Darth Vader (SL02) - Hasbro - Legacy Collection (2009)
Star Wars Collectible News, Photos, and Reviews

Q and A of the Day: Day 9

Posted by Paul | September 16, 2013 at 10:30 AM ET

Welcome to our next Q and A of the Day post! This column will be published daily, weekly, monthly, or just based on how many questions I get emailed – but no more than one a day. Feel free to send in your questions and I will put them in the queue. Click through for Q and A of the Day: Day 9.

Q: From checking out some of the comments on this site, but to a much more negative degree on some other forums on other sites, there seems to be an overall apathy/anger for The Black Series 3.75” line....

Why do you think this is? Some of the figures are the best updates we have to some of the older action figures Hasbro has released. If collectors want quality, then this is what they want. So I am a little perplexed why there is an overall negative vibe with this collection. Can you offer any thoughts to help me understand this please? (Jeff P.)

A: Jeff – I completely understand your puzzlement. But in order to explain things, I have to put on the shoes of a complainer to express why this apathy exists. There are some facts here that some on the positive side of things won’t acknowledge and there are about just as many vice versa (if not more) where those who loathe The Black Series just aren’t accepting. Firstly, wave 1 of The Black Series 3.75” line is not exciting. That is a given. Secondly, the case ratios of the figures in the first assortment are borderline alarming. Our friends at BanthaSkull.com just pointed out that huge online e-tailer Big Bad Toy Store has placed Anakin Skywalker (#03) on clearance for $6.99. What makes this worse is that he has been carried forward to the second wave. (Can you see the bottlenecking trend already?! That's only wave 2 folks!) If you go to any brick and mortar retail store that currently has The Black Series 3.75” line right now, you’ll find that this same action figure is spreading like fungus. I personally find this tragic. It is single-handedly the greatest Episode II version of Anakin Skywalker that Hasbro has ever made. They even just released a revision to the figure which gives him a screen accurate blonder hair color (which I have yet to secure). So why isn’t he selling? Hasbro has given us a decent Anakin Skywalker that they have released countless times since 2005. And it seems as if the adult collecting world has received their fill of him.

I have done my part. I have expressed total praise for this action figure in my RDR. But you know what is sad? The Black Series reviews have received about 50% less interest in readers (judging by hits alone). Plus, if you look at the scores people are giving him in the poll, they're nothing short of unmerciful. To me, giving this figure a poor score is more of an act of indignation, a punishment of sorts, to Hasbro for cancelling The Vintage Collection. Adult men collecting action figures can sometimes mentally revert to the most childish behavior. (I really don’t know, but it makes no sense to take it out of the greatest version of Episode II Anakin Skywalker). Hey, if you didn’t like it, you didn’t like it, but I don’t know how that’s possible. I feel I judge these action figures pretty hard, and I found I was completely impressed with Anakin. But the question remains, why is he piling up and why are some of the other figures doing the same thing? As silly as you may think this will sound, I believe we have The Vintage Collection to thank for much of these problems, but it is how we deal with its demise that will make us miserable or happy collectors. We have been completely spoiled by that glorious collection of figures and the classic memories it invigorates. But Hasbro with prompting from Lucasfilm, was “forced” to take a different approach with the super-articulated line of action figures. Yes, I still miss TVC and I absolutely always will.

I personally don’t believe that TVC and TBS lines are wholly intended just for us. That may be a confusing and/or bold statement to make. But I believe Hasbro makes these all for the kids’ market first. Hasbro knows that super-articulated action figures are all that interest us, so they can make us feel welcome by calling it “our” line. We also have to keep in mind that many of the figures that are now part of The Black Series were meant to correspond with the 3D release of Attack Of The Clones, so of course the first few waves are going to be Episode III centric. We have to deal with that and move on otherwise this line will not get anywhere fast. Plus, just by the very nature of the characters they release, it’s clear that they are still hoping to grasp the attention of those that grew up with the Prequel Trilogy, not the Original Trilogy. I know how tragic that sounds, trust me. Have OT lovers completely gotten amnesia and forgot about Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter from the first wave? Aside from one or two issues, they are still the greatest representations of those characters. Let’s step up and not wallow in sorrow.

Admittedly, I am not a fan of The Black Series line look…. at all. But I still support the line and buy all of the figures. No one will ever be able to sway me from believing that The Vintage Collection line look is all we ever needed to see. I will not change my position on that. Imagine all of these great characters that were just released on TVC card backs. I bet we wouldn’t see half as many Biggs and Anakins clogging the pegs or going on clearance so soon. I mean, these figures have barely been out for 60 days. If The Black Series 3.75” line falters and ultimately fails, I fear that this will be the end of collecting as we know it. Hasbro is not free from all blame either. They’ve forsaken key OT characters for nearly a decade now, characters that are in desperate need of definitive updates. Our requests to see hard to find action figures see a second chance at retail fall on deaf ears. There are a lot of outside factors affecting what Hasbro can and cannot bring us too. It’s just the state of the economy and the way the toy industry is. It’s hard to point your finger at any one person or thing. So, we’ll all just have to ride the crest of this wave and hope that it pushes us onto better shores.

       Digg!    

Related Links

Jedi Temple Archives comments powered by Disqus

-Click HERE to return to the home page-

Channels

 

Follow Us

JTA Info

Affiliates

Hasbro

Gentle Giant

Sideshow Collectibles

Hot Toys

LEGO

Mattel

Disney

Disney Store

Acme Archives

Hallmark

Trading Cards

Store Reports

Research Droids Reviews

Visual Guides

Books & Novels

Convention News

Movie & TV News

Rants & Raves

Special Reports

       Facebook

       Instagram

       Pinterest

       Youtube

       RSS

Home

Contact

News Archives

Site Search

Image Use Policy

Disclosure Policy

Privacy Policy

RDR Index

Visual Guide Index

Bantha Skull

Collector's Cantina

Jedi News

Star Wars Figuren

Star Wars New Zealand

Star Wars is a Copyright and Trademark of LucasFilm LTD. This site is intended for informational purposes only, and is not in anyway associated with LFL. All Visual Guides, images, and content are the property of JediTempleArchives.com, © 2004-2019 and may not be reused without permission. Please do not direct link to any of the content on this web site.