The Energon Pub

[fenrir72]

What I wish for, is the same price range but same color applications. Just like back in G1 days. Back then, only difference was the box, packaging and instructions.

Sure the missile launchers were gutted but overall the same product.The difference became overt when Astrotrain was released in different colors and Fortmax had the gynormous sword and Metalhawk etc etc

[Jelze Bunnycat]

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect thaty but I must admit that it is terribly irritating to hear people constantly talking junk about Hasbro and their versions of figures as compared to Takaras. Have any of you realized that these toys are catered to two wide different markets? In Japan these toys are geared more towards collectors whereas here in the states they are geared moreso to kids although Hasbro is trying to remember the collector also by remaking classic characters. If these figures were geared more towards the collector in America then they would likely be made exactly like the Takara versions. Of course if you like the Takara variations better (no harm in that), then you are welcome to pay $30.00 instead of $11.00 for the stateside version. One more thing, when a crappy figure comes out can't blame Hasbro complete ly because Hasbro/Takara have equal hands in the invention of the actual toys (not talking about the paint schemes).Rant over, I'm sorry. Had to get that off my chest.

The Takara versions do look good but I can buy three Generations figures for the cost of one United figure.

And it's equally irritating toe always hear "in the states they are geared moreso to kids" blah, blah, blah. WE KNOW these are for kids but they shouldn't have to get inferior looking versions.

Why not? It's cheaper, and how would they know there's a better version out there? Would they even care?

OK, I'm done being silly.

[Genocide G2.0]

I do'nt give a crap wich version i get as long as i get one, If i worried about a bit extra paint that much i would'nt enjoy collecting and hunting them down ,I've spent hundreds on figures i'm perfectly happy with keeping after seeing takara's,
The only time i choose to pay more is if its a realy heavily loved character and i want the best possible copy, i would'nt get every figure from takara i dont need to,
For me it spoils having that little bit more special one in my collection and just treating my self now and again.

[Stormrider]

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect thaty but I must admit that it is terribly irritating to hear people constantly talking junk about Hasbro and their versions of figures as compared to Takaras. Have any of you realized that these toys are catered to two wide different markets? In Japan these toys are geared more towards collectors whereas here in the states they are geared moreso to kids although Hasbro is trying to remember the collector also by remaking classic characters. If these figures were geared more towards the collector in America then they would likely be made exactly like the Takara versions. Of course if you like the Takara variations better (no harm in that), then you are welcome to pay $30.00 instead of $11.00 for the stateside version. One more thing, when a crappy figure comes out can't blame Hasbro complete ly because Hasbro/Takara have equal hands in the invention of the actual toys (not talking about the paint schemes).Rant over, I'm sorry. Had to get that off my chest.

Preach it! I am tired of this complaint as well. Little Johnny age 8 does not care about chrome wheels or a G1 accurate paint scheme, especially since he is going to play the hell out of the toy. He has been saving up his precious little allowance for a few weeks and when he goes to the toy store, he has a choice to make. If all that extra Takara paint jacks up the price, then he will move onto another product. Also, all of that Takara paint does not hold up after hours of play. Normal play will produce lots of scratches, leaving little Johnny disappointed. Meanwhile in Japan, Takashi, age 34, loves all of that metallic paint. Since he has a full time job, he does not hesitate to pay a higher price. When he takes his toy home he transforms it carefully. Takashi probably only transforms each of his toys a total of three to four times. He places them on his shelf and admires the sheen of the metallic paint.

Due to the Japanese low birth rate, the market for children's toys over there has shrunk. Toy companies have been compensating by catering to adult collectors.

Hasbro is trying to cater to both children and adult collectors. I must say that I think they are doing a really good job.

These just sound like convenient excuses. Look at Classics 2.0 Hound compared to Henkei Hound. There is no excuse for Hasbro's lighter sickly looking green.

http://my.opera.com/illithid2003/blog/2010/01/10/transformers-henkei-c-13-hound-and-ravage

[Stormrider]

I love these Takara/Hasbro discussions !!! I support both companies for their good points but I also trash both companies for the B.S. they often deliver in the form of excuses.

1. Paint apps do cost extra money. United Jazz and Bumblebee painted in metallic finishes does justifiy a higher price. However, a different color of plastic does not. Plastic colors are made by mixing powders. They have it down to a science as the measures of color are done by computer. But when someone screws up we start seeing variants on each run like ROTF Breakaway. Why Hasbro chooses not to go with G1 accurate colors sometimes in beyond me because it costs the same. And kids could care less about color variations of a slight difference. But collectors do. So why not kill 2 birds with one stone and get the most out of your product by mixing the right shade of plastic Hasbro ??? Stop lying about the cost because it's the same damn price !!!

2. For Henkei figures that share the same plastic color as the Hasbro version, stop lying about how much the few extra paint apps cost and bring the figures down to a fair price of $20. Perfect examples are Drift and Wreck-Gar. Painting a chest red or a few extra stripes and a grill does not cost an extra $20. So why are you charging $20 more than Hasbro ??? I heard Henkei was using a factory in China. Im not sure if this is true, but if it is then that means they probally have 1000 factory workers working 12 hour shifts for 50 cents an hour. So Henkei, I love you guys but get real !!!

Anyone wanna see how the Henkei factory operates watch the quick video on this link :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX1iplQQJTo

I read that Takara was in the process of moving their factories out of China. Thailand and Vietnam will be the new locations.

[Counterpunch]

I really think Hasbro should stop skimping out on their "heritage" figures...

OR

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

[zodconvoy]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

[rpetras]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

[bvzxa]

Well, I can attest to being a Henkei fan. One thing is the extra details make a big difference. Have you ever had Henkei Astrotrain and Classics Astrotrain in hand, the difference in plastic alone makes you angry. I didn't like everything Henkei had to offer, but Optimus is so much better than the Classics version. Seekers are hit and miss with Starscream being the one who benefited from the new G1 deco.

Getting to United is making it hard to pay 3x as much for a figure, but Jazz and Drift stand out. It hurts that I just sen over $200 for 3rd party stuff, but Drift and Jazz will be $70 + shipping to get what would have been $12 a piece.

Henkei during 2008 for deluxe was about $25, not bad for better paint apps, but I wanna know the retail price for them in Japan, then I might preorder them from HLJ or something.

[fenrir72]

Technically slightly cheaper on online stores except for the shipping that adds to the cost and that gets more expensive.

[Stockade]

These 2 look ALOT better than Hasblow! Picking these up for sure.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

Actually, Hasbro did start a website offering Japanese Beast Wars toys back in 2000, called Hasbrocollectors.com. Put mildly, it flunked.

[Counterpunch]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

Actually, Hasbro did start a website offering Japanese Beast Wars toys back in 2000, called Hasbrocollectors.com. Put mildly, it flunked.

That was 2000 with crappy Beast Wars toys. This is now, with better toys and a more invigorated fandom.

[--B--]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

The fact that many of those four HTS exclusive "Special Editions" figures ended sitting on line and then finally ended up at Marshals isn't helping that cause either. I'd be all over it, and Mattycollector does some great things with the Ghostbuster and MOTU lines, so Hasbro just needs to get it right.

I think it's a bit of a pride thing too, they don't want the sell what looks to be "superior" Takomy product on the same site as the rest of the product they sell. Makes them look kinda bad.

Actually, Hasbro did start a website offering Japanese Beast Wars toys back in 2000, called Hasbrocollectors.com. Put mildly, it flunked.

Hmm, looks like my post never made it. I was going to say that the HTS exclusives that ended up at discount stores probably soured them a bit, as would them selling products that could be considered "superior" to the rest of the site.


Mattycollector does a great job with some of the stuff they sell, maybe HTS will get backin the game.

[WeatherManNX01]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

Actually, Hasbro did start a website offering Japanese Beast Wars toys back in 2000, called Hasbrocollectors.com. Put mildly, it flunked.

That was 2000 with crappy Beast Wars toys. This is now, with better toys and a more invigorated fandom.

I'm not sure about putting them on their own site, but I've often thought that probably the best way to reach the collector market would be sites like BBTS and TFSource, since that's where a lot of us go in the first place. And not just for current figures, but perhaps for reissues as well (such as the BBTS Seacons).

On the other hand, perhaps they don't do this for exactly that reason - BBTS and TFSource, et al. If they are already offering Takara figures, why should Hasbro step in and muddy the waters with the same figures? I know it's about cost of the figures on our end, but perhaps it really just isn't worth the time, effort, and money for Hasbro to do this.

I don't know. In an ideal world this would work. However, we do not live in an ideal world.

[Counterpunch]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

Actually, Hasbro did start a website offering Japanese Beast Wars toys back in 2000, called Hasbrocollectors.com. Put mildly, it flunked.

That was 2000 with crappy Beast Wars toys. This is now, with better toys and a more invigorated fandom.

I'm not sure about putting them on their own site, but I've often thought that probably the best way to reach the collector market would be sites like BBTS and TFSource, since that's where a lot of us go in the first place. And not just for current figures, but perhaps for reissues as well (such as the BBTS Seacons).

On the other hand, perhaps they don't do this for exactly that reason - BBTS and TFSource, et al. If they are already offering Takara figures, why should Hasbro step in and muddy the waters with the same figures? I know it's about cost of the figures on our end, but perhaps it really just isn't worth the time, effort, and money for Hasbro to do this.

I don't know. In an ideal world this would work. However, we do not live in an ideal world.

So, we should quit and not look for ways to improve a situation?

[WeatherManNX01]

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

...I'd be down for that.

Yea, so would I.

I'm happy enough with my Drift (unless it happens to be standing next to the Takara version), and I can fix the missing paint apps on Jazz, but if I could get them for a price a lot closer to the street price if a regular deluxe, I'd do it.

And if this was SOP for Hasbro, so collectors could more easily pick and choose the versions that they prefer, that would be great!

Actually, Hasbro did start a website offering Japanese Beast Wars toys back in 2000, called Hasbrocollectors.com. Put mildly, it flunked.

That was 2000 with crappy Beast Wars toys. This is now, with better toys and a more invigorated fandom.

I'm not sure about putting them on their own site, but I've often thought that probably the best way to reach the collector market would be sites like BBTS and TFSource, since that's where a lot of us go in the first place. And not just for current figures, but perhaps for reissues as well (such as the BBTS Seacons).

On the other hand, perhaps they don't do this for exactly that reason - BBTS and TFSource, et al. If they are already offering Takara figures, why should Hasbro step in and muddy the waters with the same figures? I know it's about cost of the figures on our end, but perhaps it really just isn't worth the time, effort, and money for Hasbro to do this.

I don't know. In an ideal world this would work. However, we do not live in an ideal world.

So, we should quit and not look for ways to improve a situation?

Didn't say that. I'm just saying that I can see both sides, and it's probably not nearly as easy as we might think it is. Not to say that it won't happen or can't, but there's a lot involved.

[Flux Convoy]

I like the idea of Hasbro offering other versions online. I don't see it happening though. To offer the same product, more or less, would be competing with themselves. I can imagine it cutting into Hasbros profit margin, however slightly. On the topic of BW figures being offered previously online, I thought only Lio Convoy was offered that way. He was a mold we weren't getting which I can only assume would be pure profit for them. Please correct me if I'm wrong here. I only ever heard of the one product being offered.

[Stormrider]

I really think Hasbro should stop skimping out on their "heritage" figures...

OR

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

Perhaps Hasbro's new marketing strategy is "Pissing people off".

[Rodimus the Prime]

My girlfriend is from Japan, and I was showing her the comp-photos of Jazz on Alfes blog. One of the things that caught her eye and that she translated for me in his remarks was that he said (something to the effect of): 'If you're worried about getting the figure dirty or oil from your hands, the overseas (RTS) version is probably better (or, 'you can play with it more freely)'

Not an exact translation, but my best recollection of her words from yesterday.
Any how, I found that to be a nice bit of wisdom, as I too was initially regretting getting the RTS version. Now, I will get the United version as a display piece, and the RTS version will be the one I play with. Same goes with Tracks!

Thanks Alfes!!

[Jazz-1982]

I've got both United Tracks and Jazz MISB just waiting to get opened in a big Amazon.co.jp box together with United Grapple, Straxus and Lugnut.

Can't wait to check them out!!

[Counterpunch]

I really think Hasbro should stop skimping out on their "heritage" figures...

OR

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

Perhaps Hasbro's new marketing strategy is "Pissing people off".

I suppose you're being facetious since you know damn well that's not what I was getting at.

The point is, that the heritage figures are so close to being what they should that it seems like there is little cost in going the extra distance like Takara is doing or at least making those Japanese versions available easily to customers who want them. It's not like the people who buy the Japanese figures don't buy the western releases as well...

[Stormrider]

I really think Hasbro should stop skimping out on their "heritage" figures...

OR

They should offer the Takara versions as Premium versions on their very own website and stop making us go through middle men to get them.

Perhaps Hasbro's new marketing strategy is "Pissing people off".

I suppose you're being facetious since you know damn well that's not what I was getting at.

The point is, that the heritage figures are so close to being what they should that it seems like there is little cost in going the extra distance like Takara is doing or at least making those Japanese versions available easily to customers who want them. It's not like the people who buy the Japanese figures don't buy the western releases as well...

Yes, I was being facetious but I was also bringing to light - Hasbro's ploy of offering less desirable paint jobs first, and then re-releasing the character again in a better paint scheme.

I definitely agree with you on your idea. It seems like a wasted opportunity if Hasbro doesn't release these with a premium paint scheme and charge a little extra, like a special edition.