First-Aid wrote:Bowspearer wrote:The fact is that people will pay upwards of $200 for ultimate versions of their G1 favorites - in fact they are doing it and preorders are selling out shortly after they're announced on many Asian e-tailers.
If the line keeps going this well, then combiner teams are an eventuality.
Combiner teams will not happen unless you lower the price. WOuld you pay A THOUSAND DOLLARS for a combiner set?
Yes. For a MP combiner set- in a heartbeat.
First-Aid wrote:With the economy the way it is worldwide, it won't happen.
And yet this is the same argument which would say that in this market, people wont pay close to $100 for an Autobot Car when they can get the Henkei version for $30-40. The fact that MP figures are consistently selling out on preorder says otherwise.
First-Aid wrote:Honestly though, this is a niche market.
Not in Japan it isn't. In fact the majority of the Japanese market is more adult fans than kids and parents. In fact it's the reason why when you look at both markets they tend to take radically different approaches.
First-Aid wrote:Takara knows exactly how many to make.
As does
any toy company when making a line. They base things on market research, sales figures and store orders, no matter the nature of the line.
First-Aid wrote:They won't have shelfwarmers.
And neither does Hasbro. Their warehouses clear out of stock and go to the retailers based on retail orders, right down to the retailers determining case assortments.
First-Aid wrote:This is a collectors' targeted market.
We're talking about the
Japanese toy market here, so wrong - dead wrong.
First-Aid wrote:Essentially each figure is a limited edition.
On the contrary, there's nothing "limited edition" about the Masterpiece line. In fact with the exception of Lucky Draw figures, the last time Hasbro went down the "limitied edition" road was with the first round of reissues and it game back to bite them when they did the Encore line.
First-Aid wrote:Besides, why make Masterpiece versions of figures that third party companies are making already, anyways? Just cuts into your profits.
A) By that logic, Encore 20 should never have existed. Yet it did so well that we got a variant reissue of a reissue. B) The logic of that statement is absurd. It's like saying that if someone steals your ideas and passes them off as their own that you would have absolutely no interest in going toe to toe with them if you couldn't sue them (in fact the only thing saving many third party companies from litigation is the terrible IP property rights legal situation in China). After all, that's precisely what third party companies who produce bootlegs of G1 characters without paying for licensing are - thieves. Of course Takara is going to want its fair market share for its iconic designs.
First-Aid wrote:I'm calling it right now. Jazz will be the next figure, then Stepper.
Considering that the mold reuses of Jazz, there are a good 2 or 3 others that will hit first before it. It'll definitely hit, but either Ratchet/Ironhide or Grapple/Inferno/Artfire are far more likely to hit first, as well as possibly Skids (depends on how viable eHobby runs are compared to main line runs for Takara). The only wild card besides licensing now, is how well Tigertrack sells, which in turn will determine eHobby's stake in this and the comparitive viability of certain molds.
First-Aid wrote:Because honestly, one can make a very respectable and accurate Jazz from the Prowl mold without doing much to it.
Except completely re-engineering the mechanics of the chest, waist, feet, as well as the external looks of the character. That's essentially rebuilding it from the ground up. Honestly, I wonder when people make comments like this if they even own the G1 versions of the toys being discussed or actually get the point of the Masterpiece line.
First-Aid wrote:Low cost to produce, high profit because collectors pay through the nose...as such it is zero risk for the company.
And yet Takara learned what happened when they tried the "zero risk" approach before with the Masterpiece line. It prompted a mid-line reboot to what we have now. This sort of thinking is Hasbro thinking and it's the reason why Hasbro never produce original Masterpieces themselves
Heck if it came down to "risk" (adult collector's market) adverse thinking, we'd never have had Binartech, Alternity or the Masterpiece line period.
First-Aid wrote:However, once that safety net disappears as they run out of characters to repaint/retool with low cost, that's when the line will end.
Which is a baseless assertion. The fact is that once the line does well enough, then the line itself becomes its own safety net. Are you seriously suggesting that Takara wont make combiner sets for the Masterpiece line if the market is there for them?
First-Aid wrote:It's just business.
No it's "playing it safe". All groundbreaking successful business ventures have involved risk. Calculated risk, certainly, but risk nonetheless. Takara have proven that they understand this and that is precisely why they are currently reaping the benefits with the current Masterpiece line in spades.