Madelman Action Figure

I recently got a two pack modern Madelman action figure on sale.  These are 6.5-inch action figures produced by a loooong defunct Spanish company called Popular de Juguetes (PDJ). These figures are  a lot lot lot less popular  compared to the vintage Madelman. That is why the PDJ version are usually sold cheap.

I have been curious about the action figure initially because I thought it would be in the same scale as my Heidi Ott (HO) dolls. Although I already knew that they are taller, I was still curious as their props and clothes might still work with the HO's dolls. I left my HO dolls in the province so they were not included in the comparison photo.

From left to right: modern Madelman, Breyer doll, Britney Spears doll and Aaron Carter doll

The Madelman figures were in military attire, which I don't usually want on my dolls. The thing that made me buy are actually the two pairs of boots. HO shoes are expensive!!! Getting two pairs for US$4+ dollars is a good deal. I'm hoping they will fit the HO dolls. In the mean time I tried them on other dolls that more or less have the same foot size as the HO's like Licca and Skipper. I did have to slit the back part of the boots to allow the feet to slide in.

I have found out that some action figure props can be used in smaller dolls. More about that in the next entry.

How to keep your doll busy

 

 

Make it (the doll) work.

Hopefully, it will create something like this:

 

Marvel Universe Scarlet Witch Custom

It's sad that a number of collectors were fooled to believe that the recent Scarlet Witch is a rare figure, making them pay more for the item. Locally, somebody payed at around US$24 (poor guy) when internationally a lot of sellers let it go for US$14 or less. (I checked eBay selling history.) How did that happen? Simple, by controlling the distribution!

Here's how. Make the item scarce in a most areas, ideally where a lot of collectors reside (group A). Make that same item available where there are ample number of collectors who are willing to resell (group B). Create some good publicity about the item via blogs or video reviews to pique everybody's interest. Group B will hoard the items thinking that they can make a profit from group A. And the manufacturer wins because their item will sell out to group B whether or not group B will be successful in reselling them.

Magneto (center) with son Quicksilver(L) and daughter Scarlet Witch (R)

Unlike Mattel, Hasbro didn't have to resort to labeling/branding something as "collectible", "limited edition" or "for the adult collector" because branding means additional cost without adding value to the product. They are making their products sell faster (because selling slow makes the seller lose money) just by distributing cunningly. Don't you just love marketing strategies? I'm learning a lot each day.

Happy Family, a Sylvanian Clone (Review)

I have been buying a number of Sylvanian Families (by Epoch) accessories for my LPS Blythes and Marvel Universe action figures but like most popular toy brands, they are quite expensive for my taste. I'm glad that there is an alternative, the Happy Family. This is a review for the Happy Family extension house. It is similar (but not exactly the same) to the Beechwood extension house and the Summer House. The latter is priced at around US$80 while I got the Happy Family house at around US$16. Now that makes me happy!

The Package

The package was successful in attracting this buyer. The box has a clear window that displays the contents. It also shows photos having the Sylvanian Families vibe all over the box. The language used is Chinese-English (as opposed to British-English and American-English).

 

One thing peculiar is the logo on the box. The original one is covered by a sticker. I doubt it's a misprint. I bet it has a story but I'm not in the mood to speculate.

Ooops...

I thought I could be back to blogging normally today after being away for a vacation but no! The laptop gave up on me.

I'm testing this app that is supposed to allow me to blog via my phone. I hate typing on my phone so that means no blog entries until the laptop is replaced.

Hopefully next week... :)

posted from Bloggeroid