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Post by stc13 on May 15, 2022 7:26:59 GMT -5
Love it. I have a Hart Foundation shirt from Threadhead waiting for a WM series Bret, but the wave never showed up in stores around here. Highly recommended, though not sure if international shipping would be cost prohibitive for you. I'm really hoping we get another UE Bret soon just because I need a bunch more heads. There are so many bad Bret heads that need upgraded. Threadhead? Is that the name of the store? Yeah, google Threadhead custom clothes and it should pop right up. Ordered from them many times, and I've always been very happy with how the shirts fit and that the logos look pretty seamless.
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Post by stc13 on May 14, 2022 16:11:05 GMT -5
yeah usually before Sd /DC there’s a dry spell They also showed a good amount of stuff last month. It's probably going to be pretty quiet until SDCC.
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Post by stc13 on May 14, 2022 16:09:57 GMT -5
Love it. I have a Hart Foundation shirt from Threadhead waiting for a WM series Bret, but the wave never showed up in stores around here. Highly recommended, though not sure if international shipping would be cost prohibitive for you.
I'm really hoping we get another UE Bret soon just because I need a bunch more heads. There are so many bad Bret heads that need upgraded.
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Post by stc13 on May 13, 2022 7:34:09 GMT -5
FTR and Pac are the top of the list for me. I think Eddie and Cage had solid scans, but I'm not loving the paint apps.
Overall the AEW faces just come off as having a more washed out paint app than the face printing tech we see on Hasbro or Marvel products. I hope that's something they work on improving. I think this is the first licensed property Jazwares has with actual human likenesses, so I'm ok with dealing with some growing pains.
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Post by stc13 on May 13, 2022 7:30:36 GMT -5
I know this might fall under "source: trust me, bro"...but ALL of this, is unequivocally false. 100% made up by Billi Bhatti. Everything, from the units produced, to the falsehood that the line is being paid for by AEW (that's simply not how it works)...to even the sales. I don't need to have inside information to tell you to think about the fact that they JUST introduced a new SKU in the Supreme line...and no toy company in their right mind would do that for a failing toyline. Disregard this entire story for what it is: completely fabricated baloney. Source: trust me, bro. But seriously--trust me. The line is doing great. The paying for the figures might be true. As has previously been said it’s a great way of advertising. I can speak from personal experience seeing luchasaurus on pegs was what got my son into watching dynamite. Plus there’s no track history yet for AEW, their viewership points to an older audience so figures for them is somewhat of an unknown. They might have signed a sweeter deal to get on the pegs, should they be successful they can then negotiate a better deal moving forward. Jazzwares has huge brands: Pokemon, fortnight, marvel spidey, nerf, roblox, halo etc. They can afford to speculate and take a hit on a line like this with the cash they will get from those other huge lines Yeah, "paying for the license" might not be the most accurate terminology. But I'd be very surprised if the contract was structured the same way as Star Wars, Marvel, WWE, etc. It's just a different way to slice the pie, and probably puts more of the up front risk on the licensor with more profit sharing going to them on the back end. When the line launched, they had very few names who were proven from a retail standpoint. If you're Jazwares, that's a pretty big gamble to invest probably a million+ in tooling, design, marketing, etc on a completely unproven brand. In an alternate universe, the AEW line could just as easily be in the same spot as the UFC line if the product didn't take off the way it did. And the 15k production number would match up for Wave 1A (possibly 2 and 3?). There are around 4,700 Walmarts in the US. It seemed like mostly Super Walmarts got the shippers, so maybe 3,500 stores? I think there were 3-4 copies of most guys, with Kenny being double packed. Add in chases and some for RSC and that's pretty much right at 15,000. I know the tendency is to jump on this as being totally fake or a sign of impending doom, depending on your brand affiliation. But I just don't see this being anything huge one way or the other. It's probably a half truth and some outdated info, but nothing that seems wildly off base, imo. AEW is doing very well overall, and the line seems to be doing well with solid retail support.
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Post by stc13 on May 12, 2022 7:34:49 GMT -5
What they can do and what they're willing to do may not be the same thing. We'll see - I wouldn't be shocked if we see a Surfer Sting in the reveals later this month.
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Post by stc13 on May 12, 2022 7:33:06 GMT -5
Honestly nothing sounds too crazy here, but probably pretty outdated info.
The production numbers sound way low for current volume - that would put chases at one every 2.5 cases or so, assuming chases are produced and distributed at the quantity stated. But that sounds pretty accurate for the early waves that were basically just in Walmart and RSC.
The revenue model and AEW paying a company to take the license isn't as crazy as it sounds. It was literally an unknown brand, and toys are a great marketing opportunity to build visibility for your product. It also adds a level of credibility. Same idea with the video game, where they've invested a ton of money. AEW very quickly had licenses for trading cards, multiple video games, toys, etc at a time when the brand was literally an unknown quantity. That doesn't happen without cutting some sweetheart deals.
As far as profit goes, that part doesn't seem clear to me. Who's losing money? AEW? Jazwares? There's zero context, and losing money early on was pretty much a given. You're taking on insane tooling costs to start a line, and they were paying to get their product in stores at Walmart. But as they build a parts library, the margins are going to increase significantly.
I don't think it's worth dismissing as fake news - nothing sounds too wild. But there's also nothing here that I would consider all that important.
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Post by stc13 on May 12, 2022 7:04:26 GMT -5
as they churn out warrior after warrior after warrior Why do people seem to forget that every other top legend has had 4-5 new figures since Warrior last had one? 2 of Warrior's last 3 figures were repeat attires (RR and UE). And even then, aside from the Ultimate he hasn't had anything in forever. Nothing has hit retail shelves from Warrior since last year's Royal Rumble series. He hasn't had a basic since 2019. Sometimes the timing of complaints around here are amusing. There were years where we got a ton of Elite Warriors, plus appearances in the basic lines. I don't think we've seen a new attire since the RSC Warrior, and I honestly can't remember the last new gear from his prime run - the HOC figure? That came out in 2018. Similar with people throwing a fit over the lack of RA figures at a time when there were more RA flashbacks than any other era by a wide margin.
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Post by stc13 on May 12, 2022 6:52:35 GMT -5
Ross Target had two UE Batista late last night. I grabbed one, which rang up without issue.
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Post by stc13 on May 11, 2022 16:56:04 GMT -5
Both of my local targets have an inordinate amount of regular/non-chase (white pants) Edge figures (like 6 per store) and no chase (red pants) versions. I feel like they may have under-manufactured the chase this time. They're in solid packed cases now and I'm pretty sure there's 1 chase per case. So most likely the chases just went fast, a few regulars sold, and the regular versions are just sitting.
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Post by stc13 on May 6, 2022 7:30:47 GMT -5
I'll wait to see the actual renders, but expecting that I'll probably buy them all. I'm a little bummed that it doesn't look like they'll be doing bowl cut or Carolina blue. But it's great to have one of the top all-time added to the roster, and he'll go perfectly with the recent Sting.
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Post by stc13 on May 3, 2022 15:54:26 GMT -5
I 100% echo the statements on this thread lately - the sheer diversity of eras, promotions and talent mean each month I'm always looking out for the Brawler included within the Crates, and the online Exclusive offer that follows! Given I'm in Australia, the shipping and wait time between placing the order and actually receiving it is considerable, but I love adding to my collection and really branching it out into something special. Due to signing costs and legalities, I'm assuming we won't ever get a Hogan or Flair Brawler(s) which is a bit of a bummer. Would love to have the two Mega powers standing next to one another, or branch out further into the late 80's and early 90's NWA era. So glad I cleaned house of everything else wrestling figure wise and now have a concise, compact and incredibly vast (in terms era, promotion etc) collection on my hands I think Flair could be in the cards. He opened a PWT store after his WWE release. Hogan has never been associated as far as I know, so that seems less likely. I think one of the PWT employees said they had something like 200 Brawlers in various stages of production. Even factoring in chases, that's a lot of releases.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 21:24:43 GMT -5
He's 37 and looks like he's put on a decent amount of weight since the pandemic and his covid issues. I get what people see in him, but unless he cuts some weight fast, I think his window to be a major singles star is closing pretty fast.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 21:20:14 GMT -5
or ya know, Rude may not be under a license deal soooooo I’m sure Rude is still under a deal. But I’ll never understand people who want such good figures but ask for them to be in the basic line, I for one would rather not have a figure at all than to get it in a basic form. To each their own, but there are some figures I just have no interest in paying $20 for. I would have loved to see the Disciple, Vincent, suited Rude, etc pop up in the basic line over the years. I have zero need for those guys to have extra articulation, don't need cloth goods, and there are no must have accessories. So I'd rather just pocket the extra $10 and get a figure that is more or less identical as far as I'm concerned. That said, it's pretty irrelevant now. They've pretty much phased legends out of the basic line aside from top top stars, and the overall quality of basics (and the quality of the plastic) has taken a huge hit.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 21:14:14 GMT -5
Y’all do know you can return stuff, right? What if it's a hard-to-find figure and they haven't got a replacement though? Or what if the replacement is just as bad? It's just not as convenient as actually being able to see the figure you're getting. To play devil's advocate, I own hundreds of figures, and have probably come across tens of thousands hunting over the years. I can probably count on one hand the number that I looked at so glaringly bad that there was absolutely no chance I'd buy the figure. People are obviously free to have their own expectations for quality. But if the choice is have a figure that I really want that isn't flawless or not have it at all, I'll take the former every single time.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 17:40:52 GMT -5
Not to bring in the PowerTown drama into this thread but the comment about Andre and LOD reminded me: With someone who is dead…does PowerTown basically own their likeness forever? Hell, do they own it after someone dies too? One thing I like to see/appreciate most is the idea of these families getting as much money and appreciation out of these deals as they can. That really makes me happy that Zombie and Chella are both getting to do some of these figures. Also hypothetically if powertown went into administration / bankrupt and were bought out, would the new company then own the wrestlers license forever? Or if they just sold the company? New owners with a totally different vision or intention could then come in The reports on royalties seem very low and while that’s not great it’s the lifetime thing which I just can’t reconcile and think is not great It's tough to say how "exclusive" these contracts are without actually seeing them. I have a hard time believing these are as iron clad as they sound. I can't see whatever number they claim to have - 150, 300, whatever - lawyers would read over a contract that restrictive and say "hey, sign on." But it does sound like they have rights in perpetuity as long as some type of merchandise is being produced. Again, who knows what the time period on that is. But presumably after X months or years, if the company hasn't use the likeness, the contract expires. In a hypothetical sale, I'd imagine most of those contracts would expire. If you're buying a property cold, there's a pretty long run time to get a product from concept to execution, especially for small time companies. Look how long it's taken for the Lucha line to actually put out figures, and that's from a studio with legit industry experience and other licensed properties. My guess is that most contracts would expire from inactivity, with the exception of any truly big names that might be rushed along to save the contract. With so many options out there - from toys to PWT to independent video games being produced - there are more licensing opportunities than ever. I just have a tough time seeing tons of people signing up for these hyper restrictive contracts if it would cut into the other existing revenue streams they have. But it also wouldn't be the first time wrestlers got conned out of money on a bad idea.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 17:14:05 GMT -5
I have Taya and Juvi ordered through Amazon. Both look great, though I'm a little concerned on scale. But Juvi is like 5'5 and Taya somewhere around the same. So hopefully these will fit in decently with Mattel/Jazwares. I thought there was talk of improving the scale and mobility on the Fanaticos line. But the sculpts are the same as what was shown a few years back and the lowers look the same as the first wave of Penta/Fenix. Guess we'll see. I have Taya ordered through Amazon too. I haven't actually decided what I'll do with it yet. I was buzzing to get her in figure form but in my loose collection which is all Jakks I really don't have a place for her. This is one I think I'll just keep MOC and hang up, I just love the look of the figure and I really like Taya. I wasn't going to order thinking she would almost certainly get a Mattel figure. So really glad to have this one coming out.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 16:23:09 GMT -5
That looks great! After the little fiasco and issues a while back with all the machos and the way things were put up which people didn’t like they’ve been smashing it both with the wrestlers they’ve been doing, the pre-order quantities / timeframe and the designs. They’re knocking them out at a rate snd they look great! The bret got a bit of mixed refined but other than that it’s pretty much all positive from what I see. These + the major bendies which I think are also a really nice package are bringing me round to liking the more statuesque, rubbery type figure more so than the traditional plastic wrestling figure. Not sure if it’s the form factor or that they’re intentionally a bit cartoony and not going for total realism but they’re great. Totally. My posts in here probably make it obvious that Brawlers are probably my favorite line I'm collecting right now. Steady stream of new releases hitting all kinds of eras (frankly, I probably skip as many Brawlers as I buy, but I like that they make so many to appeal to different fanbases), the crate has pretty much been bangers for about a year now, and the prices for PWTees releases seem to have stabilized to either roughly $14.99 + shipping or $20 W/Shipping included. There's such value in getting new/different characters. I probably buy way more than I should. But I love that I can get a figure of everyone from semi-no name Indy wrestlers to Don West to an iconic Sting withing a matter of days. Some of those guys have a million figures. Some will never get another figure of any kind. But every time a new brawler drops it's a legitimate surprise what era, company, or wrestler it could be. That's so much more fun than any other line can offer me right now.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 16:17:21 GMT -5
Seth's WM outfit made such an impression on me that I couldn't even remember it, lol (...just had to Google it to see what you guys are on about). Just my opinion, but I feel like the more that every single wrestler on every big ppv tries to bust out special gear, they less special it all becomes. Very few attires stick with me because everyone from the pre-show to the main event is wearing some one-off attire. Same could be said for Mattel and their love of "big four" attires. I really enjoyed the Seth/Cody match, but had zero recollection of what Seth wore.
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Post by stc13 on May 2, 2022 7:05:27 GMT -5
I have Taya and Juvi ordered through Amazon. Both look great, though I'm a little concerned on scale. But Juvi is like 5'5 and Taya somewhere around the same. So hopefully these will fit in decently with Mattel/Jazwares.
I thought there was talk of improving the scale and mobility on the Fanaticos line. But the sculpts are the same as what was shown a few years back and the lowers look the same as the first wave of Penta/Fenix. Guess we'll see.
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