I am wondering if we are with TROS seeing the end of the 3.75in Star Wars figure line? There is no direct line release of these figures, the only ones out are in the more expensive TVC line and the push seems to be 4in, 5in and 6in figures. Am I missing something or is this the case?
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Are we seeing the end of the 3.75in line of SW figures?
- Thread starter Karagin
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No basic 3.75 line - TVC is it. Not exactly pricepoint friendly to kids and gift givers either. I'll be curious to see how each line does after the holidays, that will give us an indication of whats being bought for kids, assuming they're remotely interested in action figures anymore. Apparently more TVC figures are coming, but who knows if that will "save" the scale. Personally, I think TVC is overly articulated for the size of the figure, I think they should reduce POA to 9 and drop the price to $10, so it appeals to more consumers. The price of TBS 6 inch is going up next year, so if TVC goes up too, I fear it may hurt the scale, maybe even pushing it away from retail.
Dumb. Just dumb to end the line before the final Skywalker film. I like TVC, but the 3.75 line fits well with the Kenner figures I have, it makes a nice display. I am also not a Black collector, so they have effectively taken out as a Star Wars buyer.
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Its a shame in the end, because they should have finished the Skywalker saga with a basic line, I think they'll realize too late that they pushed a number of consumers away completely, and they wont be supporting any line now, including TVC. I enjoy TVC, but I prefer the basic range because of the far better character selection. I'm also someone that appreciates simple articulation, because the nostalgia from the Kenner line is still with me.
You are doing just fine Hasbro. Keep knocking them out of the park.
This isn’t the first time they haven’t put out a movie specific line. Don’t forget AOTC figures came out as part of a generic all-saga line in 2002. That was due to them flooding the market with Ep I products back in 1999, so I’d say Hasbro have used the same tactic this time to help balance the books a little before any new stand alone movies come out in the coming years.
Yet now ALL Star Wars movies are on hold, even beyond the previously announced limit of 5 years. So I guess we will see...
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While its true that AOTC didn't have a movie specific line, it did have a huge basic line that encompassed AOTC and the rest of the saga. Its hard to compare that line to the current TVC revival, which has given us 5 figures for ROS. Back in 2002 for AOTC, that assortment came out with 57 basic figures and various other deluxe offerings. Now, I don't expect anything near that, nor want that many, but without a basic line in 2019, they should have at least increased the TVC offerings to cover more ROS characters. They're dumping a bunch of repacks on the market and neglecting the new movie...
The Star Wars toy market has changed in recent years, we've all seen there's been a bigger shift to the 6" scale now - the detail and articulation is better and by this point a lot of main characters have been made throughout all the films. Hasbro will slowly get some ROS and Mandalorian figures out in the Vintage line in the next year and a bit so people shouldn't worry. Even though my 3" collection out numbers 6" I'd rather Hasbro just focus on the 6" line going forward, it's more collector orientated and the figures can be posed better. Honestly The Vintage line is just a novelty for those that like the cardbacks but the line these days just isn't that great.
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In my opinion Hasbro is screwing up royally (and royally screwing over fans of the smaller scale) by pushing the Black Series on everyone. If they make the character for the Black Series, they should make it for the Vintage line as well. I've been collecting the smaller scale since I was 8 years old and that is what makes up my entire collection. I would have bought way more on Triple Force Friday but almost everything was Black Series. I would have loved several of those 6 inch characters for the 3.75 inch scale line, but instead Hasbro didn't get as much of my money as they could have. With a new movie they have missed a good opportunity as they are releasing most of the new characters in the larger scales and putting re-packs in the smaller scale. Worst marketing and planning I've ever seen.
I think the Vintage line is far more than a novelty.
I could care less about the packaging as I'm an opener. 3.75 is the scale I have collected all my life and there is no way I will ever collect any other scale (except for a few monsters and things that wouldn't look out of place in a 3.75 scale diorama). I couldn't care less about starting a new scale. I know that there are many of us that feel this way (especially those that grew up in the 70-80s).
3.75 isn't dead. Jawares and Funko still do it. There are some Aliens figures. Jurassic World, Stretch Armstrong and True Heroes are all recent offerings in this scale. I'm sure there are more. There have been times when it isn't as popular but it has always come back.
Vehicles and playsets in larger scales just don't work as well, especially if the current perceived mentality is "kids lose interest fast". Few casual buyers will spend hundreds of dollars for something that will be abandoned in a few weeks. Toys take up much more space than electronics, and probably have less perceived value to boot.
IF the Mashers, GOA and other off scale figures fail, then I suspect that 5POA 3.75 will be back in a couple of years for SW.
I could care less about the packaging as I'm an opener. 3.75 is the scale I have collected all my life and there is no way I will ever collect any other scale (except for a few monsters and things that wouldn't look out of place in a 3.75 scale diorama). I couldn't care less about starting a new scale. I know that there are many of us that feel this way (especially those that grew up in the 70-80s).
3.75 isn't dead. Jawares and Funko still do it. There are some Aliens figures. Jurassic World, Stretch Armstrong and True Heroes are all recent offerings in this scale. I'm sure there are more. There have been times when it isn't as popular but it has always come back.
Vehicles and playsets in larger scales just don't work as well, especially if the current perceived mentality is "kids lose interest fast". Few casual buyers will spend hundreds of dollars for something that will be abandoned in a few weeks. Toys take up much more space than electronics, and probably have less perceived value to boot.
IF the Mashers, GOA and other off scale figures fail, then I suspect that 5POA 3.75 will be back in a couple of years for SW.
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Yeah, hardly a novelty, especially when thousands of collectors only buy 3.75 figures. Many will always be loyal to the scale, and never drink the Kool-Aid that Hasbro is pushing on us. I'd retire from the hobby before being pushed into 6 inch like a sheep. Mark my words, the brand will suffer without the scale, and Disney will shop the license around if they screw it up any further.
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Good luck storing if ever getting cool ships for 6 inch scale. The tie fighter proved they cant sell many of them.
Killing 3.75 would lose a sizable portion of the collector base. Some of us are barely hanging on by a thread with the lack of offerings as is. A switch to entirely 6" would be the death knell for a LOT of Star Wars collectors.