The Energon Pub

I'd certainly like to see a trailer for the Classics Prime, mainly from the point of view of it making it more G1, which the Classics line is at least supposed to be an homage to. If it's designed to open out into a decent base mode (and/or supermode armour), then I think it would add playability to the fig.
Obviously, it's not gonna happen, but I've seen a few people adding trailers to their own Primes, maybe down the line I'll design one for myself.

MP Prime I could definitely do without, though. I don't think I'll ever be getting any of the other MP figs anyway; I bought Prime when it was a one-off, never expecting it to be the first in a line. I spent about eighty quid on that ($160 to you American sorts), and I think a trailer really would just take up extra display space and cost a ton extra. And it's not like it's a toy to be played with much, so playability's not so much of a huge factor.

Dr. Z wrote:

GetterDragun wrote:EDIT: Oh yea, at the Hasrbo Tour at Botcon, someone did ask about the trailer (I think in relation to Classics Prime) and they said that the cost of the trailer was prohibitive.

Could also have been a quick lie from Hasbro just to end the debate in a snap. It's easier for them to say "we can't" than "we can but we don't feel like doing it".

Dr. Z, it wouldn't make economic sense for Hasbro to "can, but not feel like doing it." The way firms operate in the market is to sell at the margins. If Hasbro believed that it was profitable to sell trailers, they would do so because that would be a profit at the margins. So maybe the reason they said "we can't" is because they actually can't based upon cost, not because they "don't feel like doing so".

It seems that many people don't fully appreciate everything that the term, "costs", implies. There are the actual costs of materials for the toy: the plastics, the paints, the molds. Then there is the question of packaging and shipping. A trailer is basically a box. It takes up space, which in itself isn't bad, but the trailer mostly consists of empty space. That space is wasted space. The addition of a trailer means a bigger box. That means there are less toys per shipment. Furthermore, that means it takes up more space on the toy store's shelf, which is never a good thing from a retailer's point of view. Coupled with the probability that cheaper toys are more likely to sell, the inclusion trailer just doesn't cover these costs.

But Hasbro's revenues must also cover their fixed costs: R&D, costs of keeping the company running, etc. There are also "opportunity costs"--the costs of what a firm could have done instead what they did. The time spent developing and manufacturing a trailer could be better spent developing and manufacturing an entirely different Transformer instead of an accessory. With all of these costs in mind, I'm more convinced by Hasbro not making Prime trailers because they can't, instead of "they don't want to."

Robinson wrote:

skywarp-2 wrote:the Masterpiece Optimus Prime in My collection deserves his trailer, but I was just suggesting that Hasbro should have or could release Another MP but with a Trailer, but I know they won't and it sucks.. but I wasn't bitching, I was simply defending my Position, against numerous opposition...

However, seeing as Prof . Smooth has suggested Powermaster Prime's trailer as the Best feature, and he also down grades the Armada Version to a Brick former with movable arms, i give you Power Master Optimus Prime, and his "not a Brickformer like Armada Prime, Trailer and combo!!"





becasue that is soooo much better then this...




or this:


sniff....sniff.... what's that I smell??? Sarcasm??

I hate to say it, but in my opinion this post does not help your cause, it just reminds some of us how ugly that armada prime is.

I agree.

seriously, how many times has optimus been like, "uh, wait guys. we cant start this fight until I whip out my trailor."?

none.

that trailor bitched out of every fight, except for one or two, and thats just to show that the toy came with a trailor that did things. it got in less fights than skids. and skids bitched out more than any autobot.

kill the trailor and kill skids.