21st Century looks like they are doing pretty well, with lots of new stuff coming out this year, and BBI should be putting out some cool new stuff later on, and of course with a new movie coming out, Star Wars will be well represented this year, but overall, after the 2005 Toy Fair, does anyone else feel like the toy industry just decided to get out of the toy business?
I guess everyone will say that kids and collectors are no longer into toys and that the makers and sellers of toys are responding to this, but I can't be the only one out there who prefers action figures, vehicles, and model kits to statues, busts, 3-D plaques, one piece mutated vinyl dolls of inner city grafitti artists and shelf after shelf of Nascar memorabilia?
Did we all just suddenly really get that boring?
I have said, half-joking, for the past year or so that I wouldn't get out of collecting and designing toys because I outgrew them, but because the toy companies and retailers together would so completely drive all of the fun out of toys that there wouldn't be anything left about them any more that appealed to me.
So anyway, does it seem to anyone else like the toy companies employ a bunch of middle aged housewives to design toys so that the middle aged housewives that work as buyers for retail chains will order their products because they think the middle aged housewives of America will buy the stuff? To be sure, I know some middle aged houswives that could come up with some pretty cool stuff, but none of them work for toy companies or store chains.
Well, that's enough for now; I have to go look for pictures on the web of some new toys; I'm sure I can find something that is bright yellow and blue with one point of articulation, no sense of scale, and a horrible backstory. Or at least a video game of it.
The State of the Toy Industry in 2005
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Plastic Spastic
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75th Ranger
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I feel what you say
I have to say that i have pounder the idea myself...
I really don't care about the military toys made by these companies to be sold to kids!
Most of the kids don't even know about the history and the decades after the WWII have long added up....also most kids break the toys and snce they are young most don't even know how good the new toys are in comparisson to the toys that we had in the past.
I personally think that Most historically and realistic military toys should be address to the collector and not to kids. But the problem is that the toy companies are out there for the buck! ....it is hard to my to think about buying my kid a $60 Apache helicopter to play outside...or a $80 plane to crash in the living room....(noted some kids do take care of the toys) but the majority of kids don't know what the toys really mean...I bought my nephew a $5 Seal figure and soon all the wepaons were lost and the arms came off with some time of rough playing.....
the GI JOE fantastic line was more for kids but a Panzer is not really a kid's toy..at least in my eyes. especially if it costs $50.
As long as toy companies think of making big money like Microsoft....they will be selling everything they think will make them an extra buck.
I personally think they should have a collectors line and sell items based on orders...that way we may get more items like the 1:32 scale line does.
Toy companies have to understand that toy collectors buy year-around, especially if the products are available.
I understand making toys is not cheap, but there is a difference between collectables and daily play toys.
Well enough said for now!
let's see what ever happens to the military toys.....because I can't stand all those "digimon"
*&)%^$%^$#& toys!
take care,
HOOAH!
I really don't care about the military toys made by these companies to be sold to kids!
Most of the kids don't even know about the history and the decades after the WWII have long added up....also most kids break the toys and snce they are young most don't even know how good the new toys are in comparisson to the toys that we had in the past.
I personally think that Most historically and realistic military toys should be address to the collector and not to kids. But the problem is that the toy companies are out there for the buck! ....it is hard to my to think about buying my kid a $60 Apache helicopter to play outside...or a $80 plane to crash in the living room....(noted some kids do take care of the toys) but the majority of kids don't know what the toys really mean...I bought my nephew a $5 Seal figure and soon all the wepaons were lost and the arms came off with some time of rough playing.....
the GI JOE fantastic line was more for kids but a Panzer is not really a kid's toy..at least in my eyes. especially if it costs $50.
As long as toy companies think of making big money like Microsoft....they will be selling everything they think will make them an extra buck.
I personally think they should have a collectors line and sell items based on orders...that way we may get more items like the 1:32 scale line does.
Toy companies have to understand that toy collectors buy year-around, especially if the products are available.
I understand making toys is not cheap, but there is a difference between collectables and daily play toys.
Well enough said for now!
let's see what ever happens to the military toys.....because I can't stand all those "digimon"
*&)%^$%^$#& toys!take care,
HOOAH!
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p51
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I happen to like that these type of things are available to the kids. Even if they don't know what they are, they may have early exposure to a P-51 Mustang or F4U Corsiar. They may, as they get older, look into what they are... or inspire them to go to their local Airshow. I think it's a big help for the warbird/Military Aviation community. Right now we live in a world that 90% of the younger generations don't know what D-Day is it seems. Hey, I'm nearly 22 and I've asked some of my good friends my age about World War 2 things, and I was shocked to see how much they didn't know! No, this is not an animal house joke, but I actually talked to one person who sincerly thought the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. So I think it's good that these aircraft are out there available to the kids. It might not mean much to them now, but I think it may plant the seeds for the interest later in life when they can appericiate these warbirds.
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75th Ranger
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ok
I understand what you say...and the value of education is good but the toys are not made to withstand rough play of young kids....
I have sen parents buying a $150 dollars M-5 R/c tank to a 6 years old just because it looks cool...granted learning about history is important but most of the parents that buy toys just buy them for the kids to go and play and not really for their educational value.
Of course their are exceptions to everything but mainly all the kids that i have seen playing or using military collectable toys are either playing with them broken or have lost most of their parts.
Most/Some kids think GI JOE are real and that Cobra are the real bad guys....come on our world has become a consumer market place...
We live on an era where kids demand playstations and Xbox for breakfast andeach game costs like $30-$50...what kind of world is this!
Well, enough again....hahaaaha!
I personally don't expect to offedn anyone by my comments.
take care,
HOOAH!
I have sen parents buying a $150 dollars M-5 R/c tank to a 6 years old just because it looks cool...granted learning about history is important but most of the parents that buy toys just buy them for the kids to go and play and not really for their educational value.
Of course their are exceptions to everything but mainly all the kids that i have seen playing or using military collectable toys are either playing with them broken or have lost most of their parts.
Most/Some kids think GI JOE are real and that Cobra are the real bad guys....come on our world has become a consumer market place...
We live on an era where kids demand playstations and Xbox for breakfast andeach game costs like $30-$50...what kind of world is this!
Well, enough again....hahaaaha!
I personally don't expect to offedn anyone by my comments.
take care,
HOOAH!
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exether_mega
- Officer - Colonel
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Making toys for collector may have bad side.
If you are a collector, it means you are supposed to know what you buy.
So one can also supposed that you are ready to pay for what you want. Then, toy price can be raised because you are also supposed to have money. That's why you are looking for more accurate models...
So toy will became collector model and collector model are more expansive than simple toys so they will try to pick up a bigger amount of bucks from your pocket.
A never ending story.
Take care.
phil
If you are a collector, it means you are supposed to know what you buy.
So one can also supposed that you are ready to pay for what you want. Then, toy price can be raised because you are also supposed to have money. That's why you are looking for more accurate models...
So toy will became collector model and collector model are more expansive than simple toys so they will try to pick up a bigger amount of bucks from your pocket.
A never ending story.
Take care.
phil
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Plastic Spastic
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Not unreasonable...
I don't fault the toy companies for trying to make money, or the stores for that mattter. These companies are full of people who need to pay bills and I do not think it is wrong to make a profit from your work.
I looked at my 1/18 scale Hummer collection last night. I put a BBI, G.I. Joe, 21st Century, and Power Team Hummer out on my drafting table and played with them a little. I love 21st version and didn't mind paying 30 bucks or whatever it was for their version (althought the bizarre messed up tow missile launcher tripod parts and horrible figure still amaze me), but the Joe version is pretty cool too and at half the price, as is the Power Team version. BBI's desert mud deco still puts me off so I won't mention theirs. A kid can play with a power team or Joe Hummer and tear it up for 15 bucks. A decent, realistic, cheap toy that a kid can play with and a collector can display can be made. This isn't a fantasy. With a little better scuplting, those power team figures could be very good looking and quite poseable. Wow that would drive the costs up; a 3 pack of Power Team figures would go from 4 bucks, to gasp, 8? For 3 realistic, poseable modern army figures? We'd pay 8 bucks for ONE from the like of BBI, Dragon, or 21st.
The G.I. Joe community is in mourning right now, and I think the worst part is Hasbro was starting to show signs of getting it right with things like their hummer.
I looked at my 1/18 scale Hummer collection last night. I put a BBI, G.I. Joe, 21st Century, and Power Team Hummer out on my drafting table and played with them a little. I love 21st version and didn't mind paying 30 bucks or whatever it was for their version (althought the bizarre messed up tow missile launcher tripod parts and horrible figure still amaze me), but the Joe version is pretty cool too and at half the price, as is the Power Team version. BBI's desert mud deco still puts me off so I won't mention theirs. A kid can play with a power team or Joe Hummer and tear it up for 15 bucks. A decent, realistic, cheap toy that a kid can play with and a collector can display can be made. This isn't a fantasy. With a little better scuplting, those power team figures could be very good looking and quite poseable. Wow that would drive the costs up; a 3 pack of Power Team figures would go from 4 bucks, to gasp, 8? For 3 realistic, poseable modern army figures? We'd pay 8 bucks for ONE from the like of BBI, Dragon, or 21st.
The G.I. Joe community is in mourning right now, and I think the worst part is Hasbro was starting to show signs of getting it right with things like their hummer.
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tmanthegreat
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You have all been raising some very interesting points. Here's my rant and I hope I haven't missed the point of the discussion!
I agree with the notion that today's young are no longer into the more physical aspects of playthings. The proliferation of TV, video games and computers certainly plays a part. If you look at the way the media portrays today's young, they are "supposed" to be into video games, music and sports, which, when combined with a certain amount of socialization and school (education is always placed last), take up most of their time. There is a lack of creativity, generally speaking. Even in education, the courses that stress creative and cognitive elements are put by the wayside.
Playing with toys (whether it be building a GI Joe fort on the backyard dirt pile of constructing a Lego castle) is essentially a cognitive activity where the child creatively invents and overcomes various situations (in a microcosim of real, larger events) in a non-stressful environment. In a social situation that no longer values such creativity - where a problem can be solved and satisfaction reached with only the click of a button - such playtime activities are no longer valued.
Many kids, no matter the background, cannot put together a complex Lego set, let alone a plastic model kit, which is why you have prepainted snap tite models and Lego sets have only half the complexity that they used to. Because kids spend the majority of their playtime with video games, they want toys that resemble what they see flashing on the screen. Hence the severe warping, or simply the demise, of toylines that do not fit that mold. That is also why companies such as BBI and especially 21c struggle to stay afloat.
This problem is not entirely that of the corporate structure, the schools, etc. PARENTS ALSO HAVE A ROLE! Those of you who have kids, I encourage you to keep them away from video games, etc. at least until they are older. In the formative years between toddlerhood and 10 years, give them Legos, Lincoln Logs, Playmobile, GI Joe and so on to play with. Encourage them to learn to explore the world around them through play - an not throug the use of a computer or TV.
Thats all I really have to say concerning kids and the future of toys.
I agree with the notion that today's young are no longer into the more physical aspects of playthings. The proliferation of TV, video games and computers certainly plays a part. If you look at the way the media portrays today's young, they are "supposed" to be into video games, music and sports, which, when combined with a certain amount of socialization and school (education is always placed last), take up most of their time. There is a lack of creativity, generally speaking. Even in education, the courses that stress creative and cognitive elements are put by the wayside.
Playing with toys (whether it be building a GI Joe fort on the backyard dirt pile of constructing a Lego castle) is essentially a cognitive activity where the child creatively invents and overcomes various situations (in a microcosim of real, larger events) in a non-stressful environment. In a social situation that no longer values such creativity - where a problem can be solved and satisfaction reached with only the click of a button - such playtime activities are no longer valued.
Many kids, no matter the background, cannot put together a complex Lego set, let alone a plastic model kit, which is why you have prepainted snap tite models and Lego sets have only half the complexity that they used to. Because kids spend the majority of their playtime with video games, they want toys that resemble what they see flashing on the screen. Hence the severe warping, or simply the demise, of toylines that do not fit that mold. That is also why companies such as BBI and especially 21c struggle to stay afloat.
This problem is not entirely that of the corporate structure, the schools, etc. PARENTS ALSO HAVE A ROLE! Those of you who have kids, I encourage you to keep them away from video games, etc. at least until they are older. In the formative years between toddlerhood and 10 years, give them Legos, Lincoln Logs, Playmobile, GI Joe and so on to play with. Encourage them to learn to explore the world around them through play - an not throug the use of a computer or TV.
Thats all I really have to say concerning kids and the future of toys.
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Plastic Spastic
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Creativity
Good points, Tman, and everyone else too. I see the loss we feel in society everyday as a result of less and less creativity in childhood. Video games are great and I think they are fine along with other forms of playing and entertainment. The otehr forms, however, are not as well supported by parents, schools, etc. I went to a fairly prestigious prep school and the education in math, science, english, and other subjects was top notch, but the energy given to art, music, drama, and creativity in general was pathetic. And that is at a private school supported by worldly and well-educated parents and alumni. If creativity is faltering there, can it be less than on its deathbed elsewhere? As an architect, everytime I deal with a client or another architect who can't think outside of a very small box, I see the injury that this decreasing commitment to creativity has on us all. It's one to one: this guy didn't build a fort in his yard as a kid and therefore 20 years later his kids don't eitehr and his ability to think for himself and solve things with innovation is atrophied beyond any use. I've heard about the kids being too dumb these days to play with legos and so they make junk like Bionicle figures. Maybe it's not easy for most parents to be creative and inspire it in their kids. If that is the case then there are a lucky few of us who did grow up in that way and will pass that on to our kids. Seeing people get dumber and dumber is more infuriating when a simple thing like palying more as kids would have stretched their minds a little more.
Great thread guys!
What is funny is that my 11 year old daughter is a non-gamer, and I read on CNN how many socialogists feel that girls don't play enough video games and that they tend to back away from technology in their teens that hurts them in later years!!!! So who's fault is it?? We all live in the technological age. Hell, how much time do your spend on the PC everyday? BE HONEST!! I have spent waaayyy to much time on the PC, being a PC gamer from day one. So where does it all start? I had my Mattel Electronics football game as a kid and it had to start there. Naaaa, it probably was when my family landed the coveted intellivision. And there was when my brother got bit by a dog and got an Coleco ADAM computer system from the settlement. What if I didn't get that Amiga 500 when I did back in 1990? How well would I be doing my job in the USAF right now? Not too good, believe it or not......
It's a rough reality gentlemen. Here I am, a 30 something that had over 60 planes hanging from my bedroom as a kid to a fully grown male with 10 XD planes hanging from my room as I type this. Yeah, I didn't build them, but did I meet all of you?? Damn skippy. Am I better for it? I like to think so...
We all make choices in life. Mine is this..... I don't watch TV worth a damn (except motorsports and football, history and docs, of course), We only have one car, and no cell phones. Do I still play on the damn computer too much, yes. So how backwards do you want to be??? Without the cell phone, I am, but do I want one, hell no!
I'm rambling, I know, but you can't answer it all in one shot. Our grandparents wouldn't understand us in the world we live in right now (for the most part) as much as we couldn't imagine what it was like before TV....... That's advancement for you. You move ahead and backwards in one swing.....
-Ski
What is funny is that my 11 year old daughter is a non-gamer, and I read on CNN how many socialogists feel that girls don't play enough video games and that they tend to back away from technology in their teens that hurts them in later years!!!! So who's fault is it?? We all live in the technological age. Hell, how much time do your spend on the PC everyday? BE HONEST!! I have spent waaayyy to much time on the PC, being a PC gamer from day one. So where does it all start? I had my Mattel Electronics football game as a kid and it had to start there. Naaaa, it probably was when my family landed the coveted intellivision. And there was when my brother got bit by a dog and got an Coleco ADAM computer system from the settlement. What if I didn't get that Amiga 500 when I did back in 1990? How well would I be doing my job in the USAF right now? Not too good, believe it or not......
It's a rough reality gentlemen. Here I am, a 30 something that had over 60 planes hanging from my bedroom as a kid to a fully grown male with 10 XD planes hanging from my room as I type this. Yeah, I didn't build them, but did I meet all of you?? Damn skippy. Am I better for it? I like to think so...
We all make choices in life. Mine is this..... I don't watch TV worth a damn (except motorsports and football, history and docs, of course), We only have one car, and no cell phones. Do I still play on the damn computer too much, yes. So how backwards do you want to be??? Without the cell phone, I am, but do I want one, hell no!
I'm rambling, I know, but you can't answer it all in one shot. Our grandparents wouldn't understand us in the world we live in right now (for the most part) as much as we couldn't imagine what it was like before TV....... That's advancement for you. You move ahead and backwards in one swing.....
-Ski
[url=http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2869983520050168193AYuxRR][img]http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/8785/2869983520050168193S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/url]
Since Im proberly the youngest here I thought I'd chime in. TMan hit it right on.
Kids now a days dont want to do anything creative they just want to play video games, watch tv, go on the computer. Now I do all of those things, but I use them differently. TV for me is watching the History Channel or AMC when a good war movie, or a John Wayne movie is on. The kids I know watch tv for MTV, BET, etc. For the computer I research, look for reference pics and occasionally talk to my friends on AIM. I know some people who dont get off the computer and sit there on AIM ALL day. And finally for video games. I play stategy games or WWII games. And again my friends play Grand Theft Auto and all these other pointless games.
I only know of one of my friends that enjoys building models. No one else I know does. They have little creativity.
Also that kids never do any more is read. I picked up my first WWII when I was 4 and havent stopped reading them since then. None of the kids Im friends with read.
I try to be creative as possible right now I'm working on a movie with some friends, and we are building a large 1/18 diorama for one scene.(Its a war movie and Im the "Military Advisor" lol) I'll post picture of it when we are done.
So in short TV, computers, video games, etc have had a very negitive impact on todays youth. Now im not saying all are like this by any means, I'm talking about the majority. i'am fortunate enough to grow up in a house where all the "men" enjoy WWII except for one of my brothers but he paints and does model railroading with me. i've been exposed to military, and modeling things my whole life. I feel its had a positive impact on me.
Well Im done babbling...
Joe
Kids now a days dont want to do anything creative they just want to play video games, watch tv, go on the computer. Now I do all of those things, but I use them differently. TV for me is watching the History Channel or AMC when a good war movie, or a John Wayne movie is on. The kids I know watch tv for MTV, BET, etc. For the computer I research, look for reference pics and occasionally talk to my friends on AIM. I know some people who dont get off the computer and sit there on AIM ALL day. And finally for video games. I play stategy games or WWII games. And again my friends play Grand Theft Auto and all these other pointless games.
I only know of one of my friends that enjoys building models. No one else I know does. They have little creativity.
Also that kids never do any more is read. I picked up my first WWII when I was 4 and havent stopped reading them since then. None of the kids Im friends with read.
I try to be creative as possible right now I'm working on a movie with some friends, and we are building a large 1/18 diorama for one scene.(Its a war movie and Im the "Military Advisor" lol) I'll post picture of it when we are done.
So in short TV, computers, video games, etc have had a very negitive impact on todays youth. Now im not saying all are like this by any means, I'm talking about the majority. i'am fortunate enough to grow up in a house where all the "men" enjoy WWII except for one of my brothers but he paints and does model railroading with me. i've been exposed to military, and modeling things my whole life. I feel its had a positive impact on me.
Well Im done babbling...
Joe
A hero to a New Yorker like you is some kind of wierd sandwich! -Oddball Kelly's Heroes.
0311 SEMPER FIDELIS
0311 SEMPER FIDELIS
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DocTodd
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It doesn't appear that any of us doubt the importance of creativity on development as a youth. I suspect each of us has had some exposure to creative play like making models or building legos. It saddens me somewhat to see companies like 21st have trouble making it. Especially since they make some of the best toys as far as realism, price and sturdiness. Time will tell where the toy companies will go. We should enjoy what we have for now since they may not be around indefinitely. It sounded like there was going to be an influx of 1:18 figures and items this year but it's possible we may not see all of them. Obviously companies have to worry about making a profit and there have been many that have failed. Just look at the toy chains that have failed or restructured (FAO TRU). I'm not sure where things are headed and if toy companies quit making cool toys then I will have more money in my pockets and will have to find another hobby. Here's hoping that doesn't happen.
Todd
Todd
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Gunner
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I also think we may be reading WAY too much into ToyFair.
ToyFair, especially the NY ToyFair is, in many respects, the old way of doing business - have a convention where manufacturers from around the world and buyers from around the world get together, the theory being that the buyers can see more stuff in person, hands on, in 2-3 days than they would in several months of regular work.
How many international buyers were at NY? Not nearly as many as in the past, would be my guess, espcially given that the German show was just a couple of weeks before (the week before?) and the Tokyo show was a month before.
Plus, thanks to container shipping, minimum orders have fallen to pretty small amounts. In another thread, it was stated that a store could order direct from 21C with as little as a $500 purchase. The hobby store I used to work at would order that much in plastic models at least every other month, sometimes once a month from a wholesaler, and the manufacturers wouldn't talk to us.
And that's not even talking about how the Internet has changed business, or the impact the 5,000lb gorilla of Wal-Mart has on American retailing...
So, lets not get too worked up about the "State of the Toy Industry" just yet. We've already had three brand new things come out this year, plus something like six re-issues of stuff that has been unavailable for a while. We know there are four or five really nice things coming out this year, and I'm sure there will be surprises...
ToyFair, especially the NY ToyFair is, in many respects, the old way of doing business - have a convention where manufacturers from around the world and buyers from around the world get together, the theory being that the buyers can see more stuff in person, hands on, in 2-3 days than they would in several months of regular work.
How many international buyers were at NY? Not nearly as many as in the past, would be my guess, espcially given that the German show was just a couple of weeks before (the week before?) and the Tokyo show was a month before.
Plus, thanks to container shipping, minimum orders have fallen to pretty small amounts. In another thread, it was stated that a store could order direct from 21C with as little as a $500 purchase. The hobby store I used to work at would order that much in plastic models at least every other month, sometimes once a month from a wholesaler, and the manufacturers wouldn't talk to us.
And that's not even talking about how the Internet has changed business, or the impact the 5,000lb gorilla of Wal-Mart has on American retailing...
So, lets not get too worked up about the "State of the Toy Industry" just yet. We've already had three brand new things come out this year, plus something like six re-issues of stuff that has been unavailable for a while. We know there are four or five really nice things coming out this year, and I'm sure there will be surprises...
i agree..toy fair's importance has been steadily diminishing with the rise of other toy fairs and a shift in the way toys are bought by distributors.
I think the toy industry is doing great with better realism, quality and more variety then ever before.
When i think back to what toys were like just 10 or so years ago, just before McFarlane Toys revolutionized everything. It was a bunch of crap for the most part. Then McFarlane came along with creative, detailed figures the likes of which had never been seen and which were desired by many. Then 21c shortly thereafter revivied the 12 figure market.
Now today we have a huge selection of quality items. There will always be an ebb and flow in every market sector but for the most part the toy industry is flourishing.
I think the most significant recent event, for us, is Hasbro cancelling their 3 3/4 joe line. All the thousands of GI Joe dweebs (no offense intended) are now in shock. Those that don't jump off bridges will be looking for a way to get their fix and many of them will be looking at BBI, 21c etc.
Perhaps reluctant to get into these products before because their toy allowance was commited to GI Joe related items, they will soon have a disposable income that is burning a hole in their pockets and a continuing desire for 4 inch military figures and related vehicles.
That can only mean a boon for us as increasing sales from them mean increasing product variety by BBI/21c and who knows who else.
These are the golden times for our hobby. Let's enjoy them while they last, cause for sure they'll be gone one day...
I think the toy industry is doing great with better realism, quality and more variety then ever before.
When i think back to what toys were like just 10 or so years ago, just before McFarlane Toys revolutionized everything. It was a bunch of crap for the most part. Then McFarlane came along with creative, detailed figures the likes of which had never been seen and which were desired by many. Then 21c shortly thereafter revivied the 12 figure market.
Now today we have a huge selection of quality items. There will always be an ebb and flow in every market sector but for the most part the toy industry is flourishing.
I think the most significant recent event, for us, is Hasbro cancelling their 3 3/4 joe line. All the thousands of GI Joe dweebs (no offense intended) are now in shock. Those that don't jump off bridges will be looking for a way to get their fix and many of them will be looking at BBI, 21c etc.
Perhaps reluctant to get into these products before because their toy allowance was commited to GI Joe related items, they will soon have a disposable income that is burning a hole in their pockets and a continuing desire for 4 inch military figures and related vehicles.
That can only mean a boon for us as increasing sales from them mean increasing product variety by BBI/21c and who knows who else.
These are the golden times for our hobby. Let's enjoy them while they last, cause for sure they'll be gone one day...
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Plastic Spastic
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- Location: Tulsa
cautious optimism
Good points. Who knows, in 5 years, there may be no action figures in stores but there could be twice as many companies making stuff and selling it online. Personally I would love to spend more time in bookstores and less time trekking out to places liek Wal-Mart to look for exclusive toys. Letting those brown cardboard boxes make their way to me rather than having to fight corwded streets and stores and parking lots is fine with me.
I don't think the state of the toy industry means that we won't have any cool toys being made in the future, but I think we may be getting them from much different places, from much different people. Imagine if Build-A-Rama made action figures and vehicles, and there were two other guys doing thst stuff in their basements or garages, or for a 25% price increase, someone like BBI would be an online toy company shipping from their website. Who knows, as long as there is interest, there will be hope.
I don't think the state of the toy industry means that we won't have any cool toys being made in the future, but I think we may be getting them from much different places, from much different people. Imagine if Build-A-Rama made action figures and vehicles, and there were two other guys doing thst stuff in their basements or garages, or for a 25% price increase, someone like BBI would be an online toy company shipping from their website. Who knows, as long as there is interest, there will be hope.
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Gunner
- Officer - 1st Lieutenant
- Posts: 522
- Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:50 pm
- Location: 1,USA,AR,Jacksonville
Amen there.These are the golden times for our hobby. Let's enjoy them while they last, cause for sure they'll be gone one day...
I'm seeing it happen now with 1/6. Everyone's collection (including mine) is busting at the seams. Companies (and collectors) are leaving the market. The sellers that are staying in the market are raising prices and reducing selection (which can also be a good thing).
In fact, collection size was one of the reasons that I started switching to 1:18. That, and the fact that no one was EVER going to do some of the things in 1:6 that are so much fun in 1:18...
Party on, dudes!
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Plastic Spastic
- Corporal
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:53 am
- Location: Tulsa
more fun ahead
Damn, I forgot to mention that we'll soon be able to amke our own toys in record time, with sterolithography, rapid prototyping, and 3d printer technology getting cheaper and better.
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ParatrooperCarbine
- Officer - 2nd Lieutenant
- Posts: 320
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:40 pm