Q: Why do you buy 3P Transformer Toys?

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by batfan007, Sep 2, 2016.

  1. batfan007

    batfan007 Double the Dragon

    Joined:
    May 19, 2016
    Posts:
    5,366
    News Credits:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Location:
    Nil
    Likes:
    +9,995
    Hi, I'd like some specific answers on why anyone who buys 3P TRANSFORMERS toys, I asked the opposite in the general thread, so this is the counter point to that thread, and the chance for any 3P fans talk about what they like/dislike love about 3P toys.

    Talk about whatever you like, specific reasons WHY you dig 3P appreciated.

    Reason: I am writing an article for my Transformers blog on 3P toy trends, and want some genuine views from people who DO LIKE them as well as folks who don't for whatever reason.

    I may quote you if you can string together a sentence of two, but not without permission, if I do, I will PM you first and ask permission, and you can have your user name to quote, or just credited as "anonymous" if you prefer.

    It's just for my Transformers fan blog, but I will read everything in this thread as part of writing that article series.

    MODS NOTE: There is no note, just didn't want anyone to feel left out. Thank you for your tireless efforts!
     
  2. Tfan12

    Tfan12 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2014
    Posts:
    354
    Trophy Points:
    107
    Likes:
    +85
    Because they give us characters,designs and Quality thay the oficial brand cannot or do not want to deliver.
    3P hace covered any anomaly(for most part) in their figures, from Takara you just receive a finger.
    Also i doslike the route Takara is driving their no longer "premium" or adult collectible line.
     
  3. Tfan12

    Tfan12 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2014
    Posts:
    354
    Trophy Points:
    107
    Likes:
    +85
    Because they give us characters,designs and Quality thay the oficial brand cannot or do not want to deliver.
    3P hace covered any anomaly(for most part) in their figures, from Takara you just receive a finger.
    Also i doslike the route Takara is driving their no longer "premium" or adult collectible line.
     
  4. Red2

    Red2 " ... and so the story goes ... "

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2016
    Posts:
    1,967
    Trophy Points:
    227
    Location:
    Austin
    Likes:
    +3,194
    The first 3rd party figure I ever saw was Fanstoys Scoria. A large G1 dinobot that had a robot and alt mode that looked accurate to the cartoon.

    Less than a couple years later I'm collecting Masterpieces both TT and 3P alike. Mostly 3P due to design and availability of characters.

    See my sig ...

    :) 
     
  5. Megatronus27

    Megatronus27 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2012
    Posts:
    3,479
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Location:
    Detroit
    Likes:
    +1,399
    I get the 3P product primarily when I dont like the official product or most often when there isnt an equivalent official product. Most general Transformers releases are targeted for kids. 3P products are targeted for adults. As a result, 3P products tend to have higher parts counts, which lends to more sophisticated transformations, better articulation, and also a more mature presentation.
     
  6. Hitokiri

    Hitokiri Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2015
    Posts:
    492
    Trophy Points:
    92
    Likes:
    +40
    3P companies usually provide figures that are not made by the official TF companies. Scale is also an important thing to me. The fact that many 3P companies are now making figures in "masterpiece" size that attracts me as well. Thirdly the quality of 3P figures are often times just as good if not superior to that of the official brands. Finally the price difference. 3P companies offer competitive prices that the official brands sometimes can't content with. If there's a product that is just as good but at a better price - you better bet I'm taking the better priced one. Overtime if I buy from a company enough it builds up brand loyalty and that's another reason why I by 3P.
     
  7. GR1ML0CK

    GR1ML0CK Dinobot Commander

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2014
    Posts:
    16,159
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    347
    Location:
    New Jersey
    Likes:
    +10,546
    Ebay:
    Facebook:
    Thick plastic, die cast, rubber tires. Competitive prices and more of a variety of characters. Instead of repaints and remolds I get more choice.
     
  8. zfarsh

    zfarsh Big Penguin Chief

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2008
    Posts:
    18,003
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Likes:
    +8,255
    Because they can be more advanced in terms of engineering, paint finish and premium look, product quality, and overall look

    To be more specific

    For masterpiece scale / look, prices can be on par, and sometimes even much better value. Some of much more premium look than official, and some use die cast to given them great heft. Also, some rubber tires use is also welcome.

    For chug, there is much more difference. Official is much cheaper in price, but this is reflected on the figure significantly, and compared to 3rd party, for me, looks very cheap and a lot of hollow bits that seriously affect the overall look and feeling more like a kids toy. The 3rd party can give much more paint apps, better plastic quality and engineering, a more finished look and lack of hollowness. To me, they are more collectors grade and like a masterpiece but smaller and more stylized. It comes at a price though, about 2 to 3 times as much as official.

    For legends scale, I love 3rd party because they can have more articulation and much better finish and look at least more advanced. The one exception I know is Hybrid Convoy Prime. That truly was way more advanced, and still is actually, and officially and 3rd party wise, nothing has been done to the same level. Like a mini masterpiece. But other than that, the rest, as compared to the main 3rd party legends figure producer, feel very unfinished and less collectors level in my opinion. There is unfortunately a high price attached to them.

    Finally, there is another section, and that is the sd citybots. In this case, master made is making 7-8" figures at about 130esh dollars, and compared to the 20" Titans, this seems like way overpriced and nuts to get such things. However, the level of details and tampoo printing, paint apps, die cast, crazy articulation, and desire to look and want to pick up the figure is unmatched. Anyone that holds one will just be amazed by the detail alone. I am hoping more companies follow this, even if without die cast, to make each toy count much more in our collection.
     
  9. shadowfall1976

    shadowfall1976 The Alpha and the Optimus

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2007
    Posts:
    4,855
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +547
    Has nothing to do with perceived or subjective quality, or even the bonus of Die Cast and rubber tires which doesn't equate to quality IMO. I can just as easily live without either.

    My reasons for buying the ones I have and plan to buy are simply this...they exist when Takara hasn't gotten to them yet...or rather...impatience. I personally don't buy into any superiority of them vs official. Once an official comes, the 3P will be demoted to background display or put away. I seek the best look for a given character and my collection...quite often to me, that is an official.

    That all said I do enjoy seeing the designs of say Bad Cube and MMC with the Perfection Series, and some of Fans Toys...Willis and the Dinobots look decent, I don't like Quake, but their Skyfire looks promising. KFC, DX9 and Make Toys can keep their designs. XTB has decent looking figures, mostly because of 539 Designs, but aside from Apollyon, I'll just stick to looking at their figures.
     
  10. supervir2

    supervir2 Feels like the kid in Big everyday.

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2004
    Posts:
    8,640
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    337
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Likes:
    +4,034
    My reasoning is pretty straightforward. I like the MP line, but don't like the pace of their releases. 3P not only allows me to flesh out my collection, but given there are often choices, do so in a bit more personal manner.
     
  11. GR1ML0CK

    GR1ML0CK Dinobot Commander

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2014
    Posts:
    16,159
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    347
    Location:
    New Jersey
    Likes:
    +10,546
    Ebay:
    Facebook:
    I wish we had more comparisons of same characters that takara and 3p have both done. Laserwave looks better sure but smart robin looks much better as well. What im*getting at is the question of would the official always supercede the 3p in your eyes? Is it bias?
     
  12. mikeszekely

    mikeszekely Not Pessimus Prime

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2016
    Posts:
    7,928
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Likes:
    +15,631
    Ebay:
    I was a big into the Classics/Universe/Generations toys, but three things changed right around the time Hasbro was doing "Reveal the Shield."

    -Quality was beginning to decline. Deluxes were getting smaller, and Hasbro was making them more hollow and less detailed in an attempt to cut down on the amount of plastic and paint in a figure.

    -Some figures were getting harder to find at retail. I don't know if the distribution problems were on Hasbro's end or the retailers. Prior to Reveal the Shield, I'd collecting pretty much everything in the Classics/Universe/Generations line, but suddenly there were a bunch of figures I struggled to find at retail. Sometimes I'd pay scalper prices on Amazon, sometimes I'd get lucky and find them at a discount store like Ross or Marshall's, and a couple of figures I missed entirely.

    -The biggest change was a personal one: I have a lot more disposable income than I did even a few years ago. When you don't have a ton of money to spend on toys a $100 3P might simply be more than you're willing to spend, while a $15 Deluxe is "good enough." If you have the money to spend, though, you start thinking that clever transformations, better paint and more detail, and usually much better articulation is worth spending the extra money on.

    Long story short, I feel like 3P is putting out a better product and I happen to be at a point in my life financially where I'd rather pay more for that better product than "settle" for the official.
     
  13. Bountyan

    Bountyan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    Posts:
    17,243
    News Credits:
    13
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Likes:
    +3,298
    To fill out my CHUG collection with characters HasTak hasn't done yet. But with the shift in third party mostly being MP style figures along with HasTak starting to do a better variety of characters like combiners and headmasters I barely feel any need to buy 3P figures anymore.
     
  14. shadowfall1976

    shadowfall1976 The Alpha and the Optimus

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2007
    Posts:
    4,855
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +547
    No, I think Takara nails their own characters much better than anyone else in the way I want them to look, especially lately. That is my visual preference, and for my shelves, I like many 3P designs, but none of the ones that have a Takara counterpart look as good IMO.

    Now, I won't deny I prefer official products in official boxes with HasTak on it. It is my true preference to only have official stuff on my shelf, but again, it does come down to which version of which character I feel is ultimately that character in how I wish them to look for my collection. I do not feel 3P have a superior feel or quality, so that plays no part in my choice.
     
  15. Bountyan

    Bountyan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    Posts:
    17,243
    News Credits:
    13
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Likes:
    +3,298
    I disagree with this; I actually never liked the FP Brainstorm and both of the official molds look better than it. The transformation is nice but as a Brainstorm toy it doesn't look good to me.

    Price is no object to me, I just legitimately find many official figures look better and are more fun than 3P toys that get the aesthetic wrong and have needlessly fiddly transformations.
     
  16. TheGreatScrotum

    TheGreatScrotum Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2013
    Posts:
    1,336
    Trophy Points:
    192
    Likes:
    +565
    Cuz I believe them to be the evolutionary intention of the original designers. They are what transformers should have been given no restraints due to the profit of certain share holders.

    Imagine being weened on G1 and you grew up, had the talent and the means to design toys, produce them, troubleshoot them, and fine tune them for mass release.

    I'm inspired by those that are inspired, have the fortitude to risk it all to provide a final product, and are fueld by imagination.

    I have the means to reward that, and get something in return that will remain with me, entertain me, and inspire me to follow through with going after my passion, wether it be for financial reward or personal / spiritual balance.

    I care not for the rules of conglomerates with laws that restrict artistry.

    That, and the toys are usually bad ass.

    That's why I buy Unlicensed Transformers.
     
  17. Matrix1981

    Matrix1981 It's Hot Rod's fault...

    Joined:
    May 9, 2014
    Posts:
    2,831
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
    Likes:
    +2,608
    I personally don't care about the has/tak vs 3p mush. Sure my T30 Jetfire is light as a feather. But damn he looks good. Should this discourage me from buying Fanstoys Pheonix? I don't think so. He will make a great Jetfire in my collection as well.

    Tldr: I like transformers and transforming toys. Plain and simple.
     
  18. shadowfall1976

    shadowfall1976 The Alpha and the Optimus

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2007
    Posts:
    4,855
    Trophy Points:
    262
    Likes:
    +547
    I also disagree, I don't care for the Voyager IDW version, but I think even the G1 toy looks better than Smart Robin, definitely the TR one does.

    As far as Combiners go...after seeing Quantron beside UW Computron...I have to ask myself...how does anyone see Quantron as Computron...I mean obviously some do, but definitely not me.

    When it comes down to it, unless it's a MP, I don't even look at 3P, I have no use for any of their CHUG figures. And to me some like DX9 and KFC...even their MP attempts look like upscaled CHUGs. Which is why I prefer MMC or Bad Cube and sometimes FT.
     
  19. Huktonfonix

    Huktonfonix Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2016
    Posts:
    1,837
    Trophy Points:
    197
    Likes:
    +3,399
    Well....

    Positives. Some are just awesome and fill a hole hasbro has not. I.e. Voyager mp10, sharkticons, brawn, allicon, gears, predaking, etc... I realize a lot of these have official figures, if not great ones. I tend to buy used and if I can get a great 3rd party figure for the same as an official mediocre one, why not? Some figures like the M01 commander are just ridiculous and are likely to be duplicated especially for the price.

    Great add ons to current figures ( protector for rodimus, PE sets, etc..)



    Negatives

    Sometimes the plastic quality is questionable although most of the ones I've bought have been good quality.

    I always question the use of lead paint or in the plastic.

    Expensive.


    The bottom line is that some stuff will be a gamble, because hasbro may make it ( or a decent version), but some of the 3rd party stuff is unlikely to be made or will not be as good quality. It's your money.

    I've only recently discovered the joy of the 3rd party market, but the majority of my collection is still hastak. I will still go for the official version as long as it is decent.
     
  20. ZEGR

    ZEGR Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2009
    Posts:
    5,324
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    337
    Likes:
    +2,445
    I dont care who makes it..If i like it i ll buy it