Star Wars the Black Series has announced a bunch of new figures. The Black Series line is known for its 6″ figures to resemble who or whatever they are based after. As the accuracy of the details goes up, the figures look even better, but it looks like the prices are closely rising, too.
The usual price for a black series figure was $19.99 when I started collecting last summer. Now, we are looking at an average of $22.99. It may not seem like a significant price increase, but for the collectors out there, who try and get every piece, that extra $3 adds up quickly. The $22.99 price tag is for the non-exclusives, too.
The exclusives are known for being more expensive; it makes sense, they are only available at one store, and I am sure they have to bid for the right to be exclusive. With that said, we were looking at a $24.99 average for the exclusive Black Series figures. Now, we are looking at $26.99-$29.99.
EXCLUSIVE, EXCLUSIVE, EXCLUSIVE
One of the latest exclusive figures to be announced is Captain Rex. He will be wearing his post Order 66 outfit, as seen in The Bad Batch. But, the big issue with this character is the price tag. Captain Rex retails for $29.99 at Walmart, and it appears that the $5 increase in the figure is due to his popularity and not coming in a “deluxe” set.
The usual deluxe sets, such as Return of the Jedi’s Boba Fett, or The Bad Batch’s Wrecker are $29.99. They are usually larger figures that come with multiple accessories to compliment the figure and price tag. Captain Rex seems like he is a bit dull to be $29.99. In my humble opinion, it’s a bit ridiculous for Hasbro, who sets the MSRP, to cash in on Rex’s popularity and not offer accessories on the side.
Rex comes with his removable helmet, a robe to cover up his armor, and his two blaster pistols. For being such a major and popular character, it seems that Captain Rex could have a lot more to offer. The figure genuinely looks like a $19.99 figure, not $22.99 and certainly not $29.99.
On top of the ridiculous price tag, which retailer has Captain Rex? Everyone’s favorite place to pre-order, Walmart. It feels that Walmart is a part of Hutt space and all the bots that take all the pre-orders are Jabba’s thugs or Hondo’s pirates, just snatching up all the figures to sell on the black market of collecting. And it doesn’t stop there.
HASBRO AND SHOPDISNEY EXCLUSIVES
There are some new Black Series figures are designed after the Power of the Force 2 figures from the 1990s. The second wave of The Power of the Force started in 1995 and ran until 2000. At first, they stuck with the buffed-out versions of the characters, but phased it out after about a year or two to make it more “movie accurate.”
This new wave is some of the most “movie accurate” figures that I have seen, they look pretty fantastic, but once again, we have seen a rise in the price. These figures, exclusives to Hasbro and ShopDisney were anticipated to be $22.99 or $24.99. Nope. These figures are $26.99, and although they do look fantastic, it makes fans wonder if they are worth the price tag.
The accessories with these figures are very limited; Greedo only has his blaster pistol, and Han has the most with three accessories. Even with those three accessories, collectors are still unsure how they feel about the price rise. Will the price keep rising?
The Vintage Collection pieces come with triple the accessories and at a much smaller price. It appears that there is far more attention to detail in that line.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
There are inconsistencies in the pricing for these figures. We are seeing a wide range from the occasional $19.99 to the new average of $22.99 and going all the way up to $29.99 for a non-deluxe figure. What does this mean for the future of the Black Series?
Well, it is hard to tell right now. Hasbro might be playing around with different prices to see which one they will stick to, but after seeing Captain Rex’s new price tag, I would not be surprised if the deluxe figures price went up to $34.99 or worse. After the release of Deluxe Jar Jar Binks and the immense success that figure had, Hasbro is making a bold move with raising prices.
Some fans are losing interest in the Black Series as not only the prices increase, but also the repacks. Hopefully, Hasbro is using this price increase and repacks to fund more sculpts and molds for unreleased characters in the line. But, in reality, that is wishful thinking.
What is your take on the price increase in the Hasbro Star Wars Black Series line? Do you find the price increase worth it? Comment down below and let me know!
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