Ratchet Get?
After several months, Ratchet and Clank now sit on my desk. I was pretty happy when they announced that they were going to make action figures. It's always been something I thought our industry lacked in general - merchandising. Back in the days of Mario, you could find the mustachioed plumber on everything from cereal boxes to underwear. I don't believe this has happened on the same scale ever since. Putting aside that merchandising is far more common in Japan, there are only a few games that have spun-off here in the states. Mega Man had figures tied into the 90s cartoon. So did Earthworm Jim. I guess there were those Street Fighter toys that were based on G.I. Joe figures. Sonic counts, I guess. But the trend is certainly against newer franchises. It probably goes hand-in-hand with how the industry is less mascot-focused these days. Yet, in the search for supplemental income, usually through DLC, it's odd that we don't consider potential merchandising opportunities. Heck, even cheap stuff like posters or calendars would be something.
Still, I would say all of the action figures of the past were good, hardy toys that could withstand the abuse of a little kid playing with them. I found my Mega Man figures in a box last week and through they were scuffed here and there, they were structurally fine. No one was missing a leg and Mega Man was still as uncomfortably musclebound as ever. But Ratchet? Not so much. Right out of the box, his right arm is precariously loose, and I fail to see how Clank "transforms" beyond moving his legs a little. For the premium price, I expected better, but it is Ratchet. And I love Ratchet, so I can't be too mad at him. <3
Maybe the moral of the story is to leave the toymaking to the companies that know how to do it. After all, Playmates made the EWJ figures and they were as indestructible as anything else.
Still, I would say all of the action figures of the past were good, hardy toys that could withstand the abuse of a little kid playing with them. I found my Mega Man figures in a box last week and through they were scuffed here and there, they were structurally fine. No one was missing a leg and Mega Man was still as uncomfortably musclebound as ever. But Ratchet? Not so much. Right out of the box, his right arm is precariously loose, and I fail to see how Clank "transforms" beyond moving his legs a little. For the premium price, I expected better, but it is Ratchet. And I love Ratchet, so I can't be too mad at him. <3
Maybe the moral of the story is to leave the toymaking to the companies that know how to do it. After all, Playmates made the EWJ figures and they were as indestructible as anything else.