UA-100768763-1 Jump to content

DSTZach

Members
  • Posts

    8,604
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by DSTZach

  1. I have stated that I want to abandon the carded format, due to cost to consumers. The double dip by in-package collectors is not making up for lost sales. We partner with Hasbro. They don't actively promote licensee products, but we are actively trying to get product carried on Pulse. They don't take everything. I am not on the HISS tank forums, but they are on my mailing list for news and I think I debuted at least one item there. (Maybe a Gallery.) And if we put army-builders in character sets, it will not be well-received. No one wants five Major Bludds.
  2. I think it is purely a format problem, but the trick is to convince someone to release a set that sells well in the wake of one decent-selling and three underperforming sets. I have ideas, we have designs and sculpts, but not sure any will take flight. We'll see.
  3. What, Minimates? Far from dying. Partial nudity? Dying. Whatever this X-Men set is, I think it will be well received, with five figures, two women, three villains, two new characters, and one micro-figure.
  4. Just trying to help with some context. Like I said, Minimates orders internationally are low to nonexistent.
  5. Our Marvel Select line has huge displays in toy stores in the Middle East. BUT I'm not sure the orders for Minimates are ever enough to pay for the rigorous international safety testing. I believe that is one reason they are not (normally) found in the UK.
  6. We were making Marvel Minimates long before they were making Marvel Legos, not counting those Lego Studios Spider-Man movie-set sets. I think that is our saving grace. We don't market them as construction sets, interchangeable parts or even mini-figures. We have NEVER had the DC license for Minimates. DC Direct did, and Play Along did for C3. I'm not sure we ever will.
  7. Rambling, independent, non-DST-spokesman thoughts: I do think there has been a shift in culture in the US to not appear exploitative. If Zendaya wants to dress like a Sorayama robot, she can, but to try and sell an image (or toy) of her dressed like a Sorayama robot is iffy. I would not blame Disney for this -- they are going ahead with a new Deadpool, so they clearly see that there is a market for adult-oriented material. And I'm sure Fox will continue to make R-rated films. And the Marvel movies will I'm sure continue to feature PG-13 material, including that Eternals love scene and plenty of gunfights. BUT comics have a long history of backlash against adult content when they are marketed (in the US, overwhelmingly) for kids. Obviously, there is a market for adult-oriented comics, and DC even has their Black Label books, but Marvel's MAX line seems to be a distant memory. I remember just a few years back they got Milo Manara to draw some Marvel covers, but one cover of Spider-Woman saw some backlash because she appeared too submissive/sexualized. And toys... remember when they put Breaking Bad toys in Toys"R"Us? Toys are for kids, and if they are in a toy store, they are going to be seen by kids. Licensors that exclusively sell to older audiences don't care, but family-friendly companies want you to make family-friendly toys. Even with Black Label, I don't think we'll see anything risque coming out of McFarlane's DC line. ...Any of that make any sense? I mentioned Dazzler, because she has some cleavage that probably wouldn't fly today. I remember once a blogger called us out online about our Stargirl MM for having a highly defined chest. I was actually confused, because at the time that figure was like 5-6 years old and we had JUST released the Lady Death set.
  8. Everything is up in the air, including the 60s and 70s sets.
  9. We're always looking to get back into the DC license, but I think action figures AND mini-figures are both non-starters, what with LEGO and McFarlane's range of different-sized figures.
  10. Sorry, I meant any MARVEL toys, including specialty-only ones like Minimates. Obviously Tarot, Lady Death, Sin City were intended for older collectors, but outside of Deadpool, and some of the street-level TV shows, Marvel is a family brand. (As much as I immediately regret showing my kids certain Marvel films, what with language, bullets and love scenes.) Selene/Black Queen is pretty inappropriate, but so is Dazzler, and she wasn't even THAT long ago. Things have obviously changed.
  11. Very cool! That first picture gives Chucky vibes.
  12. In kid-oriented media, yeah, the Silvestri outfit isn't going to fly. Same with toys. Any toys.
  13. Yeah, there were a lot of factors at play in this set, but in a perfect world Samoa Joe and MJF would be at the top of my list. Saraya, Hikaru, Toni and Skye would be in fierce competition for the last two spots.
  14. Luke will get them, we haven't circulated pre-order info yet and won't until the 22nd. We threw them up on our site quickly to catch any post-match heat.
  15. I just meant that we were leaning more in Trev's direction than AF McGill's. Of the five figures and one mini-figure in the set, there are NO original X-Men and only ONE All-New X-Man, in a variant we've never done. And depending on how you count, there are three villains.
  16. I like the cut of Trev's jib.
  17. They would be great! I love the show. I'll have to suggest it to Chuck!
  18. Haha, no need to button it, I must have missed all of your posts, because I wasn't even 100% sure of the lineup of the Syndicate until now. But yeah, we've only done Rhino, Hydro-Man and Speed Demon, and Speed Demon was animated! I can't remember if I pushed for Beetle in my recent list of suggestions, but we are getting some new Spider-Foes and Spider-Allies in upcoming sets. I believe Series 86 and 89 are both Spidey-themed sets. (If that seems like a lot of Spidey, it isn't, really -- it's not even the same Spidey.) So Boomerang and Beetle might not be out in the next year, but hopefully you like what we're getting anyway. And I'll keep asking!
  19. I believe a third set has been designed, not sure what the current prototype status is.
  20. Ugh, I meant Boomerang. Brain fart. Captain Boomerang's outfit is awful.
  21. Too good an opportunity not to do. Hopefully it generates good sales!
  22. Man, we have to make an Eel. One of my favorite suits, along with Captain Boomerang.
  23. I don't think so. Series 85 (Spider-Verse) is getting its packaging approved now, so 86 (Spidey set #2) will be hopefully be offered in a couple of months, and MAYBE ship before end of year. The X-set is Series 87, so it would PROBABLY be early 2025.
  24. It would be a little bit early for pre-orders, but I'll see if we can make it happen.
  25. No plans for new/current X-Men looks -- I think we've decided that new and fresh is not always the best way to go, in case looks turn out to be short-lived or not well-received. The next few sets are decidedly nostalgic, and the X-Men set we have planned is very 1980s. BUT it does have an obscure X-Villain in it!
×
×
  • Create New...