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1. Let me ask the dumbest of all questions, what would make this hobby fun again? I feel there is a deep Simpsons reference embedded therein. "Are you being sarcastic, dude? I don't even know anymore."
--Dan
I think a lot of fans assumed that at some point, every action figure line would come to an end. The Black Series is going on 13 years, and some iteration of The Vintage Collection has been off and on for 22 years. These things still sell (and Hasbro will likely never willingly give them up), and fans demand more detail, more articulation, and more gear, but also there's a need to make the line accessible to new fans as the 50-60-year-olds quit. Factor in new shows and new movies, and you've got a license that's mathematically make universal fun impossible for any one demographic at all times.
There was never a moment since the Kenner The Power of the Force 1995 line kicked off that wasn't swimming in complaints. No matter how good something else, someone will not like it, and that may even be a part of the problem with the modern age of collecting. I very much enjoy The Retro Collection figures, and people were quick to tell me I should be more upset that the sculpted detail is soft compared to the original 1978-1985 line-up. They're right? But does it matter, if I'm having a good time?
I had, no joke, fourteen paragraphs outlining changes in the toy economy (3 of the the Top 5 toy stores gone since 2009, the shift to online presales since COVID, the lack of anything an impulse buyer might want for Star Wars Hasbro at most retail stores and so much more) plus all sorts of other things. Heck, there are even some examples of other lines I feel are fun and doing it right, but there's a catch on all of them: you have to know when to say "no." You also need to look at what is, rather than what you would want, unless you're in a room to say to the company "Hey, nobody wants that, stop it."
My break from The Black Series came after some grousing, I feel it improved my fan experience immeasurably. You can buy three different currently-running collector lines right now, plus ActionVerse, or Mattel's ships, or Jazware's ships, or LEGO, or high-end stuff. We're so far beyond it being reasonable to "collect them all," and I am actually starting to ask of I want to stick with how I've been doing things or put the breaks on Vintage if it doesn't fit in with the idea of "I would have wanted this as a child." Disney has made so many droids that I don't think I need to keep the ones I have, and I'm furrowing my brow at the $30 monthly ones. Stopping would probably make me happy and I would have more fun with the things I do like, but I'd have a harder time answering questions if I just stopped caring about a segment of the brand. That's my excuse. Unless your hobby is writing or hoarding, what's the reason to keep doing it if you don't like it anymore?
Last year in The Vintage Collection was good but not perfect. We got a Cantina with the Tonnika Sisters (hooray!) and several remakes of guys we already owned (grumble.) For new or old fans, there were upgraded Landspeeders and Banthas and Darth Vader TIE Fighters... not much "new," but it was pretty good stuff. Was any of it fun? That's debatable - most new items seem designed for social media and toy photographers, and do not have things that are traditionally fun like electronic lights and sounds, or firing rockets, or things that make you want to play with the toy. The new TIE Advanced looks incredible, but it doesn't have a battle-alert sound nor pop-off panels. Nor slide-out laser cannons and firing rockets. You can swap out a damaged wing panel. (Honestly, who cares?) The proportions and paint are perfect, though, so for those who want a prop replica at low prices this is an excellent piece. The secret to fun here is to know when to say "yes, this is fun for me" or "no, I need to keep my money." We as a community are bad at this, and are far more likely to rage quit than we are to get picky.
Pricing is a whole different kettle of fish. Kid pricing has more or less kept up with inflation since the 1970s, with the original $2 figures in 1978 selling for around $11 today (and ActionVerse being in there.) Adjusted for inflation, $2 1978 is $10.24 2026. But what about collector-level figures? 2004 had the original Vintage The Original Trilogy Collection figures at $9.99. $10 from 2004 is supposedly $17.68 today, and today's Vintage figures have more joints, more paint, separately molded wigs, and generally more accessories for $19.99. If you compare kid stuff to kid stuff and collector stuff to collector stuff, pricing is actually kind of consistent and yes, slightly higher. Is it worth it? Well, that's up to you.
I am having some fun. I also can see the future, which helps. I think fans would be much happier if they pre-order what they must have, and then wait for a sale on stuff they could stand to live without. I keep seeing unsold Jod-Na Nawood figures at Ross. None of us should have paid over $15 for him, and since we never got the ship's kid crew, why buy him? Hasbro denied us fun in a 3 3/4-inch collection with only SM-33 in Epic Hero Series. We had a similar 3 3/4-inch problem with The Bad Batch, because making fans wait over 4 years to complete a team is just plain cruel and not fun. But we do it, because Hasbro frequently slow-rolls figures over time to keep us interested... which I think has had the opposite result in recent years. It is hard to walk away from a relationship - and collecting is a relationship - because some of us might feel the previous decade(s) was a waste. I submit to you it was not a waste, it was fun while it lasted, and it can be fun if you change the parameters of the relationship. People used to buy a carded set and a loose set. Most collectors stopped doing that. They can stop buying a scale, or characters they don't want, too. It may make your life happier - you can even keep a list of stuff to check on at Ross or eBay later, in case it gets cheaper. I started to do this with The Black Series but I found the $27.99 Jawa Teeka in The Black Series did not feel necessary to buy once she fell below the $10 mark. I had moved on, and I was having more fun not finding space for big figures.
Reconsider the value to you to "collect them all." I think your experience would be improved by doing so. I realized I felt I wasn't doing myself a favor by spending $150 plus tax and shipping on five The Black Series Christmas figures. I think the secret to enjoying what's left of this hobby is being picky, buying less, and for the advanced among us? Dump the debris you're paying to keep in a storage unit. You can't control the direction of the line. But you can control who gets your money and why, and maybe you dislike some figures but bought them out of obligation. Give 'em away. Sell 'em. Don't buy new ones that aren't what you want. That's really what you have available to you after 48 years. If you didn't like the sequel stuff, it's always a good time to start skipping Starfighter. Or if you only want new stuff, check out Starfighter.
2. What is the difference between the Captain Howser and Captain Ballast VC210 figures? The only difference that I see is the name pill on the different figures' cards.
--Doug
I'm sorry to say, that's it. If one man deserves the credit, or one man deserves the blame, I have yet to find out his name. Hasbro did confirm that the entire purpose to rerelease this figure was the name. Meanwhile, The Black Series Kir Kanos figure still only says Carnor Jax on the box. The only "intentional" variant in recent years that comes to mind comes from G.I. Joe Classified Series, which recently reissued its Arctic B.A.T. in a "normal" window box. That means the plastic-free closed box one is gone forever, and I am OK with that.
It is my understanding that some collectors whisper to Hasbro "rerelease this guy in a different package" or "take this deluxe guy and put it on a standard card at a standard price," which I see as a form of madness. Having said that, I am not a package variant collector. It's interesting to note. Sort of. I mean, if I kept lists of such things again, and I might do that at some point again.
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FIN
I'm changing up some of the affiliate stuff a bit. Sites like this are supported by you clicking some of those shopping links, or Patreon, but the former is less out-of-pocket for you than the latter. Anyway, on to the complaining.
I saw Hope, a South Korean monster movie that turns into a sci-fi move with a massive lore dump at the end. Buddy was the same kind of thing, minus the South Korean part. Most of it is a really good, sometimes very funny, horror or sci-fi thing that you'll probably really dig. But the revelation as to what it is this is all about kind of makes you go "...wait, what?" Most movie trilogies only end up that way because the success of the first, mostly stand-alone movie did enough to cause demand for two more movies. It's not a Star Wars, but if you like 1980s monster movies you might see this and go "Oh, yeah, this has some neat ideas in it." Until the ending.
John Wilson's The History of Concrete is allegedly opening this week, but it doesn't seem to be having any showings in Arizona yet. Wilson's own Low Cinema in Ridgewood has many showings, and also a web site that is after my own heart. If you have the chance to see this movie, go do so and tell me if it's as great as it looks. The director is probably best known for his work on HBO's How To with John Wilson, which is excellent and you should see it.
Also allegedly opening this week is of interest to SCTV fans and comedy nerds. You Had to Be There is a doc that covers a famous 1972 production of Godspell with a then-unknown Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Paul Schaffer, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas... just to name a few. This sounds really good, so I am hoping to get to see it.
After showing Akira in IMAX, there's a lot more anime coming to the big screen again including the original Ghost in the Shell. That, you can easily get tickets for in many markets. 1989 Batman will also see a reissue this week, along with The LEGO Batman Movie and others. None of the big studios are doing a good job publicizing these rereleases, so you should probably look at your local big chain(s) and then see if the theaters you prefer to go to have them too.
All that is there because I was going to write about other toy stuff, but a Q&A question came in that was a better use of that kind of stuff so you'll see that in a week or two. Other than Star Wars and Starfighter opening in IMAX, not a whole heck of a lot if happening in a galaxy far, far away right now and I'm making my rounds to go see the future this month. There should be a lot more to talk about very soon.
--Adam Pawlus
Got questions? Email me with Q&A in the subject line now! I'll answer your questions as soon as time (or facts) permit.
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