Comic-Con minifigures

[SpiderSpaceman]

I thoroughly dislike the mentality that "missing out" on something is a reason that something shouldn't exist in the first place.

Is this what everyone thinks I'm talking about? Because it's really not. We're all passionate about Lego's designs. And some people have characters that are their absolute most anticipated designs. Like I've said I really want Lobo, mohawked Storm, Elektra, and 1996 Aquaman (edit: Oh! and Swamp Thing and Bwana Beast ). These are my most anticipated designs and if they ever happen they're gonna be promos I can't get. I'd just like to see availability become a little more inclusive before we get around to them. And other people's most anticipated designs are the ones out right now, and I can't ask for equality for just my personal favorites, because duh.

Edited July 14, 2012 by SpiderSpaceman

[KazeMonsuta]

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, just pointing out:

*cough*TeamGBMinifigures*cough*

Yep, I get where you're going.

Europe has the GB exclusives (but only GB, I would still need to let them ship to Germany from GB to get them), and the US have CC or Toyfair exclusives.

And everyone want what the other has. So again, its a about the distribution.

And before someone cries over people wanting exclusivly painted plastic figures: Well, let us be crazy.

[SpiderSpaceman]

I thoroughly dislike the mentality that "missing out" on something is a reason that something shouldn't exist in the first place. In my opinion there's no difference between not having a figure because it is super-rare/exclusive and not having a figure because it doesn't exist. LEGO collecting isn't a competition, so there's no reason to feel sore if other people have something you don't.

Aanchir, collecting not being a competition should go the other way too. Isn't it the definition of a collecting competition if so many people want the few produced?

[Faefrost]

I feel a bit offended by that.

Whatsoever, I hope the thread does not go into the direction of completly destroying the concept of exclusive figures.

But I think it should be acceptable, to actually want figures with a larger distribution. Europe is, as far as I know, completly left out with these figures.

The problem isn't "exclusive figures". As companies such as Diamond have shown over the years, most of the fans understand and thrive on that. The problem, which is an unbelievably huge problem in the comic superhero lines, that Lego has failed to recognize, is "exclusive characters". These are very different concepts.

Fans may be a bit disappointed that the only way to get the movie WW2 version of Captain America was a con or high E-Bay pricing. But tell them the only way they can get any fig of a beloved character is something that will really really insult the fans. It doesn't matter if the character is moderately obscure. Character exclusivity to trade shows is quite simply insulting to the actual paying customers. As I said this is something that the comic fans, who's medium is focused specifically on the characters themselves, more than any other Lego license, take seriously.

Comic fans would be happy to see things like an 80's silver sphinx armor Iron Man. Or a street clothes Wolverine. They could have handed out any number of Batman or Robin variants. Comics fans thrive on variants and hard to find recolors. But start handing out a limited amount of exclusive characters? Yeah! That's not going to go over well in the market you are actually trying to sell into.

To put this in perspective. Imagine what the Star Wars fans would do, if the only way to get an X Wing or Tie Fighter was to be lucky enough to win one at an expensive and exclusive trade show, or pay the guy that did an obscene amount of money on E Bay? That's what they just did here to the comic fans.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Faefrost

[natelite]

The problem isn't "exclusive figures". As companies such as Diamond have shown over the years, most of the fans understand and thrive on that. The problem, which is an unbelievably huge problem in the comic superhero lines, that Lego has failed to recognize, is "exclusive characters". These are very different concepts.

Fans may be a bit disappointed that the only way to get the movie WW2 version of Captain America was a con or high E-Bay pricing. But tell them the only way they can get any fig of a beloved character is something that will really really insult the fans. It doesn't matter if the character is moderately obscure. Character exclusivity to trade shows is quite simply insulting to the actual paying customers. As I said this is something that the comic fans, who's medium is focused specifically on the characters themselves, more than any other Lego license, take seriously.

Comic fans would be happy to see things like an 80's silver sphinx armor Iron Man. Or a street clothes Wolverine. They could have handed out any number of Batman or Robin variants. Comics fans thrive on variants and hard to find recolors. But start handing out a limited amount of exclusive characters? Yeah! That's not going to go over well in the market you are actually trying to sell into.

To put this in perspective. Imagine what the Star Wars fans would do, if the only way to get an X Wing or Tie Fighter was to be lucky enough to win one at an expensive and exclusive trade show, or pay the guy that did an obscene amount of money on E Bay? That's what they just did here to the comic fans.

or you can print your own. or wait for a customizer to print one for you.

[Darth Hagrid]

Comic fans would be happy to see things like an 80's silver sphinx armor Iron Man. Or a street clothes Wolverine. They could have handed out any number of Batman or Robin variants. Comics fans thrive on variants and hard to find recolors. But start handing out a limited amount of exclusive characters? Yeah! That's not going to go over well in the market you are actually trying to sell into.

...The characters aren't necessarily exclusive, the only source we have for that is what one person on fbtb says (if there's another source, correct me).

Last year, we had three con exclusive figures, Superman, Green Lantern, and Batman. Two of these characters have already been released in regular sets (Superman exactly the same as in the promotion), and GL was featured as an Ultrabuild. The odds of these characters (particularly Venom) remaining exclusive to the promotions seem extremely low.

I suppose we'll have more information about that once the Super Heroes figures are displayed tomorrow, though...

[vexorian]

The comic con figures from last year are still different from the ones that were released in sets.

Even though there are exclusive comic con figures. Nobody has to miss them. You can always buy from a reseller or go to comic con yourself...

[Vindicare]

...The characters aren't necessarily exclusive, the only source we have for that is what one person on fbtb says (if there's another source, correct me).

Last year, we had three con exclusive figures, Superman, Green Lantern, and Batman. Two of these characters have already been released in regular sets (Superman exactly the same as in the promotion), and GL was featured as an Ultrabuild. The odds of these characters (particularly Venom) remaining exclusive to the promotions seem extremely low.

I suppose we'll have more information about that once the Super Heroes figures are displayed tomorrow, though...

While I agree with what you've said here, I don't with the GL-Ultrabuild one. That's not nearly the same thing.

I've already said my peace in the 2012 thread. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have exclusive figs too(can't wait to get my Team GB figs). I would really like to have Jean Grey. Sure, it's not enough to pay for them on eBay, but anyways. To reiterate what Aanchir said, I wouldn't have the fig whether it was exclusive or never made. Sure, it kind of sucks to know Grey is floating around out there, but oh well.

If I wanted something bad enough though, I'd have no problem spending the money. And no, I'm not full of money. I'm on disability...

Here's an example, I watched a special, "Toy Hunters" the other day. This guy traveled around looking for toys to sell at....that's right, Comic Con(NY). He stumbled upon a prototype of a never released Boba Fett and SOLD it for...you might want to sit-down. $17K! That's an insane price, but the guy really wanted it, so he bought it. Now, I certainly hope any mini fig gets to that point of exclusivity...

[Aanchir]

Aanchir, collecting not being a competition should go the other way too. Isn't it the definition of a collecting competition if so many people want the few produced?

People can choose to compete over things whether they're extremely limited release or not-- just look at the collectible minifigures which some people raid to resell "army builders" at exorbitant prices, or in fact at any licensed figures and the aftermarket prices they gain once the sets containing them are no longer in production. But there's a difference between a good-spirited competition where people try their best to "win" the desired figs, and go home having lost nothing if they don't get what they want, and a mean-spirited competition where people are as interested in keeping other people from having certain figs as in getting those figs for themselves. This "if I can't have them, nobody should be able to" attitude is inherently selfish.

Something to consider is that TLG has just as much of a right to produce "novelty" figures as any customizer in the fan community. Consider these figures which were not mass-produced at all, and which only a few lucky fans have been able to obtain. Also consider promotional figs like the white Boba Fett, which are mass-produced but released through limited channels. TLG isn't doing this in the interest of being unfair to the majority of fans, but rather because they are interested in doing something they wouldn't have as much of a chance to do in regular sets.

At Comic-Con, the companies exhibiting have to compete for people's attention. Many of them, not just TLG, do this by releasing exclusive products in limited quantities. These are meant as souvenirs, not as a way to create animosity between attendees and other fans. And TLG has to play this same game if they want to maintain their relevance compared to their competitors like Hasbro and Mattel.

The only disadvantage there could possibly be to creating "exclusive" figs is if those figs would otherwise have been non-exclusive. And do you honestly think TLG would decide "no, we're never putting Venom/Green Lantern/Phoenix/Bizarro into a mainstream set" without at least a bit of forethought? I guarantee you that if TLG decides later on they want to put Venom in a Marvel set or Green Lantern figure in a DC set, they will not hesitate just because they happened to have designed them as exclusives. If they are intent on keeping those figures exclusive, then they'll just design new ones for mainstream release. The same is true of all these other figs; what makes some of them like Bizarro or Shazam different is that they are not that well-known outside the fan communities for their respective franchises, and as such would have been less likely to appear at all if they hadn't been designed as promotional items of some kind.

Overall, people are free to have "completionist" attitudes, but that doesn't make it TLG's responsibility to make that a realistic lifestyle. If exclusive promotional figures didn't exist, would that stop complaining about "unfairness"? No. People would still call TLG "unfair" for putting desirable figs in expensive sets they don't want to buy, or for not re-releasing certain figures that had become extremely desirable in the aftermarket, and so-on and so-forth. It's not TLG's responsibility to make every figure available to every fan, and if they attempted to do so they would be relinquishing any incentive for fans to go to any extra expense, whether that be buying a certain amount of sets during a shop.LEGO.com promotion, going to a special event where LEGO has a presence, or even buying sets that happen to cost more than the average Joe's pocket money.

EDIT: Sure enough, next year we're getting a non-exclusive Venom figure. As I said, no reason to think we're missing out on anything just because a certain "edition" of a character happens to be exclusive.

Edited July 13, 2012 by Aanchir

[Jedi master Brick]

The only problem with the comic con minifigures is some people get jealous. See it this way, how does the exclusive comic con minifigures harm you. No way at all some people get a nice minifigure that would not normally be realised in a set. It is the attitude "If I can't have it no one else can." that I'd the problem, not the exlusive minifigures.

[SpiderSpaceman]

This "if I can't have them, nobody should be able to" attitude is inherently selfish.

It is the attitude "If I can't have it no one else can." that I'd the problem, not the exlusive minifigures.

Where the everloving hell are you guys picking that up from? There is no such sentiment expressed. Read the three pages, for crying out loud. There is nothing not sensible about gathering requests for the expansion of availability of something.

Read what I have said. or you know, just post #26. The one you so obviously missed due to your continued insistance that I'm trying to get them to stop making special edition minifigures.

And I'm actually over this batch of exclusives. I won't get them and I'm resigned to and okay with that. I just don't like that anyone would attack a (at least initially) polite plea, request for a change of the way it's done in the future, whatever you want to call it (as long as it actually is the same thing and not "no one else should be happy" or "whining").

Edited July 14, 2012 by Ricecracker
Removed personal attack

[Ricecracker]

Personal attacks on members are not welcome here on Eurobricks. If you have issues with other members, contact the staff.

[SpiderSpaceman]

Personal attacks on members are not welcome here on Eurobricks.

Yes, noted. Sorry. You can chop that out of my post, please. or well, yeah I'll do that. uncalled for.

Edited July 14, 2012 by SpiderSpaceman

[RaincloudDustbin]

I want that Bizarro so bad Mood: Envious

[hiroki]

Speaking from someone who has spent hundreds of dollars on convention exclusives, I don't think its a problem in other toy lines. Take the Transformers ones from Botcon. The reason why I would spend as such for the items is the promise from FunPub, the convention organizer, and Hasbro, that these items will never be wide-released. Of course, FunPub does it better than TLG right now as they have a way for those who cannot attend the convention to purchase it online.

[Aanchir]

Where the everloving hell are you guys picking that up from? There is no such sentiment expressed. Read the three pages, for crying out loud. There is nothing not sensible about gathering requests for the expansion of availability of something.

Read what I have said. or you know, just post #26. The one you so obviously missed due to your continued insistance that I'm trying to get them to stop making special edition minifigures.

And I'm actually over this batch of exclusives. I won't get them and I'm resigned to and okay with that. I just don't like that anyone would attack a (at least initially) polite plea, request for a change of the way it's done in the future, whatever you want to call it (as long as it actually is the same thing and not "no one else should be happy" or "whining").

I apologize; I did completely miss post #26, perhaps in part because I was more focused on post #28 where you replied to the exact same post to make a different point.

The thing is, yes, it would be nice if TLG could distribute all minifigures in a more inclusive way, no matter how obscure. But frankly, some of these figs like Shazam or the white Boba Fett are so obscure that TLG might not have much incentive to produce them at all except as part of an intentionally-limited run. It's kind of the same way that the Collectible Minifigures have given TLG the opportunity to produce figs that either wouldn't fit in most of their existing themes or wouldn't have enough demand to justify full-scale production except as part of a larger collection. If TLG does decide that there's enough mainstream demand for the characters for reasons other than their exclusivity, then they can easily produce different versions of those figures, just as they have produced different versions of various collectible minifigure "archetypes" over the years.

Moreover, as I mentioned, there's a huge incentive for TLG to produce exclusive figures-- it brings attention to their brand at events like these. Comic-Con is a very big event with a lot of companies present, and so TLG has to give attendees in general-- not just dedicated LEGO fans who want nothing more than a sneak peek of the next year's products-- an incentive to keep coming back to their booth. Not to mention giving some non-attendees an incentive to sign up for the event as a whole, and to put the LEGO booth near the top of their must-see list of exhibitors. Thus they raffle off exclusive items like these, just as other toy companies have been doing for years. Yes, it leads to competition in the aftermarket, but frankly TLG doesn't do it because they care about what happens in a market that doesn't bring them any profits. They do it to increase their visibility at the event itself, and at future events once they have established a reputation for special offers like this.

I'm not trying to attack you in particular with my comment about this "if I can't have it, nobody can" attitude. Not everyone who wants a wider distribution for these exclusive figs has this attitude, certainly your comments don't express this attitude. But there are some who have commented here who do express that attitude (whether or not they sincerely hold it), and who feel that for some reason TLG owes the fans a wider release of figs which are designed with exclusivity in mind. As it is, if TLG were to release these exact minifigures on a wider scale than was intended, it would defeat their purpose in producing these figs in the first place. In fact, if you look at times when TLG has made a supposedly "exclusive" item more widely available, as in the case of some collectible minifigure re-releases, some fans who were able to obtain the figs through the more exclusive channels start to feel betrayed and misled. And that's exactly the opposite of the impression TLG wants to leave these people with. They want people who put time and money into the company's events and promotions to feel like they have been given something of lasting value in return.

Bringing these exclusive figs to more comic conventions might be an acceptable option for TLG if they decide they want a stronger presence at these conventions. They might even have exclusive figs at other conventions that can't be gotten in San Diego. But frankly, it's expensive to make exclusive items like this in the first place, even more so to do it at a wider scale. Keep in mind that these are being given out for free, unlike many promotional items which at least require some purchase of a LEGO product as a prerequisite. And TLG might not be interested in a stronger presence at every comic convention. Through a mix of dumb luck and circumstance, San Diego Comic-Con has become one of the chief pop-culture conventions for companies of all sorts, whether or not their business has any direct connections to comics or even to the comic-loving demographic in particular. And it's not always in TLG's interest to level an uneven playing field they had no part in creating.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Aanchir

[SpiderSpaceman]

I gotcha. Yeah it's no big deal, I was getting overly worked up about it, and I owe you the apologies for my exploding crankiness and extreme unchill.

Really well said, there - and the funny thing is I was pondering the "dumb luck and circumstance" of the entirety of pop-culture the other day - like the string of events that let lego start picking up all these licenses. The Phantom Menace had to happen, LSW the video game had to happen. batman's theme happened, then disappeared as the video game was coming out. peter jackson got the hobbit project back by letting it hop from director to director for a long time, and by the time lego can get the theme, they've brought their set design to the pinnacle, and they've had so much success with other licenses that they can get it. if they'd gotten LOTR at the time it came out, the sets would look as unrefined as the initial star wars line up . lego gets batman back after years of absence making everyone eager to buy it up. Lego Indy sets happened through the link with star wars and the release of Indy 4.

[LegoCloneFanatic]

Uh..... Comic Con is killing me..... I just want Shazam and Bizarro because they are my Favorite Minifigures. But for a 100 US Dollars each..... I die every time i see them.

[HawkLord]

As mentioned, I would also really like it if some of these Lego exclusives could be offered on their site with a stipulation of one-per-household for people who can't make the cons. Sideshow, Gentle Giant, Hot Toys, Hasbro, and NECA all offer their SDCC figures online during the con. This is particularly useful for those people attending because they can even buy the figures from the site and not have to worry about lugging them around the con or traveling home with them.

Maybe even make the ones at the con single figure bags and the ones on the site could be the full figure set in a box, like the VIP CMF set. That way, Lego could charge a decent amount for, say 6-8 minifigures at $50-70 and still make a tidy profit. It's not like minifigures have a really high production cost. Meanwhile, people at SDCC can just pick-up the single bags as they like.

[______]

I don't mind any of these exclusives if they come up only as a variation of present or upcoming figures. (Take 'Venom' for example)

But when they only ever come up as a SDCC exclusive it can be heartbraking. However, in the end I just get over it, I'll probably never get a Phoenix or Shazam minifig, but at least someone will. In the end of the day, I can collect Marvel/DC minifigures which I never thought would happen 2 years ago.

[SheepEater]

if they'd gotten LOTR at the time it came out, the sets would look as unrefined as the initial star wars line up .

I've been thinking about the same thing, and yes, the sets from 1999-2002 were of generally really poor design (across all themes, not just Star Wars).

[Angeli]

Going one step further, what makes exclusive figures like this any different than third-party custom figures produced in limited quantity?

Only one little itcy bitcy thing - they are not Lego :)

and when something is Lego, like duplo, it's somehow okay to use. If not, hm...

Like I sad, they are not Lego:)))

...I would love to have that green armor from Lex Luthor, even though I have the black onefrom space marine s7 :)

[Robominer]

The only plausible solution to this problem is not to get LEGO to travel to every city worldwide (sorry SpiderSpaceman ), but to stop making the figures distributed at SDCC readily available in sets. That way, thousands of LEGO fans won't be tortured to death looking at pictures of Comic-con exclusive figures.

[natelite]

I am beginning to think that these figures aren't as exclusive as they said they are. Observe the ebay sellers and they are usually the same few individuals. On occasions, a 0 feedback (or low feedback of between 1 to 10) seller would list them. Probably related to the same individuals who are trying to spread out the selling to appear innocuous.

How can individuals get so many in stock? Check the feedback. They sell these like 5 per week. For 2 months running, that's 40 per person. I reckon approximately 200 would have been sold by now. That's like 20% of released figures.

Maybe it's plausible but why always those individuals? Are they reproducing them and selling them as authentic versions? Does TLC need to make these with holographic authentication seals now to combat the pirates? With the high quality printing available now it's not hard to imagine it's doable - to print the figures and the cards.

[purpleparadox]

Are they reproducing them and selling them as authentic versions? Does TLC need to make these with holographic authentication seals now to combat the pirates? With the high quality printing available now it's not hard to imagine it's doable - to print the figures and the cards.

Well, if they can reproduce these figures so 100% perfectly - I'd be fine with owning one! I mean, the comic-con figures are rare, and if these people can make some EXACTLY like LEGO, with EXACTLY the same quality as LEGO....it might as well be LEGO! The only problem is, these same people could potentially reproduce LEGO sets, and steal sales from TLG. Edited September 25, 2012 by purpleparadox