First Edition vs Prime Robots in Disguise

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by Super4Ever, Mar 10, 2012.

  1. FigNewton

    FigNewton Well-Known Member

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    For starters, it's not "just $10-$20". Yeah, ok, maybe FE Prime was $35 retail in Canada when it came out. But we're comparing an FE Prime to the current Weaponizer Prime. Now I don't have any clue what Weaponizer Prime retails for in Canada, but it's $20 here. Even at an average of $50 for FE Prime currently, that's still a $30 difference.

    As there is no dictionary definition for a "boatload" of money, it's relative. To many the difference between a $20 TFP RID Prime and $50 for an FE Prime is a boatload.

    And I don't know about you, but Transformers collection isn't the only hobby I have. There's always going to be a mess of really cool stuff I want to do/have. There will always be more really awesome toys, and games, and anime, and trips to take than I will ever be able to afford. Yeah, I could come up with an extra $30 dollars by sacrificing on other things to make up for things I really want. I do it on a monthly basis. Chances are good in any given month I'm already sacrificing as much as I can to get the things I want.

    If, and it's a big if, IF FE Prime somehow far surpassed all the other stuff I'm into on the ladder of importance and became a top priority then yeah, those sacrifices might be something I'm willing to make. But it's not. It's nowhere even close to being the top. FE Prime is certainly way better than Weaponizer, but when it comes to TFP... I'm ok with settling for the lesser when the difference is more than twice the amount of money.

    Or does that not make me a good enough collector to you? Not that I care, I'm just trying to point out that it's incredibly subjective and just because YOU think it's totally cool and doable to go and spend $50 on an FE Prime, it doesn't mean every TF collector will or SHOULD feel the same way. We all have different priorities and how one guy chooses to describe the price difference doesn't equate to a COMPLAINT that he needs to be smacked around for and shamed for not making the choice you would make. Who are YOU to decide how another collector "should" spend their money?
     
  2. harrismonkey

    harrismonkey Well-Known Member

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    I should point out here that we've only seen Hasbro's heavily photo shopped picture of their vehicon. There aren't any in hand pictures yet. So while Hasbros may be the better, it's hard to make an informed choice at this point.

    Also vehicon is short packed in wave 3 or wave 4, I forget. So it may or may not be easy to get.

    Personally I really like the Takara vehicon I picked up. I can't imagine I'll be nearly as impressed with Hasbro's. But we'll see.
     
  3. ElekTriC

    ElekTriC Well-Known Member

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    so you cant compare the 2 right? :p  i mean. deluxe vs voyager :p 
     
  4. Bountyan

    Bountyan Well-Known Member

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    They're still pretty comparable. But the FE wins if you're looking for scale.
     
  5. ElekTriC

    ElekTriC Well-Known Member

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    lucky for me i dont mind scale :D  i prefer good bots above scale
     
  6. Karhukjnsi

    Karhukjnsi Universal Wrestler

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    I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but concerning Bee, I have both the FE (NYCC) and PRIDE, but I actually like the PRIDE one better. While FE has the look in proto-form down, his chest is too fiddly for me, and I hate converting him, PRIDE doesn't look so...hot, but god damn if he isn't fun to play with and convert. I've definitely grown with PRIDE Bee, especially because of how fun he is, I am more and more ignoring the inaccuracies of proto-form appearance because of just how much more the transformation out-shines it.
     
  7. daddytron

    daddytron Made of too much clear plastic

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    This seems to be a running theme with the PRID versions. Many of the RID versions are more fun to transform (although of course that is a subjective thing and your mileage may vary). Although the PRID 'Bee looks so fugly in robot mode I will gladly take the fiddly chest bits.
     
  8. ex dtw2003

    ex dtw2003 Well-Known Member

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    Oh man, so well said.
     
  9. Ribieconvoy

    Ribieconvoy Well-Known Member

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    O RLY? You must not be able to see the visor-halves that are sitting between his mirrors and windshield then, because those pieces clearly cheat, and don't even store away in vehicle mode. In addition, his bumper still doesn't form the silver pieces on his torso as it should. It would be more accurate to say that the RID version cheats less, but there is no denying there are still some false parts. As others have said, if you want a show accurate robot mode you should go for the FE, but if you want a more accurate and interesting transformation without as much cheating, go for the RID. Plus it only costs half as much :lol 
     
  10. DPrime

    DPrime Well-Known Member

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    Fair enough.

    But if you want a FE, you shouldn't expect to pay any less than what it cost someone to begin with, unless they were lucky to get it on sale. That might not be quite what we're talking about in this particular thread, but it's still a valid point against all the whining about paying aftermarket prices.

    I still don't think Weaponizer Prime is any kind of substitute, unless you're a little kid.

    Um, enough money to fill a boat? ;) 

    It's just overkill. Like people using "epic fail" to describe someone tripping in the hallway. It's a modest increase in price. Hell, I have to pay $100 if I want a Telemocha Waspinator. I paid about that for a Henkei Inferno. Paying aftermarket prices is just part of the collecting game. $50 for FE Prime is still a good deal - who knows if you'll be able to get it for that later on? Maybe, but... well, you never know.

    Uh, he asked for our opinions, no need to get your panties in a bunch.

    Like I said, we can all afford it if we chose to. This isn't a Ferrari we're talking about.
     
  11. DPrime

    DPrime Well-Known Member

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    Me too. I've got no regrets getting the Takara version, even if I did have to pay a higher price than what I could have had I preordered (like I planned to, but procrastinated, d'oh!).

    I like the RiD version too, but since there are different types of Vehicons, I don't mind having a bit of variety. I plan on picking up one of each version they make.
     
  12. Knightdramon

    Knightdramon Hasbro LIES to the US

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    Wow, people are still arguing about prices? Unless you have a limit on how much you can spend on a figure generally, I honestly can't see how people can complain about it. If you think a piece of plastic [or pieces, to be more accurate] is worth say 200 USD but can't pay for it right NOW, save up. It'd be mighty nice if we could get them all for 10 USD but rarity, production runs, re-issues and after market prices all drive prices up.

    We all had plenty of opportunities to pre-order the takara versions for as low as 45 USD per voyager a couple of months ago, most people did not, hasbro versions did not come out in the US, japanese prices went up because of demand and limited supply. Canadians tried to help, people accused them of high prices even though TFs are more expensive there.

    Nevertheless, on the thread...

    I think people are unfair on RID Bulkhead and think too fondly of RID Vehicon. Nobody has even touched a Bulkhead yet. I personally love my FE one and yes the RID might be less accurate, but we haven't even see how he transforms yet.

    Same thing on the vehicon, but in reverse. He looks cooler, he could really be better, but we haven't held him in hand yet. He could potentially be awful.

    I prefer BB's FE one to the RID version. Sure the bot mode could lock together better, but it's nice looking and I like the transformation better than the automorph heaven of the RID one.

    Cliffjumper has a very nice FE but he's a tad overrated. I like mine a lot but the RID one looks equally fun.

    Don't have any others, but Prime and Starscream have good copies in both lines judging from pictures and reviews.
     
  13. mrgalvaprime

    mrgalvaprime IDW2019 Stan

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    I know im gonna get hate for this but i was never interested in FE but when i saw Pics of RID Bulkhead, Bumblebee i thought "these suck so much, I must have them"

    I love ugly TFs as much as the good looking ones :D 
     
  14. FigNewton

    FigNewton Well-Known Member

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    Exactly. It's not what we're talking about at all, so let's leave that line of discussion there. No one here is complaining or whining about the price. All anyone has done is acknowledged that there IS a difference. For some that price differential makes all the difference in the world when deciding whether to get a FE or a Weaponizer.


    Cute. Maybe I should have clearly stated that as an expression it's a relative amount instead of an absolute one...

    Overkill? Yeah, it's hyperbole. Many expressions are. But it's not even strong hyperbole. And hyperbole alone, even strong hyperbole, doesn't make it a complaint.

    But paying aftermarket prices isn't part of the collector game for everyone. It's a part of collecting that I myself have rarely bent to. Generally speaking, if I miss something at retail, I move on. As addressed before, there's always a tons of other cool stuff to spend money on - way more than I'll ever be able to afford.


    Yeah, he did ask for opinions. He asked for opinions on which version of each figure is better. Those opinions aren't really what's at issue. I certainly won't argue that Weaponizer Optimus is a better figure than FE.

    And yes, we all COULD afford it if we choose to. That's never been at issue, because, no one ever said anything different. Go back and read it again. The only thing that set this off was the judgment you made about people deciding for themselves that it wasn't worth it.

    However, maybe we should take a step back here and consider again what was actually said to begin with. The OP is confused about the versions and asked for which version of EACH FIGURE is better, to which Seekerblackout replies:

    (side note... he didn't say boatload originally, he said buttload. I was the one who said boatload.)

    The original question asked about all the figures, the response you took issue with addressed all the figures in general but you used a single figure, Optimus, to justify your position (which was never really at odds with what seekerblackout said). And, strangely, while seekerblackout did advocate against the FEs for two figures... neither of them were Optimus. He offered no opinion at all on Optimus in particular.

    And again, this discussion was about ALL the FEs. If I were to choose the FEs over the main-line version of those characters I would spend (based on a cursory look at going rates) about $300. Buying the main-line version of those toys at Target? About $100. Comparitively speaking, I think "buttload" is a sufficient description.

    *shrug* I just think you should step back and think about not saying things like "Collectors should have better taste." Offer opinions on the toys all you like, but keep opinions on other collectors to yourself IMO.

    Especially when you make those criticisms in response to a position that was never there to begin with...
     
  15. Sideways77

    Sideways77 #1 flareup simp

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    I'm mixed on this. FE Cliff and Bulkhead are better than the RiD versions, but Arcee, the Eradicon, and Bumblebee are better than the FE's.
     
  16. AlanGarou

    AlanGarou Well-Known Member

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    PRiD might not be the amazing success that FE seemed to promise, but it's still an excellent toy line in its own right and I am very happy to have it available at retail. :) 
     
  17. SouthtownKid

    SouthtownKid Headmaster

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    Okay, here is me backpedaling on my PRiD hate a bit:

    Everyone says PRiD Optimus looks better in-hand than he does in pictures. That is absolutely 100% true. I still like the FE OP more, but the PRiD does some nice things right, along with a couple things wrong I wasn't expecting.

    The PRiD cape +clear blue forearms and the FE fake chest have been talked to death, so I'll leave those out of the discussion.

    The PRiD OP has a nice transformation. It's clever and fun, and the truck mode pegs together better than the FE, with less gapping. I especially like that the grill is all one piece rather than two.

    And speaking of the grill, the PRiD Optimus uses a much darker and more metallic-looking gray plastic than the FE. This is a HUGE improvement in looks. The grill, stacks and legs are the darker gray plastic (although lighter than the FE torso and biceps) on the PRiD, which make those parts look a hundred times better than the much too bright light gray of the FE.

    The other positive is that although the PRiD is not as painted as I'd like it to be, what silver accents it has are used strategically, and the bit of silver around the chest windows also provides a dramatic improvement in looks that I wasn't expecting, even though they are less screen-accurate.

    I don't think the PRiD shoulders look nearly as good as the FE, but I do like how they work in the transformation.

    The gun is whatever and the sword sucks, but everybody knows that. It would have been nice if they could have made the FE sword out of the same plastic used for the PRiD sword, though.

    The biggest knock against the PRiD Optimus that I wasn't expecting at all going in (as opposed to the ones I already knew about), is that there is no waist swivel. That was a surprise. That drastically limits the posability of the figure. Many of the dynamic poses we've seen for the FE in pictures can't be replicated with the PRiD OP at all.

    Still, a much better toy than I had been giving it credit for. I was wrong.
     
  18. Barrett Sturge

    Barrett Sturge Well-Known Member

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    I'm just going to say that both the FE and RID lines are better than almost anything we got with DOTM.
     
  19. TrueNomadSkies

    TrueNomadSkies Well-Known Member

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    Hahahah, well said. Truthfully though, I like a few DOTM figures, but as a line itself goes, I think the fact that movie lines are so large means that there's a lot more figures to well... not like. Getting back to the Prime stuff goes, I think the FE line is better in general (as to most of us), but its by no means something worth getting into debt over. I mean...

    Optimus Prime - FE Voyager is easily the best overall, but I like the alt mode of the FE Deluxe & RID versions more. Aka, get those if you wanna use it with a trailer, but get the FE voyager if you care more about the robot mode.

    Bulkhead - The RID one looks horrid from what we've seen, and the FE's demanding what it is for a reason.

    Ratchet - Only one version of this so far (deluxe or larger anyway), and the RID is really nice in my opinion.

    Bumblebee - The FE deluxe is the way to go, and since this is a shelfwarmer anyway, cost & availability shouldn't be an issue. If you like it, buy it along with something else. My favorite is the 2pack repaint, though.

    Arcee - I'm actually split about 50/50 on her (FE vs RID), so yeah.

    Cliffjumper - I like the FE one better, but if he's not like your favorite character or something, just get the RID because that ones pretty underrated in my opinion.

    Wheeljack - Only RID available, and he's nice. The white colour is definitely among the better.



    Megatron - I prefer the FE deluxe because of the paint & cannon, but the RID one is larger & has some nice differences.

    Starscream - FE Deluxe is my favorite Prime figure in general so I'll be bias here, but the upcoming voyager probably won't be horrible.

    Soundwave - Only RID available, and he's nice, especially in the metal flake plastic

    Vehicon - FE's amazing, but really hard to get, and the RID looks nice too.
     
  20. Kujo1597

    Kujo1597 Well-Known Member

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    Plus Fe Bumblebee has the advantage of being $10 on Toysrus.ca right now. He's been on there for two or three weeks now, and they just discounted him.