UK preorder up, 10 pounds more than Wildrider.

One more [and backtracking on getting Breakdown] and this set is done. Out.

 

Where from? At TFS-express he's £18 more than Wildrider, at £95. Is there somewhere cheaper?

 

Just glancing over right now it's a straight 10 pounds up. But then again Wildrider's original full price PO was a bit lower than the current price?

 

Ah, maybe. I paid £76.99 for Wildrider, and Smokey is £94.99. Maybe it was a pre-order thing.

 

And shipping rates aren't just higher coming from Asia... They're quite a bit higher here in the US too.

- Gregg

 

So you'll be unhappy about the prices but you'll still buy all the ones you really want regardless? Welcome to being a 3P TF collector.  

 

Heads up, Smokey is available at TF Express now as well for £94.99 (sorry if someone's already mentioned it. )

Fans Toys - TFs Express

 

Also apologies people if I've put this in the wrong thread..I've had a bank holiday drink or 2

 

Nice, I've poed at tfs-express and paid full price.
Already had 2 poed at showz, but if the shipping cost keeps up, it will be a big oops.
Now i'm sure to get one quick.
And showz orders can go with the free shipping of 30 days.
I can wait for those if i already have one.  

 

This whole business about shipping rates being higher now is a bit of a nonsense. It used to be true a month back especially with air freights. However, recently I have noticed different Chinese retailers are charging different rates.
ShowZ has managed to find a FREE shipping option (albeit it's slower, although I think most of us will not complain) to the States for example, while there's no such option for Baba. Then again Baba offers 10 bucks off for orders above 100 bucks, so it all kinda evens out. You also see Free Shipping from Terry's TFS Club.

I've also been buying things through eBay and things would get to me from China in 2 weeks. So SpeedPAK seems unaffected in terms of speed.

Getting to the actual price of new FT figures, I feel this is partly FansToys and partly retailers just trying to maximize what they can get from things that are still selling.
I am uncomfortable with the MSRP of FT's Astrotrain so I am out of that one. I'll probably complete the Stunticons and that's about it for me from FT for the foreseeable future.

 

Erm...even how much I really want them has its limits. For instance I like Brainstorm, his character, his design and his voice actor but I simply will not buy the character if he was going for MP-44's price tag, I think at Thomas's I will bite. Different characters have different values to me and even if those characters I really wanted reach MP-44 levels of extortion I simply won't buy them, I've learnt my lesson. The opportunity cost of these figures is becoming too great not to notice.....to the point where I think in most cases I'd rather see the money lying idly in the bank not even earning interest than paying more and more for less and less these days.

 

put a deposit down with tfs-express was expecting a price increase just the way it is at the moment

 

It is becoming hard for me too... i really want this group, but... I am wondering if i should get this full group, Triple Changers, the minibots, or just get Smokey and Beachcomber, or stop right now for a while and see where i am in a few months...

Only remaining bots on order are Magnum and Hunk...

 

Got another Roadking today.
This will be my final one.



Now i can do this.


Best scene ever.

 

Fans Toys FT-31D Smokey is £25 more expensive due to increased wholesale and coronavirus shipping costs. Whereas DX9 Kukinsky is £2 more expensive, during the same economic climate. OF COURSE. LOL

 

To me it looks like where the top of the thighs join the hips is on a double hinge - a little like how Scoria's legs come together upon transformation from Bot to Alt. His legs look like they might have to come together to make up the "arm" mode. It also looks like the waist swivel will act as the bicep swivel. It also kind of looks like Smokey's legs are encased in a shell of some sort so perhaps on the backside of that joint (where we can't see) is a hinge that opens and closes that section? I think the inner arm (the blue lined area) will all be apart of the trailer that the bot lays flat on... What do you think?

I also think that middle section is a folding shell because it'll help hold the figure in place but also give it extra strength on the elbow joint.



This knee is interesting too. Possibly where the "elbow" articulation takes place. The other leg may not need it because it only has one point of pivot perhaps?



also could be entirely wrong.

 

Most other toy manufacturer prices are the same, PO or not. Hell, even TT and Bandai.


But when it comes to FT?


Essays on politics/economics/religion/climate/the metric system to justify it.


The are simply changing more because we’re fools. Period.

Fanstoooooys.

 

Yeah so the inside of the Marauder elbow is Smokey's right leg bending outward (his right leg becomes the top of the forearm, his left leg becomes the back of the forearm). You can see the locking tab is visible on the inside of the elbow in the Marauder pics and this is covered, but still visible, in his new pictures where you can see the side of right leg.

The big question then is: does the left leg (the back of the forearm) disconnect from the thigh or does the thigh / shin contain enough linkage to make the back of the elbow?

 

Perhaps it might have a secondary joint at the back of the elbow, so that the bend doesn't look so awkward. Looks kinda jank if they leave the leg joint as the elbow imo. It appears that there's only a hinge on the leg, so I'm almost 100% sure there is probably another joint that's part of the "frame" of menasor.

 

that's pretty much a picture of what I was getting at. My guess would be that the back leg disconnects to allow that full range of motion in the elbow. I'm pretty sure the legs are secured inside a folding shell for extra support too.