I seem to be one of the very few who hates this change. Toy Biz wasn't the candy apple everyone seemed to think they were, their paint aps and durability often flat out sucked(and don't get me started on cost cutting and accessories) but they were beginning to listen to fan outcry and fix things, like their terrible distribution. And, they do get lots of credit for pioneering American mass market super articulation, previously only seen in other countries like Japan and (somewhat) smaller companies like McFarlane(Prior to their newfound moto of "let's make cheap pieces of garbage wannabe statues").
But yeah. Back to Hasbro. When they finally seem to be stepping it up in the Star Wars and GI Joe departments after years of stagnant crap, they aquire another gigantic license and totally blow it. Here's hoping it doesn't take them another 15 years to perfect their newest grand license. Honestly, most of these figures are half a decade old. Articulation has obviously gone to the wind, and paint, dare I say it, sucks more on the updated figures than it did on their far older originals. The cloth outfit figures definately seem to be the worse I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, these are ripe for a cheap market- Mego made them, then there was the fairly competant and expansive Famous Covers, then things like super duper MEDICOM toys.. and these are worse than them all. Color me very unimpressed and very dissapointed.
On another note, it is interesting to see diversity straggle away from the modern mass market isles. I haven't yet decided whether or not it's good or bad, but Hasbro now holds the 4 largest sellers for boys- the ones that take up essentially 2 isles in my gigantic Toys R Us- Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers, and now, Marvel Superheroes.
What I do like, I suppose, is the culmination of lines. 3 of the above are getting released under the Titanium Line. Both Star Wars and GI Joe have the mini "unleashed" and "SIGMA 6" lines in the ame style and scales. And then the whole cute Galactic Heroes/Marvel Heroes fisher price style things going on. It is a very interesting monopoly, and one that we have never seen before.
Licensed lines intermingling within specific toylines. It happens in small company lines- like Neca/McFarlane Movie Maniacs Now Playing lines. But never have we seen a massive company have control of so many master licenses that they have their own toylines for each license- and many of them mix.
I can't wait to see what happens.
