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A Clarification Of Sorts

Posted by Paul | March 15, 2012 at 09:48 AM ET

Don't worry, this isn't a rant. I am sure many of you are completely over the long-winded responses and varied comments to my Movie Zeroes article. Although I received a lot of support over the article, I did receive some criticism and it came in the form of emails that didn’t make their way into the comments module in the article. (Some did as you can see.) I wanted to clarify some of my points I intended to make because I don’t want JTA to become Jedi Temple Warchives (thanks Mike!) despite wanting everyone to have their own voice. I also feel some misinterpreted my words somewhat as well. Click through to read.

Despite what I have gathered from various responses, I want it to be known that I am the last person that should be believed to be or called a Hasbro hater. I love Hasbro. I love the products they make and lines like the Legacy Collection and The Vintage Collection showcase the best work they’ve done to date. It's an absurd suggestion to believe I would ever feel that way about Hasbro. I feel that my reviews prove over and over how I love what they’ve graciously done for me over the years. But that doesn't mean I won't point out some missteps as well, especially when the missteps convert to trends. There is however no way anyone can say that my attitude towards Hasbro isn’t overtly positive.

My original intention of the article was to provide a satirical outlook on what a debacle the first wave of Movie Heroes is. I will go to the grave saying that Movie Heroes is NOT a suitable substitute for Saga Legends. Inferior sculpts and lessened articulation has been chosen over super-articulated “old” figures and I find this to be very bothersome and troublesome. (By the way, I still believe that one of the most fun periods of Saga Legends was in 2007. We had a voice to choose what characters got released in the line via voting for them and the ones Hasbro chose were an army-builders dream. That was only made better by the almost infinite amount of running changes included as well. The line started tanking after that. And it’s tanked into cancellation and sadly resurrected as Movie Heroes.)

I am actually curious about the figures in Movie Heroes after the first wave and remain positive and hopeful for the future line. I am not keen on seeing swivel shoulders on all-new sculpts (to be it’s a serious step backwards) but I think figures like Jar Jar Binks and Padmé are more than fair and I look forward to seeing them on shelves, if and only if the oversaturation of wave 1 doesn’t prevent that from happening. (I am concerned, sadly.) I am also not keep on light-up lightsaber figures, but I won’t trash them until I see them in person.

I don’t feel entitled for my readers to agree with everything I say, nor would I want them to blindly follow my (at times) strongly opinionated voice. I am not a dictator and instead just an overzealous collector who wants to see Hasbro succeed at retail and not fail. But the choices of action figures they’ve decided to release in 2012 is alarming to me and this is the reason for publishing my sense of urgency. I am not a financial analyst and I don’t claim to know all of the factors involved, but that doesn’t mean that I (and you) am (are) blind to the trends we're seeing at retail. I believe and support the theory that figures must be repacked (even more than once). But many figures (including most pre 2005/2006 figures) should not be eligible candidates for this rerelease consideration in this day and age. Because it’s the 3D release of The Phantom Menace doesn’t mean that we should be seeing figures with 5 points of articulation again. Sorry, I cannot support this. And it’s fine if you disagree with me here.

My commentary is not empirical data. It’s based on experience, personal desires, facts and yes, speculation. I have been invested in this hobby since 1979 and I never once was a Johnny-come-lately with the modern product that makes up the neo-classic era that began in 1995. I've walked the aisles of Toys R Us multiple times between 1986 and 1994 with an aching heart wishing I would see something else Star Wars besides Bend 'Ems. I’ve seen the scalper activity rise to its peak only to crash and burn. (Yes, some scalpers do exist but not like they once did.) I have seen (many) friends collect and then stop and then start up once again (and then stop - cyclically). I on the other hand have never stopped once and I have followed my friends like Adam Pawlus, Adam May, Mike Sullenger, Dan Curto and Jayson Krebsbach (only to name a few) for years and they too have never ceased their collecting habits. (Just to be clear, I am not trying to imply that they share the same thoughts or opinions as me.) I also never thought I would become their colleagues for the record. While this of course doesn’t give me expert knowledge on this topic, I do have some seasoned experience which allows me to think and form opinions about what things are wrong in collecting today. It’s all helped to shape my beliefs on where we are in 2012. (And let me tell you that it’s very somber when compared to even 3, 4 or 5 years ago.) Hasbro’s culture has indeed changed - in house and by evidence of what products make it to shelves.

So, I hope I have clarified some of the questions about the “rant”. I want to leave you with the thought that I am a staunch supporter of Hasbro’s, Gentle Giant, Ltd.’s and Sideshow Collectibles’ products. And you’ll still see my cheering them on here at Jedi Temple Archives. I will however continue to seldomly point out things that I feel aren’t working. And you can take it or leave it, exactly something I want to see you do either way.

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