Retro Rayner

[LOU]

Lou it looked like you were saying the bad choice of the lanterns killed the line but a re-read just seems you didn't like the characters they did but I doubt the GL's took any away as these were for Matty only but who knows? I lime the lanterns so I don't mind myself.

With all due respect jemboy, how can you say you "doubt the GL's took any away" in light of the cancelled line announcement? Of course they did, those 4 GL's could be Robin, Joker, Hawkman, and many others. We're probably not going to have Batman & Robin in a "DC SUPERHEROES" collection...but we'll have Batman &...Yellow Sinestro. Sorry, I just don't get your logic here and how you arrive at that conclusion.

[jemboy2004]

Lou it looked like you were saying the bad choice of the lanterns killed the line but a re-read just seems you didn't like the characters they did but I doubt the GL's took any away as these were for Matty only but who knows? I lime the lanterns so I don't mind myself.

[MIB41]

For myself, I think Mattel was the one who ultimately sunk this ship. While they did create this line, and deserve credit for the offering, they never did anything to truly market it's arrival. Unless you were on this forum or just happen to pick up the latest edition of Action Figure Digest back then, you never would have known they existed. There were no commercials and TRU (who was suppose to promote the line exclusively) was late to the party and almost never kept them stocked. How could Mattel have expectations outside the collector market when no one else knew about them? I personally think Mattel was broken into different factions - Those who championed the idea against those who cared little for them (but whom held the purse strings for the company). I think the accountants at Mattel were never on board with the idea and starved the line with limited funds.

[LOU]

See LOU and vc9k The Hal GL has pretty much sold out at all the stores it got too and the GL's on Matty have all SOLD OUT. Only one that hasn't is Sinestro so I'd say your thoughts that the GL's killed the line are totally wrong.

Again, please don't turn this into me repeating myself 100 times. I've already said, I believe twice now, that at no time did I state that "the GLs killed the line." The line's demise has NOTHING to do with my remarks in this thread so please...stop misquoting me. I really don't know how people continually reply to a statement I NEVER said. It's inaccurate, it's chronic, it's happened twice in this thread already, and it's extremely annoying. The line's end has nothing to do with my remarks. Once again, all I said was there's WAYYY too many GL's in this collection...and it seems to me that that fact in now inarguable and indisputable. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the end of the line. Over 1/4 of this collection should NOT be GL's...clearly. I knew this would happen when everyone was raving about the GL's months ago when I said we'd miss out on other characters. I was right and that's all I was saying. So please read my posts before misquoting me again...this happens all the time here. Thanks.
Just in case you missed it, the first sentence is all you need to read...

This is all well and good but my remarks (and I suspect vc9k's) were not necessarily blaming the demise of the line on the GL exclusives. My remarks were simply about the GL exclusives themselves as character selections. Besides, I agree there's a myriad of other possible reasons why the line itself failed and to be honest the GLs probably don't have anything to do with it. But as I said, I'm not speculating on that here in any way. I thought I was pretty clear. I am simply saying that there should not have been 6 GL figures so soon in this line (movie or not) and I said that months ago...for this very reason, because we'd likely end up with a line of Super Heroes that are GROSSLY disproportionate in favor of GL characters. This is no longer my opinion (as it was months ago), this is now fact. More than 1/4 of the line is GL characters...again, exactly what is stated in my previous quotes from way back when these things were announced. I don't care what any fan of this line says, there's no way I will believe they are content with having Yellow Sinestro but no...say, Joker. Problem is no one wanted to listen to what I was saying back then...as vc9k said, this is not a news flash, toy lines like this only last 4 or 5 waves with rare exception. So why would everyone think it was so great that 6 GL characters make up a majority of a "DC Superheroes collection." There's no sense in it. There is absolutely no reason why there shouldn't have been a Robin before these GLs...that simply goes without saying from where I'm sitting. But it is what it is, the line is ending and although I'm hopeful, I doubt this line will ever make the other main heroes.

Oh and just for the record, I actually DON'T think the GL's have a thing to do with the line's demise, in spite of my personal displeasure for them. There's other reasons like distribution and price-points that I feel are responsible in my opinion.

[starsky]

thanks for filling me in. i only opened hal jordan and was turned off by the body that i never bothered opening the others.

[jemboy2004]

^ seemed the same to me. I used mego sized doll stands for all of mine so the loose waist didn't bother me much. I gave some to my 7 yo godson too and he loves them and never mentioned the loose waist although it seemed like his was better than some of them.

[starsky]

are the bodies any different from wave 1? mine kept falling over.

[jemboy2004]

I don't recall Wave 2 ever making it toys r us'? I'm pondering the thought that TRU did kill the line though. Not being a real insider I can only speculate but i would Venture that with the exclusive deal they probably had some responsibility in cost. With the price point side by side with the crappy economy I bet they got cold feet. again I don't know the particulars of the deal but if there was money to be lost by TRU I can see them cutting corners wherever possible. Just a thought.

Wave 2 was the easiest to find. TRU put them in all their express stores that were at the malls during the xmas season.

[CrimsonGhost]

I found all of my figures at TRU including wave 2. I never found wave 4 tho, and as far as I can tell, no one found them at TRU except in Canada. Perhaps wave 4 will go to TJMAXX or Marshalls in the end. I like to get two of each so I just need another Black Adam, Martian Manhunter, and Darkseid.

[jimsmegos]

I for one would rather have the lantern's over Joker and Robin, which have been done a zillion times already and to re-state the wave that landed at TJ MAXX was the one with Batman and Two Face in it. They didn't sell so they were sold at a discount. TRU actually thought that wave would sell well and at christmas time to boot but it didn't turn out as they planned. It's the reason why TRU refused to order as much for the next sets as Mattel wanted them too and the reason they stopped carrying the line.

I don't recall Wave 2 ever making it toys r us'? I'm pondering the thought that TRU did kill the line though. Not being a real insider I can only speculate but i would Venture that with the exclusive deal they probably had some responsibility in cost. With the price point side by side with the crappy economy I bet they got cold feet. again I don't know the particulars of the deal but if there was money to be lost by TRU I can see them cutting corners wherever possible. Just a thought.

[B-Lister]

Lou's virulent, obsessive anti-Kyle rhetoric aside (and don't worry, dude, I know EXACTLY how you feel, so this is not a knock against you.....I personally feel the EXACT same way you do.......except about Hal), he makes a very valid point. That being that there ARE too many Lanterns.

Don't get me wrong, I love Guy, he's one of the best in the line, but sadly, the GL property is white hot at the moment (I love GLC and GL Emerald Warriors), and they definitely want to cash in.

That said, I think this line would have lasted longer if it had been online exclusive from the start, and if character selection had played things a little safer.

[megocrazy]

The GL figures were released with the impending movie and hot on the heels of a story line that was one of the most successful in recent comic history. The plan was not to have a major portion of the offering to be GL's it just happened the line ended earlier than expected, whatever the reason behind it.

I also was surprised that the Batman series wasn't more successful. Especially since the Superman line was at least partially successful. Sinestro was the major peg warmer though they all sold out in my area. I personally think the combination of bad bodies, emblems that cracked, and poor distribution were too much for even super heroes to overcome.

[jemboy2004]

I don't think any one character killed this line, whether it's Luthor or the Green Lanterns.

Assuming Rayner is the last figure we'll have 21 Retro Heroes, we just won't have the 21 Retro Heroes we actually wanted. No Joker, no Robin, no Hawkman, but we did get 2 Sinestro's and Guy Gardner. There is nothing wrong with those figures I just don't think they were on anyones wish list, at least not ahead of the "saved" figures we are not getting.

I for one would rather have the lantern's over Joker and Robin, which have been done a zillion times already and to re-state the wave that landed at TJ MAXX was the one with Batman and Two Face in it. They didn't sell so they were sold at a discount. TRU actually thought that wave would sell well and at christmas time to boot but it didn't turn out as they planned. It's the reason why TRU refused to order as much for the next sets as Mattel wanted them too and the reason they stopped carrying the line.

[ScottA]

^ Obviously your want list is a lot different than mine.

[vc9k]

I don't think any one character killed this line, whether it's Luthor or the Green Lanterns.

Assuming Rayner is the last figure we'll have 21 Retro Heroes, we just won't have the 21 Retro Heroes we actually wanted. No Joker, no Robin, no Hawkman, but we did get 2 Sinestro's and Guy Gardner. There is nothing wrong with those figures I just don't think they were on anyones wish list, at least not ahead of the "saved" figures we are not getting.