Hasbro rolls out the red carpet for their newest line of action figures.
While the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 movie is set to release in theaters in May, Hasbro has wasted no time in announcing the upcoming action figures for the movie. While these figures look amazing, we wonder, are they asking too much of the consumer? As the exclusive story broke on Game Rant this morning, many fans were quick to notice that Groot, a beloved character from the franchise, was missing from the Build-A-Wave collection. So lets take a look at what does come in the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 action figure wave: included are Star-Lord, Drax, Nebula, Mantis, Rocket, Kraglin, and the film’s main antagonist, Adam Warlock. The final reveal was Cosmo the Spacedog, as the BAF, who was briefly introduced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film as a prisoner of the Collector, and played a ‘slightly’ larger role in their recent Holiday Special. So where’s Groot? As the speculation continued to grew on social media, over on Gamespot the answers came in. It would appear that Groot comes separately from the BAF wave. This “Swole” version of Groot will also be available for preorder on February 22 alongside the GOTG wave.
Now it wouldn’t be a proper release without a little controversy to accompany the good news. As several fans have suggested in comments that Groot would have been a perfect BAF as many past BAF’s have been larger figures (even Horses). While Rocket being on the smaller side, could have paired perfectly with Cosmo as a 2-pack. Instead Hasbro decided to split Cosmo into 7 parts and sell Groot as an “accessory” to the Wave. Which will force consumers to purchase the entire team as well as Kraglin and Adam Warlock to complete Cosmo. Now as much as these two figures may be celebrated by fans not everyone is excited to see the final bill to complete this line.
Guardians of The Galaxy 3 action figures pricing breakdown.
As the Build-A-Wave figures are priced at $24.99 retail, completing the entire team would cost fans a hefty $175. Adding Groot to the collection as a separate figure would cost an additional $40, bringing the total well over $200 before taxes and shipping. Hasbro’s decision to exclude Groot from the Build-A-Wave collection has created a conundrum for fans. While some may be wondering if they should go all-in and buy the whole team, or skip the collection altogether and save their money for other figures on the horizon. While Hasbro’s recent pricing increases has brought wide criticism of the toy maker, this isn’t the only concern on record. The switch to windowless packaging has also left a sour taste in many consumers mouths as collectors of action figures want to see the figures they are purchasing, before they toss it in their cart. Breaking from the long held standard among the toy industries packaging, as well as pricing increases, may be a contributing factor in the decline of sales for the mega corporation. The recent decline in sales has even led to the laying off of more than 1,000 employees, which translates to about 15% of its overall workforce. As the company is currently experiencing difficulties, it appears that they will require some wins in 2023 to help them recover. So the question remains, will this wave make the cut?
What do you think, Buy or Pass?
Despite the frustration we consumers may have regarding Hasbro corp, the figures themselves appear to be well-made (at least as much as the promotional images may suggest.) Mantis can even be seen in full cross-legged position proving exceptional articulation. The team suits are also a nice touch and nod to their source comics, however fans will eventually have the final say once the figures hit shelves and we get a first hand look at the figures. Quality control is always an issue with such large releases so we’ll see if Hasbro is able to deliver on the hype and ultimately deliver on the $200+ investment they are asking of fans to complete the wave. As anyone who is a fan of the comics it will be hard to pass up on these figures with the team uniform. Whether the newest film will be as big of a hit as the first 2 films, is yet to be seen, however fans of the movies are definitely excited to see Groot back in full swing.
Looking forward:
Despite my frustrations with Hasbro, I’d rather not leave you thinking I don’t like these figures (because I really do,) so lets dive into what we’re getting and take a closer look at each of the figures announced.
Images from Game Rant
Check out our other recent Hasbro Announcements:
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