Announced Figures

[Teemu]

Posts like these are irratating as hell for me. FTC has dominated the Mego market for a while now and I've lost track of how many I've scratched off my bucket list because of their efforts.

They addressed concerns we had and improved their product. No not perfect but I don't see any one else releasing perfection either. They keep us updated WEEKLY where others can't be bothered for a year and even ask our opinion.

To call them lazy is just dumb. They are kicking the living hell out of their competition. Ever think the tooling costs to make a Bandit doesn't justify the sales?!

Sorry for the rant guys but I know how much FTC really does care and grow tired of the grand standing negative Nancy's.

LOL I am entitled to my opinion

I have quite a fair share of FTC figures on my shelf (that I had to upgrade of course) and have shared that among the mego-ite collectors

FTC is lazy! and it has nothing to do with the competition. FTC could really sets themselves apart by making the important items that should go with the figures they make,but they don't do it.

Besides,making a slew of useless variants all the time doesn't make them some superior mego maker among the so called competition out there. I am glad your happy paying $30 for sub par work on some of their figures with lacking accessories.Imagine if They did Marvel where Thor would have no helmet or hammer and Cap having no shield, it sounds like you would have no problem with that and just say "negative Nancy's" complaining again

[palitoy]

Randy from Neca was repeatedly asked/pestered about the lack of a bando on the Soldier Ape, and the reason why it wasn't included was the cost difference in whether or not the figure was produced. It may not be intuitive, but that's how tight the margin of risk can be in contemporary toy production. Quite a world…

Yeah, we're a niche market pure and simple. Mego like figures aren't getting the volume and I doubt we ever will.

A simple thing such as a mold for a part can price a character out of production, I know that from personal experience with China.

Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

[warlock664]

Posts like these are irratating as hell for me. FTC has dominated the Mego market for a while now and I've lost track of how many I've scratched off my bucket list because of their efforts.

They addressed concerns we had and improved their product. No not perfect but I don't see any one else releasing perfection either. They keep us updated WEEKLY where others can't be bothered for a year and even ask our opinion.

To call them lazy is just dumb. They are kicking the living hell out of their competition. Ever think the tooling costs to make a Bandit doesn't justify the sales?!

Sorry for the rant guys but I know how much FTC really does care and grow tired of the grand standing negative Nancy's.

Agree!
I learned long ago to just ignore posts by the usual negative suspects.

[warlock664]

Worthy of repeating:

A simple thing such as a mold for a part can price a character out of production, I know that from personal experience with China.

Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about.

[warlock664]

Honestly, I can't fathom why any fan of the Mego format would choose to dwell on the (perceived) negative aspects of FTC's offerings. Seriously! I got a second chance to buy Teen Titans Megos! Not only that, but I got a cool Titans beach bus with a new Wonder Girl figure in her original costume, and I'll soon be able to add a second series of figures including a properly-scaled Robin, Hawk & Dove, and Beast Boy!
But no, lets instead moan about the lack of Penguin's umbrella, or a proper freeze gun for Captain Cold. Never mind that Mego didn't give us an umbrella, let alone a Captain Cold figure, and was extremely lazy at adding new characters to their assortments.

[CrimsonGhost]

I think the clever move would be to pack Bandit with Dr. Quest. I can imagine his sales not being as high as the other three without the dog. I didn't like Bandit as a kid so I'm indifferent if he gets made or not, but I sure would like a Race and Jonny to go with my Venture Bros. figures!

[sprytel]

To call them lazy is just dumb. They are kicking the living hell out of their competition. Ever think the tooling costs to make a Bandit doesn't justify the sales?!

Well, "lazy" may not be the right word... but you have to agree with Teemu's sentiment.

FTC released a Harry Potter line without Hermione! They still haven't put out a Catwoman in the '66 line. They do not include expected accessories. Etc. They seem to conspicuously avoid (or perhaps just delay... time will tell...) the harder figures and the additional tooling. On the flip side, they love putting out variants of figures they already have and reusing existing parts.

I'm not debating whether or not this is a smart business move (hint: it is). I'm not saying it is a sin. But it *is* kind of their shtick, isn't it?

[huedell]

They seem to conspicuously avoid (or perhaps just delay... time will tell...) the harder figures and the additional tooling.

Agreed. And it can be frustrating.

***But every kind of "frustration" has it's own brand of bitterness, and after all this time of FTC action, I'd say my own bitterness falls on the sweeter-tasting side.

On the flip side, they love putting out variants of figures they already have and reusing existing parts.

Agreed. And (again) it can be frustrating... yada-yada... see above ***

I'm not debating whether or not this is a smart business move (hint: it is).

My opinion is that that is NOT a smart business move, if one can't back that move up with some kind of productivity that meets one's expectations on quantity and/or quality.... for me personally, FTC has achieved a lot more than I saw precedence ever predicting. I understand if others aren't that impressed. Opinions... ya know?

I'm not saying it is a sin. But it *is* kind of their shtick, isn't it?

My take on it is that it is indeed their "shtick" but that that shtick is likely a big part of what's keeping them alive in a challenging marketplace.... I eagerly await to see what else they can do into the future to pleasantly surprise me, and surpass my expectations yet again!

[wise guy]

I think that we are lucky that anyone is producing remegos at all because there aren't that many of us . The Diamond Marvel sets are only 3000 and their not selling out , BBTS still has all of them in stock at discount prices. FTC is doing some lazy stuff like the purple bags but I skip that stuff and buy the Titans, JLA etc . Buy what you like and skip what you don't
nobody is putting a gun to are head and forcing us to buy these. This is a forum where collectors discuss the good and the bad. I personally can't wait for Beast boy, Hawk, Dove
Dr Fate , Firestorm, Red Tornado and Hawkman

[Teemu]

Honestly, I can't fathom why any fan of the Mego format would choose to dwell on the (perceived) negative aspects of FTC's offerings. Seriously! I got a second chance to buy Teen Titans Megos! Not only that, but I got a cool Titans beach bus with a new Wonder Girl figure in her original costume, and I'll soon be able to add a second series of figures including a properly-scaled Robin, Hawk & Dove, and Beast Boy!
But no, lets instead moan about the lack of Penguin's umbrella, or a proper freeze gun for Captain Cold. Never mind that Mego didn't give us an umbrella, let alone a Captain Cold figure, and was extremely lazy at adding new characters to their assortments.

Mego didn't charge $30 for their figures (yeah,I know inflation/dollar devaluation, whatever)
To whine about those who "moan" about lack of accessories for figures they pay $30 for is just as whiney

If you are happy,so be it! but others don't feel like we get our money's worth at times considering FTC bodies mostly suck,the unusual head enlargement on some figures,and the lack of "important" accessories.

It matters to some of us!

As far as being LUCKY to buy their products? I am sick of hearing that too. These figures are not things we need to live and survive on.We ALL can live without them. FTC should be lucky some of us buy from them.

[warlock664]

It isn't so much the negative observations that get tiresome, it's the way they're presented that gets old. Stating "FTC is just lazy" is inflammatory and jerkish, and serves no constructive purpose.

[MIB41]

I would be more than happy to send you pictures of my shelves full of FTC product to show you how invested I am in them. My assessment is by no means knee jerk, no Bandit means no sale to me. Fans of the series deserve a complete line and not most of it. I'd be slightly bummed if there was no wave two with some villains, but I'd be fine with one wave with the five main characters. I'm sure somewhere there are Harry Potter fans that passed when FTC stated no Hermoine for the line, and you see where that line went.

Note I said most of the time, not all the time. I have no doubt you have a solid collection from FTC. I think a number folks here likely do. This market is so niche it's hard to imagine anyone not being a big fan of some of this product since we spent decades with nothing. But like anything, there are some who never like anything FTC puts out so I would tend to think those folks are not buying loads of product. Ultimately it's all very subjective. Plus for most of us the hobby is nestled in with our childhood memories so inherently there's going to be an emotional investment. And truth be told, that is probably a bigger player in reactions than anything. People hear about something coming out they've always wanted since childhood, so there's probably going to be a reaction that hits strong for or against it.

So I think FTC is pretty much in a no-win situation in terms of trying to satisfy every perspective. I believe anyone who has been brave enough to jump into this business to make figures can speak to that reality. The only place where I find discourse in opinions is when people feel inclined to think the company MEANT to inflict pain on someone. Nothing could be further from the truth. I met these people and honestly I was blown away with their passion. Personally I think they have balls of steel to tackle something as unpredictable as this market. You really have to have a good nose for licensing and then a whole lot of luck to believe people will show up to buy it. This is a very fickle market. People can say they want something but never so up when the product hits shelves. Someone has to pay the bills on that unsold product.

There's the ideal world where you want something a specific way and then there is the reality of business where you have to make choices that determine whether the product can or should be made. If only 1300 people buy a Penguin figure with an accessory at a higher price point, but the feedback concludes you could have sold considerably more with a lower price point and no accessory then you learned a costly lesson. I think most people buy the licensing choices, but people have complained for years the prices need to be kept in check. With this being a Mego-like property, people typically customize anyway. Look at all the wonderful customs you have done. Excellent ones too I will add. But sometimes difficult decisions have to be made to leave things out to keep them cost effective so they can bring it to market.

I believe they have every intention of making Bandit and Scooby Doo. I'm sure there's a financial decision that has dictated the release as it is and I'm confident the factories could be playing a role in this as well. With so much being made, perhaps the dog parts got held up. But FTC has a company to run and product sitting on docks to sell along with employees to pay. They have to move forward whatever the reason.

[jeffbearco]

Kinda looking forward to starting this as a new "clean" thread in January to clear out comments.

Happy Holidays!

JeffBearCO

[palitoy]

Thanks for your efforts Jeff, it's much appreciated.

[Brown Bear]

I second that Jeff. Very cool of u to maintain this for us all.