FTC teases Harry Potter

[jeffbearco]

After reading through the comments I've been reminded of the off and on quality issues that seem to crop up that many of us Mego fans take for granted. I don't think the average HP fan outside of the Mego fans will put up with that.

This being said, if they can produce a solid figure with a head that is in scale with the body, work out the consistency issues with the bodies (I still think the current crop of FTC bodies display a LOT better than most of the Matel Megos.) They could make a go of it. The costumes that they have been doing lately have been really good! The head sculpts have been very good other than some scaling issues (hit or miss). The product is ALMOST there!

And if they can just make that last leap and do really good HP figures, it should actually help with the rest of their Mego figures!

Plus at their average price point, or even going up $5 to make a great looking figure, I think they could pull it off. The average parent who buys their kid a toy is going to be willing to pay the $30 to make their kid happy as long as the toy is not already broken in the package.

So here they are. They have what could be their break into more mainstream figures. Don't muck it up!

JeffBearCO

[justzeg18]

Not even CLOSE.

Wizard of Oz had a history spanning back a generation or even two or three.

They are both major licenses, slightly outside of thier "best by" date, but with standing fan bases.
Both are permanent parts of pop-culture.
They are both "evergreen" licenses, that appeal to multiple age ranges.

Do I think it's a slam dunk? No. Not at all.

But I also think this license in particular seems to be pointing out the "average" mego fans age based bias.

[huedell]

That's a smart license if you are looking to expand beyond old Mego nerds.

But the sad truth is that's probably the only people who will possibly buy it. T-Bolt said the Batman '66 figures are doing well outside of us old Mego nerds? HOW well? Are the figures even viable for Toys R Us or such? I think there's a bit of wishful thinking going on here, if the scenario is what I believe it to be...i.e. Potter 8-inch clothed figures in today's marketplace where FTC can't even break into mainstream/non-nerd toy distribution.

[huedell]

I'm kind of confused by so many of the negative responses here... Isn't Harry Potter at FTC the same as The Wizard of OZ at Mego?

Not even CLOSE.

Wizard of Oz had a history spanning back a generation or even two or three.

[huedell]

How many figures like the Batman 66 figures do you see hanging on pegs at walmart or target. They are still retro-ish. The format is basically dead except for in this collector market. There is a reason for that, in todays world of technology most kids aren't into this kind of thing like we were in the 70s.

I agree... those that are making the distinction between the early Mego production limitations, and a more modern "more detailed" figure, I don't think are accurate in gauging others' POV on such things. WE see the difference, of course, because we're big fans of both Mego and the format they popularized so long ago.

And someone like me or you could have a preference along the lines of, "I want FTC's WGSH's new characters to NOT have the detail of FTC's '66 characters (or TO have that '66 detail)"... but, my take is that the MAINSTREAM consumers don't see it that way. To them, the retro format/style is just THAT.

Straw that breaks the camel here? Let's face facts... adult nerds will pay $25 for figures that you sometimes have to reconstruct, customizing a bit--or tweaking from top to bottom to get where they want. I don't think kids (and/or their parents who are BUYING the things for 'em) will buy into that---and I don't think "Potter" fans will buy into that.

FTC's gonna have to up their game if Potter is the franchise they wanna get into.

In fact, I think they'd be better off paying MORE for a Star Wars license, keeping the same mediocre overall quality, and charging $5 more for a figure, because at least Potter spans farther back into past generations, and could snag more adult (nerd) collectors who are more concerned with getting certain product rather than getting other collectors involved with certain product expectations whose desertion of the line could bring that line down entirely.

[megalomaniac001]

Cool! I like the idea of these. I really don't see FTC as a children's toy company (I may be wrong here) but I do see them as a maker of collectible action figures. With that in mind, I hope that Potter fans will embrace these if they are done in Mego format. (We don't know if that is what FTC is doing yet after all!) I agree with the sentiments here that see these as more of a modern style figure that is not trying to be retro other than the base bodies. I also agree that if these are successful, it helps FTC keep going on the DC license and to get other new licenses that we can enjoy in the future. Oh... and yes, I would be down for some of these!

[jwyblejr]

I could see a place like Hot Topic carrying these.

[jeffbearco]

I honestly think that if FTC approaches the HP figures with the 66 level of detail and actually pushes them out into mainstream stores which the HP brand would definitely allow, along with at the theme park, this could pull FTC more into the mainstream. The big thing is to get them out there into the mainstream. I think they would sell at Target. And at the $25-$30 price point, they could sell a lot more to kids instead of collectors.

I'm also curious about how they will distribute the Wrestling figures.

I think the distribution channels will make or break both lines.

JeffBearCO

[jayraytee]

Point is, we don't know if these will be Mego format, and, by that, I mean what most folks think of as a Mego (big boots, cheap capes, non-accurate costumes, etc). Those are the things that make a lot of collectors look down on our beloved figures, because they feel the industry has moved well beyond that. Things like the DC heroes are a recreation of that style, but things like the Batman '66 line are not. The only thing these figures have in common are scale and a base body. Mego NEVER made anything with the kind of detail in this scale we see in that line, and I would expect Potter would get the same treatment. There really hasn't been anything quite like these before in this scale, so FTC is wading into untested waters. These aren't classic Megos, and I don't expect Harry and company will be either.

How many figures like the Batman 66 figures do you see hanging on pegs at walmart or target. They are still retro-ish. The format is basically dead except for in this collector market. There is a reason for that, in todays world of technology most kids aren't into this kind of thing like we were in the 70s.

[thunderbolt]

I imagine it will be more along the lines of Batman 66, better costuming and detail, and not so mego-y.

[scott metzger]

Yeah I am just not sure the Mego format has the potential to be mainstream popular anymore. I wish it did, and I can hope it might happen, but so far it's just a hope which is what I am saying in my original post. I mean the only reason Mego-like figures are being made anymore is for the Mego fanbase collectors like us. So far there is no vital market for the format outside of that bubble. Can a title like Harry Potter do it? Maybe, maybe not. I hope some chunk of the Potter fanbase likes the format.

Point is, we don't know if these will be Mego format, and, by that, I mean what most folks think of as a Mego (big boots, cheap capes, non-accurate costumes, etc). Those are the things that make a lot of collectors look down on our beloved figures, because they feel the industry has moved well beyond that. Things like the DC heroes are a recreation of that style, but things like the Batman '66 line are not. The only thing these figures have in common are scale and a base body. Mego NEVER made anything with the kind of detail in this scale we see in that line, and I would expect Potter would get the same treatment. There really hasn't been anything quite like these before in this scale, so FTC is wading into untested waters. These aren't classic Megos, and I don't expect Harry and company will be either.

[thunderbolt]

Yeah I am just not sure the Mego format has the potential to be mainstream popular anymore. I wish it did, and I can hope it might happen, but so far it's just a hope which is what I am saying in my original post. I mean the only reason Mego-like figures are being made anymore is for the Mego fanbase collectors like us. So far there is no vital market for the format outside of that bubble. Can a title like Harry Potter do it? Maybe, maybe not. I hope some chunk of the Potter fanbase likes the format.

stuff like this that has crossover appeal and a built in audience should work well. The Batman 66 stuff has that fanbase to tap into and that line is doing well outside regular collectors like us. If they can get a foot in the door at Universal Orlando, it will really pay off for them.

[jacoblb]

I love it, if the sculpting is as good as what's come before from other toy lines they make my family and I are in for a treat.

[megoscott]

That's a smart license if you are looking to expand beyond old Mego nerds.

[jimsmegos]

I keep thinking, "Maybe I'd get the big 3". But then I think, "If Dumbledore looks good I'd have to get him." And then, "Snape could be really cool!" "And Hagrid. If they do Hagrid I'd have to get him."

So much for not really interested. Rolls eyes skyward. Grumbles at my own lack of self control.

JeffBearCO

Dang I didn't think about that... I would totally snatch up a Snape and Dumbledore. But the other question I'm mnot sure has been addressed; What about distribution. We Mego and WGSH fans were in place so to speak. Are the HP fans buzzing about this?