The Energon Pub

Geekee1 wrote:You know what, shut up. In one post you have managed to disrespect a country, a company, and a property which seems to have brought at least a moderate amount of enjoyment to you. All over 5 toys. I feel for the people that can't get these toys, but it is not the end all be all of life.

You know, I never would have phrased things the way he did, but I really do understand how he feels. I'm on the verges of getting out of Transformers entirely, and finding other ways to spend my time, simply because things things like this decision, and others over the last several months, or longer, have taken all the fun out it.

I can't recall the last time I heard anything I'd consider good news where this hobby is concerned. It seems like I spend more time getting angry over something Hasbro or their licensees do than I do enjoying them. It really makes me wonder if I might not be better off finding something else to enjoy, and something else to spend my spare cash on.

I can understand how he feels, and I can't get upset with him for it.

Cyber Bishop wrote:

bookofjunon wrote:Quit all your bitching people it sounds ridiculous.

Classics was OVER, DON, FINITO. You weren't gonna get them at retail anyway so stop complaining. It wasn't as if we didn't know they were going to do this.

I for one am excited about it. But I am going so...

If anyone wants a set I will be willing to help, PM me.

This kind of attitude is not needed or wanted around here. So either change it or take yourself someplace else.

For some people it may be financially difficult for them to attend and shell out that kind of scratch. I would love a set but unfortunately I have a job and other responsibilities that stop me from shelling almost 2.5k for one convention (trip there and back, hotel, transportation, food, entrance fee, the package that includes the particular seekers).

Whatever, grow up.

The fact is people are bitching like children over something we were all pretty sure was going to happen anyway.

You want the toys either pay up and go or pay up for a non attendee package. Bitching isn't going to change it and reading 12 pages of bitching is just plain annoying.

I bit the bullet and paid, was it easy, hell no, it was unpaid time off from work to go to this Botcon. I am fully aware not everyone can afford it, that's why they offer the non attendee packages. 300 bucks is easier to swallow then the 1000 to go in person.

Stop complaining. It was after all the only way were ever going to get them and we all had a good idea it would be this way.

Edit*** replied after I saw your interesting warning as I replied to avbove post first. I still stand by what I said, it will be the last I say on it, but I stand by it.

terrordive2020 wrote:I think its bullshit that to have a complete transformers classic set I will have to shell out at least $279.00, where is the customer loyalty. After reading this I will no longer continue buying the classics line.

From what I hear, the line will be discontinued with this set.

Counterpunch wrote:

NightFall wrote:I can afford this package, but I can't go, I used up my PTO time at work. Can I buy the ticket, and have the darn repaints sent to me?

Yes.

There is a non-attending package.

It will include the basic five figures. You have to attend to get the other three or so figures [yet to be determined] though. Also the nonattending package isn't really any cheaper so be prepared for that.

I find I am utterly discusted with this announcement.

1. Hasbro announced at Botcon last year that the classics line would continue after the Movie. Now they're saying this is the end. (This was posted on the boards of this very site)

2. Although we knew there may have been a Main Line character in the Botcon Exclusives. We as a fandom were hoping this would not be the case. (Again discust on the boards of this site).

3. Not only do they put one Main Line character in the box set but three.

4. The box sets have always been exclusive characters not main line characters. To me when putting such characters as Ratchet and Ironhide in the box sets, although Gen 1 they may be. They were not part of the Main line of characters running at the time and were rather a bonus for the people who could afford to purchase the box set.

From Hasbro this is one big Slap in the Face to all Transformers Fans and Collectors. Whether you can afford the set or not, they have done the Entire Fan base a Great Disservice. Both for their inability to think of new characters for the Botcon exclusive set, and by adding Main Line characters to that set.

Hasbro over the past few years have been showing us that the Transformers fan base is important to them. By producing the amount of Previously unreleased characters in different lines we have all been asking for (Such as Primus and others to numerous to mention).
Now with this one act (THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION). They have thrown it all away and turned there backs on the fans once more.

The Seekers came out as repaints in Gen-1 and all six sold well because of the characters they portrayed (so did the reissues). So saying that repaints of the Classic Seekers would not do the same is a bit presumtuous to say the least.

I live in the UK and as with most times Habro seem only concerned with there US customers, and their attituted with stunts like this makes me feel they care little if at all for overseas customers. I bet that International sales far out reach that of the US so my thoughts are. Why should we bother with Hasbro when they clearly have no regard for us.

Geekee1 wrote:

Lord Crump wrote:I really hate America. And I am also starting to hate those that can actually go to Botcon and get these figures, especially when they ask those that can't why they are whining.
It's bloody obvious. I hate this so much.

**** it all. **** Hasbro. **** Transformers.

You know what, shut up. In one post you have managed to disrespect a country, a company, and a property which seems to have brought at least a moderate amount of enjoyment to you. All over 5 toys. I feel for the people that can't get these toys, but it is not the end all be all of life.

I was assuming that Thundercracker was going to be an exclusive, so I prepared for it. Granted, not everybody could still afford it, but if you wanted one bad enough you could have been preemptive. Do I think he should have been mass released? Yes. Was I prepared for the possibility of not being able to get him? Yes. Would I profess my absolute hatred for those that I deem responsible for not allowing me to finish my toy collection, and who incidentally created the very toys that I fell in love with as a child? No.

Now can we maybe get some conversation going as to how cool this Botcon could be?

I apologize if this got anybody miffed, but that post really got under my skin.

I may have been a bit unspecific in my posting. I hate the Americans that come on this site and tell those that are unable to get these figures to shut up. And then have the affrontry to say at least they get to go. This isn't the first time either. I have not got a single completed tf line. All because Hasblow deem it unecessary to release them all where I live. I have always missed out on my favourite figures. This was just the final punch I am willing to take.

Apologies to the majority of the Americans I have most likely offended. For the most part, you guys are cool. But a few of you make me want to kill alot of people.

I'm still mad.

I think that the Seekers should have been sold in a boxed set, like the Ultimate Battle.

As with in most other threads, I agree with 83457W422102.
That's what they should have done, not this.

I as an American fan feel realy bad for the people in other countries who can't afford to come or obtain the exclusives.
Hell I live in this country and it will be a strain on me. This will be the first time I've gone to a convention or had the chance to own exclusive toys. I agree that it was a bad move isolating so many fans by makeing these highly anticipated characters only available to a tiny fraction of the fandom. Many of us 30 somethings have been waiting to complete a set of seekers for years and were especialy looking forward to this after the near perfect reengineering of the seeker mold done in the classics line. That said I feel like there still is no reason for us to turn on each other the way were starting to. We are a passionate bunch and when disapointed the vitrial realy pours but lets not let what unites us divide us. TX out.

Not making all of the Seekers available to the General public is kind of a like making a new Voltron toy series, but the Red Lion is released only in the US and the Green Lion is a convention exclusive. Maybe that's a piss-poor analogy, but that's kind of how I'm feeling right now.

83457W422102 wrote:Not making all of the Seekers available to the General public is kind of a like making a new Voltron toy series, but the Red Lion is released only in the US and the Green Lion is a convention exclusive. Maybe that's a piss-poor analogy, but that's kind of how I'm feeling right now.

That is a piss poor analogy. To be correct, the BLACK Lion was only available in the US, and the BLUE and GREEN Lions would be a VoltCon exclusive that cost several times more than the other lions combined. If we complained we would be told that if you were a REAL Voltron fan you'd pay to get the last piece, and besides no one should complain, as the main lions were available in stores. You don't need EVERY lion to enjoy the toys do you?!

bookofjunon wrote:The fact is people are bitching like children over something we were all pretty sure was going to happen anyway.

That does NOT make it right.

You want the toys either pay up and go or pay up for a non attendee package. Bitching isn't going to change it and reading 12 pages of bitching is just plain annoying.

Will you pay for my airfares, meals, and accommodation from Australia?

Will you be helping me to give up an entire weeks wages just to get a bunch of toys that I know would cost about 1/10th of my weekly wage?

Did you ever consider not reading all 12 pages?

I bit the bullet and paid, was it easy, hell no, it was unpaid time off from work to go to this Botcon. I am fully aware not everyone can afford it, that's why they offer the non attendee packages. 300 bucks is easier to swallow then the 1000 to go in person.

Not if you're an international member.

Stop complaining. It was after all the only way were ever going to get them and we all had a good idea it would be this way.

Stop telling us what to do. Just because we had a suspicion they'd do this does NOT make it right. Hasbro, via the club, have decided that the only TRUE collectors are those who can afford to join the club. They stomp on those from other countries, they stomp on students who struggle to eat let alone build their collection, they stomp on families who have other priorities.

They need to go back to the old days of original characters as exclusives like CatSCAN and Shokaract. Not canon characters that EVERYONE wants for their collection.

I seem to recall when 3H tried to make the toy that ended up being Megazarak. I heard they wanted to call it Megatron, and have it be the future incarnation of Megatron, but Hasbro wouldn't let them use such a main character as a con-exclusive. I guess they didn't consider Thundercracker as much a main character to Transformers.

Crumplezone wrote:4. The box sets have always been exclusive characters not main line characters. To me when putting such characters as Ratchet and Ironhide in the box sets, although Gen 1 they may be. They were not part of the Main line of characters running at the time and were rather a bonus for the people who could afford to purchase the box set.

The Seekers came out as repaints in Gen-1 and all six sold well because of the characters they portrayed (so did the reissues). So saying that repaints of the Classic Seekers would not do the same is a bit presumtuous to say the least.

At the time we were all craving a repaint of the Energon Towline mold to Ironhide and Ratchet. Did they deliver in any main line? No, but in a box set at the convention, and as one of the exclusives. I did make the choice not purchase them, and I did not go.

The TRU Exclusives were not great sellers either. Starscream was, but then Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Dirge all sat for awhile until heavily discounted. One wonders if that was why Ramjet and Thrust did not see release as re-issues?

There is no cartoon, comic or any media to support this line, as far as children go --who they are trying to market toys to at all times at retail--. The young child collectors do not see a difference from character to character without a TV show to give that to them.

Here in many parts of the US, we now have Ramjets clogging shelves, along with Mirage, and Cliffjumper. Overproduction and nothing to excite YOUNG collectors means they may like TFs, but they have no reasons to buy repaints for different characters (Mirage has just been way over represented in case assortments).

Example: I got my nephews a bunch of CLASSICS for Christmas, Starscream included. For one of their birthdays (7 years old) in February, I got CL TRU Soundwave and CL Ramjet. Here's what they said when they saw Ramjet... "Hey you already have him..." "No wait he was a different color." ... Toss to the side and they played with Soundwave, Lazerbeak and Ravage.

It would have been great if HASBRO could have found a way to get these to the mass market and make the Botcon exclusive set like the Stunticons or something a little less desirable, or needed to complete a set. But I assume in their eyes, four more of the same kind would be shelfwarmers, or toyshop warehouse space takers. I don't know. If HASBRO were not wrapped up in trying to promote the movie that looks little like TFs, they might have their advertising campaign to sell the CLASSICs. They chose to go the direction of an 'ULTIMATE' type TF movie-verse, and thus, have no resources to support the CLASSICs line, --the filler--. It seems silly that the two do not directly connect, but quite obviously they are very different.

Anyway, I am sorry for those out of country who can't get them, or those in country who can't afford them.

There is definitely a lot of hurt feelings over this. This thread has turned very volatile. I feel badly. Sorry folks.

Cyber Bishop, keep up the good work!

I just posted this on the club forums, probably get blasted for it but oh well ... **** happens.

Now i'm sure nearly everyone's been aware of the massive complaining on the various forums regarding the figures being released.

The main points being "these should have been general release" and "there's no way I can afford this".

Well look at it from a international member's perspective and it's even harder to afford.

I realise the Iacon Package is designed for non-attending but it's still a fair price to pay just to have five figures shipped to you.

But then I see that for $100 less Primus and Iacon package holders can pick up (though i'm not sure how Iacon package holders can do that) a second unboxed set.

Now this appeals to me as I don't particulary care about the packaging, but unless I can find a Primus holder I can trust, there's no way I can get it.

So considering how hard it is for International Members to take full advantage of this club (let's face it, Astrotrain and Airrazor were also not cost effective), how about showing us some love this time and offer say 50-100 of those non-boxed sets to International Members? Please? I, and others, have put up with credit card problems when renewing, we've put up with seeing news from the magazine posted on various forums, plus other things as well. So please, give us a chance to have a piece of BotCon history at an affordable price to make up for the various difficulties of the last few years?
(And before anyone jumps on my case and calls me ungrateful and what not, PLEASE realise the problems international members have had in the past and that a lot of non-US TF fans find the club unattractive because of cost and various problems other members have endured)

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.

bookofjunon wrote:The fact is people are bitching like children over something we were all pretty sure was going to happen anyway.

Burn wrote:That does NOT make it right.

Yes it does, it was either this or not at all, I'd rather this thank you very much.

You want the toys either pay up and go or pay up for a non attendee package. Bitching isn't going to change it and reading 12 pages of bitching is just plain annoying.

Burn wrote:Will you pay for my airfares, meals, and accommodation from Australia?

Will you be helping me to give up an entire weeks wages just to get a bunch of toys that I know would cost about 1/10th of my weekly wage?

Did you ever consider not reading all 12 pages?

And you think it's no different for me? I never said it would be easy, maybe you should read everything I wrote before flying off on my comment.

I bit the bullet and paid, was it easy, hell no, it was unpaid time off from work to go to this Botcon. I am fully aware not everyone can afford it, that's why they offer the non attendee packages. 300 bucks is easier to swallow then the 1000 to go in person.

Burn wrote:Not if you're an international member.

Funny, last time I checked Canada was not a US state. And for the record it easier to swallow the amount from 300 than it would be for the trip. You've got 4 months to save, suck it up.

Stop complaining. It was after all the only way were ever going to get them and we all had a good idea it would be this way.

Burn wrote:Stop telling us what to do. Just because we had a suspicion they'd do this does NOT make it right. Hasbro, via the club, have decided that the only TRUE collectors are those who can afford to join the club. They stomp on those from other countries, they stomp on students who struggle to eat let alone build their collection, they stomp on families who have other priorities.

They need to go back to the old days of original characters as exclusives like CatSCAN and Shokaract. Not canon characters that EVERYONE wants for their collection.

That would be a huge mistake. They wanted as many people to attend as possible this year and you know what, they're going to get it. It's not like all the whiners are gonna stop collecting TFs anyway. We are not their market, we never have been. Once you accept that you can move on with your life.

I live in Canada bud, we don't get half what the US does. You're in Australia, you have less people than we do, what makes you think they give two rats asses about 2 dinkey little countries with less than 60 million people combined? They don't, and hell, why should they, their own nation has 300 million.

Do I like it? No. Do I always agree with it? No. But Hasbro is a business like any other and has an american capitalist way of thinking, and that's to make money, not please a bunch of internet whiners.

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Crumplezone wrote:4. The box sets have always been exclusive characters not main line characters. To me when putting such characters as Ratchet and Ironhide in the box sets, although Gen 1 they may be. They were not part of the Main line of characters running at the time and were rather a bonus for the people who could afford to purchase the box set.

The Seekers came out as repaints in Gen-1 and all six sold well because of the characters they portrayed (so did the reissues). So saying that repaints of the Classic Seekers would not do the same is a bit presumtuous to say the least.

At the time we were all craving a repaint of the Energon Towline mold to Ironhide and Ratchet. Did they deliver in any main line? No, but in a box set at the convention, and as one of the exclusives. I did make the choice not purchase them, and I did not go.

The TRU Exclusives were not great sellers either. Starscream was, but then Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Dirge all sat for awhile until heavily discounted. One wonders if that was why Ramjet and Thrust did not see release as re-issues?

There is no cartoon, comic or any media to support this line, as far as children go --who they are trying to market toys to at all times at retail--. The young child collectors do not see a difference from character to character without a TV show to give that to them.

Here in many parts of the US, we now have Ramjets clogging shelves, along with Mirage, and Cliffjumper. Overproduction and nothing to excite YOUNG collectors means they may like TFs, but they have no reasons to buy repaints for different characters (Mirage has just been way over represented in case assortments).

Example: I got my nephews a bunch of CLASSICS for Christmas, Starscream included. For one of their birthdays (7 years old) in February, I got CL TRU Soundwave and CL Ramjet. Here's what they said when they saw Ramjet... "Hey you already have him..." "No wait he was a different color." ... Toss to the side and they played with Soundwave, Lazerbeak and Ravage.

It would have been great if HASBRO could have found a way to get these to the mass market and make the Botcon exclusive set like the Stunticons or something a little less desirable, or needed to complete a set. But I assume in their eyes, four more of the same kind would be shelfwarmers, or toyshop warehouse space takers. I don't know. If HASBRO were not wrapped up in trying to promote the movie that looks little like TFs, they might have their advertising campaign to sell the CLASSICs. They chose to go the direction of an 'ULTIMATE' type TF movie-verse, and thus, have no resources to support the CLASSICs line, --the filler--. It seems silly that the two do not directly connect, but quite obviously they are very different.

Anyway, I am sorry for those out of country who can't get them, or those in country who can't afford them.

There is definitely a lot of hurt feelings over this. This thread has turned very volatile. I feel badly. Sorry folks.

Cyber Bishop, keep up the good work!

Ironhide and Ratchet were not main line characters in Energon so why quote me to say exactly what I said. The fact that Towline was Demanded by fans to be repainted into Ironhide and Ratchet does not make these characters Main Line, but proves that the Botcon exclusives were made for fans as a bonus. This is exactly the reasoning they have gone back on for the seeker box set.

The fact that your nephews did not know the character of ramjet is neither here or there. Gen-1 is still being released on DVD its in IDW and Dream wave publishings and in many fact file mags so there is still plenty of media out today covering these characters.

I have 6 nephews and a son and most known the full line up of Gen-1 seekers so does this make my personal reason more valid if we went by your logic then yes.

As for sales of reissues both the seekers we got reissued in the UK have sold well. In fact the seekers were the first to be cleared from the shelves in most UK TRUs compaired to their reissue car counterparts.

What is true for the US is not always the same for the rest of the world (TF related argument only). But it seems that Hasbro are only interested in their home market.

Well this news sucks....
I am only interested in Thundercracker, Thrust & Dirge. The rest do not interest me one bit and paying $300 dollars for figures that should cost $30 is outrageous IMO.

Isn't there a way to register online? Or can you only register by printing out the form and mailing it in?

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!

This appears to be a struggle between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

I may be able to attend, but if not, I will most likely opt for the Iacon package, as it was the Classics Seekers that drew me back into a hobby that for me lay largely dormant since 1994.

Oh, and what are the odds of this being simply an April Fool's Day joke?

It seems like it could potentially be a way to aggravate fans.

Basketball Jones wrote:Oh, and what are the odds of this being simply an April Fool's Day joke?

It seems like it could potentially be a way to aggravate fans.

Use the Edit button next time. And this was posted before April 1st.

I may have been a bit unspecific in my posting. I hate the Americans that come on this site and tell those that are unable to get these figures to shut up. And then have the affrontry to say at least they get to go. This isn't the first time either. I have not got a single completed tf line. All because Hasblow deem it unecessary to release them all where I live. I have always missed out on my favourite figures. This was just the final punch I am willing to take.

Apologies to the majority of the Americans I have most likely offended. For the most part, you guys are cool. But a few of you make me want to kill alot of people.

I'm still mad.[/quote]

It's cool man, it was just a little over the top. To be honest I would be quite upset if I couldn't get these things either.

Along those lines, does anyone know if Hasbro employees ever check these sites to see what the general buzz is? Because I would not be hurt in the least bit, if after seeing all of this commotion, that they decided to do a side release of some of these characters. Just don't sell them as exclusives. Possibly mark them as reissue along with the trademark where it is molded on. I really do think that everybody should have access to a full seekers collection.

Buttered scones for tea anybody?