Skids, I think, is the only remaining carbot with a shot at coming in at the "old" MP carbot price. Sunstreaker-like complexity is going to hit everyone going forward, and on top of that, Trailbreaker and Hoist have extra size and Jazz and Mirage have extra licensing requirements. Hound might make it in at less than $100, but he also has far fewer redeco options compared to Skids to amortize the cost of the mold.

 

There's no way Sunstreaker was going to cost the same or less than the other car MP's if there's a higher parts count. In addition, Sunstreaker has all new tooling.

Also smaller parts cost more to tool, so if there's not just more parts for it, but more smaller parts at that, then there's the explanation of why Sunstreaker costs more.

 

I guess I could see the new price being the 8500 yen list with minibots at 5000- 6800 list price that would put them with discount at a pretty reasonable price. I have less of a problem with sunstreaker as long ng as we have Amazon for the more expensive items. I think Sunstreaker still worked out less than my Sunsurge totaled.

 

Actually, Takara themselves sited the additional modifications to satisfy Lambo as the reason for the price in the announcement spread in Figure King.

That and it makes sense.

Whether it'd be the new standard or not remains to be seen, but there's really only one way to find out.

One thing to keep in mind is that besides the cost of material, number of parts, tooling, assembly, shipping, yards yadda, is that there is a certain amount of one-upping that is clearly happening. They're seriously stepping it up every year because we're a devoted fanbase, and we keep buying. If Sunstreaker tanks, MPs won't change MPs won't keep being so complex.

I think Hound might be one they go nuts on and do some amazing engineering with. Some design features like the ladder and crane on Inferno and Grapple, just to remind us that they're wizards. That'll probably come with the price tag to match though.

 

They set the cost based on a budget which they conformed to prior to shockwave or so- regardless or parts counts or whatever, they go into a project with a budget- if it truly is secondary to higher parts counts, smaller parts, etc. they have been setting a higher budget resulting in higher cost to us

 

I don't need to rationalize any reason for the higher price...it's higher cause they can get away with it. I don't think they're "bad people" or anything. It's just the way the business is. There's a lot of much worse values out there with Japanese toys. That recent GoLion (Voltron) from Bandai was around $400 retail, and there is an upcoming Megazone 23 Garland that's almost $300 and it's TINY.

As long as Japanese nerds are willing to pay for this stuff, the companies will increase the price.

 

Yes they have a budget they're working within, but it's created based on those factors. When they decided to make Sunstreaker with a larger parts count, they were most likely going over budget to get that character out because they needed to satisfy the licensor.

It's really easy, and incredibly reductive to say things like "they're charging x because they can get away with it", and be correct to a small degree to justify being frustrated by rising prices, but if you actually make an effort to understand what makes those prices, you can make a better decision as a purchaser, but also realize that very few companies outside of the pharmaceutical industry are that amoral.

 

Hopefully that new Figure King Magazine comes at the end of this week. Trying hard not to expect something big or new.

 

How big are the 3rd party ones? I'd imagine they'd be a little smaller than the Fuso's but not as big as MP10 or MP22.

 

Xtb and ft trailbreaker are ironhide size.

Most hoist are a bit smaller than grapple.

 

So would he be around the same price as the vans or the Fuso's depending on parts count?

 

If it has the same articulation and complexity/parts count as mp33/36 then yes i would expect it to be around the fusos price. Those two are priced and $90 and they come with quite a bit of accessories.

 

Personally price is almost immaterial to me - I've long accepted that MPs are an expensive hobby. I'd rather they put out a figure smothered in bells and whistles and cost a pretty penny than scrimp on anything to meet a price point.

And let's be honest, if TT really does start overpricing its MPs that's just going to give the KO and 3P market a bigger foothold...

In fact, my biggest "holy shit how much am I spending on this hobby" moments have all been around 3Ps lately. The only reason TT's figures have strained the wallet is the good old Australia tax  

 

It's not inflation, but the parts count on Sunstreaker and Megatron vs Sideswipe and Prime. It's not even close. That is why the price is higher more than inflation.

 

I figure you're right on there. I do wonder if they'll give Hoist a bigger height dip than on the 3P versions, if only to distinguish, and have a really cool distinction that gives him that squatting waddle look he had on the show.

The funny thing about all of this is that in four years of collecting MPs, by avoiding 3Ps, I've both managed to keep my wife from being worried about the cost, and am currently only a couple of characters behind on my budget (which isn't amazing because we're a one-income household). I can't say they're cheap, but man, they're fun. I'm okay with all the cool shit they're doing as long as it stays high-quality.

 

I've only been buying G1 official Takara, and they come out so rarely that it hardly breaks the bank. 2 or 3 releases a year? Not that bad, pricewise. I'd happily pay more if they just started upping the releases and got rid of all the BW and Movie stuff.

 

So what are we guessing to see next week? I guess the consensus is Dinobot? I would love to see something left field after all this wait for what could be a March/April release.

 

I'm expecting nothing so if we see something in Figure King, I'll be genuinely surprised.

 

Well, at this point he has to be the odds-on with Blaster taking up the rear. Dinobot's been teased so long that he's got to be announced in the next 4 months or so. Blaster less-so, but the cassettes are a big tease for him.

 

I'm not arguing that - my argument is that Takara controls the budget. They know what a higher parts count costs. They incorporate this into their budget. Before they work on a figure, they decide on a price point/ cost to the consumer. They know that the figure will cost more and thus know they will charge a higher price before the figure is even produced. They were very clearly on a strict budget with a set price point earlier in the line as evidenced by the interviews released when the earlier carbots were being released. Now they feel/know they can get away with a higher cost - which I totally believe based on the number of posts by Takara apologists on this thread.