right and anyone involved in this project line must be twitchy themselves right now when it hasn't even reached half the required backers.

Poorly conceived and managed, pretty much a usual day @ Calamity Camp Hasbro.

 

[GRIFF13]

I'm super stoked hat HasLab opened the pre-order up to Canada. When I checked last week it was only allowing U.S. residents to pre-order but I received an email this week from Hasbro about it and was able to make my pre-order! Hopefully the numbers will get a bit of a bump due to this but it's at 2,404 now! Darn-it i wanna' order another one but wallet says, "Nah."

 

[TonTon]

My enthusiasm for him would now be markedly lower if the Barge doesn't happen. In fact it's lower anyway because I had moved on during those barren years. The Barge is the thing that could jolt it all back to life - without it, I may just be 'meh'.

I supported the effort but that’s exactly where I am. Collected the super articulated figures in 2004 until they started drying up in 2013-2014 so I moved on to SS and HT, but the barge has me looking to rebuy some figures that would go with it.

 

[TaliBane]

I'm super stoked hat HasLab opened the pre-order up to Canada. When I checked last week it was only allowing U.S. residents to pre-order but I received an email this week from Hasbro about it and was able to make my pre-order! Hopefully the numbers will get a bit of a bump due to this but it's at 2,404 now! Darn-it i wanna' order another one but wallet says, "Nah."

Hasbro should have paid Trudeau to carry the barge prototype around India with him. That would have pumped the numbers.

 

[Bustajesse]

Hasbro should have paid Trudeau to carry the barge prototype around India with him. That would have pumped the numbers.

 

[a-dev]

Saving money is boring. To try to address this I went into the attic and took out a toy that I bought back when it came out but never really had space for (still don't). So it went into the attic perhaps mere weeks after I bought it where it has resided since today.

The AT-TE from Attack of the Clones/ROTS/Clone Wars. ****ing great toy. I would have loved this one as a child. Nice big mofo, fits 20 troopers, really cool opening rear hatch and ramp that lowers to the ground by itself with a button push.

The prequels are abominable (IMO) but they sure enabled some fantastic toys. I'm just imagining battlefield dioramas with a few of these on the ground, those cool gunships in the air and facing off against the Hailfire droids, Homing Spider Droids, Trade Federation tanks etc - all of which I also have buried in the attic. ***t...I actually could probably get back into Star Wars toys.

Something else I took out for a nostalgia burst was my tin of Galoob Micro-Machines - alas I took little care with how I stored these and many of the ships are now warped in every direction. I looked at the years on them - 1993/4...I knew that already but it still sort of hit me - 'A long time ago' indeed.

 

[GRIFF13]

Epic find, Bustajesse! Excusez-moi, Monsieur Trudeau. Jedi is better than Empire?! FOR SHAME!

 

[TaliBane]

Epic find, Bustajesse! Excusez-moi, Monsieur Trudeau. Jedi is better than Empire?! FOR SHAME!

Interestingly, Fidel Castro preferred Jedi. Something about the little people triumphing over the military industrial complex or something.

 

[TaliBane]

barge finally crosses half-way!

 

[a-dev]

2519...doing OK numbers right now. Hopefully there won't be any more deleted orders. One can't help but be nervous about that possibility after the other day.

 

[GRIFF13]

barge finally crosses half-way!

Was this launched on February 17th? We haven't reached the halfway point, date wise, so I think 50.38% as of right now is promising! It's close but my feeling is this will happen…

 

[Buttmunch]

I don’t know if this will quite behave like a Kickstarter and have a last minute upswing. Most Kickstarters that do that have usually already been funded and are hitting stretch goals. Projects that don’t get early funding don’t usually get strong pushes at the end. They usually just fizzle out and might even loose supporters. With this only hitting half way now and only getting a hundred or so a day, I don’t see this happening. I’m thinking it maxes out around 4,000. I don’t think any toy Kickstarter has gone that high before anyway.

 

[Niltusk]

Sucks if this doesn't make it, although there was no way I planned to bite at the size and cost, would love to see others in hand pics.

 

[GRIFF13]

I don’t know if this will quite behave like a Kickstarter and have a last minute upswing. Most Kickstarters that do that have usually already been funded and are hitting stretch goals. Projects that don’t get early funding don’t usually get strong pushes at the end. They usually just fizzle out and might even loose supporters. With this only hitting half way now and only getting a hundred or so a day, I don’t see this happening. I’m thinking it maxes out around 4,000. I don’t think any toy Kickstarter has gone that high before anyway.

I'm not convinced on this. I'm optimistic. For many this item will be purchased as an investment. I think an upswing is definitely possible. The buzz could likely intensify as the number of backers increase which will create a fear of missing out on a collectible piece of vintage pie (including current investors coming back for a second or third piece.) I think if we get to around 3,750 by say March 24th, there's a swinging chance that an upsurge could bring this to the finish line. Plus this is a long sought after Star Wars toy being offered up through fund raising which hasn't been done yet for the Star Wars toy line. I think there are some surprises in store here. Star Wars toys have a habit of making magic happen… I have no idea but this just helps me dream at night...

 

[DCFett]

Over half way with 23 days to go is pretty promising. Right now, Hasbro is sitting on $1.26M in revenue. I don't think they are gonna walk away from that and say "well we tried...everyone get their marbles and go home". No way. Plus they are looking at some major exposure on the TRU front, they are gonna need some cash. I'd say we might see them pull some things out like that Jabba figure and we may end up painting the damn thing ourselves, but I'd say production is just about a lock. If it gets to 4K, the details and finishing will be what's sacrificed. imo.

 

[Darth Skywalker]

They need to trickle out some updates and the orders will increase. Show the paint job, the box, add a couple carded figures...

 

[TonTon]

They need to trickle out some updates and the orders will increase. Show the paint job, the box, add a couple carded figures...

Agreed. There needs to be constant updates for those still on the fence. Planned re-releases for hard to find figures like Girin. Pictures of the painted Barge with a vintage Kenner set up, then a modern set up, etc. get people’s imaginations running.

 

[DCFett]

I kinda think that they are gonna get to the end and extend ala Mattel. The reason I think that is because NOTHING is gonna sell this thing more than one of those huge ass SDCC dioramas they like to do. I almost don't understand why they offered this BEFORE building one of those things. My money is on an extension through convention season.

 

[Darth Waller]

I agree about the need for updates. They really need to get some new photos and information out there to entice people who haven’t backed it yet.

 

[Bustajesse]

Hasbro approached this the wrong way. The vintage collection hasn't had any support for years. Many of the people collecting 3.75 back then have either moved on to something different (LEGO, 1/6, Props, Statues etc.) or just stopped collecting altogether. I know a lot of people have sold their Hasbro stuff to fund other parts of their collection.

They should have had a couple waves of the new vintage collection at retail first. Not crappy repacks from new movies, but from the OT. Wave one should have been some classics and Wave 2 should have been very ROTJ Sail Barge heavy. They should have shown the sail barge at an SDCC or something and explain what the plan would be. Then open it up for preorder now that people have figures to populate it with. Maybe offer a payment plan or just a deposit (because $500 is a lot to front for something you won't have for at least a year). Open it up international and then it would reach the goal.

As it is now, there is no risk for Hasbro. Everything is placed on the consumer.