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Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Wed May 01, 2013 3:23 pm
by gothsaurus
Yeah, truth be told... them saving money comes out better for us. Doing things in a smart way behind the scenes just comes out better for everyone.

Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 12:47 am
by xyl360
gothsaurus wrote:Yeah, truth be told... them saving money comes out better for us. Doing things in a smart way behind the scenes just comes out better for everyone.

It would if their prices per figure were actually decreasing so that we, the consumers, reaped some of the benefits. Instead, in addition to constant delays, we get a hefty price increase each year, at least that's how it's been for the Botcon exclusives. I haven't worked out how the pricing for the subscription service breaks down per figure, but I suspect it's more than the usual $40 that they charge for the normal subscription+club exclusive.

I wish Hasbro could bring back 3H. Their figures were better and more unique/original in my opinion. It seems like everything Funpub does is meant to be or homage an already existing character or figure. Eventually (already, actually) it's going to get old and unless you're a truly die-hard fan of the whole Shattered Glass concept, evil repaints of Autobots and good repaints of Decepticons is going to get old as well (as though it hadn't already).

Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:42 am
by gothsaurus
I dunno. Hard to compare apples and oranges between Beasts VS Vehicles.

I do agree that I like them to mix things up with the exclusives. I think homages go over really well with the fans, but every once in a while you need to throw in a new character or such. Also thinking a year where almost ALL the characters are new is a bad idea, as well. (Though when we were getting just one or two exclusives, getting two new characters was amazing.)

Looking back, I have liked them throwing in a rare UK or Japan character (or actionmaster), as well as the odd "new" characters like Autotroopers, Toxitron, Flak, Landshark and Elita 1. I'm forgetting them, but they've actually been in there occasionally. I guess Flak and Landshark were the last "original" characters we've gotten? (anyone able to confirm or deny?)

Funny that the old set with Deathsaurus somehow seems to not stand out, but analyzing it... it had G1 homages, new femmebots, new jet, a Japanese character, and... if they were able to get a different insect mold, I think that one would have left a better impression. It had a good mix. Heh.

Okay. Someone else's turn to get nostalgic and pick everything apart...

Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 9:50 am
by xyl360
gothsaurus wrote:Looking back, I have liked them throwing in a rare UK or Japan character (or actionmaster), as well as the odd "new" characters like Autotroopers, Toxitron, Flak, Landshark and Elita 1. I'm forgetting them, but they've actually been in there occasionally. I guess Flak and Landshark were the last "original" characters we've gotten? (anyone able to confirm or deny?)

Weren't all of those characters already established to some degree in fiction though? I'm talking completely new characters, not just characters that never had toys (not that there's anything wrong with doing those either, I'm just saying).

Landshark I'll give you, but really he's just another Sharkticon/Gnaw homage when it comes down to it (at least if I'm thinking of the correct Botcon figure/set).

Toxitron was a cancelled G2 character/figure, Flak was in the comics (I think?) and Elita-1 was in the G1 cartoon (Optimus Prime's one and only love interest).

Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but figures/characters that were invented for the cons just seemed a lot more interesting to me, like Antagony, Catscan etc. but maybe I'm in the minority here. I can understand that these homages can be a surefire hit with many of the fans and that not every collector may be open to new character concepts, but I just find it a lot more interesting than adding yet another <insert name of G1 character here> to my shelf, especially if it's just a repaint of a mold that was never really meant to be that character anyway and they're obviously just kinda shoehorning it in with a new paintjob and a new head or doing yet another 'evil' SG repaint/'good' SG repaint.

I find it far more interesting and desirable when they create new concepts and characters. It makes the exclusives feel much more 'exclusive' and unique, to me at least. And if it's a mold I like at all, it's even more desirable.

Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 10:06 am
by Jelze Bunnycat
BotCon 2009 Landshark (the E-Landmine repaint, not the 2010 Land Shark one) was the last totally original character we've seen. Flak was a G1 original Micromaster, but had to have his colors changed to grey for BotCon, thank to Hasbro releasing Universe Overload with Flak's G1 colors around the same time.

Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 10:08 am
by xyl360
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:BotCon 2009 Landshark (the E-Landmine repaint, not the 2010 Land Shark one) was the last totally original character we've seen. Flak was a G1 original Micromaster, but had to have his colors changed to grey, thank to Hasbro released Universe Overload with his G1 colors.

Ah, gotcha, thanks for the clarification :)!

Re: TCC/FunPub announce toy subscription delays

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 10:10 am
by gothsaurus
Hey.

I see your point differentiating "first-appearance" toys like Elita 1 — and completely original new characters like Catscan, etc.. I DO like seeing both of these, though. Same with transforming action masters. All fun for a Botcon set.

Oh — Landshark was a big green vehicle in the Wings box set. I think he may be the last "completely original" character we've seen, though Toxitron is pretty close. (Just because Hasbro experimented with a color scheme doesn't mean they provided much in the way of character development.)

BUT yeah... I agree there IS a LOT of excitement to getting a new, well-developed character. (I DO hate seeing a flat character intended to be an unbeatable apocalyptic bad-guy like Sunstorm. I'd rather see them with skills or missions or history or such. Rich characters.)

So yeah, I agree — I'd love to see at least one completely new and original character each year... but not sure how many people agree. There IS a real satisfaction to getting a box set with an epic, memorable somehow-recognizeable-yet-kinda-original leader good guy and bad guy to lead a 15 toy "mini-toy line". Displaying the SG line with Prime and Megatron does have a real satisfaction to it, and certainly drives up the price. Not sure a Botcon set would have the same home-run quality if it were 15 new characters.

I think keeping at least a couple of characters we know in the set is a must — like the G2 set had two UK leaders (well done)... or a big Jiaxus... or Megaplex. (I did think that was a good way to give us a large bad-guy this year — without it being Megs or Galvatron.)

Thoughts? You guys like original, homage, or a mix?