New Universal Monsters in 2014 from Diamond Select

[Mord]

Am I the only person who opens these and displays them? I have kept all my Sideshow stuff MIB/MOC as collectibles----but the DST stuff screams "open me".

For me it was the other way around. The Sideshows look so good on display, that I bought an extra set to put on the shelf (and I'm a very cheap bastard). The DSTs are like lower quality versions of the same figures, so one set is enough (actually 2, if you count the deluxe versions). Though, the package art is lame enough to eventually open and display.

[marsattacks666]

Am I the only person who opens these and displays them? I have kept all my Sideshow stuff MIB/MOC as collectibles----but the DST stuff screams "open me".

I have opened both, Sideshow and DST, figures.

[aura of foreboding]

There used to be lots of outlets for edgy items like Tower Records and Virgin. A single order from each could make a line a success. Now they, any many others are gone.

It really is incredibly sad what has happened to retail.  I used to travel out of state to visit this gigantic mall that had a ton of great stores in it - like F.A.O. Schwarz and the Warner Bros. Studio Store...  They also had a "high end" Disney Store that carried all of the collectable stuff.  All closed up about ten years ago.  My Tower closed shortly after.  And this was, supposedly, when the economy was doing "well."  Now all that exists are dumb teen clothing stores and two of the main multi-department big box retailers.   Consumer choice went down the tubes long before the economy crashed.  We could blame the Internet, but online retail hadn't really taken off yet when those specialty shops closed.  I don't know what happened. 

[jimm]

Even the ones that have stayed open seem to have dumped their figures

[marsattacks666]

I miss Tower records and Virgin records. Those stores had some really cool collectibles. From obscure to common items.

[Mord]

I had no idea how much I would miss Tower until it was too late.

[marsattacks666]

I had no idea how much I would miss Tower until it was too late.

I remember the days of walking in to Tower records, and finding the most incredible toys. Among hard-to-find movies and music. Premium Sideshow figures were more common, back in the Tower era.

[Universal Steve]

Am I the only person who opens these and displays them? I have kept all my Sideshow stuff MIB/MOC as collectibles----but the DST stuff screams "open me".

I took my Sideshow 8" out of the packages and displayed them and I will be doing the same with my DST when I get the addition of my Universal room finished. My Sideshow 12' I took out of the boxes also and have them displayed in front of their respective box. That was the best way you could display Dracula and the Masque of the Red Death. The capes needed to be added to the figure to really appreciate it.

[mightyquinn]

We are a dying breed.  The best times of my life involved imagination and playing with action figures.  Kids today will be known as the internet age.  Everything you need in life at a click of a button. 

[VulcansFury]

I'm sure Target and Wal Mart might have been more willing to take on DST's figures if their prices were cheaper. The Big Box retailers are so hung up on price points, not to mention the size of the figures take up a lot of toy shelf real estate. So they need a lot of sales, and are more willing to take chances on smaller, cheaper items these days for properties like these. I'm sure if someone tried hard enough, they could probably get a 3 3/4" line into Target.

As for what others have said, yes action figures sales are not and will never be what they once were. But I still see TMNT and Monster High stuff selling well everytime I'm on a toy hunt. I'm actually tempted by a lot of the TMNT stuff, they look fun and are good values for their prices.

What really killed a lot of the market was the rapid increase in manufacturing costs and oil. I remember the 6" Marvel Legends and the awesome Palisades Muppets line selling for $6-$9 packed to the hilt with bases, accessories and tons of extra stuff. Now, Marvel Legends are $20 with a tiny piece of a small build-a-figure, compared to the giant pieces in the past.

Toys are just really pricing themselves out of the "impulse-buy" category they used to be. The value for what you get for your money is really low in a lot of cases.  Back in my Marvel Legends collecting days, I was buying every compatible toy range just for accessories, and I would have been crazy over stuff like the DST Jeckyll & Hyde and Grampa Munster lab accessories. But current costs have curtailed my curiosity-based consumerism!

[jimm]

Yes I recall the series 10 ML figures built you a huge Sentinel, what a great BAF that was. Foom also but by that time it was like 9 figures at 15 a pop!!

[Count_Zirock]

I've noticed that Hasbro's new, lower-priced Avengers and Star Wars figures ($5.88) are on the smallest cards I've ever seen for figures like these. And the blisters are already coming apart from the cards (especially with The Hulk figures). Meanwhile, the better-articulated, $10 figures seem to be on larger cards, although Star Wars: The Black Series still seem to be having issues with poorly attached blister packs. Haven't seen this problem with Avengers: Assemble line...yet.

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[Anton Phibes]

I've noticed that Hasbro's new, lower-priced Avengers and Star Wars figures ($5.88) are on the smallest cards I've ever seen for figures like these. And the blisters are already coming apart from the cards (especially with The Hulk figures). Meanwhile, the better-articulated, $10 figures seem to be on larger cards, although Star Wars: The Black Series still seem to be having issues with poorly attached blister packs. Haven't seen this problem with Avengers: Assemble line...yet.

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If I were rich---I would be buying the larger Star Wars black series figures. Those things are outstanding. But $20 a piece in the Star Wars Universe is torment. $20 for Boba Fett is one thing. But $20 for Mon Motha or Jar Jars Binx??---uhm---nope.

[Count_Zirock]

If I were rich---I would be buying the larger Star Wars black series figures. Those things are outstanding. But $20 a piece in the Star Wars Universe is torment. $20 for Boba Fett is one thing. But $20 for Mon Motha or Jar Jars Binx??---uhm---nope.

When Slave Leia comes out in wave 2, I'll buy her. Whenever they get around to Darth Vader, The Emperor, and ROTJ Jedi Knight Luke, I'll buy those. But, I can't afford to buy them all, either.

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[Mike Scott]

When Slave Leia comes out in wave 2, I'll buy her.

I'd pre-order that one, if I were you!