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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 1, 2019 9:17:18 GMT
No, you buy multiples!
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Post by Pinwig on Nov 1, 2019 9:19:53 GMT
No, you just buy more of the same thing and put them in a circle.
The difference was that Palitoy did the toys in the UK and Kenner in America - both companies were owned by the same parent company but worked independently. So Palitoy evaluated what Kenner were putting out and decided to change some of the stuff for our market. So the cardboard Death Star would have been the one you got wherever Palitoy were in charge of Star Wars toys.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 1, 2019 11:24:33 GMT
By a strange coincidence.... Could your Palitoy items in the attic be worth a fortune? downthetubes.net/?p=112160Death Star doesn't get a mention alas
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Post by blueshift on Nov 1, 2019 11:27:20 GMT
I read one of those articles recently where it said a normal G1 Optimus Prime was worth £2000, amazing!! We're all rich!
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 1, 2019 11:51:36 GMT
It occurs to me that I haven't seen any Rise of Skywalker toys in supermarkets or toy shops. Does the film not have kids toys or has Hasbro UK ******* up again?
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Nov 1, 2019 11:56:41 GMT
It occurs to me that I haven't seen any Rise of Skywalker toys in supermarkets or toy shops. Does the film not have kids toys or has Hasbro UK ******* up again? -Ralph Still a good while to go before release! Maybe they prioritised stock for the US I also recall the last lot of figures didn't do great over here so maybe stores are being more cautious and only stocking closer to release date (also they mostly seem to once more be pretty much identical to previous figures that kids will already have apart from the red stormtrooper)
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 1, 2019 12:57:31 GMT
Maybe so.
I only ever saw Solo figures once when the film came out but that was in FP.
It just feels really odd not to see SE toys though.
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Nov 1, 2019 13:22:18 GMT
Maybe so. I only ever saw Solo figures once when the film came out but that was in FP. It just feels really odd not to see SE toys though. -Ralph I think the issue Star Wars toys are having is the same that the Bay Transformers film toys had - after the first film, it's the same characters with everyone looking identical, so the toys look veeeeeery similar. Added to that is the colour palette for the Star Wars sequel characters is very beige, which may look more realistic but doesn't translate well to toys. You end up with lots of similar looking figures in beige jumpsuits or clothing. I know Lucas was often criticised for having one eye on the toy market, but honestly I felt it made his films at least feel fresh and stand out. In the original trilogy, each film had two segments where the characters got to dress up in different costumes (Arctic gear! desert disguise! Jungle gear!) which meant the toylines were always very different year to year. Especially for the prequel trilogy - every film is completely different in terms of new stuff!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 1, 2019 13:50:04 GMT
Maybe so. I only ever saw Solo figures once when the film came out but that was in FP. It just feels really odd not to see SE toys though. -Ralph The first time I saw Solo figures was last Christmas discounted in The Entertainer, six months after the film launched. They have had a regular supply since then. I don't believe Rise of Skywalker toys are out yet.
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Post by blueshift on Nov 1, 2019 13:52:51 GMT
Solo should have been a December release, CRAZY that it wasn't and that they rushed finishing it for a May release instead
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 1, 2019 13:57:21 GMT
Last Jedi was still showing locally once a day when Solo came out!
-Ralph
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Jim
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Post by Jim on Nov 1, 2019 23:31:44 GMT
Maybe so. I only ever saw Solo figures once when the film came out but that was in FP. It just feels really odd not to see SE toys though. -Ralph The first time I saw Solo figures was last Christmas discounted in The Entertainer, six months after the film launched. They have had a regular supply since then. I don't believe Rise of Skywalker toys are out yet. The Black Series figures have been on the shelves here for a couple of weeks.
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Post by Llama God on Nov 2, 2019 8:24:28 GMT
I think the main issue with the Star Wars toys has been the integration of the comm-tech chips (or whatever they're calling them these days) into the figure which, aside from being a dreadful gimmick, has put the individual figures on to shelves at a tenner each, which when you compare them with what else is on the shelves just isn't going to be that attractive to anyone but the most dedicated fan.
That whole gimmick was, to me, a massive mistake. I've got a lot of the ships now thanks to the Entertainer selling a lot of them cheap, and whilst the models themselves are nice and solid, they're just not as fun as previous iterations of the toys. Sure, Kylo's fighter from TLJ is nice and all, but it barely does anything; the TIE-Striker from Rogue One, on the other hand, fires a Nerf dart from its belly - THAT is fun. Hell, I *love* the TFA Falcon with its central Nerf Cannon - sure, that cannon is in no way canon, but for me (and I'm fairly sure for kids, too) that is FUN.
The worst example I think is Enfys Nest and her speeder, which I finally picked up recently - it's SO disappointing. The speeder's an effect-thing-vehicle and it's just a plastic slab for her to sit on. It does nothing on its own. Not a thing. Nada. It is completely reliant on having one of those electronic wrist band things to make noises fot it. It doesn't even fire a missile, let alone have the decency to explode apart like the original speeder bike. I only paid £13 for it thanks to the Entertainer's reductions, and even that felt like a rip off. It's so disappointing. They really need to drop that "gimmick" and just get back to making fun toys.
The other thing they're getting wrong (aside from distribution) is, as mentioned above, just focussing on the same few characters and vehicles. Much as I love TLJ (and I do, very much) I was going to criticise it for not having enough new vehicles to sell enough new toys. But when you look at the production art there's a lot they could have mined. The same's true for Solo - although even more of that appeared on screen. But instead they focussed on two blocky speeders and put out one of the worst toys of the Falcon ever. There is SO MUCH ELSE available for them to sell which would have made great toys. Hell, I remember the old Kenner mini-vehicles - I had the AST-5 and the CAP-2 Captivator, neither of which were in the films but they were great little toys and I loved them. Hasbro really, really need to be showing more imagination here.
I think ultimately, as far as Star Wars goes, Hasbro got complacent and fell into the post-prequels rut of thinking that since collectors were fine with the Black Series and the like they didn't need to do more else. They forgot that toys are meant to be for kids, and that they're meant to be fun. And it's a real shame to see they've not rediscovered that in time for RoS...
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Post by Llama God on Nov 2, 2019 8:26:44 GMT
Solo should have been a December release, CRAZY that it wasn't and that they rushed finishing it for a May release instead True. But on the flip side it would have been up against Mary Poppins Returns, Aquaman, Bumblebee, Mortal Engines, and many other films which also bombed (or at least didn't do as well as they could have) last Christmas due to there being a packed schedule. But on the other flip side, if Solo had been set for a Christmas release those other films might themselves have been schedule to not compete with it. So... yeah. It was crazy.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 2, 2019 8:37:01 GMT
I think ultimately, as far as Star Wars goes, Hasbro got complacent and fell into the post-prequels rut of thinking that since collectors were fine with the Black Series and the like they didn't need to do more else. They forgot that toys are meant to be for kids, and that they're meant to be fun. And it's a real shame to see they've not rediscovered that in time for RoS... I think going 5poa with the figures alienated a lot of long time collectors. The vintage line, with 70s/80s style cardbacks and 15+poa had a lot of fans. The money only goes so far and if it's being split between 5poa figures, vintage, black series and whatever other sh!t Hasbro decides to throw at the wall this week nobody is going to get that big a slice of the pie ..... Hasbro's boys distribution in the UK has been terrible the last few years, both TFs and SW. Loosing supermarket support at the same time as TRU dying is really a huge blow.
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 2, 2019 10:00:25 GMT
Yes I think Hasbro UK's terrible distribution has not helped.
The decision to put up the price of figures while reducing articulation was also a bad idea. Now I have a few and they are fine for what they are, but I always waited until they were on deep discount. Not worth a tenner.
The com tech chip thing was also a terrible idea. In times of austerity, saying that you have to buy something else to make ships etc do something is not going to go down well with parents.
It is mad with SW being popular again that I don't see toys for it in supermarkets at all.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 2, 2019 14:04:36 GMT
The retro-collection surfaced in the small Asda near my house.
There were four left - Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca. £9.97 a pop. I had to.
Andy
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Post by Pinwig on Nov 2, 2019 14:13:32 GMT
Oh wow. Those actually got as far as shops? That would have been cool to see.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 2, 2019 14:41:58 GMT
Worth a trip to Asda,
If my ankle is up to it, will try a trip to the big one tomorrow and see if they have anymore.
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Post by Pinwig on Nov 2, 2019 15:34:25 GMT
Oh you mean this was a recent thing? I may have to go and have a look in my local one then!
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 2, 2019 15:36:05 GMT
Just this very morning!
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 2, 2019 16:34:03 GMT
None in mine but then they don't usually have SW toys.
If I see these I may not be able to stop myself.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 2, 2019 20:13:00 GMT
You know you will buy them. It is unavoidable, it is your destiny.
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 2, 2019 21:32:17 GMT
If I see them...
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 16, 2019 11:48:04 GMT
Still none in mine. Found Han, Luke, Leia and Vader in another Asdaland. No Stormtrooper or Chewie. -Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Nov 16, 2019 15:08:24 GMT
Dammit dammit DAMMIT.
I have to go to Asda.
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 16, 2019 16:42:39 GMT
These things seem to be rare as rocking horse shit. If I ever see Stormtrooper or Chewie they will be bought on sight!
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 16, 2019 16:59:06 GMT
Watch as Phil makes a picture appear. -Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Nov 16, 2019 18:06:54 GMT
Beautiful.
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 16, 2019 23:09:57 GMT
Yes, but what is missing is context. Seeing them in real life in that packaging in a supermarket instantly transported me back in time. I hope they get more in so I can get the last 2 of the series. -Ralph
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