Oh fuck I can't think of a subject line

[Jargo]

Ok, so we've reached a point where financial institutes like AIG are goin down like flies. the toy industry has gotta be about to take a huge hit. who do you reckon will be first to fold and die a hideous death with lots of plaintive whining in the press?

I'm thinking of smaller companies that make high end goods or companies that make shitty flea market standard toys. people like Kakks Pacific or Wankway Toys. Disaster Replicas or Kotopukya. any more?

obviously mattel and hasbro are going to survive because they're so big and have fingers in many many pies. (mmmm PIE!) and can probably afford to downsize or downscale operations and still turn profits.

what do you reckon will happen over the next couple of years? you think these companies will carry on churning out crappy plastic effigies or do you think everything will go quiet and the big retailers will concentrate more on survival goods like machettes and guns and tents for when your house gets reposessed?

[Senor JabbaJohnL]

They should, at least, include a sticker on each figure that says "FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!! ELECT OBAMA IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE!!!!!!!!"

[Rollo Tomassi]

Much like they gobbled up Tonka, Kenner, and Milton Bradley, I'm sure Hasbro has their eyes on several of the smaller toy companies.

Hasbro's credo is

"You WILL get ALL your crappy toys from US..."

[anarky]

Of the major second-tier companies (like Mezco, NECA, etc), my money is on McFarlane going belly-up first. Figures that haven't advanced in ten years, shitty licenses, lousy quality control, and a chairman who makes a hobby of being a dick?

[Ran]

Of the major second-tier companies (like Mezco, NECA, etc), my money is on McFarlane going belly-up first. Figures that haven't advanced in ten years, shitty licenses, lousy quality control, and a chairman who makes a hobby of being a dick?

I read the sports section of the forums at McFarlane's site. Since I started reading them, there has always been a lot of bitching about packaging and figure selection. Now people are bitching about the paint in the latest waves. Some of the new figures aren't painted. They are just molding the parts the colors they need to be. The one I saw is that a football player's pants are yellow. But instead of painting them yellow, it is just the yellow plastic. I have to admit, for a $10 figure, it looks kind of crappy.

The Sports Picks packaging recently switched from all plastic to a plastic bubble on a cardboard back. Carded collectors are pretty pissed. McFarlane's guys say it was a cost saving move.

The figure selection issue is the same as the SW arguments...Why is one guy getting his 4th or 5th figure when another guy has yet to be made. They also reuse a lot of molds in all the sports lines. They just do a head swap and paint a different uniform on the guy. Another similar thing to SW is that McFarlane scrapped its 3" and 12" sports picks lines and are focusing on the 6" line. It reminded me of the Unleashed thing, except sort of backwards. McFarlane is a HUGE homer. He is from Edmonton, so he pumps out players from the Oilers in every other wave. Most of them probably don't deserve figures ahead of other stars in the league.

As far as McFarlane non-sports lines go, a lot of people in the sports forum were making fun of the McFarlane Guitar Hero figures.

We'll see how long they last. They've already changed the accessories, paint, and packaging for cost savings. You know he had to fork over some cash to get the licenses of all 4 major sports.

[Jargo]

They should, at least, include a sticker on each figure that says "FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!! ELECT OBAMA IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE!!!!!!!!"

you remember that toy from the seventies where it was a tiny boxing ring and you had two boxer hand puppets with massive heads and you squeezed a lever inside the puppet to make the arm extend in a punch? and you'd go nuts with the quick one two on your buddies boxer.
They should do that with Obama and McCain. it would sell like space cakes. A Palin vs Clinton one would a cool variant. you could go on for years with them. changing the heads depending on who's in the news. limited edition ones for the no hopers in the race for the white house. Political grudge match - gotta hook 'em all!

maybe not then....

[jjreason]

I can pretty much state with assuredness that toys, dvd players, x-boxes, tv satellites, 52" plasma tvs and other plush, non-needed items will survive this economic crunch just fine. People with NO money in the bank, no food in the cupboard and no diapers for the baby STILL ALWAYS find away to have all the leisure fixins - I've seen it first hand. Many times.

[Diabolical]

As far as McFarlane non-sports lines go, a lot of people in the sports forum were making fun of the McFarlane Guitar Hero figures.

I had no idea they were making them. They're actually kind of cool...based on the pics online.

[Jargo]

In terms of luxuries and wotnot me and the other half decided to do up the house with a fresh lick of paint and get things done like plumbing and other DIY jobs now so that when the real crunch comes we don't have to fret. But i've also stopped buying a lot of toys because they flat out suck in quality and quite honestly I'd rather spend the money on other things like weed and some decent clothes.

I really balk at the cost of the toys these days. especially 4 inch scale ones. I think i probably buy four star wars figures a year now. and after my initial enthusiasm i'm now curtailing my Dr. Who purchases. The only toy i'm spending money on is Lego because I've still got all the Lego i had as a kid and i expect i'll still have it all when I'm old and frail. whereas the action figures will most likely be got rid of at some point. I'd spend less on Lego if the fuckers would open a store near me though. it costs a fortune in shipping getting it online.

Luckily my illicit lover (shhhhhhh) also loves lego so with him buying stuff as well it'll help spread the cost. joint purchases and all that guff.

I can definitely see the arse falling out of the action figure market though. and Ebay et al becoming flooded with star wars items and wrestling figures and hot wheels. coz there's always hotwheels like there's always roaches.