Matty Collector

[FFN]

Taking risks - here's the flip side: what if Mattel thought X product line, specific figures and such were too risky for a full retail production run and projections indicated not enough interest from the mass market and/or did not encounter enough retailer interest?

With Transformers specifically I can see it getting anything more than a remold or redeco if such an online store existed. Due to the cost of engineering a TF it would never happen.

One can dream though. And yes, I'd expect Star Wars to take the lead.

I don't think there's much Hasbro can do with Star Wars that they haven't already done. I could only see director-to-collector sales on stuff that has little mass market appeal.

Fans would have never dreamed of a new Millennium Falcon, AT-TE, Turbo Tank, AT-AT, Slave-1 ect a few years ago. In fact, the only things that I can see Hasbro not doing is something that is impossible to get at a certain price point or is purely impractical. I believe anything figure scale is fair game to be made perhaps one day, so long as there isn't a legal problem (see: the Tonnika sisters).

Hasbro may be a larger toy company than Mattel but the latter is still within the same league and it's not as if they are struggling.

According to at least 2009 figures, Mattel is still the largest toy company based upon revenue, and they still enjoy larger total assets. Hasbro's share price is worth almost twice as much, however, and they're slowly catching up in revenue.

I've actually discussed this with many people over the past couple of years (some of them even work for Hasbro). It's been a point of debate for some time among fans of collectible action figures.

Personally, I think it comes down to the fact that Hasbro just aren't a company that's known for taking risks... and having an online-only collector's line for adults available for only (often) one day per month, is too much of a damn risk. Of course, Mattel are known for blazing the trail somewhat, and while they certainly haven't got it 100% right yet and there are MANY issues that need to be addressed, I commend them for taking the chance.

...

I think Hasbro will eventually have some sort of online store for low-production, fan specific figures (probably more likely to be Star Wars first though), but not for a while... Not until they see how viable it's been for Matty. They're so slow to react because they fear taking risks... kinda like Hollywood.

Mattycollector.com was probably as risky to Mattel as it would have been for Hasbro it's just that the former is not afraid to take that risk. Despite people whining about the handling of the matty website (that includes me) we still come back for more and the toys sell out within the hour because there is indeed a market for collector toys which Hasbro largely neglects.

Mattel is now barely tapping into that Market and it has turned out be be very profitable given the announced longevity of the MOTUC line. The 3rd party Transformer companies are seriously exploiting it because they have discovered it to be a largely profitable market largely neglected by the large toy giants.

I think a question that should be asked is: Does Hasbro need to market directly to their collectors? From what I've seen and heard from Hasbro's designers (and specifically Hasbro's Transformers designers), they got into this business to make toys for children, to live out some sort of dream to make the things they would have enjoyed when they were that age.

What else can Hasbro make that they don't already do? We are not left wanting for products that collectors can enjoy. We are not like the MOTU fans who only have a handful of toys for a franchise that isn't going anywhere.

It also helps that many of Matty's lines (at least 4 that I can think of right off the top of my head) have Brand Managers who have "fan-boy" passion and commitment towards them. Hasbro doesn't seem to be the same.

Take it from me: In my dealings with people who work or have worked for Hasbro, I have never once questioned their personal passion for the brands they work upon or the professional commitment to them. At the same time, I don't expect them to view the brand from the same perspective as we fans do 24 hours a day, because that's their work, this is just our hobby.

The fact that their brands are doing so well is a testament to them. It is not dumb luck or the consumer not caring, tt's the hard work that Hasbro have put in.

[Sky Shadow]

We are not like the MOTU fans who only have a handful of toys for a franchise that isn't going anywhere.

They'd have to be mother#@$*!^% big hands.

[kup]

They'd have to be mother#@$*!^% big hands.

Yeah, it almost seems that every couple of days I find out about a MOTU character that I didn't previously know about and I am not exactly a stranger to the line.

The amount of characters, vehicles, beasts and potential of repaints and remoulds is considerable.

[kup]

.
What else can Hasbro make that they don't already do?

It's been brought up that Transformer toys are harder to develop and produce than MOTUC toys and I agree since MOTUC reuses a lot of parts which a transformer cannot.

How about them using a Collector site to release more 'premium' versions of their retail figures? With better paint apps and perhaps new G1 inspired accessories or parts such as a new more fan friendly head in a similar form that Botcon does. This would also include reissues and proper Hasbro releases of the Japanese collector lines such as Alternity.

In regards to FunPub, they would still have exclusive rights to their own toys since they are very 'theme' based anyways and I seriously doubt a Hasbro collector website would compete with them as long as they are not producing the same figures. I find this comparison irrelevant specially when FunPub exclusives are not exactly accessible to everyone.

A Hasbro collector focused website and lines could even take the wind out of the 3rd parties if Hasbro begins to sell upgrades and accessories with perhaps the odd completely new fan requested figure which Walmart would have never accepted.

MOTUC figures sell for US$20 and although this is typically double the price for an equivalent US retail figure, they still sell out within the hour! Some of the larger toys that cost $30-$40 still sell out within the same day! Imagine a Transformer figure with arguably double the budget to produce.

I think that at the end of the day, Hasbro has no will to do it so it's not so much that they can't but more that they won't.

[GoktimusPrime]

If they had a collector-exclusive site, then I fear the cost of those toys for non-American collectors may be prohibitively expensive. (-_-)
Perhaps it would be better if they were like Diamond Select and distributed the toys to places like retailers like Comic Kingdom, Kings Comics, Phantom Comics, Kinokuniya, Comics R Us etc. - i.e. retailers that directly cater for collectors instead of "general consumer" retailers like Kmart, Target etc.

From what I've seen and heard from Hasbro's designers (and specifically Hasbro's Transformers designers), they got into this business to make toys for children, to live out some sort of dream to make the things they would have enjoyed when they were that age.

And I think this is a really good thing. One thing that sometimes concerns me when manufacturers start making toys for adult collectors is that you can end up with really boring toys (re: inferior play value) - what Kevin Smith shamelessly calls "Inaction Figures." Having said that, most collector-centric Transformer toys thankfully retain good play value.

[kup]

If they had a collector-exclusive site, then I fear the cost of those toys for non-American collectors may be prohibitively expensive. (-_-)
Perhaps it would be better if they were like Diamond Select and distributed the toys to places like retailers like Comic Kingdom, Kings Comics, Phantom Comics, Kinokuniya, Comics R Us etc. - i.e. retailers that directly cater for collectors instead of "general consumer" retailers like Kmart, Target etc.

What about Matty's model? They only charge $10 a figure for international shipping and you save more when you combine. One of the good things about Matty collector is that they are very fair when it comes to international shipping unlike the FunPub store which barely acknowledges that people live outside the US. Selling it to local collector retailers is not much of an option as it would only result in massively inflated prices . It is far too often that it's much cheaper to import something than to buy it at a local collector store and too unworkable as they only deal in tiny numbers per store. An online shop can have as many figures in stock as they deem fit for the market, all from a single source.

And I think this is a really good thing. One thing that sometimes concerns me when manufacturers start making toys for adult collectors is that you can end up with really boring toys (re: inferior play value) - what Kevin Smith shamelessly calls "Inaction Figures." Having said that, most collector-centric Transformer toys thankfully retain good play value.

As you mentioned, a collector toy does not have to be deprived of play value. MOTUC have a lot of it, arguably more than several Hasbro retail toys despite a lack of 'Action gimmicks' yet it's a collector exclusive line.

Regarding the toy designers, didn't one of the Takara designers say that some of the great obstacles to making a good toy was Hasbro always trying to cost cut or forcing a stupid gimmick onto it? In a collector only line, those things would not be as much of a factor as Walmart and their silly 'sale gimmick' demands would not factor in and prices can be reasonably higher than US retail (still cheaper by our local standards) with the difference that you get more bang for your buck.

[GoktimusPrime]

What about Matty's model? They only charge $10 a figure for international shipping and you save more when you combine. One of the good things about Matty collector is that they are very fair when it comes to international shipping unlike the FunPub store which barely acknowledges that people live outside the US. Selling it to local collector retailers is not much of an option as it would only result in massively inflated prices . It is far too often that it's much cheaper to import something than to buy it at a local collector store and too unworkable as they only deal in tiny numbers per store. An online shop can have as many figures in stock as they deem fit for the market, all from a single source.

The Official Transformers Club seems to barely acknowledge the existence of collector outside North America too... so I'm not eager to trust that if Hasbro did set up a collector's store that they'd change this outlook. Given their track record, odds are Hasbro will charge rip off prices for collectors outside the USA. I'm not saying it's not possible (from what you've told me about Matty Collector it definitely seems possible)... but I wouldn't hold my breath for Hasbro to make the effort to cater for international fans.

As you mentioned, a collector toy does not have to be deprived of play value. MOTUC have a lot of it, arguably more than several Hasbro retail toys despite a lack of 'Action gimmicks' yet it's a collector exclusive line.

Yeah, I had a fiddle with Hursticon's Skeletor at the Parra Fair, and I must say I was quite impressed.

Regarding the toy designers, didn't one of the Takara designers say that some of the great obstacles to making a good toy was Hasbro always trying to cost cut or forcing a stupid gimmick onto it? In a collector only line, those things would not be as much of a factor as Walmart and their silly 'sale gimmick' demands would not factor in and prices can be reasonably higher than US retail (still cheaper by our local standards) with the difference that you get more bang for your buck.

Well yeah, Transformers are often crap when their engineering is compromised for sales gimmicks to appeal to retailers. But again, that's the problem when they make toys to appeal to retailers instead of children. Kids don't like toys that are compromised by their gimmick (e.g. G1 Battlechargers, Firecons etc.)

[FFN]

As you mentioned, a collector toy does not have to be deprived of play value. MOTUC have a lot of it, arguably more than several Hasbro retail toys despite a lack of 'Action gimmicks' yet it's a collector exclusive line.

That's an entirely subjective viewpoint.

Regarding the toy designers, didn't one of the Takara designers say that some of the great obstacles to making a good toy was Hasbro always trying to cost cut or forcing a stupid gimmick onto it? In a collector only line, those things would not be as much of a factor as Walmart and their silly 'sale gimmick' demands would not factor in and prices can be reasonably higher than US retail (still cheaper by our local standards) with the difference that you get more bang for your buck.

To my knowledge, not exactly.

What both Shogo Hasui and Hirofumi Ichikawa said (separately) about Energon Wing Saber was that they had to design under Hasbro's strict requirements for plastic weight and dimensions for the Voyager price point, and that Hasbro couldn't just make the box larger for to accomodate a larger figure, and as a consequence, some minor features were eliminated. By comparison, due to (I assume) the Japanese industry and market's more flexible per-product budget and pricing, Takara, if they were designing a toy just for their own market, in theory could adjust the price to accommodate whatever the specific toy required. Hasui said that these restrictions are always with them.

(Superlink Wing Saber was priced a little more than the Energon version, but was functionally and aesthetically nearly identical.)

TakaraTomy Staff interview Translation - Mr. Starscream (can't link Ichikawa's comments because they were via email).

Hasui and Hisashi Yuki related Takashi Kunihiro's (designer of the leader class Movie Primes) troubles in designing Jetfire in having to accommodate the design of the movie model, make it a combiner, being able to fit the electronics and batteries into the toy (wishing batteries could "transform to a smaller size!"), and to fit the TRY ME! switch on the front of the figure.

TakaraTomy Staff interview; ROTF Human Alliance, Gravity Bots and more

[GoktimusPrime]

Hasui and Hisashi Yuki related Takashi Kunihiro's (designer of the leader class Movie Primes) troubles in designing Jetfire in having to accommodate the design of the movie model, make it a combiner, being able to fit the electronics and batteries into the toy (wishing batteries could "transform to a smaller size!"), and to fit the TRY ME! switch on the front of the figure.

Hence why I dislike:
+ Transformers designed as screen characters first before being designed as toys. I much prefer Transformers that are designed as toys first, then let comic/screen artists adapt them (then watch fans complain about lack of "screen accuracy" )
+ Electronic gimmicks, particularly sound gimmicks. We can provide our own sound effects and voices, thankyouverymuch. (-_-)

[FFN]

It should be noted that, to my knowledge, there's nothing to stop TakaraTomy from having all Movie toys with superior paint decos to their Hasbro counterparts, considering the higher retail price they are sold at (as well as the accompanying higher budgets). Hasbro paints the way they do because they need to sell it to retailers who sell them for $10-12USD. TakaraTomy's versions have a RRP that's twice as much, and have a per-figure paint budget that allows for considerably more paint to be used.

Also note that TakaraTomy toylines with better paint jobs (or simply more paint used, regardless of if its appropriate or not), tend to be non-movie lines, ie, Transformers lines without a big international movie to help sell toys.

I wonder, does TakaraTomy feel that because the big movie helps sell considerably more Transformers than they would normally sell (perhaps mainly to kids), that they don't need to "try as hard"? The movie toys with significantly different paint decos appear to be special collector-focused releases (like Buster Prime and the "Masterpiece" decos).