Hot Toys Batman '66 ... Any updates?

[GlobalObserver]

Is this still happening?

[CaptainTrenchcoat]

I'm betting the West figure will be shown at SDCC, maybe more.

[Teemu]

suppose to be shown at SDCC

[Earth 2 Chris]

By the time these start to ship, the glut of 66 merchandise WB has okayed will have choked the life out of the license. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think they are milking that cow too much too fast.

Chris

[BlackKnight]

I doubt any West figure will be remotely as Detailed or as Great as the HT Version. I pretty Confident the 12inch Barbie isn't the Answer.

[enyawd72]

By the time these start to ship, the glut of 66 merchandise WB has okayed will have choked the life out of the license. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think they are milking that cow too much too fast.

Chris

I don't think there's too much product coming out unless you're one of those people who wants everything. There are statue and bust collectors who don't buy figures and vice versa. Then there are the figure collectors who are only committed to one scale and/or style. I think it's a smart move to offer something for everyone.

[palitoy]

By the time these start to ship, the glut of 66 merchandise WB has okayed will have choked the life out of the license. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think they are milking that cow too much too fast.

It does seem like there will be a glut of stuff coming down the pipeline, a paradise for some I'm sure, hopefully it appeals to more than just us and the baby boomers.

[MIB41]

I doubt any figure will be as nice as what Hot Toys produces. That's a given. But I also don't think Hot Toys is mass producing these figures like Mattel. So failure at this level is not likely. Hot Toys has a strong consumer base. And like any specialty character that doesn't have a long history of merchandise like the Adam West-Batman, they will likely gauge a safe manufacturing number from pre-orders. And like other figures that sale out before demand is met, a waiting list will start to build towards that next production order. It will be very successful. The companies that have more to risk is Mattel and FTC. Those figures will be mass produced. So these companies are fully expecting a certain response based on internet buzz, which is never a guarantee. If Hot Toys does a reveal at SDCC which creates enormous buzz, that COULD undercut other lines if they get their house in order with the price. Of course if every company goes for the throat with pricing, then all the high-end products with the lowest production will likely do the best. I fully expect some blood from this license. Even though I will get a few items from Mattel, I do expect them to be the biggest loser if quality is a determining factor. And FTC will really have to bring their "A" game to sell their '66 line. The Joker head preview is excellent and surely one of the bigger challenges out of this series. But we all know Adam and Burt in costume will be the true test. Another measure is whether FTC will keep their pricing under control or if they will try and go after that tempting $29.99 a figure price tag for the eight-inchers. I'm confident the 12 inch figures will be $79.99 at bare minimum. I think it's a mistake if they try to milk the diehard fans early at the expense of the line's longevity. Price them to sell and the company could enjoy a long line of characters. We'll see.

[ScottA]

This MIGHT be the only HT figure I even think about buying.

[enyawd72]

I doubt any figure will be as nice as what Hot Toys produces. That's a given. But I also don't think Hot Toys is mass producing these figures like Mattel. So failure at this level is not likely. Hot Toys has a strong consumer base. And like any specialty character that doesn't have a long history of merchandise like the Adam West-Batman, they will likely gauge a safe manufacturing number from pre-orders. And like other figures that sale out before demand is met, a waiting list will start to build towards that next production order. It will be very successful. The companies that have more to risk is Mattel and FTC. Those figures will be mass produced. So these companies are fully expecting a certain response based on internet buzz, which is never a guarantee. If Hot Toys does a reveal at SDCC which creates enormous buzz, that COULD undercut other lines if they get their house in order with the price. Of course if every company goes for the throat with pricing, then all the high-end products with the lowest production will likely do the best. I fully expect some blood from this license. Even though I will get a few items from Mattel, I do expect them to be the biggest loser if quality is a determining factor. And FTC will really have to bring their "A" game to sell their '66 line. The Joker head preview is excellent and surely one of the bigger challenges out of this series. But we all know Adam and Burt in costume will be the true test. Another measure is whether FTC will keep their pricing under control or if they will try and go after that tempting $29.99 a figure price tag for the eight-inchers. I'm confident the 12 inch figures will be $79.99 at bare minimum. I think it's a mistake if they try to milk the diehard fans early at the expense of the line's longevity. Price them to sell and the company could enjoy a long line of characters. We'll see.

Exactly. Universal Monsters and Sideshow are a perfect example of how a manufacturer can fail a license, not the other way around. Sideshow asininely thought the Universal Monster license was no longer viable or profitable, but Diamond Select has proved them wrong big time with two successful lines of affordable priced quality figures. Sideshow is solely responsible for the demise of their monster line because they priced themselves right out of business with it. They started with $10 eight inch figures, then cancelled those in favor of $25 twelve inch figures which quickly became $100 figures in the space of a few years. Then it was premium format, then life size, priced to the point they couldn't sustain the license anymore. I once commented on their site that they made the most beautiful monster collectibles no one could afford.

[BlackKnight]

This MIGHT be the only HT figure I even think about buying.

I said that about Dutch ...
Like 30 Figures and 3 yrs ago.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I didn't mean that the HT version won't sell...it will. But with WB offering up the license to similarly skewed companies simultaneously (Mezco and Funko for example), it just concerns me that a lot of this stuff is going to cancel each other out, and the license is going to look weaker because of this, and give it a shorter shelf life. I hope this stuff goes on for decades and we get down to getting Figures Inc or Mattel versions of the Puzzler and Dr. Cassandra. I'd love to see Hot Toys make it through Batman, Robin and the big 4 baddies at least.

Chris

[MIB41]

^^^ I think you're absolutely right Chris. And in all honesty, no one REALLY knows how profitable this license can truly be, even if the product offerings were soft. We're talking about a show that is 47 years old... Ew... That hurt to say. But you're talking about generations of people born into the marketplace after this show went off the air. It's nearly impossible to know how they will react versus the obvious interest of someone who grew up with the show on first run or during it's initial syndication in the early 70's. And what about the kinds of products getting put out? Would a 12 year old seek out a Mego style Adam that perhaps a 40 something consumer would want? Or does the Mattel line make a better connection with his/her generation? So I think the riddle lies somewhere in that equation. How much product do you make to account for which generation would most likely buy it? And how many within that generation truly want it? The Riddler would be so proud to offer up such a confusing riddle.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yes, that's more or less the point I was trying to make (and failing to do). There is definitely enough interest to make a Hot Toys figure of West as Batman, no doubt. But it seems odd for WB to license out so much at once without knowing how any of this is going to perform, and since there is no active TV series or movie to tie it in and make it particularly relevant to the moment.

I'm beyond ecstatic that we are finally getting 66-themed merchandise, I'm just afraid WB is overdoing it all at once and is jeopardizing the license's shelf life.

Chris

[BlackKnight]

Depends on what your interested in I suppose ...
Of all the Stuff shown, WITH Scaled and Sizes Grabbed ....
Personally ..., I'm only interested in a Couple of things. ... I'm sure thats the more so Idea, rather than the Fan Boy Who has to have them All..., and Everything.