Prototypes: A Referendum?

[snakeplkn]

With a majority of users lashing out at the Hasbro prototypes, I was wondering if Hasbro should rethink its standing policy not to “officially” show prototypes. Honestly I can think of a handful of prototype pictures by Hasbro, such as Fan’s Choice Figure #1 – the Duros. The company literally has years to figure out what they want to produce. If they were to show some figures before releasing them, customer feedback could be given. Disasters like Farmer Qui-Gon could be avoided. The endgame is to sell figures, so why does the company go to extraordinary lengths to hide its products from its customers? Let the prototypes be a referendum as to whether to proceed, modify or cancel. Of course, two groups of people would cry out, the completists and those who disagree. That’s the rule of business, what is well received will sell.

Snake Plissken
"A little human compassion"

[Lord Tenebrous]

Disasters like Farmer Qui-Gon could be avoided

But...that's my favorite Qui-Gon! A nice planet-specific resculpt, nice face, and take off the poncho, and you have a better Jedi Duel figure with a lightsaber hand and a Force-action hand.



And the hush-hush attitude is Lucas, not Hasbro. If this were a sequel to Willow, you can bet that figure pictures would be as elusive. It's how George works. He wants a relatively uninfluenced audience, methinks.

[GNT]

That Qui-Gon figure is better than that one pose Qui Gon figure form the EP1 line

[SirSteve]

I agree totally snake...

[Beast]

Hey, I liked the POTJ Moisture Farmer Qui-Gon also. I thought it was one of the better versions of Liam Neeson's charecter from the films. I also liked the Naboo (robed) version from the E1 serious.

As far as including the EU stuff, I think that the Jedi Armor Qui-Gon was the best figure of that charecter. To bad that he never appears in the movies in that outfit.

[JEDIpartner]

Oooh... I hate the "lump of flying hair" Qui-Gons altogether. His hands were a little oversized as well. I suppose I would have like it if it hadn't been for those hands and that hair.

Oh, yeah... and I agree about the thing that was said about Lucas not wanting people to see the characters.

[Obi-Don]

I liked the Jedi training gear to.

GL keeps everything hush-hush.I wonder if he even tells himself anything.

[JediTricks]

With the POTF2 line and their old site, they actually did show prototypes all the time... then Cincinatti (the Kenner division who was in charge of SW at the time) closed and it seems Hasbro's policy on this changed. I guess they're too arrogant to accept criticism OR perhaps they're too afraid of overwhelming negativity once they've already started the mass-production process.

[Jargo]

I was talking about this in another thread. Sure they don't want to hear folk diss the work they churn out. But if the company wants the greenbacks to keep rollin' in they're gonna have to do something to keep people interested.
I'm all for a stage by stage show and tell approach on every figure. I think it's wise to get the consumer litmus test approval or disapproval.
If Hasbro had had some kind of openness to consumers during the episode one run up we would never have had to sufer millions of opees and jabba with hex and rex clogging the shelves because they never would have got consumer approval.

I understand the Lucas factor that plays into this but considering he must still be reaping something from the Hasbro profits somewhere he has to see the sense in allowing for some leeway. Otherwise there's just going to be more and more leaked stuff being slapped up on the net that isn't great quality and annoys the lawyers even more than it does already.
If Hasbro were to start a proper website instead of what they have now, get some real articles on toy production up there, stuff that never made it, stuff that could never make it due to safety regs etc. designs, prototypes procedures of production. If they made it worthwhile visiting their site besides just going for the skinny on the latest toys they'd gain some respect back. That and if they started paying attention to the things we say. I've been hearing "NO ONE POSE FIGURES" "MORE ARTICULATION" and variations on a theme for the last 18 months since I first came online myself. Surely in that time they will have heard enough griping to think maybe one pose figures were a bad idea.
Yes I think the guys at Hasbro are arrogant. I think they push through the figure designs they personally like and don't care one iota for the rest of the collecting world. I think it's time we took them to task head to head. however that would work......

[Dryanta]

I agree with almost everyhting you've all had to say.Here is my two cents.I really think Hasbro see's us a bit of an oddity.A market that is willing to spend the money for what we want but not enough of us to make it worth it for them.Let's face it, we do not have the numbers for Hasbro to spend a lot of time and money to make us happy.I think they have tried but half heartedly.Until a few seats in the higher offices of Hasbro are filled by some of us we will never really be seen as the force that we are.Hasbro,always remember,We are the ones who have been here from the begining,and it is us that you used to cater to when we were kids.It's also us that are paving the way for the kids of today to never out grow their toys.I f you will let us see what you're planning in the form of poles or Prototype pics,we'll let you know what will sell and what won't.We are afterall the only ones that can tell you what the adult in us wants and what the kid in us wants.I think the kids we were(and are)and Star Wars kids today are one and the same.Show us what you got and we'll help you know what the buyers want