Just remember my friends that japan has a much larger market for transformers and thats usually why they get this cool stuff. On the bright side transformers is doing GREAT!
They have greater respect for our Giant Robot Heritage... meanwhile in the United States, it goes something like this:
In the USA, you get: - Retail exclusives not sold in Japan. - Hasbro Spark online shop (or whatever it's called). - Cheaper prices. - Most things released first/before Japan. - Official Transformers conventions. Right now, Japanese fans are getting more expensive toys (that are exactly the same as the American release) and tickets to see Bumblebee, many months after even Korea and China got them, at far greater prices than the USA. Do you want THAT too?
Er, no. Transformers is tiny in Japan. It's only really thanks to the Bay films that Optimus and Bumblebee are in the public's awareness. Prior to that, most Japanese people who saw pics of them thought they were Gundams. It's also VERY difficult to walk into the average toy department at Parco, Ito Yokado, etc and get the latest TF toys. You would need to go to a Toys R Us, or some of the larger Yamada Denki, Bikku/Yodabashi Camera or specialist shops to to have even a fighting chance of getting a newly released figure. Your average Japanese city or town city centre won't have them.
I think what people mean is that they get a lot of cool non-toy merch. That's what I like too. Also the cafe thing is something that I wish would become a thing in the US as well. But this is true. I feel bad for Japanese fans because of this and also because of Takara's dubbing.
Transformers in Japan is not really a big deal. It is a tiny niche. The great thing about Japan and Transformers is how well perserved a lot of the early toys are. Japanese people actually take very good care of their possessions. I remember when I was in Japan,in the early 00\'s, that they opened a small Transformers store in Yokohama. They had all the lastest TF toys there and they also had on display some of the Botcon exclusives. Tried to buy the exclusives, but was turned down. :-( But a lot of the Transformers I found were in small mom & pop type shops and at very good prices. I think now you can find a lot of these toys at Hard/Hobby/Book Offs (a type of flea market type store) or Mandarake. Those type of stores didn\'t exist back then.
When I went to the USA, there was more TF merch in the Target shop I went to than almost any specialist hobby shop in Japan. I could get a TF mug, party plates and cups, t-shirts, pyjamas, costumes, greetings cards, etc. In Japan, merch like this is often overpriced and only available at special shows (like this) or as part of some limited edition campaign. As for the cafe, it's just one small cafe, open for a limited period, to promote a product. It happens sometimes in Japan (for game releases, films, etc). I doubt that would be feasible in the USA, in the same format. I would recommend the Gundam museum, cafe and giant Gundam at the "Diver City" shipping centre in Odaiba, though. Anyway, my Japanese chum just went to the "preview" of Bumblebee and got a Bumblebee biscuit. Bookoff and Hardoff have been around for ages. I also went to a huge shop called "Takara" (no relation) many years ago (and there's also one near my flat). It is a chain of second hand shops that had TFs for sale. I got a an almost MIB G1Twincast and Starsabre for silly money. However, not all TFs are kept in good condition. My friend bought a TF from Yahoo Auctions (Japan) and the thing stank of tobacco (Japan has/had a LOT of smokers). After some angry emails back and forth, he managed to return it. The used market can be good, but I've been to car-boot sales and regular people have had TFs for sale at the RRP or more, which is incredulous IMO. It might be the same globally now, as people check prices on EBAY, perhaps?
I don't know I get pretty good deals on yahoo, even after factoring in proxy cost and shipping. My mp-36+ was like 148 dollars before shipping
People still think those infeasible things would be cool to have in the US. I know there's more stuff in the US overall but a lot of it just isn't that good in some areas, and it's a bit harder to find than it seems. But I do understand you.
You get what I mean.. just the cultural aspect of it for the things we all go out and buy the imports of anyway.
is this event where we might see the SIEGE 35th figures like Voyager Soundblaster and Deluxe Bluestreak?
