I will take old school without diecuts as long as we get puzzle backs. I miss that in the 50th Set.
I'll take old school without diecuts as well. I just think, well, why should we have to? What's the price differential per box of getting the die-cuts? Is it dramatic?
It would appear I'm in the minority on this. Which is fine. I'm likely in the minority on many of my preferences.
I just think, if when Mattel started their Masters of the Universe Classics series, which was also a direct-to-collector proposition. If, realizing most hardcore collectors never opened the packages of their action figures, if the bean counters then said "why do these have to be articulated - think of the savings by making them one chunk of plastic?" Would it have mattered if they were made that way? They're never moving if they never come out of the package, right? Of course, at that point, they wouldn't be action figures anymore. I maintain that the same is true here, with regard to the diecuts.
But I do get it. I assume that most collectors are fine as long as things still go into 9-pocket pages. I just find it strange (though understandable) that 9-pocket pages and other similar storage supplies possibly have more influence on current design choices than the original qualities of the thing in question.
I just think this is one of those changes that, like good lighting in a film or even a restaurant, it's a critically important aspect and it is something that most people, when asked, think doesn't matter. But like all great design elements, it does, and people notice. Like the thick border, etc.
I mean, if the desire to make the art bigger was the justification for thinning out the black borders, why not just make the cards half an inch bigger? The art would be bigger.
Of course that is something people get... Because they won't fit in the 9-pocket page anymore.
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Somewhat related, I just ordered the new Star Wars Topps Classic Sticker book.. which reproduces a lot of the classic 70's and 80'sstickers from the Topps Star Wars trading card sets. And within that book, they are die-cut. So the stickers are die-cut, just like they are for the successful run of DK Ultimate Sticker books (with licenses like Disney, Star Wars, Lego, etc). And this is a book that, like those DK books, is targeted at young readers. The kids.
So it seems to me that, losing the diecuts is a design decision that isn't targeting kids or nostalgic adults. It's just a cost-cutting, feature-removing measure. And I think they should have chosen to give us the option to pay a little more to get a complete product.
On the plus side, Abrams are the publishers behind this Star Wars Topps Classic Sticker book, and they also did the digest sized Wacky Packages books. Maybe they'll find it worthwhile to do a Wacky Packages Topps Sticker book at some point. And keep the die-cut alive since Topps may not be interested in doing so themselves.
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Topps-Classic-Sticker/dp/1419727117/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1491435965&sr=8-5&keywords=Star+Wars+sticker+book