Indiana Jones Retro Collection (New)

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GNT

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Hasbro have revealed we’ll be seeing an Indians Jones Retro collection.
 
Pre-ordered x2. Not quite sure why I felt the need for two, it seemed like the thing to do at the time. 🙃
 
I was expecting a Retro series announcement, but the pleasant surprise was the packaging reveal. No stupid RETRO sticker and no stupid fake worn card graphics. About time they worked this out and hopefully it continues across into the Star Wars line too!

I'll definitely be getting into this line too!

What do we think will be the previously unproduced characters for the line? I'm hoping for a generic German solider character and maybe we'll finally get the carded version of the Belloq in Ceremonial Robes.
 
I'm glad it's faithful to the original IJ toy line, both figure & packaging, and that the figure isn't some kind of 5 POA re-imagining of "what might have been." But I'm not happy about the pricepoint.
 
Inside Hasbro Headquarters.....

Genius Marketing Exec #1: Hey, do you think we should make 3.75" Indiana Jones figures with the new movie coming out?

Genius Marketing Exec #2: Hmm. Here's a better idea. Let's make 3.75" figures, but make them deliberately suck! People love "retro" styling! It'll save us money and effort!

Genius Marketing Exec #1: Love it! After all, who doesn't love a deliberately crappy-looking action figure instead of a high quality one?

Genius Marketing Exec #2: Let's give ourselves raises with all the money we're saving!
 
Hasbro tried making articulated and detailed 3 3/4 inch figures in 2008. For the most part, they were awful and the line flopped hard, sadly before the actual GOOD figures from Crusade and Temple of Doom were able to get out to all markets. For the most part, the figures were a sad joke. Why would they want to do that again?

On the other hand, the original Kenner figures from the early 80s were incredible little toys. I'll never forget the amazement I felt when I opened that Indy figure and discovered that his perfectly scaled pistol could be stowed in his holster, unlike the Star Wars figures at the time that just had large, clunky blobs molded on their legs. His whip could be coiled on his left hip as well, and he could either do a "fast draw" with the gun or "whip action" with the whip.

I LOVED that figure. He was incredible. Sadly, it didn't take long for his thumb to break off, rendering his action feature pretty useless. I lost the whip not long after. I was a little kid. It sucked.

I still have the figure though. No thumb. Paint all rubbed off his hat, showing flesh colored plastic underneath. All limbs so loose and floppy he can't even stand anymore. I played with that figure. He had ADVENTURES, man. He was one of the crown jewels of my collection as a kid, and the fact that he was rare and most kids didn't even HAVE any Indiana Jones figures made him that much more special.

About ten years ago, my (wealthy) friend bought a mint complete figure off ebay. Loose, but still...mint condition, thumb intact, both weapons. I looked at it on his shelf in awe and envy. I didn't, and still don't, have the kind of money to spend on a specimen like that, but oh how I wish I did.

And now I don't have to. For a measly fifteen bucks, I'm gonna have a reproduction of that awesome figure I loved so much almost 40 years ago. I even pre-ordered two cause something that awesome you need to keep one mint on card. I'm so excited to have a FUNCTIONING Kenner Indy again. I can't wait to relive the simple joy of putting his gun in his holster, and coiling his whip on his belt, something the 2008 figures failed at miserably. When a toy from 1981 does everything better than a toy from 2008, you know the newer one is a piece of crap.

So with all due respect Lance Quazar, yes I whole-heartedly believe this was indeed a GENIUS move on Hasbro's part, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

If you really need a "high quality" 3 3/4 inch Indy from Hasbro, this one is on ebay for less than ten bucks.

s-l1600.jpg
 
The fact that there is no articulated 3.75" release for this franchise is a slap in the face to all fans of Indy - 6" does NOTHING but sit there on a shelf. How on earth are people supposed to get excited about that when we all know damn well that Indy is supposed to be riding horses, motorcycles, driving or hanging off trucks, and exploring environments. WHERE are the environments, Hasbro? You make a build a figure of a damn object and yet, where do you put it? Where does it go? I find their whole brazen and pigheaded commitment to "6 inch EVERYTHING" to be so misplaced. I guarantee they would actually sell MORE if they were selling the breadth of an entire line and not just pretty figures. These are TOYS - where is the fun? What toy line JUST releases figures? No kid is buying an Adventure Series Indy figures, I'm sorry. They literally have forgotten what they are and why they got into this business as a toy company - I see absolutely no foresight or thought here.
 
SaberSonic83 said:
The fact that there is no articulated 3.75" release for this franchise is a slap in the face to all fans of Indy - 6" does NOTHING but sit there on a shelf. How on earth are people supposed to get excited about that when we all know damn well that Indy is supposed to be riding horses, motorcycles, driving or hanging off trucks, and exploring environments. WHERE are the environments, Hasbro? You make a build a figure of a damn object and yet, where do you put it? Where does it go? I find their whole brazen and pigheaded commitment to "6 inch EVERYTHING" to be so misplaced. I guarantee they would actually sell MORE if they were selling the breadth of an entire line and not just pretty figures. These are TOYS - where is the fun? What toy line JUST releases figures? No kid is buying an Adventure Series Indy figures, I'm sorry. They literally have forgotten what they are and why they got into this business as a toy company - I see absolutely no foresight or thought here.
Click to expand...
While I love the Retro lines, and I did preorder the 6" Indy; I do agree with you. My 6" Indy IS going to just get posed and then sit on a shelf. The lack of a modern 3.75" line for this property seems like a glaring hole.
 
DarthPete said:
While I love the Retro lines, and I did preorder the 6" Indy; I do agree with you. My 6" Indy IS going to just get posed and then sit on a shelf. The lack of a modern 3.75" line for this property seems like a glaring hole.
Click to expand...

I mean hey, he looks amazing. The leather detail on the jacket is incredibly nice and the likeness is there, but we could have easily had that same detail in 3.75" SA and vintage Kenner cards to go with all the new figures in the line. It's a total missed opportunity.
 
Not a huge fan of retro (original sculp) figures, but will probably get the IJ versions - if only because we're not getting a new 3.75" IJ line. Hopefully the retro IJ figure won't have an issue with the thumb(s) breaking of - the Vintage version was notorious for having this problem. I remember that the original 1982 G.I. Joe: ARAH figures also had this same issue.
 
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SaberSonic83 said:
The fact that there is no articulated 3.75" release for this franchise is a slap in the face to all fans of Indy - 6" does NOTHING but sit there on a shelf. How on earth are people supposed to get excited about that when we all know damn well that Indy is supposed to be riding horses, motorcycles, driving or hanging off trucks, and exploring environments. WHERE are the environments, Hasbro? You make a build a figure of a damn object and yet, where do you put it? Where does it go? I find their whole brazen and pigheaded commitment to "6 inch EVERYTHING" to be so misplaced. I guarantee they would actually sell MORE if they were selling the breadth of an entire line and not just pretty figures. These are TOYS - where is the fun? What toy line JUST releases figures? No kid is buying an Adventure Series Indy figures, I'm sorry. They literally have forgotten what they are and why they got into this business as a toy company - I see absolutely no foresight or thought here.
Click to expand...
There IS a 3.75" and its great. Its as extensive as an IJ line can be with over 50 figures. You could buy it all today if you like, or maybe youve already had it since 2008.

I am delighted with the direction of the new merchandise, Vintage is extremely expensive to get complete and good condition. So to get the chance to get these again, with never before made figures is amazing. I know not everyone loves Vintage stuff, but you cant please everyone.

And 6" isnt my scale, but for IJ ill buy them all and its something completely new.

I would have bought any SA 3.75" product. But Im not disappointed because if you havent already for that collection, you do already have the opportunity to get it.
 
Dax said:
I was expecting a Retro series announcement, but the pleasant surprise was the packaging reveal. No stupid RETRO sticker and no stupid fake worn card graphics. About time they worked this out and hopefully it continues across into the Star Wars line too!

I'll definitely be getting into this line too!

What do we think will be the previously unproduced characters for the line? I'm hoping for a generic German solider character and maybe we'll finally get the carded version of the Belloq in Ceremonial Robes.
Click to expand...
I hope they do a Generic Soldier too. It would be good to see Cairo Indiana (no jacket) and Cairo Marion. I would also love to see TOD and TLC figures.
 
Retro wishlist
Raiders:
Hovitos warrior
Dr. Indiana Jones (Marshall College)
German Trooper (Desert Chase)
German Commander (Desert Chase)
Captain Katanga (Bantu Wind)
Temple of Doom:
Indiana Jones (Club Obi Wan)
Lao Che (Club Obi Wan)
Willie Scott (Nightclub Singer)
Short Round
Mola Ram
Giant Thugee
Temple Guard
Indiana Jones (Temple Escape)
Willie Scott (Temple Escape)
The Last Crusade:
Indiana Jones (1912)
Garth (Mr. Fedora)
Indiana Jones (Venice Chase)
Elsa
Henry Jones
Vogel
Walter Donovan (Desert Convoy)
Grail Knight

The Flying Wing and pilot
Temple of Doom playset(with lava pit)
Thugee mine car
German Tank (Last Crusade).
 
Idpullthecurtain said:
There IS a 3.75" and its great. Its as extensive as an IJ line can be with over 50 figures. You could buy it all today if you like, or maybe youve already had it since 2008.

I am delighted with the direction of the new merchandise, Vintage is extremely expensive to get complete and good condition. So to get the chance to get these again, with never before made figures is amazing. I know not everyone loves Vintage stuff, but you cant please everyone.

And 6" isnt my scale, but for IJ ill buy them all and its something completely new.

I would have bought any SA 3.75" product. But Im not disappointed because if you havent already for that collection, you do already have the opportunity to get it.
Click to expand...

Oh I do know about the previous line, but aside from some of the great vehicles, there wasn't much in the way of playset environments and all the figures suffered from some of the poorest human likenesses that Hasbro ever produced. Their bodies and accessories were decent, but I never ended up buying them at the time because Indy looked like the Ark melted him instead of Toht!

I definitely agree on the vintage aspect - I wasn't even born yet and I love the movies, so to get a chance to get the original editions is fantastic. I especially give Hasbro praise and credit where it is due - they didn't take the easy way out for a change and gave Indy the spring action arm, the articulated knees and gave him the working holster and whip belt clip.

I think Indy should be respected enough to get its own SA 3.75" line. I would have gone NUTS for a TVC-style line that was modern articulation and face sculpts like we get with Star Wars. I really think the likenesses and cheapness of that 2000s Indy line were what drove people away from it in the first place, as well as distribution. With today's tech, it's a shame we might not get an opportunity for it. I'm hoping that with them signing on that it could be in the cards later on. Glad you're excited though - it's so great to have Indy on the pegs again.
 
SaberSonic83 said:
I think Indy should be respected enough to get its own SA 3.75" line. I would have gone NUTS for a TVC-style line that was modern articulation and face sculpts like we get with Star Wars. I really think the likenesses and cheapness of that 2000s Indy line were what drove people away from it in the first place, as well as distribution. With today's tech, it's a shame we might not get an opportunity for it. I'm hoping that with them signing on that it could be in the cards later on.
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Agree with this 100%. Overall, the 3.75" 2008 IJ line was average - and that's it; the figures that were easy to find (first ROTLA, KOTCS, and LC waves) were just OK - but some had terrible paint apps & could have been much better. Yes, the TOD wave was amazing & IMHO the best IJ figures ever made - so far. However, the distribution for this wave was abysmal. And, they had the bright idea to make the 2nd very well-done ROTLA wave an exclusive of some sort. So, as it stood the best two waves in the line were both extremely difficult to find & many'/most?! collectors probably don't have them - or, if they do, they had to pay exorbitant prices for them.

So, yes - I would definitely have wanted to see a new series of TVC-style IJ 3.75" figures with characters from all of the films (with a strong focus on the first three movies) - and with much better distribution. And, obviously - with a 3.75" line that opens the door for playsets/vehicles....which you won't see as much of (if at all) in a 6" line - due to the larger size & significantly increased cost(s) of much larger vehicles, etc.
 
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SaberSonic83 said:
Oh I do know about the previous line, but aside from some of the great vehicles, there wasn't much in the way of playset environments and all the figures suffered from some of the poorest human likenesses that Hasbro ever produced. Their bodies and accessories were decent, but I never ended up buying them at the time because Indy looked like the Ark melted him instead of Toht!

I definitely agree on the vintage aspect - I wasn't even born yet and I love the movies, so to get a chance to get the original editions is fantastic. I especially give Hasbro praise and credit where it is due - they didn't take the easy way out for a change and gave Indy the spring action arm, the articulated knees and gave him the working holster and whip belt clip.

I think Indy should be respected enough to get its own SA 3.75" line. I would have gone NUTS for a TVC-style line that was modern articulation and face sculpts like we get with Star Wars. I really think the likenesses and cheapness of that 2000s Indy line were what drove people away from it in the first place, as well as distribution. With today's tech, it's a shame we might not get an opportunity for it. I'm hoping that with them signing on that it could be in the cards later on. Glad you're excited though - it's so great to have Indy on the pegs again.
Click to expand...
You had to be picky with the faces and gun belts. I assume there was a production issue, and some early figures suffered. But they did correct it and it was easy to get great examples of all the figure. Some of the face issues weren't ideal, but it was still possible to get great examples.

In an ideal world, I agree that it would have been awesome to also have a SA 3.75" line. But three separate lines is way too much. 6" was always a must, and that could have been all they wanted to do. So I see it as a huge bonus that they are also doing Retro. Given the choice between the retro line and redoing the SA 3.75", I would take the Retro anyday. I just pleased they did too.
 
Idpullthecurtain said:
You had to be picky with the faces and gun belts. I assume there was a production issue, and some early figures suffered. But they did correct it and it was easy to get great examples of all the figure. Some of the face issues weren't ideal, but it was still possible to get great examples.

In an ideal world, I agree that it would have been awesome to also have a SA 3.75" line. But three separate lines is way too much. 6" was always a must, and that could have been all they wanted to do. So I see it as a huge bonus that they are also doing Retro. Given the choice between the retro line and redoing the SA 3.75", I would take the Retro anyday. I just pleased they did too.
Click to expand...

I only disagree that 6" is a must - it's a fad that will fade eventually. It honestly bothers me that there hardly any creativity in the toy aisles anymore. Everything is uniform to 6" - companies of the 80s and 90s stood out because they had all kinds of scales and sizes. That made the toys pop on shelves and it was so much better being able to differentiate lines, at least to me. I'll never get why some collectors feel the need for all their figures to match - so I guess their shelves will be the blandest ever because everything will look "uniform"?

I suppose the same argument could be made for 3.75", but I would think the vehicles and environments would differentiate them so much better.

To your point on too may lines - just look at Star Wars, we have exactly what you suggested can't happen: 6" BS, TVC 3.75" SA and Retro Collection with an added line in Mission Series for kids. I think they could all exist, since they are currently proving this now with their Hasbro lineup, but I also think too many lines is annoying, confusing and unnecessary. So I do agree with you there! I just wish Indy was one toy line - SA 3.75", full run of vehicles and playsets and beasts and most everyone would be pretty darn happy I'd think.

I very much respect your opinions though and I'm excited that you're excited to get that brand new Indy product. I definitely ordered the Retro figure early from Pulse myself!
 
As much as I love Kenner Super Powers and Mattel's Secret Wars, it bummed me back then that they were too big to mix with the rest of the gang. Luke Skywalker, Buck Rogers, Lone Ranger and the Duke Boys vs Darth Vader, Dracula and the Battlestar goons- yes please! The only time they were boring together on a shelf was when I was asleep.
 
Seeing toys on shelves in aisles of real stores is as anachronistic as rotary telephones and fax machines. I never see toys. I order everything online.

3 3/4 inch toys had their day but that day is mostly past. The collectors have spoken and 6 inch is where it's at. It's much cooler to have all the figure from different lines in a uniform size and scale than the haphazard way they used to do it. With Hasbro's stranglehold on the market, we're getting even more uniformity by having them come from the same manufacturer.

It's a golden age for fans of 80s toys right now. We're getting the toys we used to imagine in our heads while we were settling for the stuff with limitations back then. We're getting the best of both worlds; the 6 inch figures with all the bells and whistles, and reproductions of the nostalgic stuff too.

I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts, cause I think the market is in for a big and dramatic implosion sometime soon.
 
SaberSonic83 said:
I only disagree that 6" is a must - it's a fad that will fade eventually. It honestly bothers me that there hardly any creativity in the toy aisles anymore. Everything is uniform to 6" - companies of the 80s and 90s stood out because they had all kinds of scales and sizes. That made the toys pop on shelves and it was so much better being able to differentiate lines, at least to me. I'll never get why some collectors feel the need for all their figures to match - so I guess their shelves will be the blandest ever because everything will look "uniform"?

I suppose the same argument could be made for 3.75", but I would think the vehicles and environments would differentiate them so much better.

To your point on too may lines - just look at Star Wars, we have exactly what you suggested can't happen: 6" BS, TVC 3.75" SA and Retro Collection with an added line in Mission Series for kids. I think they could all exist, since they are currently proving this now with their Hasbro lineup, but I also think too many lines is annoying, confusing and unnecessary. So I do agree with you there! I just wish Indy was one toy line - SA 3.75", full run of vehicles and playsets and beasts and most everyone would be pretty darn happy I'd think.

I very much respect your opinions though and I'm excited that you're excited to get that brand new Indy product. I definitely ordered the Retro figure early from Pulse myself!
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Likewise, always enjoy reading your thoughts. You have a point there about different scales and companies. I agree with that, and Ive never really thought about it. I am not a huge fan of 6", but I do buy some when it works for me. I mean 6" is a "must" as in thats what Hasbro would definitely do. The company is all in on 6" and its their default. So when they arranged to make IJ, you can bet that 6" is what they based that plan on.

I know what you mean about multiple lines, but IJ is a property that never has continued success. So I think two different lines is a reach and a big gamble (3 would have been crazy IMO).
 
Yes, I do collect the 6" SW line (to some extent), and will also be getting the 6" IJ figures. Generally, they look fantastic - and the 6" line obviously allows for more detail & increased articulation, etc.

That being said, some of the issues I & I'm sure other collectors/fans of a toy-line have with only a 6" scale & that's it are as follows:

1) Additional expense. Yes, collecting is not necessarily a cheap hobby so those of us who get these toys know $ is going to be involved. However, the 3.75" line is obviously a lower price-point than the 6". And, the savings do add up - especially if you collect a lot of figures.

2) The 6" figures take up significantly more room/space than the 3.75" figures. And, I'm sure I'm not the only one that has a limited amount of space for these toys.

3) There is a significantly smaller/slimmer chance of vehicles/playsets being made in a 6" line vs. a 3.75" line. Yes, there have been some great vehicles in the 6" SW line - but these were quite expensive & in some cases ended up being discounted because they wouldn't sell.

Also, in general I don't think toy companies like making large vehicles for a 6" line (unless they're online exclusives). Not only because of the additional expense (see above), but also because of the increased shelf-space they'll take up. Going along with this, a related down-side is the fact that stores may be less likely to order these - due to the increased shelf-space, etc.
 
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I wonder if they'll do the multi-color carded prototype figure thing for the Indy Retro figures? :unsure:
 
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At the very least this line will allow customizers to make a 1/12 Lonestar figure using the ID4 Whitmore figure. lol
 
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