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SDCC Exclusive Speculation


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No one is trying to create more completists, we're trying to create more casual purchasers. If a casual purchaser buying blind bags gets an obscure character and a variant and a nameless grunt before they get one of the main characters, then they may give up (my feeling with G.I. Joe). If they're more likely to get the main characters they want, as in at least 50% of the time, then they're more likely to keep buying and tolerate the intermittent supporting characters.

Lego has rares, as well -- granted, their rares are 2 or three per case, not one, but they're all generic characters to a degree, and their cases are huge. Ours will be smaller. 18 per case, not 32 or however many Lego has.

Based on your first line, I'm going to assume you are somewhat directing your answer at my criticism. But I don't think it directly addresses my main critique - why a one per case if blind bagged?

  • Having a case mix with 50% main characters makes sense to me to appeal to first time buyers. I'm not critical of that. But you can have a 50% main character mix without throwing in a one-per-case rare. One doesn't require the other.
  • I disagree that casual buyers will keep buying while only tolerating supporting characters. The pool of main characters in most properties is small. With TMNT, once the casual buyer finds the four turtles two things will happen: 1) They are done and toss aside any unliked supporting characters they inadvertently purchased during their blind bag search, or 2) they get bitten by the collecting bug and realize their four turtles can't exist without Splinter and April. And now they need Shredder. What's Shredder without a Foot henchmen. And so on.

I can get why small business retailers might like the idea of a one per case rares. If you can sell 18 bind bags for $3.99 each that's $71.82 per case sold. If the retailer opens the blind bags and re-prices based on rarity, they could opt to price based on "true odds". With a 50% chance of getting a main character for $3.99 blind bag the odds are even so main characters could be priced at $1.99. Odds are 4:5 that you will get a supporting character so you could price those at $4.78 each. Odds of getting the variant are 1:17 which means you could price the variant at $67.83. Retailers would have a strong incentive to open the bags and price based on odds to get $123.98 per case sold rather than the expected retail price from selling blind bags.

I think not trying to create more completionist buyers is a mistake. In essence, you are hoping casual buyers buy more Minimates not because they actually want all of the figures but because they are gambling on blind bags in an attempt to get the figures they do actually want. I think this sells Minimates short. Blind bags should result in casual buyers purchasing characters that they wouldn't normally intend to buy, but end up enjoying the product so much that they go back to get the rest. My argument is that once they see the figure priced $67.83 on eBay, they will decide the effort is too fruitless because they can't justify spending that much on a single figure to complete the set.

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I'm going to agree here but lean more towards turtles - Especially with the movie coming out retailers are going to be gobbling up turtle merchandise and you can have alot of variants of foot soldiers and or turtles

i have a feeling it will either be TMNT or plants vs zombies



If I can buy a sealed case from an online retailer and obtain a full set I would definitely be on board - I do it already with the dump cases anyway

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OK I give up, I just looked to see if I could transplant the blind box part of the conversation to a separate thread and realized that the two topics are far too intertwined to this point.

I'm going to open a new topic in 'crisis of infinite minimates' for continued discussion on that topic. If you want to talk blind boxes please do so in that thread.

Lets try to get this one back on track with SDCC Exclusive talk.

T.

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Casket of Ancient Winters box set.

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Emma Frost through the ages... be still, my beating heart... I would want- White Queen New X-men Diamond New X-men Diamond Utopia

ooooooh - i want Labotomy scar AoA Emma!

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He thinks it's "pretty cool"... omg, Emma frost through the ages

I love these obscure connecting of dots, it always reminds of that classic scene in the Adam West Batman movie when they "figure out" it was the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Riddler. Love it!

A shark was pulling my leg: the Joker!

It was fishy what happened to that boat, where there's a fish there's a penguin!

It happened at sea, C is for Catwoman!

It all boils down to a sinister riddle.....er. The Riddler!

Edited by Zylek
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Please be Clone Saga.

I doubt it. Spider-Man is getting a set by Luke so they'll turn to the other big marvel movie this summer, X-Men. So, IMHO it's an X-Men set. Now, what story is being adapted, well; your guess is as good as mine.

Edited by Kostisfire
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By "cool," I meant I liked it. There will be four characters/Minimates in the Marvel set. Classic storyline. Specific versions of existing characters.

TWD will have four MM/characters, as well. All variants of existing characters.

One retailer will have a non-Marvel two-pack to be announced. Variants of characters who will eventually be available elsewhere.

Two giveaways, neither exclusive to an event, one at a different booth. Translucent variants of characters who will be available elsewhere.

Edited by DSTZach
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