World-Building:  Gimmick Figures Are The Worst.  Or Are They?

Yesterday, we wrote about world-building. The first key to success in our list was compatibility, and a major component of that is the paint applications. We discussed how gimmick figures are the antithesis of world-building, and we do not support them. We hate gimmick figures and wish they could be immediately stricken from Hasbro's plans. There are probably a lot of collectors out there that feel the same way. However, we must all realize that such figures do serve a greater good. As much as many of us would prefer it to not be the case, repaints, gimmicks, and exclusives are a vital part of keeping the 3.75" main line healthy. Here's a closer look.

Let's face it. While we at Bantha Skull are enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of TVC (Hasbro is most definitely responding to the community's "MORE TVC" petition), we recognize that the line isn't quite yet on solid ground. Issues with product availability (manufacturing, shipping, distribution, and lack of shelf presence) are hurting the growth of the line. Hasbro needs to manufacture enough product to meet demand, retailers need to do better at pre-orders and stocking their shelves, and the global logistics logjam needs some relief. Despite a growing TVC product line year over year, these issues are hindering real growth, and a misstep or two anywhere in the process could mortally wound the line.

For whatever reason, Hasbro seemed caught off guard by the success of The Mandalorian. While struggling to meet the massive demand for Mando product, Hasbro quickly cobbled together a wave of carbonized figures. These were cheap repaints of existing figures that could be funded by a retail partner to be sold as a store exclusive. They cost (relatively) little to design and produce, were funded beyond the basic TVC budget, and did NOT take the place of anything that we otherwise would have gotten in TVC. Fortunately, these carbonized offerings could easily be ignored by many collectors. As weird repaints, they could be ignored by world-building collectors, and as they were unnumbered, they could be ignored by carded collectors. And yet, they still sold extremely well. The carbonized figures got Star Wars product on store shelves for people to see and buy and helped bridge demand for more Mando product. But most importantly, they helped fund future TVC product that most of us want.

Kitsch figures funded by retail partners (particularly ones that don't "require" a purchase by many hardcore collectors) can be extremely beneficial to the line. Angry collectors really need to grasp this concept. These figures do not exist at the expense of basic TVC figures. We are not losing anything in exchange for them. They do not take anything away. These items, if successful, help fund and grow the line. This is not to be confused with main line kitsch figures, such as animation stylized offerings, which we are firmly against since they are presumably drawing budget away from realistically styled TVC figures.

That said, we must take this opportunity to caution Hasbro that there is only so much that can be milked here. There is already a feeling among many collectors that the repaints are overwhelming the line. While we try to help our readers understand that a lot of this is helpful, there are still missed opportunities. The LFL 50 figures have been hit or miss. Yes, as exclusives, Walmart's partnership has given Hasbro the opportunity to help please the Original 96 crowd without impacting the main line. But it doesn't take much to send collectors into a happy frenzy. While there are re-releases of some sculpts that are definitely long in the tooth (like Endor Leia), the upgrade made to the Tusken Raider's articulation was an outstanding move, as was the introduction of the blue ARC trooper repaint. The extra tooling absolutely cost something, but it seems to be well worth it. Hasbro might have been able to give us a new headsculpt for the AT-ST driver, which could have resulted in a much more positive reaction to that figure.

As for world-building, we are torn on the recently announced Tartakovsky Microseries-inspired figures. They are realistically sculpted, but repainted in cartoon colors. The coloring is fairly subtle in most cases, but too much will make the figure seem out of place from the main line. The benefit is that we are getting a blue ARC Trooper, while the downside is that the helmet markings are styled differently than most of the figures we already own. Hasbro has not confirmed if these figures are numbered. If not, then they can be largely ignored as "must owns" by many OCD collectors. But they can still be popular, should sell well, and will help TVC in the long run. (Bret feels strongly that TVC figures should be realistically styled and painted, while the packaging should be used to indicate the source. As such, these figures are not quite ideal, but the card design with animated imagery is spot on).

It's a fine line. Hopefully the 50th LFL repacks/repaints/re-tools are an overwhelming success and that Hasbro can take away some lessons that help grow TVC. A little bit of minor retooling is obviously possible, and if done wisely, can do wonders for these extra figures. The kitsch can be ignored by many collectors, but we can still reap the benefits. The problem is when it looks like there are more kitsch and cheap repaints than main line figures. We hope that at some point soon, Hasbro's bean counters will be willing to take a leap of faith, and give a nice boost to the main line's budget so we can have an additional bunch of newly tooled figures. We don't want the line to be crushed under the weight of repaints that should otherwise be a lifeline.

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