Some people will only buy official Hasbro and/or Takara products. It's just another factor that aggregates into the demand for these limited figures.
As has been explained to you so many times, if you don't like it, don't buy it. People paying high prices for exclusives is one of the things that keeps the hobby going strong. Shattered glass gives us a look into what things could be like in a "Dark mirror" universe for the TFs. Much like "Dark Mirror" for Star Trek, comic books etc. It is interesting. The comic is as good as any other FP comic. Worth a read for sure. The toys are cool looking. YOU not understanding it means less than nothing. YOU have nothing to do with the characters, decisions, designs etc. The portion of the fandom that loves SG and collects the figures are eating it up. If that does not include you, then oh well, move on. If the idea does not appeal to you, and you are not willing to spend 30 seconds on google to find the comic, coming on here to complain about it won't change a thing. Seriously, you're complaining about who a character is, without seeing a bio or knowing anything about the universe he is based in.....
Yes. Fansproject runs between 2k and 5k units depending on which fig, popularity, etc. Botcon units are always under 2k. Funpub also has to pay Hasbro for use of the license and molds. Fansproject does not. You are comparing apples to oranges.
Someone maintains a list of all the exclusive run sizes and costs, but I absolutely cannot recall where to find it. Generally, the runs for Botcon and TFCC exclusives are in the ~1500 range IIRC, which by now is probably far less than a Fansproject run. But that's sort of useless to debate. It's apples and oranges, and we don't know how to quantify the costs of either party.
What I am complaining about is that SG Drift is going to push back the possibilty of deadlock. Plus trying to find out more about SG.
Well your hypothetical Deadlock is holding up my hypotherical Rotorstorm and Ironfist. Just peruse the wiki: Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise) - Transformers Wiki
Right, and with that payment they also get the mold. Which Fansproject has to do from scratch. But as stated, this is apples and oranges. Also, do people really think that more expensive transformers strengthen this hobby?
Fans Project and Fun Publications operate in two totally different countries. There are too many variables involved (i.e. labor rates, overhead, licensing fees, profit margins, etc) to be able to make a comparison. Keeping it focused on just US retail price vs Exclusive pricing, a Botcon or TFCC exclusive is made in a far smaller quantity than a retail toy, that's the main price difference, not to mention licensing fees, development costs, etc. For Botcon figures there's also the added markup to pay for the convention itself. I tried but I know I left stuff out.
I like Sioce... I like the man a lot. Great answers sir. Seriously. And Alucard, I understand what you're saying in terms of Drift, because in Comic continuity, Drift is a "shattered Glass" version in and of itself (since he began as Deadlock). However, the Shattered Glass continuity isn't reflective of marvel/IDW. It's a whole 'nother universe, and you need to treat it as such. Also, Botcon/SG releases don't negate Hasbro mainstream releases. Hell, look at Thundercracker. And your hypothetical Rotostorm and Ironfist are holding up my ain't-never-gonna'-happen Voyager class Classics Galvatron (new mold). (And very good point/analogy)
It's a bit of fun and lots of people enjoy it, so where's the harm? I'm not personally a big fan of the concept, but I have used a few of the more colourful figures to pad out my G2 classicverse collection, such as SG Cyclonus, SG T'cracker, and SG Slicer. All you need are some sets of G2 stickers, or indeed some SG stickers, and with a bit of imagination people can re-purpose obscure or littleknown repaints into an army of their own creation.
The majority of the cost of the exclusives pays the cost of the convention itself. So for instance, lets say they do a Wheeljack repaint, the only part of doing the exclusive is to change the set up for paint masking. I'm sure that a large toy company has to order its plastic on a per toy basis , so we'll assume that they have the raw materials around anyway. The aluminum molds used for the alternate heads and the packaging are the main extra costs. Therefore, anyone who orders a non-attendee set is essentially helping minimize the cost of the con to those that actually do show up.
SG toys make sense as exclusives anyways. All Botcon/Fun Pub exclusives are recolors of common toys in new colors. Sometimes they are sold as new characters (like Landshark from Landmine, Roulette from Side Burn, etc), other times as powerups or special moments for same characters (Invisible Mirage, G2 Ramjet) and sometimes they are sold as the character's evil doppelgangers from another dimension! Buy what you like, ignore the rest.
I will give all those up for a Voyager Class Classics Galvatron. But I think we need to wait for the economy to get better before we see this happening. I think a lot of the classics molds are due for a reboot. Actually, I thought about it more. What I would like, is for companies like this to do Deadlock. Realistically, I really doubt that Hasbro will make these type of rare one page figures. That comes to the Fan Pubs and such. So to me, at least, it is taking the easy way out and repainting a figure and using SG as the excuse. Like I said, could be me though. As for the cost, let's forget I mentioned it.
Well I'll toss in that SG Drift has nothing whatsoever to do with Deadlock...at all. As Deadlock would have been a totally different character in the SG 'verse. If Deadlock was ever going to happen, it still will. As TJ said, look at Thundercracker. However I doubt Deadlock will ever happen. Unless a third party decides to make it, course then we will get the bitching about how expensive it is and how now it will NEVER happen from Hasbro ala Defender. Also, Yes, More expensive toys makes the fandom stronger. More expensive means more desirable. There is a level of prestige that goes with having the rare/expensive/hard to obtain stuff. It is what seperates the serious collectors from the casual. In any collecting hobby stuff can get expensive. The more that is out there, the more we want. The more we want, the more we buy. So on and so forth.
I'm glad it exists, as it creates a bunch of exclusives that I can completely ignore. It saves me money.
Tell that to Sky-shadow, the repaint of Thunderwing. A Deadlock repaint, should it happen, would be Drift with a different hue of white and black\purple colours. SG Drift is like Deadpool. That's cooler, at least for me. And comes with all the weapons of both Blurr and Drift. I suppose there's a LOT of generations toys coming up that are either recolours or retools of what came before, so don't write off anybody just yet.
Ahh, I forget that their are elitist in collecting. That some form of separation needs to be done for certain people to feel special. I guess I don't think of things that way, and that's why we don't see eye to eye. Funny thing is, all the collectors I know that have pretty sick collections are not elitist.
