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Gladiator II doesn't do enough to set itself apart from the original. It justifies its existence but could have been better.
Posted in: Collectibles, Toys | Tagged: haslab, hot toys, mattel creations, NECA, Sideshow Collectibles, Super7
HasLab, Ultimates, Figure Preorders…When Will Collectors Cry Uncle?
Somewhere around when the third HasLab project in less than a week was announced last month, I started to think as a collector "Who can afford all of this?". We toy collectors put up with a lot in this hobby. An aftermarket that brings out the worst in people. Product shortages, late shipping, and soaring costs. And now, something that should be a cause for celebration and turned into a nightmare. Dream projects that collectors have wanted for decades are being made, but at prices that a monthly mortgage or car payment can cost. And all at once. There are three HasLab projects all going at the same time right now, and even with that happening Super7 announced their TMNT Party Wagon, with a $450 price tag. If you backed all three hasLab projects right now, you would be out another $1000.
HasLab, Mattel, Super7, NECA, Sideshow, Mezco…The List Is Long
Those are not the only big ticket items from 2021 either. Transformers just funded a HasLab Victory Saber figure and Mattel funded a $250 WWE Entrance and Ring set over the summer. The biggest (literally) recent funded project was the Galactus Marvel Legends HasLab project, which cost $400. Super7 has the Thundertank out there as well. That is not to mention the releases from Sideshow, Hot Toys, and Mezco which can get into the hundreds of dollars per release, and those happen a couple of times a month. Factor in the regular releases from Marvel Legends, WWE, Power Rangers, Transformers, ReAction figures, He-Man, and more and there is not only a lot of competition for your collecting dollar, but it is downright impossible to afford all of this.
We get it: we can't buy them all. But more and more the companies are asking us to tie up our money in these massive projects for months at a time. I understand that it takes a long time to tool and produce these figures, so a year is not that big a deal, but doing something like 6-7 HasLabs a year while also asking collectors to support the regular lines as they come out is a bit much. At some point, and we are seeing it with the current crop of HasLab projects, peoples wallets are fried. It might cost us a couple of these figures not being made, but might also cause us to exhale as well.
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