HasLab Sentienl Knee Controversy

[Earth 2 Chris]

Woo-wee. Seems like a good chunk of the Sentinels being delivered to backers have very weak knees and want to fall over backwards.

Lots of videos on this thing out there. Analog Toys and Retro Blasting coming on pretty hard about not only QC issues on a $350.00 collectible, but also the very nature of an $11 billion company doing "kickstarters". Then Robo on Fwoosh shows you can fix the wobbly knees with a screw driver. Then Tony at Analog comes back and says, that's fine, but it's not going to hold.

I don't have one of these, and I'm not going to, because I didn't back it. I'm not opposed to backing something from HasLab though, because, maybe I'm dense, but what's the difference between backing this and pre-ordering a $400 set of Fantastic Four figures from Mezco? The only difference is if they don't reach enough backers...you get your money back, or aren't charged for it. That's not really a risk to the consumer, is it? Am I missing something?

I do think Hasbro should have given the thing racheted knees, as Tony suggests. The large Spider-Man 2 movie figure I have from nearly 20 years ago has racheted joints, and you really have to crank that sucker to move his limbs. And he'll hold some crazy poses. Oddly enough, apparently the Sentinel has ratcheted elbows.

I think Hasbro should address this issue in some way. Send a new set of legs (with ratcheted knees) and instructions how to replace them, etc. Maybe throw in a voucher for at least $50-100 at Pulse or something. Maybe another X-Men figure. Something. But they should also be given time to actually address the issue. These just started hitting this weekend. I'm sure they are scrambling for some kind of solution.

What do you guys think?

[Jrfjr126rock]

And yet people complain about Mego when their product is $16 lol

[palitoy]

I've watched Tony's video on the subject and thought he handled it fairly. I don't collect Marvel Legends but this story really had me feeling some empathy.

While I won't get into the debate of a Billion dollar company doing kick-starters, I do agree that it's a problem that Hasbro has to fix.

People trusted Hasbro enough to give them the amount a small appliance costs and hold the money for one year. Also, that price was based on the MOQ which this funding exceeded, that likely means that Hasbro enjoyed savings based on economies of scale. None of those savings were passed on to the consumer to my knowledge.

The consumer's expectations were minimal, they want a toy they can pose and this won't do that. This isn't a $14 mego with a loose ankle joint, this is something that a person waited a whole year for. Possibly there was some financial sacrifice to afford this luxurious item.

Being the devil's advocate, I do wonder how widespread this really is and what Hasbro will do. Also, if Hasbro makes it right, will it get the same coverage as the outrage?

Anyway, this could be a real killer to fan and collector confidence if they don't stand by this and make it right.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I totally agree, folks who got this with a bum knee have every reason to be upset. Even if a screwdriver can fix it (even if temporarily) you shouldn't ever have to "fix" a $350 ANYTHING out of the package. Heck, I don't think you should have to fix a $30 FTC figure!

I don't know how widespread it is. The only real review I've seen is Robo's on Fwoosh. He's a pretty positive guy, overall, and customizes a lot, so maybe it doesn't bother him as much.

I imagine people who backed Galactus are now sweating a bit. He's even larger!

Chris

[PNGwynne]

IHeck, I don't think you should have to fix a $30 FTC figure.

Exactly. Whether $16, $30, or $350, QC and integrity should matter.

[Spyweb007]

I understand that this is a premium figure with a lot of articulation and moving parts aimed at collectors, but it is a lot of money. I think I would be just as happy to have a figure that size that cost $40 or $50 with less articulation, like the Big Figs that Jakks used to make. It most likely will spend most of it's life displayed and not played with anyway. Hope the knee issue is an easy fix for those who purchased and does not continue to be a problem with the Galactus figure.

[enyawd72]

I think the most disturbing part about this entire thing, is that Hasbro knew about the Sentinel issue and deliberately withheld shipping it until AFTER the
Galactus backing came to an end for fear people wouldn't buy him.

[sprytel]

I think the most disturbing part about this entire thing, is that Hasbro knew about the Sentinel issue and deliberately withheld shipping it until AFTER the Galactus backing came to an end for fear people wouldn't buy him.

That was just Tony's speculation.

[MegoSteve]

I will be very sad if there are problems with the Haslab Razor Crest.

I will also point out that prices on raw materials and shipping are skyrocketing and there are all sorts of shortages and supply chain issues this year, so it's entirely possible that any economies of scale they achieved over their minimum order quantity may have ended up being a wash.

[palitoy]

I will also point out that prices on raw materials and shipping are skyrocketing and there are all sorts of shortages and supply chain issues this year, so it's entirely possible that any economies of scale they achieved over their minimum order quantity may have ended up being a wash.

That is a really good point.