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So, what do you think of HasLab?

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  • enyawd72
    Maker of Monsters!
    • Oct 1, 2009
    • 7904

    So, what do you think of HasLab?

    Do you feel a huge company like Hasbro should need to do what is essentially a Kickstarter campaign for toys? I don't.

    What's more, I feel they're using it to justify charging ridiculous prices for those toys.
    Their latest offering, the Rancor, is in no way shape or form a $350 action figure. Even with two already released Black Series figures thrown in. Jedi Luke and Gamorrean Guard.

    I passed on their first figure offering, the Sentinel. I actually did go ahead with Galactus, until the Sentinel arrived and people started posting their $350 figure couldn't even stand up.
    Hasbro's failure to address that issue was also a huge contributing factor in me canceling my order.

    Now it appears many people who ordered the Rancor are also canceling their orders, and it may be the first HasLab project to not reach its goal.
    When you consider that Goldlok toys, a MUCH smaller company than Hasbro, was able to produce a fully licensed film-accurate electronic 12" Robby the Robot that walks, talks, and lights up for TWENTY DOLLARS,
    how is Hasbro justifying themselves charging these insane prices?

    I asked them that very question. Giving the example above and some others, like Mattel's incredible new Castle Grayskull playset which was a mere $85. Lots of tooling, moving parts, paint apps and of course beautiful box art.
    All for a fraction of the cost.

    Hasbro's response? Crickets. Because they can't justify it, so they won't even bother to reply.
  • Earth 2 Chris
    Verbose Member
    • Mar 7, 2004
    • 32498

    #2
    Honestly, I feel like collector toy pricing has gotten completely insane. Hasbro is asking $350 for figures they would have only charged about $100 tops a few years ago. I think they want to be in the same game as the boutique companies like Super 7. Super 7 just announced the TMNT Party Wagon which costs a whopping $450...and honestly doesn't look THAT much more impressive than the orignal Playmates toy from 35 years ago. Or for that matter an FTC reissue of the Mobile Batlab. $55 for a standard, domestic action figure from Super 7 is hard for me to swallow as well.

    Should Hasbro have a kickstarter? Well, I don't think any brick and mortar stores are going to support these types of figures or vehicles...at least at this price point. If they reined the price in, maybe. Part of the problem is the dedicated toy store chain died with Toys R Us (in the US). There's no place for these types of big ticket projects to go now. Hasbro may have been better off parterning with BBTS, Entertianment Earth, Dorkside and other online retailers, and offering these through them, but maybe set a cap of so many had to be ordered before they went into production? Essentially the same as a Kickstarter, but less skeevy, and no different than a toy company pulling the plug on something in their catalog because retailers didn't bite.

    Chris
    sigpic

    Comment

    • PNGwynne
      Master of Fowl Play
      • Jun 5, 2008
      • 19444

      #3
      How do I feel? Utter BS.

      Not thrilled with Mego, Mattel, and Hasbro exclusives, either. But I succumbed.
      WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

      Comment

      • Werewolf
        Inhuman
        • Jul 14, 2003
        • 14616

        #4
        I'm sad it has come to this but I also understand why. Toys R Us is gone and neither Walmart or Target will carry huge expensive adult collector toys like Unicron or the Rancor. They take up a tremendous amount of space and move slowly if at all.

        I give props to Mattel in their ability to still get playsets in their toy lines to the mass market from Barbie to Imaginext to MOTU. It is a herculean task.
        Last edited by Werewolf; Nov 21, '21, 9:23 PM. Reason: typos
        You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

        Comment

        • warlock664
          Persistent Member
          • Feb 15, 2009
          • 2072

          #5
          How do I feel about HasLab?
          On the one hand, I’m thrilled to have the chance to purchase a 32” Galactus figure to go with my Marvel Legends (and eventually my pre-ordered Mezco one:12) FF figures. There’s no chance a figure that big (and expensive) would ever be available at current retail establishments.
          On the other, I’m a bit nervous having to pay up front over a year in advance for a $400 toy that I can’t even be sure will be able to stand on it’s own.
          I didn’t back the Sentinel HasLab project, and after reading the problems most everyone who did is having with the integrity of the knee joints on that “toy” I’m glad I didn’t.
          I hope Hasbro works out the bugs before the planet devourer ships.

          Comment

          • msenger76
            Veteran Member
            • Nov 3, 2009
            • 291

            #6
            I love G.I. Joe but that skystriker seems way too high in price. The "extras" don't excite me because i don't own a flagg. what good are all the parts for a playset i don't own. and selling me on the 250 different stickers? i only get one plane. i'm not buying multiples just to have different stickers. i've been waiting for a GI Joe haslab project, but its a hard pass.

            Comment

            • monitor_ep
              Talkative Member
              • May 11, 2013
              • 7362

              #7
              That's is half my house payment, so I just cannot get behind this kickstarter figures.
              Visit my wiki site:

              Comic Books in the Media

              To view my custom works of both JLU and Megos go to:

              Monitor_EP Deviantart page

              Action Jackson Road Trip log

              Comment

              • MegoSteve
                Superman's Pal
                • Jun 17, 2005
                • 4135

                #8
                I'm still excited for the Razor Crest to arrive, even if it's been delayed until early next year. I am not a huge fan of the high price tags, but so far it seems like each one of these Haslab releases has doubled in price or more on the aftermarket. I should have bought two and sold one to pay for the other.

                At some point, something has to give. Eventually, it'll collapse like everything else when they've wrung the last dollar out of the market or they make a few wrong choices in a row. I have zero interest in the Rancor monster so I'm not ordering it and I do agree $350 is absolutely ridiculous for it. I'm honestly shocked there are 4500+ fans of the Rancor monster willing to cough $350 up for it. (Or 1000 dealers who each ordered 4.)

                I don't get too worked up about that stuff; if I don't like something or if I think it's too expensive, I just don't order it.

                Action figure prices are absolutely crazy right now, with teeny Star Wars vintage collection figures selling for $12.99 even at mass market retail and Marvel Legends/Star Wars Black Series at $20+. In contrast, modern era Megos are a miracle at only $15.

                Sadly, I think the days of $20-30 mass market vehicles and playsets are largely over, except possibly for Imaginext/kid play line stuff, and Batmobiles. As much as I want a Vintage Collection Slave 1, it is not worth $149.99 to me.

                Comment

                • Myoldtoys
                  Veteran Member
                  • May 15, 2012
                  • 303

                  #9
                  Large companies make money despite themselves. I think of the old saying "even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes". That is my experience working at and view on large corporations. As for the prices, there are many people (and by that I mean adults) with disposable income who want that boutique/exclusive toy. And there are also people out there that will pre-order a bunch to make money on the secondary market (eg. Jabba's barge). As long as there are enough of people supporting the latest marketing scheme, they will continue doing it. It's also not bad from a business perspective to try to guarantee a massive profit margin on a product before it goes to China for mass production.

                  I bought some modern Star Wars toys over the last 25 years. Not a ton thankfully. I recently sold almost all of them. Still have a box of stuff from the Force Awakens and Last Jedi...but that is hard to sell. Modern toys bring me no joy. Which means I can just watch what HasLab and the rest do from a far.
                  Last edited by Myoldtoys; Dec 21, '21, 9:34 PM.

                  Comment

                  • Jorge Galvan
                    Career Member
                    • Jun 8, 2015
                    • 576

                    #10
                    31,493 BackersTarget 14,000


                    31,423 x 400= $12,597,200

                    fyi mine came to $425 with TAX!!! so I am sure this number is bigger depending on various state tax rates.

                    What do I think, I think if they needed 14,000 to get this off the ground and then offered...

                    Tier 1: Marvel Legends Frankie Raye (Nova) figure unlocked at 16,000 backers

                    Tier 2: Marvel Legends Series Silver Surfer figure unlocked at 17,000 backers

                    Tier 3: Marvel Legends Morg Figure unlocked at 20,000 backers

                    Tier 4: The Head of Doom unlocked at 22,000 backers

                    as an incentive for more, it goes to show that people are greedy! More DOSH FOR YOUR NOSH! I was under the 14,000 when I paid and when the incentives came, I kept hoping more people would jump on the wagon and they did and it went on and on and on...

                    You have to give the credit, they had a great plan and it worked.


                    and if you still feel upset check this out below


                    Relive the climactic final battle with the deadly beats known as SpaceGodzilla from the hit 1994 film with a monstrous new statue





                    $2200 for a 31" Space Godzilla!!!! Do I want one, you bet I do! But I know at that price, it does seem unreasonable.

                    With $2200 I can buy more golden age comics, rather than the Space Gojira! But someone out there will buy this.

                    Comment

                    • danadoll
                      Micronaut Nut!
                      • Apr 11, 2005
                      • 1840

                      #11
                      Way, way overpriced, that’s what I think.

                      Dana
                      "Do you want a doll?" Kurt

                      Comment

                      • KingKickass1983
                        Career Member
                        • Jan 19, 2019
                        • 583

                        #12
                        Unnecessary.
                        Wanted:

                        Diamond select Spider-man hands. Long shot, I know...but ya never know..

                        Comment

                        • MegoSteve
                          Superman's Pal
                          • Jun 17, 2005
                          • 4135

                          #13
                          I bet a lot of nerds are wishing they ponied up $350 after what happened in the final episode of Book of Boba Fett.

                          P.S. My Razor Crest arrives Friday. I am excited.

                          Comment

                          • B-Lister
                            Eccentric Weirdo
                            • Mar 19, 2010
                            • 2922

                            #14
                            I only backed one Haslab.

                            I bought a Transformers Victory Deathsaurus. I picked up its companion, Victory Saber when I was last in Japan.

                            The Marvel stuff is really cool, and I really think the Star Wars TVC stuff is done right. But neither is a property I care enough about to back projects.

                            Do I want Robbie Reyes? Sure I do. Do I wanna pay $400 for the figure, and a toy car? Nah. Just give us the figure. I can make him a suitable ride.
                            Looking for Green Arrow accessories, Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver, and Japanese Popy Megos (Battle Cossack and France, Battle of the Planets, Kamen Rider, Ultraman) and World Heroes figures

                            Comment

                            • nubee
                              Career Member
                              • Feb 15, 2010
                              • 512

                              #15
                              I only backed Galactus. Glad I have it, but it still in the box cuz I don't were to put this baby sized figure.

                              Comment

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