Iron Pack cannot be sold because of well-documented legal reasons, and this "new" product cannot be identical to Steelbooks(TM) for obvious reasons. Anytime a "new" packaging is introduced there is resistance-the same thing initially happened when Iron Packs were sold instead of Steebooks. There was a huge uproar on the forums.
I am a HUGE fan of Steelbooks(TM) (230+), and staff member in a Steelbook/Collector community. I own the other wave Iron Packs, and Steelbooks remain my preferred choice, as a collector. However, based on the info our forum received 1st hand, the products were tested in North American labs and were approved by Disney's decision makers-Disney has very high standards, as is evident based on the products they have released for decades. But, many aspects of introducing a product involves favorable PR elements, obviously, so I think it's best to remain "cautiously optimistic".
How they are handled at the warehouse and distribution level, is a whole other matter, and hopefully quality control after the individual production runs, during the actual manufacturing process is as stringent. Much can still happen between final production, and shipping to the end user. But, as a fan of Disney releases, I, personally will wait to judge the items, until I have them in hand, myself. I think everyone else has a different preference when it comes to collectibles, and as there are limited options for companies that make "Metal" collectibles, for a variety of reasons, lets hope that the "end" products are as amazing "in hand", as they are visually, based on the art we have seen. For now, any info based on another's opinion, is still speculation.
Thank you Futureshop, for continuing to listen to collectors,and having this forum (many retailers do not engage the community at all-and there is no opportunity for two-way feedback), and working with studios to negotiate collectibles for the "Limited Ed" fanbase and collector community.
DB
