Do the legacy line toys have the plastic sheet in the box cut out? I dont remember seeing one when I saw ss ravage on the shelf. I'm not fond of the idea of having 'open boxes'. Why not just go for a closed box or blister card? Thoughts
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Do the legacy line toys have the plastic sheet in the box cut out? I dont remember seeing one when I saw ss ravage on the shelf. I'm not fond of the idea of having 'open boxes'. Why not just go for a closed box or blister card? Thoughts
I've seen open box for Voyager and Core Legacy, and Core Studio Series. Deluxe and Voyager Studio Series still have the plastic window. Leader Studio Series (Coronation Starscream, Sludge) are closed boxes.
I don't like open boxes due to people stealing things as shown here. It's more work for me to check that the toy has not been abused. I rely on the tapes being intact (or double/triple-taped with original factory tape) but that will become less useful for open boxes. I guess we'll see how this plays out. It might not be a big problem. Then again, retailers might get annoyed at all the returns and damaged stock and put pressure back on Hasbro. I understand the environmental concerns but buying plastic toys is ultimately not about environmental concern and the bottom line for Hasbro is money.
I honestly do not think that open boxes are the problem that they are being made out to be elsewhere, because plenty of other toys are sold in similarly open boxes. If this were a big problem, then surely the retailers would have pressed for an end to it ages ago, or the manufacturers would have changed to stop their losses.
The horror stories seem, from what I can see, almost always to come from one particular country that has enormous economic disparity and a devil-take-the-hindmost national ethos.
A lot of toys aren't completely encased in plastic or cardboard, so they have always been at risk of damage or interference.... and even though all toys at a retail store will be at risk to curious little fingers, if it is a collector-targeted toy product, that demographic doesn't want those little fingers unintentionally damaging it or intentionally removing something.
However, the small number of toys at retail stores that are aimed at collectors will also be a target for thieves, and unlike other toys that are also exposed to window shoppers (little fingers), the collector toys are twice at risk in a retail store of damage or theft.
Windowless boxes are fine. Plastic free windows are bad, especially with weird jagged cardboard edges.
Makes it very difficult for MISB collectors. Both in finding one minty fresh but also in keeping dust free and clean.
Without the clear plastic, there'll be damaged or missing parts and accessories. Dust, grime and germs on the figure will be problem even for non-MISB collectors. And there is a virus going around at the moment. Bad idea.
Having windows was a nice way to decide on which figure to grab when I see them in store. Guess that I buy most online these days because retail here is garbage it should be fine.
I'm also one who likes to check the quality and paint on the toys in the store before choosing one... but considering the amount of toys that are bought online sight-unseen, it probably wouldn't be so bad to have them packaging in sealed boxes (like Takara used to do).
Ultimately, it comes down to what the Retailers want, and how well the distributors can make the products look to the Retailers.
But if Retailers start writing off too many products from a Brand due to theft or damages in-store, they will demand better packaging or stop buying the Brand completely.
This is actually one the major reasons I buy in-store, and as someone who has keen eye, I can say that the quality of paint application for WFC and SS is highly variable. Some paint/tampo jobs (and chipping) are just atrocious, while some are done by a freakin' robot! It's almost a coin toss which you'll get. It's also more fun to see shelves stocked with goodies - all that childhood stuff. So I'm in bind... more paint issues or more standing in the toy aisle like Mr Burns choosing ketchup or catsup ;).
Did some scouting around the Internet. Legacy Deluxes are also open box and Leaders are closed box. I would think this means Studio Series will eventually follow suit and go plastic window-free for all classes.