People only buy 3rd party stuff because they have to be 100% G1 accurate and are impatient to wait for the eventual release of these figures someday.

 

LOL? This is such an ignorant blanket statement.

Are you even aware that much of the stuff we see isn't even close to being "100% G1 accurate," but it serves as more of an update or re-interpretation of the G1 originals? And waiting on Hasbro/Takara to produce a hypothetical figure can be fruitless as none of us really know what's in the production pipeline.

 

That's it! This whole time I was trying to figure out why I buy 3rd party products and you sir have figured it out for me!

 

 

really? that's why i don't like a white prime? i thought that was because it was a lazy repaint, lol or that i wanted reflector to be a camera because i liked the individuality of that alt mode, and not a half track. 3/4 of the third party stuff isn't accurate, but it's an actual try at the character, and not a squeeze every half-assed repaint out of a mold, and call them different characters

 

I don't think Hasbro will ever lose the war. If a KO company (even if the fig is original it is a knock off of intellectual property) were to figure out a way to make deluxe size figures they could sell for even voyager pricing Hasbro would finally take the steps necessary to shut them down. Different names or not, it would be pretty easy for them to be like "Here is our cartoon/comics and here is their product...also notice Ultra Magnus is a "City Commander"."

I personally am one of those dumb purist people who won't put a non Has/Tak on my shelf, and won't pay $50+ on something that isn't G1, BW, CHURG, or Masterpiece (Tho I MAY drop that much on a TFCC or other exclusive). This is especially the case when it is a fake that will just break on me thirty minutes after opening it. I wish I could bring myself to do it because i want an Arcee like crazy, but I just can't....but I will admit that I'm weird lol.

 

As much I love 3rd party hasbro/taktom shoould win the battle. Just on shear number of different figures alone. No matter how many different third party figures come out, hasbro puts out atleast twice as many. I mean look at your shelves or in your bins. Offical products are hell id say 10-1 over third party. Also not many people have the funds or means to obtain the expensive third party stuff. Some of us have good jobs and can pay $50 for a scout that if official would be 8 or 9 bucks. While most can only get the cheaper of the two being the official has/tak figure. Us third party collectors are a small group no where near the amout of official has/tak collectors.

 

fixed

 

For the Beast War fans, say a 3rd Party does your favorite to unbelievable status, will you still not get it?

I admit Im G1 fanactics, but i wont hestitate to get something that perk my interest....but truth im impatient as i want these figures...the only seeker i dont have is universe Skywarp, but Im not gonna pay 40$+ for it and Im not gonna pay 30$ for a REAL KO either....i will be patient for the generations skywarp.....as long as these 3rd party continue to make good figures and its good i will get them....

Where is our MP Galvatron, he is just as iconic as Megatron...

 

The only things TakaraTomy are 100% responsible for are Masterpieces, Alternity, Dual Model Kits, and japan exclusive variant molds/remolds like Jetwing Optimus's backpack. For everything else (as in, basically the entirety of every main line since Armada started), they take their orders from Hasbro on what gets engineered and made. Sure, TakaraTomy engineers just about everything, but it's in a partnership with hasbro's designers. Hasbro calls the shots on the vast majority of Transformers that are made. So no, not really fixed.

 

Hmmm...

You know what? I think I'll take the more affordable option. Sorry, I just can't justify the costs; I'm only barely able to convince myself to pay whatever price TFCC is gonna assign Runabout, and that's semi-official.

3rd party stuff, as cool as it is, will have a tough time finding its way onto my shelf until I'm either incredibly well-off, or they can somehow price things lower. They're cool and all, but I'll let my friend with more money buy them, and admire them when I visit him.

 

First you'll have to wait till the new mould of MP Magnus (if we're lucky he'll have his trailer/armour) is out, then Nemesis Prime and dead Prime.....then the re-tooled seekers. Perhaps we'll see the cone heads too? Then they'll re-tool Megatron.....perhaps Rodimus will get his turn and all the issues will be ironed out and then finally.....

they'll re-tool Prime again. Rinse and repeat.

In the meantime we'll have Soundwave, Blaster and hopefully Shockwave from third parties. Would you bet against a MP Galvatron too?

 

I'm still confused how a $100 figure is a badge of honor for third party/unlicensed companies compared to Hasbro. There's been plenty of angst within the fan base about the price of each TFC Constructicon, let alone other things.

Additionally, the last good combiners Hasbro/Takara made without help is, at least, all of the OTHER G1 combiners that came out after Devastator (Bruticus, Superion, Menasor, Defensor, Predaking, Computron, Piranacon, Raiden, etc.). RiD Rail Racer also is popular with a good chunk of the fan base.

As for the subject at hand...yes, they complement collections but hardly replace anything. Not everyone here has the money to shell out for unlicensed products, and those that do don't purchase everything offered because not everything is desired for a variety of reasons.

Also, believe it or not there are some G1 fans who also like the movieverse stuff, so the DotM line hardly "got in the way" of anything for some of us here.

 

Given how little attention Hasbro has been paying to good beast modes in general an BW in particular (and even when they did they managed to bungle one of them up and made the other average by the standards of BW) I'd be sourly tempted.

(would it have been so hard put a thin robot foot in the hind cheetah legs? and then use the paw as heel spur?)

 

Lol..

 

I admit im G1 so yeah, a little bias...but i do have some movieverse....

 

I'm going with the "compliment more than compete" opinion as well.

Personally, I think the biggest danger and competition for the 'third party' producers are themselves. While the fan/collector community is a small percentage of Hasbro's total market, the amount willing (or able) to pay $50 to $100 or more for a deluxe or voyager-sized toy is undoubtedly even smaller, and we have more and more opportunistic producers coming in to cut their piece out of that pie. They're even frequently covering the same ground. between the already released and planned/upcoming, we'll have two complete Devastators along with a G1 enhancement set, a couple Reflectors, at least two Arcees based on the Botcon Japan custom along with another in a different style, and a cast of repeated mini-bots, including but not limited to two different versions of Wheelie and Powerglide using Jizai's design.

Perhaps it can be avoided, but so far the "unofficial TF toys" market is shaping itself up for a bloat-then-crash like that of video games in the early eighties, or comics in the nineties, or dot-com businesses around 2000, or...

 

How can a 3rd party crash, if theyre fans? Once corporates gets their hands on it, then it crashes i.e myspace....as long as the fans continue to own i dont see it happening..

 

I thought MySpace crashed because it sucked, and most people who used it were kind of obnoxious. /offtopic

 

3rd party TF's aren't cheap but it's suprising how affordable things become when you remove the official lines from the equation.[/QUOTE]

this

 

this