How much is enough to quit feeding the toy corporate beasts?

I have severely cut my toy buying over the last year and a half and a lot of that has to do with the prices these days. For one, what DCUC cost when it began to when it quit had doubled; and that was a long time ago already. At the time DCUC began, everything was brand new and I understand reusing the same tool for characters that are similar in size, I like that method honestly and it makes for a very cohesive style which is appreciated to a collector.

My beef is what we’re now getting for the price. What used to be $10 and include the figure, accessories and a BAF piece for Hasbro and Mattel, now is pushing $25 for a basic figure with even less accessories included. We shouldn’t be “happy” with this eat what we’re given schtick.

These price increases has forced me to focus my cherry picking so much so that I haven’t bought a McFarlane or Hasbro figure for nearly a year, that and the character choices don’t “wow” me. It’s actually been a blessing in disguise due to also running out of room and that in turn has forced me to focus what I want to display.

I am now more interested in acquiring fewer but more expensive figures like more original “vintage” figures and Mafex; but again, picking the ones I need, not just like.


Anyone else care to share their thoughts?

Yeah, two days ago I was complaining that the new X-Men ML wave was $24.99 and then yesterday I preordered 8 Star Wars figures for the same price, lol. I've cut back to virtually no MLs in the last year unless they were on clearance. Fortunately, there aren't that many must have iconic characters left and I don't need a third rate X-Force character or ninth Wolverine costume.

I always said $20 was the threshold but here I am. At least with Star Wars Black Series they come out so infrequently that you can spread the spending out and breath. No idea how anyone can want to buy MLs when it seems like a new wave is out every two weeks. Yikes. I don't know, there aren't really any BAFs I care about anymore and spending %25 for the same body with a new head over and over again doesn't seem worth it to me.

At least in my own mind I can justify buying Star Wars figures because the sculpts are mostly unique, but even there with the constant fighting to preorder retail exclusives months ahead of time before they sell out in seconds, has grown tedious. Not to mention money grabs like "deluxe figures". Why are the newer Boba Fett figures suddenly "deluxe" because they put him in a wider box? Hasbro just claimed it was paint apps in a Q & A, lol, tell that to the failed Rancor.

Did you see the 3.75 Boba Fett Throne Room Hasbro just unveiled? I saw it and was like, that's cool. It'd be neat in six inch scale, but maybe I'd buy it just for background display anyway. Then I saw it was $229. Two. Hundred. Twenty. Nine. Dollars. WTF. Build back better, indeed.

I don't know when I'll reach the breaking point. I was stunned to see those retro GI Joes with the 5 POAs were $17.99. $18? No way, then I saw a guy grabbing a bunch at Target the other day, so...

Fortunately I have totes of extra DCUC, Black Series, and 3.75 Joes to make customs for eternity if I want, so at least there's that to keep the hobby going.

Here's My thoughts. I've been saying stuff like this for I don't know how long but nobody listens to Me about it cause they either skip it or don't read it at all and I know what I'm talking about, I've been a collector My whole life This androgynous hypocritical day and age is so pathetic and people just keep on submitting to them companies with these crowdfunding schemes with Mattel and Hasbro on stuff that has already been made dozens of times....WWF New Generation with Diesel & Doink for an example...that's insane McFarlane too and Sideshow as well, when they were so creative in the 90s & 2000s now all of these companies have become generic following suit with each in lines and pricing. I mean how many times does Batman and Luke Skywalker need to be made for example? I tried to say and help that when Hasbro was doing the $300 Rancor that you could get the great 1983 version sealed for that or less and even the arguably better POTF 2 97 version is of a lesser price. I mean I have a Sideshow Jason that I got for $35 back in the 2000s from them directly, now they remade him with more POA and this and that and he's over $200...I can't believe that people are falling for that WHAT HAS THIS COME TO

That's another thing, I would ONLY get what I NEED if i was in this situation! I was there and did that. My last big series was the MOTUC. Things were starting then, I was a loyal subscriber from the very beginning and till the every end...MOTU was so crucial to Me I had to complete it all (minis a few last exclusives) and that was that and I stopped buying these gradually getting more expensive figures after 2016. Mattel and ToyGuru didn't help with their stupid budget, poor-mouth crap. Super7 was just getting to darn high and I stopped collecting period! Then 2020 happen and I woke up and wanted to collect the stuff from years and years ago that I COULDN'T GET THEN! This stuff now has very little meaning compared to the things in 80s and 90s. Idiot Savant, If you have seen My Recent Aquirements, you'll see what I have been doing, these vintage figures are surprisingly affordable compared to these current offerings now. I mean for instance I got a POTF 2 MOC Dengar for $9 on Amazon that I wanted at TRU in the 90s when they want $109.00 for the Black Series Dengar version I mean are you kidding Me...it's insane That's another thing, Hasbro "HAD" to make the 6" series to get along with times' current program to MAKE YOU buy it ALL OVER AGAIN....its so ridicules and people just do it without a thought while I want the stuff that I missed out on long ago.

I will make exceptions with certain modern things however but this is because I really want and need it.

I've been thinking about stuff for a long time, it's just irks Me and it't other things that has nothing to do with action figures, I mean life in general

Bottomline is this, if you absolutely need it and want it and you have moolah for it then by all means get it, even if it is a figure for $25 or more. I've been there and done that believe Me because it was stuff I really wanted and needed. Otherwise no, save your doe and get something really special that means more and that you'll have fun with even greater time. That's My thoughts about this situation