Any new news on the rumor of FTC getting the Marvel license?

[Magenta]

I read once where it was a rumor.

[thunderbolt]

Its still just that, rumor and speculation.

[MIB41]

I haven't heard any additional news, but I'm confident in time they will get it. That will be a fun ride to see all the extra characters we get. Imagine a Spider-man line with Parker, JJ, Mary Jane, and Gwen! That will be a cool day.

[figureaddicted]

Doesnt Diamond still have that? They've got at least 3 planned releases right? Or did i miss something? At any rate ,it would certainly be cheaper and more convenient if FTC got the rights. For me anyway , one stop shopping for my favorite heroes would be nice.

[scott metzger]

I think the rights are complicated. I think Mattel basically has no interest in doing any more 8" figures in this style, so FTC was able to get rights for that specific piece of the DC license. Diamond is only able to do the three-in-one figures, and they've been pretty clear that nothing outside those strict guidelines in their license. So I'm assuming the problem is Hasbro, who holds the Marvel master license. It's possible that they aren't willing to give up the option of making 8" figures as singles right now, which is what FTC would want.

I really wish the rights would go with FTC; if they fix the big head problem, they've got pretty much the perfect Mego heirs here. Seeing them make the Marvels in the same way as the DCs would thrill me; both publishers characters under one roof as in the old days would really be a line of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes once again. I don't see it happening anytime real soon, and much likely depends on how successful the Diamond packs are, but having The Fantastic Four offered on the same page as Superman in classic 8" form would be amazing.

[ubermanx]

I am pretty sure that if the Marvel license wasn't so restrictive we'd be enjoying a larger line-up of additional Marvel figures from EMCE and DST. The reissues of Planet of the Apes and Star Trek were pretty darn awesome.

There is no doubt in my mind EMCE and DST would love to have the same flexibility FTC is enjoying with their DC license.

- Marty

[jayraytee]

Isn't the EMCE/DST Marvel license based on one figure with an $80 price tag, which they remedied by adding 2 costumes and 2 heads, for two more build your own figures? I am still a little intrigued by the license restriction.

I would also love to see one company have both Marvel and DC and be able to put out single carded figures from both, if it has to be FTC then I really hope the quality improves a lot. The FF figures have the best FTC bodies so far it seems, but I am not a fan of any figure mechanisms. I mean typically it sort of limites the figure in other ways, Big Jim has karate chop action, but that arm acts weird if you try and do anything else with it, kind of thing. There is always a tricky balance between quality and quantity. If you flood the market with inferior product, people will be excited at first but quickly disapointed. If you drag the releases out forever to make sure the quality is top notch, you risk people losing interest and abandoning the line.

It would be cool if FTC would slow down on the figures and up their quality, and to keep interest in between serieses release alternate costume sets or accessories or whatever doesn't take as long to manufacture.

[Remco Monster]

Sure wish they would get it. Would probably be my only chance to get a Ghost Rider. And I don't like the way Diamond are offering them one bit. I don't care for modern versions, and am not paying what they cost to get one retro style/repro figure. Not to mention, those will fail before they get too far into them, due to the price and sporadic releases.

[hedrap]

The problem is DC as a license is only worth a literal fraction of Marvel.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/superhero-earns-13-billion-a-748281

Much has been made of the arms race between Disney's Marvel Studios and Warner Bros.' DC Comics to create superhero movies through 2020. Less debated is a key financial underpinning of the war: Licensing revenue generates tens of billions of dollars for Hollywood companies, and DC needs a heroic effort to catch Marvel in licensing profits.

On Oct. 15, Warners CEO Kevin Tsujihara said that if he can close the current gap by half, the studio could earn an additional $150 million a year in profits. How big is the gap? In May, License Global placed Disney first among licensors with sales of about $41 billion in 2013; Warners was seventh with $6 billion. Both have strong properties: The Licensing Letter listed Marvel's Spider-Man global retail sales at $1.3 billion and Avengers at $325 million in 2013, compared with DC's Batman at $494 million and Superman at $277 million.

"Marvel has a big head start," says Ira Mayer, publisher of The Licensing Letter, adding, "It's not that Warners can't do it, but it is going to take a lot of time and money and energy to make it happen."

And while Hasbro are the dictats, you can't discount Perlmutter's background as owner of Toy Biz and wholesaler to KB. He and Arad set the original Hasbro deal up as Toy Biz had milked Marvel to the point where it was more profitable to license than manufacture. IIRC, once Avengers hit, they twisted Hasbro's arm.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Sure wish they would get it. Would probably be my only chance to get a Ghost Rider. And I don't like the way Diamond are offering them one bit. I don't care for modern versions, and am not paying what they cost to get one retro style/repro figure. Not to mention, those will fail before they get too far into them, due to the price and sporadic releases.

Bingo. The way the 3-packs are being offered is really setting them up for failure because the only way most people will buy them is if they think all three figures look great. If they whiff on even one of them then you are paying $40 a figure for 2 you want, and a throwaway figure you don't want. So far the Captain America is the only set of the three I've seen that looks good, and even it doesn't appeal to me at $80. Which really balloons to $100 when you factor in needing to buy 2 more bodies to display them.

So spend $100 to get one boxed retro Mego and 2 loose modern figures from Marvel, or spend $100 to get 4 carded DC figures from FTC. Easy choice for me.

[PNGwynne]

While I do think the Diamond format and price-point may work against Marvel, it's just as possible die-hard fans will support it as much as DC ones have supported FTC
despite its shortcomings.

[jayraytee]

Bingo. The way the 3-packs are being offered is really setting them up for failure because the only way most people will buy them is if they think all three figures look great. If they whiff on even one of them then you are paying $40 a figure for 2 you want, and a throwaway figure you don't want. So far the Captain America is the only set of the three I've seen that looks good, and even it doesn't appeal to me at $80. Which really balloons to $100 when you factor in needing to buy 2 more bodies to display them.

So spend $100 to get one boxed retro Mego and 2 loose modern figures from Marvel, or spend $100 to get 4 carded DC figures from FTC. Easy choice for me.

$80 is the suggested retail price, some places might carry them for less. With FTC some of us have felt the need to replace the bodies of pretty much every figure, so the prices are not that much different really. I mean 4 carded FTC figures when you factor in new bodies at your price point would be $140. For three it's $105.

[Bronxboykev]

You can get both the Spidy and Cap set for $69 each... I've said this before and have been met with resistance... The price points on the Marvel figures aren't much off from the FTC figures... And the fact that Doc and Dave and Craig make a far SUPERIOR BODY makes the Marvle figures just as and even more desirable to me... A lot of people are not happy with the FTC bodies, I'm 109 figures into the FTC super hero lines, and all 109 bodies are complete crap, so if I switch out all the bodies that's an extra $1090 so the price point evens out on both lines for the people of my mindset who are buying bodies... $75 for 3 FTC figures add another $21-$30 for extra bodies that's $96 to $105 for 3 FTC figures as opposed to $69 for the marvel set and an extra $20 for 2 more bodies $89 for 3 Marvel figures.
I really hope Doc can find a way to hold the Marvel line and get as many sets done as possible. Or that FTC WOULD REACH OUT to the superior body builders and make a deal to get us some really outstanding figures.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

You can get both the Spidy and Cap set for $69 each... I've said this before and have been met with resistance... The price points on the Marvel figures aren't much off from the FTC figures...

It's not the price point as much as it is being forced to buy figures 3 at a time. If you are forced to spend even $69 on 3 figures and you only like 2 of them, then that means you are really paying $35 each for the 2 figures you want. Now if you want all 3 figures then it makes more sense, but even then if you want to display the figures as.....figures, then you will have to spend another $20 or so for 2 bodies, which means you are up to $90-100 for 3 figures.

While FTC charges $75 for 3 figures. I've said all along that I hope the Marvel figures sell like gangbusters because anytime we have more Mego replicas it is a good thing. But the figures so far just haven't appealed to me. It's tough to ask collectors to spend $70-80 on replica Spiderman figures when a loose mint original Mego Spidey can be found for half the price of the set. Of the sets so far, the Captain America looks great, Spidey looks ok (but price point kills it) and the Wolverine looks embarrassingly bad.

And this is assuming there will be zero issues with the body and costumes. And everyone knows that as well as this group picks nits that there will be something to complain about. I hope it works out but if Diamond is still announcing upcoming sets this time next year, I will be very pleasantly surprised.

[boss]

If FTC gets the Marvel license, I suggest they start with the Leader and MODOK.