Just thought it would be interesting to see which is best....dont forget to post WHY you feel that way!
Which toy company do you think is the best?
Started by TheHSBR, Jun 13 2009 10:45 PM
13 replies to this topic
#1
TheHSBR
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Posted 13 June 2009 - 10:45 PM
#2
Jedigreedo
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Posted 13 June 2009 - 11:25 PM
Despite the recent cancellation outrage, I have to say the company I see as the "best" is DST. I'm pretty tired at the moment, so I'll attempt to explain that after some sleep.
#3
Commodore Kor'Tar
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Posted 13 June 2009 - 11:44 PM
Despite all the recent cancellations , the figures , ships , and role play items that DST produces are second to none IMHO . When I see a ship or action figure produced by them , they look less like toys , and more like high end collectables . The Playmates toys are ok , they produce fine ships figures and RP toys, but one look at them and they look more like toys than high end collectables .
#4
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Posted 13 June 2009 - 11:53 PM
I voted for Hasbro because of the sheer scope of their current holdings. The Star Wars line couldnt be handled any better. Gi Joe has been resurrected to the point of getting a new movie. Transformers is turning into a behemoth in the toy aisles. The Marvel stuff is quickly becoming some of my favorite stuff I buy. I think they've proven themselves when it comes to fan favorite stuff for example the expanded universe of star wars. They shown that they are the experts at 3 3/4" figures despite some paint app flaws here and there. They've also shown that when they want to they can do 6-7" lines like Marvel Legends. I remember when Hasbro was the small guy on the block and now they are just dominating everything! Basically I voted for them based on the size and scope of their products but also the average-good quality you can expect from their products.
I think Mattel has a lot to do to recapture their place as #1 that they had in the 80s, but their He-Man line looks good, the DC Superheroes is suffering from distribution problems and walmart exclusive waves that are near impossible to find, and im anxiously awaiting their WWE line. They might not ever be #1 in my book agaon but they are on the verge of becoming a very close #2.
I think Mattel has a lot to do to recapture their place as #1 that they had in the 80s, but their He-Man line looks good, the DC Superheroes is suffering from distribution problems and walmart exclusive waves that are near impossible to find, and im anxiously awaiting their WWE line. They might not ever be #1 in my book agaon but they are on the verge of becoming a very close #2.
#5
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 05:01 AM
Hey all,
I went for DST even after all the issues. I agree Hasbro is a close second for me what with the scope of figures / vehicles / playsets etc. released, especially with Star Wars.
Take care,
Matty-lad
I went for DST even after all the issues. I agree Hasbro is a close second for me what with the scope of figures / vehicles / playsets etc. released, especially with Star Wars.
Take care,
Matty-lad
#6
Gothneo
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 10:54 AM
Well, IMO some of the best companies are now defunct.
If there were still around I would have given my nod to companies like ToyBiz or Palisades.
The problem is that a good action figure for a child is not always a great collectible and vice-versa!
Best collectibles out there (that are action figures) Hands down is Hot Toys!
But because of the way the question is worded, I chose Hasbro.
If there were still around I would have given my nod to companies like ToyBiz or Palisades.
The problem is that a good action figure for a child is not always a great collectible and vice-versa!
Best collectibles out there (that are action figures) Hands down is Hot Toys!
But because of the way the question is worded, I chose Hasbro.
#7
Jedigreedo
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 02:00 PM
Now that I've had some sleep...
I picked DST as the "best" company because they have the most aspects in which I've been pleased with, but of course no company is perfect. There has been a plethora of problems with them, especially recently with bringing trigger happy on the cancellation gun. Still, when you take a deeper look into their actions, you find they really have strived to not make the same mistakes as the larger companies.
Customer Service - As a small company, they could easily say they're too busy to deal with matters personally with each customer, and yet they never send a form letter. Obviously some people haven't had as much luck as the majority, but it stands to reason there will always be exceptions - and we often don't know the complete story. As other companies have been doing, they set up a Q&A but eventually took it to a level that none of the other more prominent companies have; they handle it themselves. It really has helped keep less confusion down about where to find the questions, and it really shows an admirable effort to to further keep customers in the loop. Furthermore, the larger companies tend to be far more shy about what they'll divulge, but DSTChuck is often straight to the point.
Products - Even though quality has been something of a roller-coaster, even their worst quality products have been decent in some way or another, and while they tend to put blame on factories doing things their own way, they have often also accepted blame themselves. Fortunately, one of their greatest consistencies is the sculpting quality. If there were never factory problems, there is little doubt that every figure would be just as great as the other. Fortunately, their headsculpts tend to survive the most, and rarely does a character not have at least a moderate appearance to the actor/actress.
Availability - Although a few things tend to go hard to get, the majority of their products are often simple-enough to get, even the exclusives. SDCC exclusives are a plague to the figure collector, often overpriced junk that is near-impossible to get from other companies - but DST's are always available for the same price as their regular figures either through them or others. The same often goes for other exclusives; as to how many stores offer them may be questionable, but you can definitely bet that the prices won't be jacked up to double, or even triple the amount as the larger companies tend to do. Even more sad is the overpriced exclusives are often even more recycled than DST's frequent practices, and generally produced with far cheaper quality assurance due to their limited nature.
Overall - DST has several flaws to work out, especially in regards to keeping tabs on the antics of their factory - or factories - but they tend to make up for it by excelling elsewhere. Of course, as of late their products have been slow to release and prone to unfortunate cancellation, but we are in a bad time economically; it's hitting everybody. So, while it's absolutely infuriating and it would be nice to see them doing something to attempt to compensate for it, but understandably they are a small company and thus their abilities are limited. Still, one can only hope...
In regards to the others, I have to say...
Mattel - This company has nearly endlessly infuriated me with their horrific handling of everything DC line they have made, but DC Universe Classics has brought about an even worse treatment as they consistency offer a heavy dose of slap-in-the-face to customers that attempt to be loyal. Adding insult to a great many annoying injuries, they frequently mishandle their lines, making far worse mistakes than the smaller company DST has done. It's incredibly pathetic, quite honestly.
Hasbro - Despite being a devoted collector of their Star Wars figures since 1995 when it was simply their sub-section Kenner handling it, I recently gave up my avid collecting habits with them due to increasing disappointment in their treatment to collectors. Even though they have a Q&A set up, and are probably the ones that spawned the outbreak of them, it's often quite a run around with their answers as everything is treated as though national security depends on it. In regards to the figures themselves, their consistency in quality has increasingly become lowered, I wouldn't be surprised if Star Wars figures are simply bendy figures in the next 2 years. Their rubbery plastics are certainly quite close to that already. It's often been mentioned that they shine through by offering many additions to their figure line from ships to playsets, but that's not all that true. Ships are obviously out there, but they're rereleased often, and to get a new ship out there tends to require the launch of a new packaging design. Playsets are a different story, however, as Hasbro prefers not to do them - and when they don't like something, they will sabotage it to make sure it doesn't work out well and they can use it as an excuse not to further endeavor in it. Their poorly done relaunches of the Action Fleet line serve as the perfect evidence of that, as well the handling of Marvel Legends.
Jakks - They've never had anything I've been very interested in, which I'm quite fortunate of because I've never been impressed with anything they've done.
NECA - I'm often amazed at their prototypes, but I've noticed there is always a significant contrast in quality between the prototype and production stages. Still, their figures have often been appealing and tempting, but they are continually more akin to low budget statues rather than action figures.
Playmates - If one were to put an emphasis on toy to solely mean a play-thing that could keep a child entertained for hours and be destroyed, then Playmates of the 90's would easily win. The problem, however, is that they don't live up to that anymore as their newest Trek figures are far from being the quality that their 90's predecessors were, and simply appear fragile enough to fall apart if you don't look at them right. Furthermore, Playmates of the 90's was far more impressive with sculpting - even if they weren't always that accurate. The poor sculpting, the lack of accessories, and other various poor decisions with their current Trek line has left me far from finding enticement in either scale.
One company I was recently impressed with was Zizzle, they handled the cheaper toys for the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy quite well - especially for a previously unheard of company. Unfortunately, they seemed to have retreated into obscurity, with any greatness achieved from their fun toy line has been long forgotten by most. I think if they had picked up another hot property after PotC and had done a similar job, I think they could have made more of a name for themselves.
I picked DST as the "best" company because they have the most aspects in which I've been pleased with, but of course no company is perfect. There has been a plethora of problems with them, especially recently with bringing trigger happy on the cancellation gun. Still, when you take a deeper look into their actions, you find they really have strived to not make the same mistakes as the larger companies.
Customer Service - As a small company, they could easily say they're too busy to deal with matters personally with each customer, and yet they never send a form letter. Obviously some people haven't had as much luck as the majority, but it stands to reason there will always be exceptions - and we often don't know the complete story. As other companies have been doing, they set up a Q&A but eventually took it to a level that none of the other more prominent companies have; they handle it themselves. It really has helped keep less confusion down about where to find the questions, and it really shows an admirable effort to to further keep customers in the loop. Furthermore, the larger companies tend to be far more shy about what they'll divulge, but DSTChuck is often straight to the point.
Products - Even though quality has been something of a roller-coaster, even their worst quality products have been decent in some way or another, and while they tend to put blame on factories doing things their own way, they have often also accepted blame themselves. Fortunately, one of their greatest consistencies is the sculpting quality. If there were never factory problems, there is little doubt that every figure would be just as great as the other. Fortunately, their headsculpts tend to survive the most, and rarely does a character not have at least a moderate appearance to the actor/actress.
Availability - Although a few things tend to go hard to get, the majority of their products are often simple-enough to get, even the exclusives. SDCC exclusives are a plague to the figure collector, often overpriced junk that is near-impossible to get from other companies - but DST's are always available for the same price as their regular figures either through them or others. The same often goes for other exclusives; as to how many stores offer them may be questionable, but you can definitely bet that the prices won't be jacked up to double, or even triple the amount as the larger companies tend to do. Even more sad is the overpriced exclusives are often even more recycled than DST's frequent practices, and generally produced with far cheaper quality assurance due to their limited nature.
Overall - DST has several flaws to work out, especially in regards to keeping tabs on the antics of their factory - or factories - but they tend to make up for it by excelling elsewhere. Of course, as of late their products have been slow to release and prone to unfortunate cancellation, but we are in a bad time economically; it's hitting everybody. So, while it's absolutely infuriating and it would be nice to see them doing something to attempt to compensate for it, but understandably they are a small company and thus their abilities are limited. Still, one can only hope...
In regards to the others, I have to say...
Mattel - This company has nearly endlessly infuriated me with their horrific handling of everything DC line they have made, but DC Universe Classics has brought about an even worse treatment as they consistency offer a heavy dose of slap-in-the-face to customers that attempt to be loyal. Adding insult to a great many annoying injuries, they frequently mishandle their lines, making far worse mistakes than the smaller company DST has done. It's incredibly pathetic, quite honestly.
Hasbro - Despite being a devoted collector of their Star Wars figures since 1995 when it was simply their sub-section Kenner handling it, I recently gave up my avid collecting habits with them due to increasing disappointment in their treatment to collectors. Even though they have a Q&A set up, and are probably the ones that spawned the outbreak of them, it's often quite a run around with their answers as everything is treated as though national security depends on it. In regards to the figures themselves, their consistency in quality has increasingly become lowered, I wouldn't be surprised if Star Wars figures are simply bendy figures in the next 2 years. Their rubbery plastics are certainly quite close to that already. It's often been mentioned that they shine through by offering many additions to their figure line from ships to playsets, but that's not all that true. Ships are obviously out there, but they're rereleased often, and to get a new ship out there tends to require the launch of a new packaging design. Playsets are a different story, however, as Hasbro prefers not to do them - and when they don't like something, they will sabotage it to make sure it doesn't work out well and they can use it as an excuse not to further endeavor in it. Their poorly done relaunches of the Action Fleet line serve as the perfect evidence of that, as well the handling of Marvel Legends.
Jakks - They've never had anything I've been very interested in, which I'm quite fortunate of because I've never been impressed with anything they've done.
NECA - I'm often amazed at their prototypes, but I've noticed there is always a significant contrast in quality between the prototype and production stages. Still, their figures have often been appealing and tempting, but they are continually more akin to low budget statues rather than action figures.
Playmates - If one were to put an emphasis on toy to solely mean a play-thing that could keep a child entertained for hours and be destroyed, then Playmates of the 90's would easily win. The problem, however, is that they don't live up to that anymore as their newest Trek figures are far from being the quality that their 90's predecessors were, and simply appear fragile enough to fall apart if you don't look at them right. Furthermore, Playmates of the 90's was far more impressive with sculpting - even if they weren't always that accurate. The poor sculpting, the lack of accessories, and other various poor decisions with their current Trek line has left me far from finding enticement in either scale.
One company I was recently impressed with was Zizzle, they handled the cheaper toys for the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy quite well - especially for a previously unheard of company. Unfortunately, they seemed to have retreated into obscurity, with any greatness achieved from their fun toy line has been long forgotten by most. I think if they had picked up another hot property after PotC and had done a similar job, I think they could have made more of a name for themselves.
#8
JMW326
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 02:43 PM
DST
Mattel
Hasbro
I also like McFarlane for their Halo 3 figures.
Mattel
Hasbro
I also like McFarlane for their Halo 3 figures.
#9
pickard
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 02:56 PM
I'm torn on which is my favorite, because each of the really good companies do different things exceptionally well.
For 3 3/4" figures, Hasbro is far ahead of their competition. Neca makes the nicest collectible figures in the 6-7" range. McFarlane makes the best figure/statues with their incredible sculpting and paint apps. Sideshow makes the nicest 12" figures outside of the even pricier foreign manufacturers (Hot Toys, etc.). Gentle Giant produces the nicest busts in their price range.
DST's Trek Tek and the ships are a nice bridge between toys and collectibles, but there's really nothing that DST does that many, many more companies don't do better.
Sculpt, playability, paint apps, figure selection, price point. DST leads in none of these, and trails by a wide margin in most.
The only special thing about DST is that they have the license to the different Trek franchises.
Correction: DST's minimates are the nicest block figures being made today. Unfortunately, outside of the T2 line, I don't see much action there, especially on the Trek front.
For 3 3/4" figures, Hasbro is far ahead of their competition. Neca makes the nicest collectible figures in the 6-7" range. McFarlane makes the best figure/statues with their incredible sculpting and paint apps. Sideshow makes the nicest 12" figures outside of the even pricier foreign manufacturers (Hot Toys, etc.). Gentle Giant produces the nicest busts in their price range.
DST's Trek Tek and the ships are a nice bridge between toys and collectibles, but there's really nothing that DST does that many, many more companies don't do better.
Sculpt, playability, paint apps, figure selection, price point. DST leads in none of these, and trails by a wide margin in most.
The only special thing about DST is that they have the license to the different Trek franchises.
Correction: DST's minimates are the nicest block figures being made today. Unfortunately, outside of the T2 line, I don't see much action there, especially on the Trek front.
#10
BadBunnyMike
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 05:42 PM
I like the detail of the DST figures, but I really liked PM because of the variety of figures they gave us. but I voted DST
#11
NCC-1701
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Posted 14 June 2009 - 06:25 PM
I really like Neca's products too. But, DST makes Trek, so I went with them!
#12
Wildcard
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Posted 16 June 2009 - 08:52 PM
Although DST comes out in terms of sculpt accuracy, I have to go with Hasbro as well because of the sheer scope of figures, ships, and playsets that they've made for the Star Wars line. AA showed high hopes to me with the original ENT station line and the DST Captain's chair line, but there just isn't enough "playability" to me. Display ability, yes! But toy=play to me. Collectible=display. 
And the question is which TOY company. [/technicality, Jim]
And the question is which TOY company. [/technicality, Jim]
#13
weyoun_9
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Posted 23 June 2009 - 11:08 AM
I went with DST...I think the quality and care that has gone into the products they have produced has been top notch. Let's face it. As far as action figures, go, there are always going to be flaws. The nitpickers will always find something. And not every sculpt is going to be an exact match. I think considering that, the quality level has been extremely high and the variety, to an extent (until recently) has been pretty high as well.
That said, I want to rank Playmates/Hasbro as my number two tie. They were able with Star Trek/Star Wars to market and mix their toys in such as way that their volume and variety were exceptional. As of late, I feel like I've seen the Star Wars line mixing old/new characters in waves together and both used phrases or concepts based on the idea of "Collecting the entire universe." Heck, as a kid...I really had no interest in TOS, but Playmates made me want to complete my set with their toys and got me interested in TOS first through toys.
So now...all DST needs to do is get a Voyager crew out at the same time as they keep building on the TOS, TNG, and DS9 lines...and we're golden. What about Enterprise you say? Yeah. They can go back to that if they want once Voyager is on my shelf.
That said, I want to rank Playmates/Hasbro as my number two tie. They were able with Star Trek/Star Wars to market and mix their toys in such as way that their volume and variety were exceptional. As of late, I feel like I've seen the Star Wars line mixing old/new characters in waves together and both used phrases or concepts based on the idea of "Collecting the entire universe." Heck, as a kid...I really had no interest in TOS, but Playmates made me want to complete my set with their toys and got me interested in TOS first through toys.
So now...all DST needs to do is get a Voyager crew out at the same time as they keep building on the TOS, TNG, and DS9 lines...and we're golden. What about Enterprise you say? Yeah. They can go back to that if they want once Voyager is on my shelf.
#14
thecapn
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Posted 23 June 2009 - 11:24 AM
Can I pick Hot Toys? I really, REALLY, want a TOS crew from them....
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