alphadeltaxray
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Post by alphadeltaxray on Sept 22, 2019 18:59:00 GMT -5
I love the retro figures that I have, but I feel that the downfall of this line was really started with series 3. First of all for a line that is all about nostalgia they could not have gotten the line up any more wrong. Secondly, the price increase and the forced tie in to a mobile game that was aimed at kids was another massive mistake. Thridly, we have the distribution issues. Here in the UK when series three first came out I saw in twice in one store. Now, series 3 has been warming shelves in a discount store called Home Bargains for over a year! I swear two of the stores near me had to have had at least 10 of each guy at one point! So they not only made far too many of this horrible line up, they completely ed up distributing them to stores. Series 4,5 and 6 for a nostalgia based line also had very, very poor lineups as well. Toys are for kids I am not disputing that at all. However, a 8,9 or 10 year old would never pick a Retro Seth Rollins over a basic or an elite. This should have been marketed to people in their 30s and the lineups should have been characters that were in the Hasbro line and characters that Hasbro missed. How in the blue hell was there no Bret Hart in 10 series of these retro figures? How did they make 2 Randy Savage figures, but neither one was a long tights Macho King/Man that Hasbro missed out? I love having the figures I have managed to get, but this line as a whole has been a colossal failure and it 100 percent is Mattel's fault for getting the direction of the line wrong. I really hope that they can learn from this and come out swinging if the line does come back. This is extremely well said. I agree with the downfall starting with series 3. The way I have always looked at it is that Mattel is mostly to blame for their downfall. Ever since series 3 it almost seemed like a chore for Mattel to make/release these. The lineups obviously were not well thought out, the body molds were all way too similar imo, no accessories, no tag teams, no female wrestlers, definitely not enough legends. Like you said, toys are made for kids and no one is disputing that, but Mattel knows that nostalgic collectors flocked to get these. My opinion is that they were trying way too hard to get kids to like them and buy them and it just didn't stick because like you said, kids would much rather have an elite or basic than a retro (excellent point, by the way). But Mattel kept trying and trying every series to get kids hooked to no avail. I also fell like they were extremely frugal with the retros by reusing the same body molds over and over again, not including accessories or even belts, repainting the KO series 4 figure because it was the easiest one, making series after series after series within weeks of each other. This is why I dont think this line will ever come back as long as Mattel holds the license. I dont think they cared for it because it was more of a chore for them than a moneymaker. No offense to Mattel, but if Hasbro got this line back that would be awesome. Hasbros sold well back in the day because they were one of the only type of wrestling figure around, every kid alive watched it, and they were far more colorful figures, more assorted, had tag teams and belts and accessories. Not everyone will agree with this and thats okay, but thats my opinion on the whole thing.
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alphadeltaxray
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Joined on: May 9, 2019 15:41:00 GMT -5
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Post by alphadeltaxray on Sept 22, 2019 22:12:16 GMT -5
Forward this to Mattel. That Vader is amazing
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RedDevil
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Post by RedDevil on Sept 23, 2019 13:15:45 GMT -5
Forward this to Mattel. That Vader is amazing The first Hasbro custom I ever made was a Vader like that, made from Earthquake. It went rather well for a first attempt at customising, the expression on the Quake figure fits Vader perfectly. I repainted it a year or so later when I was getting better at making customs, but I was never quite as happy with it as I was after that initial attempt - maybe I was getting tougher on myself, I don’t know. The red and the ‘Vader Time’ text never looked as good after that second attempt. I’d have loved to have had decals to use instead rather than free-hand painting, but I was never particularly artistic - I just wanted new Hasbros This one looks great with the mask added rather than just painted on. I’m sure Mattel could’ve done a decent enough job on a Retro Vader if they’d tried.
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mad2009
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Post by mad2009 on Sept 23, 2019 16:12:31 GMT -5
I just got the Shawn Michaels retro & yes the face is hideous. Could the face be used for an RVD custom?
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Post by hulkjoegan on Sept 24, 2019 11:01:27 GMT -5
I just got the Shawn Michaels retro & yes the face is hideous. Could the face be used for an RVD custom? May be better for a Terrence Taylor/Taylor Made Man, or possibly Steve McMichael. Just because there are actual RVD heads available.
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Post by Chip on Sept 24, 2019 14:03:29 GMT -5
i have mixed feelings about retros being "all flashbacks" or "all guys Hasbro didn't make"....
i mean at the time, Hasbros werent "retro", they were current guys. And to be honest I think its cool as hell having current guys in the Hasbro style. What they messed up on is going TOO current, and not making the legends/flashbacks good enough. besides a select few.
Once they streamlined the sets to 4 figures, 2 modern/2 retro that was the way to go with it. But sadly the dddddddd DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS were the true death toll of these things. In addition to the stupid mobile game app and price increase.
Retros should have been $8.99 retail price, 4 per series with 2 modern and 2 flashback style. No stands, no apps. Instead they were as much as basics which no parent was going to buy, and then when they did the stupid app thing they increased the price! Target was selling them for f-ing $12.99! that's absurd. Nobody was going to pay that much for any of them....and it was proven.
Now that you killed it by pricing them out of the market, they were doomed. Most stores never saw the middle series, and then Walmarts around the country each got i think 9 cases each of Series 7 that 1 of the 4 figures in it was a complete failure (Shawn "Masters")
I just don't understand these companies. They sit in their board rooms and come up with these ridiculous ideas, how do they not understand that the consumer just wants affordable simplicity. ESPECIALLY with something like these retros that were specifically marketed and designed for the WWE fans in their mid-late 30's who grew up collecting Hasbros
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RedDevil
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Post by RedDevil on Sept 24, 2019 17:50:25 GMT -5
i have mixed feelings about retros being "all flashbacks" or "all guys Hasbro didn't make".... i mean at the time, Hasbros werent "retro", they were current guys. And to be honest I think its cool as hell having current guys in the Hasbro style. What they messed up on is going TOO current, and not making the legends/flashbacks good enough. besides a select few. Once they streamlined the sets to 4 figures, 2 modern/2 retro that was the way to go with it. But sadly the dddddddd DISTRIBUTION PROBLEMS were the true death toll of these things. In addition to the stupid mobile game app and price increase. Retros should have been $8.99 retail price, 4 per series with 2 modern and 2 flashback style. No stands, no apps. Instead they were as much as basics which no parent was going to buy, and then when they did the stupid app thing they increased the price! Target was selling them for f-ing $12.99! that's absurd. Nobody was going to pay that much for any of them....and it was proven. Now that you killed it by pricing them out of the market, they were doomed. Most stores never saw the middle series, and then Walmarts around the country each got i think 9 cases each of Series 7 that 1 of the 4 figures in it was a complete failure (Shawn "Masters") I just don't understand these companies. They sit in their board rooms and come up with these ridiculous ideas, how do they not understand that the consumer just wants affordable simplicity. ESPECIALLY with something like these retros that were specifically marketed and designed for the WWE fans in their mid-late 30's who grew up collecting Hasbros Good post; I agree completely. I’ve always been open to the Retros venturing into eras outside the Hasbro era, though I obviously wanted the gaps filled as a priority. I started following WWE just when the original figures came-out, watched through the Attitude Era, up until the Ruthless Aggression era (or whatever the 2004-ish era is referred to, the post-Attitude Era seems to blend together into one for me), so there are loads of guys (and girls) from different eras (and indeed promotions) that I’d love to buy in Retro-form. The Retro line has not just brought me to the Mattel product, but also brought me back to the current WWE product - though mostly to the Network and PPVs rather than the obsession I had as a kid/teen - so I also buy the current guys, and respected Mattel’s decision to attempt to entice the youth of today to embrace these figures in some way like we middle-aged kids do. The point that Hasbro were only working on current guys at the time is a good one I think. Equally this is a line obviously likeliest to appeal to older fans, so the 2:2 legends:current balance was acceptable to me if it kept the line alive. Now it’s basically dead then we mostly regret the legends that didn’t get made. I just fear it’s too late. With Walmart confirmed as not taking series 9 or 10, with Target not sounding likely either, then I’m not sure what’s left really. Can a whole line survive without them involved at all? It would be interesting to hear how Ringside feel about the performance of the Retros - has it been a success for them? Do they want to see more? Would they be prepared to make them as a Ringside Exclusive line, or would they work with other online companies in other countries to keep the line going? Assuming someone like Amazon isn’t an option, then maybe it all comes down to Ringside, I don’t know. The UK online retailers have both tweeted their support for the line since SDCC, but they wouldn’t be large enough to make it a UK exclusive line I don’t think; they’d need Smyths back on board I think, and they stopped after series 3. It’s only been two months since SDCC I know, but some kind of update from Mattel would be good to hear - even if it’s just “No new news, but we are discussing it” would be a big lift. Equally, a definitive “We’ve looked at it from all angles, but can’t make it work, it’s dead” would be closure at least.
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Post by HHH316 on Sept 24, 2019 23:27:08 GMT -5
I made an RSC purchase to fill in some more holes of my retro collection. I picked up:
S5: Savage S6: Nakamura, Bryan S8: Sheik S9: Savage S10: Diesel, Hardy, Elias
I now have S2-8 complete. I still need JYD and Joe to finish 9-10. I'm being patient with S1 because some of the prices on Ebay are way more than I want to spend.
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Hasbromaniac
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Post by Hasbromaniac on Sept 25, 2019 7:51:15 GMT -5
Exactly, well put.
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drnickriviera995
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Post by drnickriviera995 on Sept 25, 2019 7:54:57 GMT -5
I made an RSC purchase to fill in some more holes of my retro collection. I picked up: S5: Savage S6: Nakamura, Bryan S8: Sheik S9: Savage S10: Diesel, Hardy, Elias I now have S2-8 complete. I still need JYD and Joe to finish 9-10. I'm being patient with S1 because some of the prices on Ebay are way more than I want to spend. Joe is currently $9 on Amazon. I ordered 2 weeks ago and they came in fantastic shape, but no clue if it's the same seller or not for $9.
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drnickriviera995
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Post by drnickriviera995 on Sept 25, 2019 8:08:05 GMT -5
So with the Network Spotlight Elites street dating either 9/29 or 10/5 (heard both dates mentioned in other thread). I got to thinking, the WWE sections at Targets will probably be a complete reset then to allow the new item # right?
Gotta wonder if that'll be the sad end for retros? My stores all have 2 pegs for them, but haven't seen much of anything in months. Only ray of hope was last week when one store finally got a box of S8. But otherwise havn't seen a single new figure stocked in about 3 months, barring anything that came in and sold within a day or 2 I didn't stop in.
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Post by HHH316 on Sept 25, 2019 22:02:26 GMT -5
I made an RSC purchase to fill in some more holes of my retro collection. I picked up: S5: Savage S6: Nakamura, Bryan S8: Sheik S9: Savage S10: Diesel, Hardy, Elias I now have S2-8 complete. I still need JYD and Joe to finish 9-10. I'm being patient with S1 because some of the prices on Ebay are way more than I want to spend. Joe is currently $9 on Amazon. I ordered 2 weeks ago and they came in fantastic shape, but no clue if it's the same seller or not for $9. Looks like Joe is $13.99, but I'll stay on the lookout. Thanks for the tip.
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Post by CookPassBabtridge on Sept 29, 2019 9:35:50 GMT -5
I’m in Japan currently, and...
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Post by hulkjoegan on Sept 29, 2019 10:01:17 GMT -5
I’m in Japan currently, and... It’s such a shame I only got to see the first 3 series in stores here in the U.K. It was so cool seeing series one, although by the time they showed up in stores I already had some from online. But then series 3 was just a pleasant surprise, and not being that keen on them I only bought them because they were £5 each. (And ive since bought quite a few more for customs!) But I saw a load of new He-man figures in a store yesterday and it was SO cool, I had to take a picture and text it to my 41 year old brother!
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RedDevil
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Post by RedDevil on Sept 29, 2019 11:12:14 GMT -5
Anyone based near London: Bill has confirmed he will be at the Wrestling Shop Live pop-up store in Leicester Square in November - if anyone plans on visiting there then I’m sure he’d be delighted to answer lots of questions about what’s going on with the Retros...
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billyboytoobs
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Post by billyboytoobs on Sept 29, 2019 15:20:47 GMT -5
Anyone based near London: Bill has confirmed he will be at the Wrestling Shop Live pop-up store in Leicester Square in November - if anyone plans on visiting there then I’m sure he’d be delighted to answer lots of questions about what’s going on with the Retros... I’m going on the Sunday
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Post by HHH316 on Sept 29, 2019 16:00:11 GMT -5
I’m in Japan currently, and... Wow! Where in Japan are you and at what store? I was there in January and didn't come across any wrestling figures that weren't in wrestling stores.
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@Chair.Shot
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Post by @Chair.Shot on Sept 29, 2019 17:14:43 GMT -5
Went to Target...they had the same series 3 figures that they had over a year ago...marked down to around $8 I believe.
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Post by showbizpizzabear81 on Oct 3, 2019 19:19:29 GMT -5
RETRO'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Turnbuckle Zealot(Phil) on Oct 3, 2019 20:10:15 GMT -5
RETRO'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also want to shout and demand retros. I'm just curious if you meant to post a picture that didn't upload. I'd like to see it if you did. Cheers.
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