Spotted Online – Mythic Legions Commentary at ThEpic Review
I posted my own thoughts on the Four Horsemen’s Mythic Legions action figure series earlier this week (see “Why the Four Horsemen’s “Mythic Legions†Aren’t 6-Inches Tall”) and the comments to my post have been fantastic. They all deserve responses, and I am working on my responses, but for now I’ll direct you to another post about the series:
“What does scale have to do with it? 6″, 4″, Mythic Legions, and more!”
My own responses to all of your great comments are coming later because I’ve been buried preparing for a trip to Vegas, the SXSW event this weekend, and spending yesterday with our agents. (Which was a blast.)
Barbecue17 offers many of his own thoughts on scale and I suggest checking out his post. I want to respond to a few points in my own next post, but one section jumped out at me as needing an instant response:
“I know that there definitely seem to be many collectors with the opinion that the 6 inch scale is dying, but looking at the market I’m just not seeing that.”
– Barbecue17, “What does scale have to do with it? 6″, 4″, Mythic Legions, and more!”
I think it’s less about the death of the 6/7-inch scale and more that we’re about to see some dramatic price jumps that could drive some companies from producing figures of that size. As it is some 6-inch scale action figures are underpriced. A primary example of an underpriced action figure is the Four Horsemen’s own Ravens figures from their Kickstarter project.
Why do I consider the Ravens underpriced? Because I know that Mattel, a six billion dollar company, is pricing their direct figures at about $30 and the Four Horsemen do not receive anywhere near Mattel’s annual sales. I believe the Ravens should have been $60 or $75 for each figure . . . and I believe that we’re only a few years from seeing companies like NECA charging $35 or $40 for a single figure.
Things are changing. That’s a given.
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I don’t foresee $30+ for 6-7″ figures anytime soon. Neca is just now creeping to the $20 range. I think a sudden jump to $30 would just kill a line, or the company producing them.
There is the ever-increasing costs of plastic but I can’t fathom how total heroes is a 6″ line and hits the $10 mark. Or how the the marvel swappers, which are big, chunky figures, can stay there too. I understand they are simple sculpts with tons of reuse, but so is MOTUC and DCUC. The price points don’t add up to me.
With the advancements in technology, I think it’s just a matter of time before something cheaper becomes readily available.
@Matthew M — you clearly have not bought from MattyCollector.com then, have you? 😉
You’re right, I haven’t. MOTU looks awesome but $30 is too much to pay for what is essentially a new head/weapon in my opinion. I do want some of the total heroes (black manta) but I suspect they’ll be easy to get.
@Matthew M – “With the advancements in technology, I think it’s just a matter of time before something cheaper becomes readily available.”
The problem isn’t so much the technology as it is the raw materials, labor costs, and shipping costs. Inflation.
A lot of things are being kept artificially low in terms of MSRP and it’s causing problems. I’ve had discussions with multiple people on both sides — buyers at majors, buyers at specialty, manufacturers big and small — and something has gotta change.
The question is just: When?
Thats what I meant, Phil. If the materials are costing less it will bring down overall costs. I don’t believe it will make figures cheaper but I think it will help them from getting too much more expensive.
You bring up a great point Phil, and I think one of the big issues a casual fan might have is trying to compare two things which seem the same but are absolutely different.
NECA, Mattel, and Hasbro are all be making six-inch figures, but no one outside those companies know the metrics of WHY a Predator with…I dunno, a hundred paint apps? can be cheaper at retail than a “collector based” Mattel DC figure with much simplified paint and parts count – and at the same time, the Total Heroes line being under $10.
The cost increases have moved around a lot depending on the line – an $8 Transformer became a $15-$20 (depending on your area) Transformer over 1997 to 2014. A $2.97 Gi Joe in 1982 is now $10 in 2014. BUT at the same time, what you get for that value is a lot different – Transformers don’t follow any one pattern for the change in price. Gi Joes come with more gear on average, and their paint apps and parts count is higher for that extra $7.
I’m at a point where I can’t backseat quarterback the companies, because I know what it costs me to make figures (on a vastly different scale) and I know they have to be hurting in a lot of areas. Just look at your recent Transformers boxes and see the “made in Vietnam” tag. I can only judge if the current value is there for me on whatever the product is. I never thought we’d get to the day where a $20 figure was a casual purchase, but we’re practically there now.
Yeah. I’ve been trying to figure that one out too. Look at Mattel. Total heroes and MOTUC confuse me. They both re-use parts. The 4 Horsemen worked on both. In-house designers for TH can’t be as expensive as 4H. Then there’s the licensing fees. DC has to be pricey. MOTU doesn’t have that fee. It’s a in-house brand. Sure TH have a few less pieces compared to MOTU. It still doesn’t add up why MOTUC is 3 times as pricey.
@John K. – “Just look at your recent Transformers boxes and see the “made in Vietnam†tag.”
I think the first time I noticed that was on the Bot Shots toys. We knew the labor issues in China (as in, increased cost of labor) was going to start affecting things. What I don’t think anyone knows is how everything will shake out over the next few years.
I’m still amazed that someone isn’t running a massive plastics operation out of Mexico.
Now I have “what’s scale got to do with it” to the tune of Tina Turner’s “Whats Love Got to do with it” stuck in my head…
That was my evil plan all along!
I don’t see 6″-7″ scale figures as dying out anytime soon, but I do see them shifting over to being high-end collectibles (like Hot toys and other 1:6 scale figures) rather than mass market retail fodder.
Think of the Three P’s: Plastic, Production, and Profit. If costs of plastic and production cut into profit the prices must rise to sustain the line. As Scott “ToyGuru” Neitlich has stated many times before in regards to MOTUC price increases. Figures will cost what people are willing to pay, and if people aren’t willing to pay it anylonger then the line will just go away. When MOTUC started figures were only $20 each, now they’re $25 ($27 for non-subbers). I suspect they’ll go up another dollar or two next year or in 2016 if the line is sustained that long.