Indiana Jones 1/18 items this year

[alf]

A bit late, but I would like to second Digger on the poor quality of the IJ figs and particulary the paint job.
For my experience with my 10 IJ figs I have a perfect example with a ugly white painted face Indy (the white from his scarf).

> but $7 a pop is a bit much.

it's 12€ here in france, read "twelve euros", read "around 17$" (ok you can find them a bit cheaper in TrU). Sorry Hasbro but again I cannot understand this.

I got most of my IJ online from USA. A nosense because despite recrossing a ocean it's cheaper for me thanks to Internet and globalization for average joe.

[Dauntless]

After weeks and weeks of it being dry of anything new, I walked into a Walmart today, and there was an end cap with mostly TLC figures.
Finally I was able to score a Henry Sr. figure. He was the only one I was missing.
Picked up an extra Colonel Vogel too.

I hope we make it to the TOD's before the line gets cancelled.

[Jesse James]

As noted, IJ figures are $7 because they're IJ figures...

XD isn't paying a licensing fee, and the 2-packs are rehashed figures (as many are in general). XD's lucky that way, and great to offer them in 2-packs, but IJ just isn't going to be $5... It's not a complex matter or anything, it's just the way business works. Licenses = money.

I agree paintjobs were spotty but good ones were widely available if you looked through them, so that's not much of an issue IMO. Sculpts were pretty decent though, especially some of the Harrison Ford likenesses which Hasbro usually bobbles. The Raiders and KotCS main Indy figures were quite nice... I thought some of the deluxes were a bit weak though. Marion was weak as well.

[tosborne3]

Got my skeleton today. Pretty cool fig.

[alf]

Hi Jesse James.

> Licenses = money.

I can understand that, but it cannot explain the difference between price in europe and price in the USA (and no it's not only because of the $ weakness)... From my point of view, it's just another clue on the game Hasbro is playing here, they have a big margin and they decided to use it widely at least here in france.

> I agree paintjobs were spotty but good ones were widely available if you looked through them, so that's not much of an issue IMO.

sure but when you buy them online you are screwed, or if your wife/children want to offer you some IJ figs again you are screwed. I hate to think you need to be clever than someone else when you spend your money: it's anormal.

Anyway I second that some figs are great and I can confirm that my faulty paintjob face is on a deluxe indy.

regards,

Arnaud

PS: I forget to tell this, like I said before I got most my IJ figs from online USA sellers. Anyway I'm really happy to think I gave a bit of work and money to the post men all along the way and to the seller instead of giving everything to Hasbro

[Sky Ray]

My Crystal Skeleton finally arrived too!

Pics:

[dandaman]

Got mine today too. I love it. The box is super huge too. It's like a shoebox.

[Jesse James]

The sad truth, and this may sound brutal but it's the honest to god truth, of being in Europe and buying this stuff, is that you're just not considered an important market... Thus it's costly. Otherwise Hasbro would import TONS to European markets to sell stuff, and so would other toy lines.

Think of it this way though...

In the U.S. there are TONS of toy lines sold only in Asia that can cost an arm and a leg here in U.S. dollars. One off the top of my head is Hot Toys Snap Kits which I really love, but are only sold over in Asian markets... I get them when I can by the case for as cheap as possible, but if I picked/chose individual figures they'd cost me $20 or $30 USD per figure.

Why? Because they are something I have to "import" and so I pay a lot for that premium...

Europe is basically doing the same thing with SW and IJ figures... They cost you a lot because you have to import them to get them. They get shafted as far as distribution in Europe goes, believe me. I know this as well, and it sucks for Euro folks and I sympathize. Hasbro's just never seen the profitable return to import them in mass quantities overseas.

And hell, even Canada gets hosed on distribution, but at least it's usually a little easier to lock down stuff you want from friends if you're in Canada as the shipping isn't outrageous.

Seriously though, it's like buying a Mercedes here in the U.S. You'll pay a LOT more here than you will over in Germany. Imports just cost more, and that stays true for toys as well. Hasbro is a U.S. company marketing to a U.S. audience, so obviously the toys are cheaper here and people overseas have to pay a premium to get them sent to them.

[alf]

Jesse James you have some good point I agree, maybe Europe market is not so important for hasbro and you may understand or know things I cannot yet.

maybe stupid points But:
Mercedes are assembled in Germany / Hasbro toys are build in china so the price to import them in Europe or USA should be theoricaly equivalent ?

how an average joe could win money by buying stuff in USA + manage shipping by himself, if it's only a problem of supplemental importation cost ?

I love snap kits too, but I don't think we cannot even compare 1/1000 of the number going out of Hasbro factory against hot toys ones.
I think in your case $ weakness is the problem ?
with 85€ I have a box 12 Snap kit aliens serie figs from HotToy (shipping from HK included)
with 85€ I have 7 IJ figs in france from Hasbro you can find everywhere here warming pegs.

I have the (false?) impression Hasbro sell lot of toy (not only IJ figs) in Europe, maybe lot less than in USA, but enough to be in every shop all around : even in Europe Hasbro looks like a behemoth and have the power of one.

ok I forget one important data in my oversea operations: customs. Maybe Hasbro is not one of this company which sold it's soul to hell. But Jesse James why do you love so much them to protect them like that ?

[Jesse James]

Hasbro's steadily improved their stuff over the years, mostly Star Wars (my main focus on collecting) so I appreciate them as a company... Moreso than 21st who have been "unstable" at best. By no means am I a Hasbro apologist though. They make lots of mistakes by me too, believe me.

But Hasbro is a U.S. company, and sure their product's made overseas, but ultimately they're made for the U.S. market (for the most part). A significantly lesser portion is alotted to Europe, Australia, Asia, etc. It's a shame really because I've seen for years a cry from the European and Australian markets are demanding the figures, but not getting them. Even the Canadians get hosed, like I mentioned.

I'm not saying it's fair or right by any means, I'm just being honest that Hasbro doesn't view Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada as markets that are willing to shell out the money, and thus the distribution to these areas gets significantly cut back. I'm sympathetic by all means, but it's not something likely to change soon. Hasbro's dumb like that.

But the Hot Toys Snap Kits are a pretty solid analogy... They're widely abundant in Asia, where they're basically made for and distributed. From some of my friends over there, I've been told how the Hot Toys Aliens kids were in check out lanes at stores like a candy bar here in the U.S. It's why I love the Asian market for toys, it's incredibly tuned to collectors. But anyway, those toys are made for that market... And thus for me to import them, the best price I can get (short of going through a wholesaler with a business account) comes to about $130 a case shipped from Hong Kong. It breaks down to about $10 a figure, maybe a little more. It's a premium to me for something that costs a pretty low price over in Asia, at least according to my friends who live there.

I want 'em though, so I have to import them at a premium... I wish they were sold here in the states but not all Hot Toys products are imported, and none of their Snap Kits seem to be so far.

[alf]

> Hasbro's steadily improved their stuff over the years, mostly Star Wars (my main focus on collecting) so I appreciate them as a company... Moreso than 21st who have been "unstable" at best.

Ok you are definitly right on that

> By no means am I a Hasbro apologist though. They make lots of mistakes by me too, believe me.

yup I read your others posts, I know that you are aware of technical pro and cons of hasbro product.

so to stop this, why IJ are costly ? we have
-quality depiste some paintjob error: shared
-licensing cost: shared
-market difference: your point/partially shared
-Hasbro is an evil company: my french point

[Jesse James]

I wouldn't call them Evil... Hasbro does have strict safety standards that they claim go beyond the minimums set for the industry. That's a good thing for safety, but a bad thing for collectors as at times quality suffers and costs involved in more stringent safety standards probably means an increase passed onto consumers. Sucky as it is, it's probably a pro... Maybe depending on your POV.

They just don't care to support other markets, but that's probably because they've seen little return when they have supported them. It's tough to blame a company then, for dropping support in Australia for instance, when the sales just weren't there.

I hear this same deal from Canadians all the time though... Too few product availability + poor distribution and support from the retailers up North = a crummy situation, and they're on the same continent we are. As frustrating as it must be in Europe, imagine it in Canada? The only positive is if you've made U.S. friends as the shipping isn't as bad as overseas shipping. Still, it's a premium, and it's because Hasbro doesn't support Canada as much as they do the U.S.

[tmanthegreat]

Found more newly stocked Last Crusade figures today at a local Wal Mart. Tons were out in an aisle display and had I not already picked up a set at another store, would have had my pick at this one. Vogels must be like a 50 figures to one ratio.

[Col.Pickle]

Hi Jesse James.

> Licenses = money.

I can understand that, but it cannot explain the difference between price in europe and price in the USA (and no it's not only because of the $ weakness)... From my point of view, it's just another clue on the game Hasbro is playing here, they have a big margin and they decided to use it widely at least here in france.

> I agree paintjobs were spotty but good ones were widely available if you looked through them, so that's not much of an issue IMO.

sure but when you buy them online you are screwed, or if your wife/children want to offer you some IJ figs again you are screwed. I hate to think you need to be clever than someone else when you spend your money: it's anormal.

Anyway I second that some figs are great and I can confirm that my faulty paintjob face is on a deluxe indy.

regards,

Arnaud

PS: I forget to tell this, like I said before I got most my IJ figs from online USA sellers. Anyway I'm really happy to think I gave a bit of work and money to the post men all along the way and to the seller instead of giving everything to Hasbro

I kind of agree with this arguement of price differences between USA and elsewhere. In USA I see IJ figure for 5.99 but here in Canada I think they are 9.99...

[tosborne3]

I took a nap today after eating an order of sweet&sour chicken from our local China-king restaraunt and I had a dream that Tankgirl and I were at Wallys and were digging through the IJ figs and I found the Moleram fig from TOD. I was so excited, but then I woke up and realized I was just dreaming. Once again I was disapointed but this time (in a dream) Wallys actually had something I was looking for. Must have been the Chinese food playing tricks on me again.

[Rowsdower]

Jesse has the comparison right with the import figures. Try buying some Macross (Robotech) stuff and you will go broke while they sell the stuff for peanuts in Japan. Also there are small kits they sell with candy but are high quality toys like the Furuta Star Trek ships and many more small vinyl figures and models.

[paulpratt]

My son and I found half the last crusade wave. We are still trying to find the German colonel, the female german doctor, and the grail knight. We keep spotting the others, but we haven't found those. We see Connery all over.

[tosborne3]

I have officially given up on trying to find any new IJ figs. I tried to be logical with my decision and I asked myself what was the item(s) you wanted the most. First off I wanted Indy himself, got em. Second I wanted the truck, got that too. And then I wanted the motorbike and of course I ended up with two of those babys. Now I ask myself what else do you want? Well I say "one of each" of the new items. Yeah right! What other items? But I'm not mad because at the end of the day I'm still an XD collector and the IJ line would have only been a small addition to my collection. Disapointed, yea a little, but not mad. I just dont care anymore.

[Stug45]

I have officially given up on trying to find any new IJ figs. I tried to be logical with my decision and I asked myself what was the item(s) you wanted the most. First off I wanted Indy himself, got em. Second I wanted the truck, got that too. And then I wanted the motorbike and of course I ended up with two of those babys. Now I ask myself what else do you want? Well I say "one of each" of the new items. Yeah right! What other items? But I'm not mad because at the end of the day I'm still an XD collector and the IJ line would have only been a small addition to my collection. Disapointed, yea a little, but not mad. I just dont care anymore.

I feel the same way i really don't care about the IJ line anymore.

[flayrah]

I've reached the same point with the figures. Checking multiple stores two or three times per week has come up with nothing, and there won't be anything new as long as those Mutt Williams and various Indys are sitting on the pegs - so why keep looking? I do want the truck, though, and can't find that now either. I'm batting 0.0

[olifant]

I too have just about given up. I am tired of trying to see which figures are on the pegs that WM jams together with no clearance and overfilled. I end up dropping half of them on the floor just to find...more Mutt Williams.

[Stug45]

Hasbro's INDIANA JONES Q&A: The Answers!

http://www.cooltoyreview.com/story/fron ... 117480.asp

WHAT THE HELL Mutt is the second best selling figure

Hasbro have you been to a wm or target lately??

[Razor17019]

Will the real peg warmer stand up...

Mutt Williams
and he comes in two versions:
Action-sword wielding Mutt
T-Shirt wearing Mutt

We are sooo blessed!

Hasbro, what's next?
3 versions of the monkey?
-Fez wearing monkey*
-Dead monkey
-Dead monkey wearing Fez*
(*Fez sold separately)

[olifant]

Will the real peg warmer stand up...

Mutt Williams
and he comes in two versions:
Action-sword wielding Mutt
T-Shirt wearing Mutt

We are sooo blessed!

Hasbro, what's next?
3 versions of the monkey?
-Fez wearing monkey*
-Dead monkey
-Dead monkey wearing Fez*
(*Fez sold separately)

Razor, I just had to change my shirt when my Coke shot out my nose. Stop your monkeying around!

[parrish333]

Hasbro's INDIANA JONES Q&A: The Answers!

http://www.cooltoyreview.com/story/fron ... 117480.asp

WHAT THE HELL Mutt is the second best selling figure

Hasbro have you been to a wm or target lately??

I dislike seeing all the Mutts as much as the next collector, but BOTH are probably true: the reason we see so many Mutts is that the case assortments continue to have a high proportion; and that is BECAUSE they have sold so well. The Mutts aren't flying off the shelves now - but none of the other figures are either. It's not like when I go to WM or Target or TRU I see ONLY Mutt figs; I see lots of the other characters, too.

I guess we could mark every IG fig with a black marker, come back in a few weeks and see if it's only the non-Mutts which have sold and been replaced...