Extremis Iron Man

Eh, I don't see how the Extremis tropes would ruin the movie for you... he's still just a normal incredibly smart dude with a battery in his chest in the film, and he's had an artificial heart or some minor technological implants multiple times throughout the comics. The actual suit design is pretty rad, too, but no, I am no fan of Granov's actual artwork.

Price-wise, I don't think comparing to older releases is all that relevant, since value today comes down to comparing to what else is on the shelf today. Everything's gotten more expensive, so unless you just aren't going to buy any more toys, pining for the 'good old days' doesn't really get you anywhere. The 6" figures have been over $15 for a while now, and I mean, no it's not ideal, but it's also still not that much in the grand scheme of things. I've picked up this guy, the new ML Klaw, and will grab the red Iron Man when I find it, and have no complaints.

Guess you got, first world problems ┐(´~`;)┌

Ok I'm gonna make an effortpost before R-san gets mad.

I honestly think you are overstating the problem of price here. In my experience from listening to TF reviewers like Vange1us and the torrent of whining from any given /toy/ thread I find that collectors of US retail figures are often quite accomplished bargain hunters so MSRP isn't that big a deal. I mean are you really arguing $5 difference on a toy?

Understandably price is daunting for new collectors, but I think it's more important to teach someone there is more to a figure than its monetary value. The Vinyl scene is full of high end pieces that honestly don't do much outside of look pretty and float in a bath tub. Any new collectors can cut his or her teeth on all those lovely sales on HobbyLink Japan before tackling the big guns. I know the secondary market tends to be terrible, but what CDX and other social media websites allow is for some networking so fans can help each other out with trades and bargains or what have you.

" And really, who gets only Iron Man? You kinda need the others too."

That's more of a personal choice than anything really related to the toy itself. I know the Build-a-figure incentive tries to change that but to anyone not interested that piece is either a chunk of plastic for the junk drawer or fodder for sale or trade.

I do not see Ben's review nor most reviews on this really extol the virtues of "latest and greatest" or hype products just due to their newness.

Since there is not much we as the minority of US retail consumers can do to change prices on these things (especially considering how many people bargain hunt for them), I feel like trying to goad us into being outraged is misguided. And if the current state of affairs and pricing bothers you that much, then maybe you need to take stock of whether or not these products are satisfying you personally. In the end, all we can hope for is some toy to make someone happy.

We can not turn back the clock on entertainment media affecting toy sales. All we can do is promote the virtues of the physical medium.

Also I do not appreciate the implication that most of us are rich. I paid for most of my Valkyrie squadron by lugging boxes of liquor around. I'm no rugged individualist, but I know it takes money to get what you want sometimes.

Personally I think liquor is a bigger money sink than toys as all the high end wines and hard booze get you in the scheme of things is tickled taste buds, a good long stream of urine, and possibly a headache the next morning ( ^w^);

"Ignoring the increases and keeping quiet about it or complacent does nothing but encourage the increases and then eventually the toys stop coming because no one can afford them or wants to pay so much."

Manufacturers are not idiots. If they could make more money by selling more copies of a toy at a lower price, they would. There's no margin in squeezing the most they can out of each individual customer, unless their sales are inexorably falling and they NEED to raise prices.

"Over the last 5-6 years inflation on toys - especially at US retail - has gone completely out of control."

There are a lot of factors here, from oil prices (which hit plastic goods harder than other industries, since, y'know, they're made of petroleum) to contracting markets for luxury products during economic troubles (and let's face it, collecting anything is inarguably a luxury). It's naive to treat toy prices as nothing more than a supply-demand relationship between the customer and manufacturer. Keeping this in perspective requires an awareness of the actual economic forces behind price changes.

"Profits are up but the price goes up too?"

Actually, if I'm reading their investor reports correctly, while Hasbro posted increases in revenue/earnings throughout 2011, their U.S.-Canada division reported a decrease in operating profit from 2010 to 2011 during all four quarters. While revenues for toy companies always go up in Q4, the drop in profits from 2010 likewise widened. Results in 2010 were better, with modest increases in profits for most of the year, but Q4 2010, the critical holiday season, is when Hasbro's profits took their first major hit.

Thanks! I'm always glad to get a nice comment back on stuff. I always figure Iron Man fits well enough because he's like a robot, but being American made figures does seem to raise some eyebrows. Like I said in my review, I'm not fond of the storyline, but the Extremis suit was definitely a noticeable gap in my 6" collection as well. Here's hoping the current Resilient suit makes a Marvel Legends debut soon, since it was already released in the MU line. I think you can count on one hand the number of times an Iron Man figure of his current comic suit managed to come out before the suit was replaced in the comics. The next major gap we need to fill is the Heroes Return/SAFE armor from '98-01ish, which ended up becoming sentient. The first toy of that suit ever is coming out in Minimate form soon, but I have wanted a real action figure since its debut... it's the suit that got me into Iron Man to begin with.