But with plastic figures, as soon as you release a new one, most people dont want the old one anymore and it becomes quite worthless as time goes by. Without knowledge of this fact, most collectibles like you just said are hoping HT dont release a newer version (even if it's a much better version) of the same character, as to not invalidate their own collection.
Yeah. It seems to me that it comes down to the fact that people aren't buying a 'Hot Toys figure,' they're buying a representation of a character they like (Predator, say). When a better version comes along, it doesn't have to actually be HT for it to de-value the HT version (which is something that doesn't seem to occur to a lot of people here), it just has to be a superior version of the character, that's absolutely all it comes down to. Enterbay could make a new Predator, Blitzway, anyone. It doesn't matter who makes it, all that matters is that it's superior, the effect is the same.
If people were out there buying a figure in large part because it was 'Hot Toys,' because they collect 'Hot Toys' in the same way people collect MEGO, then a new version of Predator or whatever wouldn't have the same drastic de-valuing effect. There would be an interest in originals, the first version, the simple sculpt, its part in history, etc, etc.
The great problem, it seems to me, is some people try to act like they are collecting 'Hot Toys' because it's 'Hot Toys.' They talk about them as 'collectibles,' and like they appreciate them on some level more than just 'this is the best looking 1/6 Predator out there,' but that's absolutely a lie for the vast majority out there. 99% of people have no legitimate interest in HT as an actual 'collectible,' they just like to say they do. If they had honest interest in 'HT' as a collectible, then given the opportunity today they might honestly consider buying one of the first RoboCop figures over the new RoboCop figure HT is making. But no, 99.9% of HT buyers have no interest in that. They're only interested in it as a 'collectible' when they already own the old version and want to complain about a new version "de-valuing" it as a 'collectible.' What they're really talking about then though, is that they want the better-looking version, their irritation is that something better is out there and that it inconveniences them to have to update. That this persons
wants to update though, that is actually the main problem to Hot Toys being a lasting 'collectible'. The fault isn't with Hot Toys, the fault is with people buying who somehow think they can buy something that is not only a 'collectible 1/6 figure' but is also the best looking version of the character available until the end of time.
With extremely few exceptions, the person with a shelf full of Hot Toys figure is purely motivated by what is the best looking version available, that's what they'll go for every time, that's all that motivates them. And that alone, or in large part, is what causes trouble for HT figures as lasting 'collectibles,' I'd say.
That's a long and rambling post, probably nonsensical in good part, I didn't mean to write so much, but that's basically my view on things, that's my thinking.
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