Should Accessory Packs Make A Comeback In The Vintage Collection

We had some pretty good reveals on Wednesday, but fans were taken aback by one issue in particular. There was some shock over the fact that neither Baylan Skoll nor Shin Hait comes with their cloaks. I'm not speaking to the reaction here so much as in other places. Specifically, when Mr. Stevie posted the figures to his Instagram, it seemed like 90% of the comments were about the lack of cloaks. It's not a show stopper for me personally. They appear without cloaks in many action scenes, so what we're getting is a passable load out for me. If it's not for you, I'm not telling you that you're wrong. If that's the way you feel, no one can tell you otherwise.

As you all should know by now, I'm much more concerned with the paint applications than I am with the accessory count, and the reason is simple. Factory paint applications can't be applied after the fact, but there are ways to add factory accessories later. They might not be ideal, but it can be done. And that is the point of this article. We have had accessory packs in some shape or form a couple of times during the line. I used the Episode I accessory sets for the lead in image as they best represent what I'm talking about, but there was a similar concept during the blue card "Saga" line:


Since those "Saga" sets came with figures, they wouldn't solve the problem at hand, but it does demonstrate another expression that Hasbro once offered with accessories that weren't available otherwise. Does that concept need to come back?

We can all agree it stinks that we're not getting as much as we used to for $17, but it's not something that's going to change (barring a massive cost cutting innovation in manufacturing). Please note that that I'm only addressing the $17 main line here. At the $25 deluxe price point, I do think Hasbro needs to come to the table a bit, but that's a separate conversation. As I've written twice now, the economics of 3.75" figures don't make sense. Hasbro is on record saying that it cost them the same to make a TVC figure as a TBS figure, but the latter obviously generates more revenue. The solution has been to lower the cost side for TVC by cutting corners (such as omitting the cloaks on Baylan and Shin).

As I've also been saying, I think the MSRP of TVC needs to come up to combat this new reality, but even that won't solve all our woes. Chinese labor cost have risen sharply, and that hits soft goods particularly hard. As you can imagine, there's less automation afforded to soft goods as compared to molded items. This is why I'm suggesting a return of accessory sets. They could include cloaks and robes that can't be costed into the main line release, as well as other small world building items. The reason I personally like this idea is that it becomes an "opt in" for those that want it, and doesn't force the cost onto people who don't. Soft goods are critical if TVC is going to remain a premium expression, and it would be terrible if they were permanently costed out. This should also be less expensive than buying a figure, and then buying a deluxe version of that same figure later.

This is just an idea, and the logistics are probably nightmarish. To work, the accessory set would have to be "on shelf" the same time as the corresponding figures. Also, I can't imagine that this is a product Entertainment Earth and the like would even consider (the Episode I accessory sets weren't exactly big sellers). They would have to be Pulse exclusives. It's not a perfect solution. I just know it's something we need to solve if the line is to survive [Editor's Note: Wow, it sounds like Chris is advocating for the line to end!] <--- THIS IS NOT ME ADVOCATING FOR THE LINE TO END. [Editor's Note: Ah, good. Carry on then.] What I'm saying is that if we start losing fans over these issues, TVC will be on borrowed time. The community and Hasbro both need to put their thinking caps on and come to a solution.

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