The Energon Pub

News Credits: 409 · by **Stormrider** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:10 am

ACToys has posted images of the special edition Universe Dragstrip. This figure is being offered through Hasbro Toy Shop and should be released next month. Click here to see additional pictures.

by **JesWal** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:16 am

Eh, he's ok, but nothing special. I probably won't blow 15$ him.

News Credits: 127 · by **Counterpunch** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:20 am

JesWal wrote:Eh, he's ok, but nothing special. I probably won't blow 15$ him.

Allow me to retort with, "Bling Bling, money ain't a thing." I will most definately be "blowing" $15 lousy dollars on this really nice Classics Dragstrip.

News Credits: 1 · by **stocky** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:26 am

Counterpunch wrote:
JesWal wrote:Eh, he's ok, but nothing special. I probably won't blow 15$ him.

Allow me to retort with, "Bling Bling, money ain't a thing." I will most definately be "blowing" $15 lousy dollars on this really nice Classics Dragstrip.

"Dragstrip?!? A.K.A. Mirage!" :APPLAUSE:

by **Nickolai** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:28 am

I like the mold, no, I love it, it's the most poseable yet detailed thing they've released in a while. Whenever I pick up Fracture/Mirage the words "space age material" come to mind. 8-}

Despite this, is it so wrong that I want to buy this product almost entirely due to the packaging? In fact, I may just want to buy someone's box... or set of 4. 8-}

by **Talous** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:08 am

I could see myself paying another $15 for this figure. I already have the other two, whats one more?

News Credits: 10 · by **HighPrime** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:40 am

Counterpunch wrote:
JesWal wrote:Eh, he's ok, but nothing special. I probably won't blow 15$ him.

Allow me to retort with, "Bling Bling, money ain't a thing." I will most definately be "blowing" $15 lousy dollars on this really nice Classics Dragstrip.

Couldn't have said it better. I already pre-ordered mine with. Overkill.

by **King Slick** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:55 am

Talous wrote:I could see myself paying another $15 for this figure. I already have the other two, whats one more?

I might think about ordering him and possibly Fracture if I can find him. Then I can get to work on a scale model of Indy.

"It's Mirage and Fracture running neck and neck down the back stetch for the final time and into turn #3...coming on hard is Dragstrip who is running just a bit behind the battle for the win. Through the short shoot Fracture has a slight edge going into 4 and onto the front stretch. DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME AND HERE COMES DRAGSTRIP CHARGING CHARGINGCHARGING! DRAGSTRIP IS PASSING MIRAGE AND...OH! DRAGSTRIP AND FRACTURE TOUCH! MIRAGE HAS NO PLACE TO GO! THEY ARE ALL SLIDING OUT OF CONTROL! AND...MIRAGE FLIPS OVER THE FINISH LINE TRANSFORMING INTO BOT MODE! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FINISH WITH BOTH DECEPTICONS LYING IN HEAPS JUST SHORT OF THE FINISH!

News Credits: 23 · by **Prime Evil** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:14 am

Talous wrote:I could see myself paying another $15 for this figure. I already have the other two, whats one more?

Yup yup. I love this figure mold. IMO, one of the best to come out in Cls/Uni. So poseable, great alt mode, and great bot mode. What more can ya ask for...well, possible some more paint apps on him, but that's just me.

News Credits: 5 · by **--B--** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:15 am

I ordered mine as soon as I could, him and overkill.

Nickolai wrote:I like the mold, no, I love it, it's the most poseable yet detailed thing they've released in a while. Whenever I pick up Fracture/Mirage the words "space age material" come to mind.

Despite this, is it so wrong that I want to buy this product almost entirely due to the packaging? In fact, I may just want to buy someone's box... or set of 4.

I'll sell you the boxes to both DS and OK :ic$:

by **8 bit** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:38 am

Why is he $15 and not the standard $10 for a deluxe figure?

by **neutralstate** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:48 pm

the awesome box art costs 5 bucks thats why

News Credits: 349 · by **Bed Bugs** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:51 pm

BumbleScream84 wrote:Why is he $15 and not the standard $10 for a deluxe figure?

Simple, they are exclusives. Any exclusive that is offered through HTS.com is typically marked up by $5.00. Look at Classics Nemesis Prime, Titanium Skywarp, and others.

With the smaller run numbers, Hasbro compensates the costs of making the toys by increasing the price per unit.

So for every two Dragstrips they sell, the make $30. The original release of Mirage sold for $10, so it would take 3 to get to $30.

So doing the math, one would think that for this to be profitable, there should only be 2/3 as many Dragstrips as there are Mirages. Hence, an exclusive smaller run.

by **Urzu Seven** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:04 pm

Dragstrip? Why? We all know Slapdash would have been a better choice...

Mmm. Repaints.
"Here, have a character!"
"Great! Who else can we make him?"
...
Bored now.

by **JesWal** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:20 pm

Counterpunch wrote:
JesWal wrote:Eh, he's ok, but nothing special. I probably won't blow 15$ him.

Allow me to retort with, "Bling Bling, money ain't a thing." I will most definately be "blowing" $15 lousy dollars on this really nice Classics Dragstrip.

Ordinarily, it wouldn't be. But right now I'm working on my Beast Wars collection, so I don't have the money to buy things I don't like as much as others.

News Credits: 127 · by **Counterpunch** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:27 pm

JesWal wrote:
Counterpunch wrote:
JesWal wrote:Eh, he's ok, but nothing special. I probably won't blow 15$ him.

Allow me to retort with, "Bling Bling, money ain't a thing." I will most definately be "blowing" $15 lousy dollars on this really nice Classics Dragstrip.

Ordinarily, it wouldn't be. But right now I'm working on my Beast Wars collection, so I don't have the money to buy things I don't like as much as others.

You don't have to justify your purchases to me.

But what you do have to do is justify why a "Special Edition" of a highly sought after character deco in the most popular collector's line of Transformers is nothing special. Then, explain why $15 on it would be 'blown', when the price is very fitting considering how very nice the SE packaging is.

I'm not picking on you personally, but why not explain what you're writing a bit more to contribute more to the disucssion?

by **8 bit** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:34 pm

Fender Bender wrote:
BumbleScream84 wrote:Why is he $15 and not the standard $10 for a deluxe figure?

Simple, they are exclusives. Any exclusive that is offered through HTS.com is typically marked up by $5.00. Look at Classics Nemesis Prime, Titanium Skywarp, and others.

With the smaller run numbers, Hasbro compensates the costs of making the toys by increasing the price per unit.

So for every two Dragstrips they sell, the make $30. The original release of Mirage sold for $10, so it would take 3 to get to $30.

So doing the math, one would think that for this to be profitable, there should only be 2/3 as many Dragstrips as there are Mirages. Hence, an exclusive smaller run.

OK, thanks! I didn't know that the 25th Anniv. line is HTS.com exclusive.

News Credits: 409 · by **Stormrider** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:10 pm

Fender Bender wrote:
BumbleScream84 wrote:Why is he $15 and not the standard $10 for a deluxe figure?

Simple, they are exclusives. Any exclusive that is offered through HTS.com is typically marked up by $5.00. Look at Classics Nemesis Prime, Titanium Skywarp, and others.

With the smaller run numbers, Hasbro compensates the costs of making the toys by increasing the price per unit.

So for every two Dragstrips they sell, the make $30. The original release of Mirage sold for $10, so it would take 3 to get to $30.

So doing the math, one would think that for this to be profitable, there should only be 2/3 as many Dragstrips as there are Mirages. Hence, an exclusive smaller run.

I'm getting the feeling that this figure is not set to a limited number. It's being sold directly by Hasbro, which can control the production limit. They've never send this is limited to a thousand, or two thousand. In fact, we have seen the "unavailable" pre-orders go back to "available".

I think you are right that they are limited but limited to their pre-order numbers. What I mean - if people pre-order 1,000, then they'll make 1,000. If they pre-order 5,000, then they will make 5,000. That way, there is no extra stock, no overhead. That's how e-Hobby, and other Japanese online exclusives are done.

Website · by **DMSL** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:12 pm

Straight repaint so pass for me. It surely woulden't have killed Hasbro to make a new head.

by **JesWal** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:40 pm

Counterpunch wrote:You don't have to justify your purchases to me.

But what you do have to do is justify why a "Special Edition" of a highly sought after character deco in the most popular collector's line of Transformers is nothing special. Then, explain why $15 on it would be 'blown', when the price is very fitting considering how very nice the SE packaging is.

I'm not picking on you personally, but why not explain what you're writing a bit more to contribute more to the disucssion?

It is blowing money to me. To others who like the figure, it may not be. But it seems to me that buying something you really don't like for no reason is blowing your money. Correct if I'm wrong though. It also is nothing special to me. It is a matter of personal opinion and taste. It doesn't appeal to me, and as such, is nothing special to me. Yet again, this only my opinion and others' surely differ.

News Credits: 9 · by **Sowndwave76** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:40 pm

I personally think this figure looks great...
The packaging is pretty nice, and the cost is so reasonable!!
Hasbro probably could've raised the price to $20,
and people still would be buying him.

Knowing how nice the Mirage mold is,
and wanting more Decepticons easily justified to me ordering 2 of these.

News Credits: 5749 · by **El Duque** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:47 pm

I mentioned this in the massive Henkei Thrust and Dirge debate thread, it would nice if Hasbro would release that version of Wildrider that was used for the Henkei line.

News Credits: 5 · by **Sledge** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:49 pm

It would be even nicer if Hasbro UK would get in on this.

News Credits: 5 · by **Oilspill** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:49 pm

Prime Evil wrote:
Talous wrote:I could see myself paying another $15 for this figure. I already have the other two, whats one more?

Yup yup. I love this figure mold. IMO, one of the best to come out in Cls/Uni. So poseable, great alt mode, and great bot mode. What more can ya ask for...well, possible some more paint apps on him, but that's just me.

You could ask for a head that actually looks like Dragstrip, rather than just buying a yellow Mirage. I love the classics Mirage mould too, but I have no interest in a yellow Mirage.

News Credits: 5749 · by **El Duque** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:53 pm

Oilspill wrote:
Prime Evil wrote:
Talous wrote:I could see myself paying another $15 for this figure. I already have the other two, whats one more?

Yup yup. I love this figure mold. IMO, one of the best to come out in Cls/Uni. So poseable, great alt mode, and great bot mode. What more can ya ask for...well, possible some more paint apps on him, but that's just me.

You could ask for a head that actually looks like Dragstrip, rather than just buying a yellow Mirage. I love the classics Mirage mould too, but I have no interest in a yellow Mirage.

I pretty sure everyone here would be in agreement with you, but we've just come to accept that most repaints won't have new heads. I was very surprised that the new Leo Prime for TFU, which is a repaint of Leobreaker for Cybertron, got a new head.