Hasbro's Future With The Marvel License Still Unknown, But Don't Panic

4 hours ago, leokearon said:

I know there are figures in the Vintage line, but I didn't think there's a dedicated line

No, there's no specific "Rise of Skywalker" line in any scale. All of their assortments currently mix eras/movies/shows/games.

1 hour ago, Jmacq1 said:

There is a 3.75" line for Rise of Skywalker, though it's pretty small in scope so far, and apparently not being sold overseas.

I know there are figures in the Vintage line, but I didn't think there's a dedicated line

On 2/12/2020 at 12:14 PM, leokearon said:

Yeah SW isn't doing well at the moment, like seriously no 3.75 line for Rise of Skywalter, but some new 5 inch line? It doesn't help over here, most Star Wars toys are very hard to find now.

There is a 3.75" line for Rise of Skywalker, though it's pretty small in scope so far, and apparently not being sold overseas.

Considering the big things coming in Phase 4 and 5 of the MCU (the Fantastic 4, X-Men), I really hope Hasbro holds Marvel. I'm sure they will considering, like many people said, they have the license to a ton of other Disney properties, but there's gonna be that bit of worry. I stopped collecting WWE when Mattel took over, the McFarlane DC stuff has been lackluster and way too big, scalewise. I think the next couple years for an MCU collector is gonna be great, now that movie waves won't be built on Iron Man and Cap. It's a chance for Hasbro to hit the refresh button on the whole line.

54 minutes ago, bashpics99 said:

Yeah i think the movies have performed pretty well (solo aside). its just that kids aren't much into action figures and the new characters haven't caught on as much with adult collectors, who have a lot of nostalgia for either the OT characters or the prequels (in some case both). Plus marvel legends can just suck up most of collector's figure budget with new wave after new wave, with more colorful figures that tend to draw more attention (imo). A lot of of the main characters in star wars have relatively bland costumes compared to ML, and they tend to get the most figures compared to the droids and weird aliens. Can't deny that black series has very high quality figures, though.. not hasbro's fault if sales aren't where they should be, again imo. But of course there's a lot of potential for Mandalorean-related figures.

Yeah, I agree with most of that. The original and prequel trilogy figures definitely resonate with more people,and tend to sell a lot better. Now that we won't be seeing another movie for a few years, Hasbro has a great opportunity to really plug away at those earlier properties (which they seem to be doing), sprinkling in newer characters and TV/comic characters only occasionally. After how poorly the figures did for the Last Jedi, Rogue One, and Solo, they definitely seemed to scale back for Rise of Skywalker, so it seems like they get it.

Either way, Black Series is definitely my secondary collection after Legends, and there really aren't many Star Wars figures left for Hasbro to make that I feel like my collection needs, so I'd only be a little disappointed if they lost that license. Legends has note-able holes that need filling yet...

2 hours ago, Benn said:

Using what metrics? Every movie made in the Disney era has made at least a billion at the box office,except Solo (which was admittedly a flop, despite being a solid movie), and Force Awakens made over two billion. People definitely seem to have Star Wars fatigue, and the new trilogy could definitely have been better, but I hesitate to call those kinds of numbers "weak performances" (Solo notwithstanding).

Yeah i think the movies have performed pretty well (solo aside). its just that kids aren't much into action figures and the new characters haven't caught on as much with adult collectors, who have a lot of nostalgia for either the OT characters or the prequels (in some case both). Plus marvel legends can just suck up most of collector's figure budget with new wave after new wave, with more colorful figures that tend to draw more attention (imo). A lot of of the main characters in star wars have relatively bland costumes compared to ML, and they tend to get the most figures compared to the droids and weird aliens. Can't deny that black series has very high quality figures, though.. not hasbro's fault if sales aren't where they should be, again imo. But of course there's a lot of potential for Mandalorean-related figures.

Hasbro has done a good job with Marvel Legends and I would hate to see that change. I think the SW 6" line and license could learn to allow for head and hand swaps compatible with ML. That would be a game changer for me.

I started with getting certain MU characters to blend in with SW, but I guess that was a limited opportunity.

I'm a huge SW TVC 3.75" collector. I have been collecting POTF2 up through present including Jabba's Barge in the 3.75" scale. My SW soul belongs in 3.75" land. But I've been spending my money on ML instead because there is so little happening in TVC. I keep buying troopers and ordered the new Imperial Transport (will get more on sale). Half the fun of SW are the vehicles and that does not work at the 6" scale. The 3.75" scale also allows for more variety of figures to be released.

I think Hasbro really blows it outside of 3.75" and 6" scales. I just see a waste of plastic, opportunity, and shelf space. It would be nice if they would invest in environment (playsets)/accessories and plus keep product on the shelf. Adjust cases quicker and buy back the low demand peg chokers.

I'm jealous that Barbie gets so many playsets, vehicles, and accessories. However Mattel cannot be trusted as DC looks so bad right now. I'm a die-hard Harley Quinn fan, but she looks terrible with most products.

5 hours ago, JayC said:

The movies have not been strong performers

Using what metrics? Every movie made in the Disney era has made at least a billion at the box office,except Solo (which was admittedly a flop, despite being a solid movie), and Force Awakens made over two billion. People definitely seem to have Star Wars fatigue, and the new trilogy could definitely have been better, but I hesitate to call those kinds of numbers "weak performances" (Solo notwithstanding).

7 minutes ago, JayC said:

If one of the two license left Hasbro, my guess is it would be Star Wars. Not saying it will nor do I really think it will because after all SW is very much an evergreen property and the PR alone if Hasbro lost it likely would not bode well for the stockholders. That all being said I think SW has been very much in a rut these past few years. SW has always been primarily a 4" line and 4" just doesn't do that well these days at retail. The movies have not been strong performers and even though we do have a slew of Disney+ programing coming, the license I am sure costs a premium. Again my overall feeling is Hasbro will retain both licenses, but if one were to leave my guess is it would be SW.

Yeah SW isn't doing well at the moment, like seriously no 3.75 line for Rise of Skywalter, but some new 5 inch line? It doesn't help over here, most Star Wars toys are very hard to find now.

If one of the two license left Hasbro, my guess is it would be Star Wars. Not saying it will nor do I really think it will because after all SW is very much an evergreen property and the PR alone if Hasbro lost it likely would not bode well for the stockholders. That all being said I think SW has been very much in a rut these past few years. SW has always been primarily a 4" line and 4" just doesn't do that well these days at retail. The movies have not been strong performers and even though we do have a slew of Disney+ programing coming, the license I am sure costs a premium. Again my overall feeling is Hasbro will retain both licenses, but if one were to leave my guess is it would be SW.