McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse General Thread

[Falling Downer]

Late to the party, but I found Lobo at Target today, along with 3 Jokers Batgirl and Red Hood at Walmart.

So, Todd manages to make almost every figure available in plentiful numbers at retail, almost everything is a brand new sculpt, and it stays mostly at the $20 retail. He even offered a full playset, and a vehicle at the same price Hasbro charges for a "deluxe" figure. He's showing it's possible, and most likely profitable. So what's the other guys' excuses?

Exactly. Marvel Legends was my main figure line for quite awhile (though I'm a big DC fan, too), and one day, I took a chance and picked up the Thomas Wayne Batman Target exclusive to check out the line. I opened that thing up, posed it around next to some of my Legends, and thought, "Wait..I paid the same for this as I did for THAT?"

Yes, I know there are multiple factors at play, but at the end of the day, as a consumer, these figures are, to me, the best bang for your buck as far as retail "collector" figures go.

[scottwerdal]

Late to the party, but I found Lobo at Target today, along with 3 Jokers Batgirl and Red Hood at Walmart.

So, Todd manages to make almost every figure available in plentiful numbers at retail, almost everything is a brand new sculpt, and it stays mostly at the $20 retail. He even offered a full playset, and a vehicle at the same price Hasbro charges for a "deluxe" figure. He's showing it's possible, and most likely profitable. So what's the other guys' excuses?

Exactly. Marvel Legends was my main figure line for quite awhile (though I'm a big DC fan, too), and one day, I took a chance and picked up the Thomas Wayne Batman Target exclusive to check out the line. I opened that thing up, posed it around next to some of my Legends, and thought, "Wait..I paid the same for this as I did for THAT?"

Yes, I know there are multiple factors at play, but at the end of the day, as a consumer, these figures are, to me, the best bang for your buck as far as retail "collector" figures go.

Very similar initial experience and current sentiment to my own. Love my Marvel Legends…but what McTodd is doing has definitely won me over.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jimbles]

$20 figures are good.

But $40 big boy Swamp Thing is a whole freakin' love letter to collectors. Ain't nobody else in the biz coming close to that one these days.

[Shinigami_PL]

Speaking of big and inexpensive figures, DCC Arkham Origins Killer Croc. That huge sucker was sold at a price of a standard figure, Marvel Select style.

And hey, got some new stuff today. Blight has a great sculpt but a costume that's completely unfamiliar to me. So while I'm happy to have him on my shelf, I'm not as excited at the tv show version would make me.


Also got Lobo today, who I'm much more happy with. I'm also a bit confused about the clown face paint comments because mine looks pretty good. Is it another case of just a few collectors whining really loudly, have I been lucky with a better paint job or is it a changed second run? White paint is just concentrated on the forehead and cheek bones on mine.

Anyway, with all those costume details missing paint, this guy will be 100% repainted.




I gave him a shotgun, I think it's the one that came with the old TBML Bishop? There are a few more guns I'll probably pose him with (most come from Storm Collectibles GOW).

[yojoebro82]

Late to the party, but I found Lobo at Target today, along with 3 Jokers Batgirl and Red Hood at Walmart.

So, Todd manages to make almost every figure available in plentiful numbers at retail, almost everything is a brand new sculpt, and it stays mostly at the $20 retail. He even offered a full playset, and a vehicle at the same price Hasbro charges for a "deluxe" figure. He's showing it's possible, and most likely profitable. So what's the other guys' excuses?

Go in the Marvel Thread and ask about their $33 Marvel Legend Anniversary figures and laugh at their reactions

There is no excuse,

And those $33 MLs are almost all reuse! When Todd give us new sculpting on most of his stuff and keeps it at $20? I don't get it.

One of the most readily used justifications for Hasbro's prices on ML or Black Series (with their "deluxe" figures that actually aren't deluxe) is that they have to pay licensing fees. OK. I'll run with that. Is Todd getting freebees from WB, letting him produce figures of their characters for free? Again, I don't get it.

And just think about the two companies themselves. How much bigger, how much more money do you suppose Hasbro makes that McFarlane Toys? I'm guessing it's not even in the same ballpark. (Didn't Hasbro just buy Death Row Records?) The money maker is gouging people on reuse and having accessories spread out in the package to artificially increase the box size. The little guy is doing new sculpting and keeping it at $20. Again, I don't get it.

Both companies have their flaws. I think ML and Multiverse are both light on paint apps. With ML you will get the occasional figure where they obviously cut corners. Sculpting gets a bit too cartoony for my taste and many ML figures look like their eyes are trying to run away from each other. I know why Multiverse doesn't do alternate heads, but they are typically light on accessories besides. Still, like many have said. The value definitely feels like it's there with a McFarlane DC figure. I don't typically feel ripped off as I'm going to purchase one.

[Shinigami_PL]

Just to chime in. DST makes Marvel Selects with a comparable amount of accessories to those deluxe $33 Legends at a bigger scale with much better paints and original sculpts, selling them at 29.99. And big guys like Hulk don't cost any extra.

[maverick10126]

Rumor is that ML 2022 MSRP will be $25. That would make it the Second year in a row the price is increasing. Which has played an impact on my collecting habits. There are just 3 revealed figures from ML that I want in 2022 so far. And I plan on waiting for sales for them.

[Mysticmanjrf1]

What Hasbro is doing with price gouging is pretty egregious. $32 for the new Captain America figure and other deluxe figures of pure re-use. I bought 3 Marvel figures last year, and other than Dr Strange and a couple Spidey villians, won't be buying any this year either.

I don't think they are doing a bad job...but the price just isn't worth it anymore. I don't have a huge problem with Hasbro's strategy other than the price hikes though. And I don't think most of us would be complaining if Todd had a few base bodies that he re-used if he was world building like Hasbro has for the last 6-7 years. They are just running out of popular characters to re-release.

I had the same experience as most of you guys with McFarlane though. Once I got the figures in hand, it was over. The value is so great for your $20. I just feel like I'm getting my money's worth. Whereas Hasbro is really making me consider every purchase at this point, Todd has me buying figures I never thought I'd be interested in because of the sculpt and look.

Character selection usually drives the purchase for me. But McF has been the one toy line where some figures are just too cool on their own to pass up.

[Shinigami_PL]

I'd cherry pick the hell out of this line if Todd went entirely the base bodies route.

[jimbles]

Sticking to a $20 price point while everyone else is moon-shotting their MSRP might be a great way for McF to boost marketshare.

I'm sensing a pattern here, though. 90s Toy Biz figures were a smash hit, then McF was bigger. Up came Legends to take the reins as an industry leader until Hasbro fumbled it and let it go dry, which gave DCUC a temporary boost (and some of the coolest BAFs ever). Legends come roaring back with RoML in a weak domestic market and hasn't let up since, but if they shoot themselves in the foot with pricing... in comes McF with DC?

Nothing lasts forever, after all...

[maverick10126]

There's nothing more frustrating that knowing what the figure is going to be like before you even have it in hand. Watching a review, hearing it's on the Bucky Cap mold....like what else are you really going to get out of the review at that point? I have a bunch of figures on that mold. They are all the same. Different head, different paint but for the most part if I had my eyes closed I wouldn't be able to tell them apart in hand. Even when McFarlane does use the same body there's enough different stuff going on that it feels fresh.

If you aren't buying movie figures with ML you are really getting the short end of the sculpting stick.

I think Todd's about a year away from this line truly feeling like it's a world building line. World building takes volume and a little bit of time. 2022 looks like it'll be the year Todd hits well over 100 releases for the year. Which that much volume it will be the best of both worlds. A world building line as well as specific comic arcs/video games/etc.

[Tommy Tomorrow]

Don’t buy Marvel Legends. Not a Marvel guy for 30 + years. But I do like how deep and wide they’ve gone. Always wished someone could’ve done that for DC starting in 2000. But yeah, 25 bucks for all reused parts and a new head, no thanks.

Be that as it may, I don’t see Todd going to a buck system anytime soon. Part sharing, is however, common sense cost cutting and should be done when appropriate.

As to “World Building”, I doubt we see any of that until year four. My guess is that Todd and his team (and DC) mapped out a lot of this early on for the term of his initial contract. My personal preference would be to go to a hybrid model of a cross between DCD and DCUC.

[bat1975]

[bat1975]

[maverick10126]

Starro?!? Are you [email protected]#$ kidding me?? Where did this come from. No rumor for this guy. This is awesome news...I need to take a closer look at Batman of Zur-en-arrh. 3J/Y2 re-use (with modifications of course)?