El Duque wrote:Not suggesting that the current Generations will/should go away at all, but I think Takara Tomy may have finally realized the value of a full blown collectors line focusing primarily on G1. And I think one of the main reasons behind it is the 3rd party movement, and the prices we've been willing to shell out for those figures.
Actually I think you've missed something far closer to home.
At retail: 2xVoyager(@$23)+3xDeluxes(@$13)=$85
At Botcon: 2xVoyager+3xdeluxes=$365
Of course that's forgetting about how prices for them skyrocket on the secondary market.
Other examples which come to mind are club exclusives which would retail at $13 in the US, but are sold exclusively by the club for $40.
If you want evidence of Hasbro witnessing fans paying crazy prices for Tfs, then look no further than 18 years of Botcons.
Mkall wrote:I disagree with the use of Classics in this comparison. I do agree that Takara is finally monopolizing on the G1 collector fan-base, since by now anyone who grew up in the 80's is now in their 30s most likely with disposable income and a desire to see their favourite characters as they remember them. I fully support the decision and look forward to seeing where it goes, even if I don't buy them.
The term Classics, to me, has always been modernizing the character's designs to attract a new generation of fans, or possibly re-ignite the spirit of wayward fans. In all honesty I prefer this method to the MP method. Both Classics and MPs have their place in the fan-base, but I prefer Classics.
Except that the problem with your argument is that the market demographics for Hasbro and Takara are fundamentally different. The big difference here is that when it comes to the Masterpiece line, Hasbro isn't involved and so Hasbro's marketting demographics are irrelevant to the line. Sure, Hasbro releases the odd piece, but it's merely to cash in in select cases on adult collectors, and in very limited reruns of existing moulds which Takara have already developed.
Here's the thing. Classics was essentially about producing a viable G1 based line for both Hasbro and Takara - who have very different markets. With Transformers, Takara's bread and butter are adults, while with Hasbro, it's kids (and parents buying for kids). As such there was a need not only for hyper articulation, but also for more modernised alt modes so that kids could have the same experience that adult fans had as kids (as well as circumventing the need for licensing)- whilst building them to that price point. Takara meanwhile were still able to sell the line on the grounds of using G1 characters. As such Classics was more of a compromise move on the part of Takara than of Hasbro, but one still workable for Hasbro.
I'd actually argue that the Masterpiece line has gone from a BT companion line of 4 different moulds, to a modernised redux of G1 designs, marketed with adult safety standards in mind (eg Red Alert's short circuit piece) and at an adult price point. As such I'd go so far as to suggest that it's what the Classics line would have originally been, had Hasbro's market demographics not been a determining factor.
JackStraw wrote:Shunning the 3rd party companies and their products only stands to help support or create HasTak's monopoly on transforming robot toys, which would enable them to get lazy, and cheap.
Except that this argument is a complete prima facie. It would be one thing if 3rd party companies were producing original character designs. Except they aren't - they're
stealing designs they have no right to and have not paid licensing to use. These guys aren't some kind of Robin Hood; they're petty thieves- pure and simple and will be until they start entering into licensing agreements with Hasbro. Period.
Before anyone says that we have a right to certain characters- you're wrong. Until some fan or group of fans buys the IP for a specific character or group of characters, then no, none of us have a right to any specific character being produced by Takara or Hasbro. We might desperately wish and hope for certain characters- but that's all we're actually entitled to. Any claims to the contrary are going into "Veruca Salt" territory - as unpopular as saying that might be.
RodimalToyota wrote:I just wanted to add to this thread, MP Prowl and Bluestreak are only going to be 50$ USD in Japan. So in Reality, Tak is making joke to the fact people are paying 60-70, even 80 for the same size figs, that are not as detailed by 3P companies.
I have no problem paying 50-60$ a piece of perfect scale G1 classic's/Masterpiece figures. None at all! especially if they are all in the Glorious Classic 80's sports cars to mad me love G1. I hope they continue pounding us every year, it keeps me from buying the other crap lines that end up just getting traded away.
^This. I love the line in its entirety and tbh I love that it's showing up the thieves who run 3rd Party companies big time. My problem is that they're kicking it right into high gear right when I'm meant to be saving up for my wedding
Really?!
).
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