holy crap transformers are expensive!

[Dark Rage]

Originally Posted by Whisky Tango Foxtrot

Only if you insist on having them built for you.

This is why I got out of Gundam. I'm paying a high price and I have to build my own robot (which used to be enjoyable but now it's just exhausting). And backlogged about 20 MG and PG kits.


People whine and complain about the prices all the time, then just don't buy or stick to the older figures with technology about 10-15 years old.

People can go either really cheap and stick with the older figures, or really high budget for the 3rd party pricing and detail. I've been priced out of the 3P stuff, do I just stick with the "cheaper" Hasbro stuff.

We're in an interesting time as TF Collectors, Hasbro is churning out characters from other lines we've never had since the 80s (like the targetmasters), but supply chain issues and distribution issues are worse than ever. And Hasbro knows that TFs is one of their most popular/profitable IPs.

You should be thankful that Hasbro has more or less eliminated most of the Takara exclusives/repaint versions (and the difficulty in buying them) and made it more accessible to the North American market.

Anybody remember the Takara Tomy Mall Exclusives that you could only get from a local Japan dealer or maybe Robot Kingdom? (And the mark up on those?)

Yeah those are mostly all gone now.


Does this make sense to you? That SS86 Grimlock goes for a higher price than the most recent Hasbro Masterpiece Grimlock, which is an older figure, but it's still with Masterpiece technology/design.

I've learned this from a longtime collector friend of mine: Buy now, ask Questions later.

Bank on a return policy of your have regrets (with the big chain stores)

It's classic FOMO, but that's what's happening right now.

[MapleMegatron]

Originally Posted by Dark Rage

This is why I got out of Gundam. I'm paying a high price and I have to build my own robot (which used to be enjoyable but now it's just exhausting). And backlogged about 20 MG and PG kits.


People whine and complain about the prices all the time, then just don't buy or stick to the older figures with technology about 10-15 years old.

People can go either really cheap and stick with the older figures, or really high budget for the 3rd party pricing and detail. I've been priced out of the 3P stuff, do I just stick with the "cheaper" Hasbro stuff.

We're in an interesting time as TF Collectors, Hasbro is churning out characters from other lines we've never had since the 80s (like the targetmasters), but supply chain issues and distribution issues are worse than ever. And Hasbro knows that TFs is one of their most popular/profitable IPs.

You should be thankful that Hasbro has more or less eliminated most of the Takara exclusives/repaint versions (and the difficulty in buying them) and made it more accessible to the North American market.

Anybody remember the Takara Tomy Mall Exclusives that you could only get from a local Japan dealer or maybe Robot Kingdom? (And the mark up on those?)

Yeah those are mostly all gone now.


Does this make sense to you? That SS86 Grimlock goes for a higher price than the most recent Hasbro Masterpiece Grimlock, which is an older figure, but it's still with Masterpiece technology/design.

I've learned this from a longtime collector friend of mine: Buy now, ask Questions later.

Bank on a return policy of your have regrets (with the big chain stores)

It's classic FOMO, but that's what's happening right now.

That's what I abide to, but of course just for the stuff we really want. Which I think all our points of view are converging onto. Of course, one might not realize they really want something until it's gone, like any of our American brethren with Galaxy Shuttle. Or better yet that Siege Skywarp. We were all able to order it for a while on Amazon.ca (and .com) and then one day it just was sold out and the price has climbed ever since.

There's a few points you brought up that I like a lot and wanted to further talk about. Your example of new figures going for more than MP versions of them got me thinking. With the advancements we've had in transformation and articulation, many recent figures are as articulated as MP figures. The recent voyager sized Optimus figures we got can pull the same poses as MP-10, which was held as the standard for quality for a while. More articulation means more parts and more parts means more molded pieces, which is the bulk of the investment on Hasbro's end, material/sunk cost wise.

So now we live in a time when we have articulation on mainline toys similar to masterpiece toys of 10-15 years ago and yet we didn't scoff at paying $65 USD for a voyager sized MP Sideswipe. So $45 CAD for a voyager sized Tarn that has similar articulation to that MP Sideswipe starts making sense.

To go with that evolution of price/value, did you get or take notice of the Warrior Class Optimus prime from earthrise? It's a fascinating figure because it costs around $10 less than a standard deluxe, so it's closer to the price we would have paid for deluxes a few years ago, and has similar amounts of articulation to those older deluxes. So we are paying similar prices for similar types of toys, once inflation is taken into account.

On a very very side note, it also reminds me of the idea that while many fans scoff at the cheaper toys made just for kids, those toys have the same articulation as the toys that made us fall in love with the brand as kids (be it G1, or the Unicron Trilogy). So toys meant just for kids to enjoy the brand have had a standard kind of articulation and price point since the 80s. But that's neither here nor there.

Back to FOMO, So damn glad I bought that Super Megatron when I still could!

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by RansakWORK

I do not mind the current pricing for things I really want. Snarl's price ill pay without batting an eye but instantly become critical of all the repaints and "adaptations" of figures from other cartoons.

Tarn is a cool figure, but outside my "G1 Animated Series" wheel house so the 50 dollar price tag starts to seem very large. The Walmart exclusive legacy beast wave was laughable and easy to pass on. The increase on prices really makes the impulse buying hard.

This. I think it's a big reason why Override ended up shelfwarming. It's a GREAT toy. But at 50+ after tax... that kills the impulse buy. I picked up the BW Legacy Sandstorm redeco of Scorponok because I love it, but I'm not doing the same for Nightprowler or Buzzsaw at 36+tax. Absolutely toys I would have nabbed back in the day for 20. If they were on sale for ten bucks off I'd probably jump, but...

Is Bludgeon a G1 toy would you get? He's not in the G1 animated series but seems sure to be a heavy retool of Tarn. Tarn is PHENOMENAL. One of the best toys of the last five years, and so jacked as a voyager it's almost unebelievable; especially compared to "leaders" like Blitzwing. But I also understand that he's not in your particular "theme" of collecting.

[canprime]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

This. I think it's a big reason why Override ended up shelfwarming. It's a GREAT toy. But at 50+ after tax... that kills the impulse buy. I picked up the BW Legacy Sandstorm redeco of Scorponok because I love it, but I'm not doing the same for Nightprowler or Buzzsaw at 36+tax. Absolutely toys I would have nabbed back in the day for 20. If they were on sale for ten bucks off I'd probably jump, but...

Is Bludgeon a G1 toy would you get? He's not in the G1 animated series but seems sure to be a heavy retool of Tarn. Tarn is PHENOMENAL. One of the best toys of the last five years, and so jacked as a voyager it's almost unebelievable; especially compared to "leaders" like Blitzwing. But I also understand that he's not in your particular "theme" of collecting.

That is one of the hidden dangers of all the price increases as well.


We have gotten used to the idea of $36 Deluxes, $50 Voyagers and $80 Leaders that if we see something on sale for say $30 (Deluxe) we think it is a good deal. When only a couple years ago that was the regular price.



That sneaky price creep isn't just for regular retail price, but also our mind's "personal expectation" price.

[Yonoid]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

This. I think it's a big reason why Override ended up shelfwarming. It's a GREAT toy. But at 50+ after tax... that kills the impulse buy. I picked up the BW Legacy Sandstorm redeco of Scorponok because I love it, but I'm not doing the same for Nightprowler or Buzzsaw at 36+tax. Absolutely toys I would have nabbed back in the day for 20. If they were on sale for ten bucks off I'd probably jump, but...

Is Bludgeon a G1 toy would you get? He's not in the G1 animated series but seems sure to be a heavy retool of Tarn. Tarn is PHENOMENAL. One of the best toys of the last five years, and so jacked as a voyager it's almost unebelievable; especially compared to "leaders" like Blitzwing. But I also understand that he's not in your particular "theme" of collecting.

buzzsaw and nightprowler are $19.99 at walmart, although most locations around me have been sold out for a while

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by Yonoid

buzzsaw and nightprowler are $19.99 at walmart, although most locations around me have been sold out for a while

Not my wm unfortunately

And they've been warming since before xmas

[RansakWORK]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Is Bludgeon a G1 toy would you get? He's not in the G1 animated series but seems sure to be a heavy retool of Tarn. Tarn is PHENOMENAL. One of the best toys of the last five years, and so jacked as a voyager it's almost unebelievable; especially compared to "leaders" like Blitzwing. But I also understand that he's not in your particular "theme" of collecting.

Bludgeon is a tough one. He is a neat figure but sits outside my G1 animated rules.. Normally i would make the exception and find a spot or have him as desk fodder but i feel a little burned from both Skullgrin and Tarn. Both look great on the shelf but i find both alt modes sad and the transformations boring.

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by RansakWORK

Bludgeon is a tough one. He is a neat figure but sits outside my G1 animated rules.. Normally i would make the exception and find a spot or have him as desk fodder but i feel a little burned from both Skullgrin and Tarn. Both look great on the shelf but i find both alt modes sad and the transformations boring.

Skullgrin I get but man, tarns transformation and tank mode is awesome. I suspect bludgeon will end up with a better alt mold, if they can swing it. It's more of a traditional tank.

[Robimus]

Just to chime in on Tarn.

From the pictures I wanted it.

Then I had it in hand at Gamestop, $50 for a "Voyager" that looks like it's smaller in every way than the deluxes in the CHUG line.

So somebody else got to snag him. I just couldn't do it.

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by Robimus

Just to chime in on Tarn.

From the pictures I wanted it.

Then I had it in hand at Gamestop, $50 for a "Voyager" that looks like it's smaller in every way than the deluxes in the CHUG line.

So somebody else got to snag him. I just couldn't do it.

What?

This is factually untrue. Tarn is not a "small" voyager in any way. He's not SS86 Hot Rod or Ironhide. He's as tall as recent voyager Primes and Springers. He's a solid, HEAVY, toy with little "hollowness.

Like, an opinion is "I'm not a fan of this figure." Saying "this figure is too small and is smaller than deluxes from chug" is literally --- the actual definition of literally --- wrong. You put "voyager" in quotation marks when he is one of the purest examples of the voyager class in years. He, Jhiaxus, Inferno, are fantastic, sizeable, well-executed voyagers; they are not "slightly bigger deluxes."

Further, I'm looking at some older deluxes now and this idea that they are "monsters", even with some of the clear size differences from Siege to now, is ridiculous.