Is anyone else pulling their hair out over this one?
Are you buying one?

I'm a long time TF Fan (since the beginning, actually) but it was Beast Wars that brought me back. The Primal bat/Megatron gator set was one of the more important purchases of TF collecting that I ever made.

Adding more fuel to the wanty-fire, this is a mold from the Titans Return era and this current line is absolutely my favorite thing to come along in a really long time. The toys are freaking great... This line is striking a wonderful balance between beautiful looking figures...and damn fun Transformer toys.

This repaint is one of the most clever, interesting and damned gorgeous figures I have seen in ages...it's just terrific. So this E-Hobby release is targeted DIRECTLY at me. I was nearly helpless when I saw the first pictures...the Optimal Optimus homage was the icing on the cake. I preordered it as soon as it went up.

Now I'm looking at my preorder queue...and realizing that this deluxe class figure (plus one extra Titan Master) is going to cost more than MASTERPIECE Cheetor.

I think I found the limit of what my nostalgia is worth. I don't think I can justify $90 for a Deluxe, even if it looks like one of the coolest toys since Super Fire Convoy.

Is anyone committed to this thing? What makes this figure worth 6x the cost of a retail release deluxe?

FWIW, my preorder is still open...this one is killing me.

 

While I love the idea and execution of Primal, the indications are there won't be a dedicated Megatron, so I'm going to wait to see if Hasbro hits this concept. If not, I'll live without them.

 

Let me alleviate your concern. Your entire post makes it clear that you think this guy is awesome. So buy him then. Price doesn't matter if you absolutely love the thing. And you'll be kicking yourself for not buying him when all his preorders sell out. And since this is E-Hobby, don't expect him to ever be re-released or that Hasbro will make a version of him, because they won't.

 

Probably the same reason as with previous figures.
Exclusivity. These don't have the ridiculously large runs that standard figures have and are not sold in standard stores internationally.

It's been this way for years.....  

 

I agree with the previous posts. You are definitely someone who will appreciate the character, the mold, and the collectibility of the figure. It's not $90 for a deluxe retail figure. It's $90 for a lovingly created homage to one of your favorite figures of days gone by. Keep the pre-order.

 

I'm getting him because I figure, with an E-Hobby exclusive, if I don't get him and change my mind later there's a 0% chance I'll be able to get him for a decent cost. Hell, I can probably sell it for at least cost down the line.

 

This shows your reasoning is flawed. It's not a 6x cost of retail, at most it's 2.5x retail for a deluxe. The Tak/To TR deluxes are $40 each remember. And this Japanese exclusive also has an extra piece, Gator-trons head.

 

Unfortunately I can't swing the $90 to pick him up...as bad as a want him. So I'll have to gamble that Hasbro does a Platinum Edition set at some point with him and a Smasher -> BW Megatron repaint.

 

$90 for this guy? Between this and $200+ seekers, Takara's exclusive pricing is getting insane.

 

I'm getting him, and honestly I don't even have much connection to Beast Wars or Bat Primal. Honestly, if he clicks with you the way he clearly does, I'd probably just skip a few other, lesser purchases to make getting him possible. I'd say don't get too hung up on the "$90 deluxe" thing, because you're not paying for the plastic content. If you go by that metric none of this silly stuff we buy is remotely worth it. You're paying for the toy affects your emotions, and it sure sounds like you'd get $90 worth of enjoyment out of it.

And by collectible toy standards the price isn't outlandish. Think about what people pay for the G1 dinocassettes. Or Japanese headmasters! Those things have less plastic in them than a toothbrush, and aren't exactly marvels of engineering. It's all relative when it comes to collectible stuff.

Not trying to be an enabler here, honest.   But it sure sounds like you'd like they toy a lot. I'd say maybe make a conscious decision to skip a figure or two about whom you feel less enthused, and divert the funds toward this guy.

 

Again, they are all exclusives. NOT standard releases. Especially the ehobby stuff and Mall stuff like Skywarp and the Coneheads.
And as someone else has eluded to, they are exclusives of the already higher priced Takara Toys, not Hasbros.

Deadlock was $70 - $80 when he got released last year under the same arrangement. He had less extra / altered too.

e-hobby - Transformers Cloud - Roadbuster

Is a pretty random example that prices are still in line.

 

I went ahead and pre-ordered one. It's pretty much exactly what I wanted when they confirmed Mindwipe (and I'm still holding out hope for a Croctimus Prime from Skull)

 

And these Japanese exclusives also have lower production runs.

 

Whoa there pardner.

Price absolutely does matter with buying transformers. Especially when these are the dictionary definition of unnecessary purchases - there isn't a single toy that any of us here needs to have. And it becomes a little bit uncomfortable seeing people recommend others to go spending so much money.

Case in point, I would absolutely love a G1 Thunderwing shell to replace the one I lost when I was six. But I'm not going to pay the hugely inflated eBay prices for one. Despite how badly I want Thunderwing, there is a reasonable limit to how much I'd throw at it.

 

Yeah but that's YOUR limit.
Others may choose higher, others lower.
What may seem like a lot of money to you, is pocket change to others.
That is just how it goes.
I wouldn't pay $90 for a deluxe personally (mainly due to income) but my mate just did and is over the moon about it. He can easily afford it, so why shouldn't he?

Totally agree about need though. No one NEEDS this stuff. Especially if they are concerned about the price in the first place.

 

Here's the only question you need to ask yourself "which do you like more $90 or a fancy deluxe repaint w/ accessories?".

 

i am with you SS38 ~ Deadlock for around $70 was certainly pushing the envelope of my "what I'd pay for an exclusive deluxe" limit, $20 more ~ well we are getting into Million Publishing exclusive levels...

(i finally got Million Publishing Stepper when i stumbled on someone on the boards that had United Jazz and Stepper and took $100 for the pair ~ now i just need Artfire)

 

I'm already working on a pretty tight budget, however, due to TFC's Poseidon giving me the third party Piranacon I've been waiting nearly a decade for.

$90 is nearly one 3P Seacon, as well as nearly a CW Boxed Set (I've budgeted for Computron and Liokaiser).

 

Argh you had to remind me about Stepper. He'll forever be the one that got away. Come to think of it aside from the G2 version I've had pretty shitty luck with this mold.

Pretty much jumped on this pre-order even though he's pushing $72 or so on the asian sites. Still can't but be in the same camp as you guys. There's that unyielding want for the set since I had/still have the original two pack(the want actually grew since I was able to re-align the gears on my bat primal), but still can't help but look at that price tag. Someone did point out in one of the threads the actual cost of re-creating the set, but that really only lessens the pain a tad. Still 4 months or so should be just enough time to save up.

Cost breakdown to recreate this set:
Mindwipe-$17
Megatron-$24
Sentinel Prime-$24
Apeface-$5-6
Prid Wheeljack-$8
and if you suck at painting like me then throw in the added cost of a customizer to paint all that crap up all pretty like.

 

Ha!! Nicely done. That certainly puts this into some perspective.