Spotted Online – Poe Ghostal and Star Wars Black 3.75-Inch Scale Action Figures
Poe makes an excellent point when he suggests that Hasbro’s “Black” Star Wars series should refer only to the new 6-inch scale action figure line. I know I’ve been confused more than once by “Black” being used for both the classic 3.75-inch scale and the new 6-inch scale, and Hasbro’s blurring of the two properties will likely cause many of headaches for years to come.
I’ve yet to see any of the action figures in stores (not counting those I saw in Hong Kong) and continue to wait patiently for them to reach the pegs. These are set to be carried by US stores, right?
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I saw all of them last Sunday at the same Braintree K-Mart where, as I recall, you found 1950s Batman w/ Bat-mite during one of your visits up here.
I’ve only seen them in target stores, but the fact they were in my target means they have wide distribution!
Phil, as someone who has some insight into this side of corporate game/toy/etc. development, why do you think they decided to name both scales the same thing in the first place? I have to believe it was a very conscious decision not to split them a la Marvel Universe and Marvel Legends.
I agree that it was a conscious decision, but it DOES blur the lines. I almost exclusively collect 3.75″ figures, so having the differentiation that Marvel Universe/Legends do in the names helps tremendouly when viewing figures online.
It may lead to confusion if people see images of both lines online, but only find one line at retail – either mistakenly thinking the 3.75″ figures are $20 or that the 6″ are $10 (and in line with the Marvel Legends line).
I have seen both the 6″ and 3.75″ figures in stores in Austin.
Retailers are also getting confused. A buddy of mine got the 6 inch figures at his Target for $10 because they had them on the pegs for the 3 3/4 inch figures.
I saw a Wedge figure but he’s the only one I’ve seen. From what I can gather – or at least this is my theory – Hasbro is identifying the figures as ”Black” editions to indicate they’re for collectors rather than kids.
My reasoning? There’s also a host of new 3.75” 5 PoA Star Wars figures hitting shelves, selling at a more kid-friendly $6 each (or, IIRC, $10 for the double-figure packs.)
As to why they ”twin-branded” two toy lines, my guess is it’s to deliberately make collectors feel pressured to buy two toy lines, because they know how obsessive some of us are…!
@Poe – I’ve been trying to think of how I would approach this if my job was to launch and brand a new line of Star Wars figures. I keep coming back to: 3.75-inch and 6-inch need to be separate things.
I honestly cannot think of any reason to confuse the two except for the idea that _maybe_ the “Black” title and push for the 6-inch figures might just cause a spike in 3.75-inch figure sales. If you’re a collector who must have it all then arguably the two scales are both required for your “Black” collection.
But I may be cynical.
@Iok – I see I’m not alone when it comes to being cynical!
@T-Rav – Sounds like I better go to Target with $10 and hope I get lucky!
(Wait. That didn’t come out right.)
@Neal – In Austin!?!?! They must have sold everywhere I visited . . . or I just haven’t been in Austin for so long I no longer know where I am.
I think I figured out the strategy for the 3.75″ Black Series. In Walmart today I noticed some SW figures for $5.88 which looked to have only 5 points of articulation. Toy companies may finaly be realizing that $10 per figure isn’t affordable for toys going to kids, but it is for adult collectors (as proven by figure prices hovering around $10 for several years now). Dropping prices (and articulation) should generate more sales, probably at a greater profit since the super-articulated figures can’t be cheap to make.
When I compared a (different from the above mentioned) fully-articulated clone trooper to the Black clone trooper, the only noticable difference was the addition of ankles. I’m not a SW collector so I can’t be certain, but if the previous SW lines have articulation similar to the Black, it makes some sense to seperate the higher articulated figures from the basic ones to keep both collectors and kids buying. Of course this still doesn’t answer the question of why they used the same name for 2 lines.
Also, 31″ tall Darth Vader! I may have to get this awesomely ridiculous Mighty Shogun Warriors Darth Vader!
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Original-Trilogy-Action/dp/B00BL8O8SA
@Neal – The 31-inch Vader is at the HEB in Kyle for $35. I have looked at it three times now and keep thinking two things:
1. WOW! That is awesome.
2. WOW! Where would I put it?