Alpha Trion, Weirdwolf, and Vector Sigma Set in Stock at TFClub Store

Front paged and credited.

Wish i had the $150. All ive got is $20 and thats for voyager Megatron.

I don't have the money for them and I doubt they'll still be available when I do.

I'm so broke...why'd this have to happen now???

I'm glad this happened, the scalping on ebay has been incredible. I've seen this set sell for as much as $300!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-Botcon ... dZViewItem

And all this for toys that would sell for $30 in stores if they were retail.

Y'know, I still can't decide if I want this at all...so I'll pass agan and call it quits on even thinking about this set.

NuclearConvoy wrote:Y'know, I still can't decide if I want this at all...so I'll pass agan and call it quits on even thinking about this set.

A3 is amazing. I rarely higly recommend stuff. But in this case, if you are a G1 fan, this is imo a must have.

If I were to thin down my collection to fifty, this would be one of the ones I kept.

Why are these always so bloody expensive 'must have' items available just when I'm completely broke.

D'ah well. I'll go with NuclearConvoy and just forget about getting them, then.

Well it seems as with most things in this world driven by money and demand, that a simple fan who is not rich and extremely wealthy will have to pass on the Botcon exclusives. I am new to the whole system, and this is my first disappointment as a fan. I can't believe how expensive Botcon Merchandise is.

For the price of just one of that set I could buy 4 older Transformers toys in MISB on ebay and be satisfied knowing their price would rise in years to come. But as for the Botcon stuff, they just look like repaints and slight remolds to me.

If I really wanted I could buy an older one of some of the figures in loose on ebay and have a professional repaint them for less money then what I could if I bought the Botcon merchandise. It's completely depressing to see what selective Capitalism versus mass consumerism can do when delegated to the transformers Brand.

Sorry guys, But I have to pass, and not because I'm a new collector and all, and I still need to pick up my stuff from the Unicron Trilogy, or RID/Car Robots/Movie toys, ect.
But because those are just not a priority on my list. IMO, anyone who pays that much for those repaints simply because of where they came from and such, are fools. Supporting such an expensive and unrealistic exclusive Toyline such as that really makes me angry about collecting.

Between the expensive and over rated Botcon exclusives, the Elusive "sign over your college fund" Lucky Draw exclusives, the Scalpers who jack up the prices on ebay, bad ebay sellers who after payment recieved, never send the merchandise, greedy little comic shops, consignment hunters, and Mall dealer tables, this franchise has alot of greed and "issues" which make it very hard for a fan with little to no money to keep up, let alone stay interested without getting extremely frustrated!!

SO either join the club and get the set at roughly $150.00 USD or be a non member and pay roughly $180.00 USD? What a freaking expensive set for 2 plastic toys who would have retailed for at the most $25.00 in stores!

Defending them by saying they need this amount of money to continue to bring exclusives to the Botcon is simply not true, its a demand thing and as far as I can tell these Botcon repaints are in demand, production costs can't be so high that these figures should cost $60.00 each to produce or even with a profit gain of $20.00 they don't cost $40.00 to produce.

Rule of thumb, the more you produce the cheaper the item becomes, and because they under produced, which still doesn't cost them that much to manufacture, I'm sure of it, they can charge extremely ludicrous amounts of money to purchase them?? WTF!!!

It's Insane!


Lets put this into perspective shall we, a MP-03 Star Scream from Takara retails on ebay on average at about $75.00 to $100.00,
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... category0=
while the Wal-mart "exclusive" repaint will retail somewhere around $50.00, which is more sought after then the Takara release, it's a masterpiece repaint and not some voyager class repaint???


I know I'm new and all to this fandom, but come on!! does anyone else think that these sets are just way too expensive?

Nah, I'm cool with it. Compared to how much I've dished out on artist proof statues, MPs, BTs, past Botcon stuff, ehobby exclusives, its really not ALL that much.

Plus, its limited to 1400 pieces. This will be worth a hell of a lot more in a few years and may even outstrip your MISB G1s for value in the medium term.

Then again, its a botcon exclusive. So basically, it was made for the 1400 fans with a little bit of extra cash. If 150 is a lot of money to you, you definately should not waste it on a toy. I am with you there. However, if 150 is a lot for you, you were not the target consumer to begin with.

Thats kinda the point of exclusives in Japan, Europe, here, whereever. They are always overpriced and do appreciate nicely.

And I do not mean to be offensive at all. Its just that I have been reading stuff like this for months now and I guess, this one more put me over the top and I needed to blow off some steam. Everyone doesn't get everything, unless you have unlimited cash. Thats just the way it works. Luckily, as consumers, we get to choose what we spend our money on.

Nah, I'm cool with it. Compared to how much I've dished out on artist proof statues, MPs, BTs, past Botcon stuff, ehobby exclusives, its really not ALL that much.

Plus, its limited to 1400 pieces. This will be worth a hell of a lot more in a few years and may even outstrip your MISB G1s for value in the medium term.

Plus, you cannot compare it to MP-03. How many thousands of those were made?

Then again, its a botcon exclusive. So basically, it was made for the 1400 fans with a little bit of extra cash. If 150 is a lot of money to you, you definately should not waste it on a toy. I am with you there. However, if 150 is a lot for you, you were not the target consumer to begin with.

And I do not mean to be offensive at all. Its just that I have been reading stuff like this for months now and I guess, this one more put me over the top and I needed to blow off some steam. Everyone doesn't get everything, unless you have unlimited cash. Thats just the way it works. Luckily, as consumers, we get to choose what we spend our money on.

Like it or not, TF collecting has become an adult hobby. With that territory comes really cool stuff like the MP and BT lines. With it also comes the world of limited runs and exclusives. Its part of the collecting game, in any line of collecting. Its also the difference between being a Transformers collector and being a guy who buys Transformers toys.

Hell, I wish I could buy all the TFs I want. Theres sooo many out there that I am dying to own. Alas, my funds are far from unlimited. IMO, the ones that are harder to get are like wine. I'll be patient and get them eventually, and the longer it takes, the sweeter opening the package they arrive in will be.

Well, thats my 2 and a half cents.

I see your point on that, but one could also say that the longer it takes to save up the money the higher the price goes as availability waivers. I understand the target market is for a handful of fans, but it still doesn't maske it any easier to deal with not being included simply because of the expensive nature.

I feel like a kid in the 1950s whose parents couldn't afford a TV set while the rich kids down the street had 2 and discussed the latest tv shows in front of me, with me feeling excluded.

It's a horrible feeling to want something, and be excluded because you can't afford it.

Scaleface wrote:I'm glad this happened, the scalping on ebay has been incredible. I've seen this set sell for as much as $300!

Sold mine right after BotCon. Made myself both a profit and a prophet.

Maximal Primal wrote:I can't believe how expensive Botcon Merchandise is.

Well, you are new, so it's understandable. If you had been around the past few months, you would have heard others of us preaching the virtues of getting these things early.

But as for the Botcon stuff, they just look like repaints and slight remolds to me.

That's exactly what they are. But the cost of doing that is high and these are quite exclusive. You're honestly lucky getting a chance to buy them at this time.

If I really wanted I could buy an older one of some of the figures in loose on ebay and have a professional repaint them for less money then what I could if I bought the Botcon merchandise. It's completely depressing to see what selective Capitalism versus mass consumerism can do when delegated to the transformers Brand.

Not bloody likely.

Let me work something like that out for you.

A job like that would cost for all of the following (I know, I've done it)

-The toy. $20
-The materials. $20 (or $120 if a dremel tool is necessary)
-Time to disassemble (Time money)
-Time to prime/paint (Time money)
-Time to finish/reassemble (Time money)
-A fee for services. ($$$)

Ask any customizer.

Sorry guys, But I have to pass, and not because I'm a new collector and all, and I still need to pick up my stuff from the Unicron Trilogy, or RID/Car Robots/Movie toys, ect.
But because those are just not a priority on my list. IMO, anyone who pays that much for those repaints simply because of where they came from and such, are fools. Supporting such an expensive and unrealistic exclusive Toyline such as that really makes me angry about collecting.

Then you don't get anything special or limited. That's market economics. You're saying other toys are more demanding of your money and that the limited supply of exclusives isn't worth a price hike to you. It's your choice. As long as you don't make some lame rationalization about it....

Between the expensive and over rated Botcon exclusives, the Elusive "sign over your college fund" Lucky Draw exclusives, the Scalpers who jack up the prices on ebay, bad ebay sellers who after payment recieved, never send the merchandise, greedy little comic shops, consignment hunters, and Mall dealer tables, this franchise has alot of greed and "issues" which make it very hard for a fan with little to no money to keep up, let alone stay interested without getting extremely frustrated!!

Crap. You dun-did-it...

SO either join the club and get the set at roughly $150.00 USD or be a non member and pay roughly $180.00 USD? What a freaking expensive set for 2 plastic toys who would have retailed for at the most $25.00 in stores!

I love mine. I love them more because you can not get them in stores where the hordes of unwashed masses wander. (is that mean?...good. )

Defending them by saying they need this amount of money to continue to bring exclusives to the Botcon is simply not true, its a demand thing and as far as I can tell these Botcon repaints are in demand, production costs can't be so high that these figures should cost $60.00 each to produce or even with a profit gain of $20.00 they don't cost $40.00 to produce.

Show me your degree in economics or an equivalent work experience in marketing and production which says you can justify those numbers.

Rule of thumb, the more you produce the cheaper the item becomes,

That applies to numbers which approach tens of thousands of units.

Not a run of 1500 pieces like these toys are. Before you say that these should go to market, the deal with Hasbro limits how long these toys can be made and in how many numbers.

Lets put this into perspective shall we, a MP-03 Star Scream from Takara retails on eBay on average at about $75.00 to $100.00,
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... category0=
while the Wal-mart "exclusive" repaint will retail somewhere around $50.00, which is more sought after then the Takara release, it's a masterpiece repaint and not some voyager class repaint???

That has nothing to do with anything relevant here. MP Starscream is an import release. You are paying mark up for the import. Hence why the domestic release is so much cheaper.

I know I'm new and all to this fandom, but come on!! does anyone else think that these sets are just way too expensive?

I think they're too expensive for most people. This is the goal after all. Exclusive is exclusive is exclusive. Pay to play.

How many BMWs do you own? Have a Porsche or two? Would you like them to cost as much as a Jetta? Sure. Will it happen?

No.

What I realy want is the little Vector Sigma. I have a homemade one. Actualy it's just a crystal from an old chandeler. I did the same thing with the Matrix till I found some bootlegged on Ebay. I still use the one crystal to represent Prime's spark in Optimal Optimus.

I can't help but wonder if BBTS is going to stock it in their TF acssories section. I love my Golden Disk set, and finaly retired the dollar slot machine tokens I was using.

Thank you, Counterpunch. You took the time to write exactly what I wanted to write.

How much were these at Botcon? $50 or so?

Cyber Bishop wrote:How much were these at Botcon? $50 or so?

$89 for AT / WW plus $16 or so for Vector Sigma, plus tax.

Springer / Huffer set was $49 plus tax.


On Sunday (the last day of Botcn) I went to the Club line again (not many people there) and asked if they had any souvenior sets left. They did! In stock they had Huffer / Springer plus Vector Sigma. They also told me if I wanted Alpha Trion / WW they had them back in Texas and would mail them after the convention. These were available to anyone at the convention at those prices, not just members. They had a limit of two per person. My group orderd 6 because there were three of us/ They gave us the Springer/WW sets and Vector Sigma right then. We are still waiting for At/WW but I got word that they shipped a few days ago.

Even with the sets I have coming, I still ordered an extra one to keep stored away until they are fetching a high price again. Toys as an investment - it isn't real estate or the stock market, but it sure feels good to triple your money.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:Thank you, Counterpunch. You took the time to write exactly what I wanted to write.

I'm practicing becoming a middle-aged balding man who will sit on a public beach and write cynically about world affairs, young people, and why music died with John Lennon; all while sipping mai-tais and wishing that the A-Team was back on TV.

(I don't even know when I'm joking anymore...)

Counterpunch wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:Thank you, Counterpunch. You took the time to write exactly what I wanted to write.

I'm practicing becoming a middle-aged balding man

Sadly, I can give you some pointers there...

..but I still enjoy reading your posts.

Scaleface wrote:I'm glad this happened, the scalping on ebay has been incredible. I've seen this set sell for as much as $300!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-Botcon ... dZViewItem

And all this for toys that would sell for $30 in stores if they were retail.

More than that, I sold my set for $580, although I was the first one to put it up on Ebay.

Counterpunch wrote:

Scaleface wrote:I'm glad this happened, the scalping on ebay has been incredible. I've seen this set sell for as much as $300!

Sold mine right after BotCon. Made myself both a profit and a prophet.

Your just like the ebayers!!!

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote:I can't believe how expensive Botcon Merchandise is.

Well, you are new, so it's understandable. If you had been around the past few months, you would have heard others of us preaching the virtues of getting these things early.

I suppose, but I wasn't into the Transformers then like I am now.

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote:But as for the Botcon stuff, they just look like repaints and slight remolds to me.

That's exactly what they are. But the cost of doing that is high and these are quite exclusive. You're honestly lucky getting a chance to buy them at this time.

Why am I lucky? weren't some of them sold at like $50.00 at the Botcon?

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote: If I really wanted I could buy an older one of some of the figures in loose on ebay and have a professional repaint them for less money then what I could if I bought the Botcon merchandise. It's completely depressing to see what selective Capitalism versus mass consumerism can do when delegated to the transformers Brand.

Not bloody likely.

Let me work something like that out for you.

A job like that would cost for all of the following (I know, I've done it)

-The toy. $20
-The materials. $20 (or $120 if a dremel tool is necessary)
-Time to disassemble (Time money)
-Time to prime/paint (Time money)
-Time to finish/reassemble (Time money)
-A fee for services. ($$$)

Ask any customizer.

I have and I've been debating it, there are plenty of Games Workshop Hobbyists at the local comic shop who would definitely do it for me for like $20.00 to $30.00, heck that's a new minature to those guys!!! it's like crack!

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote: Sorry guys, But I have to pass, and not because I'm a new collector and all, and I still need to pick up my stuff from the Unicron Trilogy, or RID/Car Robots/Movie toys, ect.
But because those are just not a priority on my list. IMO, anyone who pays that much for those repaints simply because of where they came from and such, are fools. Supporting such an expensive and unrealistic exclusive Toyline such as that really makes me angry about collecting.

Then you don't get anything special or limited. That's market economics. You're saying other toys are more demanding of your money and that the limited supply of exclusives isn't worth a price hike to you. It's your choice. As long as you don't make some lame rationalization about it....

Lame rationalization?? Buying into that system only feeds it more.

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote: Between the expensive and over rated Botcon exclusives, the Elusive "sign over your college fund" Lucky Draw exclusives, the Scalpers who jack up the prices on ebay, bad ebay sellers who after payment recieved, never send the merchandise, greedy little comic shops, consignment hunters, and Mall dealer tables, this franchise has alot of greed and "issues" which make it very hard for a fan with little to no money to keep up, let alone stay interested without getting extremely frustrated!!

Crap. You dun-did-it...

Yes I dealt it, so now you smelled it!

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote: SO either join the club and get the set at roughly $150.00 USD or be a non member and pay roughly $180.00 USD? What a freaking expensive set for 2 plastic toys who would have retailed for at the most $25.00 in stores!

I love mine. I love them more because you can not get them in stores where the hordes of unwashed masses wander. (is that mean?...good. )

So to you it's like a woman who only buys designer dresses

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote: Defending them by saying they need this amount of money to continue to bring exclusives to the Botcon is simply not true, its a demand thing and as far as I can tell these Botcon repaints are in demand, production costs can't be so high that these figures should cost $60.00 each to produce or even with a profit gain of $20.00 they don't cost $40.00 to produce.

Show me your degree in economics or an equivalent work experience in marketing and production which says you can justify those numbers.

Show me your degree to discount those numbers? Leave phototshop out of it.

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote:Rule of thumb, the more you produce the cheaper the item becomes,

That applies to numbers which approach tens of thousands of units.

Not a run of 1500 pieces like these toys are. Before you say that these should go to market, the deal with Hasbro limits how long these toys can be made and in how many numbers.

So it's Hasbro who has the final say as to how many get produced? That sucks.

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote:Lets put this into perspective shall we, a MP-03 Star Scream from Takara retails on eBay on average at about $75.00 to $100.00,
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... category0=
while the Wal-mart "exclusive" repaint will retail somewhere around $50.00, which is more sought after then the Takara release, it's a masterpiece repaint and not some voyager class repaint???

That has nothing to do with anything relevant here. MP Starscream is an import release. You are paying mark up for the import. Hence why the domestic release is so much cheaper.

That's still a repaint and a Higher quality one at that because it's a Masterpiece.

Counterpunch wrote:

Maximal Primal wrote:I know I'm new and all to this fandom, but come on!! does anyone else think that these sets are just way too expensive?

I think they're too expensive for most people. This is the goal after all. Exclusive is exclusive is exclusive. Pay to play.

How many BMWs do you own? Have a Porsche or two? Would you like them to cost as much as a Jetta? Sure. Will it happen?

No.

I find that the most sense made of the subject. I think that in the future anything regarding the Botcon section is off my radar, you should work for them, you obviously love them very much. You got to go to the Botcon, so for you making a profit is okay and your up there with all the rest defending it, but you can't be in the right because you don't know what it's like to be one of us who didn't go!

Incidentally, I would rather invest my money into a BMW then a Botcon toy. Yeah I own 1 BMW, that's why my money is tight, but I live large down roDAYo drive. Your priorities will get you consumer of the year at corporate functions for Hasbro. Way to go!!;)^

Lapse Of Reason wrote:Thank you, Counterpunch. You took the time to write exactly what I wanted to write.

Suck up. Do not fear that which is mortal and in the end fallable.it's like befriending a pitbull, he may be nice to you for a time, but eventually he can and will turn on you. From what I've seen on these threads. "Not nice, good"

Counterpunch wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:Thank you, Counterpunch. You took the time to write exactly what I wanted to write.

I'm practicing becoming a middle-aged balding man who will sit on a public beach and write cynically about world affairs, young people, and why music died with John Lennon; all while sipping mai-tais and wishing that the A-Team was back on TV.

(I don't even know when I'm joking anymore...)

What is the A-team? If your not sure about your mental health, then why should I take any of your opinions on the Botcon Merchandise seriously? Cynicism is a result of the unhappiness within, I always thought old people were supposed to mellow with age?

HollyW00d wrote:

Scaleface wrote:I'm glad this happened, the scalping on ebay has been incredible. I've seen this set sell for as much as $300!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-Botcon ... dZViewItem

And all this for toys that would sell for $30 in stores if they were retail.

More than that, I sold my set for $580, although I was the first one to put it up on Ebay.

So buy it on the TFclub website before they are gone and your back to paying $300.oo to $500.00??


Yeah, maybe it is lucky for those who didn't go to the botcon, so they can go to the TFclub to pay 2 times what they were originally sold , instead of going to the internet scalpers and paying 4 times , you guys are no different, but I don't blame you for it, I blame the idiots who forked over half a grand for buying into it.

Sorry counterpunch, HollyW00d, Lapse Of Reason, you guys are the haves and I'm in the Have Not category, you'll never see my point of view, even if it was beaten into you with a stick. Oh well, back to collecting the ones that really matter, I'll leave the insane collectibles to the "nuthouse gang" and their friends.