The Energon Pub

As predictable as it may have been, it's still complete asshattery. Maybe retailers and kids may not have been as demanding for these as the fanbase, but Hasbro still could have done a decent production run and sold them as a reasonably-priced exclusive via their online store if they couldn't find a retailer. Is it a sound business decision for MasterCollector? Of course. But it's still a slap in the face to all but the most diehard fans who can't afford to get assraped out of $300+ for a handful of small figures that would have normally retailed for about $10 each.

Sunstar wrote:the oh Noooos I am upset about is because I cannot afford to pay that sort of money for 3 tfs I want.

But there are plenty of Transformers that I want that are to expensive. A lot of the Japanese (exclsuive and non) stuff that comes out in up there in $$$ and if I really want it I will pay for it, if not I wont. I wanted the Astrotrain and Airazor set but I decided it was too much money and didn’t go for it. But a lot of other people didn’t think it was too much and got a set. That is the nature of exclusives, it doesn’t mean for everybody and is suppose to be as enticing as possible for people who are willing to pay for it. That's why the Seekers made sense (plus really the other CL figures couldn’t be repainted or remolded for a 5 piece set).

I also think we all need to simmer down a bit in this thread, some posts are starting to go above the point of discussion and are moving to slight attacks. I understand that some of you are angry about the price, but that doesn’t give you the right to get angry with other members who hold a different viewpoint.

GetterDragun wrote:Fact: There were no plans for additional classic figures.

And now there won't be since the ones everyone wanted are going to sell for 5-6 times their normal price. They people will say "hey, they didn't sell well, I guess no one wants classics!"

Classics was the last good thing I liked about the current toy lines, and this could possibly be the thing that kills it. Movie toys are crap, and now the good toys are out of my price range.

Scaleface wrote:Classics was the last good thing I liked about the current toy lines, and this could possibly be the thing that kills it. Movie toys are crap, and now the good toys are out of my price range.

I'd have to agree with you. However, during this 'movie period,' I can get Titaniums and figures I missed out on from other Generations while I wait for the movie's influence to blow over. Not to mention Lego, Stikfas, and GI Joe.

Don't give up hope, I'm sure the Transformers you know and love will come back soon.

Seibertron wrote:Why don't you have a chance of buying them? You can certainly buy these if you wanted to.

Not unless you, or someone else, is willing to provide me with the funds to do so. The same reason I can't go to the convention is the same reason I can't get the set: I can't afford it.

Even if I could afford it, I suspect I'd refuse to do so on principle alone simply because they're far too overpriced. Unfortunately, I'm not even close to being in a position to make that decision.

Air Commander Starscream wrote:

Sunstar wrote:the oh Noooos I am upset about is because I cannot afford to pay that sort of money for 3 tfs I want.

But there are plenty of Transformers that I want that are to expensive. A lot of the Japanese (exclsuive and non) stuff that comes out in up there in $$$ and if I really want it I will pay for it, if not I wont. I wanted the Astrotrain and Airazor set but I decided it was too much money and didn’t go for it. But a lot of other people didn’t think it was too much and got a set. That is the nature of exclusives, it doesn’t mean for everybody and is suppose to be as enticing as possible for people who are willing to pay for it. That's why the Seekers made sense (plus really the other CL figures couldn’t be repainted or remolded for a 5 piece set).

Most of the stuff selling for ridiculous prices has been out for a long while. The Masterpiece figures sell for under $100, Masterpiece Optimus w/trailer retailed for around $170-180, and the complete Predaking reissue gift set went for what, $150? This is 5 new repaints of small figures that retail for less than $10 each, as a set only, and at $280-330. Paying around 600% more for 5 figures, 2 of which I don't even want, isn't worth it. For less than that I could buy a full set of diecast Evangelion Soul of Chogokins or Lords of Byston Well figures.

FlameStrike wrote:No, actually, it's not, at least from where I'm sitting. You see, I don't have a chance of buying them, so this is worse then them not being produced at all.

So what you're basically saying there is, "If I can't have them, then NOBODY should."

Chris McFeely wrote:

FlameStrike wrote:No, actually, it's not, at least from where I'm sitting. You see, I don't have a chance of buying them, so this is worse then them not being produced at all.

So what you're basically saying there is, "If I can't have them, then NOBODY should."

I believe what FlameStrike is saying is "They should give us all a chance to get them by releasing them as regular figures."

Tis true that these figures are hiked quite a bit higher then they would go in the stores. But your forgetting that these figures are exclusives and are not being made in large quantities. I don't like having to pay that much money for these figures, hell I was outraged last year when they sold Waspinator and Megatron together for like $85 and then Lazerbeak and Buzzclaw together for $45. But I baught them anyways because I wanted too so I could complete my Botcon set.

Just curious.... so if the Seekers wernt released as a Botcon set....then what exclusives would have been acceptable for you all to not be able to buy in store? Or should no exclusives been made because you might get left out due to price?

83457W422102 wrote:I believe what FlameStrike is saying is "They should give us all a chance to get them by releasing them as regular figures."

That's exactly what I'm saying. Don't set it up so that these highly desired, G1 main-line characters are only available to what amounts to an elite few.

Nightwatcher wrote:Seriously though. Did anyone not see that coming from a mile away?

oooh, ooh! Me!, I did, I called it.

Except for Bugbite and Dreadwind?..

It wasn't that hard of a call to make.

FlameStrike wrote:

83457W422102 wrote:I believe what FlameStrike is saying is "They should give us all a chance to get them by releasing them as regular figures."

That's exactly what I'm saying. Don't set it up so that these highly desired, G1 main-line characters are only available to what amounts to an elite few.

Ooooh! I'm elite.

Air Commander Starscream wrote:but that doesn’t give you the right to get angry with other members who hold a different viewpoint.

Nor does it give you a right to act as if you're a 'better' fan because you're willing to shell out ridiculous amounts of money for cheap toys.

Which, yes, you are. As was Getter when he posted.

83457W422102 wrote:

Chris McFeely wrote:

FlameStrike wrote:No, actually, it's not, at least from where I'm sitting. You see, I don't have a chance of buying them, so this is worse then them not being produced at all.

So what you're basically saying there is, "If I can't have them, then NOBODY should."

I believe what FlameStrike is saying is "They should give us all a chance to get them by releasing them as regular figures."

This is plain BS. If they did release them you'd here, "This is BS $10 for a repaint of a figure I already have!"

Just look at the repaint of Energon Constructicon Maximus, you basically get one figure for free in that set and people still complained. It seems the only true way to satisfy Transformers fans is to price all new figures at $10 and any repaint of the figure at $5, and only do crappy repaints of figures no one wants for exclusives.

Air Commander Starscream wrote:Tis true that these figures are hiked quite a bit higher then they would go in the stores. But your forgetting that these figures are exclusives and are not being made in large quantities. I don't like having to pay that much money for these figures, hell I was outraged last year when they sold Waspinator and Megatron together for like $85 and then Lazerbeak and Buzzclaw together for $45. But I baught them anyways because I wanted too so I could complete my Botcon set,

I'm not forgetting that they're exclusives not being made in large quantities, that's the entire problem. With a 600% markup they'd damn well better be trying to recoup costs on new moulds to make Dirge and Thrust G1-accurate, but that still doesn't make them worth it. The Megatron exclusive was an extremely limited repaint of an ultra mould that retailed for $24, had a new head, included Waspinator, and wasn't a character that the fandom was all but demanding. Lazerbeak and Buzzclaw wouldn't have been able to support a wider release either and the people who were willing to pay for them were the tiny majority who wanted them. That's not the case with the seekers. They probably wouldn't have been able to support a mass-market release, true, but a specialty market release at a price-point under $100 would have sold well and wouldn't have alienated the casual fans.

GetterDragun wrote:This is plain BS. If they did release them you'd here, "This is BS $10 for a repaint of a figure I already have!"

Were you not here on these forums during the past 9 months when Classics were released and every thread on Classics Starscream included a handful of posts regarding how much everyone wanted a full set of seekers?

GetterDragun wrote:Just look at the repaint of Energon Constructicon Maximus, you basically get one figure for free in that set and people still complained. It seems the only true way to satisfy Transformers fans is to price all new figures at $10 and any repaint of the figure at $5, and only do crappy repaints of figures no one wants for exclusives.

Err, I don't suppose that could maybe be because almost no one wanted that figure? People were talking about how horrible the Energon Gestalts were when they were first released. What on earth made Hasbro think people would want another set?

Archibald Witwicky wrote:

GetterDragun wrote:Just look at the repaint of Energon Constructicon Maximus, you basically get one figure for free in that set and people still complained. It seems the only true way to satisfy Transformers fans is to price all new figures at $10 and any repaint of the figure at $5, and only do crappy repaints of figures no one wants for exclusives.

Err, I don't suppose that could maybe be because almost no one wanted that figure? People were talking about how horrible the Energon Gestalts were when they were first released. What on earth made Hasbro think people would want another set?

Cause some people didn't get it the first time. And if you think about it, kids usually get one mold of each figure, so how would flooding the market with seeker repaints be a profitable move for Hasrbo?

AbsumZer0 wrote:

GetterDragun wrote:This is plain BS. If they did release them you'd here, "This is BS $10 for a repaint of a figure I already have!"

Were you not here on these forums during the past 9 months when Classics were released and every thread on Classics Starscream included a handful of posts regarding how much everyone wanted a full set of seekers?

Have you never been to a store and seen that repaints of molds from the same series just sit on the shelf?

How do you justify releasing a full assortment of the same mold to retail?

I'm going to drink GetterDragon, ACS, Seibs, and everyone else, straight under the table at BotCon.

and we're playing Attacktix for shots...

As many have suggested, it wouldn't be. However, doing a special, limited release on HTS or through a chain willing to do it, at a 200% or even 300% markup would've been far more profitable than releasing Thundercracker, the most demanded, non-released figure in the Classics Line, at 600% mark-up to a relatively small portion of people.

Like I said, things like Bugbite and arguably the Cone-heads being in the set make perfect sense.

Putting Thundercracker there makes none, whatsoever. It's essentially saying 'We don't like money!' and 'Screw the fans that can't dole out ridiculous amounts of money for a hunk of plastic that cost us $1 to make.'

There are a plethora of different ways Hasbro/the Club could've handled this differently and made EVERYONE happy AND made more money in the process. They didn't.

It was a stupid, BS move and people are calling them on it.

I really don't get the outrage. 1) This was predicted long, long ago. 2) With the Classics line probably dead (it was filler guys, sorry), would you rather not see these figures at all? Besides, what else were they gonna do for Botcon? The convention is for the fans, and yes, while a lot of people can't afford it, those that can, or barely can in my case but are going anyway, wanna know that we're getting our money's worth, so its nice in that regard - the set makes convention attendance feel appreciated from my POV as its not cheap. Its a small way for Hasbro to say, "thanks for your money, we know its a sacrifice, now here's something worthwhile for your time."

So sure, I agree its probably not the smartest thing business wise, as they could have made a killing on the rest of the seekers at retail, but at least now we're going to see them in one way or another instead of not at all.

GetterDragun wrote:

AbsumZer0 wrote:

GetterDragun wrote:This is plain BS. If they did release them you'd here, "This is BS $10 for a repaint of a figure I already have!"

Were you not here on these forums during the past 9 months when Classics were released and every thread on Classics Starscream included a handful of posts regarding how much everyone wanted a full set of seekers?

Have you never been to a store and seen that repaints of molds from the same series just sit on the shelf?

How do you justify releasing a full assortment of the same mold to retail?

Not of popular characters, no. Do you have shelves full of Cybertron Megatron T-Rex in your area? The Galvatron repaint? None of the stores in my area even have Cliffjumper on the pegs... just Mirage. And maybe it wouldn't have worked at mass-market but if they could release multiple waves of cobbled-together G.I. Joe minor characters DTC there's no reason they couldn't have done a specialty-market production run and either sold them as an exclusive or online at a reasonable price.

This is why I don't pay attention at exclusives much nowdays but hey if people got the money to burn to cheer themselves up: why not. I'd like to keep my hobby in say "efficient" way and definitely staying away from being a completist. As the result, now I only spend on masterpiece only and even so crap like MP-04 doesnt even get my attention.

this thread got nasty fast

GetterDragun wrote:This is plain BS. If they did release them you'd here, "This is BS $10 for a repaint of a figure I already have!"

I wouldn't If they'd done that, I'd have been perfectly happy to buy those repaints. Other repaints I'm not interested in that are available as mass market releases I don't complain about, I just don't buy them.

To me, this is more akin to them making a combiner team, say a six member Constructicon team, releasing three members of the team in stores for mass market consumption, and then releasing the final pieces as convention exclusives.

Minor characters, new characters, non-show versions of major characters, I'm fine with those being convention exclusives. Memebrs needed to complete a well known team, or other major characters in show accurate versions, I'm not so accepting of. Even releasing these as store exclusives, like they did with Skywarp, would be better than this.