Hasbro is a multinational corporation worth billions. They do not need to crowdfund items worth $35 or $50 or even $200. Unicron is more likely a crowdfund because of his size than because of the price - they would be hard pressed to find any retailers willing to carry any quantity of the 30 inch 19 pound monstrosity or stock him in the toy isle. It's also quite expensive to warehouse such items.

If Hasbro created a crowdfunding campaign for a $50 item, they'd become a laughing stock within the industry. You can't compare Hasbro to Mythic Legions and such. Hasbro owns Milton-Bradley, Wizards of the Coast, and a bunch of other sub companies, each of which individually is much larger and much more valuable than any of the typical kickstarter companies.

 

Sigh. Again, all Transformers are hollow. There are no full blocks of plastic on Transformers unless they are accessories.

So, are you talking about simply the thinner plastic they've been using for some figures? Or the fact that, to minimize costs, they sometimes choose to create a plastic block with three sides and one side open rather than two pieces and a screw? Or both (which seems weird to combine the two since they are totally different issues to be addressed but do tie together in making the figures cheaper to produce)?

 

I won’t lie... I kinda want a HasLab Titan Scorponok for like $400.

Guess all those naysayers were right.

 

I agree. And like I said, the only viable alternative is to make your own B&M store and release it as an exclusive there in the mall. Even then, each store would probably only carry 10 or so at a time.

 

What’s the point of crowdfunding a toy that fits into an existing retail line?

That’s why I think an MP figure is a likely next HasLab offer. There is no existing retail MP line and the Takara offerings are few and far between. It makes sense to make a figure that not only has nowhere to go at retail but also a character that simply isn’t on the Takara docket.

 

This project really shot up a lot yesterday but now its back to its trickle. Was the surge yesterday due to etailers or just the people excited about the chin and Galvatron?

 

Very minding the fact that the single biggest toy store in the country just closed down or the fact that brick and mortar stores are dying off. But, sure! Hasbro totally needs to open brick and mortar stores across the WORLD!

 

The MP route would make the most sense since a lot of MP collectors complain about there not being the characters they want. This way if its a character that is not really wanted, it wont get funded. Makes sense in my head anyway, but I dont have enough MP figures to be considered an MP collector so I got no dog in that fight, lol.

 

BBTS is still taking orders for Unicron so my theory is a lot of people on the fence jumped right off it when they saw the number go up 1500 overnight.

 

If the crowdfund succeeds I look forward to recreating this cover with my Sovereign, Eligos and Andras.

 

Yup. That's what LEGO did with SW UCS Millennium Falcon, after all.

 

It’s a statement to Hasbro that they don’t understand their fandom. That they’re crazy if they think 8k fans will shell out for this thing. 8,000 backers in 45 days time. $626 EACH after taxes (assuming they ordered directly through HasLab) for something that won’t arrive until early 2021: let’s say 20 months from now.

They wanted 3,000 to back Cookie Monster - an articulated metal skeleton beneath blue shag carpeting at $300 a pop. Not a puppet replica of the real deal - a giant, fuzzy blue doll with a plate of fake cookies. HasLab barely had 650 at their peak before people started bailing. Cookie Monster barely went over 20%. That’s a BIG misfire.

So far the skeptics are right. 63% funded with 3 days left to go, and not one solid statistic about how many preorders non-Hasbro affiliates have taken.

People have cited MP44’s price as a counter argument. MP44 has been known about for about 2 - 2.5 years at this point and has been taking preorders since December. The Masterpiece market is also a proven, reliable market available to customers both inside and outside of Japan.

An oversized Titans class figure with CHUG-caliber engineering and plastic? We don’t know if there’s a market for that with A) very little heads up, and B) no payment plan available outside a few select retailers (which have inflated the price with a non-refundable deposit to protect their own behinds).

So far Haslab is 1-2 with the barge and Cookie Monster. Unicron will probably hobble to the finish line but 2,900 backers in 3 days is gonna be a BIG hobble.

The price is steep for what it is: a giant shellformer with fugly as hell legs (those will be a bitch to pose). I bought one just in case because of the scarcity factor, and that even loose I could make my money back and more if I ever sold it

HasLab is strange that it’s North America only, and no payment plan is offered with a non refundable down payment. $626 straight up for an 18 month delay is weird. It’s just super weird, even for a reputable company. For that price, each and every Unicron needs to be FLAWLESS.

 

guess no one has an answer on how you do the installment plans on Taobao
well does anyone know what Intentional deposit means?

 

If the project doesnt get funded, I honestly think that Hasbro probably will still go forward with a Unicron of this size, probably not exactly like this one, but still a big one. I say this because even if it doesnt get another backer from here on, it had more than 5,000. That is not a small number and I am sure that Hasbro would be able to figure out how much higher that number would be if the cost was less, both purchase cost and production cost. I would think at the very least they would explore the option. Now if it were to fail with the low numbers that Cookie Monster failed with, that would be another story.

 

Drop in a bucket for you! Maybe buy another one? 

 

The Transformer Fund: People Funding Funding for Transformers

 

I'll take CHPS over Gold Plastic Syndrome personally. I like knowing my figure won't crumble if I so much as sneeze on it. And besides, the damn thing's still 20 pounds with the hollowed out bits.

 

I feel like "simplistic" means it won't be a fancy box like that SDCC Devastator box and the like. I mean, the barge's box was just a simple rectangle from a technical standpoint, and they put some cool art on it, I can't imagine they won't do something similar for Unicron.

 

Hey anyone here know what Intentional deposit means?
I may of found a way to get him if that is just a deposit and I can buy the fully figure when he's released

 

Very possible. I may be misinterpreting. At the very least it will be... a box.