I see it pretty frequently in FB groups: “I’d collect IF except I can’t get the older figures.” and statements along those lines.

Not to say that they can’t (I did, just a few months ago), but there was a time I never thought I’d be able to find a Starscream or Ultimate Commander without paying $300 eBay prices.

 

Starscream (G1)/toys - Transformers Wiki
It's Black Starscream. I meant to say "Death Starscream" but it came out "Ghost Starscfream" due to them being packaged together and my memory of a Japanese toy I never owned 19 years ago.

As for the resale value argument. To my mind, EVERYTHING is an investment. Your clothes are an investment that you won't freeze to death, your food is an investment that you won't starve to death, you children are an investment that someone will take care of you in your old age.

Your toys are an investment in resale value, albeit one that you play with. Hopefully they will hold close to half their value. If you're lucky, and you have a pile of early IF figures lying around, they can double or even triple their value.

When I hear "I need a reissue because I can't afford what they are now" I hear "I am entitled and came to the party late and now I wish the fandom to cater to me because I don't want to pay the entry fee." Which is funny, because that's exactly what Kingmob said he hears, except from the other subset of collectors!

So, here's a legit question. At what point does the prospect of a reissue become unreasonable? Starscream is 4 years old. When does he become a classic who doesn't get a reissue? CHUG Metroplex is crazy expensive now. Should he have a reissue? I don't want to pay $500 for a Metroplex. He was widely available at most stores and I saw him at the time. I just didn't know I wanted him 7 years ago.

You see my point? Where is that line? If Hasbro reissued Metroplex, they could eat into that $500 market. But there aren't that many fans who need one and are unwilling to pay aftermarket prices. I am sure Iron Factory has run the numbers as well.

And no, I'm not salty. This is an interesting conversation.  

 

I’d put forward that we saw at least one reissue (with slightly different colors) of the classics Starscream mold, as Starscream. (With a slightly re-sculpted head?).

In this case, the IF mold is being used quite a bit, which perhaps makes it different from the Titan molds issued by Hasbro, where we saw very few re-uses.

However, I also think it’s fair for collectors to want to keep their investments as investments - which is why I proposed the pack-in heads to begin with  

Maybe the reissue Starscream could even have a “smirk” head to make him further different from the original issue. And some pretty box art. All that good stuff.

 

Gotcha!

But still, I think the intention is that it's Novastorm, this version:
File:Nova Storm AskVectorPrime.jpg - Transformers Wiki

It makes sense as they are also releasing an Ionstorm, and with the existing Acidstorm, will complete the Rainmakers.

While their Violet, Turquoise, and Yellow seekers make a (mostly) complete Welcoming Committee set File:Sunstorm Cartoon.jpg - Transformers Wiki

I do hope they make a Nacelle paint job for their Thrust. I love the Thrust mold. After having 100 versions of Starscream, I wouldn't mind having a second Thrust.

 

I think as long as IF is actively releasing recolors of their Seeker mold it's in their best interest to keep the classic figures in production as well.

I have no horse in this race - I already own an IF Starscream - and nobody is entitled to anything. But as a company, it would be a smart move on IF's part to make iconic characters available. Not only do they stand to make a pile of cash, they would also generate a ton of goodwill and likely bring in a new wave of collectors. I bet IF would sell even MORE of their Skittles if newcomers didn't feel like they have to scour eBay and drop $300 in order to start their collection with one of the most iconic characters in the franchise.

Sentiments like 'late to the game' are ridiculous since they imply some sort of punishment against folks who didn't get in on the ground floor. Is this what we want? "You didn't buy in on day one, so too bad - you missed out." That's elitism at its finest.

As to Metroplex - he actually DID get reissued... in Japan; the Takara Tomy reissue was widely available for just over $200 with a fairly long pre-order window [I grabbed one through BBTS]. I guess there just wasn't enough mainstream demand in the US for Hasbro to support a re-release [considering it's a $150+ Titan that traditionally shelf-warms then sells on Clearance at US retailers]; but that's a bit of an 'apples to oranges' comparison since the IF Starscream discussion involves a 3P who operates by a completely different set of rules. That said, if Hasbro was smart they could gauge demand for a Metroplex reissue via their HasLab platform to see if there really are enough buyers to make it worthwhile.

 

One of my all time favorite molds. It holds up very well against modern figures, haskara and 3P alike

 

But it's not though, is it? That's called life. You snooze you lose. Do you get upset when you don't get up early and miss out on the $50 Black Friday televisions? Or if you miss out on an ebay auction? If you want it, jump on it. If it's sold out, you should have been faster.

Life's not fair. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

Now that's an interesting idea. But I would, again, point out. What happens if Iron Factory reissues Starscream in a limited run of 5,000, whish is half their normal run, and they only sell 1,000? They're left over with 4,000 spare toys that people screaming for didn't buy. These things are free to the company, and they don't come cheap.

IF could open up a limited pre-order window, so they only make as much as they need. But would you still be interested if they bumped the price from $30 to $80 for a limited run? Or $150, half the going price? Where is the cutoff? What's the line?

 

It's been my fav transformation scheme since it was used on G2 Smokescreen and some of the Cyberjets.

 

i think screamer already has a smirk head. but it has been awhile since i messed with him but i thought the first 3 all had different heads.

but either way it doesnt matter and neither does the proposed extra heads. i mean who really cares it is all a pie in the sky notion of silly wants.

IF doesnt care they have moved on. what is the upside for them to do a run just to sell some and only have dead stock afterwards because not everyone wanted it.

a niche market is just that a small group of collectors. not every idea that the fans have is a good one.

it makes more since from a business stand point to just keep moving on to the next sku and sell it out make a profit rinse and repeat. that is what got them where they are today.

 

My MMC Tyrantron has halved his value now that he’s getting reissued, and I can’t say I grieve over that. I’m not selling anyway and I look forward to seeing new collectors gush over how great he is. Same with SS, let it rain Screamers.

I’ll be very surprised if IF doesn’t release at least a v2 of him with some slight changes, otherwise all the collectors getting into Legends now will start a Newage or Magic Square seeker flock.

-and yeah, Starscream has a smirk.

 

You know what would be hilarious, if Iron Factory hadnt actually sold all their Starscreams and just ended up dumping some of the left overs and are now kicking themselves for wasting the stock. I really doubt this happened, but it seemed like a funny situation.

 

This is the sort of attitude that makes me smile - a reissue just means more joy for my fellow collectors who missed out, it doesn't take ANYTHING away from me or my enjoyment of a figure.

Exactly this. IF has every right to not bother reissuing Starscream, for any reason they can conjure [not enough demand, moved on to different characters, whatever]... but they can't rightfully expect any NEW collectors to enter the game if they can't get their hands on iconic characters at a fair price, period. Future Seeker releases will be diminishing returns for them as newer collectors pass on obscure repaints of characters they wish they could buy.

Meanwhile, NewAge and Magic Square will usher in a new wave of Legends collectors with their readily available roster of iconic characters [many available in a variety of color schemes].

 

Weirder things have happened.

Like literally everything Fansproject did.

 

this is exactly why I sold all my iron factory

 

While I hope IF reissue’s stuff for collectors who missed out or are starting late, they seem to be doing fine as is. Each figure has been better then the last, they all seem to sell out, they are pretty good with hitting release dates, etc.

If you dig hard enough, you can get some hard to find figures at decent prices. I sold off almost my entire collection about year ago, regretted it and then slowly built it back up without going broke. That includes Starscream, Lambos, Datsuns, and Optimus. I attribute that to an awesome collecting community and searching every day.

You can also make up some money by getting pocket toy and MFT KO’s on some of the sold out figures for really cheap too. I went that way for my phase sixers, shockwave and Bruticus. I’m kinda shocked they haven’t done more.

 

the progress you have made to rebuild the ranks has been one for the record books. we will definitely etch your name in the legends half of fame.

 

He will be a... Legend?

 

Hahahaha I’m blushing.

 

True, and the phase sixers look better upscaled too. MFT Black Shadow and KO Bruticus are great. MFT Overlord is decent, and MFT Sixshot comes in a gorgeous black and red variant. There’s also that big KO Starscream which is imho better than the original.

 

This is an interesting conversation. And I can see your point.

I've been collecting Iron Factory from beginning and if there is something I don't have it is because I have choosen to skip it.

I think the biggest factor in any decision is with the manufacturer: if they can somehow make money. Either by sales or growing their brand. They already spent money on development so reissues should actually give them a bigger return then a new figure like Mirage or Megatron. And I hear enough people saying they would make the jump to legends if they could get key figures like the Datsuns and the Seekers that even if wouldn't take in money on sales of Starscream (for example) then would still add enough new customers to make it worth their effort. Hasbro has reissued old G1 stuff, but we haven't seen much from other lines.

There is a reason Hasbro includes the same eight or nine figures in almost product line.

The line is always going to be if it is profitable. I think that is going to vary; probably their early 2.0 is cut off. With a few exceptions. For some figures it would better just to make a 2.0 version.
Edited: Spelling