Empire’s End: The State of Star Wars Collecting in the UK

"Size matters not. Everywhere, bad management is."

More so than at any other point in the 18 years since POTF2 launched, the Star Wars action figure line appears to be in real trouble. Overly expensive, with hit and miss character choices and baffling case selections, the 3.75” Black Series line is proving a mixed bag for collectors, with some figures impossible to find whilst others sit and languish. Meanwhile, proving that nothing was learnt from 2012’s Phantom Menace debacle, the over produced first wave of Saga Legends is clogging up shelves everywhere. The budget line is divisive, but at first it seemed like the figures were selling well at the lower price point – now however there’s no getting away from the fact that the line is stalling. This all-round poor management and failure to sell will eventually lead to price reductions and clearance sales, which many collectors now wait for. No-one can blame them for waiting though, because the ever-increasing RRP for the figures is becoming truly prohibitive.

Thank you Toyark.com for the image!

I wrote this article about my take on the health of the 3.75” line back when the larger Black Series figures were announced, with the full intention of migrating to the new scale. At £20 each the figures are expensive, but the build quality and the way that each figure thus far has seemed like a definitive release makes the cost just about worth it, for cherry picking at least. Unfortunately before it’s had a chance to truly begin, the 6” line is already looking troubled.

Firstly the gap between waves one and two has been a real momentum killer, with many collectors losing interest in the line in the intervening months. I’m sure the figures are good enough to rebuild that interest but it’s an unnecessary stumbling block, and one that the re-launched Marvel Legends, to choose a pertinent example, did not suffer from. 

The second problem is the switch to the three figure wave, with the fourth figure being a repack. This decision actually makes sense, in the case of the repack being an army builder like a Stormtrooper. However, as has been announced with wave three, Hasbro are repacking Han Solo. Don’t get me wrong, Han looks like an excellent figure, and if there is the demand for him then I’ll happily hold my hands up; but unfortunately the Stormtrooper was the clear best choice for that slot. If that wasn't possible then there were no excuses not to repack Solo’s wave mate Boba Fett, a figure that scalpers worldwide are making a mint on. These case selection issues seem endemic at Hasbro, and scalpers are laughing all the way to the bank. No-one legitimate wins from this situation.

RRP: £20. Availability: Sparse.

The absolutely fatal strike against the Black Series however is the price hike. At £20 each the figures are already a luxury item (and I bought mine with vouchers and in a sale), but from wave three the price is climbing to an unsustainable £25 each. That equates to just over $40, to put it into context for any US readers, for a 6” plastic figure. It doesn’t matter how good the figures are, that is a rip-off. I know that I’m not alone in thinking this, and I really believe that this is going to do more damage to the brand than Hasbro may have accounted for. In reality these figures should cost about £15 each, £18 maximum. It’s going to be hard to stay with the line when the figures become that dear.

The thing is, I’m not swearing off the Black Series; I like the figures way too much to do that. I am however going to join the many other collectors in waiting for sales and clearance discounts to pick up the releases that I want, and I think that’s a shame all round. I am disappointed that something that started off with such promise has run into these kinds of issues by only the third wave.

Thank you TFW2005.com for the image!

It isn’t all doom and gloom though, there is, personally, a bright side. The allure of the Black Series got me to seriously question my collecting, and I made myself break some of the bad purchasing/hoarding habits I’d developed. The issues with the Star Wars lines have actually given me the opportunity to invest more time in my other action figure interests, and time spent researching Transformers Masterpieces and TMNT Classics has helped me to refine my ideas of what I want from a collection – in other words, collecting Star Wars has made me collect other lines!

Really though, whatever happens with the Black Series I’m grateful we’ve seen it at all, for the figures we do have are rather splendid. Whatever I end up spending my money on, I really am hoping that these current issues are easily resolved bumps in the road, and that the line goes on to a long, glorious and (most of all) affordable future.