The Energon Pub

This must have been discussed many times. What with the recent hit Prime series, the latest iteration of the Optimus Prime mold..........why no trailer? I'm assuming that the main bruiser (A voyager right? So please correct me if I'm wrong) severely lacks a trailer.

If Hasbro can actually drop the MP-10 version to $ 99.00 and re-issue the short stacked G1 version (again with a trailer). Why not give the "Prime" Prime a decent frickin' trailer?

That being the case, How much would you fellow collectors suggest should it be priced at?

It would be nice if he had a trailer, for maybe $10 - $15 extra. That's based on the U.S. Voyager prices on BBTS. I'm in Australia, so prices are a little (craploads really) more expensive here.

Because he only used it twice?

It's like asking why DotM Voyager Prime didn't get a trailer.

I don't care if he gets a toy with a trailer or not. Hardly something to demand.

Basically, the toys follow the show.

While TF Prime OP does use his trailer from time to time (only two episodes or so), he's usually seen without it, unless certain missions require it. And for good reason, as it'll be hard to explain why his trailer magically appears whenever he transforms into a truck. Sure, it happened in the G1 cartoons, but then we didn't ask so many questions back in the day.

Also, Hasbro's all about keeping prices down even at the cost of simpler designs, less moving parts, and less plastic. MP-10 got a trailer most likely because it was geared towards adult collectors who didn't mind the extra cost of the plastic, and G1 OP just isn't G1 OP without his trailer. For all I know, maybe Hasbro was just feeling generous.

With these two factors combines, we probably won't be seeing a TF Prime OP fig with a trailer any time soon.

PrymeStriker wrote:Because he only used it twice?

It's like asking why DotM Voyager Prime didn't get a trailer.

I don't care if he gets a toy with a trailer or not. Hardly something to demand.

I would go out on a limb here and suggest that fans would be all over a TFP Prime trailer more so that those crappy Arms Microns which no one asked for and dont appear in the show.

If Hasbro fail to release a trailer, should Prime haul it around with him again, then perhaps a 3rd Party will step up such as Dr Wu and give us something to easy our wanton desires!

robotmel wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:Because he only used it twice?

It's like asking why DotM Voyager Prime didn't get a trailer.

I don't care if he gets a toy with a trailer or not. Hardly something to demand.

I would go out on a limb here and suggest that fans would be all over a TFP Prime trailer more so that those crappy Arms Microns which no one asked for and dont appear in the show.

If Hasbro fail to release a trailer, should Prime haul it around with him again, then perhaps a 3rd Party will step up such as Dr Wu and give us something to easy our wanton desires!

Well, technically, it was Takara's Japan-exclusive versions that have the arms microns, and they do "sort of" appear in their own comedy segment after the Japanese version of the show.

Either way, the trailer doesn't matter that much to me, TBH. I'd much rather Hasbro just quit it with the cost-cutting and give us better figs in the same vein as the FE versions (Vehicon is the only exception, in that the PRID version actually surpassed its FE predecessor).

PrymeStriker wrote:It's like asking why DotM Voyager Prime didn't get a trailer.

Mine did.



But un this case, yes, it was very expensive.

Arctorro wrote:It would be nice if he had a trailer, for maybe $10 - $15 extra. That's based on the U.S. Voyager prices on BBTS. I'm in Australia, so prices are a little (craploads really) more expensive here.

I agree completely. We pay up to $30 for a figure which may cost the US Market $17. Considering the Australian dollar is worth 1.05 US and that the same product is getting shipped from China a shorter distance, we truly are getting the rough end of the deal

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:It would be nice if he had a trailer, for maybe $10 - $15 extra. That's based on the U.S. Voyager prices on BBTS. I'm in Australia, so prices are a little (craploads really) more expensive here.

I agree completely. We pay up to $30 for a figure which may cost the US Market $17. Considering the Australian dollar is worth 1.05 US and that the same product is getting shipped from China a shorter distance, we truly are getting the rough end of the deal

Too true! Voyagers on the shelf are around $50!

Sorry to sidetrack the thread

robotmel wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:Because he only used it twice?

It's like asking why DotM Voyager Prime didn't get a trailer.

I don't care if he gets a toy with a trailer or not. Hardly something to demand.

I would go out on a limb here and suggest that fans would be all over a TFP Prime trailer more so that those crappy Arms Microns which no one asked for and don't appear in the show.

If Hasbro fail to release a trailer, should Prime haul it around with him again, then perhaps a 3rd Party will step up such as Dr Wu and give us something to easy our wanton desires!

My point exactly. There were no Arms Microns in the show and yet? But I only used Prime as an example. Waaaaaaaay back with Classics/henkei(no trailer) or even WWI(excellent mold btw if it were not for the die-cast) he also had a trailer in the comic.

Again, they can cut down costs for MP and yet the more mass produced line nada? This lack of trailers after GF, well, its like its been forgotten. But the cost seems more like the same price range of a figure with a trailer. In TFA he had a trailer similar to the GF version, what happened to that?

And in the original show, sure he hauled the trailer almost like 90% of the time he appeared in the show though its features (the trailer) were only highlighted like maybe 3x but still...........

I think Hasbro not only looks at the possible retail price, but also looks at possible shelf space. Items like Movie Trilogy Prime or Ultimate Prime have really large or long boxes, and every store has a section exactly measured out for the line. More bigger figures -> Less space for the rest -> less possible sales. That's why we have endcaps

I would think that when you consider design costs, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping, the trailer probably costs AT LEAST as much to make as the main figure, probably more. And it takes up more shelf space, as JelZe mentioned above. So a Prime that comes with a trailer should cost at least double the price of Prime without a trailer. $30 for Deluxe DOTM OP with trailer was a fair price, but the trailer sucked. If they made a Voyager OP with trailer, I would expect it to sell for $49.99 - $59.99. If the trailer is good, I'm willing to pay that much.

I happily paid $50 for a BTS-01 trailer for Classics OP, plus another $10 or so for Reprolabels, and it was worth every penny.

Id be willing to pay an extra 10 or 15 without complaint for a prime with a trailer. prime without a trailer just doesnt look or feel complete to me.

Arctorro wrote:

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:It would be nice if he had a trailer, for maybe $10 - $15 extra. That's based on the U.S. Voyager prices on BBTS. I'm in Australia, so prices are a little (craploads really) more expensive here.

I agree completely. We pay up to $30 for a figure which may cost the US Market $17. Considering the Australian dollar is worth 1.05 US and that the same product is getting shipped from China a shorter distance, we truly are getting the rough end of the deal

Too true! Voyagers on the shelf are around $50!

Sorry to sidetrack the thread

Don't worry about sidetracking, they're all big boys. Can you imagine how many transformers we'd have if we payed US prices? Two-for-One, can't get better than that

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:It would be nice if he had a trailer, for maybe $10 - $15 extra. That's based on the U.S. Voyager prices on BBTS. I'm in Australia, so prices are a little (craploads really) more expensive here.

I agree completely. We pay up to $30 for a figure which may cost the US Market $17. Considering the Australian dollar is worth 1.05 US and that the same product is getting shipped from China a shorter distance, we truly are getting the rough end of the deal

Too true! Voyagers on the shelf are around $50!

Sorry to sidetrack the thread

Don't worry about sidetracking, they're all big boys. Can you imagine how many transformers we'd have if we payed US prices? Two-for-One, can't get better than that

I can do more than imagine! I take full advantage of BBTS's PoL feature, leaving toys there for months at a time and shipping in one big batch. In the end, with the shipping costs, it still works out cheaper than buying em in store.

I've run out of space and still I keep the damn things Unfortunately that means most of my collection is packed up in the wardrobe.

Arctorro wrote:

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:It would be nice if he had a trailer, for maybe $10 - $15 extra. That's based on the U.S. Voyager prices on BBTS. I'm in Australia, so prices are a little (craploads really) more expensive here.

I agree completely. We pay up to $30 for a figure which may cost the US Market $17. Considering the Australian dollar is worth 1.05 US and that the same product is getting shipped from China a shorter distance, we truly are getting the rough end of the deal

Too true! Voyagers on the shelf are around $50!

Sorry to sidetrack the thread

Don't worry about sidetracking, they're all big boys. Can you imagine how many transformers we'd have if we payed US prices? Two-for-One, can't get better than that

I can do more than imagine! I take full advantage of BBTS's PoL feature, leaving toys there for months at a time and shipping in one big batch. In the end, with the shipping costs, it still works out cheaper than buying em in store.

I've run out of space and still I keep the damn things Unfortunately that means most of my collection is packed up in the wardrobe.

It's quite sad when you think about it, we can order off BBTS, pay international shipping and still get it cheaper than walking into ourl local toys r us. and it's not just Transformers either, a 3 and 3/4 inch Star Wars figure for $17? Come on..

breakdown99 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:
I can do more than imagine! I take full advantage of BBTS's PoL feature, leaving toys there for months at a time and shipping in one big batch. In the end, with the shipping costs, it still works out cheaper than buying em in store.

I've run out of space and still I keep the damn things Unfortunately that means most of my collection is packed up in the wardrobe.

It's quite sad when you think about it, we can order off BBTS, pay international shipping and still get it cheaper than walking into ourl local toys r us. and it's not just Transformers either, a 3 and 3/4 inch Star Wars figure for $17? Come on..

It is sad, made worse by the fact that it is only Australia that suffers the mark-ups...

Ah well, at least we have the internet

Arctorro wrote:It is sad, made worse by the fact that it is only Australia that suffers the mark-ups...

Ah well, at least we have the internet

I don't know about other Asian countries, but Malaysia also suffers from serious price mark-ups. Take ROTF deluxe figs for instance--what would have only cost 12 USD in the US, costs 20 dollars here. You read that right; nearly double the price.

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:It is sad, made worse by the fact that it is only Australia that suffers the mark-ups...

Ah well, at least we have the internet

I don't know about other Asian countries, but Malaysia also suffers from serious price mark-ups. Take ROTF deluxe figs for instance--what would have only cost 12 USD in the US, costs 20 dollars here. You read that right; nearly double the price.

That sucks

I should've been a bit clearer before, meant that NZ doesn't get the mark-ups. Was watching a news report a while back about it.

Arctorro wrote:

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:It is sad, made worse by the fact that it is only Australia that suffers the mark-ups...

Ah well, at least we have the internet

I don't know about other Asian countries, but Malaysia also suffers from serious price mark-ups. Take ROTF deluxe figs for instance--what would have only cost 12 USD in the US, costs 20 dollars here. You read that right; nearly double the price.

That sucks

I should've been a bit clearer before, meant that NZ doesn't get the mark-ups. Was watching a news report a while back about it.

Well, I guess it's a small consolation that we pay relatively less than the US when it comes to Takara products. Shipping from Japan to here is definitely cheaper and closer than from Japan to the US. Also, there's plenty of hobby stores to choose from (since the 2007 "Bay-boom" that created a massive demand for TF's and other toys and collectibles, anyways).