Operation Monster Force

Yeah, just as an observer it had all the hype, then a silence before it deluged everyone with product. And with the product in hand and everyone able to see what it's about, plus all the reuse, I can see how it would stall out.
 
I think part of the issue is that wave 2, really hit hard at the beginning with figures like eraser and donner party but the last half of reveals were the very bland and not totally fitting the line zombies, agents, soldiers and so on.

So like when wave 2 hits all at once (in the middle of the hasbro deluge), you’re stuck looking and laying for a good chunk of wave that’s just not very fun or fitting with the line. Plus a lot of the soldiers and stuff got beat to market by hasbro and Valaverse.

All the fan conversation with the figures in hand are mostly about eraser and dinner party and bit about the generals and the sleepwalkers. I feel like I really haven’t seen a lot of the about 60% of the wave


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I do think the skeletons work better for the forgotten kings soldiers than the zombies.


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I think all of this makes more sense, and invalidates a lot of the complaints is when you realize that the entire storyline tying all of this together is as weak as the MOTUC storyline; it's JUST a justification to make toys. That's it. A thread to run through everything you do and give you a reason to call it all part of one line and one brand. When the reality is that this line was clearly conceived of just being a bunch of cool toy ideas they had that could be played with on their own or slotted into other 1:12 lines. The cohesion these figures have with each other is illusory.

If you look at everything as individual offerings, it makes way more sense as a company just making stuff. The regular soldiers and spies work if that's something you want in your toy collection, or maybe you want monster dudes, or tactical vampires, or maybe you just want a bunch of zombies. This feels like a line that exist just to make a bunch of stuff no one else is really making and you get to pick-and-choose.
 
As kind of an add-on to what I said above; I've been thinking about this line all day. Spent an hour or so on BBTS going through what's available and what's coming out and figuring out what, if anything, I really want to have in my collection. The realization was just that nothing they've released is the thing I want it to be.
Lacking any nostalgia for these characters, I'm left ONLY to really assess exactly what each figure is. And if they don't hit all the buttons, it becomes a lot easier to just not want them.

What I'm finding is that there's bits and pieces I'm interested in, but they're scattered across multiple releases. I want this head, but on that figure, but I'd rather have those weapons, with those lower legs... etc. That's all fine and good, but at these prices it's not like I'm going to feel good about doing a ton of mix-and-matching and ending up with lots of half-figures that I can't really do anything with.
 
I kind of ignored the line until I realized it would scale with Classified and Legends and suddenly it opened up some really cool baseline things I could built out those collections with, along with some concepts that scratched an itch I didn't know I had Declan Van Helsing standing in as a "magic consultant" for a military unit? No regrets buying him. A Dracula who looks good fighting Serpentor? Beautiful, sold, gimme. I mean I even got the Doctor Caligari specifically to create funny photos with Dr. Mindbender or some of my Hydra figures.

I actually really like the BBWS / FMF offerings that let you expand or flesh out an existing collection. I'm really interested in getting some of those civilian characters they previewed at... was it SDCC this summer? And I know it's not monster force but I'm going to get the chimp in a tuxedo because I want a James Bond/Nick Fury action figure who stepped over from whatever timeline the apes took over. But I think it does make cherry picking the buys from this line and its sister lines a lot easier. I don't get FOMO with it but I foresee picking up a more figures later. The new reveals/wave is a dud for me but rather than being a let down, it lets me not feel like I'm missing out while I wait for the others. (Hell, it might free up some money to get the 1-2 Crimson Moon characters I've been on the fence about but wasn't sure I wanted to spend 40 bucks on. Skipping a whole ave definitely makes getting someone to stand in as Cobra's fas(c)hion designer a lot easier.

On a positive note, I LOVE that Eraser comes with wraps for his arms that are swappable/removable. That's one of those little design choices that I really appreciate. He's currently rocking invisible forearms but it's tough to decide which lewk I like better.
 
Damien said:
Lacking any nostalgia for these characters, I'm left ONLY to really assess exactly what each figure is. And if they don't hit all the buttons, it becomes a lot easier to just not want them.
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That's where I come from to the line. Only really interested because BBTS gave me a credit and I'm current on every possible PO with my usuals. Figured I'd check it out.

Eraser appealed to me most because I've always liked the bandaged look and my aunt gifted me a collection of HG Wells when I was a kid. Otherwise I'm really scraping.

And I don't think they're bad. Just doesn't speak to me. And I don't like mixing lines, so I wouldn't just make a dude a Cobra agent or something. Even throwing a General in as Ross would nag at me that it isn't Hasbro and it's not Hasbro's in house design/art. Just how I'm wired.

It reminds me of all the times I feel bad in artist alley because I recognize the talent and effort in the artists, but their style and content just doesn't do anything for me. And why burn money on something I know doesn't hit me when theirs lots that does.
 
So... O:MF / Crimson Moon is one of my favorite lines going... but it isn't one I'm all in on either. There are items I feel fine leaving on the shelf... I'm not particularly fond of vampires, so didn't go in for any of the basic vamps. Just because everything they are releasing isn't for me doesn't mean the line isn't great. I don't even care about the story they are spinning... the figures are fun and complement other thinhs I have well.
 
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