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Mkall wrote:I've yet to see a figure producd by a 3PP that I didn't think Hasbro could've done better had they decided to do it.

Compare Warbot Defender to any triple changer. Compare Herc to any combiner. Hasbro hasn't yet produced a decent example, but maybe that's because they haven't decided to! Yes, they COULD produce better but they don't. Yes, 3pp are insanely expensive.

As for 'official' Transformers, I'd say Botcon are the most overpriced. Yes, limited edition figures cost more, but not if the mold already exists.

For G1, Overlord is craaaazy expensive. I remember seeing it in the shops and being very unimpressed. Kind of wish I had picked one up now though. Hindsight and all that.

Third party, pound for pound, it has to be Perfect Effect's Night ops edition of Reflector. But they are awesome so I don't regret the outlay. Much!

Mykltron wrote:

Mkall wrote:I've yet to see a figure producd by a 3PP that I didn't think Hasbro could've done better had they decided to do it.

Compare Warbot Defender to any triple changer. Compare Herc to any combiner. Hasbro hasn't yet produced a decent example, but maybe that's because they haven't decided to! Yes, they COULD produce better but they don't. Yes, 3pp are insanely expensive.

Yup, precisely my point.

In terms of Overpriced TFs, right now it's almost anything First Edition Animated on eBay, but I suspect they'll trail off once the main line gets going.

Mkall wrote:I'm going to say this. I'm going to say this and most aren't going to like it and I'm going catch a lot of flak for it (probably anysays) but here goes.

The most overpriced figures from a collector's point of view is...

3rd Party Products.

Told you that you wouldn't like it but hear me out.

I've yet to see a figure producd by a 3PP that I didn't think Hasbro could've done better had they decided to do it.

City Commander is a simple partsformer, and the parts that don't go on the robot simply folds into an excuse of a cannon. It's magnificent to be sure standing on the shelf, but I can't but think that something better could've come of it.

Protector is very similar to City Commander, but the parts that don't go on the robot form a large cannon base. Imposing, yes. Homaging the original, yes. Design cop-out, IMO yes.

Perfect Effect. Neat little figures, tons of playability and accessories but they're SMALL and PRICEY.

Impossible Toys... do I really need to say anything here?

Hercules is straight forward and very simple, also the QA that plagued the early figures but TFC was kind enough to provide replacement parts.

Battle Tanker - Imposing but horifically finicky.

Delicate Warrior (iGear Arcee) - Decent quality, but devilly simple.

BUT we buy them anyways, usually at whatever price is being asked of us. Now there are usually logical arguments to be made - low production runs, material quality, design, parts count, distribution etc and those are valid arguments. When it comes down to the pocketboook though, we usually pay easily 70% more for a 3PP figure than for a HasTak figure of roughly the same size.

We get them because they're the only game that makes these figures that we want. I've always stated, and now I feel vindicated by the recently-seen Bruticus, that if Hasbro decides that they're going to do a G1 reimage, they have the potential to do it much better than anything 3PPs can match. But due to marketting conditions, they often can't so we're stuck with what we're offered.

I think it depends on what it is. The WST figs are actually quite reasonable and some of the others really aren't that bad.

Hercules? An incredible rip-off, to be sure.

how exactly is hercules a rip off? he stands 12.5 inches. looks bad a$$. each robot is a triple changer that is fully poseable. just because some companies choose to jack the price up(no names here but you know who you are) doesnt discredit TFC for making THE baddest combiner to date

Delicon wrote:

BeastProwl wrote:BTW, not a transformer, but the USS Flagg is worth an honerable mention. $899.00.

Actually, that's not a bad at all price for a conmplete Flagg...and considering that sucker is over 7 feet long, I don't consider that expensive at all. For reference, what is Fort Max, 2 and a half feet tall?

yeah, then look at the price difference!

Personally I think the DOTM Human Alliance figures are over priced. 32$ !? old figures were 23.99. Specially because at least for me, The Dark of the Moon line was a total flop except for a few figures. The weapons are WAY to big, so under Undetailed, and every tformer has a bunch of kibble shooting out from everywhere.
To expensive for me anyway.

donnie_707 wrote:how exactly is hercules a rip off? he stands 12.5 inches. looks bad a$$. each robot is a triple changer that is fully poseable. just because some companies choose to jack the price up(no names here but you know who you are) doesnt discredit TFC for making THE baddest combiner to date

So turning into a robot, a dump truck, and a crotch is triplechanging now? Okay let's break down Hercules (no horrible QC/they already are broken pun intended) and compare it to Classics Devastator. Yes, the one that was from Walmart. First, fists. Everyone went gaga over the Herc fists filling the massive hole in the back of the vehicle mode (edit: after rereading this before I posted, I can thing of no better metaphor for Herc! ) but in robot mode you have to options: either they have fists nearly as large as their torso having off their backs giving everyone the finger or they still have the "fist from nowhere" problem. If they were going for the AHM forearm look they could have made the fists do a split and fold like WFC Megatron's hands did. Now, the Classics one didn't have hands per say, more of claws. They attach to the vehicle mode, were used as weapons in robot mode and could grab things as hands.
Number of robots: Herc- 6; Walmart- 5.
Toon accuracy: Herc- right vehicles, didn't even f***ing try on the botmodes; Walmart- Energon was a toon, right? Doesn't count? Damn.
Quality control: Herc- . Walmart- for all the gripping that has been done about this mold, I have never EVER heard any complaints about it being broken or of a single bad paint app. I personally had the thing drop 6 feet off the top of my shelf and didn't even come apart.
The wait: Herc- nearly a year with no assurances in the beginning that they were ever going to finish it. They did. What big boys. Walmart- All in one box. If you saw it and had some money on you, it was yours!

Height: Herc- 12.5 inches (less than half an inch taller than MP-01 Optimus); Walmart 10". So Herc has the height advantage by literally [_____________________] <- that much on my monitor. Is that enough to justify...

the Price: Herc- average $600+ and that's without shipping it. Walmart- $30 and whatever sales tax was applicable where you were. Bonus points for buying it from Delaware.

So for the original cost of Herc and the original cost at Walmart, you could have bought 20 Devastators per Hercules. Or paid your mortgage, rent, car payment, Botcon trip, what have you. "But Zod, Walmart's not GeeWun enough!" Encore Devastator is $125 at BBTS so you can get nearly five of them to full your G1 craving. Hell, as much of a rip off as everyone agrees CrazyDevy is, you could get the Encore and every single CD upgrade for it for $360 (prices taken from BBTS, includes the out of stock CDMW-09) and still have enough left over for eight Walmarts at original price. So in the end is Hercules > G1 + CrazyDevy + 8 Classics Devastators?

It's easy to look at something and say "I'd pay six hundred dollars for that!" It's quite another thing to have to look at everything else you can get for that and still say it's worth it.

And notice how I never even once had to compare it to Maketoys Giant.

Of course all that depends on if you like the overall look of Classics / Energon Devestator enough to pay $150 for it to begin with. Would you really buy 5 toys you find mediocre or take all of that and buy one you find awesome?

When I'm paying $80 for FP's trailers it's tough for me to say an extra $20 for a full-fledged figure is a rip off in context.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Of course all that depends on if you like the overall look of Classics / Energon Devestator to pay $150 for it to begin with. Would you really buy 5 toys you find mediocre or one you find awesome?

When I'm paying $80 for FP's trailers it's tough for me to say an extra $20 for a full-fledged figure is a rip off in context.

I just sold my Classics Devastator on eBay in December and it went for less than $50. The "Buy It Now"s that are up on eBay are asking the same price they did in 2008 when thy were the only option. And if you're going to use the original City Commander price please also acknowledge the original Classics Devastator price of $30.

Okay, how's about this: The original price I paid for MP-01 Convoy, nearly universally agreed upon to be the best toy ever, was only $100 from Small Blue Planet. That was the average price at the time and I only went with them because their warehouse was 10 minutes away from my girlfriends house at the time so it could be picked up rather than shipped. Now, it Dr. Crank worth Masterpiece Optimus?

My argument is the same as it was: it's easy to say what you'd be willing to pay but not so easy if you compare it to what else you could have gotten. If Scrapper is your personal favorite character for some reason, it's worth $100. Does that make a Long Haul who looks nothing like Longhaul and oh, by way, it broken and the only way to fix it is to buy the next $100 guy worth it?

The total height difference between Classics Devastator and Hercules is one Legends Goldbug. Is that really worth $600? It's not a Masterpiece, no diecast, no fun extras like comics or the neat photo history you get with an MP. At this point I really do think it's defending the "investment." Most 3rd party items skyrocket in price but after some initial ballooning, I think Herc will end up only being worth what you paid for it or less. I don't want to hear any Herc owners b!tching that they can't afford to got to Botcon. You made your choice.