Toy Line Disasters

[JonWes]

Avatar was generally a really well done line, too. They had a lot of cool details on the figures and the likenesses weren't bad (except on the Sigourney Weaver figure.) I got most of them and I didn't regret it.

[Gragar]

Avatar was generally a really well done line, too. They had a lot of cool details on the figures and the likenesses weren't bad (except on the Sigourney Weaver figure.) I got most of them and I didn't regret it.

Yes!?! What is it with Mattel and Sigourney Weaver? The Professor from 'Avatar' and Dana from 'Ghostbusters' figures were pretty bad - looking more like David Duchovny (in fact, any bad actor likeness in any line always ends up looking like David Duchovny!)

NECA has spoiled me because every time I go near Mattel 'Movie Masters' I think of just how one million light years better it could all be/

[Orko's Magic Hat]

OK I headed into TRU over the weekend - Thundercats - it pains me to see it this way - the sheves are heaving with figures and role play swords and the godawful Tower of Omens set. This probably is the biggest flop at retail in recent years - just to think this time last year I was hyped up about getting the toys as they had just been released here in the UK - now they're all on clearance.

Also, TDK rises toyline - the movie masters have all moved except for a few Harvey Dents, but the smaller figures aimed at kids and clogging shelves now.

Is it me or is the Avenger's toylines clogging pegs as well - or are they always re-stocking?

[JonWes]

They are always restocking, I think. At least in my area, they couldn't keep a decent amount of Avengers figures on the shelves. All I see these days are Iron Man and Thor figures in the Avengers line-up. Right next to the pegs and pegs of Iron Man 2 figures they seem unwilling to clearance.

[Moominsthenmotu]

Thundercats, or as I am now calling it, Blundercats. This toyline was the biggest disappointment I have seen in years, maybe ever from a toyline. They have these great set of characters, mythos, and the like, to work with, and they give it to a company who does not give a damn about the line. Not just that, but they also give it to a company that uses some of the cheapest materials ever.

The next line I will say is the MegaMan lines from both Jazwares and Mattel. Both companies many years ago held the licenses and dropped the ball on them. Jazwares showed off all of these cool MM playsets, upcoming figures from the X series, and some really awesome vinyl figures based off their original designs called Retro Roto. Mattel showed off a another batch of really cool looking figures from the Battle Network series, but both companies never delivered on them, and just let them fade into nothingness without even an explanation as to why they never came out.

BANDAI are a true "famine/feast" company - you are spot on the money that if they care about a line they'll pput a great deal more effort into al the details of it.

[Stinkor's Only Fan]

Real Steel and any Pirates of the Caribbean are always stinky. Anytime I go in the toy aisle they were loaded with that flop.

[wyldman11]

I think movie figures doing well is dependent on local market more than a national one. Even if they are restocking the fact the shelves are constantly full means they had way too much product, when other lines have stuff empty for weeks at a time.

[JonWes]

Well, what you said highlights why looking at shelf stock in an anecdotal way is completely unhelpful when determining how well a line is doing. If shelves sit empty, it doesn't necessarily mean a line is doing well. It mean that something has gone horribly wrong in the supply chain. Stores don't like empty shelves. Product that looks like it's always stocked might be dong really well, it just means they are able to refresh it and sell through at a good rate. If shelves sit empty, then that's taking up valuable retail space that isn't being used properly. Also, stocked shelves that eventually don't move anywhere don't mean a line was a disaster either. Take a look at Iron Man 2. That toy line was a hit. But if you look know you'll see endless pegs that have sat there for years. But it's just because they overshipped certain less desirable figures in case assortments. Now, that's not a good thing... but that alone doesn't mean the line was a failure. They could have worked through so many cases that even the eventual loss they'll take on the non-moving figures isn't as big a deal. It's really just impossible to tell, in some ways, by just looking at the shelves. Remember, everyone thought Thundercats was doing really well at the start because of emptying shelves. That reversed quickly.

[wyldman11]

Yes, the overabundance just becomes a problem like you said when a year later the figures are still on the shelf. And often people aren't looking at what may or may not be on the shelves.

People also tend to gravitate towards things that are fairly well stocked in the first place. Some people will say the don't understand why, giving what seems like logical explanations but in reality people do. We do this with our shrimp at the market I work at, we have one big section of a cooked and one of a raw. We have shrimp in our case that is lowered price but isn't what we are pushing, but people will buy hand over fist the shrimp from the promo sections.

I am sure stores like movie figures because it helps cross promote the movies and other tie in products, and most of all general public don't know anything else in the world exists. Comics as a medium is like this.

[He-Manis007]

Oof, those Star Trek figures... still see some in the clearance at the Manchester, CT Toys R Us.

[Galmorzu]

This may not be a flop exactly, but any transformer fan is probably in the same boat when it comes to those awful movie lines. I stopped by a local TRU which was FINALLY restocking after seemingly taken ALL TF figures from their shelves (one peg of figures was all they had at one point). They had filled the spaces in that part of the shelf with Dark of the Moon, and I kid you not, LEFTOVER REVENGE OF THE FALLEN PRODUCT! I absolutley could not believe they were still packing toys from the second movie on shelves still.

[Phil.Pastel]

This may not be a flop exactly, but any transformer fan is probably in the same boat when it comes to those awful movie lines. I stopped by a local TRU which was FINALLY restocking after seemingly taken ALL TF figures from their shelves (one peg of figures was all they had at one point). They had filled the spaces in that part of the shelf with Dark of the Moon, and I kid you not, LEFTOVER REVENGE OF THE FALLEN PRODUCT! I absolutley could not believe they were still packing toys from the second movie on shelves still. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92...rzu/rbeek2.gif

Not that I liked the movie because I thought it was the only one that truly sucked, but I would like to find some ROTF stuff at a store. Then again, finding them at TRU wouldn't be any cheaper than Ebay. My TRU is charging extortionate prices for DOTM stuff right now - meanwhile every other retail store in the area is giving them away.

[Dr Kain]

Honestly, I think nearly every TF that came out after Animated's cancellation has been crap. Jazz, Tracks, Kup, Wreck-Gar, and maybe Wheeljack are the only ones that haven't sucked.

[wyldman11]

Now the other side of the coin on the movie lines, they do more than likely sale well but considering how long the stock lingers and how much there is it could be considered not a flop but something else.

[Phil.Pastel]

Honestly, I think nearly every TF that came out after Animated's cancellation has been crap. Jazz, Tracks, Kup, Wreck-Gar, and maybe Wheeljack are the only ones that haven't sucked.

Eh, sounds like you've over-energized

Ninja turtles - unpainted
Thundercats - soft and warped
TRON - Nothing to write home about

Honestly, it's just nice to collect from a line with nice weapons for a change. MechTech is/was awesome.

[PlatinumFist]

The **** Tracy movie line figures by Playmates were pretty bad!

[Thatman]

The **** Tracy movie line figures by Playmates were pretty bad!

How do you figure? They weren't badly/cheaply made, had individual sculpts (though there was accessory reuse, it made sense), were well painted on individual cards with bios & comic, etc. That the line was short-lived was less a testament to the quality of the toy line and more of a reflection on the short-term marketability/shelf viability of the movie.

[Gragar]

How do you figure? They weren't badly/cheaply made, had individual sculpts (though there was accessory reuse, it made sense), were well painted on individual cards with bios & comic, etc. That the line was short-lived was less a testament to the quality of the toy line and more of a reflection on the short-term marketability/shelf viability of the movie.

'Playmates' ruled the 1990s' toy market. Great blend of playability and quality sculpting. Krom only knows what happened with their JJ ABrams' 'Trek' line! Awful, insipid figures.

[Patreek]

The Rainbow Brite relaunch came and went really fast. They are now still trying to unload some stock offering the dolls on amazon as 25th anniverary but they are just the same figures from 2 years ago

[Dr Kain]

How do you figure?

Tracy did not have his yellow coat.

[Rhanen]

Kenner's "The Shadow" movie action figures. I actually liked some of the characters and I still have my basic Shadow figure and I hope someday get the Taxi Cab, but the line was a disaster just because it only have 1 marketable figure and enemies were quite lame.

I suppose it's pretty much the same for most movie action figures, such as ID4, Armaggedon, Tomb Raider movie & The Mummy to name a few.

[Bonehead]

toylines [/I]clogging pegs as well - or are they always re-stocking?

They're being restocked. Trust me.

Hasbro has plans to release Avengers Movie figures all next year long along with the sub lines like Iron Man 3. We should see a few new waves at TF '13.

I stopped by a local TRU which was FINALLY restocking after seemingly taken ALL TF figures from their shelves (one peg of figures was all they had at one point). They had filled the spaces in that part of the shelf with Dark of the Moon, and I kid you not, LEFTOVER REVENGE OF THE FALLEN PRODUCT!

TRU actually got a bunch of ROTF product in from Hasbro right before TF3 hit. Hasbro had a ton of product still from the last movie that they never sold so TRU bought most of it up at a discount. Some stores had a promotion where if you bought over $50 of TF3 stuff you got a free ROTF figure. Hasbro just over produced a few of the waves. Overall the line was very successful.

Honestly, I think nearly every TF that came out after Animated's cancellation has been crap. Jazz, Tracks, Kup, Wreck-Gar, and maybe Wheeljack are the only ones that haven't sucked.

You forgot Scourge, Cyclonus, Lugnut, Perceptor, Blurr, Mindwipe, Onslaught...a few more.

The best TFs out nowadays are all 3rd Party figures.

The **** Tracy movie line figures by Playmates were pretty bad!

What!?

That line was actually really good.

Kenner's "The Shadow" movie action figures. I actually liked some of the characters and I still have my basic Shadow figure and I hope someday get the Taxi Cab, but the line was a disaster just because it only have 1 marketable figure and enemies were quite lame.

I still have those Shadow figures. They are actually pretty cool. The highlights in the line are the vehicles. I always thought Kenner should have reused that Taxi Cab for the BTAS line.

[MegaGearMax]

'Playmates' ruled the 1990s' toy market. Great blend of playability and quality sculpting. Krom only knows what happened with their JJ ABrams' 'Trek' line! Awful, insipid figures.

Star Trek AND Terminator: Salvation flopped hard in the toy aisles. While the new Nick TMNT stuff was in development, it almost looked like Playmates was going to fold up.

[Sandman]

They're being restocked. Trust me.

Hasbro has plans to release Avengers Movie figures all next year long along with the sub lines like Iron Man 3. We should see a few new waves at TF '13.

It's really easy to tell whether these are pegwarming waves or new one, anyway. The first waves of Avengers had a different case assortment than the newer ones, meaning if you don't see some figures, it's most likely a restock.

Personally I'm happy to see more Marvel lines in this scale, but I am extremely worried about the TERRIBLE new articulation standard on Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man.

[Kowl]

I don't think kids are really interested in action figures these days. Toy lines that aren't geared towards the adult collector are doomed to fail these days.

Side note... Did the forum filter really censor **** Tracy ??? You gotta be kidding me?