Six Million Dollar Man Aciton Figures Wave 2 Images!

[ZICA]

I think the small format wasn't the best for the figures. The artwork is incredible and so are the figures themselves. But with the original SMDM, there was always a bit of 'magic' in being able to roll up that 'skin' on Steve's arm and see that computer chip.

There are probably some licensing restrictions that kept it from happening, but I think a straight replica of the original figures would have sold much better. Hopefully the line can continue on.

The scale isn't the issue as the Steve Austin and Bionic Big Foot figures sold very well. Also, other companies are having great success with figures done in this format and scale.

Making straight replicas of the original large scale figures probably would have gone the same way. Steve and Bigfoot would have sold well, and the other figures would have been duds. If you're not going to buy a 3.75" Oscar Goldman, Rudy Wells, 7 Million Dollar Man or Mr. X, you're not going to buy larger and much more expensive versions.

Did I mention that collectors are fickle?

[starsky]

i'm totally baffled by this. the figures look way better than other figures in the same retro style 3.75 inch scale and the price is perfect and yet, the interest is not there. go figure! i'd hate to see this wave not get made! craig, any chance for a limited run at a higher price point?

[MIB41]

I think some licenses only have limited draw for certain characters. Six Mill really only had Steve Austin and Big Foot. Those were the best sellers with BBP and what sold with the initial offering here as well. It's worth noting BBP also went the variant route with Steve Austin and will finish with one as well. The market is also crowded with licensing right now, so it may be a much harder feat to draw meaningful interests to second tier characters while the market is jammed with so much high profile product. It was another decent product Craig. Wish you had found the audience for more.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

I'd have been down for replicas of the original Steve and Bigfoot, possible Oscar and Maskatron as well. Love the artwork for the little guys, but didn't have them as a kid so that sapped my interest.

[enyawd72]

I think the whole preorder thing is what's killing a lot of toylines these days. Maybe if toys actually got made first, then people would buy them. Some of these preorders even require payment in full or deposits up front, then you have to wait six months to a year before the goods are actually delivered...IF they're delivered. In the meantime, your money's tied up, and you've either forgotten about it, lost interest or whatever. I'm not interested in promises and maybes...show me actual product and you'll get my money. Simple as that. This is why I've completely given up on the new Captain Action line. Fans were ecstatic about the new SMDM figures when first shown, and I believe if they had been available to purchase right then and there, they would've sold like crazy.

Nice as ZICA'S products are, this is the second line I've started collecting from them that hasn't delivered. I sold my Buck Rogers figures off, and I'll be selling my SMDM figures off as well. I'll be very reluctant to buy into anything else they put out either, because chances are it will be canceled too.
This isn't a slight against Craig either...I love ZICA'S quality. I think it's the best out there, I just don't care to set myself up for disappointment yet again with another toyline that never gets finished.

[Remco Monster]

It IS a shame that so many lines rely on pre-orders these days. I know MANY people don't like to pre-order for a number of reasons. I barely EVER pre-order. I don't like not knowing where my finances will be when the figures come out, especially when lines barely ever come out on time. From time to time I pre-order, but usually only in cases like this, where it is something I HAVE to have and the line relies on pre-orders. Most times I don't bother, and purchase when released.

[enyawd72]

^Absolutely. I also think preorders hurt smaller lines like this because there's no sense of urgency. When people think they have all the time in the world to preorder something, they may forget about it, or it ends up taking a backseat to something else. A lot of toy purchases are impulse buys. If a toy you want is available NOW, and you have the money, you'll buy it.

[MegoSteve]

Preorders are what makes collector-oriented toy lines like Six Million Dollar Man possible. Smaller players can offer niche licenses at significantly lower financial risk.

I don't know financial specifics, but imagine if Craig had paid to have wave 2 manufactured in wave 1 quantities, then ran into the problem he's having selling wave 2. He'd probably end up going out of business completely from one line underperforming. By taking preorders, his loss is limited to development of prototypes and packaging. Still a loss, but not as bad as if he paid for tooling, manufacturing, shipping and storage of unsellable product.

[starsky]

^ exactly megosteve.

[TRDouble]

I am not a fan of pre-orders either, but it is the way of life for small companies to not put themselves into out-of-business debt by manufacturing merchandise that no one may want. I think Media Play may have been the last champion for the small toy/collectibles company. I could walk in that store and see new stuff from Palisades Toys, Mezco, NECA, Diamond Select, Sideshow Collectibles, DC Direct and more. It was great! If Media Play still existed, ZICA probably would have had an order placed by them and Series 2 would have gone through easily. But when Media Play went away, it killed the closest thing that the small companies had to feeling like one of the big boys, being able to manufacture to fill a order without trying to chase them here & there. For the companies that survived the closing of Media Play, Borders, the loss of toy sales at EBGames and GameStop, and the continued transformation of Toys R Us, it's mostly internet sales, minor placement in Barnes & Nobles, spotty purchases by TRU and the specialty stores or comic shops still surviving that are willing to order for you (or a set for the store) the stuff available through the Diamond Preview catalog.

I think the hardcore fans of a property will pre-order with little hesitation, main characters and supporting characters alike. The problem is the "casual" fan who just wants Steve Austin. When the casual fan gets what they want, they move on and it is up to the pull of the line (in this case, Retro Figures) and license to have enough hardcore fans, with the hope of some casual repeats, to support and sustain the line. I don't think the failure of this line is because people don't want to pre-order, although I do recognize the power of "In-Stock" sales compared to "Pre-Order" sales, particularly for the casual fan. I think the failure of this line instead shows there is just not enough hardcore fans of "The Six Million Dollar Man" and/or of this license as Retro Kenner-style figures.

And I think that kind of supports Craig's argument that having a Steve Austin in Series 2 would have made no difference because he needs to hit a certain number of pre-orders to go to manufacturing. The casual fan who might want a Khakis Steve Austin was probably going to wait until he was in-stock to buy him anyway, singularly if possible.

[MIB41]

I think the hardcore fans of a property will pre-order with little hesitation, main characters and supporting characters alike. The problem is the "casual" fan who just wants Steve Austin. When the casual fan gets what they want, they move on and it is up to the pull of the line (in this case, Retro Figures) and license to have enough hardcore fans, with the hope of some casual repeats, to support and sustain the line. I don't think the failure of this line is because people don't want to pre-order, although I do recognize the power of "In-Stock" sales compared to "Pre-Order" sales, particularly for the casual fan. I think the failure of this line instead shows there is just not enough hardcore fans of "The Six Million Dollar Man" and/or of this license as Retro Kenner-style figures.

And I think that kind of supports Craig's argument that having a Steve Austin in Series 2 would have made no difference because he needs to hit a certain number of pre-orders to go to manufacturing. The casual fan who might want a Khakis Steve Austin was probably going to wait until he was in-stock to buy him anyway, singularly if possible.

Well said.

[ZICA]

Preorders are what makes collector-oriented toy lines like Six Million Dollar Man possible. Smaller players can offer niche licenses at significantly lower financial risk.

I don't know financial specifics, but imagine if Craig had paid to have wave 2 manufactured in wave 1 quantities, then ran into the problem he's having selling wave 2. He'd probably end up going out of business completely from one line underperforming. By taking preorders, his loss is limited to development of prototypes and packaging. Still a loss, but not as bad as if he paid for tooling, manufacturing, shipping and storage of unsellable product.

Thanks big time for this response and showing that you have a full understanding of the situation, because you hit the nail directly on the head. Now for those of you who have chosen to take issue with how I'm handling wave 2, let me put things in a little better perspective for you.

When I did the Buck Rogers line I went full speed ahead and had the tooling made needed to produce all 5 figures, because I thought for sure that the line would be a hit. That gamble cost me $50,000 and it didn't even come close to paying off. As a matter of fact, it nearly took me completely out of the action figure making business. Needless to say I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice so I decided to play it safe and go the preorder route. Wave 1 of the SMDM figures had great preorder numbers and reached the level needed to make it financially feasible for me start production. Unfortunately the same can't be said for wave 2, so the only money I'm out is what I paid for the digital sculpts, which isn't small change either.

The amount it would take for me to break even on the production for the wave 2 figures is approximately $30,000. The preorder numbers are nowhere near that amount, but apparently some people think I should go ahead and gamble with $30,000 and hope that I make it back. I'm curious, are the people who are busting my balls and rubbing salt in the wound over the preorder issue willing to gamble with $30,000? My guess is that they're not.

For small companies like mine preorders are necessary to help us stay in business, and that isn't going to change.

Craig

[Bionicfanboy66]

I very seldom pre-order because I don't know what kind of financial situation I'll be in when the product is ready to be shipped. Being on a fixed income, things can get tight financially at the drop of a hat.

[ZICA]

I am not a fan of pre-orders either, but it is the way of life for small companies to not put themselves into out-of-business debt by manufacturing merchandise that no one may want. I think Media Play may have been the last champion for the small toy/collectibles company. I could walk in that store and see new stuff from Palisades Toys, Mezco, NECA, Diamond Select, Sideshow Collectibles, DC Direct and more. It was great! If Media Play still existed, ZICA probably would have had an order placed by them and Series 2 would have gone through easily. But when Media Play went away, it killed the closest thing that the small companies had to feeling like one of the big boys, being able to manufacture to fill a order without trying to chase them here & there. For the companies that survived the closing of Media Play, Borders, the loss of toy sales at EBGames and GameStop, and the continued transformation of Toys R Us, it's mostly internet sales, minor placement in Barnes & Nobles, spotty purchases by TRU and the specialty stores or comic shops still surviving that are willing to order for you (or a set for the store) the stuff available through the Diamond Preview catalog.

I think the hardcore fans of a property will pre-order with little hesitation, main characters and supporting characters alike. The problem is the "casual" fan who just wants Steve Austin. When the casual fan gets what they want, they move on and it is up to the pull of the line (in this case, Retro Figures) and license to have enough hardcore fans, with the hope of some casual repeats, to support and sustain the line. I don't think the failure of this line is because people don't want to pre-order, although I do recognize the power of "In-Stock" sales compared to "Pre-Order" sales, particularly for the casual fan. I think the failure of this line instead shows there is just not enough hardcore fans of "The Six Million Dollar Man" and/or of this license as Retro Kenner-style figures.

And I think that kind of supports Craig's argument that having a Steve Austin in Series 2 would have made no difference because he needs to hit a certain number of pre-orders to go to manufacturing. The casual fan who might want a Khakis Steve Austin was probably going to wait until he was in-stock to buy him anyway, singularly if possible.

Thank you!

[MegoSteve]

Thanks big time for this response and showing that you have a full understanding of the situation, because you hit the nail directly on the head.

You're welcome, and thanks for citing some numbers, too. This is a scary amount of risk to take. I didn't realize it would be that much; I'd bet not many people thought it would, either.

Without the preorders, these toys wouldn't remotely be possible.