So how do you prefer to buy your combiners... in a big one and done box set, or as individual releases?



Personally, I prefer a box set...get it all at once...no waiting around for the next figure...no dealing with delays...less shipping cost...not to mention the beautiful packaging of a single box...plus, typically, you have around a year (or more) heads up notice to save up for the set...

What about you guys?

 

We've had this discussion before so please everyone be nice and respect everyone else's choice so this is a fun topic. Personally I prefer individual release just because I don't care for the cool box. I get a chance to mess around and display the individual figure for a while. In terms of money, Eddie is right in that there is usually plenty of time to save for a box set but for me I take a certain amount out of each check. By the time I saved $400 there would be something else I wanted before I reached the target amount so it never works for me that way. Its just the way I do it and prefer it.

 

I'm a big fan of the box set as well, as I like getting everything at once. To me, I'd rather wait longer for everyone to be released as having them released limb by limb just makes me wait even longer to enjoy the 'final' mode.

 

I disagree. A box set is a more expensive single expense, even if it IS less pricey overall as a bundle.
A couple other points to consider:

Releasing as a box set makes a combiner team more of a make-or-break proposition for both sides. Case in point, the QC issues that came up with Hercules. By releasing individually those issues could be addressed and corrected as production runs moved forward. Imagine how pissed people would have been to get the entire set and THEN have the QC issues to deal with that cropped up, all at once.

Also, releasing as a set wouldn't make the figures come out any faster. Yes, you'd get them all at once but your still have to wait a year or more for the set to come out.



I think the current model makes more business sense. It might suck to think this way, but realistically once you buy a figure in a set you're more likely to buy the other figures in a set. This effect only gets stronger as you build more of the set.
In addition it keeps interest alive if figures release every few months. Its easier to wait to a combiner team to finish if you're able to keep building it up rather than getting nothing for a year, year and a half.

 

Yeah, I can see both sides of this...

Getting them all at once is very nice...but what that likely means is that you could've been enjoying pieces of the set during the whole release schedule...its torture either way I guess...either you have some and you're dying to get the rest of the set to combine them...or you have none of the set and you're dying to have it...

The argument I don't get is "having time to enjoy each individual figure"...if you have some self control/will power, you can still do that when you get a box set...no one is forcing you to combine them...heck, once you get the set, you could pull one out of the box every month or so and enjoy it on it's own for a while...though, I completely understand how almost impossible that could be... 

 

Box set for p. much the same reasons stated in the OP.

 

No self control here, boxed version would get combined almost immediately and wouldnt spend much time enjoying each bot separately. LOL In a perfect world however releases would be more consistent like say a new figure a month till complete but it is what it is. The box itself I dont care too much about for any display purpose, they just get stored away in a bigger box.

 

I prefer the single box, mostly for the economic reasons. It's always going to save a few bucks, and I can withdraw individual figures from it at whatever pace I desire. It also removes the inherent risk of a 3P company folding or submitting to a C&D before the final figure is released... I love my Feralcons so far, but that's been a constant worry for me with them.

The only economic benefit I can see for me with individual figures is that it might allow companies to proceed with a good idea before they have sufficient capitalization to underwrite production of an entire set.

 

I prefer individual releases, though 2-2-1 would be solid too. 3 similar payments would be nice instead of being all over the place.

 

Individual. I like having the option of getting multiples of figures I like. With the Stunticons, I got a extra Car Crash and T-Bone. With Maketoys Computron, I would love to get a extra Strafe/Blindfire but the only way is to buy another full set.

 

I prefer individual releases. Personally, a $300 - 400 plunge into a figure is a pretty big investment at a time, and frankly I don't know if everyone can afford that. Breaking it up will make it an easier and friendlier entry for folks who are curious.

I was really curious about Quatron during it's development stages, and did plan on getting it in multi month installments as my 1st 3rd party / independent full combiner. But after finding out that it will only be a gift box set release @ almost $400, I have given up on it.

 

I'm sick of waiting 18 months plus to finish a combiner... All at once is the way to go

 

I don't like waiting for a box set or released at once.

 

Box set all the way. I just don't appreciate the bots nearly as much on an individual basis when the primary reason I bought them -- to assemble them into a gestalt -- is denied to me.

When I got Green Giant, I loved everything about it. I assembled them first and it was awesome. Then I transformed them into vehicles and it was awesome. Then I put them in robot mode and it was awesome. Even though the damn tab on my crane boom snapped the first time I tried to fold it, I didn't care. I was in heaven.

If I had gotten them one or two at a time, I feel like the moment when I finally put them all together as robots, vehicles, and gestalt would have been diminished. I would have probably been more critical of certain members of the team if I had months to stare at them without their teammates standing next to them.

 

While it would be nice to get them all at once, I find it just hard to plunk down $500+ at once, even though I would be paying that much anyways but it would be more spread out so it won't seem as bad.

 

I actually prefer one or two at a time, but with the box set for Quantron, I've actually been saving up and it's turned out okay. So I guess I actually could go either way. If they do box sets, I agree with Eddie, a years notice so we can save up.

 

Individual, spreads the costs over the year

 

box set for price. to me, the difference is paying for extra cardboard.

 

Box set. I understand why people would want individual releases. And I would probably be a lot more in favor of that if it was a reliable release schedule of one a month. But all at once is like Christmas  

 

2-2-1 gets me the bots relatively quickly, and lets me enjoy the individual bots for a while before I combine them.