Yeah, but GI Joe isn't running a parallel line of figures that are superior in virtually every way.

 

Dang! That's a very good point.

 

I highly, highly doubt that's the reason.

And also cost like 4 times as much...

 

LOL. No, this won’t happen.

 

People are so enamoured of 3D printing these days that they don't really understand its limitations. Even as the machines get faster, they're still nowhere as fast and as reliable as an injection plastic press. With 3D printing, it takes minutes to machine a single part, with a certain chance for failure, and the intricate mechanics of the machines themselves mean they need a lot of maintenance. In that same time frame, injection molding machines can press as many parts as can be reasonably fit onto the mold tray, multiple times over.

3D printing might replace limited-run, "boutique" production scales like what's currently done with resin casting. But there's no chance in hell it approaches a level competitive with injection molding for mass production.

 

Something about this is oddly familiar:

HAHAHA, this is the funniest comment I have seen today, not even joking unlike you.

Have you wondered why companies don't use 3D printers for mass production?? Hmm?
Maybe you should see how long just a little boat takes to print, and I am not talking cheap ABS material, I am talking good sturdy Nylon which is very good for toys and action figures, like your imaginary 3D custom TF. ABS already takes long(hours long).

3D printing though is already affordable with the Ender 3 Pro at around $230? Please correct me if I am wrong on the price.
But no one is going to Beat Hasbro anytime soon, just like no one is going to suddenly start making 3D printing TF's at lightning speed like your "3P companies".

3D printing takes time, and can easily mess up, mold manufacturing is why everyone is still using them, reliable, and can produce way more than what a 3D printer can in the same time. Where it takes lets say 4 hours to print a little boat, it would take mold only 5-10 seconds, probably shorter even.

Your "average fans" can't even compete with just a 3D printer in their garage, attic , or basement. If this was possible, then it would've already happened. It probably won't anytime, if not ever. (Though I do see promise in resin printing, but it's still slow and unpredictable).

Now unless you got 100 printers printing at the same time, it still won't even match what Hasbro can do in seconds, and lets not forget the power bill, I know solar panels won't cover unless you got the whole house covered in them, and you are living in a hot climate with barely clouds.

So next time, don't over hype something, NVIDIA needs a lesson on this too, cough* RTX 20 series.

 

I looked it up and your absolutely correct! 3D Printing inferior, injection molding superior. You seem very knowledgeable about this stuff. Thanks for educating me.

 

Your absolutely correct, 3D printing would definitely be a pain in the afft. I'm now looking into injection molding. Thanks for the education. Consider me schooled.

 

Do note that despite its general superiority for mass production, 3D printing still has some merits. It just depends on the intended usage.

Injection molded plastics are generally untenable for a single-person garage output. The presses themselves are typically worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, and the steel mold trays themselves cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to tool and tune. While that seems ridiculously expensive, the large production scale that encompasses "mass production" means that these costs are easily absorbed into the cost of business.

For a small-scale, personal outfit, 3D printing will still be the most viable. Home printers might only cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars (still not cheap as a passing hobby, but nowhere near a million dollars or so for factory injection equipment). And 3D printing is still viable in commercial manufacturing as well, for the purposes of rapid prototyping. Before you spend those hundreds of thousands/millions to cast your steel molds, you probably want to test and make sure your design functions as intended first, and a 3D printer can do that job for you.

 

Dang man you need to be teaching a class on this stuff! I'm serious, I feel like I've learned more in this conversation than any place online. I really do appreciate you taking the time to explain this stuff to me. Thank you.

 

I'm not really that knowledgeable on the subject matter. Just surface-level stuff, really, mostly gleaned through watching shows like How It's Made on the Discovery Channel. That, and just being on these particular boards for a long time. You pick up a lot of stuff from things like designer interviews, or just random users who do have hands-on experience with this sort of stuff.

 

I really like that show How It's Made. But still a very impressive amount of knowledge you have acquired. Much respect!

 

All I need from this line before it dies is a G1 Alpha Trion....

 

But we've not even really seen them yet, just a blurry video and a few stills,they havent even seen the formal release, reviews or even the rest of the wave?....

Or maybe people like action figures? ‍♂️

 

Thats great, thats what every transformer is and they (most) also do what the brand says, that of "transforming" and as mentioned, have better articulation and revoltech already did it BETTER 15 years back.

 

But there is clearly a market and want for these, and the high tiers 3zero figs, Flame toys,Super7 ... et al... Not everyone wants a expensive legends fig or expensive revoltech. Transformer is a noun not just a verb. As i've said before plenty of collectors want these...and probably the Super7 Ultimates when they come out.I know lots of MP collectors watching this lline with interest, myself included.

 

Well we've seen one really negative review for Prime on YouTube, and we've seen the terribly limited articulation in photos. I'll definitely watch some more reviews, but I'm certainly out on these based on whats been presented thus far. If the line does improve down the road it won't make these particular figures any better.

 

These should’ve at the very least, comparable to Hasbro’s other fully articulated 6” $20 lines, that’s a more reasonable and more realistic expectation. Instead these are more comparable to Marvel Legends from 10 years ago.

 

Yeah, If the line does well, I could definitely see Hasbro going back, and redoing Prime and Megs with better articulation as well as paint, it seems to be their thing now.  

 

So yeah after seeing the review, I definitely haft to agree, they look like worthless dollar store BS! Not really sure what Hasbro was thinking. They sacrificed transformation for articulation?  (Which I was totally a fan of), but not only do these things have weak articulation! It looks like they have problems standing up, or even holding a pose at all. They really just come off as a floppy, slimy mess! $20 bucks USD! I definitely think I will pass! The First person to review R.E.D. Optimus Prime, said that they are so bad that he literally had to take them back to the store, and asked for a refund!  Granted he didn't even open the Megs, and Soundwave. I really can't blame him after seeing the Optimus.
But hey you be the judge, some folks might actually like this type of thing.