We all know Hasbro won't reissue Fort Max because of the drop test problem, and Takara seems unlikely to reissue him again at his full size, so have they never considered shrinking him down? A G1 Scorponok sized reissue would be perfect, and could be released in tandem with an Encore/Commemorative G1 Scorpy. If the KO companies have the technology to shrink Max down to some pretty decent looking WST versions, why can't Has-Tak do the same and give us a version that's still huge, just not as huge as the original and more likely to pass safety tests?

 

I don't mind a more in scale Fort Max but IMO it would be better to have him in his original size. What makes you think TakaraTomy is unwilling to reissue him? Is it because of the years of persist rumors of him being reissued? IMO he will be reissued its just a matter of 'timing'.

 

I think most would agree that the Brave Max reissue didn't make them much of a profit. Even though he is the "grail" for most TF collectors, most people just plain don't have the money or space for him. But most collectors just seem to think that because they dream and fantasize about owning him, then there must be thousands who think the same way. I'm enough of a realist to accept that there are a lot of people who, even if they could afford him, would say "Where would I put this thing?!"

 

Trust me dude, if TakaraTomy reissues him he will sell - especially over in Asia and I suspect that this will be the case.

IMO the first couple of runs will sell well. If TakaraTomy uses the same strategy as they did with stuff like the "Classics" Unicron, he will fly. The only problem is if they give churning out reissues of the big guy like they do with Optimus then they will be in trouble! LOL!

I doubt space would also be an issue. Anyone who buys him will definitely find the space to accommodate the biggest TF toy ever.

 

Like I said...  

 

No, actually everyone cries about him getting reissued.

The fact of the matter is most won't buy him and wait and wait then bitch cause he never went on clearance for $50.

I have one I bought last year and I love it.

Give me a chance to buy him new in the box for say $300 he's coming home, same if they do Grand Maximus as well.

Takara made a few true hints about him, we know the mold is good from the RID days, so it could happen, so who knows, I for one would love a Fort/Grand reissue.

 

Original size or nothing! Besides, we already have Metroplex, why would we want another small base?

 

given we do not know for certain to what degree his size contributed to Fort max's fail of the drop test reducing its size might not be enough to get it a passing mark.

its massive size surely played some roll but with the test results never seeing the light of day we will never know if other factors were in play as well.

if Fort Max gets reissued i want it at full size and i would grab a pre order at first opportunity.

 

A smaller size would turn off a lot of collectors   Many are already complaining about the downsizing of regular figures, what more a highly sought after grail like Fort Max? There's a reason he's such a grail, and much of it is his status as the biggest G1 Transformer ever.

 

• Reissues are largely desired by collectors, not general fans...so I don't see why anyone ever looks to Hasbro for reissues, especially something this ridiculously large. If Hasbro's had enough issues releasing "average sized" G1 Transformers over the past several years, how would even a slightly smaller Fort Max be a draw for them, considering the work that would have to go into shrinking the original mold and then hoping it pasts safety tests?
• A Takara representative brought up Fort Max at a convention earlier this year in relation to the 30th anniversary in '14, so I don't think a Fort Max reissue is an impossibility. I don't think it's a lock either just because they didn't automatically say no, but Takara offering something on Fort Max is interesting.
• That said, the larger G1 reissues have had trouble selling, at least amongst the online retailers. Virtually all of them have had to be clearanced out, and that was before the exchange rate got worse.
• Getting back to the collector thing...I don't think collectors will be happy if Fort Max (or its redecos) are shrunk down like that just to sell them (especially since they'd still likely carry a hefty price tag anyways...an Encore Scorponok isn't exactly going to be $50 at BBTS). Part of the allure of Fort Max is the fact that's it's incredibly fucking huge. Though I appreciate your ability to think outside the box a bit (I admit I was thinking this'd be another "Why can't HasTak reissue the toy I want because I want it I want it I want it!" whiny threads)...but I don't think shrinking the toy helps its chances at all. It'll still be expensive and people will complain about why wouldn't they just release it in its original form anyways.
• An Encore Scorponok would go for what...$130-150 or so at least, if released right now? A Fort Max that's approximately the same size would probably cost about the same, possibly more? Plus Takara would have to go to the trouble of having to create a brand-new toy which still has to be shrunk down (rather than just reverse-engineering the original straight-up).

So yeah, I don't personally see how a shorter G1 Fort Max would really have much attraction to Takara.

Quick question on the Brave Max toy for the OP...are you referring to the Car Robots release itself, or the Korean reissue? If it's the latter, that technically isn't a Takara release (it was via Sonokong).

 

"Shrinking him down" would basically require creating entirely new molds to produce him, as well as reworking some of the engineering to work in some features.

For the resources "shrinking him down" would take, Hasbro and Takara likely feel those resources would be better spent on newer toys likely to sell better than a short run collector offering.

Those companies developed their own molds for the "mini-Maxes", as they have with all the "odd size" knock offs seen for the past 20 years. Has-Tak DOES have the technology, but would rather put those resources to producing newer toys supported by current media.

 

Since I think of the Headmaster commander or the prison warden instead of "Big Sooper-Hyooge Robot Base with no character" when I hear the name Fortress Maximus, I'd be perfectly fine with a scaled-down version.

Powermaster Prime sized is the minimum IMO.

 

This.

I've passed on too many Fort Max & Grand Max over the years (not because I can't afford it) only because I wanted a NEW toy.

(My gut feeling's telling me that it WILL happen)

Come on, that mold is lying there wasted since Car Robots 2000 days so make use of it.

Edit: If it doesn't happen, I'll be happy with my Brave Max.

 

They won't bother to make a smaller mold. Collectors would be disappointed if they did.

Brave Maximus sold well as when he was originally released he had sold out just about every where.

Randy

 

I'm amazed a high quality full size KO hasn't ever surfaced.

 

Interesting, varied opinions on this thread topic. To me, I don't see the point of shrinking down Fort Max...the draw and appeal of this character and toy, is the huge size of him, and by going around that and making him smaller defeats the whole purpose of what makes Fort Max a Fort Max. He is not meant or designed to be in scale with other current figures and I don't think Takara would waste their time with that.

Having said that, I can understand, especially for newer collectors who arent necessarily G1 collectors/fans or weren't even born in the 80's during the TF heyday, the view I get from some I have talked to is that FM is a "relic of the 80's" , "Its too damn big to go with anything I currently have" , "I don't have the room for him/too expensive" or "this figure is an example of the over-the-top mentality of people in the 80's, this isn't a practicle toy in the modern era" etc etc

Ultimately, I have a strong suspicion they will release this figure for the 30th anniversary...as in the same breath at Cybertron Con in Singapore, they mentioned Masterpiece Soundwave (all the while, Acoustic Wave was still going to be coming out at that point), and look what has happened....Its now up for preorder...so time will tell...

 

Here's a curious question: would a smaller one cost more?

Sure, you'd need a smaller amount of plastic, however we know the mold is still OK for Fort Max. To shrink it down they'd need an entirely new set of molds: so would the price of putting those new molds together actually have an adverse effect?

 

Exactly. It would be a much bigger crapshoot doing something abnormal like resizing and expecting fans who want a true g1 reissue to be appeased by it.

People want an authentic fort max. People WILL pay a reasonable sum for it.
I still think that honestly anything under $350 will have sold out preorder circumstances. Like day 1 it's announced.

I could be wrong, and some fans will still complain about the price, but they will also be the fans complaining when there are no more preorders and no more minty fort max's to go around.

Fort Max will sell. It's not like devastator where you have 2 other viable (and more articulated/detailed) choices to pick from besides a reissue. This is the real deal and it is gonna FLY if and when it gets reissued in it's original state. Best have your wallets ready.

 

I'd buy a regular-size Fort Max reissue.
I'd buy a Scorponok/PMOP-height Fort Max reissue.
I'd even buy an upsized Fort Max reissue where Fortress/Cerebros was the same height as Chromedome