Where are the actual molds for the ARAH toys kept?

[BEACHHEAD75]

In china? Or do they end up back at Hasbro? I have heard stories about so and so mold is broken but what do they mean? LIke some guy over in China dropped it in the factory? Does anyone know which are still viable and usable? I wonder if the 83 base set is still laying around somewhere.

[Xenos]

A lot of them have been melted down as scrap metal. From what I understand, almost every O-ring mold was sold for scrap, as well as pretty much all the vehicles. I think they said the Flagg's mold was dumped in the ocean.

The molds wear out after a while, just like any other machine. I think that's mainly what they are talking about when they say a mold is broken.

[MightyMegs]

Yeah, they're gone. The figure molds (that weren't shipped off to India for the Funskool figures) were in China. The vehicle molds (also that didn't go to India) were in Rhode Island. Some original molds that were refurbished or re-tooled are in China.

[firefox91]

That last Coke can you just drank from might have been where the molds went to.

[kneroh]

They're being cared for by "top men".

http://www.6000years.org/graphics/raiders_smithsonian_warehouse.jpg

[MightyMegs]

They're being cared for by "top men".

http://www.6000years.org/graphics/raiders_smithsonian_warehouse.jpg

Top men are a dime a dozen...

[kneroh]

Top men are a dime a dozen...

Finding the inverse seems to my problem

[MightyMegs]

Finding the inverse seems to my problem

Amen brother

[MLos1]

they're being cared for by "top men".

http://www.6000years.org/graphics/raiders_smithsonian_warehouse.jpg

nice!!!!

[Steevy Maximus]

Yeah, they're gone. The figure molds (that weren't shipped off to India for the Funskool figures) were in China. The vehicle molds (also that didn't go to India) were in Rhode Island. Some original molds that were refurbished or re-tooled are in China.

Pretty much:
Several dozen were lost in the mid-90s when they were shipped back to Rhode Island and the cargo container sank (casualties included SE v2 and Torch).

A bunch of molds (notably, later year vehicles) were ruined when Hasbro had a warehouse fire in the mid-90s.

Funskool got a bunch of molds for their use, but took care of them so poorly, more than half became unusable (like the original Skystriker mold and Lifeline).

And around the launch of 25th, Hasbro did not deem the old figure and vehicle molds as useful enough to keep around, and started getting rid of them. After all, the Club has been the only venue for O-ring figures, and even that isn't a big market anymore.

[Steevy Maximus]

In china? Or do they end up back at Hasbro? I have heard stories about so and so mold is broken but what do they mean? LIke some guy over in China dropped it in the factory? Does anyone know which are still viable and usable? I wonder if the 83 base set is still laying around somewhere.
FYI- The molds used in toy production are massive, multi-ton steel molds, so they are pretty massive.

Usually, when they say a "mold is lost" the mold is either:
A) Actually lost. With production being handled over in China and other factors, sometimes things get misplaced (Hasbro does not own the actual factories), mislabled (The Club discovered the IG Destro tools by accident, IIRC), or lost when a factory is closed.
B) The molds themselves have degraded to the point where the final product is simply not suitable for sale, be it lost details or functionally compromised. This has been an issue seen with the Transformers Combaticons in recent years (after having almost half a dozen uses between 2000 and 2004) and has shown up on the recent BBTS Seacon reissue.
Also note that each toy comprises of several mold elements, meaning if only one is broken, that can prevent the entire toy from being produced (The Club had pursued the Mauler for a 2006 Convention set, but cancelled it due to an axle or some other part being broken)

Molds have wear and tear and age, and at some point, Hasbro has to make the call of either restoring the molds, recasting the lost parts (which costs the same as a whole new molded part) or getting rid of the molds.

In the last few years, it has become pretty obvious 25th/Modern is the new ongoing figure construction, and I think the call was made that the aging o-ring molds were getting too expensive to store for the small runs the club did for the Cons (and the 25th sets have seemingly been more successful than the last couple o-ring con sets)

[Shin Densetsu]

Pretty much:
Several dozen were lost in the mid-90s when they were shipped back to Rhode Island and the cargo container sank (casualties included SE v2 and Torch).

A bunch of molds (notably, later year vehicles) were ruined when Hasbro had a warehouse fire in the mid-90s.

Funskool got a bunch of molds for their use, but took care of them so poorly, more than half became unusable (like the original Skystriker mold and Lifeline).

And around the launch of 25th, Hasbro did not deem the old figure and vehicle molds as useful enough to keep around, and started getting rid of them. After all, the Club has been the only venue for O-ring figures, and even that isn't a big market anymore.

Whoa I didn't know about the cargo container sinking and the warehouse fire! No wonder Snake Eyes V2 couldn't be used for the 97 set! For years I wondered, and now I know, AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!

[mightyjl]

In Walt Disney's vault

[jim0680]

Warehouse 13

[Trigue]

I'm shocked they got rid of any vehicle molds that were still in good shape. I wonder what they still had that wasn't reissued over the last decade.

And does that mean they got rid of any vehicle molds that weren't used since the 25th started, like Destro's Dominator, Slugger, Man-O-War, silver mirage or the night landing and of course the Dragonfly. oh and the 92 headquarters and MCC.

[Rambo]

And James Cameron looking for the Titanic...

[CrimsonGuard101]

I have been told either Vault 21 or Vault 101...maybe even in Fort Knox or deep within NORAD in Cheyenne Mountain..

[CobraCrimson]

Timaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!

An updated 1983 HQ would be perfect! As would Terror Drome & Flagg but those will probably never ever see the light of day again :(

[Shin Densetsu]

I'm shocked they got rid of any vehicle molds that were still in good shape. I wonder what they still had that wasn't reissued over the last decade.

And does that mean they got rid of any vehicle molds that weren't used since the 25th started, like Destro's Dominator, Slugger, Man-O-War, silver mirage or the night landing and of course the Dragonfly. oh and the 92 headquarters and MCC.

Those *MIGHT* still be usable. Dominator, 92 HQ and MCC were used in 2002 and 2000-01 respectively, the latter as TRU exclusives.

Dragonfly, Man O War(I think) and Slugger were used in 2000. NLC was used in 97. IIRC Silver Mirage was supposed to be released in the 25th line but canceled.

The Dragonfly from 2000, the Locust XH-1 is of great quality but I can see why Hasbro would opt to instead either retool it or make an all new mold, to make it more durable. As is, it's very sturdy but Hasbro may opt to make it much more robust, like they did with the Sky Striker XP21F.

[CobraCrimson]

Those *MIGHT* still be usable. Dominator, 92 HQ and MCC were used in 2002 and 2000-01 respectively, the latter as TRU exclusives.

Dragonfly, Man O War(I think) and Slugger were used in 2000. NLC was used in 97. IIRC Silver Mirage was supposed to be released in the 25th line but canceled.

The Dragonfly from 2000, the Locust XH-1 is of great quality but I can see why Hasbro would opt to instead either retool it or make an all new mold, to make it more durable. As is, it's very sturdy but Hasbro may opt to make it much more robust, like they did with the Sky Striker XP21F.

And don't forget the Night Landing was also used with retooling in the 2000-2002 ARAH line as the NLC with Cutter.

[5h4rK]

And don't forget the Night Landing was also used with retooling in the 2000-2002 ARAH line as the NLC with Cutter.

Nope! ..it wasn't the same toy at all.

[5h4rK]

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/images/products/out/medium/C2189P0041.jpg

[Darth Awgmon]

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/images/products/out/medium/C2189P0041.jpg

That looks like some the Corps! shit.

[Gyre-Viper]

There was also a flood at one point.
So between a fire, a flood, and some shit lost at sea...
the history of GI JOE has taken quite a few hits.

[Shin Densetsu]

That looks like some the Corps! shit.

Hell yeah it does.

[netkid]

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/images/products/out/medium/C2189P0041.jpg

Jonny Quest!

YOJOE.COM | Jonny Quest (http://www.yojoe.com/archive/actfig/jonnyquest.shtml)

^Why don't we ask for vehicles from that line to be re-released in new colors as Joe vehicles?

http://www.mindspring.com/~questworld-online/figures.html

[5h4rK]

Jonny Quest!

YOJOE.COM | Jonny Quest (http://www.yojoe.com/archive/actfig/jonnyquest.shtml)

^Why don't we ask for vehicles from that line to be re-released in new colors as Joe vehicles?

Jonny Quest Action Figures - Questworld Online (http://www.mindspring.com/~questworld-online/figures.html)

Cool! I didn't know about that Mantis Sub/Porpoise..

[Dragasses]

I think they said the Flagg's mold was dumped in the ocean.
so your saying there's still hope.

[netkid]

so your saying there's still hope.

Diving deep into the ocean to find the remains of a massive ship.

Wait, I've heard this one before...

[musashi3000gt]

The mold for the Flagg was taken back by other worldly being who deemed our species not ready for playsets of such magnitude. Im sure in the distant future when mankind starts colonizing other world we may find instruction on how to build such a mold once more.

[netkid]

Meh, I'd rather we get soemthing new like a B.A.T. factory, a ninja dojo, Destro's castle/weapon facility, or Cobra island.

[gijoeforlife]

The molds went to various places besides the factories in china. Between India, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and the UK, the molds couldn't have been looking good. Sadly, even if the molds were still available, the quality of the figures manufactured from them would lack the quality wanted/expected

[Dragasses]

hey netkid, where did you find carded pics of the croc master/blowtorch variants?

[spiderpumpkin]

The molds went to various places besides the factories in china. Between India, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and the UK, the molds couldn't have been looking good. Sadly, even if the molds were still available, the quality of the figures manufactured from them would lack the quality wanted/expected

Too bad Hasbro can't do what theblackmajor's source can do.

[gijoeforlife]

Too bad Hasbro can't do what theblackmajor's source can do.

yep not enough profit for them to even think about doing it, but I wish they could. Soon I might start doing what the black major is doing. I have a few ideas you'll like

[firefox91]

Too bad Hasbro can't do what theblackmajor's source can do.

Hasbro CAN do anything that his sources do. The question is do they want to? The answer is clearly no. Hasbro has moved on from the vintage line unfortunately. It certainly makes the bones we get thrown every once in a while more special, like blackmajor's stuff.

[Trigue]

Kind of makes you wonder what it would take for the Black Major's suppliers to make the Flagg or any of the old ARAH vehicles.

[gijoeforlife]

Kind of makes you wonder what it would take for the Black Major's suppliers to make the Flagg or any of the old ARAH vehicles.

out of the question. You need a minimum order of 2,000 of the item, and say the flagg would be 100 to make, you need 200,000 down on them, and that's before shipping costs to the U.S.(which would be killer) and on top of that from the U.S. distributor to the buyer

[rhodium1977]

I asked a rep in 2007 while on the Botcon field trip where they put the molds for the gi joes. He pointed behind me to a closed off area that is only accessed by key code. It had windows all around it and can only be accessed by certain designers. He indicated that the most valuable of molds including the joes are staged in there unless they are outrageously big and thus stored offsite. I should have followed up on what specifically but I was more interested in if they still had the flagg mold. He indicated that they still had it except for the deck part piece that has the "99" on it as it got broken, everything else they have including the deck railing. Small pieces and all. I did not catch the guys name but he indicated he had been with the company since the early 90's ( I am thinking he was a former kenner employee).

[laurenluna1977]

Pretty much:
Several dozen were lost in the mid-90s when they were shipped back to Rhode Island and the cargo container sank (casualties included SE v2 and Torch).

A bunch of molds (notably, later year vehicles) were ruined when Hasbro had a warehouse fire in the mid-90s.

Funskool got a bunch of molds for their use, but took care of them so poorly, more than half became unusable (like the original Skystriker mold and Lifeline).

And around the launch of 25th, Hasbro did not deem the old figure and vehicle molds as useful enough to keep around, and started getting rid of them. After all, the Club has been the only venue for O-ring figures, and even that isn't a big market anymore.

Sounds like the witches Mattel hired to curse Hasbro were worth money; same witches that Apple hired to curse Microsoft Zune

[netkid]

hey netkid, where did you find carded pics of the croc master/blowtorch variants?

It was from a website called Atomic Martians but the page has since been removed. All they had was the image from my sig. I remember reading that Hasbro emailed them the image and wanted them to spread the word on the upcoming variants/running change. I think the same image is also from one of the Joe Club magazines, along with a loose shot of each figure from when they were displayed in a Hasbro case at one of the conventions.

I wonder if the two figures will finally appear somewhere since Hasbro said they did get made. Maybe they are lumped in with leftover stock that's sitting in warehouses, waiting to be bought by some discount retailer.

[Falcone]

Too bad Hasbro can't do what theblackmajor's source can do.

Anyone can. Plenty of Chinese factories are willing to reverse engineer toys. All you need is to find the factory, have the money, and have a few vintage figures to send them.

[Lody]

Talking to Hasbro and the Club at the 2010 Convention, all of the vintage molds, etc are stored in a warehouse in Pawtucket. They go there once a year and decide what they can/can't use to make the Club Exclusives.

There are only a few people that know the actual location.

[CrimsonGuard101]

There are only a few people that know the actual location.

And currently all on the witness protection program...

[DaveViper]

Great question Op, I have always wondered this myself. Just got done with the short read. Good info in here and other stuff too, lol.

[Rambo]

Is out there at least a picture of an actual mold?

[Gyre-Viper]

Is out there at least a picture of an actual mold?

I've never seen a 3 3/4 GI Joe mold or if I have I've forgotten.
If you google steel molds you can see some star wars molds.
I have seen GI Joe 2up molds but those are obviously not the same
thing.

[firefox91]

I've never seen a 3 3/4 GI Joe mold or if I have I've forgotten.
If you google steel molds you can see some star wars molds.
I have seen GI Joe 2up molds but those are obviously not the same
thing.

I dunno, I expected something more.

Star Wars™ Vehicles Pancake Molds | Williams-Sonoma (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/star-wars-vehicles-pancake-mold/)

[Rambo]

Maybe someone in Hasbro has a picture of the molds...

[07GT500 COBRA]

I wish a How It's Made episode on Discovery Channel would detail action figure production.

[netkid]

I wish a How It's Made episode on Discovery Channel would detail action figure production.

I think everything they cover is made in Canada. The closest we've been to toy production (as far as I know) was the time they covered Mega Bloks.

[Lody]

I wish a How It's Made episode on Discovery Channel would detail action figure production.

They won't because they aren't made in America.

[Gyre-Viper]

I wish a How It's Made episode on Discovery Channel would detail action figure production.


For all the preproduction stuff I've seen or the interviews I've done etc or the designers I've talked to etc... the giant hole in it all has been the production side... I mean myself and others could show/tell you what happens step by step leading up to it getting mailed off to China or wherever and what it looks like when it has gone through the production filter to some extent... but as far as what that filter looks like step by step in itself... is lost somewhere between speculation and minimal documentation and shrouded in non-transparency and legal bits and whatever it is that has made it onto tv shows about how things are made in the actual production process. I mean you can piece certain things together from videos that do exist and pictures that do exist and interviews and if you go around to other toy lines and years etc and cobble everything together but still a lot is left up to speculation not to mention how often things do or sometimes don't change in the way things are done.

[Xenos]

Five or six years ago one of the guys that worked for McFarlane Toys toured the factory in China that they were using to make their sports figures, and he put up a bunch of pictures that he took that showed every step of the process. It was really cool, but I can't find it anywhere online anymore.

[UNDERCOVER]

A lot of them have been melted down as scrap metal. From what I understand, almost every O-ring mold was sold for scrap, as well as pretty much all the vehicles. I think they said the Flagg's mold was dumped in the ocean.

The molds wear out after a while, just like any other machine. I think that's mainly what they are talking about when they say a mold is broken.

Lets all put are money together and hire a salvage company to raise the Flagg.........mold lol

[spiderpumpkin]

Lets all put are money together and hire a salvage company to raise the Flagg.........mold lol

...or have new molds made.

[Gyre-Viper]

...or have new molds made.


Why? Because the Sky Striker was supported by collectors? Yeah, no.
The community-base failed Hasbro on the Sky Striker. If Hasbro ever takes another chance on resurrecting a classic... I hope it gets the support it needs.

[Rambo]

Why did the community fail them?

[netkid]

Why? Because the Sky Striker was supported by collectors? Yeah, no.
The community-base failed Hasbro on the Sky Striker. If Hasbro ever takes another chance on resurrecting a classic... I hope it gets the support it needs.

It didn't sell well? That's unfortunate.

Do you think the failure of collectors to support large items may hurt any future say they have in regards to modern character updates they wish to see?

[5h4rK]

Why? Because the Sky Striker was supported by collectors? Yeah, no.
The community-base failed Hasbro on the Sky Striker. If Hasbro ever takes another chance on resurrecting a classic... I hope it gets the support it needs.

Well, they were available here in Canada for 49.99$.. Waaayyy too high IMO! I finally bought 3 of them but at 25-30$ I would have bought at least 8 of them!

[Wizgillar]

Why? Because the Sky Striker was supported by collectors? Yeah, no.
The community-base failed Hasbro on the Sky Striker. If Hasbro ever takes another chance on resurrecting a classic... I hope it gets the support it needs.

I bought mine for $35. That is pretty damn expensive for a toy especially in this rotten economy. If they want to sell such a thing, a 35$ price tag is not a good way to go regardless of it being a collector, a child or a parent. Especially since the quality isn't all that great. Missiles don't stay on, only one seat, no chutes, not all that comparable to the $15 price tag on the original; 30 years ago or not.

If they want collector support and if they want to charge so much for it, at least make it with quality that matches price and maybe do a bit more marketing; supported cartoons, better movies, commercials, etc.

Yeah, I know, maybe I'm out of line but the cost of this crap that has come out with 25th and beyond just isn't worth the poor quality that comes with it.

[Shin Densetsu]

I bought mine for $35. That is pretty damn expensive for a toy especially in this rotten economy. If they want to sell such a thing, a 35$ price tag is not a good way to go regardless of it being a collector, a child or a parent. Especially since the quality isn't all that great. Missiles don't stay on, only one seat, no chutes, not all that comparable to the $15 price tag on the original; 30 years ago or not.

If they want collector support and if they want to charge so much for it, at least make it with quality that matches price and maybe do a bit more marketing; supported cartoons, better movies, commercials, etc.

Yeah, I know, maybe I'm out of line but the cost of this crap that has come out with 25th and beyond just isn't worth the poor quality that comes with it.

Take inflation into account and the worth of the dollar in 1983 when the Skystriker was released to the worth of the dollar in 2011.

[5h4rK]

If they want collector support and if they want to charge so much for it... do a bit more marketing; supported cartoons, better movies, commercials, etc.

This, this, this and this^^^^
No marketing or bad marketing = poor sales

Hasbro's biggest problem with G.I. Joe since 1993

[rhodium1977]

Take inflation into account and the worth of the dollar in 1983 when the Skystriker was released to the worth of the dollar in 2011.

Shin Densetsu is right. $15.00 in 1983 is now equivalent to $34.65 now.

[gijoeforlife]

I bought mine for $35. That is pretty damn expensive for a toy especially in this rotten economy. If they want to sell such a thing, a 35$ price tag is not a good way to go regardless of it being a collector, a child or a parent. Especially since the quality isn't all that great. Missiles don't stay on, only one seat, no chutes, not all that comparable to the $15 price tag on the original; 30 years ago or not.

If they want collector support and if they want to charge so much for it, at least make it with quality that matches price and maybe do a bit more marketing; supported cartoons, better movies, commercials, etc.

Yeah, I know, maybe I'm out of line but the cost of this crap that has come out with 25th and beyond just isn't worth the poor quality that comes with it.
Do you remember when this was announced. Everybody was expecting it to be around the 60 to 75 dollar mark. It was then announced to be 35 dollars. Everybody was ecstatic. It's funny how once joe collectors see something online they say theyre gonna buy a ton of something, but when it comes down to it they won't put their money where their mouth is. That's just my opinion though, and your completely welcome to yours

[allen dane]

Do you remember when this was announced. Everybody was expecting it to be around the 60 to 75 dollar mark. It was then announced to be 35 dollars. Everybody was ecstatic. It's funny how once joe collectors see something online they say theyre gonna buy a ton of something, but when it comes down to it they won't put their money where their mouth is. That's just my opinion though, and your completely welcome to yours

the original argument was using original molds to make newer o-ring toys. SO the new skystriker has zero appeal to me.(just a one seater). The best argument would be that since the collector has been split by the two different types of figures that are now out there (oring and 25th) then there is even less of a chance for oring toys to be made. And considering the collector club switched over.... it's time to give up on the idea of a oring mold ever needed considering the supply and demand.
Flips side to all that. every time a ME toy comes out. the original version becomes less desirable (rattlers and water mocs and stingers dropped in price for example) So oringers like myself love the new toys coming out!!!!

[Bermuda Mohawk]

The community-base failed Hasbro on the Sky Striker.

WTH? Really?

That's a horrible position, since it seems it was only collectors who were buying the Skystriker. Or Joe products at all. It failed cause Joe in retail is a dud. Kids just aren't into it. Hasbro made a fan collector Skystriker, and not a kid friendly one.

Hasbro failed the main demographic of toy lines, kids. Collectors did what they could, but they can't carry the weight alone.

[Gyre-Viper]

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker before one was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker when it was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.

Sure some people took issue with the cockpit. But let's be honest... how many of you were going to "play" with your sky striker and how many were going to display it? A double seated cockpit would have been cool but to what extent really? Why? For display purposes?

I will not argue that Hasbro has made their share of mistakes. Be it brand marketing, entertainment etc. Be it that silly Battleship film they just pumped money into because someone said "TRANSFORMERS ON A BOAT" or taking some of the best sculpted figures ever (ie Swamp Viper)
and vamping them of the articulation that makes them GI JOE. I am NOT suggesting Hasbro
could not or cannot do better in certain areas. Of course they can. Anyone can. Everyone can.
EVEN US.

But every store I go into has 3 to 4 sky strikers on its shelves. And it's been that way since it was released. Most likely the same 3 or 4. Of course they over-estimated kids wanting airplanes but if they'd made it a collector exclusive... there would be an entirely OTHER complaint in the communities. So you tell me what the answer should have been... how do you get kids to care about airplanes that aren't Avengers jets.
I'm over-generalizing to an extent of course.

Not everyone can have a problem with the cockpit. I've seen too many polarized arguments on these forums to think that EVERYONE here didn't buy a sky striker because it was a one-seater. And I refuse to accept that in a community of people who say nothing but "that sucks I can't wait to customize it" were that put off. There are a dozen ways to
look at it but what it comes down to is the community didn't live up to its own hype on this.

THEY RESURRECTED THE SKY STRIKER. And after all of that there's people whining about "where's my flagg. make a new flagg mold."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH. Ok. Sure. They'll get right on that.

Then it will be "The flagg isn't to scale. That gimmick worked in the 80's where you could suspend disbelief but toys aren't for kids they're for me... the brand supporting fan who can't get over a cockpit seat but is encouraging hasbro to put out a flagg." SERIOUSLY?

As a community we rarely take responsibility for anything because Hasbro is the corporation and we are the consumer. The customer is always right etc. Sure Hasbro could have put out white, double seated, parachute popping, 2 pilot, new wing-wheel mechanized Sky Striker.
But if it was even $2 more it would have been the same thing "Sure I'll buy ten" but no one is willing to pay $30 or $35. Everyone wants to spend their allowance and not their pay check. ON SOMETHING THAT'S TOOLING NO LONGER EXISTED. SOMETHING THAT DISASSEMBLES TO FIT IN A BOX TO SAVE YOU MONEY. NOT THEM.

"I don't want to spend $30 on a toy." Okay. Good luck with your flagg.
And as I said earlier... if Hasbro ever decides to bring a classic back...
and bases it on the SAID excitement from the community... bases it on polls and the best info they have which is what is said on the forums or to them at con... keep in mind they didn't get the idea from nowhere... they didn't stop kids on the street and say "what vehicle does your dad want the most"... they got the information here and elsewhere.

There are plenty of things that Hasbro does that I think they deserve
honest criticism. I'll pay $40 for a sky striker but I will NOT pay anything for 5 POA. I don't mean to sound bitchy. I'm not accusing the community of being failures... just failing on this particular experiment.
And that's what the sky striker was... an experiment. If that thing had flown off the shelves... I bet Hasbro would have rushed to figure out what to do next. Now they probably have to justify it. Not only to their bosses and retail... but it seems when they resurrect a basically dead classic concept they have to justify it to us, too. They have to somehow squeeze
the perfect vehicle with all the bells and whistles, catered to our desires and nitpicking, fit it in a box, only to hope that we come through on our end next time we say we will buy 10 or 20 and in the same thread say "I would have bought a flagg."

[coreystinson]

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker before one was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker when it was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.


People are basically full of shit, you can take that to the bank. I remember standing in the 21st Century Toys showroom in NYC back around 2001 and talking to their corporate sales manager. He called these people the "I'll buy fivers", meaning the people that say they'll buy five of something if it will be developed and released. Then, when it is released, you are lucky if they buy one. All companies know to ignore collector remarks of this kind. Only collectors don't know that collector remarks of this kind are and should be ignored. Hasbro should just mothball the GI JOE brand for 4-5 years again to send the morons off to collect Dragonball Z or something.

[Gyre-Viper]

People are basically full of shit, you can take that to the bank. I remember standing in the 21st Century Toys showroom in NYC back around 2001 and talking to their corporate sales manager. He called these people the "I'll buy fivers", meaning the people that say they'll buy five of something if it will be developed and released. Then, when it is released, you are lucky if they buy one. All companies know to ignore collector remarks of this kind. Only collectors don't know that collector remarks of this kind are and should be ignored. Hasbro should just mothball the GI JOE brand for 4-5 years again to send the morons off to collect Dragonball Z or something.

I never expected Hasbro to take the "I'll buy 20" crowd seriously nor do I think they did.
I was just using it as an example of how Joe collectors rarely come through on their end in certain circumstances. It was basically the hype I am suggesting Hasbro was playing off o

[ChicagoScott]

Take inflation into account and the worth of the dollar in 1983 when the Skystriker was released to the worth of the dollar in 2011.

Two other things to factor into the inflation equation:
1. The cost of petroleum, which contributes to two of the largest expenses in making a Skystriker, has increased at a faster rate than inflation. Petroleum is used in the production of the plastic and in the gas used to get the product from the factory to the dock, from the foreign port to the US port, from US port to Hasbro's warehouse, From Hasbro's warehouse to a retail distribution center, and from a retail distribution center to a retail store.
2. Economics of scale made the fixed costs of the molds, artists, and designers take up a larger portion of the per unit price.

A strong argument could be made that the Skystriker at $34.99 in 2012 is cheaper than the one in 1983.

[Trigue]

And all this time I thought the Skystriker sold pretty well. Hell I could rarely find one around here. Wal-Mart, atleast the two around here never carried it once. Target and TRU seemed to stay sold out except for when it was first released and I picked up two, one each from Target and TRU. I regret now not getting the other one that was on the self at TRU but some kids were looking at it and I didn't wanna "be that guy" and take both of them. After all that time I just found two last week at TRU and if not for saving money for JoeCon I would of bought both of them. If they still have that Skytriker next week after payday I'll be picking it up. After all I don't need to eat lunch everyday lol. One week of skipped lunches = Skystriker

I still have my goal of getting 12 Skystrikers and I would of met it long ago if I could of found them. The Target website often said they had it in stock but I refuse to be the asshole that demands they go check the stock room for a toy. I probably should of bought them online but I wanted to buy them at retail.

Call me crazy but there was something special when I picked up that first Skystriker at Target. I even made my Dad go with me although it had been my mother I was with when I got my first Skystriker back in 1983. I know silly, but hey it was a big thing for me. And I did buy my Dad a steak dinner afterwards.

I would of loved to seen a two seater Skystriker, parachutes and in white. But in the end I don't care......because I have a freaking Skystriker that I don't have to handle with caution for fear that it's so old some thing will break....and it has black tails just like it was suppose to in 83!

If collectors really did skip out on this, then they made a big mistake.

[Shin Densetsu]

People are basically full of shit, you can take that to the bank. I remember standing in the 21st Century Toys showroom in NYC back around 2001 and talking to their corporate sales manager. He called these people the "I'll buy fivers", meaning the people that say they'll buy five of something if it will be developed and released. Then, when it is released, you are lucky if they buy one. All companies know to ignore collector remarks of this kind. Only collectors don't know that collector remarks of this kind are and should be ignored. Hasbro should just mothball the GI JOE brand for 4-5 years again to send the morons off to collect Dragonball Z or something.

By the same token we can call 21st Century the "we'll announce something but never deliver" people. 1/18 F-4, B-25, MIG-21, 1/32 F-4B/E/J/S. I dunno even back then they should've known most collectors weren't going to buy multiples of each release, a 1/18 P-51 back then was the biggest airplane toy on shelf at TRU.

As far as the Sky Striker I bought 5 full price at Target. I only know of 1 that ever made it to clearance at a local Target as I had been looking every month at least once, and that was this past week but come to find out it was a repack. Last week was the ONLY time I saw the thing on clearance. We got wiped out here during Xmas even at TRU.

After xmas the local Targets and TRU's had restocked the Sky Striker. Each time they ran out I thought "hey that'll be it, it's kinda dead for toys right now". For example when I bought my last 2 Sky Strikers 1 was 2nd from being last on shelf, the next time the one I bought was the last on shelf, bought these from 2 different stores.

At the tme I checked the price scanner to see if they had inventory in the back. It said no. I did this other times when I didn't buy any just to see if they had more in the back. 1-2 weeks later I would see a fresh restock of 3 on shelf.

Maybe it's my area, who knows, but that thing did sell around here, at least well enough that it didn't go into clearance until last week and even so there was just ONE that I saw that did.

With regards to not being enough collectors to pull the weight of the brand, I agree. However we have to look at the challenges the Sky Striker faced. It had NO advertising whatsoever. Only people who went to Toy Fair, worked at Hasbro, or look at gijoe fansites online knew it was coming back. There were no commercials, no print ads, et al. The average kid was not going to know this was coming out unless there parent was a gijoe fan. Sure GI Joe Renegades was on, but it was on a subscription only channel, so most kids didn't have a media tie in to watch last year for GI Joe. They do this year with Retaliation but the Sky Striker isn't part of the Retaliation line.

In addition, Walmart didn't carry the Sky Striker. There goes a big chunk of customers and visibility there.

I'm thinking Depriest is the reason we got the Sky Striker back. The fact that we got it at $35 at Target, taking inflation and the cost of petro into account, means we fans lucked out hardcore, much more than most of us realize. We are very fortunate and I personally was shocked and delighted by the news. Plus I disconnected the wings from landing gear from mine yet still have the wings able to swing in unison. So I enjoy mine. Those who know me from before HissTank know that a Sky Striker reissue was a holy grail of mine that never existed until last year.

[blayze5150]

http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy214/blayze5150/tootsie.jpg?t=1337614992


"The World May Never Know!"

[Black Llama]

Why did the community fail them?

We didn't show up until it his rock bottom pricing, that's why. Hasbro isn't going to go through the expense of tooling a new, large vehicle for distribution through country wide Retailers when it won't sell at the MSRP. Simple as that. How many threads and posts were there of "Oh wow, the Skystriker is great!" but I'm not paying 40$ for one. Followed quickly by "Oh Look! Skystrikers for 15$ SIGN ME UP.

It's the latter mentality of "I want this, but I don't want to pay for it" that screws us as collectors. This is how Hasbro can easily justify putting out the vehicles and 5 POA figures were seeing now.

[Cdt Weasel]

Were the X-30 and Rattler rereleases considered success? They seemed to sell out pretty well. The repaints to a lesser extent.

[kneroh]

Advertising... that should solve all the problems?

If this was true then why aren't they doing it? Because it doesn't! Do you even notice the lack of almost all toy commercials? If there was a justifiable return, you'd would see them on every channel nonstop.

Why aren't their more? Because it's a money pit. A TV ad strategy, buying airtime, producing, directing, editing and delivering a commercial takes a huge amount of time and money.

Look at the toy industry today, products are completely refreshed after 3 months. You can buy a Renegades Duke and Techno Viper one month and the next it's Lifeline and Zombie Viper.

How can you justify the time and expense of creating a marketing campaign that you will basically get no use out of? Between the time these figures are off the boat, camera ready and the time it takes to produce and air the commercial guess what, there's already a brand new wave hitting the stores. It's not like 1985 where it's one 1 wave per year and you have all the time in the world to plan out a solid commercial and marketing strategy.

You also need to look at the television market. The days of Saturday morning, and weekday afternoon TV blocks is dead. Those were fueled by the advertisers, not the audience. Cable has fragmented the target audience so much, and programming line ups honestly change day to day so coming up with a decent plan of attack is a total crap shoot on the best of days.

Advertising is tough, especially for toys you never know what is going to resonate with the audience. For the life of me I can't recall a time when as a child that a commercial had me racing out to the store to buy. I made all my purchasing decisions in the aisle. The best way to promote and advertise toys in right in the store with dynamic packaging, interesting play features and providing that something that other 50 products surrounding yours does not.

[blayze5150]

I bought Four Skystrikers at retail. I've bought everything, even that shit Pit at retail.

[Lody]

even that shit Pit at retail.

You have no one to blame for that but yourself

I wouldn't even buy that thing on clearance.

I wouldn't even want one for FREE

It was so fricking hideous and didn't even fit in with the damn movie! It looked like a boat on wheels!

[Lody]

Advertising... that should solve all the problems?

If this was true then why aren't they doing it? Because it doesn't! Do you even notice the lack of almost all toy commercials? If there was a justifiable return, you'd would see them on every channel nonstop.

Why aren't their more? Because it's a money pit. A TV ad strategy, buying airtime, producing, directing, editing and delivering a commercial takes a huge amount of time and money.

Look at the toy industry today, products are completely refreshed after 3 months. You can buy a Renegades Duke and Techno Viper one month and the next it's Lifeline and Zombie Viper.

How can you justify the time and expense of creating a marketing campaign that you will basically get no use out of? Between the time these figures are off the boat, camera ready and the time it takes to produce and air the commercial guess what, there's already a brand new wave hitting the stores. It's not like 1985 where it's one 1 wave per year and you have all the time in the world to plan out a solid commercial and marketing strategy.

You also need to look at the television market. The days of Saturday morning, and weekday afternoon TV blocks is dead. Those were fueled by the advertisers, not the audience. Cable has fragmented the target audience so much, and programming line ups honestly change day to day so coming up with a decent plan of attack is a total crap shoot on the best of days.

Advertising is tough, especially for toys you never know what is going to resonate with the audience. For the life of me I can't recall a time when as a child that a commercial had me racing out to the store to buy. I made all my purchasing decisions in the aisle. The best way to promote and advertise toys in right in the store with dynamic packaging, interesting play features and providing that something that other 50 products surrounding yours does not.

This would be a good question at the Hasbro roundtable....

[Lody]

Advertising... that should solve all the problems?

If this was true then why aren't they doing it? Because it doesn't! Do you even notice the lack of almost all toy commercials? If there was a justifiable return, you'd would see them on every channel nonstop.

Why aren't their more? Because it's a money pit. A TV ad strategy, buying airtime, producing, directing, editing and delivering a commercial takes a huge amount of time and money.

Look at the toy industry today, products are completely refreshed after 3 months. You can buy a Renegades Duke and Techno Viper one month and the next it's Lifeline and Zombie Viper.

How can you justify the time and expense of creating a marketing campaign that you will basically get no use out of? Between the time these figures are off the boat, camera ready and the time it takes to produce and air the commercial guess what, there's already a brand new wave hitting the stores. It's not like 1985 where it's one 1 wave per year and you have all the time in the world to plan out a solid commercial and marketing strategy.

You also need to look at the television market. The days of Saturday morning, and weekday afternoon TV blocks is dead. Those were fueled by the advertisers, not the audience. Cable has fragmented the target audience so much, and programming line ups honestly change day to day so coming up with a decent plan of attack is a total crap shoot on the best of days.

Advertising is tough, especially for toys you never know what is going to resonate with the audience. For the life of me I can't recall a time when as a child that a commercial had me racing out to the store to buy. I made all my purchasing decisions in the aisle. The best way to promote and advertise toys in right in the store with dynamic packaging, interesting play features and providing that something that other 50 products surrounding yours does not.

However,

I disagree that advertising doesn't work:

Has anyone seen the commerical for the Schitcky?

Funniest damn thing I have seen and we were laughing out loud when we saw it this weekend....

Schticky commercial [OFFICIAL] - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAQjF5RPgbg)

Of course the only disappointing part about this commercial is that it doesn't show the part where they clean up in the bathroom and pick up an opened condom wrapper.....

[spiderpumpkin]

I bought 1 Skystriker for full price at retail. I sure hope the Club does a Night Boomer exclusive for Joecon or just in their store.

[Dropkick]

I'd buy a Night Boomer if offered.

[eddy-arashikage]

Most if not all of the toy ADS are on the cartoon channels on cable and satelite tv in the uk at least, I would say that they do work as My kids always recognise toys from the tv commercials... its just that I talk them into buying joes at knifepoint instead!!

Maybe a bit more info from the fans on where the best deals are? I see a lot of distrubution problems within the us, guys complaining that certain figs etc don't even make it into retail!! Whereas other guys are complaining they dont want them and the shelves are full of said items.

I stumbled across the skystriker on amazon.com the us version of amazon and surprisingly it was for sale to oversea's customers there at a decent price with a standard amazon postage fee so it was way cheaper then getting it from ebay!!

I have to admit I was abit jealous and had I known sonner I may have brought myself one as apposed to getting it for the gf's son!

When he opend it however the single cockpit did not bother me nor the texture of it, I know some complained about that! What I found annoying was how the missiles and stabiliser wings etc would fall off on the slighest of touches making it quite a crappy toy to play with.... not the sort of thing collectors should be too bothered with though. But I think the more something is a quality sort after item the more collectors would want them and be willing to pay more for the said items.

I wonder if after retaliation will help make a change to this trend though! And yeah it does seem as though we as fans don't do enough to support the things we are fans of, overall the threads here do read quite negatively most of the time!! Even mine is not exactly shouting out for you guys to go buy the skystriker before its too late!!

Again another feature lost was the parachute as mentioned before, this again is more of a play feature, but then look at the cobra troops from the retaliation line you can't tell me thats not the reason there is an interest there for that certain figure!

[spiderpumpkin]

I thought they would Repaint the Skystriker for the new movie line. Maybe it'll be a store exclusive like Target's ROC Rhino. Did we know that was coming out ahead of time? Maybe we'll see some surprise exclusives for Retaliation.

[gijoeforlife]

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker before one was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker when it was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.

Sure some people took issue with the cockpit. But let's be honest... how many of you were going to "play" with your sky striker and how many were going to display it? A double seated cockpit would have been cool but to what extent really? Why? For display purposes?

I will not argue that Hasbro has made their share of mistakes. Be it brand marketing, entertainment etc. Be it that silly Battleship film they just pumped money into because someone said "TRANSFORMERS ON A BOAT" or taking some of the best sculpted figures ever (ie Swamp Viper)
and vamping them of the articulation that makes them GI JOE. I am NOT suggesting Hasbro
could not or cannot do better in certain areas. Of course they can. Anyone can. Everyone can.
EVEN US.

But every store I go into has 3 to 4 sky strikers on its shelves. And it's been that way since it was released. Most likely the same 3 or 4. Of course they over-estimated kids wanting airplanes but if they'd made it a collector exclusive... there would be an entirely OTHER complaint in the communities. So you tell me what the answer should have been... how do you get kids to care about airplanes that aren't Avengers jets.
I'm over-generalizing to an extent of course.

Not everyone can have a problem with the cockpit. I've seen too many polarized arguments on these forums to think that EVERYONE here didn't buy a sky striker because it was a one-seater. And I refuse to accept that in a community of people who say nothing but "that sucks I can't wait to customize it" were that put off. There are a dozen ways to
look at it but what it comes down to is the community didn't live up to its own hype on this.

THEY RESURRECTED THE SKY STRIKER. And after all of that there's people whining about "where's my flagg. make a new flagg mold."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH. Ok. Sure. They'll get right on that.

Then it will be "The flagg isn't to scale. That gimmick worked in the 80's where you could suspend disbelief but toys aren't for kids they're for me... the brand supporting fan who can't get over a cockpit seat but is encouraging hasbro to put out a flagg." SERIOUSLY?

As a community we rarely take responsibility for anything because Hasbro is the corporation and we are the consumer. The customer is always right etc. Sure Hasbro could have put out white, double seated, parachute popping, 2 pilot, new wing-wheel mechanized Sky Striker.
But if it was even $2 more it would have been the same thing "Sure I'll buy ten" but no one is willing to pay $30 or $35. Everyone wants to spend their allowance and not their pay check. ON SOMETHING THAT'S TOOLING NO LONGER EXISTED. SOMETHING THAT DISASSEMBLES TO FIT IN A BOX TO SAVE YOU MONEY. NOT THEM.

"I don't want to spend $30 on a toy." Okay. Good luck with your flagg.
And as I said earlier... if Hasbro ever decides to bring a classic back...
and bases it on the SAID excitement from the community... bases it on polls and the best info they have which is what is said on the forums or to them at con... keep in mind they didn't get the idea from nowhere... they didn't stop kids on the street and say "what vehicle does your dad want the most"... they got the information here and elsewhere.

There are plenty of things that Hasbro does that I think they deserve
honest criticism. I'll pay $40 for a sky striker but I will NOT pay anything for 5 POA. I don't mean to sound bitchy. I'm not accusing the community of being failures... just failing on this particular experiment.
And that's what the sky striker was... an experiment. If that thing had flown off the shelves... I bet Hasbro would have rushed to figure out what to do next. Now they probably have to justify it. Not only to their bosses and retail... but it seems when they resurrect a basically dead classic concept they have to justify it to us, too. They have to somehow squeeze
the perfect vehicle with all the bells and whistles, catered to our desires and nitpicking, fit it in a box, only to hope that we come through on our end next time we say we will buy 10 or 20 and in the same thread say "I would have bought a flagg."

thank you, my point exactly.

[Falcone]

Were the X-30 and Rattler rereleases considered success? They seemed to sell out pretty well. The repaints to a lesser extent.

I seem to recall that they went on clearance everywhere. I don't know the cause of it, whether it was price, numbers made, no interest, etc. All I know is I didn't buy any on clearance and now they go for ridiculous prices on eBay.

[Shin Densetsu]

I thought they would Repaint the Skystriker for the new movie line. Maybe it'll be a store exclusive like Target's ROC Rhino. Did we know that was coming out ahead of time? Maybe we'll see some surprise exclusives for Retaliation.

It's possible but Hasbro has yet to announce any Retaliation retailer exclusives. Wait until Joecon and SDCC.

As far as the Sky Striker, no we did not know about it until Toy Fair 2011.

[eddy-arashikage]

Kuukuuson knew about some of the molds I think he was at the UK convention RORC3 and we chatted about them this year he said some of the molds weren't cleaned properly leading to them being ruined, can/t remember if it was india (funskool) or china though now. He may have some more info to shed light on things!

[Steevy Maximus]

Kuukuuson knew about some of the molds I think he was at the UK convention RORC3 and we chatted about them this year he said some of the molds weren't cleaned properly leading to them being ruined, can/t remember if it was india (funskool) or china though now. He may have some more info to shed light on things!

It was Funskool, Hasbro was pretty blatant with that information circa 2004

[C.I.A.D.]

^ Indeed. Apparently our friends at Funskool enjoyed using Salt Water and death to clean toy molds. LOL

[jogunwarrior]

I'd buy a Night Boomer if offered.

I'd buy twenty Night Boomers at full price...Just kidding, I'd probably buy just one.

[Rambo]

I'd buy twenty Night Boomers at full price...Just kidding, I'd probably buy just one.

:D I'd get 20 too. But only if it has double seat and parachutes.

[BEACHHEAD75]

a brilliant marketing move on hasbros part would be to do commercials on the major cartoon networks but do them like the Not in stores bullshit ads. Throw up some toys like a skystriker and a gijoe base but only through tv only. My kids love that stupid shit. Im always buying some sort of weird toy that i can only buy online or over the phone.

[VideoViper]

The molds are here....

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-s3bqqj_iNLE/TqAW-Zkb0gI/AAAAAAAAAHs/Hi9-ZCVh4OA/s576/IMG00043-20111014-1844.jpg

[sharky]

a brilliant marketing move on hasbros part would be to do commercials on the major cartoon networks but do them like the Not in stores bullshit ads. Throw up some toys like a skystriker and a gijoe base but only through tv only. My kids love that stupid shit. Im always buying some sort of weird toy that i can only buy online or over the phone.
But wait, buy now and you get a 2nd Skytriker absolutely free! NOW, how much would you pay? :)

[eddy-arashikage]

I agree the kids channels are the way forward I am in the same boat my kids start telling me about this toy they seen on the adverts and i have to tell them why G I Joe is way better.. ;-)

[BEACHHEAD75]

if they replayed the old Flagg commercial on TheHub in ten minutes i would be spending 150 bucks or whatever to buy one for my son. Imagine if it was only a 30 dollar jet or Killer Whale?

[TomsToyChest]

As Collectors we all fall prey to "I'd buy 10 of those if they actually made it!!".

Over the years at Toyfair in NYC, I must have said it a hundred times between Star Wars, GI Joe, Wrestling etc etc.

The truth is that I wound up only buying up high volumes on half the items that I had previously been excited about.

Life happens...and in the time between inception, distribution and discovery things change...people change and the result can be devastating to a manufacturer if they have not planned accordingly.

It killed me to see all the Skystrikers sitting...for months...and I bought the 2 that I had always planned on getting, at full price.

Imagine how Flaggs would be sitting this time next year, after unemployment stats and inflation continue to rise, in an election year.

Ross would be building aisles out of the Flaggs, while Hasbro sat back and took note that these large scale items only sold at below-cost pricing.

Even with advertising, certain items are just not necessities and won't sell in a poor economy.

The Sky Strikers in my area only sold out when they went on clearance. Until that point, they sat collecting dust on store shelves, even during the last holiday season. It's been the same story with the Avengers Quinjet, it hasn't sold well here either.

And thinking about large scale items like the Flagg, I'm wondering how the sales for the Avengers Helicarrier are going to pan out as I'm hearing it's supposed to be sold for around $70. I'm thinking that it's not going to perform well as it doesn't look proportionate to 3.75" figures at all if what I've seen in promotional pictures is accurate.

[bar]

I have pictures of model kit moulds which are a bit smaller and daintier than toy moulds would be. ‘S‹àŒ^”À‘—Š®—¹ (http://homepage3.nifty.com/kow/mastermold.html)
Those moulds were for low-production model kits made in the 80's which were found a couple of years back and are in the process of being restored.
I'd guess that the moulds for the Flagg would be bigger in volume than an SUV for all the parts.
It's a BIG undertaking to make these things.
I was talking to the marketing director at BMW in Munich and we were talking about the press moulds for car body panels(A lightly different topic than injection moulds, but they do those too), and he said that for ONE BODY PANEL on a BMW, there has to be six separate press moulds. A piece of metal gets picked up and placed between the press moulds and pressed maybe 20% into the shape. It then gets picked up and moved from position one to position 2 and so on, each mould pushing the shape slighty more into the panel. By panel 6, the entire panel is the right shape, and the excess is pressed off.
Each press block(6 PAIRS required per panel mind you), costs upwards of $120,000. And they need that for every panel on a car.
Never mind all the plastic injection moulding machines and tools for the plastics.
Actual manufacturing is a big business and they can only do it if they make a profit.
I bought 10 Skystrikers. Two myself and the rest were bought for me by members here(And i of course paid them for getting them and had to also pay shipping to the UK).
I feel that i "did my bit" for the SS.
If it didn't sell well, i don't think i could have done more.
But it needs to be remembered that for new cool product, we need to be able to stick our hands in our pockets to spend one at least one new product to be hopeful at the promise of more to come.
And i understand that can be tough if the product is not to your liking, lol.

[Rambo]

bar thank you for the pictures. Now I have a better understanding of the look and dimension of a mold.

[VideoViper]

IMO

If anyone wants a Flagg, go down to Home Depo or Lowes & build it yourself. You will be much happier with the results.

[Shadow Ninja]

e displayed in a Hasbro case at one of the conventions.

I wonder if the two figures will finally appear somewhere since Hasbro said they did get made. Maybe they are lumped in with leftover stock that's sitting in warehouses, waiting to be bought by some discount retailer.

They NEVER did get made they were scrapped just like other figs from the end of POC line to make way for 30th figures.

[Shadow Ninja]

Talking to Hasbro and the Club at the 2010 Convention, all of the vintage molds, etc are stored in a warehouse in Pawtucket. They go there once a year and decide what they can/can't use to make the Club Exclusives.

There are only a few people that know the actual location.

That is true and back at the 2004 convention they stated that they had reaquired 90% of their molds from various places. I believe all the stories are BS because they are tired of people asking "Do you have this mold" When are you going to make XXX" they have gotten smart and just came up with excuses now to get people off their backs and stop asking the same old questions. Back in 2004 there was no 25th line so I am more apt to believe they have the molds!

[Shadow Ninja]

if they replayed the old Flagg commercial on TheHub in ten minutes i would be spending 150 bucks or whatever to buy one for my son. Imagine if it was only a 30 dollar jet or Killer Whale?

It would cost about $300 now to produce and sell the Flagg. Maybe even $350 to make a decent profit on it..

[netkid]

They NEVER did get made they were scrapped just like other figs from the end of POC line to make way for 30th figures.

What about samples or prototypes? We've see prototypes of the cancelled POC mechs and their pilots up for sale. If the figures show up loose online with all their accessories then I might try to buy them.

[spiderpumpkin]

It would cost about $300 now to produce and sell the Flagg. Maybe even $350 to make a decent profit on it..

More like $700?

[Trigue]

Look at the Pit, the AT-TE, AT-AT and Millenium Falcon and whatever this years big vehicle for star wars is. They were all like what, 100 or 150 dollars ? The Flagg would probably have three or four times the plastic than any of one of those. There would also be the retooling costs for any missing/broken parts and to make it more compatable with the current figures. Shadow and Spider are pretty close I think. It would be crazy expensive, more so than a JoeCon set thats for sure and how many of us can really toss that kind of cash around. I think Hasbro will eventually reissue the Flagg at some point, but not until the economy gets better. It doesn't matter if collector's can afford that cost. It matters if parents can afford it for thier kids.

[Lody]

Retooling would most def have to happen. There was a comment made Hasbro about the Skystriker needing retooling because of new safety standards. I would imagine the standards have changed between 85 and now that would warrant them.

[spiderpumpkin]

Look at the Pit, the AT-TE, AT-AT and Millenium Falcon and whatever this years big vehicle for star wars is. They were all like what, 100 or 150 dollars ? The Flagg would probably have three or four times the plastic than any of one of those. There would also be the retooling costs for any missing/broken parts and to make it more compatable with the current figures. Shadow and Spider are pretty close I think. It would be crazy expensive, more so than a JoeCon set thats for sure and how many of us can really toss that kind of cash around. I think Hasbro will eventually reissue the Flagg at some point, but not until the economy gets better. It doesn't matter if collector's can afford that cost. It matters if parents can afford it for thier kids.

All Flagg tooling has been destroyed.

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/3004463-post36.html


.

[thairestauranteur]

Whoa I didn't know about the cargo container sinking and the warehouse fire! No wonder Snake Eyes V2 couldn't be used for the 97 set! For years I wondered, and now I know, AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!


We need to send Jim Cameron and his deep sea Titanic crew to the bottom of the sea and scour the ocean floor for v2 Snake Eyes!

[thairestauranteur]

I don't think tooling would be that big of an issue as people might thing.

All you have to do is go on ebay and find an example figure of whatever you need. Scavenge the moldings from whatever figure you need. Recast from those parts. Easy. You might need to clean up some details but the main things like scale/size are there.

[spiderpumpkin]

I don't think tooling would be that big of an issue as people might thing.

All you have to do is go on ebay and find an example figure of whatever you need. Scavenge the moldings from whatever figure you need. Recast from those parts. Easy. You might need to clean up some details but the main things like scale/size are there.

...or put in an order for new Soldiers, CGs, SE, Flash/GS, BATS, or whatever in various colors like theblackmajor.

[Xenos]

I don't think tooling would be that big of an issue as people might thing.

It's doable, but very expensive for the bigger items. I heard on the Flag Points podcast when they were interviewing an old Hasbro employee that the molds for the Defiant cost $1.5 million to make in 1986-87. Can you imagine how much it would cost today? Can you imagine how many they would have to sell to recoup that cost?

[thairestauranteur]

the defiant cost $1.5 million to make in 1986-87. Can you imagine how much it would cost today? Can you imagine how many they would have to sell to recoup that cost?

wowzers!!

[netkid]

Are the figure molds for Joe vs Cobra-SpyTroops-ValorVsVenom-DTC still around?

[ergozoom]

I heard on the Flag Points podcast when they were interviewing an old Hasbro employee that the molds for the Defiant cost $1.5 million to make in 1986-87. Can you imagine how much it would cost today? Can you imagine how many they would have to sell to recoup that cost?
Assuming the Defiant molds cost $15M to make nowadays, you'd have to sell 75,000 Defiants at $200 each just to break even on the cost of the mold, not counting any new engineering for meeting new safety standards, shipping costs, advertising costs, etc. That means every Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us would have to sell about six Defiants just to make back the cost of tooling. Seems unlikely.

I don't really know if $15M is a good guess, though. Seems like it could be way low or maybe a little too high--I don't know how to find out for sure. I also don't recall if the $1.5M figure from the interview was just for creating the molds, or also for designing them (obviously the cost would be minimized today if they still had blueprints and stuff like that).

[Starfighter]

Aren't most of the molds kept at Gyre-Viper's house? He gets everything.

[Xenos]

Assuming the Defiant molds cost $15M to make nowadays, you'd have to sell 75,000 Defiants at $200 each just to break even on the cost of the mold, not counting any new engineering for meeting new safety standards, shipping costs, advertising costs, etc. That means every Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us would have to sell about six Defiants just to make back the cost of tooling. Seems unlikely.

I don't really know if $15M is a good guess, though. Seems like it could be way low or maybe a little too high--I don't know how to find out for sure. I also don't recall if the $1.5M figure from the interview was just for creating the molds, or also for designing them (obviously the cost would be minimized today if they still had blueprints and stuff like that).
It's been a few weeks since I listened to that episode, but I think he said that the tooling cost $1.5 million.

I wish I knew someone that Worked for Hasbro, just so I could pick their brain about all this stuff. I wonder how much the Big Millenium Falcon cost to produce for example.

[thairestauranteur]

They have 3D scanners and 3D printers these days.

You could conceivably scan the old parts obtained from ebay and run each piece through a CNC machining program. The milling machine can 'print' out the part that was scanned. This part can be used in the master molding process.

Modern computer technology could easily solve what used to take thousands of man hours and the use of rare and expensive tooling equipment.

http://www.robotshop.com/mdx-15-cnc-milling-machine-3d-scanner.html

http://www.jmrsys.com/pages/roland-desktop_scan_mill_mach.htm

[spiderpumpkin]

Are the figure molds for Joe vs Cobra-SpyTroops-ValorVsVenom-DTC still around?

Sounds like it.

http://www.hisstank.com/forum/3004463-post36.html

[ergozoom]

They have 3D scanners and 3D printers these days.
...
Modern computer technology could easily solve what used to take thousands of man hours and the use of rare and expensive tooling equipment.

Those machines are amazingly cool, but my understanding is they are used only for small-volume manufacturers. I suspect Hasbro still needs to create the massive steel molds to produce thousands of toys.

Here's an interesting chart (http://www.octs.com/inventhelp/toystudy.htm) I found online (this assumes all design and engineering is completed):

http://www.octs.com/inventhelp/ToyStudy.gif

It's from 1999, so again we have inflation issues, but at least this gets us closer to modern-day. With the increased cost of energy since the late '90s, I wouldn't be surprised if those numbers are half-again higher now. I'll just use a standard inflation calculator (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi), though.

For the Defiant, we'd have to estimate how many separate molds it would take to create the whole thing. Maybe about 100-150 small molds (i.e., the stuff on sprue) and 25-50 big individual pieces? Assuming steel molds, I think the tooling would cost $5M-$10M in 1999 dollars, so maybe $7M-$13M in today's dollars.

Another interesting comment from that link: The final manufacturing cost must usually be less than one-forth the retail price for everyone in the distribution chain to profit.
So if they made five Defiants per Target/Walmart/Toys R Us, that would mean each Defiant would have to cost $850 for everybody to profit.

[ergozoom]

Here are the details of my estimates in case you want to adjust the number of molds and run some numbers yourself:

- For the low-end estimate I assumed 100 $30,000 molds and 25 $50,000 molds: 100*$30e3 + 25*$50e3 = $4.25M (then I fudged it up to $5M since it looks like Hasbro would actually be on the increasing part of the graph).
- For the high-end estimate I assumed all the molds cost the higher amount: 150*$50e3 + 50*$50e3 = $10M.
- The inflation calculator put those numbers at $6.5M and $13M.
- According to Wikipedia there are about 1,800 Targets, and 9,000 Walmarts, and according to Toys R Us's site there are about 800 TRUs, so I rounded that up to a total of 12,000 stores.
- Five Defiants for each store works out to be 5*12e3 = 60,000 Defiants.
- The max tooling cost per Defiant would be $13M/60e3 = $217.
- Multiplying by four to cover profit for everyone in the distribution chain: $217*4 = $868.00 per Defiant sitting on the shelf at a big-box store.

[ergozoom]

Interestingly, if I assume there were 60,000 Defiants sold in the late '80s, the cost calculation looks like this:

- Tooling cost = $1.5M (from Flag Points podcast interview with Bozigian).
- Tooling cost per Defiant = $1.5M/60e3 = $25.
- Multiply by four: $25*4 = $100 per Defiant.

The MSRP of the Defiant in 1987 was (probably coincidentally) $99.99.

[Cksport]

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker before one was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.

Everyone said they would buy a new sky striker when it was announced.
They'd buy ten. Twenty.


I bought my ten! If i had a bigger house, I would have went for 20! Did it before clearance too.

[OreoBuilder]

Here are the details of my estimates in case you want to adjust the number of molds and run some numbers yourself:

- For the low-end estimate I assumed 100 $30,000 molds and 25 $50,000 molds: 100*$30e3 + 25*$50e3 = $4.25M (then I fudged it up to $5M since it looks like Hasbro would actually be on the increasing part of the graph).
- For the high-end estimate I assumed all the molds cost the higher amount: 150*$50e3 + 50*$50e3 = $10M.
- The inflation calculator put those numbers at $6.5M and $13M.
- According to Wikipedia there are about 1,800 Targets, and 9,000 Walmarts, and according to Toys R Us's site there are about 800 TRUs, so I rounded that up to a total of 12,000 stores.
- Five Defiants for each store works out to be 5*12e3 = 60,000 Defiants.
- The max tooling cost per Defiant would be $13M/60e3 = $217.
- Multiplying by four to cover profit for everyone in the distribution chain: $217*4 = $868.00 per Defiant sitting on the shelf at a big-box store.

Bah! Facts, figures and logic have no place on an internet forum!

Now where is my 25$ Flagg???? Make it happen Hasblow!!!!

/Sarcasm

OB

[spiderpumpkin]

Interestingly, if I assume there were 60,000 Defiants sold in the late '80s, the cost calculation looks like this:

- Tooling cost = $1.5M (from Flag Points podcast interview with Bozigian).
- Tooling cost per Defiant = $1.5M/60e3 = $25.
- Multiply by four: $25*4 = $100 per Defiant.

The MSRP of the Defiant in 1987 was (probably coincidentally) $99.99.

So how much did retailers pay Hasbro for each Defiant if both entities wanted to make a profit?

[sharky]

Bah! Facts, figures and logic have no place on an internet forum!

Now where is my 25$ Flagg???? Make it happen Hasblow!!!!

/Sarcasm

OB
Right here, dude. Check...it...out!
18" Aircraft Carrier Play Set by Motormax Diecast - Your toy store for 18" Aircraft Carrier Play Set (http://www.amazingtoyandhobby.com/store/p/2238-18-Aircraft-Carrier-Play-Set.html?feed=Froogle)

[Xenos]

So how much did retailers pay Hasbro for each Defiant if both entities wanted to make a profit?

I think mark up is usually something like 30-40%.

[Falcone]

Right here, dude. Check...it...out!
18" Aircraft Carrier Play Set by Motormax Diecast - Your toy store for 18" Aircraft Carrier Play Set (http://www.amazingtoyandhobby.com/store/p/2238-18-Aircraft-Carrier-Play-Set.html?feed=Froogle)

$30 for 18 inches. So the Flagg should only cost $150. ;)

[Shadow Ninja]

Are the figure molds for Joe vs Cobra-SpyTroops-ValorVsVenom-DTC still around?

I hope not....lol

[Shin Densetsu]

That is true and back at the 2004 convention they stated that they had reaquired 90% of their molds from various places. I believe all the stories are BS because they are tired of people asking "Do you have this mold" When are you going to make XXX" they have gotten smart and just came up with excuses now to get people off their backs and stop asking the same old questions. Back in 2004 there was no 25th line so I am more apt to believe they have the molds!

They got a lot back from China and Funskool in India. They never said which ones specifically but some include Storm Shadow V2 and Snake Eyes V4. The Firebat mold may have been another.

Since then, some molds broke like the Mauler, and later, the Cobra Hurricane.

Retooling would most def have to happen. There was a comment made Hasbro about the Skystriker needing retooling because of new safety standards. I would imagine the standards have changed between 85 and now that would warrant them.

Back when guys like me were rampantly asking about a Skystriker reissue nearly a decadge ago, one of the 1st reasons why it was said it couldn't be done was because it couldn't pass the drop test(drop 10 ft without breaking).

I don't think tooling would be that big of an issue as people might thing.

All you have to do is go on ebay and find an example figure of whatever you need. Scavenge the moldings from whatever figure you need. Recast from those parts. Easy. You might need to clean up some details but the main things like scale/size are there.

Actually it might be, Hasbro said it's actually pretty expensive to recast from a vintage sample.

It's doable, but very expensive for the bigger items. I heard on the Flag Points podcast when they were interviewing an old Hasbro employee that the molds for the Defiant cost $1.5 million to make in 1986-87. Can you imagine how much it would cost today? Can you imagine how many they would have to sell to recoup that cost?

Back in 2002+, the cost rumored was at least $300 should the Flagg have been released in those years. That's a decade ago, and inflation and petro has gone up.

Imo I think Hasbro just looks at it as a waste of time. Why invest in bringing out something that will be a huge investment wiithout as many returns, when they can make/sell smaller items like vehicles?

For example, a retooled ARAH Night Raven has more potential to make a profit and is way cheaper to tool than ever resurrecting the Flagg.

Are the figure molds for Joe vs Cobra-SpyTroops-ValorVsVenom-DTC still around?

I don't see why they wouldn't be.

[jogunwarrior]

Are the figure molds for Joe vs Cobra-SpyTroops-ValorVsVenom-DTC still around?

I bet they are, but I wonder how difficult/expensive it would be to correct some of the proportion issues they had. Not necessarily recast every piece, but just certain parts like an ultra thin wiast, or overly long arms. It probably wouldn't be cost effective, but just a thought as its the only way I would be interested in this era of O-ring.

[spiderpumpkin]

I hope not....lol

I sure hope they didn't scrap the DTC HISS.

[5h4rK]

I sure hope they didn't scrap the DTC HISS.

..best Hiss Tank ever created IMO..

[darthschroeder]

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/images/products/out/medium/C2189P0041.jpg

That was actually a reused toy from the Johnny Quest line, I believe.

[hellian75]

Well i dont know for sure if the tooling is around or not, but if they ever want to sell some as "scrap" i hope i hear about it.... Just kiddin. But seriously mold making is pretty expensive. Even the pros sometimes make a mold and they dont work causing at best a retooling issue or worst scrapping the entire mold and starting from scratch. Whats even worse is most moldmakers dont have the ability to test the tooling until its back at a factory.

Comments about casting, well thats really even more expensive then plastic sort of. All i can tell you is you better know what you are doing for sure if you are going to cast resin. Even i still toast a mold from time to time. Ask any caster on here and they will tell you its not just something you jump into on a whim and make useable parts.

And yeah even the steel molds degrade over time, especially the molds sent to china as they dont always treat them the best. I know some parts require the use of mold release even on a steel tooling, but alot of Chinese factories cut that out too.

But here is the question that im having more and more these days, if Hasbro has the tooling in Pawtucket, what would it cost to have an American factory run it vs. shipping over seas? I know the prices have gone up for overseas manufacturing but maybe not enough to warrant manufacture state side.

[tkprime]

That was actually a reused toy from the Johnny Quest line, I believe.

Yep!

I wish we'd get another crack at the night attack chopper,the DTC Humvee, and patriot grizzly.

I wonder if the molds for those still exist.....

[Jmacq1]

But here is the question that im having more and more these days, if Hasbro has the tooling in Pawtucket, what would it cost to have an American factory run it vs. shipping over seas? I know the prices have gone up for overseas manufacturing but maybe not enough to warrant manufacture state side.

Not even close to enough to warrant manufacture stateside. Particularly given that Hasbro would have to go the expense of building or refitting/refurbishing factories to do it.

It's not just money either...it's manpower. The US honestly doesn't have the manpower to manufacture the way China does. You could employ every unemployed person in the country, and it still probably wouldn't even be a quarter of what China can devote to manufacturing. They have over three times our population!

Real estate would become an issue, too. Even with the environmental laws we have in the US, not many people are going to want a factory in their backyard.

[bar]

Well i dont know for sure if the tooling is around or not, but if they ever want to sell some as "scrap" i hope i hear about it....

Lol. It can happen...
Nothing to do with Joe, but i once picked up a set of steel moulds of Stargates. They were used to make replicas of the gates and after the edition was finished, they were supposed to have been destroyed.
Some guy found them in a scrapyard and just paid the scrap value for them(Some idiot had been told to destroy the mould and all he did was take them to a scrapyard and dump them).
Cost me a fortune, but they belong to me now.


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/CIMG1420.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/CIMG1421.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages02.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages03.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages05.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages08.jpg

[MightyMegs]

Those are beautiful...

[bar]

Those are beautiful...

I know. They were machined from data given by the studio, so they would yield the most accurate Stargates out there.
I've never done anything with them.
They are on a shelf at work...

[hahoo3]

Lol. It can happen...
Nothing to do with Joe, but i once picked up a set of steel moulds of Stargates. They were used to make replicas of the gates and after the edition was finished, they were supposed to have been destroyed.
Some guy found them in a scrapyard and just paid the scrap value for them(Some idiot had been told to destroy the mould and all he did was take them to a scrapyard and dump them).
Cost me a fortune, but they belong to me now.


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/CIMG1420.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/CIMG1421.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages02.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages03.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages05.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g19/All_the_good_usernames_are_taken/Stargate%20Misc/Gateimages08.jpg


That's really cool! One of a kind pieces. Just think of all the guys in scrap yards that have destroyed molds of toys that middle aged men would pay way over metal value for!! LOL

[bar]

That's really cool! One of a kind pieces. Just think of all the guys in scrap yards that have destroyed molds of toys that middle aged men would pay way over metal value for!! LOL


For sure.
I only bought these because i thought they would appreciate. Then the recession hit, lol.
I'd get shot of them quick if i thought i could get anywhere near what i spent on them.
I expect any privately held Joe moulds will be hanging on walls as display pieces.

[fireflyguy]

For sure.
I only bought these because i thought they would appreciate. Then the recession hit, lol.
I'd get shot of them quick if i thought i could get anywhere near what i spent on them.
I expect any privately held Joe moulds will be hanging on walls as display pieces.

Heck yes! I'd hang one in my loving room if I had one, I don't care what my wife says!

[Brcall]

Lol. It can happen...
Nothing to do with Joe, but i once picked up a set of steel moulds of Stargates. They were used to make replicas of the gates and after the edition was finished, they were supposed to have been destroyed.
Some guy found them in a scrapyard and just paid the scrap value for them(Some idiot had been told to destroy the mould and all he did was take them to a scrapyard and dump them).
Cost me a fortune, but they belong to me now.


Those are super cool.

[bar]

Those are super cool.

They sure are!
^_^

[hahoo3]

Heck yes! I'd hang one in my loving room if I had one, I don't care what my wife says!

If you had a 'loving room' or mold? lol Most people call it a bedroom, but I like loving room.

I'm sure you meant livingroom, just thought it was funning.

[Un_Chakal]

Finding the inverse seems to my problem

Ooooh my! /takei

[hellian75]

Bar, you never cease to amaze me lol. Any chance of getting you to run a few?

As to weather or not we hav e the capability to run joe molds in the us, of course we have the capability, they are just injection molds, I know of 6 major plants within 45 minutes of where I live, and I live in the remote southern part of Kansas. Actually I used to work for 2 of them. Then I know of at least a dozen thermoforming factories in the same area, and tons of blow molding facilities, Rubbermaid and Coleman to name a few. And I also happen to be friends with the president of a foundry that makes molds just north of the town I live in. I do realize that I'm only talking about a very small portion of the country but surely there are places in this country that have even more production facilities.

That being said I give you the point that there are lots of Chinese workers but having worked in plastics I know that they screw a lot up and then some American worker has to repair or scrap work they have done not to mention the damage done to tooling. Now admittedly the only work I do in plastics now is in my garage, I still have contacts in the industry, and they have indicated that the cost to have items made and shipped from china has in fact increased. So that's why I wandered if it was getting to a point that they will produce more domestically. Maybe not hasbro, but I'm sure that at least some will if costs remain high, but I'm just speculating.

[bar]

Bar, you never cease to amaze me lol. Any chance of getting you to run a few?



I have no ability to make copies from steel moulds.
I would if i could.
At the moment, they are merely expensive ornaments to me. Until i can find a well heeled collector who wants to buy them and start churning out Stargate replicas.
^_^

[lsyd]

apparently the Tomahawk survived.

-

[MJjoe4life]

apparently the Tomahawk survived.

-

No, it is a whole new mold. They based it off an original.

[Abraxxus]

I've worked in manufacturing for a couple years, with about 2 years in toy manufacturing, and I've been wondering for a little while now. This talk of molds breaking, wearing out, being lost and such, I wonder with all the advancements in manufacturing in general throughout the years if Hasbro could take a an existing part of an original ARAH toys, and do a 3D laser scan to produce a workable 3D model. An engineer could take the 3D model and tweak it to fix any inconsistencies and/or update the part/pieces. and reproduce a replacement mold (such as the broken Mauler mold).

[MSU44]

I've worked in manufacturing for a couple years, with about 2 years in toy manufacturing, and I've been wondering for a little while now. This talk of molds breaking, wearing out, being lost and such, I wonder with all the advancements in manufacturing in general throughout the years if Hasbro could take a an existing part of an original ARAH toys, and do a 3D laser scan to produce a workable 3D model. An engineer could take the 3D model and tweak it to fix any inconsistencies and/or update the part/pieces. and reproduce a replacement mold (such as the broken Mauler mold).

no doubt that could be done, but all it would ever do is produce something awesome for the Con's concept case never to be released!!!.... Look we made the FLAGG but we have no intention to release this at retail, LOL.

I wish they would do something along the lines you are suggesting in all seriousness.

[This I Command!]

I've worked in manufacturing for a couple years, with about 2 years in toy manufacturing, and I've been wondering for a little while now. This talk of molds breaking, wearing out, being lost and such, I wonder with all the advancements in manufacturing in general throughout the years if Hasbro could take a an existing part of an original ARAH toys, and do a 3D laser scan to produce a workable 3D model. An engineer could take the 3D model and tweak it to fix any inconsistencies and/or update the part/pieces. and reproduce a replacement mold (such as the broken Mauler mold).

According to Hasbro at the con this year, this is exactly how the new Tomahawk came to be. Once they had the 3D file, they altered and updated elements as needed.

[Steevy Maximus]

I've worked in manufacturing for a couple years, with about 2 years in toy manufacturing, and I've been wondering for a little while now. This talk of molds breaking, wearing out, being lost and such, I wonder with all the advancements in manufacturing in general throughout the years if Hasbro could take a an existing part of an original ARAH toys, and do a 3D laser scan to produce a workable 3D model. An engineer could take the 3D model and tweak it to fix any inconsistencies and/or update the part/pieces. and reproduce a replacement mold (such as the broken Mauler mold).

My understanding is that the design and prototyping work is relatively "cheap", the big cost with these products is the commitment to the massive steel molds used in production of the item.

Whether it is new a design or remade prior design, you are still talking hundreds of thousands of dollars to actually make the tooling to produce the figures and vehicles.
The reason "reuse" is referenced so frequently among us is because Hasbro spent a LOT on the molds and with figures no longer having the 2-3 year shelflives, they reuse tooling to get the most of their investment.

[Xerofall]

You should use those Stargate molds to make Stargate waffles or jell-o!

[bar]

You should use those Stargate molds to make Stargate waffles or jell-o!


Haha, that's brilliant! Why didn't i think of that!
Other than the fact they cost me $2000, lol. So i don't want to mess with them too much...