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Post by sbell on Oct 6, 2011 21:55:26 GMT
To be fair, the Bully Deinothere was available at least from about 1998, probably earlier, and was around until about 2005. In other words, it was around for 7 years, and I'm sure they produced many thousands of them (typical runs of figures are generally between 5000 and much higher). So in fact there are lots out there, and always were, but it's really about timing. Who wouldn't want a full collection of Miller or Starlux or SRG or Otto La Brea figures? But they are time-and-place dependent (just like, say, Dinotales or Tedco Panorama figures now). So its unfair to say the Deinotherium is over-rated, because it really is an excellent, accurate figure of that animal. If anything, it was under-rated when it was available, because the numbers weren't there to keep it in production (see also the entire rest of the Bully mammal line, Battat figures). Also, there is another Deinotherium currently available. Don't have it (yet) but I have some of the other figures and they are all excellent: dinotoyforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=toys&action=display&thread=3981In fact, these and Shapeways are where I currently do most of my budget planning. If I want a Bully Deinotherium, it's exactly because it's an excellent figure and, to add more, a very original animal to represent as a toy. What I'm saying is it's so expensive, many people who would want one like me just cannot afford it; the last one I've seen on Ebay was sold on auction for 138$... Who can afford that beside a millionnaire? OK, but if we talk about REALLY overrated figures, like those who DO NOT deserve to be expensive at all, are the oh-so-common Tyrannosauruses Rex which invade the market. I know I won't make friends saying this, but I'm totally THROUGH with T-Rexes. Come on! They're everywhere! Why would a retired 1965 Tyrannosaurus be worth 100$, I'm asking you? It's still only a T-Rex; in other words, an animal every company overproduces year after year. No matter if it's called Schleich, Papo, Bullyland, Safari ltd, Procon or Tungu-Tungu, I just don't understand how come this invading species is still sold. Maybe because the population is soooo alienated already nobody knows there were more than five species of dinos in prehistory. When a company releases a T-Rex, I feel like telling the company:"sell it at one dollar the piece, it's too common to sell it even 10$". Other dinos deserve to be produced as toys, not just the overproduced and overrated T-Rex. But which one? This is for overrated figures, not overrated animals. For example, Papo and Schleich T.rex figures could be considered overrated, if anyone liked them (but mainly the former). As for stopping T.rex figures--something has to pay the bills. And while it would be great to see Thescelosaurus and Anurognathus and Ambulocetus as figures, they just aren't going to attract any attention beyond the (tiny, tiny market of) collectors. At least some companies try to balance--a new T.rex with a new Guanlong, Inostrancevia, Kaprosuchus and Edmontosaurus. Keep in mind, we could just as easily insert the name Smilodon, Woolly Mammoth, Triceratops, or Velociraptor here, and the effect would be about the same. But what does that really mean? What it means is that, this far into the year, anyone who wants to see more diversity should look at their shelf (or wherever they put their collection) and see at least a few of those. If you don't, you are sending the message that those figures are not interesting to consumers, so they won't take the risk next year (CollectA is kind of odd, in that they seem to specialize primarily in unusual ones, but then, their market share is pretty much nil). It's called voting with your wallets. If you don't have them, meaning you didn't buy them, you send the message that you don't want them. That's the language the developers speak. They don't read forums to find out what you want to buy some day; they look at sales records to look at what has actually been purchased (more to the point, they look at sales records to look at what has been sold more than once). Otherwise, those really cool figures that you meant to pick up but didn't will get discontinued--and will rise in value. So for those of us who already have them, thanks I guess. ;D
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Post by bokisaurus on Oct 7, 2011 4:44:33 GMT
If I want a Bully Deinotherium, it's exactly because it's an excellent figure and, to add more, a very original animal to represent as a toy. What I'm saying is it's so expensive, many people who would want one like me just cannot afford it; the last one I've seen on Ebay was sold on auction for 138$... Who can afford that beside a millionnaire? OK, but if we talk about REALLY overrated figures, like those who DO NOT deserve to be expensive at all, are the oh-so-common Tyrannosauruses Rex which invade the market. I know I won't make friends saying this, but I'm totally THROUGH with T-Rexes. Come on! They're everywhere! Why would a retired 1965 Tyrannosaurus be worth 100$, I'm asking you? It's still only a T-Rex; in other words, an animal every company overproduces year after year. No matter if it's called Schleich, Papo, Bullyland, Safari ltd, Procon or Tungu-Tungu, I just don't understand how come this invading species is still sold. Maybe because the population is soooo alienated already nobody knows there were more than five species of dinos in prehistory. When a company releases a T-Rex, I feel like telling the company:"sell it at one dollar the piece, it's too common to sell it even 10$". Other dinos deserve to be produced as toys, not just the overproduced and overrated T-Rex. But which one? This is for overrated figures, not overrated animals. For example, Papo and Schleich T.rex figures could be considered overrated, if anyone liked them (but mainly the former). As for stopping T.rex figures--something has to pay the bills. And while it would be great to see Thescelosaurus and Anurognathus and Ambulocetus as figures, they just aren't going to attract any attention beyond the (tiny, tiny market of) collectors. At least some companies try to balance--a new T.rex with a new Guanlong, Inostrancevia, Kaprosuchus and Edmontosaurus. Keep in mind, we could just as easily insert the name Smilodon, Woolly Mammoth, Triceratops, or Velociraptor here, and the effect would be about the same. But what does that really mean? What it means is that, this far into the year, anyone who wants to see more diversity should look at their shelf (or wherever they put their collection) and see at least a few of those. If you don't, you are sending the message that those figures are not interesting to consumers, so they won't take the risk next year (CollectA is kind of odd, in that they seem to specialize primarily in unusual ones, but then, their market share is pretty much nil). It's called voting with your wallets. If you don't have them, meaning you didn't buy them, you send the message that you don't want them. That's the language the developers speak. They don't read forums to find out what you want to buy some day; they look at sales records to look at what has actually been purchased (more to the point, they look at sales records to look at what has been sold more than once). Otherwise, those really cool figures that you meant to pick up but didn't will get discontinued--and will rise in value. So for those of us who already have them, thanks I guess. ;D Agree. CollectA, without the backup support of other huge category/range of toyline, has taken a huge risk in producing really obscure species, many never before made into figures. And yet so many collectors are so hard on them and don't even try to support or give them any credit for their efforts So far, they are doing really well. Actually, they are huge overseas, in Europe and Asia. They are now just really expanding into the N America market
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Post by Himmapaan on Oct 7, 2011 13:55:20 GMT
Although mysteriously enough, they are not to be found in the UK at all, other than online.
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Post by bowheadwhale on Oct 7, 2011 19:49:39 GMT
Although mysteriously enough, they are not to be found in the UK at all, other than online. And I can't find them in Canada either! CollectA obscure dinos and other prehistorics are so interesting to my eyes, yet so unavailable in my country, it's a shame. When I buy my first one (I intend getting a few someday), I know I'll have to pay tremendous shipping because it will come from overseas. Just like 90% of my Bullylands, which come from Europe (my Chalicotherium is from Germany, my Archeopteryx is from Belgium, my Belemnite is from Italy...). And because they were from Europe, shipping prices were not that light to bear. And it will be exactly the same with my future CollectA, I'm sure of it. If only CollectA was available in East Canada...
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Post by bowheadwhale on Oct 9, 2011 18:56:05 GMT
Ok, then, if we talk about overrated "figures", let's just say PAPO VELOCIRAPTOR. It's rather well done, but completely outdated. It just looks like any of the Jurassic Park crave figures, and we now know raptors actually had feathers, which we didn't know back in 1993; but Papo still makes raptors like 1993 movie stars, not like accurate raptors. I prefer a whole lot more the BULLYLAND VELOCIRAPTOR because it's a lot more up to date. As for a totally underrated figure, I would say SAFARI LTD ARSINOITHERIUM. Along with Bullyland Deinotherium and CollecTa Paraceratherium, it's one of the greatest prehistoric mammal toy I've ever seen. Unfortunately, no one seems to know that figure even once existed, even after its retirement. It was unnoticed while it was available and, unlike Bully Deinotherium on which now collectors fight over to get, Safari Arsinoitherium seems to have faded in oblivion. Unfair, really. In other words, there are two figures I just cannot get: Bully Deinotherium because it's now overexpensive, and Safari Arsinoitherium because it seems to simply have vanished.
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