The Energon Pub

[-Kanrabat-]

Hound look really fantastic but paying over 200 Monopoly dollars for it? Maybe even more than 250$ including shipping and customs.
Sigh...

[Emerje]

I might be setting myself up for disappointment, but if Hound only comes with a key then doesn't that almost confirm Mirage is in the works and coming with the cage? Plus with Soundwave being reissued that could potentially mean a Ravage reissue, too. And with that all the key players for this scene would be released.



Anyway, the figure looks great and I can't wait to see what the spare tire can do since it is also hinged.

I'm gonna wait for the Amazon Japan price before I continue my freakout.

I'm guessing Amazon Japan will be around $125 shipped

There's a very good chance that you won't be able to get this figure from Amazon Japan.

How do you come up with these notions?

Just preorded Cyberverse Grimlock on there no problem and that's a pretty new listing. Plenty of stuff shows as available to ship as long as it's sold by Amazon Japan and not a marketplace seller. FBA on there is a crapshoot, usually doesn't go global but sometimes it does. So yeah, no idea where this came from.

edit: Apparently there's a discussion on tfw about it because some Macross thing didn't ship global so there's general paranoia but I don't see any actual issues with TFs described. Apparently the "Jump to Conclusions" mat still ships global

It isn't unusual for new figures to be listed as not able to ship overseas from Amazon Japan at first and then later enabled. I will point out that MPM-8 Megatron took a while to get discounted on Amazon Japan and when it finally happened it was only 18% which is small compared to other exporters. Amazon Japan is also now cutting off pre-order cancellations after a certain period so you can't just order with them and hold out for a better price elsewhere, gotta be prepared to commit or keep an eye on the date if you're unsure. There's no promise that Hound will be the lowest price on Amazon Japan, though cheap shipping does help.

Emerje

[Seibertron]

I wonder if they'll eventually release a MP+ version of this.

I love the toy ... but it definitely needs an MP+ version with a toy deco. It looks very plain.

[Wolfman Jake]

The price is insane for a figure smaller than Ironhide....who SHOULDN'T be smaller than Ironhide.

Hound is consistently smaller than Ironhide, in the cartoon, in the Sunbow size charts, and now even in the SIEGE line, where Hasbro is paying especially close attention to relative character scale. Hound is the same height as the likes of Prowl and Sideswipe, more or less.

[william-james88]

I'm gonna wait for the Amazon Japan price before I continue my freakout.

I'm guessing Amazon Japan will be around $125 shipped

There's a very good chance that you won't be able to get this figure from Amazon Japan.

How do you come up with these notions?

Just preorded Cyberverse Grimlock on there no problem and that's a pretty new listing. Plenty of stuff shows as available to ship as long as it's sold by Amazon Japan and not a marketplace seller. FBA on there is a crapshoot, usually doesn't go global but sometimes it does. So yeah, no idea where this came from.

edit: Apparently there's a discussion on tfw about it because some Macross thing didn't ship global so there's general paranoia but I don't see any actual issues with TFs described. Apparently the "Jump to Conclusions" mat still ships global

It isn't unusual for new figures to be listed as not able to ship overseas from Amazon Japan at first and then later enabled. I will point out that MPM-8 Megatron took a while to get discounted on Amazon Japan and when it finally happened it was only 18% which is small compared to other exporters. Amazon Japan is also now cutting off pre-order cancellations after a certain period so you can't just order with them and hold out for a better price elsewhere, gotta be prepared to commit or keep an eye on the date if you're unsure. There's no promise that Hound will be the lowest price on Amazon Japan, though cheap shipping does help.

Emerje

In any case, Hound is on Amazon Japan. Here is the breakdown, the import duty fee will depend on the country and whatever policy for imports Trump chooses to act on:



Clicking the pic will get you to the listing.

[Ironhidensh]

Hound costs more than the MP Soundwave reissue. Justify paying it however we want, (I’m doing the mental gymnastics on it myself) but this price is not in any way reasonable.

It’s a money grab, no more, no less. Totally Takara’s right as a free company, don’t get me wrong, but also our right to not buy.

[sol magnus]

Hound costs more than the MP Soundwave reissue. Justify paying it however we want, (I’m doing the mental gymnastics on it myself) but this price is not in any way reasonable.

It’s a money grab, no more, no less. Totally Takara’s right as a free company, don’t get me wrong, but also our right to not buy.

I doubt it's that simple with the Tariffs. Importers suffer whether they are wholesale or retail. If Japan is getting stuff from China (most likely), then China may raise fees to compensate for Tariffs from US.

There's a whole absurd interchange going on that could very well be effecting the prices we see. It also *could* be a money grab. Without expertise in International Commerce I can see how it's easiest to believe it's a "money grab," but that doesn't make it one. Necessarily.

[ScottyP]

Hound costs more than the MP Soundwave reissue. Justify paying it however we want, (I’m doing the mental gymnastics on it myself) but this price is not in any way reasonable.

It’s a money grab, no more, no less. Totally Takara’s right as a free company, don’t get me wrong, but also our right to not buy.

I doubt it's that simple with the Tariffs. Importers suffer whether they are wholesale or retail. If Japan is getting stuff from China (most likely), then China may raise fees to compensate for Tariffs from US.

There's a whole absurd interchange going on that could very well be effecting the prices we see. It also *could* be a money grab. Without expertise in International Commerce I can see how it's easiest to believe it's a "money grab," but that doesn't make it one. Necessarily.

Most Transformers are manufactured in Vietnam these days.

While it is true that the higher prices on recent MP figures are due to several factors, greed is absolutely one of those.

[sol magnus]

Hound costs more than the MP Soundwave reissue. Justify paying it however we want, (I’m doing the mental gymnastics on it myself) but this price is not in any way reasonable.

It’s a money grab, no more, no less. Totally Takara’s right as a free company, don’t get me wrong, but also our right to not buy.

I doubt it's that simple with the Tariffs. Importers suffer whether they are wholesale or retail. If Japan is getting stuff from China (most likely), then China may raise fees to compensate for Tariffs from US.

There's a whole absurd interchange going on that could very well be effecting the prices we see. It also *could* be a money grab. Without expertise in International Commerce I can see how it's easiest to believe it's a "money grab," but that doesn't make it one. Necessarily.

Most Transformers are manufactured in Vietnam these days.

While it is true that the higher prices on recent MP figures are due to several factors, greed is absolutely one of those.

I'm aware of the Siege line being made there, certainly. Not as up on where Masterpiece is, but it makes sense.

I don't like paying exorbitant fees, either. However, the goal of a company is to make the most money it can on any given product. The pain threshold is getting to the capping point for many, but as long as they thing we will pay this kind of money they will keep charging it.

[Nathaniel Prime]

Can confirm the inclusion of his diving visor

[no-one]

Not sure if it's been posted and I'm sure no one wants to pay this price, but Hound is up on HasbroPulse for $170.

[Stargrave]

That pretty much says it in the title. Thanks to fellow Seibertronian Nathaniel Prime and Takara Tomy's website we have a great image of Transformers Masterpiece MP-47 Hound with his underwater face mask, even posed as he was in the classic G1 episode when he originally used it. Please keep in mind this is the Takara Tomy listing and the Hasbro release is available through our link at Entertainment Earth. The main difference between the two being the extra box with English on for the Hasbro release. That same release is also available on Hasbro Pulse.

It's just amazing the thought put into some of these Masterpiece editions, the amount of fan service can be far reaching and no doubt intends to bring a smile to some of the most long time hardened fans. It's also one of those little touches that helps cushion the blow of the sizeable price tag. Share your view with the Seibertron crew and let everyone know if this is the final straw that breaks the camel's back in your decision on this piece.

[G1COLLECTOR]

This is cool until I seen the Price at $169.00 ... These MP's just keep getting higher and not at all worth it. I have paid a lot for MP figures and it is just getting stupid high for what your getting anymore. I know many are going to say if you don't want to pay that, oh well stop collecting them. However, it's just funny to me when I see the asking prices of these newer figures. I'll wait for a sale or will pass, no big deal on this one to me.

[Ironhide516]

I find it amusing Hound required an underwater breathing mask despite the fact he's a robot & doesn't breathe air. Aah the silliness of 80's cartoons

[chuckdawg1999]

Hound looks to be on the level of Ironhide, an intuitive transformation that leaves you wondering just how you did it.

As was previously stated Amazon Japan locked out a bunch of international pre-orders a few nights ago.99% of the time that means it would be several months before AJ would open up orders for toys again. Thankfully that wasn't the case this time.

[SpaceKaseJase]

$118 via Anime-export, if you're patient. Never had issues with them. Just sayin'.

[william-james88]

$118 via Anime-export, if you're patient. Never had issues with them. Just sayin'.

I had issues with my MP dinobot and they... sent me a new one a few months later, it all worked out well and I recomend them fully.

Their shipping has gone up though.

[Hellscream9999]

pfft, called it back with mp 44, prices are going way up and never coming back down; way to kill off a good chunk of your customer-base, idiots

that being said, he actually looks cool, and a toy accurate deco would probably look nice

[xMXUx]

$118 via Anime-export, if you're patient. Never had issues with them. Just sayin'.

I had issues with my MP dinobot and they... sent me a new one a few months later, it all worked out well and I recomend them fully.

Their shipping has gone up though.

I'm still waiting for them to resolve my account issues so that I can have a $250+ order shipped, but so far the just say they can't help and then ignore my emails... So I'd only recommend them if you're sure you won't be needing to contact them in case something doesn't work out

[-Kanrabat-]

$118 via Anime-export, if you're patient. Never had issues with them. Just sayin'.

I had issues with my MP dinobot and they... sent me a new one a few months later, it all worked out well and I recomend them fully.

Their shipping has gone up though.

I'm still waiting for them to resolve my account issues so that I can have a $250+ order shipped, but so far the just say they can't help and then ignore my emails... So I'd only recommend them if you're sure you won't be needing to contact them in case something doesn't work out

In that case, you should Paypal claim the **** out of them. I do hope you are within the delays.

[Syclone]

The price is insane for a figure smaller than Ironhide....who SHOULDN'T be smaller than Ironhide.

Hound is consistently smaller than Ironhide, in the cartoon, in the Sunbow size charts, and now even in the SIEGE line, where Hasbro is paying especially close attention to relative character scale. Hound is the same height as the likes of Prowl and Sideswipe, more or less.

I stand corrected.

Either way, I'm still pretty eh on the guy for $160. I JUST got Wheeljack for roughly half that price and this guy is in the same league. There's no way he either comes with enough accessories, or dev/parts costs have gone up THAT much.

I know Takara is Japan but are any of these toys made in china (not near a box to be able to look) Do tariffs have any effect on this?

[-Kanrabat-]

Well, with my recent doll purchases, I have absolutely no rights to complain about the price.

However, I found the MPs to be just NOT fun to play with. I never even bothered to transform MP-36 Megatron. I want my transformers to be quick and fun to transform and MPs have been really annoying to play with recently. Especially the MPMs. So will I buy Hound? It will really depend on video reviews.

[joevill]

This looks pretty dope! Definitely a must have!

[SpaceKaseJase]

Well, with my recent doll purchases, I have absolutely no rights to complain about the price.

However, I found the MPs to be just NOT fun to play with. I never even bothered to transform MP-36 Megatron. I want my transformers to be quick and fun to transform and MPs have been really annoying to play with recently. Especially the MPMs. So will I buy Hound? It will really depend on video reviews.

Lol, my MP-36 is still in the box. Kinda scared to open him!

[Nathaniel Prime]

Well, with my recent doll purchases, I have absolutely no rights to complain about the price.

However, I found the MPs to be just NOT fun to play with. I never even bothered to transform MP-36 Megatron. I want my transformers to be quick and fun to transform and MPs have been really annoying to play with recently. Especially the MPMs. So will I buy Hound? It will really depend on video reviews.

Lol, my MP-36 is still in the box. Kinda scared to open him!

Do you want my opinion? Open him, pose him really nice, transform him a few times, then put him an a nice display. That way, you can properly experience the figure

I like my figures to be complex, time consuming, but fluid and intuitive. I believe MP-36 to be the embodiment of that opinion.

If MP Hound will be the same, then that's great