Am I the only one who thinks that a 3-pack of the FE Vehicon would make a good BotCon-exclusive army builder? Normally making a mold BotCon exclusive would be insanity, but I feel like since the RiD mold is nearly unanimously considered superior, only the hardest of core collector would mind... and they are exactly who would be buying it. Plus, it's more of "getting the figure to the US demographic at all" than keeping it from mass retail. I like the idea so that FunPub could canonically create Steve the Vehicon, and possibly mention other, more memorable Vehicons (the one Bulkhead gutted in front of Miko comes to mind, for example). Again, not a perfect idea. But the way I see it, it's the only way this mold is getting a stateside release. Presumably they're not going to release it since they have the RiD mold (which must cost less and is better received by fans). Any thoughts?
Thing is, if previous Botcons are any indication, we probably won't see anything like Prime in Botcon till towards the end of its series ala Animated.
I think Botcon would have more success in terms of sales if they released the First Edition Bulkhead, Voyager Optimus and Cliffjumper instead of the Vehicons. I think a three-pack at Botcon would be cheaper than perusing eBay for the Takara First Edition releases (I haven't kept track in a while, but I'm guessing Vehicons are selling for more than $50 a pop?), but I do think most collectors would settle for paying $10-12 for the Hasbro release or $35-40ish for the Takara one with the minicon.
It wouldn't be for a year or two before they could use the mold. Also, don't expect them to be $12-14 a figure. Botcon figures tend to be about 3x the cost of that mold would cost at the store. So for a single deluxe figure, expect to pay $36-$42 each. The most you could hope for is if they had gotten a hold of a bunch of FE cases & sold them at the con. Again, don't expect them to sell them for retail. They'll jack the prices up to give themselves a nice profit.
36-42 USD as an exclusive? That's pretty optimistic. If Club exclusives the last two years are any indication, expect Botcon/Club exclusive FE vehicons to be priced in the 50-55 dollar range.
I'm actually surprised the Club didn't order any of the FE figures for the Club store. Limited edition? Transformers Club Store? Seems like a no-brainer to me.
I think those would be a bad idea because they're TOO desirable. They've learned that a good exclusive is one that the hardcore fans want, but the casual fans don't need. I bet that Bulkhead and Prime are going to see release in a refresh line later on, once the Powerizer gimmick has blown over. I see less opportunity for the FE Vehicon mold to be released, given that it is pretty much rendered obsolete to all but the most obsessive completists.
Considering BBTS, TFSource and Toywiz had their preorders canceled and unless something stunning pops up, HTS hasn't received any outside of the first three deluxes and will not receive more, even if the Club wanted some for the store (and I'm sure they would've liked to) I doubt they'll get any now. Oh I think so too, those would be better for a general release through BBTS at least if they can't get a retail one. I do think those molds are desirable enough that if people are paying beaucoup bucks for Bulkhead, Prime and Cliffjumper on eBay due to dissatisfaction with the initial RiD releases (and some cynicism regarding whether the upcoming Bulkhead will be an upgrade or downgrade), they could probably get away with selling them at their own prices and actually move product (especially if the Takara Cliffjumper and Bulkhead supplies dwindle online), whereas the FE Vehicon mold may not move as much due to the positive initial reactions to the RiD mold.
True the later waves got canceled but TFCC never even sold Wave 1 (Arcee, BB and Starscream). Now that the items are "hot" I'm sure most retailers would try and stock it. But not having at least Wave 1 in the store is a clear signal to me they weren't going to sell it to begin with.
I think we should just let the Prime FE molds go. They're gone... Botcon wouldn't be a solution. They be even more expensive..
This is a bad idea as they can be found (the TakaraTomy versions) for around $30 or so. Heck I just got one in the mail today from HLJ (and cost me around that much). Any of the First Edition figures as released by Hasbro or TakaraTomy would be an awful idea as a BotCon exclusive. If they're going to ever use those molds, they'd use them in new colors or characters (and perhaps even with new heads) not exactly the same as Hasbro or TakaraTomy released them. People need to realize that BotCon or Club versions would likely be more expensive than getting the TakaraTomy ones at this point (that are still shipping out it seems). Get the TakaraTomy versions if you want those figures that badly. Didn't people see the prices for Runabout ($54) and I believe last year's Autotrooper 3 pack was over or near $100. Sometimes I'm really glad the fans don't choose what end up as BotCon exclusives. Also the Club didn't have an option to carry the FE molds as everything but the first wave of Deluxes was canceled in the USA. Randy
Sinister Six FE Optimus Prime - Scourge FE Bulkhead - Strika FE Cliffjumper - Well-armed Decepticon bully FE Starscream - Jhixaus FE Vehicon - Lockdown FE Arcee - Nightbird
I think it would be great for FunPub to get their hands on these molds and use them as other characters. It would avoid the "we just saw these on store shelves" problem that people had with this year's box set (even with almost all new heads). Problem is they still have incredibly strong character identity.
Last years troop builder ran $90 so $30 each. So I would expect that will be the price for future troop builders.
