Mattel - New for 2023

[EmperorDinobot]

I think it is designed to play on the nostalgia of older JP/TLW collectors.

I, for one, found Capture Gear to be an annoyance because I suffer from OCD and have to leave it on all the time.

They are also playing on the whole "control the animals" type thing.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I think it is designed to play on the nostalgia of older JP/TLW collectors.

I, for one, found Capture Gear to be an annoyance because I suffer from OCD and have to leave it on all the time.

They are also playing on the whole "control the animals" type thing.

I can sort of see that..but like this vest thing doesn't bind it, close it's mouth, chain it up or anything? Just seem superfluous?

I remember seeing the name " Capture Gear" and getting all excited about the play possibilities. I had some fences with the command compound and now I could catch and lock them up...only to have them escape and cause chaos. Really excited a boys interest. 

[alexeratops]

I think it's supposed to be some sort of fancy tracker vest or something of the sort.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I think it's supposed to be some sort of fancy tracker vest or something of the sort.

Yeah it just sort of reinforces my point as to "what" it's supposed to be and how kids are supposed to know that. You know what I mean? Give us a cartoon, a back story, some art cards or even art on the box that explains what is going on. These dinos have this gear with no one controlling them or using it. It's just sort of..there.  Maybe it will help sell the toy, but  I bet 90% of kids just toss it aside.

[PrimevalRaptor]

The teeth positioning looks a bit awkward with the opened mouth but otherwise this really is a fun toy, kid me would have had a blast with it. Still waiting for some ichthyosaurs down the line cause Mattel's marine reptiles really are among the better designs for sure.

[YesIAmaDinosaur]

Marine reptiles are my favorite when it comes to prehistoric creatures but I always kind of avoided the elasmosaurus because their long neck is way too ridiculous to me haha. I always liked the more laid back, anatomically proportionate ones. I have a bunch of the plesiosaurs Mattel has made in all their various colors.

That said I am definitely getting a couple of these. They look great. Hopefully the same mold is used for some other colors in the future.

[Ikessauro]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but do you guys know if Hammond Collection is supposed to be limited edition? Suddenly some models (Dilopho, Cerato) seem to be out of stock everywhere and scalpers are going nuts with the prices.

If anyone knows where to buy these for a reasonable price let me know

[Shane]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but do you guys know if Hammond Collection is supposed to be limited edition? Suddenly some models (Dilopho, Cerato) seem to be out of stock everywhere and scalpers are going nuts with the prices.

If anyone knows where to buy these for a reasonable price let me know

I don't know if they are specifically limited edition, but any time a figure sells through its initial run in retail stores and is no longer commonly on the store shelves, you're likely to see a markup in the aftermarket prices.

It is a bit surprising that some of these figures that came out not too long ago are now suddenly going for double the retail price or more.

I don't think I've seen anything stating the Hammond Collection is strictly limited edition. There's always the chance these could get re-issued at some point I would think.

[Ikessauro]

I don't know if they are specifically limited edition, but any time a figure sells through its initial run in retail stores and is no longer commonly on the store shelves, you're likely to see a markup in the aftermarket prices.

It is a bit surprising that some of these figures that came out not too long ago are now suddenly going for double the retail price or more.

I don't think I've seen anything stating the Hammond Collection is strictly limited edition. There's always the chance these could get re-issued at some point I would think.

Yeah, I'm really tired of all of this man.   It is slowly taking the fun out of collecting. Not only I already have to pay multiple times the original price because I live in Brazil, so shipping costs and import taxes increase a lot the prices, also my currency is worth way less than the US Dollar, now I have to buy everything the minute it is released or accept to pay way more later, if I can find one for sale. 

The scalpers don't even wait anymore for something to be rare. The instant they notice something is out of stock from most popular online retailers, they double the price or raise it up even more.

[Shane]

The scalpers don't even wait anymore for something to be rare. The instant they notice something is out of stock from most popular online retailers, they double the price or raise it up even more.

I've definitely noticed this trend in toy collecting recently. Once something is no longer common at retail, aftermarket prices will skyrocket for anything even remotely desirable. In the past, if an item was available in large enough numbers, even on the aftermarket, it would keep the price pretty reasonable. But it seems like all that has gone out the window since around 2020 or so.

[Ikessauro]

The scalpers don't even wait anymore for something to be rare. The instant they notice something is out of stock from most popular online retailers, they double the price or raise it up even more.

I've definitely noticed this trend in toy collecting recently. Once something is no longer common at retail, aftermarket prices will skyrocket for anything even remotely desirable. In the past, if an item was available in large enough numbers, even on the aftermarket, it would keep the price pretty reasonable. But it seems like all that has gone out the window since around 2020 or so.

Exactly. And it is even worse when companies like Mattel keep pumping out dozens new models each month, with little intention of keeping them in production for long term.
There are times I wish Mattel just stopped making Jurassic Toys. Take a break, make fewer products, but really good ones.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I can't fault them. Mattel isn't in the same business exactly as other companies that make dinosaur toys. Retailers want something fresh and new every quarter to keep kids/parents buying. It's not like say..Papo? That can produce a figure for years then retire it. If they slowed down, retailers would quit stocking their product and they would go out of business. It's a vicious cycle.

It's all super fast. Just look at other markets. Like cellphones or apps. They are constantly having to push product. The time to buy something is in the year it's produced. I would say preorder it, if you can't get it within a month or two after it's released or watch carefully for sales, once Target puts something on sale that's it. It's probably going to wholesale houses after that. I've seen a lot turn up on pallets at a local auction house. A prime example is the Tanystropheus. Never saw it at retail, but there were boxes of them at our local auction house just before Christmas. All of them are gone now and I don't expect to see any more.

[andrewsaurus rex]

as long as people pay scalper's high prices, there will be scalpers with high prices.  If enough collectors get fed up and stop buying from them, then prices will be forced down.  It's oft said the cure for high prices is high prices.

there are those who think that the problem with scalpers is not the scalpers themselves.......it's the people who buy from them.

[Shane]

I can't fault them. Mattel isn't in the same business exactly as other companies that make dinosaur toys. Retailers want something fresh and new every quarter to keep kids/parents buying. It's not like say..Papo? That can produce a figure for years then retire it. If they slowed down, retailers would quit stocking their product and they would go out of business. It's a vicious cycle.

It's all super fast. Just look at other markets. Like cellphones or apps. They are constantly having to push product. The time to buy something is in the year it's produced. I would say preorder it, if you can't get it within a month or two after it's released or watch carefully for sales, once Target puts something on sale that's it. It's probably going to wholesale houses after that. I've seen a lot turn up on pallets at a local auction house. A prime example is the Tanystropheus. Never saw it at retail, but there were boxes of them at our local auction house just before Christmas. All of them are gone now and I don't expect to see any more.

I think that speed, that short attention span, is part of the issue. The shelf life of a toy at retail used to be like...a year? Sometimes more. Now it's a few months, tops.

You either grab it when it's on the shelf, or roll the dice and hope it hits clearance, but even that is happening now sometimes after just a few weeks of a product on a shelf. If you miss it, then your only choice is re-sellers unless there's a reissue.

It's gotten fairly ridiculous. A company like Jakks Pacific, that makes fairly "kid-focused" toys, ie. not for collectors, recently finished releasing the Koopa Kids from Super Mario Bros. But Roy Koopa was released a couple of years ago. So if you want a Roy Koopa now, you're stuck with a bunch of people selling a 2.5" cheap plastic figure for $200 that retailed for $6 or so.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

as long as people pay scalper's high prices, there will be scalpers with high prices.  If enough collectors get fed up and stop buying from them, then prices will be forced down.  It's oft said the cure for high prices is high prices.

there are those who think that the problem with scalpers is not the scalpers themselves.......it's the people who buy from them.

That's true, but it's not going to happen. The demand is higher for some figures than the availability..so some are always going to be higher in price and a collector will pay to get it. I sell on ebay and can give a lot of examples, you will see a figure that sold for 50.00 with 20 more listings that are over 50.00 sometimes by 3 times as much. They sit there month after month til some collector wants one and there aren't any others available so they splurge and are stuck paying it.

I think that speed, that short attention span, is part of the issue. The shelf life of a toy at retail used to be like...a year? Sometimes more. Now it's a few months, tops.

You either grab it when it's on the shelf, or roll the dice and hope it hits clearance, but even that is happening now sometimes after just a few weeks of a product on a shelf. If you miss it, then your only choice is re-sellers unless there's a reissue.

It's gotten fairly ridiculous. A company like Jakks Pacific, that makes fairly "kid-focused" toys, ie. not for collectors, recently finished releasing the Koopa Kids from Super Mario Bros. But Roy Koopa was released a couple of years ago. So if you want a Roy Koopa now, you're stuck with a bunch of people selling a 2.5" cheap plastic figure for $200 that retailed for $6 or so.

That's it exactly. You hear the older folks talk about things moving at a slower pace, this is part of what they mean. Things had a tendency to hang around back then. I've noticed it as I get older.  There also isn't as much appreciation for things, parents dump toys enmasse several times a year or just tell grandparents/friends don't buy my kid toys, maybe tickets to a zoo instead. 

[Shane]

That's it exactly. You hear the older folks talk about things moving at a slower pace, this is part of what they mean. Things had a tendency to hang around back then. I've noticed it as I get older.  There also isn't as much appreciation for things, parents dump toys enmasse several times a year or just tell grandparents/friends don't buy my kid toys, maybe tickets to a zoo instead. 

It's evident in how the sheer amount of output has increased dramatically in the last 10 or 20 years or so.

Look at a line like Hasbro's Marvel Legends. In its early days they were lucky to put out 3 waves of figures a year. Then about ten years in it was up to 5 or 6 waves a year. Now we get between 10 and 12 waves a year, often between 100-150 total figures.

Retail shelf space is finite, and retailers don't want these figures clogging up the pegs, so they move them in an out at a much faster rate, because the total amount of releases is drastically higher than it once was.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

That's it exactly. You hear the older folks talk about things moving at a slower pace, this is part of what they mean. Things had a tendency to hang around back then. I've noticed it as I get older.  There also isn't as much appreciation for things, parents dump toys enmasse several times a year or just tell grandparents/friends don't buy my kid toys, maybe tickets to a zoo instead. 

It's evident in how the sheer amount of output has increased dramatically in the last 10 or 20 years or so.

Look at a line like Hasbro's Marvel Legends. In its early days they were lucky to put out 3 waves of figures a year. Then about ten years in it was up to 5 or 6 waves a year. Now we get between 10 and 12 waves a year, often between 100-150 total figures.

Retail shelf space is finite, and retailers don't want these figures clogging up the pegs, so they move them in an out at a much faster rate, because the total amount of releases is drastically higher than it once was.

You hit the nail on the proverbial head there. That's it exactly.  It's one reason retail stores are having such problems and the smaller mom&pop shops can't compete. Can you imagine just a what a modern day ToyRUs would look like? Can you see running one?  There's no way it would work out when you can do online sales from a freshly supplied warehouse that changes stock almost every other day. Because the number of toy/collectible producers is huge and isn't slowing down either.  I used to collect dinosaur resin kits from a variety of artists, when China jumped in the pool it flooded. You can't invest in one model without 50 more coming out before you get the one.

Everyone is in a hurry to be fresh and new which is what collectors need to adapt to as well or just realize they can only do so much, this is what I've done. Our funds haven't grown much vs the selection we are offered.

[CityRaptor]

I think Alan Grant pretty much sums it up:

The world has just changed so radically, and we're all running to catch up.

Also regarding the fact that the Explorer comes with a Raptor, I remembered something:
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/jurassicpark/images/6/66/JurassicWorldComicConPoster.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140723220411

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I think Alan Grant pretty much sums it up:

The world has just changed so radically, and we're all running to catch up.

Also regarding the fact that the Explorer comes with a Raptor, I remembered something:
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/jurassicpark/images/6/66/JurassicWorldComicConPoster.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140723220411

I think that was Blue though? but yeah could be some ties there.

[Shane]

Our funds haven't grown much vs the selection we are offered.

This is the biggest takeaway to me.

There's so much new stuff, the sheer amount of things we are offered and the pace at which it comes has increased exponentially, but it's not like most people are suddenly making exponentially more money.