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What went wrong with the SF2 line?


Danny

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At this point, is it really a question of whether a second wave will get made? As I understand it, production decisions are made pretty far in advance and aren't really something where they'd "wait and see" how the four-packs do.

Are the four-packs really just a way to clear out inventory or try to recoup the cost of old molds?

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At this point, is it really a question of whether a second wave will get made? As I understand it, production decisions are made pretty far in advance and aren't really something where they'd "wait and see" how the four-packs do.

Are the four-packs really just a way to clear out inventory or try to recoup the cost of old molds?

The 4 packs are a way of getting mini's to mass market fairly cheaply, as you say there is mould reuse so that saves money.

From what we can tell these aren't old stock, partly because of the slight manufacturing differences and partly that the runs for Mass are much much larger than the limited speciality market releases.

The biggest saving factor for a second wave of SFII is IF the 4 packs do very well at mass and (Target or) TRU ask for more of them. Other than that I think it's probably doomed.

It's sad but it seems that speciality alone is not enough to support a line of minimates anymore.

T.

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If only they put them out where more people were able to get them......

Like i said, I didn't see ANY Street Fighters mates in this area or back home and I checked quite a few shops that I knew of. That's why no one was buying them, no one knew where to get them except online.

If they choose not to make anymore, it is a very sad thing......but at least put out series 2.

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Shenanigans is right! But how used to it are we with ALL the lines by now? They're slow, they change, they leave, they come back. ;)

I agree that the Darkstalkers was a drag on the line though, regardless if you were a fan of the line or not. (I AM!) Imagine if the first wave of Marvel characters had had a Mastadon/Antibody 2 pack instead of Hulk/Banner? Or If wave 2 had a Scuzz/Blur 2 pack instead of BD Spidey/Venom? Sure those are a very similiar line, made by the same company, like the SF/DS connection, but one is a popular long lived line and one never really took off. It would have cut down on their overall sales and longevity simply because it would have appealed to a smaller market, like the DS characters. Ryu/Akuma, Chun Li/Bison, + Guile/Balrog-Honda/Dhalsim-Fei Long/Ken-T.Hawk/WHOEVER they would have sold better and still left multiple popular characters to choose from for wave 2.

Distribution is an issue also. I know from my personal buying habits that I will order online to guarantee getting them and then if I see them in a store, I'll usually buy more just because it's cool to see them on a shelf. I know I will but the SF 4 pack if I see it in a store even though I x3 bought from AFX the entire line.

So all they really did well was the design and production quality I guess. But what does it matter if they make a high quality toy that no one can get or that no one knows?

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Maybe Dark Stalkers isn't as big a name brand as Street Fighter, but we've got people here on these boards that were more interested in the Dark Stalkers than the Street Fighters. And yeah, maybe it would have sold better if they released all the heavy hitters in the first wave, but what happens when you blow your whole load too soon? Would Marvel be as big as it is now if the first wave had Cap, Iron Man, Spidey, Wolvie, and all the other big names in one go?

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They could have added 2 more SF charatcers without blowing their proverbial wad and only logically had more success, especially considering it IS a SF line. SF has 8-12-16-+ characters that have a larger draw. The SOTA line has done T.Hawk, Camy, Fei Long, the old dude, and many more without running out of core characters to put in each line. I'm not saying "make with the Skullomania figure" or anything either.... ;)

Any one consider the repaint theory? 3 Ryu's and 3 Akuma's in the first wave? Sounds like what we all complain about with 8 Wolverines, 7 Things, and 15 Spidermans. These were only re-paints also, no variations of costume design or accessories, with the Lilltih/Morrigan exception. Being a complete completist, I was very bummed to have to buy multiple repaints to be complete. Even though I LOVE SF and still fire ups the Genesis sometimes to play (we all know it's best on that console) I considered skipping the line completely because of the 2p repaints. When do we have to pony up for the 3p repaints???

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  • 2 weeks later...

is there anything we can do as a community to make certain wave 2 gets released?

I dont know..but what couldnt hurt...everyone who has the 4 packs at their TRU. Be sure to buy at least one. If you already have em, then donate them to children's charity for the christmas season as it approaches. Not only are we getting the 4 packs sold, but we might even hook a few kids on them too :)

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I dont know..but what couldnt hurt...everyone who has the 4 packs at their TRU. Be sure to buy at least one. If you already have em, then donate them to children's charity for the christmas season as it approaches. Not only are we getting the 4 packs sold, but we might even hook a few kids on them too :)

That is a great idea moc! Also if you're looking for gifts for other kids in the family (nieces, nephews, cousins, etc) buy a pack or two for them too ;)

holiday.jpg

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I love the Street Fighter 'mates, adding to the fact that SF is one of my favorite fighting game series' of all time, with the Vs. Series conveniently being the first.

The one problem I had with it is that I couldn't find the damn things until the 4-pack came around. I hope they do something like that for wave 2. If they release Wave 2.

I needs me a Ken and a Dan. Or a Felicia and Talbot.

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in all honesty i dnt kno many people who like street fighter enough 2 buy the merch! all my mates hu have bought the street fighter minimates have bought them 2 make customs! i would quite like a blanker though :D!!!!!!

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I personally can attest to how nonexistent these figures were at retail. I didn't even know about these being released until I started looking around on the Internet, trying to research minimates in general. They looked interesting, but I held off on purchasing them for two reasons: 1) I didn't have a clue as to who the "Darkstalkers" were and thus they were less desirable and 2) I could only purchase these by online means which causes the whole "shipping and handling" aspect to come into play. Luckily I stumbled across these two packs on Amazon a few weeks ago when they had them on dramatic clearance for $1.80 a two pack and I picked up all the basic series one plus the previews exclusive Darkstalker set. They are better than I had expected and I would definitely purchase more if they came available. Sadly it doesn't sound like these mates are long for this earth.

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is there anything we can do as a community to make certain wave 2 gets released?

I dont know..but what couldnt hurt...everyone who has the 4 packs at their TRU. Be sure to buy at least one. If you already have em, then donate them to children's charity for the christmas season as it approaches. Not only are we getting the 4 packs sold, but we might even hook a few kids on them too :)

Even though I'm pretty sure SF is finished, I went ahead and picked up the 4 packs from TRU. I hope enough of these sell to get the remaining main characters made. If not, it's ok. These are some nifty little mates. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...
Where were they at retail? I've never even seen a 2 pack. I think that's the problem. I can find the SOTA figs at Hot Topic, Spencer Gifts, Suncoast, Tower, etc, but I cannot find the 'mates anywhere.

I would have to agree. I wasn't aware of these figures until I found the 4-packs at a TRU about a month ago. Had they been at any of the stores you listed I would have bought them long ago.

And I could see how the Darkstalkers figures could hurt sales a bit, I hesitated on purchasing the 4-pack with them in it. Had they been packed by themselves I may have skipped them, atleast until I opened the SF figures and found out how cool they were.

These are the first minimates I've ever purchased and I'm quite pleased with them. The figures, accessories and packaging are all great. And after seeing the art on the back of the package for Ken, Blanka, Guile, Vega and Lilith I had to look for more info. Sucks to hear that series 2 might not happen, but it looks like I'll be searching for a Lilith vs. Demitri 2-pack now.

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