Carbonized Figures:  Take The Long View

Writing strictly as hardcore TVC collectors that revel in the world-building aspect of the 3.75" line, we at Banthaskull instinctively roll our eyes in disappointment to see the "Carbonized" paint gimmick being ported over to TVC from The Black Series. In the one true world-building scale, where collectors typically display recreations of iconic film scenes that include realistically scaled interpretations of characters, vehicles, and environments, we don't want anything to ruin the fantasy of such displays. Carbonized paint jobs do exactly this, and are better suited for the 6" scale from whence they came.

However, we also must understand that there are some positives here when looking at the big picture. If TVC is going to not just survive, but thrive, for years to come, we hardcore collectors must take the long view, and accept that some products may not be to our liking, but serve a greater purpose that will help the line grow.

Take another look at the Petition for More TVC that was started on May 20th and is currently at 8431. It reached 5000 signatures in the first 5 days, and then got to 7500 in the first 17. You'd have to assume that the vast majority of those signatures came from aggressive and engaged collectors who regularly frequent the big fan sites and social media pages. The purpose of the petition was to gauge the approximate size of the collectors that reside within our sphere, and 7500 is a very solid number! We must then assume that there has to be a wider audience. 7500 people isn't enough to get a behemoth toy company to make a product, but if we accept that the petition only tells a partial story, we're in good shape. Since there was zero outreach beyond these fan circles, we have no idea how many of Little Joey Bag-o-Donuts' Star Wars gift-buying Aunts are out there. So if there are 7500 hardcore collectors, then how many additional people are out there that would eagerly buy 3.75" Star Wars figures if they found them at Target or Walmart during a routine shopping trip? I would guess the answer is "a lot."

It seems clear that Hasbro missed the 3.75" boat when it came to The Mandalorian. We've gotten just two vehicles and a handful of figures almost a year after the show debuted. That's not good. But we know that Hasbro is working to correct this. In the meantime, before such new products and sculpts are ready, it looks like "Carbonized" figures are an attempt to get something in front of consumers that represents The Mandalorian as we are on the brink of Season 2. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. These might not interest hardcore collectors (or maybe they do?), but it's a pretty good bet that they will sell. I know the sale results of the Walmart exclusive 5POA nonsense gold repaint figures were mixed, but they sold through in my area. Read that again. A mix of "Walmart exclusive", "5POA", and "nonsense gold repaint" in the same sentence didn't signal armageddon for 3.75". In fact, they somehow sold through in my personal observation (again, I know this wasn't the case everywhere). This indicates that there is a wider group of consumers out there that are interested in 3.75" figures, but don't limit themselves to just realistic super-articulated premium figures.

Additionally, it is important to note that as "repaints", these are not in lieu of newly tooled figures. Just like PhotoReal re-releases, we are not losing out on a new wave of Cantina aliens to make room for these Carbonized figures. These are merely placeholders, and we hope that they succeed in grabbing the attention of people that might otherwise not see TVC in stores at all. Think about it: If it weren't for the last 2 waves of PhotoReal (that allegedly made it to brick and mortar in error) or these Mandalorian Carbonized figures, we'd have only one single wave of 4 TVC figures on shelves since January. We know Hasbro is working to ramp up TVC in the coming months, although not to the degree that we would like to see...yet. In the meantime, I'd rather these placeholders be available for the general public than nothing at all.

Success of the Carbonized Vintage Collection will be a good bellwether to determine the wider market for TVC. We'd obviously rather see Arleil Schous than Carbonized Cara Dune, but we know that's not happening any time soon. In the meantime, as long as there's relevant TVC product front and center, it can be a great thing for the long run. We could be cranky and say that success just indicates to Hasbro that they should put out more "crap", but the opposite is more likely true. Success would indicate to Hasbro that there is a big audience for TVC that is hungry for product. Perhaps success of the carbonized figures would increase revenue and margin, and allow for an extra NEW figure or two somewhere in the basic line.

The Hasbro Star Wars Brand Team is under some constraints (both financial and philosophical) as to what products they are able to bring to market. It's going to take a while before the powers-that-be at Hasbro/Disney allow the Brand Team to get to a point where we have 30-40 NEW TVC figures per year - if ever. In the meantime, products that we would normally dismiss as wasteful gimmicks do serve a purpose. Retro, Carbonized, FanChannel Repaints....none of these are what most hardcore collectors are asking for, but they are relatively inexpensive to produce and easy to bring to market quickly, and will continue to prove that there is an energetic market for the 3.75" scale.

It is obvious that there is a larger TVC audience that exists beyond the dogmatic hardcore collectors among which we at Banthaskull count ourselves. We must acknowledge, respect, and embrace that audience, because without it, the line is as good as dead.

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