12 inch lost in space figures

[starsky]

hi,
does anyone have any idea what's up with scifi metropolis? they made some very awesome lost in space 12 inch figures and were supposed to come out with the second series last year but didnt. i was really looking forward to the major don west figure.


sorry guys, i posted under the wrong category

[Mikey]

I'm not sure what happened but I think there was a lot of behind the scenes haggling.

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m

[MIB41]

Well this I can tell you... Sci Fi Metroplis set up booths at Wonderfest in Louisville several years back with, what at the time, were prototypes of each figure you've seen advertised. It kicked up alot of excitement. I wanted to buy one of the prototypes at the show they were that cool. From talking to them, they were geared up to go into full production the following year and said they would be back with all of these figures to sell. Well, that didn't happen. They showed up the following year with only a few in production - John Robinson, Dr. Smith, and The Keeper. If memory serves they were $55.00 a piece which were not bad prices, but quite a bit higher than vendors who were selling Sideshow figures for $25.00 to $30.00 at the same show. That hurt them. They were also taking orders for a two foot tall replica of the B-9 Robot that was interesting but incredibly pricey. It didn't help that a B-9 builders club were part of the same show and patrons quickly deduced they would be well on their way towards building a full sized replica if they invested the same money with the B-9 club. The following year they returned but with no new figures and no improved prices. They didn't appear to do very well either and boxed up early before the show ended that Sunday.

With no factual basis to suggest this, I got the impression they were selling the remains of their stock with no intent to continue. That was two years ago and they've been quiet since. Now that doesn't mean they went out of business, but I think the window of opportunity between customer and company has dwindled. They promised alot but delivered only a fraction of the product and I believe that made people pretty sheepish to pay $55.00 a pop for a fragmented line up when they could buy twice as many Sideshow figures for the same money across the isle. Now clearly that is not a bad price for a 12 inch highly detailed figure in the bigger marketplace. But conventions normally push cheaper prices on these kinds of figures to eliminate show expenses early (and they sell out fast). It's typically one of the reasons why customers line up early. So when someone like Sci-Fi came in with full cost figures and a fragmented selection, most buyers went the other direction for better deals. Even I only purchased the John Robinson figure because the cost to invest in the entire line up would be staggering were they available. I think poor marketing and bad price points at the locations they sold the figures doomed them early.

[starsky]

i bought the john robinson figure too! i think they probably underestimated their cost as well. i was so excited about this line but now that excitement has died.

[Mikey]

I always HATED the fact the John Robinson sculpt was changed.
When I pre-ordered mine in advance, I expected this sculpt.....

http://www.scifimetropolis.com/actionfigures/john/John20Robinson5.jpg

m

[Sweep Secondhand]

[QUOTE=MIB41;94903] Now clearly that is not a bad price for a 12 inch highly detailed figure in the bigger marketplace. But conventions normally push cheaper prices on these kinds of figures to eliminate show expenses early (and they sell out fast). It's typically one of the reasons why customers line up early. So when someone like Sci-Fi came in with full cost figures and a fragmented selection, most buyers went the other direction for better deals. QUOTE]


True but it's not just about eliminating show expenses. If a company sets up at a show and are selling their wares at full retail, what incintive is their for a collector to spend their money with them when they could just buy it mail order at their convenience? True they may save on shipping costs but unless it is a very heavy item, how much is that really going to be? It cracks me up at shows when these companies set up and can't figure out why all anyone does is look at their stuff and then walk away without purchasing. My money is going to the little dealers I only see once or twice a year and who will cut me deals if I buy quantity. Retail priced merchandise is at the very bottom of my list!

[MIB41]

'Sweep' you stated it EXACTLY right. I would say all attendance to conventions is about 75% for the vendor room and 25% for the guests. It might be even more out of line than that. Vendors come to unload their product and a good vendor will have descent discounts early in a show for the collectors and another sell for late bargain hunters waiting around until
the show is ready to close up. If Sci Fi would have come in with product ready to go at convention prices, that would have dispersed the product on the streets faster and word of mouth would have brought the other business to their website for the $55.00 purchases (if for no other reason than the simple fact those figures would have been going for alot more on the auction sites). Without a doubt Sci Fi created a very good product, but they didn't strike while the interest was there. They appeared to covet their figures a tad too much and not offer them at a fair shake early on. Too bad. I would have loved to have seen them on my shelf, as I'm sure others would have too.