The End of the No Licensing Era

[tahra]

Don't give them any ideas 

What she said.

[Bolingbroke]

Ive been saying this kind of thing for years, but of course back then people would accuse me of negativity ...

It didn't start with the stupid trolls, and the unicorns. The rot started setting in ages ago, and not just product-wise.

Kind of glad it is so obvious now, and playmobil is so in the doldrums, that everyone here can see it.

Meanwhile, if you need cheering up, there's the fantastic Lego Batman movie out (and the assorted FUN merch to go with it  )

(actually, I don't even mind the trolls and fantasy stuff ... what i always resented was the way PM totally ignored the adult collector market, where there is so much potential and potential £££ to be made. 300-400 euro sets aimed at adults, and - would you believe it - people actually buy them!)

[Macruran]

I'm always interested in this topic, and can handle negativity. BRING IT ON

(actually, I don't even mind the trolls and fantasy stuff ... what i always resented was the way PM totally ignored the adult collector market, where there is so much potential and potential £££ to be made. 300-400 euro sets aimed at adults, and - would you believe it - people actually buy them!)

They're breaking so many other old "principles" that they HAVE to break this one eventually. There are signs...

[Tiermann]

Well I think the Ghostbusters line is marketed to adults really. Kids aren't going o be fans of that movie are they? I do think they should offer a marshmallow man that is XXL size - properly big for the size of the structure. Yes it would be expensive, but may well sell anyway.

[Macruran]

Good point - that is a positive sign from the Ghostbusters experiment. Now we just need to get them to market to the Napoleonic collectors...

[Klickteryx]

MADMEN

Aliens I guess are a bit iffy, but Romans? No way, they wouldn't have renewed the theme if there wasn't a good market.
Maybe with aliens they should have gone with a Men in Black type theme.

[Klickteryx]

It didn't start with the stupid trolls, and the unicorns. The rot started setting in ages ago, and not just product-wise.

For me it started with the Vikings. Great idea, popular theme, but then purple. Endless shades of purple. Followed up with generic barbarians in purple, endless shades of purple.
Now finding good stuff within the sword themes is like dumpster diving. Occasionally you come across a sealed sandwich or even a partially wrapped one that just needs some minor work to make it edible, most of the time though you get a loose sandwich with slightly slimy lettuce and dried out processed meat; there might be some nice tomato left in there but the rest is a write off.
I wish they'd sell non-removable armour parts separately for instance, otherwise the good stuff gets buried under layers of dodgy sandwich.

[Bolingbroke]

I think that, with the historical themes, it started slightly before that, with the yellow and blue knights and their castle. I think that's when it was clear that 'the golden age' had ended. The Romans were a high of sorts, but still.

[GrahamB]

For me it started with the Vikings. Great idea, popular theme, but then purple. Endless shades of purple. Followed up with generic barbarians in purple, endless shades of purple.
Now finding good stuff within the sword themes is like dumpster diving. Occasionally you come across a sealed sandwich or even a partially wrapped one that just needs some minor work to make it edible, most of the time though you get a loose sandwich with slightly slimy lettuce and dried out processed meat; there might be some nice tomato left in there but the rest is a write off.
I wish they'd sell non-removable armour parts separately for instance, otherwise the good stuff gets buried under layers of dodgy sandwich.

 

What a great analogy. Have you had a lot of experience in this area?