by Gillbob316 » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:23 pm
Regarding the topic of whether a brand new sculpt is or isn't cost effective, I'm kind of the middle, I could see where it would cost more, certainly. 2 Sculpts will cost more than 1, obviously. But I don't necessarily buy the idea that it's a prohibiting factor. Plenty of toy lines exist that have variants ranging from small tweaks/repaints, to entirely new sculpts, and you won't ever convince me that Disney or Marvel lacks the capital to explore such concepts.
As an additional kernel of thought on the matter, I don't necessarily think they'd even have to be new sculpts in every case. There are many that could get away a minor or partial repaint/retool. Mad Hatter or the Red Queen, for instance, would be difficult, they have a very different look heard to toe. Maleficent on the other hand, I think would be easy to retool into an animated version. Her overall body/silhouette is virtually the same. You could make a convincing animated version with a simple repaint, and an even more convincing one with a bit of retooling. Infinity figures aren't a single hunk of plastic, they're just glued together to look like one. One need only look to the example of Spider-Man/Black Spider-Man to see what I mean. And we're not talking about the entire LINE here, just a few key figures here and there.
Marvel Legends (one of Marvels Flagship toy lines) has been doing this a great deal the last few years, actually, they've released dozens of dual-release character variants, which use most of the same parts, but get two characters out there in one "slot" from one wave. If one Disney-Owned merchandise line can do it, I'm not unconvinced another could find ways.
And again, in-game, I think they could get away with a mechanic similar to Spider-Man, where they're essentially just built with a costume swap.
As to whether or not YOU as a collector and a buyer like or dislike variants... eh, that's a matter of opinion. I've collected lots of toys (many of them Marvel and Disney) in my time, and been on both sides of that fence. It's okay when it's handled well. It's terrible when a figure is only available for hundreds of dollars on ebay, I'd never want to see that. I agree, they'd need to approach it delicately, so as to avoid a landmine like the King Mickey disc. BUT... again, other toy lines manage it, don't see why they couldn't.
I personally would buy both versions, I'll add, as the question was brought up. I prefer variants that bring new characters, or new essential versions of characters to the table, but tend to buy them all anyway as a collector. As such, I dislike the Crystal Variants and the Lightsaber Variants, as they're just gimmicky versions of the same character. I have no problem at all with Spidey or Hulkbuster, as they're classic, yet very different versions of those characters (even if Spidey's moves are unchanged, that costume is one that's hard for anyone to argue is desirable). I dislike Cap (even w/ new moves) as his new look doesn't seem in any way essential, more or less just a way to release Cap again.
Like I said, I see good and bad from all angles... it's certainly been good and bad in many cases for other toy lines. But if it means I'd get an animated Alice/Hatter/Maleficent that I'm not otherwise getting, I'd be fine with them exploring it.