It would be nice either way to get a set of heads with different expressions for the pile of seekers I do have. And it does look like Starscream at least had a bit of a smile - so there’s hope  

Maybe it’s something they could pack in with another figure. Like the blue hands that came with Megatron.

Quick Edit:
Looks like Thundercracker is the one with a slightly open mouth. All the other seeker releases share Skywarp’s grump face.

 

There were hand with Redwing and Bitstream that matched Thundercraxker. Skywarp is the only one at this moment missing unique hands.

 

I'm in the same boat as you and I've said as much myself. I don't care about resale value - I'd rather have more figures available and more people interested in this fantastic 3P.

 

Bad(?) idea I had, 1000 to 2000 limited to a single site run of the main 3 seekers, conehead/fangs, sunstorm, and maybe ghost scream. I figure this is also pretty unlikely but I feel this might work better? I feel like all the colors could be variants (seekers and coneheads in mattes/flats, sunstorm in an energized form and ghost scream in a phase out) I dont know business though(Oh also the box could be a display). If anything I feel like flat/matte varients to the metalic first run could probably address most problems.

 

I wouldn’t mind matte/toon colors. Heck, I’d even rebuy Thundercracker and Skywarp if they matched Starscream.

 

I think not doing another Starscream run is a huge mistake by IF. Seekers have such a gotta catch em all element and he's by far the most important one. Not having him readily available probably makes people think twice about buying the others since he is the centerpiece. I'm sure there's also quite a few Tyrant owners who'd like to have the figure the blue hands go with.

 

As someone who came very, very late to the IF game - like I just started two months ago late to the game - it's possible to find older figures. I found both the tactical staff and Starscream within a few weeks of jumping in. That said, IF is losing a lot of money to secondary market. I'm pretty convinced if they did reissues on a lot of their older stuff, it'd still sell out.

Not sure why they're refusing to do reissues. If it's a marketing thing, it seems backwards as others have pointed out it creates hesitancy to start collecting the brand for those that like to have the entire cast and those who's favorites are already sold out.

If I hadn't been able to find Starscrea . I'm not sure I would have have gone all in like I did. Only seeker I'm missing is Acid Storm and he was actually a limited run. (That said, anyone want to sell me theirs? XD)

 

While we are all beating a dead horse, I remember a year or two ago that I did ask them if they were ever going to do re-runs of Starscream and Optimus, and the answer I got was something along the lines of ‘possibly when we aren’t so busy making new stuff’

Buy yeah, I agree that their motives are still baffling. They are clearly still using the moulds. And frankly I would be amazed if SG Optimus was a better seller that just doing a 2nd run of the normal version would have been.

I want these two characters, but now where near bad enough to spend £200 on each!

 

It may not be a question of “if” as much “when.” (Hopefully). I suppose the re-paints could serve in a way of advertising the mold, and after a couple years they then do another run in the original colors - thus having drummed up interest.

Regardless, they’re lovely objects.

 

Who wants the one gathering dust in my basement? Hehe just kidding

 

So is it not actually gathering dust or are you not actually selling it?

 

Still looking to buy the ghost torso if anyone has one they can part with. Please lmk

 

Finally got a hold of Acid Storm! Just have to wait for him to ship. I can officially say I own every single version of this mold that has been released to date!

My collection is going to be absolutely overrun by seekers. Especially with the addition of the two new IF repaints coming and the NA seekers, but at least with the NA guys I'm only going for the main three.

Seekers, seekers for daaays.

 

Honestly not being able to get ahold of this Starscream is the one thing keeping me from deep diving into Iron factory

 

IF is all about DW/IDW. Don’t let not being able to grab Starscream keep you away from getting other wonderful IDW bots.

Starscream was never a favorite of mine. Especially not with the likes of other amazing, fully fleshed out characters around - some whom we still don’t have figures of (Nautica!! : (...)

The IDW Combaticons are awesome. The DJD are awesome. Still plenty of other awesome stuff to nab : )

 

I'm a completionist and having multiple figures permanently locked out to me does sour my opinion. I love the aesthetic of IFs IDW inspired figures but if I cant complete the set then I dont want to get the set.

I usually find loopholes to my own policy though. Like the DJD. They are part of IFs full set but they also are a set in themselves and so I did get them.

 

I get the frustration of this debate. However, I have been on the boat (IF and legends) since the start, one of my fav. leg figs is dx9 blur, and I do like the maketoys legends headmasters a lot too regardless of lack of head rotation of any kind. Thats just to give you an idea, but I also still keep some of the hasbro legends as part of my main collection/roster, Legends (and especially IF) have never 'filled' the entire market. In fact there are still a few missing g1 characters of modern/contemp articulated figures at legends scale (and not L+) and aside from a few g1 purists who initially opted dx9 above IF (that ended up in L+) most legends collectors have so far picked stuff or tried at some point all companies available.
Add to this that, its 3p, and thus skidsy in nature if not precarious market depending on the current stance with international IP infringement, postal fee's etc etc.
For example when Hasbro released MP exhaust Phillip Morris went right ahead and cockblocked it, however Toy World managed to produce an (illegal) exhaust with all the correct original decals, down to the name of the pilot and the correct sponsor names. Basically its a shifting field and things can change quickly.
The risk of keeping a figure that isn't of your property on the market increases the visibility of the company. Just imagine a scenario where a 3p figure starts selling to 'almost' mainstream numbers. I'd wager the company would rather distribute/diffuse earnings throughout releases then pick up all that unneeded attention.

Also unless you've gone and bought a second hand single figure from Ebay or stuff, all original IF stuff usually is included in sets (for example prowls).
As someone else said, no-one is entitled to anything and tbh the difficulty of keeping figures available to 'late comers' is a bit off acceptable expectations of client servicing, from 3p companies, which, I'm already impressed provide some sort of replacement of broken parts very often (overseas). This is already much more than the official Hasbro factories in Vietnam are prepared to do and considering the riots caused in Vietnam due to refusal of requests of higher wages from Hasbro and the subsequent menaces of moving to Thailand where the transport network is growing, and now that there is a fast train bangkok - shangai... well.. I wouldn't be surprised if Hasbro decided to move production in either Cambodgia or Laos, the poorest and easily bullyable countries of SEA right after Myanmar.
Factor in the disney star wars debacle....

anyways, don't fret too much, New Age Toys and Magic Square, being relatively new still have to release many characters, and IF has already starter redesigning old characters (This upcoming Soundwave is the second time IF tackle him - it was IFs first figure).
Wish u luck collecting, in fact im sure u'll get a few better options than me (for example i think ill pass on IF galvatron, scourge. 

 

Actually their first figure was Blaster, though Soundwave shared his mold, along with Perceptor.

 

Ackchyually their first figure(s) were Turrets and Manacle - aka Sixgun and Slammer.

 

XD i was hoping someone would follow up lol