66 batman line

[rlkrefft]

I am never going to steal Figures thunder (or get into serious trouble for revealing waves!) but it is my opinion that the next 2 waves are going to among the most fan-friendly yet. You like what you see on the cardbacks right? Keeping in mind that they could change their minds at any time.

Do you know if FTC has the likeness rights for the entire cast? I mean we see O'Hara on the card backs while Gordon is missing. What about less known villains like Olga, False Face, Siren or Clock King? I wouldn't mind seeing modern characters done in 1966 style, Two Face or Harley Quinn as the Batman '66 comic is doing, but there are still some popular real tv villains I would love to see, such as the 4 I mentioned above. Green Hornet and Kato too. Plus, Lee's Catwoman would really be nice.

[Teemu]

My main concern is that after this week, 1st quarter is done. Over.


JeffBearCO

Actually we're in the Second quarter now

Quarters are-
1st-jan,feb,march
2nd-april,may,june
3rd-july,aug,sept
4th-oct,nov,dec

[MIB41]

I think when it comes to the use of the term "variant", there's a different definition for just about every person in this hobby. You've got packaging variants; You've got accessory variants; You've got variations of the figure itself. And within all of that, you've got the added measure of what qualifies as a "true variant". I like to call it variety. Diehard fans of this series can enjoy what amounts to episodic variants, while the more casual fan can enjoy the new characters. There's plenty to pick and choose from, so it's a great predicament to have. Hopefully everyone wins!

[Toycade]

I am never going to steal Figures thunder (or get into serious trouble for revealing waves!) but it is my opinion that the next 2 waves are going to among the most fan-friendly yet. You like what you see on the cardbacks right? Keeping in mind that they could change their minds at any time.

[Agent4125]

... You won't be seeing a lot of Batman this year. The next 2 waves are going to blow your mind. ...

Does this mean no Batman and Robin variants in the next two waves, but 8 new characters?
That would be great!

[Toycade]

The Emerald City Exclusive is a wild-card at least as far as I am concerned. Your guess is as good as mine!

[rlkrefft]

If I knew for certain a Vote For Penguin figure was coming, it would make me buy your Vote For Batman. I know Emerald City Comics has one exclusive they are doing, maybe it's the Vote For Penguin?? I wonder where Removable Cowl Batman is going to fit in?

[Toycade]

No chance I would go forward with additional exclusives if I thought for a second the line wasn't going forward. Figures would be nuts to cancel this line before you saw a Catwoman or Batgirl! We are all going to sell a gazillion of those. I think the line has at least another 2 years of life left in it. About another 24 figures or so. At figure 25, you are going to be getting figures like Aunt Harriet in bathrobe. Certainly not something I would support. I think the best way to extend the line would be to re-imagine modern characters in the '66 style.

[scott metzger]

I, for one, really appreciated Toycade coming on here and posting all that. Many retailers just don't take the time, even with a group as passionate about collectibles as this one. And that passion can make some shy away from dealing with us directly, for understandable reasons.

This particular variant doesn't excite me, but not every one of them has to. I hope Toycade sells a boatload of them, and those that buy them love having them as part of their collections

Agreed. Not a lot of places would go in depth like that about the process behind the decision; it's not only above and beyond, it's quite interesting and informative on the way such exclusives are handled.

[jeffbearco]

My main concern is that after this week, 1st quarter is done. Over.

I've actually gone through all of the Friday Updates and made up a list/calendar of sorts and it does look promising. (posted and updated in another thread) The concern for a lot of us is that while there is a LOT coming from FTC this year, at the end of the 1st quarter, we aren't seeing a lot of solid dates centered around new characters that some of us really want. The schedule so far is light on new characters for Batman 66, Neal Adams style figures (Batman and other heroes), and Super Friends figures. We are seeing a lot of variants, but no solid dates and few prototypes on these New Figures!

But we do have some general timelines on other figures that go out all the way to November. I'm hoping they will fill in other solid dates of figures that will be out before November. But it is making some of us restless.

All of this being said, I do have faith that these figures (that are no more than rumor from the customer's prospective) will eventually get made. We just all tend to get impatient.

Bear with us and we will bear with you.

JeffBearCO

[Toycade]

We thought about Alfred. But you have to also remember that we had to make this decision about 8 months ago! My fear was that an exclusive Alfred was going to be in direct competition with a less expensive Alfred released at THE EXACT SAME TIME! Scary! I could probably sell 300-400 Alfred before the wide release of the other Alfred, but then what do I do with the other 700-600? Will demand be there? Tough call when you are the one putting up $20,000.

[thunderbolt]

^^ If you were given a choice, Alfred should have been the one.

[rykerw1701]

I, for one, really appreciated Toycade coming on here and posting all that. Many retailers just don't take the time, even with a group as passionate about collectibles as this one. And that passion can make some shy away from dealing with us directly, for understandable reasons.

This particular variant doesn't excite me, but not every one of them has to. I hope Toycade sells a boatload of them, and those that buy them love having them as part of their collections

[Toycade]

Again, we always appreciate feedback. It sounds like there is a bit of confusion and unnecessary concern over the process. Allow me to put a bit of that to rest.
1) Exclusives are not owned by Figures Toy. Retailers purchase them from Figures and they become entirely ours. We pay up front and hold all inventory. Sale of the exclusives has no baring on the Batman line going forward. However, if exclusives do not sell well, retailers may opt out of future exclusives. I do not want anyone to purchase a figure they do not want in hopes that by doing so they are "keeping the line alive." By purchasing an exclusive, you are keeping exclusives alive...and my children.
2) Figures create the exclusives then present them to retailers for purchase. In my case, I was presented with the 6 figures and I chose the one that I thought offered the greatest opportunity for sell-through, not necessarily the one I thought the fans would be the most excited about. If I have to sell 1,000 of something, I am going with my safest bet. EE took the rest.
3) There are not a bunch of figures sitting in a warehouse waiting to be re-purposed or re-dressed for exclusives. That would require an incredible amount of manpower, stress, and frustration. The idea that Figures freaked out because they had too many Batman and Robin bodies "sitting around" so they sent an army of people to pop off heads, strap them to tables, add them to 2-packs, etc. is silly. More Batman and Robin figures are created because there is a greater demand for Batman and Robin figures.
4) It's going to be a great year for Batman 1966. The fact that I chose a Batman figure when we already have a few Batman figures for customers to choose from, should create a bit of excitement for those of you who are most excited about 2nd tier characters! You won't be seeing a lot of Batman this year. The next 2 waves are going to blow your mind. A final thought in defense of our exclusive. I think the card is particularly special. It really sets the figure apart from the others on your shelf. I am told that the poster will be on a card stock. (although this could change) It's going to be substantial and of a better quality than you could attempt to re-create on your home computer. In the future, there may be a "Vote For Penguin" exclusive that would (will?) perfectly compliment this figure. You may not be excited about one, but far more excited about both. It would be a shame for us to sell out of "Vote For Batman" and you miss your chance to complete the set with "Vote For Penguin." Just sayin!

In the end, buy what you like. Keep it fun. We appreciate all of those who have already made the choice to "Vote For Batman." Early sales are on pace with where our Opera Joker was at the same point. We hope Batman will win in a landslide. A quick note however, the Opera Joker is running really low. If you have not taken the plunge, I would suggest doing so in the next 30 days or so. We appreciate all of you and look forward to keeping you supplied with awesome figures for years to come!

[darkbros]

as far as all the problems I've had with FTC ( ClassicTV) action figures I've bought,
My wallet only opens up for (a) parts for custom figures, and (b) new figures.
That being said, I've bought (big headed) Alfred and only recently opened my wallet for
Dr. Sivana. I'm waiting on Hawkman, GL and Flash...but at this point I'll just buy
Hawkman if or when he gets produced, and make my own Flash and GL.

And I'm not bashing FTC...to prove a point, when Mattel Retro was out, I only bought the Villians
, J'onn J'onzz and John Stewart because they were new and never made. ( I missed GL and Flash
in this run). For me, I just want new figures to go with what I already have. Variants, unless it's
smart Variants ( like say, a Michael Keaton sculpted black Batman in place of tied rope batman,
or Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman in place of JLA Wonder Woman) opens my wallet, and to me,
satisfies the need for their to be a "staple" character ( like Batman) to be in every wave.

But variants just to move old stock...pass.