[Dusty Ayers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkLordMordred

The thing that annoys me most about the Ultimates is that Super 7's factory doesn't seem to wait for paint to dry before assembling the figures. So I have to break dried paint in all the joints before it'll move properly.

That cost me an arm on Storm Shadow.

[DarkLordMordred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty Ayers

That cost me an arm on Storm Shadow.

Same. Both arms, actually. Thankfully, I got a replacement easily and he was fine.

[IzzyTipsy]

But you had a perfect Monty Python themed Storm Shadow!

[BizCopperhead]

There was some interesting discussion last night on the Circle of Jerks podcast with ex-Super7's Kyle Wlodyga on the whole situation over there.

It seemed like even as an insider he didn't really have that much insight into what he didn't work on, so especially as outsiders it can really be hard for us to understand their business model. That's not to say we shouldn't try.

My point is that while we criticize the stuff we are familiar with, they make all kinds of other things that are not really intended for hardcore toy collectors like us, despite being toys. A lot of the rock and hip-hop memorabilia may be intended as one-offs for music or skate shops, for example. It gets really hard for us to tell from the outside what is or isn't a good business decision when you start mixing together the interests of all these other markets who's primary focus isn't toys or even character-based IP for that matter.

[karamazov80]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BizCopperhead

Just want to remind everyone that 3rd party investors typically reinvest multiple times. If they had a great last 6 months, and planned on a reinvestment and suddenly had that pulled out from under them with the 145% tariff announcement, that would definitely leave them in a bad spot. Food for thought.

This is a really good point. Business planning is something we should be factoring in here.

In any case, the Joe Ultimates line was already near dead. Now I guess it is just completely done, at least for awhile. I still hope they come to their senses down the road and release major hitters that were ignored through all the other existing waves for some inexplicable reason. Snake Eyes V2 and Firefly being top of mind--two of the most popular characters/design in all of GI Joe while we got Doc, blue and yellow Baroness, etc.

[IzzyTipsy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by karamazov80

This is a really good point. Business planning is something we should be factoring in here.

In any case, the Joe Ultimates line was already near dead. Now I guess it is just completely done, at least for awhile. I still hope they come to their senses down the road and release major hitters that were ignored through all the other existing waves for some inexplicable reason. Snake Eyes V2 and Firefly being top of mind--two of the most popular characters/design in all of GI Joe while we got Doc, blue and yellow Baroness, etc.

Didn't Brian say Ultimates was basically losing out to Classified? Seems to me if that's the case it's gonna stay dead. Doesn't make sense to make $55+ figures plus tariffs on them for a line that consumers apparently prefer Classified to.

[firefly069]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IzzyTipsy

Didn't Brian say Ultimates was basically losing out to Classified? Seems to me if that's the case it's gonna stay dead. Doesn't make sense to make $55+ figures plus tariffs on them for a line that consumers apparently prefer Classified to.

I think that was a mistake to do the ultimates going against other 6 inch lines. Also. Making them 7 inch is weird so they can?t be used the same way. The reaction reaction + seems to be the way to go with super 7. Pick the core brands and do them well, first. Make them really profitable than expand and take. A few risks but not too many.

[DFender]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IzzyTipsy

Didn't Brian say Ultimates was basically losing out to Classified? Seems to me if that's the case it's gonna stay dead. Doesn't make sense to make $55+ figures plus tariffs on them for a line that consumers apparently prefer Classified to.

Not sure if that is more of an excuse than a real data-driven assessment.

The Ultimates crowd and the modern 6inch scale crowd are pretty different from my observations. With Classified, you are likely getting crossover fans with Marvel Legends, Black Series, etc. With the larger scale of Ultimates, strictly cartoon aesthetic, and lack of articulation, I'm not so sure it's the same fan. There is probably crossover, for sure. But I don't buy the idea that if Classified didn't exist, people would buy more Ultimates from them.

I see a ton of toy photography with Classified among many other highly articulated 6inch scale figures. Maybe that is just my algorithm, but I rarely (if ever) see Ultimates figures as the subject matter. It seems their focus for Ultimates was always to make them look good on a shelf, they're not exactly made for posing or play. My two cents at least.

[theNAMmagazine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFender

The Ultimates crowd and the modern 6inch scale crowd are pretty different from my observations. With Classified, you are likely getting crossover fans with Marvel Legends, Black Series, etc. With the larger scale of Ultimates, strictly cartoon aesthetic, and lack of articulation, I'm not so sure it's the same fan. There is probably crossover, for sure. But I don't buy the idea that if Classified didn't exist, people would buy more Ultimates from them.

I see a ton of toy photography with Classified among many other highly articulated 6inch scale figures. Maybe that is just my algorithm, but I rarely (if ever) see Ultimates figures as the subject matter. It seems their focus for Ultimates was always to make them look good on a shelf, they're not exactly made for posing or play. My two cents at least.

How do the Ultimate Joes scale with McFarlane and WWE figures?

[DFender]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theNAMmagazine

How do the Ultimate Joes scale with McFarlane and WWE figures?

I dont have any WWE figures or McFarlane figures, but I do have a Storm Collectibles MK Reptile and Kung Lao and Ultimates Duke is bigger than both of those figures.