It bears repeating -- far superior to anything Hasbro has offered in the retro collection.
The Acolyte Retro Multipack
- Thread starter GNT
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I don't understand the legality, but the customs out there make me happier than anything Hasbro has made... ever. Retro Collection folks should take note and just license the fans doing what many of us believe to be the best stuff since 1985.
If i licensed thing is better I would buy that instead. But it isn’t so I wouldn’t.
I used to feel that way, but the work of a few creators has changed my mind.
Back on topic: I'm a fan of the new Retro Acolyte figures. I want to see the whole season before I have an opinion on the story, but I think the figures are well done for what they are and compliment my collection.
I'd love these characters in TVC, but have no interest in Retro versions. I feel like any Retro wave that isn't OT has gone on clearance. I don't understand the business strategy in appealing to nostalgia for Star Wars movies and shows that aren't nostalgic. Like I'm nostalgic for the prequels, that's retro to me. The old Kenner style holds no sentimental value for me though, so I skipped out on the Phantom Menace six pack. But I probably would have bought TVC repacks of Jar Jar, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon on retro Phantom Menace cards with faceprinting.
Off topic, but it's just weird to me that we're reaching the point where 90s kids are in their 30s and have real careers and families, but Hasbro still seems not all that interested in marketing towards their nostalgia. Even like their Phantom Menace item is OT Kenner-styled. Just feels like things like that and things like this are just made for the sake of putting something out as opposed to meeting any sort of demand.
Off topic, but it's just weird to me that we're reaching the point where 90s kids are in their 30s and have real careers and families, but Hasbro still seems not all that interested in marketing towards their nostalgia. Even like their Phantom Menace item is OT Kenner-styled. Just feels like things like that and things like this are just made for the sake of putting something out as opposed to meeting any sort of demand.
Love it. Ordered two.
to me, this is a real enthusiasm killer if im being honest. i now have ZERO interest in completing the retro line. and i have 2 retro jarjars 
It took me a while to shake the completionism bug, but I think it's actually much better to only purchase things you care about and learn you don't need one of everything to enjoy a little bit of something.to me, this is a real enthusiasm killer if im being honest. i now have ZERO interest in completing the retro line. and i have 2 retro jarjars
In terms of the Retro Collection all it took for me was the ****ing $50 Monopoly game with Remnant Stormtrooper. Hasbro went full on greedy shitbag mode on that one. I gave up on completing this collection right then and have just enjoyed what what I feel are the better releases they have done since.
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Being a completist felt more like an addiction to me, because I was rushing to preorder everything new or racing to retail to make sure I didn't miss anything - so glad I put an end to that! Why induce stress into a hobby that should be fun? I really like Retro, but these are not for me, and their absence from my collection will have no impact on my enjoyment of this line.
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I have most of the Retro offerings although I sold all of the rainbow money grab ones.
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Up to 781 now.
That's not a lot at all. Obviously, the Mother Anasaya figure is going to be the most in demand figure of all time...... right?!
The figures look great and I'm definitely buying it. I've loved the show so far.
Figures look cool, and I'm actually liking the show, but knowing so many of the OG fans are against The Acolyte, I really do wonder who they think the market is for this? It's an odd strategy. They could be putting out OT characters we never got in Kenner style. Beyond a few packed in multi packs and board games, there has been nothing in that vein. It's all reprints of original Kenner figures and new shows that are proving to be somewhat unpopular among the 40+ demographic.
I'd love to know how many 20 somethings are buying anything Star Wars figure related at this point anyway, across all lines. But, the retro is specifically trying to capture an aesthetic from a bygone era and they are packing it in with shows that are simply not marketed to that demographic.
I can get the Mandoverse stuff to an extent as that was, initially, marketed on nostalgia. And, that can extend even to Ahsoka with the OT aesthetic some of those characters have.
Yet, they skipped Andor entirely for this line and make a 6 pack of The Acolyte? Just odd.
I do like the molds and maybe I'll pick them up when they are on clearance for $24.99. I dunno. But, I would have rather had an Ahsoka 2nd wave with Thrawn, Ezra, Enoch, etc. over starting another line. This kind of stuff can be a line killer.
I'd love to know how many 20 somethings are buying anything Star Wars figure related at this point anyway, across all lines. But, the retro is specifically trying to capture an aesthetic from a bygone era and they are packing it in with shows that are simply not marketed to that demographic.
I can get the Mandoverse stuff to an extent as that was, initially, marketed on nostalgia. And, that can extend even to Ahsoka with the OT aesthetic some of those characters have.
Yet, they skipped Andor entirely for this line and make a 6 pack of The Acolyte? Just odd.
I do like the molds and maybe I'll pick them up when they are on clearance for $24.99. I dunno. But, I would have rather had an Ahsoka 2nd wave with Thrawn, Ezra, Enoch, etc. over starting another line. This kind of stuff can be a line killer.
One might imagine that a corporate entity would be making heavily data-driven decisions with a small amount of risk for good measure. While I'm sure the folks on these threads bring varied levels of expertise and insight to these conversations, at the end of the day it's all speculation and anecdotal response based on sentiment. Being an 'OG' fan I reckon nostalgia plays a big part in everything for me, but I really don't understand the overwhelming emotions folks bring to the table here. I love the OT, and I'm sometimes I'm along for the ride or disappointed by new stories. More on topic, I also wonder why there's no Andor Retro Collection.
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No emotion for me. I'm actually liking the show and think the figures look interesting. Not sure I have a place for them in my collection, but we'll see. I wish there were better options on the OT, a complete Ahsoka run, and any Andor figures.
It will be an interesting experiment. Will these be hard to find in a year, like the ROTJ pack with Mon Mothma? Or, will they be littered all over Ollies and clearanced out for half price on Amazon? Amazon tends to sit on stock a long time. May be 2 years on that one.
I'm interested to see where the show goes, and I agree -- I'm not sure how these fit in my collection, but I ordered them, and I would also enjoy some Andor RC figures. If Acolyte sets the stage for some really done storytelling or even a movie, these may become more sought after.
The Acolyte figures will be pegwarmers.... guaranteed. Just like the Andor figures currently are.
2 of my walmarts still have Andor black series and vintage collection figures that seem to never sell. They have been sitting on the shelves for about a year now.
Disney will force hasbro to make waves for all their new media as long as they have the Star Wars license so next year I'm sure there will be an Andor season 2 wave that will have little mass appeal as well.
2 of my walmarts still have Andor black series and vintage collection figures that seem to never sell. They have been sitting on the shelves for about a year now.
Disney will force hasbro to make waves for all their new media as long as they have the Star Wars license so next year I'm sure there will be an Andor season 2 wave that will have little mass appeal as well.
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Seems like they've scaled back production in order to more accurately meet demand, because they overproduce everything. With the 6-packs, it eliminates individual slow sellers, because you're forced to buy the whole set if you want them. This alone will reduce some potential consumers, that may only want one or two of the figures, so they decide to skip the entire set instead. That said, I think most of the speculation for this not selling is because so many people have posted that they don't like the series, so why would they buy the merchandise from it?
Don't think any of them have sat other than the ANH 6 Pack that was just the previously released retro figs. There's 1 TPM 6 Pack at my Target.
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IIRC, the previous boxes were all Pulse, Shop Disney or fan channel offerings, so didn't make it to traditional B&M like Target or WM. The TPM box was the first for normal B&M.
They have hit clearance. I don't really monitor Retro super closely but do recall one of the ANH boxes was on EE or BBTS for like $35 and Pulse had the 2nd ANH box for like $40.
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Yes, ANH set 1, ANH set 2, and TPM all went on sale, the only one that hasn't was the ROTJ set. Unfortunately, the demand for the ROTJ set was higher than the new anticipated production run. Reducing production for Acolyte is likely a wise choice, considering the apparent lack of demand, but the reduction for ROTJ is resulting in some angry customers, myself included, because I didn't get a set.
If they were smart, they'd scrap two of the current selected six and substitute a hard to find OT figure and a never before produced OT figures.
Then we'd all be buying the set and then they could claim how much everyone loved the show due to "box set demand".
The reason the ROTJ set sold out was due to Yak and Mon.
Then we'd all be buying the set and then they could claim how much everyone loved the show due to "box set demand".
The reason the ROTJ set sold out was due to Yak and Mon.
That gets annoying though. Reminds me of Hot Wheels/Matchbox/Disney Cars where if you want the one chase car, you are pretty much forced to buy an entire case to get that car. Then you're stuck with a lot of crap that doesn't sell. So hasbro makes money by selling 6 figures instead of 1, and we overpay.
It's tough to say if that's how it's going here. The Acolyte will have it's niche audience, but it will be a limited audience and definitely not have mass appeal (just like Andor, Sequel trilogy, etc), since the show is reviled by so many. If Hasbro was smart, they'd limit the amount of these they make. I think it's good they released these in a six pack instead of sending them out to all walmarts, targets, etc in a wave of individually carded figures, because these would end up clogging the pegs for years.
Dont know how many Hasbro pulse has currently sold but someone posted they only sold 700 of these over the first week. That's not really that many when there's 8 billion of us on Earth, and over 350 million of us in the States. I like the six pack format and how theyve done it so far, but only if they are done by tv show season or movie. Having them mixed waves would be annoying... because I dont care about Acolyte figures, and it would suck to buy 4 acolyte figures just to get something OT that wasn't made.
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Mixed waves work well if they're singles at retail, that's how the various 3.75 SW lines operated over the decades, especially during non-movie years, and they were incredibly successful at building an action figure empire. Combining a couple OT characters with Acolyte figures in a 6-pack would likely result in a bunch of aggravated OT collectors though, lol. I certainly wouldn't want to buy characters from this series in order to get OT characters I actually want. Unfortunately, the multipacks might be all that's offered going forward, so Hasbro can optimize profit by forcing sales of 6 figures at once, so consumers have no real choice in the matter, other than maybe discontinuing the hobby, lol.
When it comes to overall sales, 700 is pathetic, especially when they're only available from a few sources. Let's say Pulse had just as many orders as Amazon, and we round up to 800 each, that would be sad if only 1600 units were sold for any SW series upon launch, especially when a minimum production run might be around 10k! While 5 POA are far less of an investment to tool and produce, that would still be a significant hit if demand is that low.
When it comes to overall sales, 700 is pathetic, especially when they're only available from a few sources. Let's say Pulse had just as many orders as Amazon, and we round up to 800 each, that would be sad if only 1600 units were sold for any SW series upon launch, especially when a minimum production run might be around 10k! While 5 POA are far less of an investment to tool and produce, that would still be a significant hit if demand is that low.
When it comes to single waves that aren't sold in six packs, I tend to buy all my figures by the case through either EE or BBTS. The retro collection has been a lot easier to collect that way compared to the Black Series and TVC.. I bought by the case for the Book of Boba Fett, Ahosoka, and Mandalorian Season 2 waves. I'll probably buy the Skeleton Crew wave that way too. To me it was easier that way, then hunting them down in the stores one by one.
So far, i've enjoyed how they've done all the waves so far and have kept it related to a single movie or tv series for each wave, and I'd prefer they keep it in that format. It doesn't matter too much if they are done by six packs, or by the case but I just hope they keep the waves to where, they average around 7 out of the 8 figures in a case are new and unique sculpts. So, I dont have much complaints about how it's done so far.
With the Acolyte figures, I think they pretty much did all the best of the main characters except for the sith character. So, it was covered pretty well.
So far, i've enjoyed how they've done all the waves so far and have kept it related to a single movie or tv series for each wave, and I'd prefer they keep it in that format. It doesn't matter too much if they are done by six packs, or by the case but I just hope they keep the waves to where, they average around 7 out of the 8 figures in a case are new and unique sculpts. So, I dont have much complaints about how it's done so far.
With the Acolyte figures, I think they pretty much did all the best of the main characters except for the sith character. So, it was covered pretty well.
So while it may have only been 700 or so bought the first week of release on Pulse, this set has the widest release of all the boxed sets so far. Not only sold at Pulse, but Amazon, BBTS, EE, Gamestop as well as a bunch of smaller indie stores like Nerdzoic, ToyWiz and CMD store. It likely will have the largest production yet in terms of boxed set numbers.
No targets and Walmarts though, so it’s pretty limited. Amazon could be sitting on a stack for a long while though.
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Not hardly.
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So, it also has the potential to be the worst seller among the other Retro releases, hopefully they didn't do a 20k run or something ridiculous, or the fallout could damage the viability of Retro going forward. Who knows, maybe Disney & Hasbro both thought this would be the next big thing, but boy were they wrong.
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If it was over produced and goes to clearance, Hasbro has no one to blame but themselves. New media like this - especially in a 6-pack configuration - should be <10000 units (I'd advocate <7500). If it's a hit and sells through at MSRP, fine, order more in a second run.
Hasbro can overproduce Disney New media figures quite a bit it seems. The 5POA lines in the Last Jedi, Rogue One, and Force Awakens were all greatly overproduced. It’s probably a game in which they are expecting these movies to be a hit which would create demand for the product, but instead Disney is usually whiffing a dud leaving retailers Hasbro sells these to holding the bag. I think Hasbro did it correctly by releasing these as a six pack and only having them at places like GameStop in which most stores will get one or two in.
No, but there's a very large number of places that will carry this. I haven't looked, but I wonder if the Disney Store and parks will also carry this one.
Great argument.
It may be the worst seller at retail levels, but by then Hasbro has already made it's money. We will see later this year how it's faired. I really hope some of the independent sellers are ordering cautiously on this set. They seem to be the ones to take the biggest hit on poorly moving items.
