The Energon Pub

RAcast wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:@ M.

Well don't buy, but at least eyeball it first. That's fair no? I myself use to think that way, letting initial pics guide my judgement but recent run ins with Springer and the samurai team gave me pause.

There were certain products which I passed off a few years back which I so much wanted but let pass. Only to regret it later after seeing it in person.......the pics didn't show the products' actual awesomeness.

I think the problem here is, at least for me, the price of these guys. If the trios were about $60 each, it'd be okay, I think, but for $100 for a whole team of (mediocre at best) combiners? That's asking a lot. And this is coming from a guy who actually really likes them.

RaCast, the price you are quoting, the $ 100 a set, is that correct?

Got an online retailer's price (of course being from/for a Japanese market, expect a mark up already due to all the bells and whistles tacked on them). For a country experiencing deflation, Japan sure is an expensive place.

I got more or less the current forex exchange rate for the team

Gekisoumaru = Y4320 = $ 43.57(+ electronic gimmick)
Hishomaru = Y2740 = $ 27.63
Sensuimaru = Y2740 = $ 27.63

Total = Y9800= $ 98.83 (not including postage mind you)

I am assuming that the price from the retailer (amiami) already includes some profit for them (amiami) then you factor in the profit for the importer (example BBTS, RK etc) + shipping and handling for the bulk purchase + taxes and cost to ship to your native lands. So yes, importing Japan TFs are indeed very expensive.

I don't think it will be a realistic price to charge $20.00 for each figure when the two figs without electronics already boarders to $ 30.00. Maybe if the electronics were ditched and all cost the same, will still total around $ 83.00

fenrir72 wrote:

RAcast wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:@ M.

Well don't buy, but at least eyeball it first. That's fair no? I myself use to think that way, letting initial pics guide my judgement but recent run ins with Springer and the samurai team gave me pause.

There were certain products which I passed off a few years back which I so much wanted but let pass. Only to regret it later after seeing it in person.......the pics didn't show the products' actual awesomeness.

I think the problem here is, at least for me, the price of these guys. If the trios were about $60 each, it'd be okay, I think, but for $100 for a whole team of (mediocre at best) combiners? That's asking a lot. And this is coming from a guy who actually really likes them.

RaCast, the price you are quoting, the $ 100 a set, is that correct?

Got an online retailer's price (of course being from/for a Japanese market, expect a mark up already due to all the bells and whistles tacked on them). For a country experiencing deflation, Japan sure is an expensive place.

I got more or less the current forex exchange rate for the team

Gekisoumaru = Y4320 = $ 43.57(+ electronic gimmick)
Hishomaru = Y2740 = $ 27.63
Sensuimaru = Y2740 = $ 27.63

Total = Y9800= $ 98.83 (not including postage mind you)

I am assuming that the price from the retailer (amiami) already includes some profit for them (amiami) then you factor in the profit for the importer (example BBTS, RK etc) + shipping and handling for the bulk purchase + taxes and cost to ship to your native lands. So yes, importing Japan TFs are indeed very expensive.

I don't think it will be a realistic price to charge $20.00 for each figure when the two figs without electronics already boarders to $ 30.00. Maybe if the electronics were ditched and all cost the same, will still total around $ 83.00

BBTS has the giftsets listed at $110.

And my comment about the set being $60 would probably assume no electronics and smaller size overall. You read ENTIRELY too far into what I said.

And if downsized, there would be a lot of complaints like the one heaped on FOC Shockwave and Optimus.

As for reading far into what you said, well I'll go back again to the original premise. "Pics don't always show how good or bad a figure is". Unless you've got pics like that by Ryan, its too early to condemn or praise a product.

Collecting imports are thus a given that they are expensive.

I agree that pics don't always do figures justice, especially since they often need to be posed properly rather than all goofy-lookin'. But in this case, I can see multiple flaws with the figure in regards to proportions and looks. Your comparing Generations Springer to this?? Springer is one of the best TFs ever made, and the only mode I could have thought I wouldn't like is the legs in robot mode. But then i saw more pictures (and videos) online and realized they aren't that bad at all. I didn't need to see it in store to decide whether i was going to buy it, nor did I need to buy it first under the impression that it sucked, and then 180 from there.

Judging from pics gives you an idea of the degree of which you could potentially like a figure, and pics of this set, in many many different pics have told me its ugly as hell in bot mode, alt mode, and combined mode, and definitely not worth any cash given the INSANE 3rd party combiners coming out.

MINDVVIPE wrote:I agree that pics don't always do figures justice, especially since they often need to be posed properly rather than all goofy-lookin'.

On this part I am successful then in getting you to agree. Always has been my premise. Generations Springer is one of the best incarnations out there. No contest. But when pics of the Tomy version came out, it looked ugly with the paint apps. But once I had it on hand (I bought one just the same despite my misgivings), the actual Japanese version wasn't all that bad.