Seems like nostalgia for Tonka is the primary factor. And if these were as sturdy as Tonka toys were in the '80s it might make sense to me. But we all know how breakable the Constructicons are, and how little play value there really is here. I can read people's enthusiasm for the release while still not understanding it.
Heh, I remember buying a KO G1 Devastator from Big Lots with these exact colors so it’s interesting seeing them become official now. But still, looks pretty neat nonetheless.
People don't buy nostalgia driven products because they want to use them in the same way as they did as a kid.
As far as price goes, this will be more expensive because Hasbro needs to license the Tonka name. Inflation and supply chain issues are going to result in a price increase since the last reissue. They were $75 about 4.5 years ago, so this is pretty expected in terms of price.
It actually still matters. They'd still need to license the name even if they own the company. The Parent company exists as an independent legal entity, and the two companies still need to act in their separate best interests. This also looks like the production run is a lot more limited, so the production costs are likely higher.... But yeah, the pandemic/inflation is a major factor. Everything is more expensive now.
I think that's most correct. Honestly, Constructicons being about $18 a pop sounds about right in this economy. But I'm in a bit of a predicament right now in the fact my family has gone from paycheck to paycheck to now barely making our bills. So this kind of spending is just not coming at the right time.
That's not it. Hasbro owns Tonka. The extra $5 a figure comes from the same price increases we've seen at retail since the last reissue at Walmart.
Well like I said before, they still exist as separate legal entities. So Hasbro still needs to pay Tonka. Anyways, it's sold out on HasbroPulse....so there must be some appeal.
There's nothing to say they have to pay a licensing fee for their own brand. They could do it if they wanted to transfer revenue to the Tonka brand, but it is a pretty huge assumption to say definitively that they are doing this.
They are still different companies with different employees. Each corporation has to act in it's own best interests. So you'd be paying different sets of employees, and there may be different stakeholders.
I know G1 Auotobots sometimes have red eyes, but I almost want to see yellow or blue eyes on him ... on the combined mode at least.
As much as I like Tonkanator’s name, I’d be more interested in a TF/Terminator Collaborative toy or even Diaclone or G2 Constructicons. I appreciate the creativity here, but I think I’ll save my money and stick with Buzzworthy Dinobot, Terrorsaur, and the Creatures Collide set.
