Man, your 1 week absence made me realize how much I miss our off-topic arguments.
Rated X wrote:I recall the Canadian TRU insider listing the price of the new Devastator around $180. Even if it goes for around $140 retail like metroplex did at TRU, thats a pretty expensive kids toy. Especially with Christmas being over and kids back in school. I just dont think any of the generations stuff is really targeting kids. Hasbro has RID for that just like they had TF Prime. The G1 adult fanbase is getting bigger than one might think. Hasbro is definitally cashing in on the adult fanbase while keeping the figures kid friendly. But in the case of the combiner wars hands/feet, they made them a bit too kid friendly.
That's exactly how I see it - they're cashing in on the adult fanbase, but these are still essentially kid-friendly toys. But the price point is a poor argument - there are so many toys that are $150+; there are fewer of them, but they exist, and they sell fast enough that companies are motivated to have at least some offerings at that price point.
Rated X wrote:I dont treat 3rd party products any different than I do hasbro products. I see them all as "Transformers". I dont put hasbro on a pedestal as being the gods of transformers. Just because somebody did something first, doesnt mean they do it the best.
I acknowledge the reality that Hasbro and Takara control the direction of the brand, from the media to the product to its public image. That's not putting them on some delusional pedestal, it's simply the reality. And, I would like them to continue to be successful, because if they fail, the whole ecosystem of our hobby collapses - 3rd Parties included.
Rated X wrote:Defender will always be my classics Springer because it scales perfectly with the other 1986 movie cast classics figures. The generations springer (and blitzwing) suffer from hasbro's "its gotta be bigger because its for kids" syndrome. Im big on scale so generations springer is nowhere near my movie cast. I keep him with his long fem legs in the back of my wreckers shelf. I loved the 3rd party arcees. I bought IT, delicate warrior, and the CHMS animated repants. Im not touching MMC azella until the elita one version comes out. Generations arcee is a perfect example of hasbro coming late to the party. Even the gods of transformers couldnt reduce the backpack and they added a butt flap cover (hey generations is aimed at kids, right) And Uranus is tight ! Hasbro failed to deliver a proper G1 Superion and had to enlist the help of perfect effect and belzeboss to fix its flaws.
You're welcome to keep Defender. My point was that pricier does not necessarily mean better. Even if you think Defender scales better with your particular collection, you must understand that Generations Springer is pretty much universally considered to be the better figure.
Also, the "it's gotta be bigger because its for kids syndrome" is a myth. Legends figures old and new basically disprove that point.
Rated X wrote:Oh yeah, Im assuming youre not much of a car guy. Basically the Chevy tahoe and the Cadillac escalade are the same the body frame. The escalade is the high end version with all the luxury add ons and costs twice the price. You can take the tahoe (hasbro devy) Im gonna ride in style and go with the escalade (my hercules with all the add ons which cost me almost $800) You get what you pay for. Dont be surprised if one of Hasbro's constructicons is named "Charlie Delta" and turns into a green tugboat towing a barge of kreo bricks.
You're right, I'm not a car guy. Thanks for clarifying!
The whole "you get what you pay for" sentiment kind of gets lost in this hobby - it really is less about getting your money's worth after the fact, and more about what you're willing to pay before the fact. In my view, it's all a wash, or at the very least in the eye of the beholder.