[Sataninjaku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CobraBlue

I wonder if they are meeting purchase/demand requirements on the minimum order quantities for the return of the o-ring line. I'm seeing the UK discount the Stinger and figures. Plus, to get Baroness and Stalker we had to get the support of the Transformers fans to subsidize purchasing cross-over sets.

While I can't speak on the overall success, I can say that they didn't just decide TF support was needed to keep the line alive due to poor sales, those packs were likely in development long before we even knew o-ring was going to be a thing again. The line's only been public knowledge for a little over a year, after all.

[SmokeBellew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wehrmanm

The Stinger was scarcely available in the US before selling out and was only made available briefly after they came in stock here and for whatever reason had some left over. Those sold out (again) within an hour.

The UK's discounting is clearly more an issue of poor product allocation than consumer demand.

Obviously there's a finite market for this (as in anything else), but I suspect it's a lot smaller than we may want to believe, and a lot of what we see as demand depends on production numbers and availability. The Stinger is rare in the States because they didn't allocate enough for this market and now it has the added push of being RARE! HTF!!! That perception of scarcity makes collectors want it even more. I betcha if they had allocated more though, it would be a fine line between getting it right enough to meet actual demand (without that added scarcity boost and desire to buy multiples to scalp) and having to discount it to sell it. Look at the Cobra Trooper/Officer pack. That thing has to be discounted to sell even though it's supposedly popular. And it's not just the price alone or the decision to put a Trooper and a Officer in there instead of two Troopers. I think it's hanging around because they produced a shit-ton.

Meanwhile, the Snake-Eyes/Storm Shadow set sold out before AND after being discounted. The initial fulfillment sold through at the original price and then the restock sold through after discounting. I think it would've sold out without the discounting though because it was produced in far fewer numbers than the CT/CO pack, and it had the FOMO-hype behind it.

So, anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are numerous things going on here, but it appears demand is only there up to a point that I don't think impresses Hasbro much. I think they produced more of the CT/CO set based on SE/SS's performance anticipating a demand that isn't quite there. This is nothing new with toys though. The clearance aisles are littered with items that were hot and in demand when they first came out, only to later peter out as fulfillment caught up to and then surpassed demand.

[GeoffDes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford

I'd bet that more Joe fans bought those than Transformers fans. A Stalker/Baroness two pack would have sold more than the crossovers did, and been cheaper to make.

Not a chance in hell. The TF audience is an order of magnitude bigger than the Joe audience (particularly the smaller subset that is O-ring collectors), and the crossovers seem to have done fairly well with the TF fans. Not EVERYONE bought them, but when the fanbase is that much bigger it doesn't really matter.

I suspect they didn't do business in TF's international markets, but I'm sure that's no surprise to Hasbro.

[Bac]

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if any future O-ring plans were scrapped and Hasbro will instead focus on presumably higher margin Classified while continuing to license the brand to third parties.

[IzzyTipsy]

Honestly - are ANY retro lines doing well? Target and Walmart are inundated with Star Wars Retro. Walmart blew out on clearance the Ghostbusters and TMNT stuff. Walmart is swamped with Star Trek and Super Powers figures. Super7 Joes rot until clearance only for the cycle to repeat with the next wave. Target blew out Super7 TMNT and Stranger Things.

The Marvel stuff seems to sell the best?

I think the demand for retro stuff has been way overblown by the bean counters at toy corporations because they saw Reaction sell good and wanted a piece.

[IzzyTipsy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bac

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if any future O-ring plans were scrapped and Hasbro will instead focus on presumably higher margin Classified while continuing to license the brand to third parties.

Much like when Hasbro gutted TVC to focus on the new thing Black Series because they almost cost the same and had higher profit margins.

I'm guessing like TVC need and got (and caused a revival), another O-Ring Joe Haslab that goes very hot is needed to make Hasbro truly decide to revive O-Ring?

I do wonder why they don't seem to be supporting O-Ring a ton given the Skystriker. Surely at least some vehicles/figures that would go with it ala TVC did with the Sail Barge and Razorcrest?

[SmokeBellew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IzzyTipsy

Honestly - are ANY retro lines doing well? Target and Walmart are inundated with Star Wars Retro. Walmart blew out on clearance the Ghostbusters and TMNT stuff. Walmart is swamped with Star Trek and Super Powers figures. Super7 Joes rot until clearance only for the cycle to repeat with the next wave. Target blew out Super7 TMNT and Stranger Things.

The Marvel stuff seems to sell the best?

I think the demand for retro stuff has been way overblown by the bean counters at toy corporations because they saw Reaction sell good and wanted a piece.

I think retro shit sells well up to a point. Super7's Reaction success was due to novelty and smaller production runs. You'll notice that since they've moved into more "mainstream" brands and have produced more, it's pegwarming and has to be discounted too. The market just isn't as big as thought. The demand of this stuff all depends on availability/how much they produce. If they don't produce enough, it's popular. If they produce too much, it isn't.

[ckhtiger]

Bumblestalker is 10% off on Amazon right now. First time it's been discounted, I believe.

[Bac]

The big difference between Star Wars and GI Joe today is new media. Star Wars got an infusion, and in some respects TVC 2.0 took off, when The Mandalorian found success and led to the Razor Crest HasLab having blowout sales numbers -- along with the added benefit of more speculators looking for profit.

GI Joe has ongoing comics that the toy line doesn't tie into. There's no real current media tie-in to a large base. GI Joe is riding purely on nostalgia, and Classified has the added benefit of being the hot scale and never-before-done at that scale.

imho That will only take you so far and for so long.

The lack of a new GI Joe animated series that simultaneously looks back and forward, and appeals to kids and adults alike ala The Clone Wars after it founds its footing, baffles me to this day. The world building is already there. Take the risk and USE IT!

[xasonnex]

It's weird to not know of anything else for sure besides the Haslab. Hasbro has put in the money for new tooling and a new source for O-rings and other hardware. SE/SS eventually sold out, the Stinger has sold out in America several times, and the Transformers sets initially sold out. The line isn't a smash hit, but I'd still call it a success (granted, I don't have access to Hasbro's data).

I doubt the general success of Kickstarters like Recall and Longbow have gone totally unnoticed. The audience may be niche, but we have proved a thirst for retro and new figures alike.

Until we hear the 2023 "soft reboot" is kaput or 2024 rolls around, I shall not give up hope!