So, is the Round 2 Captain Action line officially dead?

[Toy Timelord]

The counterpoint being: why would I want a guy who becomes a Superman doll when I can just buy a Superman doll?

[ZICA]

Captain Action is pretty much a nostalgic one-trick pony. If he "needs" to be something else, then he ceases to be "Captain Action". The property is recognized by those who appreciate him in those roots. Why continue to keep him in a 45 year old outfit with a logo (which denotes he changes) if the intent is to repurpose his origin? That look is vintage, not new age. Sorry. You can't have it both ways. CAE's biggest problem is they want him to be mass produced like new age toys, but there's simply no market for that.

Look at FTC? They make a mint selling directly to their base without the interference of brick/mortar setups. CAE needs to understand their audience. In my eyes, that's what they consistently miss. Quit overthinking the product and make what people want at volumes demand will satisfy. And I would not point to reactions to a concept product unproduced as proof of anything other than opinions are FREE. FTC has set the table for mass marketing popular licenses that ironically Captain Action should be enjoying. Unfortunately CAE spends too much time changing their message which is actually HURTS brand recognition. Anyone remember new Coke? Barely. Give us the classic. That's what sells... and it will sell here too if sold in proper volumes.

They already tried the original concept of what Captain Action was, twice, and it didn't work. I can't imagine that a "third times a charm" would be a good business philosophy to take with that concept at this point. Joe and Ed are obviously huge fans of Captain Action and they're trying different ideas to keep the brand alive, which I think anybody in their situation would do.

[MIB41]

They already tried the original concept of what Captain Action was, twice, and it didn't work. I can't imagine that a "third times a charm" would be a good business philosophy to take with that concept at this point. Joe and Ed are obviously huge fans of Captain Action and they're trying different ideas to keep the brand alive, which I think anybody in their situation would do.

The first reinvention, under Playing Mantis, didn't have the licenses to push it, plus they had a pricey start to the series which didn't help. By the time they adjusted prices and started finding better characters, they had sat dormant too long and lost their customer base. The second affair was similar in the price point category, especially where they added costume pieces to deluxe sets that took far too long to finalize. Both attempts also share the same problem of being sold at brick/mortar stores that required a marketing campaign that never materialized to explain his concept. There is absolutely ZERO difference in what you're doing versus what they did. You're pushing the 60's toy image (especially with that car) . That's not rethinking the concept. That's selling nostalgia. It's going to speak to the same people that bought both those other efforts. The difference is it won't be sold in TRU stores nationwide so the volume is considerably different, which translates into smaller returns to satisfy the definition of "success". Hence my remark they need to aim for a smaller audience that already appreciates what it is, rather than trying to mass produce (and sell) something that modern kids can't relate with. Your product is where it needs to be. Their product was spread everywhere, which is why it failed.

[wise guy]

The original Capt Action came out in a time before action figures and megos when the 12" G.I. Joes were starting to get popular. It is
a small group of collector's that buy these because Toys R us could not sell these and no other forums that i know of even mentioned them except here
on the mego museum. The 4" figures look like a nice design but without a big following and the gimick of changing costumes to other heroes
how well can they sell ?

[ZICA]

The first reinvention, under Playing Mantis, didn't have the licenses to push it, plus they had a pricey start to the series which didn't help. By the time they adjusted prices and started finding better characters, they had sat dormant too long and lost their customer base. The second affair was similar in the price point category, especially where they added costume pieces to deluxe sets that took far too long to finalize. Both attempts also share the same problem of being sold at brick/mortar stores that required a marketing campaign that never materialized to explain his concept. There is absolutely ZERO difference in what you're doing versus what they did. You're pushing the 60's toy image (especially with that car) . That's not rethinking the concept. That's selling nostalgia. It's going to speak to the same people that bought both those other efforts. The difference is it won't be sold in TRU stores nationwide so the volume is considerably different, which translates into smaller returns to satisfy the definition of "success". Hence my remark they need to aim for a smaller audience that already appreciates what it is, rather than trying to mass produce (and sell) something that modern kids can't relate with. Your product is where it needs to be. Their product was spread everywhere, which is why it failed.

What I'm trying to do with the 4" line is different from how the character was handled in its original concept. I'm trying to sell the idea of Captain Action being cool as Captain Action and not as some other character. I'm not trying to sell the idea that you can take the 4" figure and dress him as Batman or Spider-man. As for improving the odds of success with an original concept line by aiming for smaller audience, I completely disagree. I know for a fact that the DC license is very expensive, and I'm sure that the Marvel license is around the same or more. Now that Disney owns Marvel I'd say it's more. To get a decent ROI you're going to have to move a lot of product, and you're not going to do that by aiming for a smaller audience.

The original concept of Captain Action did well back in the 60's simply because there wasn't a lot of other options for the characters he could become. Like has already been pointed out, these days if you want a Superman action figure you go out and buy a Superman action figure.

[ZICA]

The original Capt Action came out in a time before action figures and megos when the 12" G.I. Joes were starting to get popular. It is
a small group of collector's that buy these because Toys R us could not sell these and no other forums that i know of even mentioned them except here
on the mego museum. The 4" figures look like a nice design but without a big following and the gimick of changing costumes to other heroes
how well can they sell ?

Time will tell

[MIB41]

The original Capt Action came out in a time before action figures and megos when the 12" G.I. Joes were starting to get popular. It is
a small group of collector's that buy these because Toys R us could not sell these and no other forums that i know of even mentioned them except here
on the mego museum.

Exactly. And actually we do have an example of where the original Captain Action format worked... Castaway. They made him in an eight inch scale (with costumes) and it sold very well. The only difference is it was produced in volumes that satisfied demand. To me, that's the arena Captain Action belongs in. CAE is too busy trying to discover the next hula hoop with this figure. That's NOT going to happen. He's a 48 year old figure with tights and a captain's hat. There's not a kid alive today that will understand that without context to what came before. Successful branding sticks with a core message that people can identify with. Captain Action's history and legacy are established...respect it and focus on volumes that will satisfy that demand. Ask KISS about branding. They'll tell you. Only the original idea works and that's the base they cater to. They may not be as big as they once were, but they're successful because they market to their base and give them what they want. CAE doesn't understand that with their product. Craig's idea WILL work because it has an audience for that scope and volume. It's celebrating the 60's toy line.

[ZICA]

KISS will put their brand on anything, including toilet paper. How is CA putting their logo on a cellphone cover or a coffee mug any different. You'll also notice on the toilet paper example that they cross branded it with Hello Kitty. I wonder how may hardcore KISS Army fans are also Hello Kitty fans.

[wise guy]

I do hope the 4" figures sell well because I do own the Castaway 8" Capt Action and really like it. I do wan't to buy the 4" figures and car but I
hate starting to collect something that does not continue but I guess he can always join the 4'' Gi Joes or C.O.R.P.S. figures that I have

[ODBJBG]

I think there's appeal for CA without the costumes. I think my issue isn't so much that they do other stuff, it's that they never do much beyond a figure or two and then are forced to move on to something else. Same issue with their comics. Every 10 issues or so, they revamp the entire idea again. It's difficult to build brand identity in that way, IMO. As long as they've had the CA brand under their control, they've done very little to flesh out who Captain Action is, who his villains are and what makes him special.

That's my issue. The character is rebooted every time they have a new concept to hock. Which is annoying.

I actually don't think the costume sets are that big of a sell. It never made a lot of sense to begin with. If they do costumes, it should be more generic types. I think gadgets and gizmos and traditional superhero/secret agent stuff is the way to go. While fleshing out the story of Dr. Evil and making it all tie together.

But I digress.

[drquest]

The collectors want the costumes, they want a 12" format like the original formula. Sadly, there's not enough of those collectors for a retail environment. That's been done twice now with mixed results. The collectors bought the costumes, and the figures, but the costume being sold alongside the figure is a tough sell to today's kids and parents. Barbie has it wrapped it, but that's about the only example. Sadly the 1960's Captain Action formula doesn't translate to today's retail environment.

Yeah we talk about all of the Thor and Loki costumes and even Spiderman that hung around on TRU's shelves long after all of the C/A figures were gone. But I think even Batman and some of the other DC costumes would have done the same, once the core collector group got what they wanted. I don't think today's kids would buy enough of them.

Their Round2 partner I feel is done making 12" C/A figures and costume sets. Good or bad, they did make them and they were on the shelves for us to buy, or not buy. They were very slow to market with the DC licenses they had, and then poof the ship had sailed and C/A was dead at retail. CAE could and should produce stuff directly to the collectors, sell though the various online toy shops, and they could give us the costume sets we wanted, including the DC sets.

Now coasters, t-shirts and shot glasses aside, they are trying that right now, but with different formats. Tonner, Go Hero and these ZICA sets. Direct to the collector and they will probably sell. Is it the format and scale and price point we all want? Maybe not..... Is it the costume sets we want, not all all, but it might be later.

Personally I have no interest in the Tonner or Go Hero sets. It's not that they don't look nice, but the price point is too high for me. I'd rather buy vintage than drop that amount on a contemporary piece, but that's just me. Now the ZICA sets, should be priced well I would think, and I do like what I see. I would see me buying those for my boys and they would play with them. I think ZICA would be happy to know these toys would get played with.

I would also think with how hot the 8" market is now, they should be bringing that format back for C/A as well.

[Timothy2251]

I wasn't even a concept when the original CA was released (I showed up in'67), so I don't have the experience everyone else here does. However, I did snag the CA & Dr. Evil sets from Cast-A-Way mostly because I'm a Mego kid and having 'em in that scale made 'em must buys. They look cool standing next to my other Megos, their outfits totally meshing with the designs of the WGSH.

The original concept of having a 12" CA with swappable outfits is a done concept by today's standards. Taking the best elements of the original line and doing them in another scale, like ZICA's doing, makes far more sense for today's market. Also, play value is better, as CA can interact with other lines at that scale (Dr. Evil and Darth Vader team up!). Yeah, CAE dropped the ball with the 12' line, but taking the approach they're doing now, while far from perfect, does keep CA out there as an IP.

[Teemu]

Captain Action by himself sucks....without the costumes,he is as plain and as boring as it gets

[wise guy]

The 12 " Thor Capt. Action looked weird because it gave him puny arms and Ironman's head was huge plus you had to buy a figure for every suit.
These 4" Capt Actions have a lot of potential maybe a few generic hero versions like Cosmic Captain, Archer Captain, Eagle Captain and Nuclear Doc Evil
or whatever they can come up with it seems to work for Commander X 8" figures

[PNGwynne]

I will be the one here to go out on a limb and say I like Captain Action by himself, including Action Boy & Dr. Evil.

I liked the outfits--I was particularly into the PM stuff--but the core characters are still engaging to me and I liked the DC comic.

I do feel Round 2 F'd up the recent offerings.