--B-- wrote:I sold off my classics Ratchet and Ironhide, as they just didn't do it for me. I LOVE these, but way too far out of my price range. I do wish they came with less accessories, as that could have driven the price down into a range that I could swing, but 100 bucks a piece is way too much.
Yeah, the prices for these figures are not for the weak of heart (or wallet). A few years ago, I don't think I would've even considered paying that price for something that wasn't Supreme Class, like a Unicron figure. I even passed on Takara Masterpiece figures like Thundercracker because of the price, and knowing that a Hasbro release (which never came) would be roughly half the cost.
I've only justified my buying habits because I really wanted these figures (PP03 series and now PP05 series) in my collection. At least iGear seems to be dropping their "Prime" prices - their Ultra Magnus and SG Prime issues are discounted about $40 off, and the new release of Prime without some of the bonus accessories will be $75.
With several viable 3rd parties making multiple $100 releases (iGear, MakeToys, TFC, FansProject), I hope their production plans include long-term releases (at least a year of availability for a figure) at slightly lower costs, because it's difficult buying so many high priced figures in such a short time frame.