TFcon 2012 Third Party Panel Coverage

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by Sol Fury, Jul 28, 2012.

  1. kaos

    kaos the original thirteen

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    u answered ur own question right there...and 1000 bb verses 15-20 new molds worth as shit doesnt cut it in my book...not by a long shot..
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2012
  2. jop

    jop Sesquipedaliacon

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    Theoretically, yes.

    Practically speaking, no.

    For instance: MP-10. The Hasbro version is being released a year after Takara's figure (even though fans are willing to pay a premium for earlier releases), in a slightly different deco and packaging (that most fans appear ambivalent about), and sold primarily through brick-and-mortar retail (which fans generally detest, due to the unpredictability of retail stock management).

    Similarly, Masterpiece Thundercracker. The three primary Seekers (Starscream, Skywarp, and the aforementioned Thundercracker) are almost always depicted as sharing the same mold. Starscream and Skywarp have already been released domestically by Hasbro using the MP-03 mold. So why release Thundercracker using the mismatched MP-11 mold? This completely defeats the purpose of the figure for any collector seeking a matching set.

    Essentially, it appears that Hasbro has at least some idea, internally, as to what the collector market is asking for; but whatever products result from this awareness are hampered by poor design choices and a general unwillingness to abandon traditional retail sales channel. Every new figure the third party manufacturers release speaks volumes about how utterly Hasbro is failing to conquer a market that, in theory, they should utterly dominate.
     
  3. Scaleface

    Scaleface Well-Known Member

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    I have a problem with the logic that old Marvel UK homages are NOT FOR KIDDIES. How does a kid even know a cool new toy on the shelf is an homage to something they never read? They wouldn't know the difference between it and a "new" figure. To some kid who never read Wreckers, Impactor is a new character, no difderent than Lockdown or Longarm. They have no way of knowing there is something they are missing and come to the conclusion "That's some old character from a comic printed before I was born! I can't like him too!"
     
  4. brr-icy

    brr-icy MP Collector

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    that's basically like asking ford to make a blue 1988 fiesta in 2012 because you missed it in that color. the old mold is seriously flawed, wing joints breaking everywhere, kibble-tastic, etc. once you have the new mold in hand, you'll realize that it's a great improvement, and will want the other two in that mold, after thundercracker, i hope they do skywarp (takara or hasbro) to finish the trio in a good mold, even though i will have the trio already, but am scared to touch skywarp anymore
     
  5. jop

    jop Sesquipedaliacon

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    Not at all.

    The problem here isn't the superiority of one mold over the other (not that I disagree with your assessment) but that Hasbro gave fans a reason to spend out x dollars purchasing two figures, and then perform a bait and switch with the third. Essentially, it's more of a public relations misstep with the fan and collector community than anything.

    Think of it this way: there is no reason as to why the Hasbro Transformers brand team cannot own and operate some form of information channel (a blog, for instance) with which to communicate their intentions on a more than biannual schedule. There is no reason why, through such channel, they could not echo your own reasoning - that the superiority of the MP-11 mold outweighs the uniformity of the Seeker figures. And I imagine if they followed this up with the revelation that the other two Seekers would be released in MP-11 format within the next year, that the collector community would for the most part both satisfied and excited as to where they could place their preorders.

    However, this is not Hasbro's current approach (for whatever reason - again, I posit that it is not a problem with the Transformers brand team, but Hasbro's general corporate approach to retail-centric sales and a resulting unwillingness to create products with a three figure price tag). Their current approach amounts to: "Here's your third Seeker. Different mold? Eh. When will the other two be released in the same mold? Reply hazy, try again."
     
  6. Megatron31

    Megatron31 I Belong to Nobody!

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    you see it as a PR misshap

    i see it as a smart business move in terms of sales, by realeasing the new mold in TC colors, in a collector based line you pretty much triple your sales if you consider the future releases of a hasbro skywarp remold and starscream.

    its a numbers game
     
  7. jop

    jop Sesquipedaliacon

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    It's only a smart move in the short term; in the long term, Hasbro are doing themselves a disservice.

    Make no mistake - I agree with your assessment that by using the new mold, Hasbro gains a means by which the collector market can be induced to pay down on versions of figures that they may already own. However, pursuing this route without carefully controlling the potential PR fallout that may stem from this double-dipping is a surefire way to alienate collectors and in turn, drive them further into the arms of Takara and / or the third party manufacturers.

    In short: collectors are going to have a much easier time justifying the re-purchasing of a Masterpiece Starscream and Skywarp if, say, Hasbro guaranteed the release of all three Seekers (and within a reasonable time-frame). However, Hasbro have done no such thing! (Sure, releasing all three Seekers using the new mold does seem like a certainty - but try arguing that to a collector that felt the same way about MP-03 Thundercracker.)
     
  8. Tirade

    Tirade Hate Plague Autobot

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    So FansProject plans on releasing their first headmaster in September? Seems pretty early based on what we have seen so far. Not that I would complain, but I have my doubts we will see Chromedome, Brainstorm or any other HMs in the next month.
     
  9. Scaleface

    Scaleface Well-Known Member

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    I want to see some recolors of those Headmasters...

    Hardhead - Fortress
    Skullcruncher - Optimus Prime
    Chromedome - Loafer/Toxin
     
  10. king_of_forgoten

    king_of_forgoten Active Member

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    is it so wrong to want a third party computron and abominus?
     
  11. kaos

    kaos the original thirteen

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    no.. it is wrong to not want one:thumbs2: ..
     
  12. PredaconElder

    PredaconElder Well-Known Member

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    To Hasbro, its RETAILERS, RETAILERS & RETAILERS. Fans are a distant fourth to them since orders (and not actual toys sold) from the retailers are probably one of the metrics that they determine how well they are performing.
     
  13. Mobb One

    Mobb One Godmaster

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    I am a bit apprehensive over the BTS overlord. I never purchased any of their products and their sonicron was just completely something i did not want to even look at.

    They also seem to be going through some triple changer route...a plane, a battleship (???), and robot form. I'll be completely disappointed if they don't follow through with at least the duo-con approach of two alt-modes. That is one of the main, big appeals to me of the character. I'd much rather a parts former than some triple changer that may or may not have a decent 3rd mode (this battleship thing. seems like a substitution for the base mode).
     
  14. Torque

    Torque The WORDSMITH

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    Want that Predaking!
     
  15. bacon4e

    bacon4e Resident Cheesehead

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    yeah me too!
     
  16. Scaleface

    Scaleface Well-Known Member

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    Does anyone still have a video of the 2012 panel? Both of the ones from youtube have disappeared.
     
  17. Scaleface

    Scaleface Well-Known Member

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  18. Scaleface

    Scaleface Well-Known Member

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