FTC teases Harry Potter

[madmarva]

Could not be more less interested. The only thing this has a potential to do is expose people that know nothing of Mego figures to the format.

What's wrong with that? New blood is needed.

I don't understand why 8-inch scale and mego-like figures have to be relegated to nostalgia.

The scale of the figures are perfect for children's hands. The interchangeable heads and clothing spark imagination and make them more valuable for play.

If the figures are made as well as 66 Batman, I think they would appeal to Potter fans of all ages at a price point more affordable than what 1/6 producers are offering.

We know from our own experiences with mego figures and some of us have seen with their children and grandchildren with remego figures that young kids will accept the format.

With Potter-children now reaching the age where some are beginning families, I hope this works well not just for FTC but for all mego collectors. The future of the hobby does rest in part on generating new mego-like and 8-inch scale figure fans.

[jeffbearco]

I hope the figures do well. It comes at a time when the franchise is a little stale though.

I'm also interested in if they are based on the movies or the books.

Also interested in how many Potters they do. I hope they don't end up with 7 Potters, one for each book/school year. But I can still see at least 2, one from the beginning of the series when he is 10/11 and one for the end, when he is an adult.

Some characters would be very cool in Mego format though.

JeffBearCO

[Godzilla]

Wow, that is really huge. What a property to get int he Mego scale!

[jayraytee]

What's wrong with that? New blood is needed.

I don't understand why 8-inch scale and mego-like figures have to be relegated to nostalgia.

The scale of the figures are perfect for children's hands. The interchangeable heads and clothing spark imagination and make them more valuable for play.

If the figures are made as well as 66 Batman, I think they would appeal to Potter fans of all ages at a price point more affordable than what 1/6 producers are offering.

We know from our own experiences with mego figures and some of us have seen with their children and grandchildren with remego figures that young kids will accept the format.

With Potter-children now reaching the age where some are beginning families, I hope this works well not just for FTC but for all mego collectors. The future of the hobby does rest in part on generating new mego-like and 8-inch scale figure fans.

I wasn't arguing that the 8 inch scale has to be religated to nostalgia. I was only commenting on the business strategy. Most Mego fans won't be interested because most Mego fans are fans because of nostalgia. (Not all, but most.) Most Potter fans might not be interested because of the 'nostalgic format.' So the only thing we can really hope for is to increase the format fanbase by hoping some Potter fans take interest. If they do, then great.

[scott metzger]

I wasn't arguing that the 8 inch scale has to be religated to nostalgia. I was only commenting on the business strategy. Most Mego fans won't be interested because most Mego fans are fans because of nostalgia. (Not all, but most.) Most Potter fans might not be interested because of the 'nostalgic format.' So the only thing we can really hope for is to increase the format fanbase by hoping some Potter fans take interest. If they do, then great.

Right now, I think this is the only real Potter stuff that will be out there, so there's no competition, and most of the figures we've seen previously have been slightly posable statues. I think the format has appeal just beyond Mego fans if they are done with the same mindset as the Batman '66 stuff, which is more like scaled down 12" high end figures of today than they are like classic Megos. An 8" Harry at 30 bucks may have some appeal to someone looking longingly at a Hot Toys Harry for a couple hundred.

This is a major coup, I think; the Potter celebration mentioned in that tweet shows that the property is still in a lot of folks minds (and it's not like the books aren't still out there for kids to read). Add in the aforementioned fact that there isn't much else from the property out there now, and this could be a real winner for FTC.

[madmarva]

It would seem that FTC is trying to diversify and broaden the base for whom they they create figures. Mego did this To great success for a while.

The first of three new films based in the Potter-verse is planned for 2016 and the Potter theme park in Florida is expanding and Rowling has released several vignettes over the last year based on her characters, so there is some things cooking.

FTC should think about approaching Rowling's publisher to teamup up for a package that includes a figure with a copy of the novels. 7 books with 7 characters. Might make an attractive gift for an 8 to 10 year old.

Sideshow is distributing a new line of 1/6th figures - Harry, Ron, Snape and Voldemort are available for preorder, but they are priced like Hot Toy figures.

[jeffbearco]

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

[justzeg18]

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?

[EmergencyIan]

Yeah, it is a big license that if done right (and distributed properly) could bring a ton of interest and money to FTC. Wish them the best with it.


- Ian

[jayraytee]

Right now, I think this is the only real Potter stuff that will be out there, so there's no competition, and most of the figures we've seen previously have been slightly posable statues. I think the format has appeal just beyond Mego fans if they are done with the same mindset as the Batman '66 stuff, which is more like scaled down 12" high end figures of today than they are like classic Megos. An 8" Harry at 30 bucks may have some appeal to someone looking longingly at a Hot Toys Harry for a couple hundred.

This is a major coup, I think; the Potter celebration mentioned in that tweet shows that the property is still in a lot of folks minds (and it's not like the books aren't still out there for kids to read). Add in the aforementioned fact that there isn't much else from the property out there now, and this could be a real winner for FTC.

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.

[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?

[megoscott]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.