I think toy development cycle wouldn't allow that to be a factor.

The economics of mass release vs. small specialty Internet shops have already been explained to you, so I'll just laugh that you think a G1 Devastator is only AS exciting to most collectors as slavish IDW Wrecker figures.  

 

this. I just wish a few of the color choices were better or they'd gone with Rotostorm over Whirl. Heh heh heh.."Wreckers Combine!"

 

Huh. I never really paid much attention to the colors of RID Ruination... I wonder then, if there'd be a point in having a Botcon set as Ruination...

I'm one of those people that skipped RID altogether..

 

Don't you see it coming? This year's Botcon set will be Shattered Glass Bruticus. 

 

No, SG Bruticus is Generations 2013 wave 4, because Hasbro want to shove those molds down our throats by themselves.

 

^ Cause we see so many SG references at retail amirite?

Anyway, just stopped in to point out that there's a new gallery up at Allspark's Facebook, they look like the official Hasbro promo shots. You ready for this?

Impactor...Mr. "I'm not an Autobot, Snare, I'm a WRECKER"...has the Wrecker logo in addition to his 'bot logo. And he's the only one on the team with this feature.

You know, I'm not a big fan of the Wrecker logo, but that's super cute.

 

I agree.

I fully imagine that one of the metrics governing each production run Hasbro engages in is the minimum number of units that must be produced; a threshold which, if undercut, threatens the profitability of the enterprise.

However, there is an unstated assumption here: that Hasbro's current preference of production scale indicates demand. On the contrary, it is entirely possible that Hasbro's preference of scale fails to correctly meet demand in some or all areas. (The rapid growth of the third party market strongly suggests that is the case, at least in relation to the adult collector segment of the market.)

And as a personal aside: seriously, is no-one doing the math on this? How many sets of Hercules figures exist - a thousand? That would mean fans collectively paid out almost two thirds of a million dollars! What if it was two thousand? What if it was five thousand? And we're talking about figures that are sub-Voyager sized - I do not think it unrealistic to suggest that Hasbro could have quite easily manufactured each figure for a quarter of its overall cost, and pocketed the rest as pure profit!

The issue under consideration was whether or not demand for adult collector-oriented figures existed (e.g. figures of the IDW Wreckers); not the economics of mass release versus limited release.

Putting this aside: it is difficult to provide a third party Wrecker toy as an exemplary parallel, given that no such toy currently exists (yet). So instead I provided the example of TFC's Hercules; and while you are correct in stating that the Constructicons (or perhaps more aptly, their combined form) are wildly more popular than say, Roadbuster or Whirl, they are also significantly more expensive - as much as approximately two and half to three times the cost of a Masterpiece figure. And yet fans were willing absorb this extraordinary cost; which strongly suggests that they would also be willing to pay, say, a cool hundred for a Wrecker figure.

Enough conjecture, however - it is my understanding that even as I write, iGear are queuing up their own version of Impactor. How about we wait to see how that performs? One way or another, we'll find out if there is demand for what you contend to be obscure, comic-oriented characters.

 

Yes, but Hasbro has no interest in offering $100 Wreckers. They simply aren't playing that game. They're trying to get stuff into Wal-Mart and make some real money. They design many characters in order for them to appeal to collectors, BUT in most cases they don't price out or otherwise actively discourage child and parent interest.

An Autobot combiner opposite number to Bruticus? That'll sell to people who don't get all the references, for sure.

Now if you want Hasbro to offer a collector's online store with more price and product variety, I agree, but that goes a little further than "Wreckers reactions."

 

To be honest, it seems we are in agreement - we both seem to understand that there is a demand for what we can perhaps think of as premium, collector oriented figures (more so than the mere occasional Masterpiece release); and that Hasbro are not currently interested in pursuing this direction, as potentially lucrative as it may be.

(I would also add that I find Hasbro's current non-interest confusing, given both that Sideshow Collectibles seems to be making good use of the GI Joe license in a premium format, and that Matty Collector - for all their numerous issues - are making direct-to-fan marketing work. Not to mention, the completely unexpected release of new Jem fashion dolls...)

 

So I went and checked the official pics of TT and Topspin with some LSotW art.

SO uh...both are blue and white and orange, as agreed. Topspin has a white central section/chest in robot mode: this is true of the figure, despite the blue and orange panel detail at the very front of the chest. TT has a blue central section and chest on this figure and in art.

Now we well know that these figures were conceived as Combaticons, who have one base color. I haven't gone in and squinted and tried to confirm, but I imagine that it would not have been trivial to pull off the color-reversal to get Topspin to be a blue plane (and have blue arms) and Twin Twist a white tank (with white arms). Forced to make the call, they simply went with matching the predominant robot-mode color.

As for the heads on the whole set, I currently see no basis for complaint. They didn't even bother "translating" into the WfC look with vents and lines, those are just straight-up Nick Roche heads right there.

The reversal of Impactor's colors I can see is frustrating, but it's worth a point that they are the RIGHT colors themselves. And the orange on Whirl's robot mode is a bit off the wall but for reasons even I can't explain, it doesn't bother me.

 

I'm guessing the predominant orange in the set is to make strengthen to gestalt homage to Xarron.

 

RiD Comandos. It's all there.

-ZacWilliam, Xaaron was gold/yellow.

 

Wait, I see that they are re-releasing Terrorcon Cliffjumper, Vehicon, Bulkhead and Optimus, but what about Regular Cliffjumper?

 

Presumably they're considering it unnecessary since they're bringing out the Asian Generations Cliffjumper, which is that mould with a different heard. In the same way, there's no sign here of Asian Brawn, presumably since FE Bulkhead is being re-released.

 

Somebody finally agrees with me!

 

Yes!! I must get the voyagers! Especially prime I just hope they are a MASS release (not an exclusive to one store) but then again, it would be better then nothing, that's for sure!  

 

they're tru exclusive along with the asian generations imports.

yay, variety!

 

Now if i just could get the FOC Bruticus set....i wont mind getting rid of my FE Prime and Bulkhead...

But it's good to know the First Editions are on re-release

 

Us tru mp tc is new mold yes? Please say yes so i can save money

 

It's a redeco of what I believe is the MP-11 mold, a.k.a. the more recent redesigned Starscream. No hip kibble like MP-03 (original Starscream) and the squared off feet are the big hints.