It's a new year and CAE has a new company to blame... Round 2

[ovenmitt]

The Captain Action DC Comics license was announced almost 2 YEARS ago October 2012 at NYCC. A few months later April 16, 2013 FTC announced its NEW licenses including DC Comics and Batman 66 TV, so I lost interest in Captain Action DC! And there's DST/EMCE Mego Marvel and now Sideshow 1/6 Marvel figures (and still 1/6 DC)

The other day my Target received the NEW Hasbro Titan Marvel 12" figures Dr Doom, Falcon, and Hawkeye for only $9.99 each and a Titan Spider-Man 12" 4 figures set for $34.99! Do you think a parent will buy a Captain Action figure for $19.99 AND a Marvel costume for $19.99 over a $9.99 figure of the same character? FTC is doing it right for collectors staying small limited runs not going retail at TRU like Captain Action! *The Captain Action and Dr Evil figures were originally $29.99! RIGHT!

[levyguy]

What happened to the Round 2 CA line has been nothing but disappointing. They should have followed PM's lead instead of changing the figures. The line was misdirected and unless the new Zica line comes out, I'm afraid it could be a long time before we see CA as an action figure again. I'd hope FTC will take over CA as Round 2 is done.

I also agree that they should not find scapegoats to blame. Everything was and is being misdirected regarding Captain Action.

[ScottA]

This is just sad to even read. Have they not learned one thing?

[jayraytee]

I remember the original Captain Action, from when I was a kid, played with it quite a bit. But to me it was always about the costumes. Captain Action himself was a generic body to put the costume on, he had his own suit, but frankly that suit never meant anything to me. It was like some odd generic space captain guy that was not ever associated with anything. The success of barbie, big jim and action jackson were all based on buying a figure and then buying various clothes to put on them, but the clothes were cheap enough to buy a lot of them. The more sets available, the more you can buy cheaply adds value to the figure. That is the key with Captain Action, Big Jim, Action Jackson and Barbie. They are/were nothing without the costumes. The main focus has to be on the costumes and getting more and more of them available quickly. Without that it's dead. You have to keep the momentum, once it wanes, then people will move on.

To a large degree thats what FTC is doing right, keeping interest by putting out something or showing something every few weeks. Its a little different because you are not buying one figure and then a bunch of costumes but the concept of keeping the concept alive is the same. Even if Type 2 had put out lessser character costumes while people waited for the DC ones, that might of kept the line going in the interum. How about a Phantom, Lone Ranger, Space Ghost, or whatever set while the deal with DC is finalized. That would of kept me interested.

Mego back in the day moved from the Action Jackson thing to individual characters, no costume sets, Marvel and DC superheroes. And Big Jim moved to the Wolf Pack. Barbie has over the years moved to themed figures and less clothing sets. Captain Action could of done the same thing, but it's a little different. Mego didn't push Action Jackson when they made the switch, they dropped him altogether and just focused on producing figures of the characters themselves. It seems like with Captain Action, they have tried to do what Mego was too smart to do, hold on to the 'generic' guy doll character and his 'persona' to carry the line. I think that is the core of the failure, Action Jackson was a shadow compared to Batman and Captain America and so is Captain Action. He like Action Jackson has a nostalgic place among collectors, but means nothing to the general population, especially considering he is a somewhat obscure character from the 1960s. Kids today don't know who he is and don't care. They want Batman and Spiderman. So for a line like that to be a success in the general market, it has to focus on the character costumes whether they are costumes sold alone or on a figure, you have to keep them coming or something else will take its place.

And lastly, Captain Action and Action Jackson as entities on their own just will never get the general market sales needed to carry a line. I love those characters for what they meant to me as a kid, but the number of people that feel that way are very small. Everyone else just doesn't care about them.

[Werewolf]

Kind of disappointing they are playing the blame game.

The Round 2 updates were nice but I really would have preferred they stayed retro like Playing Mantis line. A retro style Lady Action would have been really cool. But I have zero interest in their creepy looking Action Elite Lady Action.

[levyguy]

I loved Captain Action's basic uniform as a child and still do today. Aside from Superman's silver age uniform (not the ugly garbage they have him in now) CA's uniform is my favorite superhero uniform.

The character sets were great and I especially loved having Superman, Batman and Green Hornet, and Superboy for AB. (Always wanted Robin too but could not get him back then.)
But I also played with CA as himself. He was unlimited.

[jayraytee]

If you are replying to my post, I understand there are people that love him as a character and his uniform, there are also people that love the original Action Jackson. But those people are extremely limited, enough so that it will be hard to sustain a line in the geneal market because he means nothing to most people. But Spiderman and Batman are another story.