MR drops CE line...Qui-Gon ONLY one to be made!

[Crimsonnaire]

It looks like the consumers made their protest heard. The Collector's Edition was established with the intention of creating a product line that would endlessly reel in profit, despite the existence of a Limited Edition counterpart. Ironically, this very intention was the eventual catalyst that made the Qui-Gon CE an LE.

This is the challenge for such companies--to decisively market products without treading their underlying policy of limitation. Certainly, there are ways of flexing around this policy, and the Collector's Edition was the worst attempt, IMO. No way, will it be that easy. But nevertheless, they'll overcome for as sure as the failure of the CE... Or will they...?

 

[Grouch]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cenobyte @ Dec 11 2006, 09:25 PM) [snapback]1376035[/snapback]</div>

I think they best answered why in this quote..

"Despite our best efforts to highlight the various differences in CEs and LEs, consumers – as a whole – did not warm up to the concept."

About it being a "crock", would you continue to produce an item that is apparently NOT selling as expected and has been getting more negative response than positive and just to see it being sold at wholesale or bargain bin prices eventually just to clear them out.

That original poster's sentiment seems to not make any sense to me.
[/b]

For the people that bought the CE it got very very positive reviews and responses. It got unfounded negative responses from the LE INVESTERS who were afraid that CE releases of their LE sabers would cause the LE saber to lose its value.

There is no evidence to support such a view. It was little more than witch hunt.

If MR is going to use a single, not very well excuted attempt, as there basis to deside the fate of a product line they should have canceld the FX after the first Anakin AOTC was released.

 

[Lord Abaddon]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cenobyte @ Dec 11 2006, 11:25 PM) [snapback]1376035[/snapback]</div>

I think they best answered why in this quote..

"Despite our best efforts to highlight the various differences in CEs and LEs, consumers – as a whole – did not warm up to the concept."

About it being a "crock", would you continue to produce an item that is apparently NOT selling as expected and has been getting more negative response than positive and just to see it being sold at wholesale or bargain bin prices eventually just to clear them out.

That original poster's sentiment seems to not make any sense to me.
[/b]

It's a crock because they used one item, and a poorly chosen one, to try to market the CE entire line. From what we saw in the preview ads upcoming items had a far better chance of success for the line than a single Qui-Gon that has been advertised for...what...a year now? They basically doomed the line from the beginning when, as several have stated, it could have been very successful.

And as for "highlighting the differences" they actually did, again as noted previously, no such thing. They made the differences minimal on two identical items released at the same time.

Had they released a Luke ROTJ, Obi ANH, or even a Windu AOTC they would likely have seen a big difference in how customers reacted. Especially if the LEs were long ago sold out and the materials were of a different nature (the different stands alone would have caused different interested parties).

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

The problem with "highlighting the differences" is that if you have to highlight them for the consumer to notice, then they are not different enough". Nobody looks at a convertable and a coup and says "what's the difference. They look at a convertable and say, "Ok so I pay an extra ten grand because I get to drive with the top down."

The CE should have been dfferent enough from the LE that the average customer who is deciding between the two would say, "Ok, so I pay an extra $200.00 because it's metal."

Continually stressing that one was die cast and one was machine (a difference which is not necessarily generally noticable) just doesn't cut it, because the costomer would look at both the LE and CE and say, "So their basically the same, but I pay $200.00 extra for a stand and a plaque."

Dan

 

[Sporak]

Unfortunately....
It's all about the money

Sad.

 

[bigbaddaddyvader]

I have a few LE's,mainly Sith sabers,and I have to say it would have annoyed me had they been released as CE's not because they would have lowered their values as an investment,in my view the investment in a replica is negligible anyway,but because I would have felt a bit conned by paying the extra money for something that is virtually indistinguishable.I agree that the CE line was a great idea and had they released some other sabers such as the Obi ANH,as has been suggested,or even a vader ROTJ I would very definitely have been interested.Also as has been mentioned they chose a weak saber to start with as the Qui-Gon just isn't enough to immediately grab attention.It's defnitely a wasted opportunity.

 

[ortiz34]

Im begining to think that people have been blindly purchasing MR stuff and really have no idea what they are buying.

generally Le's usually breaks down to
200- saber(high quality materials)
60- case
60- plaque

a CE was basically
200- saber(lower quality materials)

but in reality, investment wise if it is missing ANY of the parts, its not something any investor would be interested in.

LE owners were whining about the Certificate, complaining that thier 'investment' wouldnt be able to be maintained.

The sabers arent even numbered, its the plaques, I dont recall seeing many MR plaques on screen in star wars.

The Le owners ruined it for the people not willing to pay 350+ for something that will sit on a table.
Mr is basically out of sabers to make anyway, no idea why they would bow down to customers who they already had , instead of try and get new ones...

 

[Jedirick]

I think I'll go back to fan made props again.
[/b]

Each time I look over my collection, I find fascination with fan made items is as strong as ever. Seems just a few MR type items hold such atttention. I believe this to be because I know the fan made item was a labor of love, hate and desire of the maker to be part of the film they so admire.

 

[Jedi-72]

The LE owners did sort of ruin in for the more casual fan, but I still don't understand their anal retentivity over their perceived value of their "investment". For many sabers you can build out of the original parts, or out of better quality replica parts than MR offers, and for a lot less money. You can have the "real deal" so to speak out of mostly original parts. Why pay hundreds more, or in some cases stupidly inflated after market prices, for something that isn't "original". Why?... Because it shines all all pretty in your display case? The original ones didn't. So, what are they really overpaying for to begin with? I don't get it how people enjoy overpaying for things.

 

[bigbaddaddyvader]

I very much agree with that.There is just no way I was going to pay MR prices for a Luke ANH or ESB when I can build one myself out of an original graflex to be more authentic,look just as good,less expensive and have a nice feeling knowing you built it up yourself.I had a lot of fun making my Luke sabers and finding as many original parts as I could and it damn sure didn't cost me over $300.

 

[tripoli]

You have to look at the cost of researching and developing the piece, tooling, display material cost, operational cost, saleries, marketing and the large licensing fee that goes into each one of these limited edition pieces. If it was a huge unlimited amount, they could bring the cost down dividing out the overhead. But with limited edition pieces have a high production cost that has to be factored in producing the retail pricing MR list. That is a lot of money divided into those pieces, the suggested retail is actually pretty low considering. For the graflex replicas, you have to look at the fact it is a licensed display piece, you are paying for far more than just a replica on hand.
The CE line would have cut down that cost, the reason they were able to lower it as they announced. But I believe the $ 200 dollar price was most likely based upon expected sales and output of the CE line. Given the first one was not selling as hoped, I would guess they looked at the bottom line they were currently seeing as well the eBay sales and decided to drop the line. With Corgi at the head, I have to assume the first thing they are going to look at is their profitable to non profitable lines based on the bottom line income. Its one of the things that Corgi has consistanmtly done when merging with another company. It will be interesting to see what other moves MR makes inthe near future. Corgi has had a habit of killing merged businesses by not looking at what the companie produces and the demand, but the bottom income/profit line.

 

[AlltoEasy]

not wishing to get flamed by saying this but...

Looks like the Rebel Scum guys got their wish after all (no offense to any of the guys that post over there), but I bet I was the reactions that the CE line got from the hardcore collectors about devalueing their "investments" that got the line canned.

I was kind of looking forward to some of the things MR had planned for the CE line, looks like its fan made stuff for me then.

Dan

 

[cayman shen]

I agree. RS is an extremely negative place sometimes (no offense meant, so please don't flame me either). I wonder if the massive uproar over there contributed to the death of this line.

Of course, a quick look at ebay led me to believe that these aren't selling well, so maybe the blame can be laid at the door of pure economics.

A number of people have mentioned that it was a weak prop to start the line. That's kind of a judgement call. They had to start with a new saber, not an LE rehash, or they would have been even more crucified on the boards than they were. And the fans DID want a Qui-gon. The idea that it's a weak saber is really a matter of opinion--it's my all time favorite, and I was thrilled to get my CE. It's by far the pride of my collection, and it doesn't seem cheap to me at all. Heck, the OB ROTS feels much cheaper (75%plastic.). I think the slow sales may have more to do with the lessening SW hype as we move farther from ROTS.

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

Just to clarify. The black parts on the OWK ROTS saber are not plastic. They are die cast metal.

If you want to check. Disassemble the saber and look inside Like I did.

Dan

 

[cayman shen]

Really? I thought they were ABS around a metal rod. To quote Groo, did I err?

 

[Grouch]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AlltoEasy @ Dec 12 2006, 07:45 AM) [snapback]1376241[/snapback]</div>

not wishing to get flamed by saying this but...

Looks like the Rebel Scum guys got their wish after all (no offense to any of the guys that post over there), but I bet I was the reactions that the CE line got from the hardcore collectors about devalueing their "investments" that got the line canned.

I was kind of looking forward to some of the things MR had planned for the CE line, looks like its fan made stuff for me then.

Dan
[/b]

Yeah itÂ’s pretty interesting over there. They cry babied for so long and got their wish. If youÂ’re in the collecting game to make a profit you might as well not be in it. How I would laugh the day the market drops out of star war and the whole line end up being worth pennies on the dollar. Anyone remember Beanie Babies?

I think this instance proves RPF to be a forum for real collectors and not speculative investors.

 

[masterjedi322]

I have to echo my feelings that this is very disappointing news. The Qui-Gon CE was the first saber I bought from MR, and I am incredibly pleased with it. I was looking forward to more from their CE line, but it doesn't look like that'll happen.

Sean

 

[bigbaddaddyvader]

I can't understand why these people honestly see these as an investment.We're not talking original props here.As has been said this board is obviously for collectors who just love the pieces,in all their forms,and not as some sort of prospective cash cow.It would have been nice to have seen the furthering of the CE line as it was that much more affordable,while still retaining the MR quality,to collectors who just want the saber.Sad indeed that a bunch of moaning harpies got their way on this one.

 

[defyitall]

As a young someone without the captial to spend on the expensive LE versions without a coupon, sale, or insanity on my side, my problem with the CE idea was this:

When the concept was first announced by MR I was overjoyed. I figured since the LE's g for 300-400 dollars and the Force FX at $120, that the CE line would be made of a similar vein to the FX hilts but lacking electronics and of a more accurate size. In my mind priced between 50 and 100 dollars.

That to me seemed like a nice price drop for the budget minded consumers.

When the final cost of the Qui Gon CE was announced at $200 MSRP, I was kind of taken aback. Only a drop of about $150 bucks didn't seme like much of a deal to me.

I guess they originally wanted them at a price point between the FX's and the LE's. The deal was sweetened when they made it solid metal. But if it had remained resin, it seemed like a rip to me.

Anyway, poor young kid rant over.

 

[Bothan Jedi]

i never understood why they released LE an CE Qui at near the same time. i can see why they canned the CE - less markup and probably ate LE Qui sales. i'm sure they have a warehouse full of LE's.

now if they'd done the ANH Obi it would have been a different story.