Why are you talking about western audiences when you mean collectors?
The only characters familiar to western audiences are Bumblebee and Optimus.
No need to pretend there's a whole other group of Transformers western audiences care about but another group they don't.

 

the original post is from @T-Hybrid, btw.  

 

i'm on the western side and don't give a damn and never have given one about bumblebee. In fact, i've never bought a figure of him or even give attention to the movie. Always have about the seacons and all masterforce related stuff. masterforce is and always will be my top G1 show.

 

I know. I wasn't talking about anyone specifically.
Just that I see people talking like that and I think: the general western audience barely knows who Prowl is.

 

They don't? very surprising. I thought Prowl was well known in the original Sunbow/Marvel timeline.

 

Yeah. But only collectors know about that.
The general public doesn't know about the old fiction. Sure there's a generation of 40 somethings who vaguely remember parts of the old fiction but when you talk about the general western audience in terms of toys you're talking about kids.

 

But precedents can be funny things, they don't always end up being applied to every case. Especially for a franchise like Transformers, where every release is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. And the Takara initiated thing, do we really think that matters? Takara does final engineering and design on practically every official Transformer, and can freely use "Hasbro initiated" designs. And Takara won't be "disgraced" if Hasbro is able to release the Seacons to mass retail or even as a store exclusive (especially if they could hook Walmart into carrying them). Those would be confirmed sales, sitting on retailers pegs and in their stock rooms, not in Hasbro/Takara warehouses, and Takara would be thrilled beyond belief by that.

+-MWG-+

 

But Star Convoy also has the disadvantage of being one of a (basically) thousand Optimus designs. And was he even in any animation? I get the impression he was in a little manga during a time when Transformers was "dead" in the U.S. As for the Seacons, they have at least as much recognition as Spinister (who does deserve all the hype his update is getting) and Needlenose (who people are throwing fits about supposedly losing that fan vote). But I guess I was wrong about the Seacons being released by Hasbro in 1988 or appearing in Marvel books or their re-releases being at BBTS. I'm getting old damnit, forgetful. That Snaptrap I bought at TRU or Kaybee back then must have been a Takara import, I forgot all the writing on it was all Japanese.

+-MWG-+

 

after this I'm done with this line of the conversation. there is a difference between hasbro and takara initiated. takara generations selects is an evolution of their lg-ex line, hasbro generations selects is a new version of universe 1.0 or the funpub subscription service. precedent is important because it allows people to draw logical conclusions based on prior events and evidence. can precedent be broken? yes. the question is will it? thus far every takara tomy initiated figure (star convoy, g1/bw mp) on pulse is specifically branded as a takara tomy import figure. the liklihood of them breaking that trend is low and the liklihood of the seacons being a mass retail western release is even lower. to ignore precedent is to just throw ideas at a wall and hope they stick

 

Seaconzuuuuu

 

The Masterpiece line may prove your precedent/tradition argument in some ways but I think it also makes it irrelevant. As far as I can remember, every Masterpiece Hasbro has released has been exclusive to some store (ignoring the Hasbro Asia markets which run by different "rules"). That has always been the way for the Masterpiece line though, nothing is out of pattern.

Star Convoy being offered as Selects and on Pulse is a pattern-break though. That could've been treated like Big Powered and the Fembot trio before it (as a real Takara-only release, not an alternate version of a combiner limb or slightly modified version of a figure also released by Hasbro), basically not acknowledged at all by Hasbro and being a REAL import that western fans had to go through a secondary retailer like BBTS to get. Star Convoy may be one of the first steps on this new road, but we have no idea how the road will continue. Only Hasbro and Takara can see that future.

+-MWG-+

 

I just saw these pop up on Tfsource. They are $60 a piece. They look amazing but pricey for a 6 figure set

 

theyre not $60 a piece, the torso is $60 and limbs are $40

 

Well, Piranacon's sword looks like Snaptrap's sword with some additional parts attached. It seems very likely to me that said additional parts are weapons for the other Seacons. It doesn't seem logical for there to be parts whose sole purpose are sword add-ons for the combined mode.

 

And I am buying these. I really need something different with a familiar feel, and I don\'t want Abominus for some reason, missed out on both Computrons, but I have Ginrai so yeah

 

Why are there two separate threads for this LG-EX/ Takara Pulse Imported King Poseidon release?!! It only serves to confuse more US collectors into thinking that this is a Hasbro release and gives false hope that it will be sold locally for US prices. And also, to infuriate people like myself to no end.

 

After seeing them on Pulse I'm buying these oh yes. I really need some representation of this figure and the character. The body is slightly costly but the limb is cheaper than the body. I'm buying this overall cause I'm going to be happy no matter what cause I'll have this character.

 

Preordered at Pulse.. Two down. Four to go.

 

Why do we have two active threads? For news purposes I understand, but no reason to split the Seacon conversations between two threads.

 

Every time I see seacon, I think of semen jokes...suffice to say, I care two hoots about these fish-y, reptile-y things!!