I've seen what you buy.
One sheet of Toyhax decals later, and you'll all be all over this thing.
One sheet of Toyhax decals later, and you'll all be all over this thing.
The Loyal Subjects to relaunch MASK, and other Legacy Hasbro Brands
- Thread starter Steevy Maximus
- Start date
Stickers are the path to madness!
Preorders are up at BBTS (and other retailers) for MASK wave 2. And the prices are...oof
Yeah, I MIGHT swing a Hurricane, but those prices are too rich for my blood. Guess we'll find out at SDCC what the future holds. I'm really not expecting this line to stick around much longer at these prices.
But I've been wrong before.
Yeah, I MIGHT swing a Hurricane, but those prices are too rich for my blood. Guess we'll find out at SDCC what the future holds. I'm really not expecting this line to stick around much longer at these prices.
But I've been wrong before.
Ouch! I had really hoped to go probably all-in on this wave. Hurricane was the only one of this group that I had as a kid, but it was one of my favorite toys, so I wanted a nice minty-fresh one and to experience the other 3 for the first time. Given those prices, though, I may have to be more picky-choosy.
They've done every heavy hitter in GI Joe at least twice in Classified. I don't know who hasn't been done who Trakker could be said would be "stealing" from.
Some are simply too fair for this world.Some lesser known "actual" Joe character like Capt Grid Iron maybe?
Yes.
I don't know who, or who they would say, but yes.
I mean, some. Not all, I'm sure. But certainly some.
It would be an absolute travesty if Hasbro released a Matt Tracker Classified figure before such vital characters as Tollboth, the Bridge Layer driver, and Whats-his-name, the Phantom X-19 pilot. A travesty, I tell you! [/sarcasm]
You jest, but...
OUCH.
I want the Piranha as it was my first MASK toy, but I don't $50 want the Piranha. It's not a $50 toy, even as a Collectors line thing. I'd give them $35 for that tops and feel kinda bad about doing it.
-ZacWilliam, I don't see a Wave 3 happening at these prices.
I want the Piranha as it was my first MASK toy, but I don't $50 want the Piranha. It's not a $50 toy, even as a Collectors line thing. I'd give them $35 for that tops and feel kinda bad about doing it.
-ZacWilliam, I don't see a Wave 3 happening at these prices.
See, I’ve been following this kind of collector junk too close for FAR too many years. And…I DO disagree at the “it’s not a $50 toy” assertion. I can see where the budget is going, the sculpting and design improvements, the retro and reusable packaging, the more niche nature of this product.
THAT SAID…I can also see where, for more casual fans, we don’t have the “brand investment” to justify paying these prices for this kind of product. I’ve seen some on other forums hyperbolically say how “you can buy the original for that price!”; and my thought is…no you can’t. Not without rolling on some degradation on 20 year old materials, not in a complete retail caliber package. I DO appreciate the consistency and maintain relative price structure on the different offerings, but I’d still argue the line, as a whole, is about 20-25% too expensive for my tastes, and that’s probably still too much for some.
However, maybe the line has sold better than we think since TLS didn’t seem to make an effort to appreciably lower the price?
As I’ve argued before, I think MASK is better remembered for its novel nature as a toy line, but really didn’t make that “emotional connection” many of us did with brands like He-Man, Transformers, GI Joe, or *insert favorite niche line here*. Maybe we just aren’t “hardcore enough” fans of MASK for this expression?
*Even as I say all that, just know that if TLS or someone were to do a Dino-Riders remake line in a similar style to what TLS is doing with MASK? I’d GUARANTEE my budget would be FAR looser.
That's the thing. Classified can roll out $50-$60 multipacks, vehicle sets, etc... because GI Joe is big enough that enough people, even casuals, will be ok with that price for a "collector's item." Transformers can church out $90 Commanders and $120-$150 Titans because Transformers is big enough that enough people, even casuals, will be ok with that price for a "collector's item."
But MASK? No shade, because I enjoy MASK a great deal, but it's not at that level. It's arguably sub-Thundercats. The amount of people who are willing to pay $50 at minimum for a MASK set is much smaller than the amount of people willing do buy something at that price for a GI Joe or Transformers product, and that person is practically non-existent in the casual consumer demographic.
MASK either needs to be cosigned to something other lines like Transformers or GI Joe reference on occasion, or it needs to go total reinvention of the core concept for the kids market. The collector's market/casual adult fan market for MASK isn't nearly big enough to support premium niche product pricing.
And you know what? I think ActionVerse can be a great vehicle (ha) for MASK. ActionVerse is already dipping its toes in vehicles for Marvel and Star Wars lines. And you could even do a fun thing where kids build the masks themselves from the weapons sprews ActionVerse is built around. Judging from current ActionVerse pricing, you could probably sell a MASK set of a driver, a weapons/mask sprew/rack, and a basic vehicle for $25. Which is a pretty good value for a kids line.
It would require a degree of reinvention. Not just regurgitating the 80s line, but that's fine. GI Joe and Transformers and MotU can get away with treading with 80s nostalgia because they're big enough for it. MASK simply isn't.
FYI, Amazon might be trying to ease up on their inventory of MASK, The Condor can be had for $28 (it WAS as low as $25), but the Rhino is now down to $86. And this IS from Amazon, not a 3rd party.
I'm not that familiar with MASK and am still really liking the look of these things, but the goofy pricing ensures I'm not going to give it a chance. You gotta have an entry level item for people who are just curious.
I'll say it again, Hasbro's ActionVerse brand would be perfect for this. You could do a four inch figure, a weapons/mask sprew, and a vehicle and probably sell it for under $30 (based on current ActionVerse vehicle set pricing).
It would be a more kid-oriented thing, but I don't think that's a bad situation. You kind of need to grow the MASK fanbase back up... it's not like other 80s brand that have legions of Gen Xers and Millennials who are committed lifers at this point.
Also ActionVerse is probably the best "kids line" Hasbro has launched in some time, and I desperately want them to do more with it, because the pricing and value and sculpts are all right where they need to be... it just needs to be expanded. And why not MASK? It's not like anyone else is doing much with it. No shade Loyal Subjects but... come on. $50? I reviewed MASK comics for this site once upon a time. If you're not getting someone like me on board it's time to rethink some things.
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*googles*
Good job, Hasbro. I didn't even know ActionVerse existed, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on this now. It looks okay at best, but the pricing makes that okay.
Good job, Hasbro. I didn't even know ActionVerse existed, but I'm going to be keeping an eye on this now. It looks okay at best, but the pricing makes that okay.
Some images from TLS at SDCC, showing off Wave 2 and the Hologram exclusives:
www.toyark.com
And since I’ve declared this the “Hasbro Revival” thread, Super7 was there with Visionaries and Micronauts:
Big Bad Workshop was also there, showing off their COPS N’ Crooks line, with fresh looks at Dr Badvibes (with Buzzsaw) and Longarm:
SDCC 2026 - The Loyal Subjects M.A.S.K. - The Toyark - News
www.toyark.com
And since I’ve declared this the “Hasbro Revival” thread, Super7 was there with Visionaries and Micronauts:
Big Bad Workshop was also there, showing off their COPS N’ Crooks line, with fresh looks at Dr Badvibes (with Buzzsaw) and Longarm:
SDCC 2026 Preview Night: BigBadWorkshop Booth Images
SDCC 2026 Preview Night is Here! Shown below are some of the booth images of current and new Mattel WWE Figures on display!Some new items shown:- Chairface- A
toynewsi.com
Call me when they get to Nightshade.