Now you can officially say that Hot Toys is really MILKing it :D haha. Hot Toys has done so many different variants of Iron Man that I've lost count altogether and now they have even gone and made variants of War Machine when all they did is repaints on the same molds and then sell them for a handsome profit. And there are people who will go out and pay the exorbitant price for this limited edition Iron Man 2: War Machine figure because they want one of everything that Hot Toys has to offer, thus proving once again to Hot Toys that as long as they dare to price it, there will be people who will be foolish enough to buy it!
So Hot Toys will keep churning out all these Iron Man repaints as variant figures and forget about their other unfinished licenses which they have acquired because this Iron Man series of figures alone is enough to make them laugh their way to the bank at collectors' expense.
I am most happy with my regular movie-accurate version of the Hot Toys Iron Man 2 War Machine (see my reviews HERE and HERE) so this is an easy pass for me. If we keep feeding the cash cow, it'll only keep growing bigger and more bloated and all we're gonna get is bullshit and cow dung :( There have been a lot of quality issues with Hot Toys products lately as seen in the forums and facebook (Indiana Jones that look nothing like Harrison Ford, Superman with crooked 'S' and cracks plus other issues with Captain America) and who do we blame for all these? Scalpers who see the opportunity to make a quick buck from buying and reselling at a much higher price to desperate collectors who just want a piece of everything as long as there's a Hot Toys EXCLUSIVE sticker pasted onto the box AND Hot Toys for not caring about genuine collectors but only want to rush out as many products as possible so that they can quickly fill up their big fat bank accounts. They are just encouraging the crazy grabbing and snatching because it only jacks up the price and perceived value of their products. Who loses? We genuine collectors who only collect out of passion, not caring about investment value. Those who buy at X amount and hope to sell at Y amount are NOT collectors, they are investors. They buy low and sell high. Some of them don't even look at what is inside the box. They prefer MISB (Mint In Sealed Box) and they hog the product till the price is high, then they sell.
My maxim is: Collect what you LIKE and ENJOY what you have :) Just be HAPPY with what you've got NOW. Don't live life with regrets (Questions like: "Why didn't I buy that version?" "Why did I buy that older version and now a newer version / re-release is out?" "Why can't I ever be satisfied?") As long as we are always chasing after something, we'll never be satisfied because there'll always be something else to chase after. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Life's like that! So stop chasing and start enjoying.
This limited edition Hot Toys x Milk Magazine 1:6 scale War Machine figure is certainly nice to have if the price is right but since it's not going to be the case, I'm not going to be miserable or empty my bank and wallet just so I can have this figure, it's just not worth it. Life is full of many other things worth having and the most important ones are intangible :)
Enjoy the pictures all the same. Maybe we'll see a Gundam version Iron Man or War Machine very soon. Or perhaps a Joker Iron Man / War Machine. I've seen it done on facebook and the result is pretty amazing so you never know. This is certainly an interesting treatment to War Machine in keeping true and accurate to the Marvel Comics version.
Something nice to look at and not altogether movie-accurate. First reaction when seen by people who don't know Hot Toys or the exclusivity of this product will be: "What's that supposed to be? That isn't the War Machine we all saw in Iron Man 2. That's totally wrong. WHAT?! How much did you say you paid for it? Did you add another zero to the price by mistake because all I see is a WRONG-looking War Machine and I think you paid way too much for a cheap knock-off of War Machine. Doesn't even look like the one I saw in the movie."
You can explain all you want that this is a very limited edition and one-of-a-kind but most people wouldn't understand why you fork out so much moolah for something that doesn't resemble what it is supposed to be i.e. Iron Man 2 War Machine! Aren't we so caught up with all the exclusives that we forgot why we first bought a Hot Toys figure? It was because it was a MOVIE MASTERPIECE and the best looking movie-accurate figure there was!
18 comments:
Well said Alex,
collectors unite and sit this one out...
Let the scalpers buy and be stuck with this rip-off..
This hollywood exclusive right for HT is starting to look like BPL & World Cup screening rights..
cheers
WL
thanks for the support WL :) just telling it like it is. I like the comparison to BPL and World Cup ;p
I'd like to see HT pull back on IronMan and maybe do some less involved but more rare licenses. I would love to see some Sin City figures or some more Blade characters.
that's how I feel too drewflu61, Hot Toys is not doing justice to the number of movie licenses they've acquired!
it's OK looking, nothing to write home about. he he!
That makes you my kind of people haha
yeah, it's funny your shelf quickly fills up with remixes of old figures! it's to the point now that i have to fight my knee jerk action to just buy whatever they put out! the even crazier thing is that they have series that they only put one figure out i.e wolverine (where is sabortooth?) it has to be easier to make him than it is to make another iron-man. iron man has thousands of suits in the comics, you think that they are trying to be the first company to make each and everyone of them? its hard to leave a toy site selling hot toys without spending at least $200 usd (including shipping) hot toys is starting to be a habit that i wish i didnt start! i really love the figures and i have been waiting for a company like this all my life but man am i paying for it! it's nice to be going through this with others! lol! jason from cali
Hey Jason, looks like everyone's in the same boat ;p Hot Toys is still the one to beat and even tho EnterBay tries to muscle in, they are just not that good :( Their collaboration with Medicom isn't doing them any favors either. Hot Toys has to put in more effort in getting the other licenses out though.
Hate to go against the grain, but I actually like this repaint better than the original! If it goes for around $200 I may pick it up if it is available in the US, but probably won't be tempted if they try to sell it for much more.
hey Tim, everyone is entitled to his or her own preference :) that's what makes this hobby GREAT! my beef is with Hot Toys repainting an existing product and charging us MORE for it. existing mold, existing design, existing parts so shouldn't the figure be cheaper and made more available?
I think this is a great looking figure. Whatever figures that is release there will be people who think it is not worth it but at the end of the day there will still be collectors who will be happy to have it in their collection even if they have to pay a premium to get it. I am definitely getting this one to complete my full Iron Man set. The sight of all the hot toys iron man in my cabinet is just the best feeling and joy you can get in the world!
That, anon, is the best answer to everybody's questions :) "The sight of all the hot toys iron man in my cabinet is just the best feeling and joy you can get in the world!" ENJOY the toy & be HAPPY with what you've got!
Wow Milk Magazine is now armed and dangerous with their "Cow Machine"! Cow Machine will definitely drown those Hammer Droids! Nice to have if the budget permits. I do think HT should stop milking their cash cows while they are still on top. It's about time they sit down and talk and more importantly listen to what their fans are demanding.
thanks Shiro for joining the call to Hot Toys to STOP milking it and start delivering on their other licenses :)
can you give us some insight how much this toy is, bec. from my point of view, it should not be that much, just like what you point, HT uses old molder, so production cost is less. thanks
The Hot Toys War Machine (Special Version) is now available at Sideshow Collectibles :) http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=901597&ref=home_new
FWIW: A year later and the MILK version is cheaper and more available than the movie version WM (at the only place you can find it nowadays, eBay). Of course, it's still expensive, but that seems to be the case for all the HT releases. The best time to buy is in the relatively short window during pre-order, and before they're sold out.
If you're late to the game, based purely on aesthetic appeal(and if you're not building a shrine to the IM movies), the MILK color scheme and lighting is actually more interesting and a more attractive purchase, IMO.
Anyway, I don't blame HT for "milking it" since they're in it to make money, which ain't a new concept... and we're willing accomplices in this marketing experiment. The concept of pre-ordering toys and the short window of availability is relatively new; it helps producers tailor production runs and speeds up the cycle for producing the novelty we crave. Unfortunately, it also bolsters the scalping element and occasionally puts some relatively untested and immature products (like the HT Aliens) out there.
Thanks for the observation :) totally agree with you. Feel sad for the collector market as a whole - so many willing buyers pandering to Hot Toys whimps and profiteering SIGH demand fuels supply so as long as people keep paying and paying willingly, Hot Toys will just keep raising their prices happily
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