The Energon Pub

ScottyP wrote:I said it yesterday in a way and I'll say it again since this got crazy again...

If not for Botcon, we probably would have NEVER seen these figures in any way, shape or form (besides kitbashers). Hasbro is a corporation, and the corporate charter states that their purpose is to make their stockholders profits. The only way to profit from a limited release is to sell them for a huge markup.

I feel bad if you can't afford them, or have no way of getting them, it does suck, but Hasbro is a business and felt the only way to give ANY fans at all these figures in a sensible way was to 'sell' them in this fashion.



Oh, and for page 14, since it needs to be on every page:

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

The problem with your argument is, while there probably isn't enough demand to support a full mass-market run so soon after the release of Starscream, Skywarp, and Ramjet, there's also far more demand than would make such a limited number (which would necessitate the 600% markup) rational if your intent is to A)please the customers and B)turn a profit. With Thrust and Dirge it's arguable because in order to create G1-accurate moulds Mastercollector will need to charge enough to pay for tooling, but Thundercracker? If they were to resurrect the Classic line post-movie they could have shuffled a Thundercracker in, even as a shortpack. If not, they could have done a larger (though still limited) production run and sold it individually via Hasbro Direct, even if they were forced to charge 25-30 bucks. Both those would have profited the company and been less harsh on fans (even if they were forced to buy from scalpers). Instead, the only ones who profit from this is Mastercollector. The run is too small for Hasbro to actually make any money off of it and at the same time they're generating ill-will amongst casual collectors.

Cyber Bishop wrote:

tigertracks 24 wrote:There is definitely a lot of hurt feelings over this. This thread has turned very volatile.

That is the truth..

I think everyone needs to calm down a bit regardless if they are going or not.

You should admit though, if the idea of making these was to make TF fans happy about the club, it might have backfired with this many negative reactions.

It seems like the majority of people in this thread are against the idea of the three seekers as Botcon exclusives. Would it be effective for us to voice a letter of complaint to Botcon and Hasbro?

There seems to be three issues regarding these exclusives:

1. The particular characters they chose for this year's Botcon exclusive.

2. The price of the exclusives.

3. The way that the exclusives must be purchased. (For example - bundled registration packets.)

Submitting a letter now may not rectify the problem this year, but it will give them something to think about next year.

I've been reading through a few other TF boards.

This seems to be the only place where people are more upset over the fact that some collectors won't be able to complete a seeker set, than over the actual price of the set.

What I've read in other places is a whole lot of folks saying, 'No thank you' to the set (and 'Con) in general because of the price.

I really don't think Classics were going to be resumed after the movie. So, I have to admit that I'm glad that there is even a chance, albeit and expensive chance, to pick up these characters.

I just don't think there is even a chance I could amass that sort of money in the time that there is. I am gonna see what I can save, but I know I am going to feel like I was ripped.

Even if I had a passport and or it was close enough, I do not think I could afford to go. It probably would take me 3 years or so to save the required funds to get to a botcon and I doubt I would have much to spend on there.

But I had family stay with us for a month in december and that ate up all my funds that I had tried to put away for having a table at transformerscon.

Its just keeping the saved funds saved. On occasion food, clothes or medicine need to be bought, Transport has to be repaired, rent goes up, taxes need to be paid.

I am trying to sell some of my other collections on ebay, so maybe I can get the figs. If I get the money, I hope I still have the opportunity open to me to get them.

Those are the RL issues that are hindering me right now.

And also, I had NO idea at exactly how MUCH these toys would have cost in the first place. 329 was definately not the figure I was thinking.

hmmm...i'm still more interested in who the attendee only exclusives will be. I can, if i so choose to, shell out the cash for the box-set...but i am far more interested in say a nemesis prime or sunstorm repaint which if done will be like pulling teeth to get ahold of.

Scaleface wrote:For those who care to display your displeasure, the email address for Hasbro is Hasbrotoyspr@hasbro.com

Thanks. I just sent them a polite email expressing my displeasure with this decision, and with the way the collector's club is fairly useless if you don't attend botcon.

bookofjunon wrote:You've got 4 months to save, suck it up.

Great advice!

I'll just forego all loan repayments, insurance payments, petrol payments, telephone payments, well basically all payments including food and all forms of necessities to afford such a trip. Heck, i'll even try to avoid getting sick and if I do, well to heck with the medicine that could potentially save my life!

Yep! Great advice! Forego life for four months to afford a plane trip, accommodation, plus the package costs just for some lumps of plastic!

I can't believe a 21 year old guy (me) emailed a company about a set of toys. Still if there is enough of an outcry... well I did my part.

83457W422102 wrote:Hasbro, you dumb mother(#&$(s. Besides for Dreadwind and Bugbite, I would have bought all of those had they been released in stores. Same for the Ironhide and Ratchet figures from a few years ago. Fans AND the kids you aim your products at will buy these if they're in stores. Damn it.

Well put. While the rest of the seekers should be pretty sweet, I hate the idea of them not being available at retail.

Yes, but if they are available at retail, those who purchased the most expensive package at Botcon have little to show for it besides spending ten times the cost to receive figures a few months before everyone else.

Botcon exclusives should not be released at retail.

NEW POINT: What could the Botcon 2008 exclusives be? It seems probable that they could be repaints and retools of the movie line. How many of you are willing to pay for repaints of the movie line? One can balance the cost of the current box set with the knowledge that they will CERTAINLY not be purchasing the 2008 set.

Well, I can neither afford to go to botcon, nor do I run a transformers website that gives me the priveledge of going...
But, I ain't gonna bitch and whine about it either.
I just figure I'll save up the money for the figures and then have greedy oil company executives reimburse me for my figures as I steal gas from them to make the trip all the way up to rhode island!

Burn wrote:

bookofjunon wrote:You've got 4 months to save, suck it up.

Great advice!

I'll just forego all loan repayments, insurance payments, petrol payments, telephone payments, well basically all payments including food and all forms of necessities to afford such a trip. Heck, i'll even try to avoid getting sick and if I do, well to heck with the medicine that could potentially save my life!

Yep! Great advice! Forego life for four months to afford a plane trip, accommodation, plus the package costs just for some lumps of plastic!

4 months to save up for the non attendee package, stop being a smart ass please.

The attitudes have got to stop.

I don't care if anyone hates the bitching, hates the people that are going, hates Hasbro, whatever...

Stop it NOW.

Keep things on the non personal level as I am tired of getting PM's about this thread.

Ryan and I discussed this situation and it was agreed that opinions are welcome but personal attacks are not.

Cyber Bishop wrote:The attitudes have got to stop.

I don't care if anyone hates the bitching, hates the people that are going, hates Hasbro, whatever...

Stop it NOW.

Keep things on the non personal level as I am tired of getting PM's about this thread.

Ryan and I discussed this situation and it was agreed that opinions are welcome but personal attacks are not.

Hear hear. This is dumb. Some of us can afford to go and some cant. It is the way life is. Comments like I hate Americans as we are closer to Botcon, or you should have saved up, or you can still save up, etc. are so unwarranted.

If you were able to save up to go, that is awesome. However, there are people who really do not have the extra funds due to any number of reasons. If anything, be a little sympathetic rather than telling them how to run their finances.

Similarly, people who can afford to go should not be made to feel guilty for it either, as once again, you do not know what sacrifices they may have made to make this happen.

So yeah, basically, be nice and lets stick to directing all hate maol to Hasbro and not making this website an unpleasant place to visit.

bookofjunon wrote:stop being a smart ass please.

It's my gimmick.

Burn wrote:

bookofjunon wrote:stop being a smart ass please.

It's my gimmick.

But who will be the first to claim being a 'Headmaster' as a gimmick?

Bonger wrote:So yeah, basically, be nice and lets stick to directing all hate mail to Hasbro and not making this website an unpleasant place to visit.

Personally, I think sending hate mail to Hasbro is kind of lame, too...but I can totally see why someone would want to after this news. I just don't have that kind of time on my hands.

I don't look forward to the threads that will pop up when pictures of these figures surface, either... I have a feeling that this will start all over again...

Maybe not. I think this was just the initial gut reaction that spiraled a little out of control. My first instinct was wtf as well. But after a while ya kinda simmer down.

Well, I'll be more simmered down when I get my next paycheck to replace the 600 odd bucks for 2 Primus packages missing from my acct, lol. (Mine and my gf's)

Lol, I am hurtung this month, 142 for mp-05, botcon, and I've bought like 10 alternaters.

I swear I am buying NOTHING this summer!!

Edit: I just counted, make that 14 Alternators.

Counterpunch wrote:

Burn wrote:

bookofjunon wrote:stop being a smart ass please.

It's my gimmick.

But who will be the first to claim being a 'Headmaster' as a gimmick?

Fender Bender?
(Only because I haven't picked on him in nearly 48 hours)

Burn wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

Burn wrote:

bookofjunon wrote:stop being a smart ass please.

It's my gimmick.

But who will be the first to claim being a 'Headmaster' as a gimmick?

Fender Bender?
(Only because I haven't picked on him in nearly 48 hours)

Wow 48 hrs How'd you manage that?

Seriously people. They're just toys. Sorry if you can't go but get over it.

Well people the only solution I can come up with is to buy another Starscream and 2 more Ramjets and repaint them

We are never going to see these in stores. Like Ratchet and Ironhide of 2 years ago They save the best for Botcon

I bet if a bunch of us did this it might send a message to
Hasbro

Rodimus Lantern wrote:Wow 48 hrs How'd you manage that?

It wasn't easy, but that whole tsunami threat kept me distracted for at least 3 hours.

Wheeljack35 wrote:Well people the only solution I can come up with is to buy another Starscream and 2 more Ramjets and repaint them

We are never going to see these in stores. Like Ratchet and Ironhide of 2 years ago They save the best for Botcon

I bet if a bunch of us did this it might send a message to
Hasbro

I'm not being critical here, but let's consider the numbers a little.

Say, the number of people writing in are the number of people who would have otherwise bought the figures in the stores. These will represent the dedicated fans who will buy 6 of the same figure (which are insidentially repaints).

What would you say is, a fair estimate of the number of write-ins?

500?

Let's go with 2000 and I believe that's a pretty generous number.

(Now this is just in regards to ONE of the contested 4 figures...)

So, 2000 people would buy these figures, sight un-seen from a brick and mortar store.

2000 x 10 = 20,000 in retail dollars

A conservative estimate on retail mark-up is 35%, so the wholesalers bought these 2000 figures at about $13,000.

They probably costs Hasbro about half of that $13,000 to physically make, package, and distribute the toys. So, on around a $7000 investment, Hasbro would net about $6000 on a production run of about 2000 toys.


Of course, these numbers are just guesses, but you can follow the trail of reasoning. While it may feel that there are hordes and hordes of collectors out there who comprise the entire toy buying market...it's just not the case.

It's no David and Goliath thing here. Writing in and complaining is not a matter of 'fighting the good fight'. I'm not trying to be exclusionary here, but all things considered, this BotCon set is a shrewed financial move in all regards.

1. This is obviously a highly desirable set.
2. This will be the largest BotCon ever and that highly desirable set is going to be one-helluva drawing point.
3. As has been said, these things may never have seen the light of day otherwise. (I personally always thought we were being placated when they told us classics would 'continue' after the movie died down. Alts are dead too btw...)

I sympathize with the people who aren't attending. This is a hobby and many things will have to come first over Transformers. No matter how you feel on the matter, there are some likely well defined sales numbers out there backing this kind of decision.

If I get this job I'm lined up for, the cost won't be a problem. Hurry up and CALL ME!!