We don’t enjoy posting negative news about Hasbro this often – but you have to see the latest reports on the bubble issues with The Black Series… some employees are inadvertently reattaching the figures on backwards now – which is understandable given the general lack of distinction between the front and back of the cards.
A couple years ago, Hasbro seemed surprised when fans told them that clone helmets were yellow and green while still on the card (this was months after the clones had been showing up at retail)… so we can only hope Hasbro hasn’t failed to realize this bubble issue by now and are working to address this for subsequent waves of both The Black Series and Legends.
The first wave of The Black Series has been available for nearly two months now at retail, and the sheer volume of issues with this line thus far makes it feel like a completly different company is running the show as compared to what we used to see from Hasbro.
Oversized clone helmets, sloppy paint jobs, warped Biker Scout helmets, distribution killing case ratios, questionable character selections, and bubbles falling off the cardbacks are all adding fuel to the fire.
But is this all Hasbro’s fault? Are we being too hard on the folks who produce our beloved action figures? Share your thoughts on the situation with The Black Series after the jump!
Issues continue to mount with Hasbro’s 2013 line, ranging from questionable figure selections to bubbles falling right off the pegs… and now today I came across two Black Series Scout Troopers with severely warped helmet ridges…
Hopefully this is an isolated incident… but if it’s not, collectors will surely leave these on the pegs and kids that receive them as presents will be disappointed. Anyone else coming across this? Share your thoughts/reports after the jump!
ToysRUs this week* is offering 25% OFF ALL Star Wars & Angry Birds Star Wars Telepods action figures, play sets, role play & electronics. Offer is valid in-store only with coupon. Might be a good opportunity to pick up the exclusive X-Wing.
One of Hasbro’s better toy offerings this Fall in my opinion isn’t even in the regular Star Wars section – it’s down by the Imaginext toys – it’s the Jedi Force Jabba’s Palace Rescue set. Priced at $16.99, ths is clearly one of Hasbro’s better values these days and is a great set. It would be nice for Hasbro to continue this format for a while and include some more creatures and cool centerpiece toys in this line for the younglings.
While your mileage may vary, I’ve seen this set at a handful of Targets – but not yet at Wal-Mart or Toys”R”us. Good luck hunting if you’d like to add this to your collection (or buy for a little one!).
All the rage with the kids in the toy aisle lately (outside of LEGO, of course) seems to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Kindergartners up to adults are devouring these at retail – and there’s some things here that seem to fly in the face of what Hasbro’s doing with their action figure lines these days… these figures are highly articulated, various creatures support the main characters, new vehicles are integrated into the line, and the granddaddy of them all? The line features a huge playset! Oh and one other minor detail – these bigger, more articulated figures cost consumers less at the register than most of Hasbro’s product.
Could Hasbro learn a thing or two from Playmates? Or is Hasbro’s new direction for action figures a better model? Share your thoughts after the jump!
Lo and behold, Toys”R”us employees have come up with an alternative to taping the bubbles back onto The Black Series figures… a few well placed staples will do the trick as I witnessed today. Before getting upset with retailers for this, remember – this is a manufacturing issue on Hasbro’s side; not the fault of stores that receive faulty packaging from Hasbro.
Swapping figures and returning an undesired item in a different package is the same as stealing, and what’s worse is sometimes a kid ends up with something as a present that they didn’t expect.
I always shake my head in disgust when I come across a figure hanging on the pegs like the example image above – but forum member dj121 puts it rather well when he says, “That swap make absolutely NO sense at all.”
With The Black Series line having issues with their bubbles falling off the package, we might soon be seeing scumbags resort to this practice even more this Fall and also more suspicious ebay auctions like the one our friends at Jeditemplearchivesrecently pointed out.
So, be on the lookout not only for new figures, but figure swaps unfortunately! And share your thoughts and recent finds in our forums!
We’re only a few weeks into the launch of The Black Series, and the very figures that collectors said would pile up and prevent later waves from reaching retail are already seeing the first signs of pegwarmer dust in my area.
Funny how that works… but, maybe it’s not that bad everywhere else and Hasbro knew what they were doing by doubling up on certain figures rather than throwing in the new Emperor’s Royal Guard or something ultra cool and in demand like the TVC Magna Guard?
Maybe the market is wrong about what the market wants to spend their own money on? Just maybe we all want to buy multiple Anakins and need armies of Biggs? Share your thoughts and reports on this first wave in the forums!
Reports have been coming in left and right regarding new figures at places like Toys”R”us and Target, and now Yakface reader Bryan P. sends in details of new Hasbro figures hitting Walmart too. Head on over to the forums for more details!
