Hikari too expensive?

[swind15]

Do you think the Hikari vinyl figures would be more popular among Funko collectors if the retail prices were lower? I'm pretty new to collecting Funko, but have been collecting Kidrobot for years, so the $50-80 price tag for LE Hikari figures doesn't surprise me all that much. Funko collectors on the other hand are used to $8-12 Pops, so are these much higher prices coming as a sticker shock and therefore turning off new collectors who might think they're cool, but can't justify the price of 1 Hikari = 5-10 pops?

[Geescube]

Youre also getting more vinyl with a hikari. They are much bigger than pops. Yes, it was a little shocking at first (even to me) but when you think of the sizing and product it actually makes sense. Sofubi items dont come cheap.

I dabbled with some Secret Base items. The spongebobs in particular i think they are only 5" sofubi and i paid like 100-150. So the funko pieces dont seem as bad to me.

[Squird]

It might be more appropriate to say 'Pop' collectors are used to seeing 8-12$ Pops. Hikari isn't going to appeal to most Pop collectors. It's not 'cute' enough, too big and too expensive. With Hikari, I think Funko is trying to widen the audience for Funko, not convert Pop collectors, many of which collect just Pop.

For what it is, I don't think the price is too high. 40 bucks for a Turtle or Batman at Barnes & Noble is a pretty fair price. As long as they're well executed, 70 bucks for the giant Spiderman is pretty fair too. Like you, people who collect vinyl outside of Pop aren't going to be too bothered by the price.

[Reverend]

I think that was the purpose of Hikari for Funko is to go after the designer vinyl crowd and not to get pop collectors to buy Hikari, in my personal opinion it was get a part of the Kid Robot market. Very smart move on Funkos part, especially teaming up with Mindstyle was a great move for both companies.

[kevintree]

^
Love your sig!

[janos89]

I like pop, but I like these too the only reason I have not jumped on them is the price. Maybe they will make some that are not limited and the price could be lower.

[swind15]

I think that was the purpose of Hikari for Funko is to go after the designer vinyl crowd and not to get pop collectors to buy Hikari, in my personal opinion it was get a part of the Kid Robot market. Very smart move on Funkos part, especially teaming up with Mindstyle was a great move for both companies.

I agree with you that it is a great move on Funko's part. Especially now that KR is in a pretty dark place right now as a company. I just hope Hikari catches on, because it really is an incredible collectible and IMO totally worth the price.

[swind15]

I like pop, but I like these too the only reason I have not jumped on them is the price. Maybe they will make some that are not limited and the price could be lower.

Check Ebay for the ones that you like. The prices are pretty low right now. Especially on the LE 3000 pieces like the glitter turtles and glitter batman.

[janos89]

I like pop, but I like these too the only reason I have not jumped on them is the price. Maybe they will make some that are not limited and the price could be lower.

Check Ebay for the ones that you like. The prices are pretty low right now. Especially on the LE 3000 pieces like the glitter turtles and glitter batman.

I would but if I start picking up another type of funko it would be wacky wobblers, I want some of the flintstone ones but their so hard to find and expensive.

[Oneiromancer]

I've been a Kid Robot collector for years and the price doesn't bother me at all it's a high quality piece of art, I never really jumped on the bigger Kid Robot stuff too much but the Hikari's just appeal to me so far I have 2 glitter turtles, and Pizza power Mikey and Mythos Skeletor on the way so I don't think they are too expensive you get what you pay for I also collect pops and have seen far too many paint errors on a $10 figure than the the Hikaris which have no paint errors at all. They are worth every cent you pay for them in my opinion.

[eastWOLF]

This is an interesting topic; I myself like the hikari figures, the paint job is great compared to pops and yes you are paying for a bigger piece of vinyl also they're number/limited. I collect statues from Sideshow and Kotobukiya so the price doesn't bother me that much, that being said I work a temp job based on call so I have to be smart with my purchases. I didn't feel like I need to spend a lot of money on a whole set of turtles so I only got specific ones (metal mix and tie dye leo and pizza power mikey was a gift).

[nikko]

I don't think Hikari are expensive, but I'm not sure how its value will increase later on.
Funko also needs to stop those Hikari figures coming out from China that are sold on eBay.

[kevinbuddha]

Its real simple.................if it is too expensive for you, then don't buy Hikari. I like it , but In only buy the pieces I like and I do not think they are overpriced. They are for another group of collectors who want a higher quality vinyl product in many different colors, styles and variants. They are selling pretty well and I do not think they will ever become a $15 item like a POP or a $25 item, they stand far above POP and always will. Hikari is a different animal and I am glad that Funko got into making them!

[sclarke03]

I'm a big fan of pieces with limited production runs, because I think it adds a certain level of uniqueness to a collection... you can add pieces to your collection that only handfuls of other people have. This new Hikari line does that on a little bit of a bigger and more affordable scale than with Freddys. Unfortunately that does mean paying higher prices because of limited availability.

I haven't made the leap to go out and buy one for myself yet, but I did get to see one up close and in person and it was pretty cool. I think it's just a matter of time before the right one comes along, and I pick one up.

[Queen of Marvel]

I think that was the purpose of Hikari for Funko is to go after the designer vinyl crowd and not to get pop collectors to buy Hikari, in my personal opinion it was get a part of the Kid Robot market. Very smart move on Funkos part, especially teaming up with Mindstyle was a great move for both companies.

YES.

[tlaloc666]

mmm i think the quality of the product totally worth it !!
i am from mexico and i get paid in pesos.... and 13 pesos are just 1 dollar so for me is saying no to a lot of stuff.. but when i see my 5 hikari batman and my deadpool collection totally worth the effort.

[BigM]

What Stephe, Jacob, Kevin, and Steve said!!

Yes Hikari is pricey when you're comparing them to POP! but the quality of them surpasses them by a landslide. I'm a Funko collector meaning I collect Funko products so I don't mind paying a little more for a higher quality piece. I dislike paying $60 for a "retired" pop when there are hundreds if not thousands of them out there when I can pay $60 for a hikari that I know there is only 600 of. The limited edition is fun about them (like all the other lines have with their chases and exclusives).
If the price turns you off, then you can always try your luck on ebay or stick with cheaper lines.

[swind15]

I'm so glad this thread is getting positive responses to the Hikari brand. I was fearing it would be the opposite. Me and my Havok Skeletor are quite pleased.

[agentaa]

It might be more appropriate to say 'Pop' collectors are used to seeing 8-12$ Pops. Hikari isn't going to appeal to most Pop collectors. It's not 'cute' enough, too big and too expensive. With Hikari, I think Funko is trying to widen the audience for Funko, not convert Pop collectors, many of which collect just Pop.

For what it is, I don't think the price is too high. 40 bucks for a Turtle or Batman at Barnes & Noble is a pretty fair price. As long as they're well executed, 70 bucks for the giant Spiderman is pretty fair too. Like you, people who collect vinyl outside of Pop aren't going to be too bothered by the price.

THIS IS VERY WELL SAID!

[Pumpkin King]

The price is on mark with other vinyl on the market of this size and quality. Welcome to collecting vinyl!

[SuperDanOfSteel]

I'm a huge fan of the Hikari line and have a bunch of them. I don't have a problem with the base price point. Which was $40 for the initial releases. But I can't understand the price variance between retailers and releases. I got my Gold Batman LE 500 for $40, but Gemini has it listed for $99. The SDCC LE 500 Hikari were $50 and the LE 300 were $60, which are reasonable prices for those runs. I'm not trying to pick on Gemini but they, and others, are price gauging the line and it puts off collectors. If someone could give me a reason why the metallic Astro Boy is a special pre-order price of $50 (which means it will be sold for a higher price) for a 3000 run I would love to hear it.

[lovetheangels]

I like the looks of them but too expensive for me to buy too many of them. I have about 7 so far. I will just buy the ones I really really like. I wish the pieces were numbered instead of a numbered card inside the box. They would feel like limited collectibles then.

[XXDCXBATMAN]

I love Hikari, and like everyone else said, you're paying for bigger pieces, and better quality. And I completely agree with Steve, I love to have limited pieces in my collection. Hikari is really awesome for me as well, because my comic shop has them all marked at 30, no matter how limited the run is. I'm not sure how much they'll be marking the larger ones though.

[edorice]

I think that was the purpose of Hikari for Funko is to go after the designer vinyl crowd and not to get pop collectors to buy Hikari, in my personal opinion it was get a part of the Kid Robot market. Very smart move on Funkos part, especially teaming up with Mindstyle was a great move for both companies.

YES.

Double ditto. It's not necessarily for the Pop crowd, but that wasn't the beginning of Funko's story anyway. There are many types of collectors out there and I think Hikari is great for people that want a highline bigger collectible.

[swind15]

The price is on mark with other vinyl on the market of this size and quality. Welcome to collecting vinyl!

My original post mentioned that I've been collecting Kidrobot for quite awhile, so I'm well-aware how costly collecting vinyl toys can be. Just trying to spark up a conversation on a product I care about.

[cliffd64]

I'm a huge fan of the Hikari line and have a bunch of them. I don't have a problem with the base price point. Which was $40 for the initial releases. But I can't understand the price variance between retailers and releases. I got my Gold Batman LE 500 for $40, but Gemini has it listed for $99. The SDCC LE 500 Hikari were $50 and the LE 300 were $60, which are reasonable prices for those runs. I'm not trying to pick on Gemini but they, and others, are price gauging the line and it puts off collectors. If someone could give me a reason why the metallic Astro Boy is a special pre-order price of $50 (which means it will be sold for a higher price) for a 3000 run I would love to hear it.

Very well said... And true.

[swind15]

I'm a huge fan of the Hikari line and have a bunch of them. I don't have a problem with the base price point. Which was $40 for the initial releases. But I can't understand the price variance between retailers and releases. I got my Gold Batman LE 500 for $40, but Gemini has it listed for $99. The SDCC LE 500 Hikari were $50 and the LE 300 were $60, which are reasonable prices for those runs. I'm not trying to pick on Gemini but they, and others, are price gauging the line and it puts off collectors. If someone could give me a reason why the metallic Astro Boy is a special pre-order price of $50 (which means it will be sold for a higher price) for a 3000 run I would love to hear it.

This is something I'm totally perplexed with as well. I really want the Gemini exclusive "Secret Base Creature", but no way am I spending $80. They're charging secondary market prices on something that's only exclusive to them.
The price also can't be justified by tooling or rarity since it's a pre-existing mold that's been used twice already and is limited to 500.

[BlueberryWaffles]

They are pricey. That's why I don't collect them. But, you have to find one that speaks to you. I have no Hikari yet, but if I got one it would be Pizza Power Mikey because he's so awesomely different than any other TMNT merch.
Just my .02

[Pumpkin King]

The price is on mark with other vinyl on the market of this size and quality. Welcome to collecting vinyl!

My original post mentioned that I've been collecting Kidrobot for quite awhile, so I'm well-aware how costly collecting vinyl toys can be. Just trying to spark up a conversation on a product I care about.

It wasnt directed at you or anyone in particular.

[swind15]

The price is on mark with other vinyl on the market of this size and quality. Welcome to collecting vinyl!

My original post mentioned that I've been collecting Kidrobot for quite awhile, so I'm well-aware how costly collecting vinyl toys can be. Just trying to spark up a conversation on a product I care about.

It wasnt directed at you or anyone in particular.

I hope not, since I just dropped another $50 today on the NYCC Creature from the Black Lagoon . Another awesome Hikari added to the collection.

[tinkerbell055]

Speaking as a Pop collector, I DID think they were too expensive and I DID think they weren't "cute" enough. However, once I saw the TMNT pieces in person? My opinion of Hikaris did a complete 180. I will admit, I used Hot Cash to get the 2 that I have (both Batman), but I'm definitely going to buy more in the future (GROOT) - regardless of Hot Cash - and I think they're BEAUTIFUL figures. I'm really glad I added them to my collection.

[mrcory5000]

I was on the fence going into San Diego, but seeing what Funko's done with the Hikari line really impressed me. I see absolutely nothing wrong with paying $40 for a gold Turtle, or $70 for that awesome Stay Puft Marshmallow Badass. I'd even pay more for Groot! If I don't like it I'm not going to buy it.

As a few have already mentioned, these are designer toys- something most parents wouldn't buy for our 6-year-olds while at Barnes & Noble as we sip on our $6 Starbucks drink. They get their Pop! toy and we get our Hikari toy.