The Energon Pub

megatronus wrote:

Scaleface wrote:Unless they have to get going on a retry now, they might want to wait until after April 10th. That's the day the backerkit for Mystic Legions locks down. Until then people can still add more figures to that Kickstarter.

Personally I do hope it's another Kickstarter, but simplified, and maybe with an investor lowering the goal needed. If they can find someone willing to invest a couple thousand dollars, just lower the goal by that level. If they can make the goal $60,000, so it funds almost immediately if people do the same pledges they did on the first day last time, this time it will probably fly.

Outside of simplifying the overall Kickstarter, with easier to understand rewards packages and more consistent and achievable stretch goals, I think they need to try targeting a single fandom. Either do all TF stuff or all MOTU stuff at first, and then crossover once it takes off. That editorial discipline and oversight is important, and they'll get much more attention that way.

I can see focusing the MOLDING on Tranaformers relates stuff, but when they need a repaint they could repaint into other 80's fandoms. I honestly don't see a problem with repainting their not-Skullgrin into Skeletor colors. It didn't cost any new molding, and there was no new TF related character they could make of the mold anyways. It cost little money to make and got them more pledges. Skeletor colors makes them more money than a random original character no one wants.

megatronus wrote:

Scaleface wrote:Unless they have to get going on a retry now, they might want to wait until after April 10th. That's the day the backerkit for Mystic Legions locks down. Until then people can still add more figures to that Kickstarter.

Personally I do hope it's another Kickstarter, but simplified, and maybe with an investor lowering the goal needed. If they can find someone willing to invest a couple thousand dollars, just lower the goal by that level. If they can make the goal $60,000, so it funds almost immediately if people do the same pledges they did on the first day last time, this time it will probably fly.

Outside of simplifying the overall Kickstarter, with easier to understand rewards packages and more consistent and achievable stretch goals, I think they need to try targeting a single fandom. Either do all TF stuff or all MOTU stuff at first, and then crossover once it takes off. That editorial discipline and oversight is important, and they'll get much more attention that way.

I can see focusing the MOLDING on Tranaformers relates stuff, but when they need a repaint they could repaint into other 80's fandoms. I honestly don't see a problem with repainting their not-Skullgrin into Skeletor colors. It didn't cost any new molding, and there was no new TF related character they could make of the mold anyways. It cost little money to make and got them more pledges. Skeletor colors makes them more money than a random original character no one wants.

Scaleface wrote:

megatronus wrote:

Scaleface wrote:Unless they have to get going on a retry now, they might want to wait until after April 10th. That's the day the backerkit for Mystic Legions locks down. Until then people can still add more figures to that Kickstarter.

Personally I do hope it's another Kickstarter, but simplified, and maybe with an investor lowering the goal needed. If they can find someone willing to invest a couple thousand dollars, just lower the goal by that level. If they can make the goal $60,000, so it funds almost immediately if people do the same pledges they did on the first day last time, this time it will probably fly.

Outside of simplifying the overall Kickstarter, with easier to understand rewards packages and more consistent and achievable stretch goals, I think they need to try targeting a single fandom. Either do all TF stuff or all MOTU stuff at first, and then crossover once it takes off. That editorial discipline and oversight is important, and they'll get much more attention that way.

I can see focusing the MOLDING on Tranaformers relates stuff, but when they need a repaint they could repaint into other 80's fandoms. I honestly don't see a problem with repainting their not-Skullgrin into Skeletor colors. It didn't cost any new molding, and there was no new TF related character they could make of the mold anyways. It cost little money to make and got them more pledges. Skeletor colors makes them more money than a random original character no one wants.

The inclusion of MOTU hurt PWTT in my mind. I would have been in for the $250 pledge level had the repaints been original characters rather than MOTU homages. Knowing one of the figures was Hordak and that another was Skeletor really turned me off. It's not simply that I was ambivalent towards MOTU - I had an active disinterest in purchasing those characters.

Just because it was easy to repaint Skullgrin into Skeletor doesn't mean it was a good idea. I'm still of the opinion that simplicity and discipline are the keys here, and that using repaints for short term gains wound up being counter to PWTT's long term success.

That's just me though - it would be neat if Kickstarter sent out surveys for projects that failed, if only to help paint a better picture of the overall story.

The KS was 80s Nostalgia not aimed in any particular direction which had a lot of people confused i mean starting of with transformers and then bringing heman into the bundles was not a smart move why would either fandom who have probably the most hardcore fans want to mix things up like that the average he man fans never thought i want a skelator based off skullgrin and no TF fan wanted a Hordak repaint yeah a few who liked the nostagia of it liked the idea but the whole idea was only hitting random fans not an entire fandom.

The KS was 80s Nostalgia not aimed in any particular direction which had a lot of people confused i mean starting of with transformers and then bringing heman into the bundles was not a smart move why would either fandom who have probably the most hardcore fans want to mix things up like that the average he man fans never thought i want a skelator based off skullgrin and no TF fan wanted a Hordak repaint yeah a few who liked the nostagia of it liked the idea but the whole idea was only hitting random fans not an entire fandom.

Considering that 148 of the 406 backers (about 36%) ordered Catastropheles, or bundles with contained Catastropheles, I think it was a success in attracting people from that genre. That's over a third of their backers who wanted it.

Yeah, I'm all for crossbranding here. I don't think there was much of anything here for TF fans, however... the drones weren't updates of anyone, and while original characters are always welcome especially since it's a new company, the drones weren't special or interesting. Then we had Pretender homages... I mean, are there really that many people who care about those characters? And then the prices, over quantity, and confusing purpose of existence, I'm not surprised it didn't reach its goal. I feel bad for the guys, especially since I think they're designing stuff they really want to do, but on the risk of sounding bitchy, you can't expect other people to fund your hobby... they should do a survey to see what their followers would like to back

Scaleface wrote:Considering that 148 of the 406 backers (about 36%) ordered Catastropheles, or bundles with contained Catastropheles, I think it was a success in attracting people from that genre. That's over a third of their backers who wanted it.

I think that's an extremely generous reading.

First of all, I don't think you can assume that just because people ordered Catastropheles, that that's what attracted people from that genre. Desolataur was the main tease/attraction for this Kickstarter from the get go.

Second, I question that 148 number. 17 of those were packages that included all figures produced, which is less a reflection of Catasropheles and more a desire to support PWTT generally. Then, 96 are bundles that explicitly include Catastropheles, and 35 are orders for Catastropheles alone. Problem is, it's impossible to tell whether people decided to go for the bundles or Catastropheles alone because they wanted a Skeletor homage, or they just thought it was a cool figure.

Plus, compare that 35 number to the 87 people who ordered Desolataur alone and the 60 who ordered Bloodbath alone.

Whatever way you cut it, Catastropheles was the weakest performer, and even assuming all 148 really, really, really wanted Catastropheles because it appealed to fans of the homaged genre, there's still 64% who had no interest. If you had to rethink the Kickstarter, would you rather target the 64% or the 36%?

That's my view in a nutshell: focus on the 64%. Try and captivate a single fandom by rolling out a product line that they can fully get behind and support.

Whoever's right about it, I just hope they find a way to get the line going.

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:Yeah, I'm all for crossbranding here. I don't think there was much of anything here for TF fans, however...

Those two sentences seem mutually exclusive.

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:...the drones weren't updates of anyone, and while original characters are always welcome especially since it's a new company, the drones weren't special or interesting.

The drones homaged the Pretenders' inner robots...

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:Then we had Pretender homages... I mean, are there really that many people who care about those characters?

Enough people to get 85% of the way there, on a muddled line with muddled marketing and muddled rewards.

If they spiff things up a bit and keep their second attempt clean and focused, I can see them getting funded.

megatronus wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:Yeah, I'm all for crossbranding here. I don't think there was much of anything here for TF fans, however...

Those two sentences seem mutually exclusive.

What?

megatronus wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:...the drones weren't updates of anyone, and while original characters are always welcome especially since it's a new company, the drones weren't special or interesting.

The drones homaged the Pretenders' inner robots...

I meant the mold.

megatronus wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:Then we had Pretender homages... I mean, are there really that many people who care about those characters?

Enough people to get 85% of the way there, on a muddled line with muddled marketing and muddled rewards.

... which didn't meet it's goal. It possibly could have and then some if it homaged more interesting characters, like that Wastelander

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:... which didn't meet it's goal. It possibly could have and then some if it homaged more interesting characters, like that Wastelander

The $80,000 was to produce a single mold with 5 variants. If you want to throw in another completely original mold, like Wastelander, you would probably be looking at a $160,000 goal. Throw on Jetwash and you are looking at $240,000.

Double post.

Scaleface wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:... which didn't meet it's goal. It possibly could have and then some if it homaged more interesting characters, like that Wastelander

The $80,000 was to produce a single mold with 5 variants. If you want to throw in another completely original mold, like Wastelander, you would probably be looking at a $160,000 goal. Throw on Jetwash and you are looking at $240,000.

The starscream should have been the figure they sarted with , plenty of repaints and everybody wants a set of seekers.

Autobot Genocide wrote:

Scaleface wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:... which didn't meet it's goal. It possibly could have and then some if it homaged more interesting characters, like that Wastelander

The $80,000 was to produce a single mold with 5 variants. If you want to throw in another completely original mold, like Wastelander, you would probably be looking at a $160,000 goal. Throw on Jetwash and you are looking at $240,000.

The starscream should have been the figure they sarted with , plenty of repaints and everybody wants a set of seekers.

That is certainly one posability, but to go there now would bean investing a lot of money and time. So if they did it they might take a months. They'd want to have a painted Jetstrike prototype done before the Kickstarter began.

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:

megatronus wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:Yeah, I'm all for crossbranding here. I don't think there was much of anything here for TF fans, however...

Those two sentences seem mutually exclusive.

What?

Saying that there isn't much for TF fans here, when the premier figure was Skullgrin and the other primary introductory figure was Blood, contradicts your openness to cross-branding... Together, the two statements don't make a lot of sense to me.

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:

megatronus wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:...the drones weren't updates of anyone, and while original characters are always welcome especially since it's a new company, the drones weren't special or interesting.

The drones homaged the Pretenders' inner robots...

I meant the mold.

Gotchya. At the point where you like their interpretation of the Pretender shell (as I do), re-imagining the forgettable inner robot seems like less of a big deal.

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:

megatronus wrote:

MartianSpyGirl1996 wrote:Then we had Pretender homages... I mean, are there really that many people who care about those characters?

Enough people to get 85% of the way there, on a muddled line with muddled marketing and muddled rewards.

... which didn't meet it's goal. It possibly could have and then some if it homaged more interesting characters, like that Wastelander

C'mon... let's be fair, here. Your response only makes sense if you don't read/quote the second half of what I said:

megatronus wrote:If they spiff things up a bit and keep their second attempt clean and focused, I can see them getting funded.

I 100% agree that more TF characters, like Wastelander, would have really helped them - my whole point is that they should have kept it simple and TF-focused. Their muddled approach is, in my opinion, why they failed.

so...people can't imagine a new character that already barely resembles Skelator as being a new, different guy they've invented? $#!+ I imagine official TF toys are different, newly created characters.

Think if PWTTOO cut off the horns and removed the fanged teeth on the skullgrin head. Then recast the head and adjusted the CAD files. It would have looked a bit more like a Skeletor and Horvak update head.

One thing I've often asked PWTToo to do, if they are making these figure, and TECHNICALLY they are all original characters (despite they being obvious homages to many of us), please print tons of character bios up front. Unless you establish guys like Desolataur and Catastropheles as your own character with stories and bios, then all the fans boys will see is not-Skullgrin and not-Skeletor. You want us to see Desolataur as Desolataur we need to be reading stories about how he's a evil demon from the Null Miasma, who enslaved Bloodbath with temptations of rewards against his enemies, or all we will see the a Cybertronian in a shell. We need to here the story of how he got a small robot drone named D-Mon working for him... otherwise all people see is a overly simplified Skullgrin inner robot who doesn't fit in his shell.

A really well made toy that almost everyone likes is what helps the most to sell a Third Party TF toy.

Don't think adding fiction bios or comics will help sell a third party TF toy that some fans do not like. Think this should be added in as a after thought bonus not the biggest selling point.

Think the reason the PWTOO kickstarter failed. Think it was due to PWTTOO hoping the TFCC members would all climb on board and buy the toys in bulk. Since some of the Fired Hasbro dream team members were fans also working with the TFCC club.

Think the problem was some TFCC Members were Hastak loyalist. While other TFCC members wanted toys that looked like HasTak's Transforming TFCC styled toys.

Think the PWTTOO Kickstarter was even set up in a format and buying levels similar to the way TFCC sells it's Convention, Club and subscription toys. Think PWTTOO was doing this set up format to draw in mostly the TFCC members buying crowd.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:A really well made toy that almost everyone likes is what helps the most to sell a Third Party TF toy.

Don't think adding fiction bios or comics will help sell a third party TF toy that some fans do not like. Think this should be added in as a after thought bonus not the biggest selling point.

Think the reason the PWTOO kickstarter failed. Think it was due to PWTTOO hoping the TFCC members would all climb on board and buy the toys in bulk. Since some of the Fired Hasbro dream team members were fans also working with the TFCC club.

Think the problem was some TFCC Members were Hastak loyalist. While other TFCC members wanted toys that looked like HasTak's Transforming TFCC styled toys.

Think the PWTTOO Kickstarter was even set up in a format and buying levels similar to the way TFCC sells it's Convention, Club and subscription toys. Think PWTTOO was doing this set up format to draw in mostly the TFCC members buying crowd.

This almost makes negative sense...

Transformers toys without tech spec bios are... GoBots.

I mean compare Smallfoot to Gears, Cosmos to Pathfinder, or Sparks to Windcharger. In almost every case of the same priced similar alt mode GoBots were vastly superior toys to Transformers. Transformers has character, story and bios.

Sorry to just jump in as a few of you are having a conversation, but just my two bits about this Kickstarter.

1) I liked the ideas for what they were going with.
2) I like the talent they had on board and the differences the Head-Shots would give to these figures.
3) I give them credit for what they did, and personally am a bit shocked it didn't get funded after the success of a few other recent Action Figure Kickstarters.

That said I think one of the main factors that really worked against them was the sticker shock. I personally had planned to jump in for at least one, and was really disappointed when their Cheat Sheet dropped with the prices. Maybe I was the unrealistic one expecting something closer to $30-$35 instead of $55, and when I messaged them thru twitter the response was "The further we get in the Kickstarter we hope it'll bring prices down over all. This is what we need to get funded" Unfortunately that clearly didn't happen, which makes me wonder how far would they have needed to be funded to effect the single unit price?

As it stands, it was on seeing the prices when I switched project pages and funded the Ghostbusters board game instead.

Oh well.....

See, while I'm not as interested in not-GI Joes, there is a Kickstarter running right now that I think set it up right for keeping the options simple. They have 4 figures that are all variants of the same mold. The rewards are simply 1 figure of choice, 2 figures of choice, 4 figures of choice, 6 figures of choice, etc. It has one stretch goal, and 4 pictures of possible future figures. It kept the Kickstarter simple.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/79 ... ale-figure

Scaleface wrote:See, while I'm not as interested in not-GI Joes, there is a Kickstarter running right now that I think set it up right for keeping the options simple. They have 4 figures that are all variants of the same mold. The rewards are simply 1 figure of choice, 2 figures of choice, 4 figures of choice, 6 figures of choice, etc. It has one stretch goal, and 4 pictures of possible future figures. It kept the Kickstarter simple.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/79 ... ale-figure

Those aren't too bad but based of a similar concept, when compared against the Marauder Kickstarter they are a bit unimpressive. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/17 ... ng-figures
They had a number of stretch goals but the basic figures were easy to order a number of small pledge options.

That said I may get a couple of those from Legion just to add a few more Ladies to my collection.

I recently got a chance to review the painted prototype of the Desolataur action figure. You can see it live here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZPUzhm4gcw