Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

But you didn't question Soundwave and his tapes transforming into something small enough for humans to hold? ;)

Also that G1 robot mode wasn't great. The gun mode was great. I always thought Browning had the best robot mode of the microchange gun robos but Megatron's was definitely the best alt mode because of the attachments

https://tfsource.com/blog/2012/01/03...nge-gun-robos/

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

McFarlane Toys just released figures of classic Freddy Freeman and Zatanna (she gets a Detective Chimp bonus for some reason).

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

Zatanna is already out, Freeman is part of the just solicited wave with Black Canary, Bisley-era Lobo, Vigilante (the cowboy not the dude from Peacemaker), Joker and classic Supergirl (blue skirt). Reminder this is the last hurrah for Mcfarlane with DC since Mattel takes over the license next year.

I'm a sucker for Shazam but I never got Captain Marvel and I have doubts we'll get Mary before the line is done. Plus he upped the price by a bunch and included like 10 extra hands that I don't need.

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

Watching the cartoon, I was old enough to realize that his mass would have to go somewhere when he shrank down or he would be insanely dense. That was also a problem for characters like Soundwave, Blaster, and the cassettes who could shrink down to alt-forms that humans could pick up and carry around.

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

I've dipped my toe in the DC Multiverse line by collecting the Burton/Schumacher Batman movie figures. The articulation is pretty ugly and they often feel cheap and lightweight in hand, but at this price point they're still the best (and sometimes only) option for certain characters. They just released a Nicholson inspired Joker figure (sans actor likeness). Not a perfect solution, but a decent workaround. Better than not having a movie Joker in the display at all.

That figure sold out super quickly. I ordered directly from McFarlane since I had a $10 coupon (which barely covered shipping). However, I don't suggest anyone ever buy from their store if you expect any basic accountability if something goes sideways. The collector card on my figure has a printing error, with a big smeary line on the bottom half. Not a big deal, but it's still part of the set I paid for. I sent an e-mail to their customer service, who told me to ship the whole figure back. Since this Joker is currently sold out everywhere, I suggested a partial refund of 10% as a better solution - certainly better than losing a sale and leaving a customer unhappy. That's like a $3 discount. They said no, either send it back or keep it. When I asked for a return label, they told me return shipping would be on me. I told them they must know that was unacceptable. They said "Sorry you feel that way." and that they were already making an exception by allowing me to return an opened item. Well, how was I supposed to know it was defective unless I opened it? Granted, a printing error on a collector card is kind of trivial - but it was partially obscured by the accessories in the tray. They framed it like they were doing me a favor.

So I told them it was unfortunate they didn't stand behind the items they sell and instead choose to pass the cost of correcting something onto their customers. I also mentioned I would not be be giving their store any more business. They said they were only attempting to help (some help) and that they were sorry if I was offended by them trying to get me a replacement. "What replacement?", I asked. Then they restated there were still no replacement cards and they were just trying to give me an alternate option by suggesting I send it back at my expense. They said replacement figures would be available for shipping eventually, despite telling me I'd only be refunded. Either way, shipping would still be on me. Out of frustration, I asked why they couldn't just put my name on a wait list if a damaged Joker figure ever popped up that they could pull a replacement card from. "Of course. I'd much rather replace it for you this way as well." was their reply. I won't hold my breath on anything actually turning up, but it would have been nice if they suggested this from the start instead of causing me to send seven replies in an attempt to reach a fair solution. If I ever feel the (unlikely) urge to track down one of their products in the future, I'll make sure it's secondhand so they don't see any new profit from the sale.

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

Unfortunately some net stores won't act unless embarrassed by a customer on one of the big social media sites like Instagram or X.

Margins are getting squeezed on internet retail and many have become much less customer friendly. InStockTrades for instance has really clamped down on their prior customer-friendly approach dealing with problems since last Summer.

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

Most of the direct to consumer operations like Mcfarlane and even Hasbro Pulse kinda suck... it's like they have a storefront because they have to but they aren't going to be as accommodating as a major retailer like Target.

Hasbro is one of the biggest toy companies in the world, but if you get a defective toy from them, their solution is either to get an item of what they deem equal value (if they no longer have in stock which is most of the time) or they'll refund you... by physical check through snail mail.

Mcfarlane has been going all out since he's about to lose the license, but man he's been basically depending on rarity and upping the price of figures, which will sell out because of...scarcity. Like I think almost every one of these recent figures are 34.99 and he packs in an accessory or a few extra hands and calls them deluxe.

They haven't done a Nicholson Joker yet (and may never do it because of likeness rights) but have you checked out the InArt toys in that scale (and 1/6)? Pricey but pretty amazing.

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

Yeah, price is my main deterrent - but I've never been big into 1/6 figures. I only ever splurged on two Hot Toys. The 7" scale has been my sweet spot for the last decade, but I feel like taking a break from collecting due to the cut corners and price hikes we've seen recently - particularly with McFarlane. For instance, I wasn't happy paying $10 more for their Reeve Superman re-release that added a smiling head sculpt, but ditched the flight stand and wired cape (a necessity for the cape to lay flush on the shoulders) the original version came with. They were just pinching pennies there.

Re: The Official Toys and Collectibles Thread
 

Yeah InArt also makes 1/12 figures, but they're a bit behind, I think they have Dark Knight Rises Batman and Catwoman out so far (and an Arkham Origins which is slightly out of scale with them)

The problem is I don't think they're licensed for sale here and we started a trade war with China so...