Hasbro has announced that they will collaborate with 3-D printing company, Shapeways, to sell mass produced MY LITTLE PONY custom ponies/artwork. So, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I'm excited that there will be the opportunity for fans to have characters that otherwise, may never be available. On the other hand, it makes for a collector nightmare. Do I consider these "official" releases since they have to be approved by Hasbro?
It seems like a cool idea, but is this just the toy equivalent of We Love Fine?
Here's the link to the New York Times article that gives all the details of this new business venture:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/business/hasbro-selling-my-little-pony-fan-art.html?_r=2
Certainly if the production costs for those shapeways things gets better, it could be very profitable. Right now though? I don't think a ton of those things sell- and the quality is low while the cost is high. I think that it's probably just Hasbro's answer to copyright infringement that would happen anyway. Saves them money on C&D's and injunctions, and prevents the argument that they've waived their right to object to infringement.
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