Well I guess we will see what is up at SDCC.
D. Martin at cooltoyreview.com wrote:
You know, according to a source with the company, Hasbro seems to be moving away from the MU line. If you dig this collection, you need to go out of your way to support it. I suggest polite emails to Hasbro and if you are attending SDCC, mature and articulate discussions with the people you see in the Hasbro booth.
Marvel Universe - Page 110Mr Curto wrote:
It's not a rumor...dark days are coming.
Since it's pretty well known that I'm a HUGE fan of this line, I don't think it will come as a big shocker when I say that I'm very disappointed by this (yes, technically still unofficial) news. I've actually known some things for quite awhile now, but when someone tells you something in confidence, you well, keep it confidential.
There are still plenty of great figures planned in the MU line (you may recall a really big sneak peek that came out from SDCC)...but with all the changes over at Hasbro this year, who knows if these will ever actually come out? Most of the Hasbro team responsible for bringing the line out are no longer even around.
Dave Vonner? gone (but now started up Kasual Friday).
Scott George? gone (but now started up Kasual Friday).
Jerry Jivoin? now over on Transformers.
Other factors that are playing into this are situation with the Chinese factories, the higher expense of pretty much EVERYTHING involved with creating action figures. And of course the elephant in the room...the terrible distribution Hasbro has had in 2012 (and in 2011 (and in 2010 (and in 2009 (and in 2008))))
The pattern of the past few years is pretty obvious: the spring focuses solely on whatever spring big-screen movie line is coming (hoping to attract the kids), then the fall sees the return of the collector-focused lines (Star Wars, Marvel Universe). This then carries over through the holidays.
Furthering complicating matters, nearly every single movie line pegwarms and ends up on clearance. Yes, the case assortments are bizarre, and the character selection is very heavy on "A" list characters, but I give Vonner major credit for going as deep as they were able to go. The line evolved over time and saw many improvements since the beginning. Having a Fans' Choice early in the line was a great way to get fans involved with the character selection ever since (you HAVE noticed that there's been a lot of these characters made from that poll? I wish that Vance Astro would finally get made, but it seems unlikely now)
This sounds pretty bleak, but I don't really mean it to be. There are some great new figures planned, that new Hulk? awesome. I got a huge smile when I first heard about Beta Ray Bill and Beast, plus there were some other surprises coming that well, who knows if they'll even get made?
There are a LOT of kit-bashes and repaints coming, and although that's been an aspect of the line since the beginning, they could do a lot more for years to come with the parts they now have in their library.
Another thing...this is not limited to just Marvel Universe, either. But that's something that should probably stay confidential...
