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alternator77 wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:

alternator77 wrote:cant say it bothers me all that much if it turns out to be true the only ones i wanted were the dinobots, shockwave and blitzwing. although i wish they wouldve completed the dinobots. oh well more loot in my pocket for my alternities!!

Er...they did complete the Dinobots. Grimlock, Snarl, and Swoop were the only ones that they had in the show and toy line.

This isn't G1. Even with all of the homages, it's it's own separate entity.

very true and truth is i never watched the entire series but they also didnt release figures for other charachters like omegasupreme nor did they complete the seekers or release the constructicon brothers but that doesnt mean thay couldnt have released the last 2 dinobots that true werent in the show. all im saying is that it wouldve been pretty sweet if they completed the set. its pretty long overdue imo.

You can blame that on the fandom, somewhat. If more people had been willing to buy, more product would've been made, and Hasbro might've been more apt to create new molds.

But, other than intense fans of the show/line, no one really bought into it. Why, I don't know.

I mean, yeah, I've heard the reasons why, I just don't care. Some folks who did like it, didn't buy in. They had no excuse.

Ah well.

Autobot032 wrote:You can blame that on the fandom, somewhat. If more people had been willing to buy, more product would've been made, and Hasbro might've been more apt to create new molds.

But, other than intense fans of the show/line, no one really bought into it. Why, I don't know.

I mean, yeah, I've heard the reasons why, I just don't care. Some folks who did like it, didn't buy in. They had no excuse.

Ah well.

I can't remember which site I read it on (it was probably Seibertron), but fans only make up for as little as 10% of total Transformers toy sales. If a line dies, it's because of the kids, not the collectors. Along those lines, it doesn't surprise me that figures like Rodimus didn't get released - they weren't in the show enough to appeal to the kiddies.

On a side note, it's why reissues are so expensive - Hasbro are marketing at a niche of the Transformers market, so the price has to be higher.

Amelie wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:You can blame that on the fandom, somewhat. If more people had been willing to buy, more product would've been made, and Hasbro might've been more apt to create new molds.

But, other than intense fans of the show/line, no one really bought into it. Why, I don't know.

I mean, yeah, I've heard the reasons why, I just don't care. Some folks who did like it, didn't buy in. They had no excuse.

Ah well.

I can't remember which site I read it on (it was probably Seibertron), but fans only make up for as little as 10% of total Transformers toy sales. If a line dies, it's because of the kids, not the collectors. Along those lines, it doesn't surprise me that figures like Rodimus didn't get released - they weren't in the show enough to appeal to the kiddies.

On a side note, it's why reissues are so expensive - Hasbro are marketing at a niche of the Transformers market, so the price has to be higher.

I've heard that same stat regarding the market share the collectors make up. In that context it's surprising how much they actually cater to us.

El Duque wrote:

Amelie wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:You can blame that on the fandom, somewhat. If more people had been willing to buy, more product would've been made, and Hasbro might've been more apt to create new molds.

But, other than intense fans of the show/line, no one really bought into it. Why, I don't know.

I mean, yeah, I've heard the reasons why, I just don't care. Some folks who did like it, didn't buy in. They had no excuse.

Ah well.

I can't remember which site I read it on (it was probably Seibertron), but fans only make up for as little as 10% of total Transformers toy sales. If a line dies, it's because of the kids, not the collectors. Along those lines, it doesn't surprise me that figures like Rodimus didn't get released - they weren't in the show enough to appeal to the kiddies.

On a side note, it's why reissues are so expensive - Hasbro are marketing at a niche of the Transformers market, so the price has to be higher.

I've heard that same stat regarding the market share the collectors make up. In that context it's surprising how much they actually cater to us.

Fair point, but here's a legitimate reason as to why they cater to us: Guaranteed business.

They know kids are finicky and change their minds as easy as the eye blinks. With that, kids may love TFs today, and not even care tomorrow. Yet we remain, we still love them we still buy them.

It'd be financial suicide to forget us. We're the ones who buy when the line's in a lull. We buy Classics/Universe/Generations. I rarely, if ever see anyone under the teenage years buy a figure from that series. They always go for the movie figures.

I saw one or two kids reach for Animated figures, but not more than once (that I recall) did I see kids go for the collector oriented lines.

Collectors bought it up, and in full force. The only things that never left were Voyagers and Ultras because they were either over produced, or an umpteenth repaint of an already existing figure made a hundred times over.

Yeah, collectors don't make a terribly huge dent, but when we do buy, we buy 'til it hurts. Hasbro hasn't forgotten that, so they swat us with a fanwank or two.

They should step up their game a bit though, because one day even the kids won't be buying (sadly) and maybe even the collectors will dry up as well.

Just look at TFs in Japan for proof of that. Last I heard, they haven't done very well in terms of sales figures, in years. Poke'mon and Bakugan have pretty much mopped up the floor with them.

El Duque wrote:I've heard that same stat regarding the market share the collectors make up. In that context it's surprising how much they actually cater to us.

Especially when you include the costs of mold production - they cost hundreds of thousands to produce. If they have to sell (for example) five thousand of "unit X" to recoup costs on manufacturing alone, before including marketing and design, we should be grateful they do anywhere near as much as they do for the community.

Autobot032 wrote:Just look at TFs in Japan for proof of that

Actually, Transformers have never been that popular in Japan - in fact, my japanese sister-in-law had never heard of them until she came over here, and she's 30, and should've been the ideal age to have at least hear about them. The release date for the 1986 movie in Japan was 1989, which should tell us something about popularity.

I was reading an interview with one of the Gundam designers in Otaku (don't ask, I was bored on the train) magazine last year who stated that toys\models are aimed at the teenage boy catagory in Japan - most younger children are into stuff like cardgames ect, which is where Pokemon and Bakugan come in.

Amelie wrote:

El Duque wrote:I've heard that same stat regarding the market share the collectors make up. In that context it's surprising how much they actually cater to us.

Especially when you include the costs of mold production - they cost hundreds of thousands to produce. If they have to sell (for example) five thousand of "unit X" to recoup costs on manufacturing alone, before including marketing and design, we should be grateful they do anywhere near as much as they do for the community.

Autobot032 wrote:Just look at TFs in Japan for proof of that

Actually, Transformers have never been that popular in Japan - in fact, my japanese sister-in-law had never heard of them until she came over here, and she's 30, and should've been the ideal age to have at least hear about them. The release date for the 1986 movie in Japan was 1989, which should tell us something about popularity.

I was reading an interview with one of the Gundam designers in Otaku (don't ask, I was bored on the train) magazine last year who stated that toys\models are aimed at the teenage boy catagory in Japan - most younger children are into stuff like cardgames ect, which is where Pokemon and Bakugan come in.

Well, in all fairness to the Japanese...

1.) They're overrun by robots. Doesn't matter what brand of robot, it's still a robot.

2.) Microman/Pre-TransFormers had covered all of these toys a decade earlier and were probably petering out in popularity when we decided "Hey, these are friggin' awesome!" (imagine that in the voice of the Staples "WOW!" guy...)

3.) Japan is the epicenter for cutting edge when it comes to things like video games (which attract kids of ALL ages), and other items of that nature.

With all of that in mind, it's not surprising to find that they aren't exactly big sellers in Japan. Though, I think the Bay movies helped to reinvigorate some kind of interest in Japan. (Not to the numbers they were hoping, but I'm sure some were enticed...)

Still, it's sad to see that one day, TransFormers just won't be as awesome as they are now. Maybe not even around.

I know I've beaten a dead horse with this next part, but...

"Where do we go from here?"

It's been 25 years, and we've covered it all, pretty much. I mean, sure, I love seeing the new designs and ideas on an old character, but you can only do so much with what we've been given.

Even Power Rangers finally bit the dust. They also saved the best for last, too. The RPM Ultrazord blows pretty much any of the previous Power Ranger releases out of the water. It not only looks good, but it's got TWELVE friggin' Zords in one. And all four Megazords (which are required to make the Ultrazord) can be reconfigured several ways, themselves.

Now, PCC kinda touches on that idea, but not quite to the level that RPM did. Now, if the PCC combiners (in their combined form) could merge into one giant, "Oh, what the truck is that abomination>" combination, I might be impressed.

Amelie wrote:Actually, Transformers have never been that popular in Japan - in fact, my japanese sister-in-law had never heard of them until she came over here, and she's 30, and should've been the ideal age to have at least hear about them. The release date for the 1986 movie in Japan was 1989, which should tell us something about popularity.

I was reading an interview with one of the Gundam designers in Otaku (don't ask, I was bored on the train) magazine last year who stated that toys\models are aimed at the teenage boy catagory in Japan - most younger children are into stuff like cardgames ect, which is where Pokemon and Bakugan come in.

In three years of TF collecting in Japan I have only once or twice seen children actually buying them. It's mostly adult men.

That said, there seems to be an increasing trend in Japan, more so than in the rest of the world, for toys as a whole to be considered too "childish" for even seven or eight year old children.

Diem wrote:
And to the folks bashing Powercore Combiners; Really? You're also entitled to your opinion but it's not even out yet, and if I had a penny for every fan who's badmouthed a line and then totally changed their tune later on I could buy a MISB Black Zarak. Seriously, wait and give it a chance before loading the flame-throwers.

I swear to God, Animated is the last line I blast without figures or having watched it. I did it with Beast Wars too. Having watched both, I am one of those fans. At least my dislike of Animated was mostly half hearted. Once I gave it a fair shake, I was hooked completely. I love the BW stuff I've got and I enjoyed the hell out of Animated. I'm looking forward to PCC so far. If it turns out I don't dig em as much as I expect, well, my bad. You won't see me blasting someone else about it. Good points all around in your post, this pertained to me most though.

Autobot032 wrote:

El Duque wrote:

Amelie wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:You can blame that on the fandom, somewhat. If more people had been willing to buy, more product would've been made, and Hasbro might've been more apt to create new molds.

But, other than intense fans of the show/line, no one really bought into it. Why, I don't know.

I mean, yeah, I've heard the reasons why, I just don't care. Some folks who did like it, didn't buy in. They had no excuse.

Ah well.

I can't remember which site I read it on (it was probably Seibertron), but fans only make up for as little as 10% of total Transformers toy sales. If a line dies, it's because of the kids, not the collectors. Along those lines, it doesn't surprise me that figures like Rodimus didn't get released - they weren't in the show enough to appeal to the kiddies.

On a side note, it's why reissues are so expensive - Hasbro are marketing at a niche of the Transformers market, so the price has to be higher.

I've heard that same stat regarding the market share the collectors make up. In that context it's surprising how much they actually cater to us.

Fair point, but here's a legitimate reason as to why they cater to us: Guaranteed business.

They know kids are finicky and change their minds as easy as the eye blinks. With that, kids may love TFs today, and not even care tomorrow. Yet we remain, we still love them we still buy them.

It'd be financial suicide to forget us. We're the ones who buy when the line's in a lull. We buy Classics/Universe/Generations. I rarely, if ever see anyone under the teenage years buy a figure from that series. They always go for the movie figures.

I saw one or two kids reach for Animated figures, but not more than once (that I recall) did I see kids go for the collector oriented lines.

Collectors bought it up, and in full force. The only things that never left were Voyagers and Ultras because they were either over produced, or an umpteenth repaint of an already existing figure made a hundred times over.

Yeah, collectors don't make a terribly huge dent, but when we do buy, we buy 'til it hurts. Hasbro hasn't forgotten that, so they swat us with a fanwank or two.

They should step up their game a bit though, because one day even the kids won't be buying (sadly) and maybe even the collectors will dry up as well.

Just look at TFs in Japan for proof of that. Last I heard, they haven't done very well in terms of sales figures, in years. Poke'mon and Bakugan have pretty much mopped up the floor with them.

very true i also dont see kids going out and putting down 2-300 bucks on a bunch of figures there are still a ton of mp skywarps on the shelves at my walmart fact is although we are a small group we still spend a ton. before the movies we were buying these guys and long after the last movie well still be buying them.and yes your right kids are really picky one my nephew loved pokemon then it was digimon and now its bakugan but we are brand loyal.

El Duque wrote:

Blurrz wrote:I wanted Vortex Blurr.

....and fugitive Wasp and Jetpack Optimus Prime.

and rodimus!
...and everything!

OMEGA!!!