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Amiibo Quality is to be Expected from a $13 Figure

Amiibo Quality is to be Expected from a $13 Figure

Another article from Jenni about Amiibos? I know, but bear with me. This will be the last one for a while, I swear. The commotion surrounding the final designs for the Amiibos lured me in and, as a NFC and general figure afficianado, I felt like I had to weigh in on the issue. Especially since I happened to see a few of the final products on display in a Walmart display case.

The Amiibos appearance is exactly what you would expect from a $13 figure. The prototypes are of course going to look exceptional. Extra effort goes into them. They’re designed to be the epitome of everything the Amiibo figures should be. They’re an ideal. It’s only natural that the final product wouldn’t be an exact replica.

Especially when you consider the other NFC figures on the market at the moment. Amiibos seem like they fall somewhere between the cartoonish Disney Infinity figures and more realistic Skylanders . The size is the same, the poses favor the more active and lean look of the Disney Infinity models, but they have more of the personality of the Skylanders . In fact, I’d say the final models of Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Link I saw on display had paint jobs that appeared better than Skylanders , which occasionally have errant dips in quality.

Plus, you have to figure how much of that $13 is going into the technology. The Amiibos aren’t toys. It isn’t like the new Jakks Pacific line of posable Nintendo icons, where each figure or set ends up being between $15-20, or the Bandai or Good Smile Company figures with hand-painted accents. These are simple, mass marketed, and basically decorative shells for the chips within.

Amiibo Quality is to be Expected from a $13 Figure

Don’t let this early buzz about Amiibos bother you. They may not be as striking as the early, promotional images made them out to be, but they aren’t going to be cheap, flimsy, poorly painted pieces of plastic. The Amiibos will be worth the $13 asking price and, if you’re really that concerned, just wait for a sale. Stores like Toys R Us regularly offer buy one, get one XX% off deals on NFC figures. With these being released around the holidays, it’d be shocking if Amiibos weren’t discounted. If you don’t think they’re worth the price at launch, give it a little time and grab them when the price is something you’re more comfortable with.

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