3p is thriving inside legends class. But we have the same problem as with the "wars" in legends, don't we?
How many different legend SCALES do we have now? Because I see the words legends, legends + etc thrown about and I see the same characters being done again and again.
Why was there even a need for legends +? If MFT wanted to sell upscaled ko's of legends scaled toys they should have done them in chug scale to satisfy an already existing market instead of artificially creating a new one.

 

We might as well have "legends-" now with New Age car bots being so small.

 

That's what I'm saying: Now we got New Age joining the fray and producing yet another legends scale with again the same characters that have already been done by other companies.

 

Às far as MP is concerned right now 3p is where it is, for s looooooooooooooooooooot of us.

The lest two years have been COMPLETELY and UTTERLY indifferent regarding the official side, with only Cordon been a reluctant buy for me.

Meanwhile my selves are filled with more and more 3p goodness.

The reasons are a mix of: aesthetics (I despise the 100% toon look), pricing (3p now is bang for your buck, it has a balance that the officials simply dont in that department) and ofc the myriad QC issues (not that 3p is exempt from that).

All in all from my perspective 3p is where it is, and I am happy to see more and more interesting releases instead of an endless recycle of characters.

 

There's plenty of cool 3P MPs coming down the pike that I want - it's just taking forever. That part may be slowing down because there is so much of it already. But the real MP combiners are really hitting now and that's very exciting and speaks volumes about how viable the 3P MP market still is.

There's still fun CHUGGY stuff coming like the Cross Dimensions like, MMCs continued efforts to do the IDW stuff, new Ironhide and Ratchet from PlanetX to continue doing that video game stuff, lots of stuff being done.

There's lots of activity in Legends, which seems to having a boom time. Tons of stuff coming down the pike.

And there's a lot of the movie designs being done in 3P, because the MPs were disappointing I guess, I don't know much about it but there's a lot of it.

I don't see the 3P market going down at all, but becoming more splintered, more diverse.

 

I 100% agree. The majority of my collection right now is 3p, and 4p. I have 1 offical MP and one offical MPM on my shelf, and a FEW Hasbro releases, but should the oppourtunity arise to refresh those figures with 3p versions, I would not hesitate.

 

I think it's going to stay the same and maybe even a few new players in the coming year. I don't believe it's dying off. I keep hearing that.

 

Yup, this.
I only collect CHUG scale, and right now the only 3P stuff that has fit in with my stuff has been a few of the "scout" sized legends figures, like the Mechanic Studio Huffer/Pipes, Gears/Swerve, the Mech Planet Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Goldbug, and Hubcap, and the MFT Reflector.

I had high hopes for the KBB Voyager sized MP figure line that was teased, and the MP-10V is fantastic, but that whole thing fizzled fast and honestly HasTak has done a pretty good job filling some of those wants for a change.

 

Do not know if it has already been mentioned, but the lack of company presence at COns could also be due to 4P releasing simultaneously or even beating 3P to market on their latest offerings. Case in point Cupola and Data Clerk (I think that was the 4P name for their version).

3P may be avoiding TFCons and other events in an effort to keep their new products away from 4P providers.

May not be the main factor, but probably a big one.

 

I think the main reason is that most 3p companies don't care to much for Cons in the US... Gcreation, TFC, UT, DX9 are more active back there in China.

Gcreation is working on their Grimlock and their IDW Megatron.

 

If anyone is still in denial about the decline of 3P MP, my local shop was 85% MP/3P a few years back. Now it's almost all Gundam kits and DBZ.

3P MP scale jumped the shark w/ all the Springers.

 

Right? Lol

 

Luckily, unlike MP there has been a few years between most characters or at distinct versions. For example, Ironhide: DX9 did a G1 version a few years ago, a company called Shapeshift Inc did a War for Cybertron version a year later, a year or two after that Hot Soldiers did a legends+, and now NewAge is doing their own G1 version.

Magic Square and NewAge are butting heads on Cosmos and the Datsuns, but the competition seems less head to head compared MP.
At least so far.

 

I think as long as there's a Market, 3P will exist in some form or another. MP, CHUG, Legends, Legends+, Legends-... Whatever scale, whatever size. I really think that even if the number of companies and figures ever slows down/shrinks, There will still be SOMETHING available to collectors. Consider: as 3D printing gets more sophisticated, it's not hard to imagine the 4P scene to really heating up(along with a whole new micro-economy along with it)... I'll use @NOCV and his Wizards Apprentices as an example. As a hobbyist, he may be able to design and even print Some accessories(or even a some Characters!), but he'll never be able to produce something day in/day out and be expected to meet any real demand. So he would likely produce an extremely limited run of something- like to 10 to 25 pieces. Firs come, first served, and the rest of us will just have to fight for them on eBay or perhaps make something ourselves. As a former "Kitbasher" who has sold plenty of custom/repaint items on eBay way back at the beginning of the internet some 20+ years ago, I can say that there is and has been a viable market for one of a kind items on eBay and at Conventions. With the politics of Trade and IP really starting to get prickly and more in the public conversation, the days may indeed be numbered for 3P as we know it now. That could see the return and the elevation of the Custom Figures markets; an unfortunate future for collectors like us...

OR, Hasbro could actually see the hidden(obvious) revenue stream and actually LICENSE some of this stuff... We've seen it before. I mean quite honestly if Hasbro did sell these (for example)legends figs as some sort of "collectors series", I for one would LOVE it. I might even get to buy some of them at a STORE around here. Same for MP, although I don't really plan to get any of the MP scaled stuff...

Anyway, seems to me that there will always be some kind of 3P presence, unless Hasbro continues to make better figures or absorbs some of these existing 3P companies...

 

I made some predictions like this a couple of years back. Niche market, the MP phase was awesome but probably broke a lot of our banks. There's only so many TFs to make, other companies just change the size and transformation, some make it better, some make it worse. If MT actually finished Brainstorm and Highbrow and targetmasters, those would sell. I am about done, and my bet is by 2020 so will 3p.

 

Yeah I’m on the same page and agree, especially with MT Head/Targetmasters. I’m no longer replacing with updated versions and focusing more on filling holes. I’m actually seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

Plus G1 OGs are pushing 50 and collecting will take a back seat to other priorities while Grim waits.

 

i dont think it's slowing down yet, based on what i've been interested in/buying. right now is a golden age of 3p TF toys.

 

Thanks for the mention and ideas.

With the power of today's internet and knowing where all the fan pockets are, I'd probably do a pre-order + some extra as a batch and be on my way, but I'm a one man operation.

Deep Space Arsenal produces in runs, but I believe they also have someone helping with all the listing, selling, ebaying hassles.

I'm anxious to see what my buddy at Half The Battle is able to manage. I know he just partnered up with an injection moulder, and we've had loose discussions of them producing my stuff.

The maker market has been such an exciting game changer, both as a collector and a designer.

 

At least for me, the potential purchases from 3P is getting smaller and smaller. My goal is to get a the Season 1 -3 cast in MP form. Between 3P and official, there really isn't much left. Astrotrain, Protectobots, Technobots, Sharkticon & Motormaster really the only ones I can think of left to do. Once those are done, I'm probably out.

None of the TFCon exclusives interested me this year.

I like TF from other Generations (BW, Animated, Prime) but I'll just stick to official for those.