Pricing might be prohibitive to new collectors here in the US, maybe. In Japan, there is a drastically different perspective on collecting, accuracy to the source material, and pricing. Keep in mind that, for example, anime can have Blu-Rays drop with only a few episodes that are almost or more expensive than new release video games! MP-44 is definitely more angled for the high end collector market, which is really what MP was always meant to target, I think.

People who want to collect the mainlines are, whether they like it or not, still collecting toys, even if they are high end toys in some cases. MPs are being pivoted to be specifically collector pieces, not toys - and the West doesn't have a positive perspective on that kind of collecting for the most part. The West, as a general rule, has a "you're an adult now, what are you doing?" perspective on just about anything related to cartoons, comics, etc., though that has been changing between video games becoming the most popular and profitable medium currently available and the Marvel Cinematic Universe crushing the box office. But the focus on price shows even in how American-made stuff is produced. Even some stuff like the "high end" Blizzard statues are straight up trash quality per dollar versus Japanese figures - there's less of an impetus to produce a good product in the West versus the East because typically it doesn't matter what you produce, there will always be a group of people who consistently buy it. I own two of those statues, and while they're nice, they're worth about ~120 at most, and about 10 of that was purely for their bases, which are massive clunky objects. I have dozens of JP figures that are significantly better quality and durability, but they didn't cost anywhere near as much. Blizzard even raised the prices on the statues with the advent of the Mercy statue, including on the older ones... even though nothing changed on them.

It's a Western thing, I think. Often cheaper options are valued for their price and pricing in general is a bigger concern than the product itself, it seems like.

 

I think you make a very good point here. As Westerners, we have this weird idea that we should get everything inexpensively, completely disregarding what producing and getting X goods to us require, which is frankly a luxury and priveledge we’ve had for a long time that’s starting to crumble as the world changes.

Our collectors market is dominated by the concept of age, which is great when you want to go vintage (I have a very nice G1 Transformers collection myself), but those prices are often incomparable to other types of collectibles too, and because many people peg value on an unrelated item this way, we get strange concepts of value, particularly when you’re talking about a new product that is objectively worth the price tag on it, but because we compare it to something else that we accepted a value on, we lose our collectively minds.

I also find the shaming of collectors insanely weird. I can’t tell you how often I listen to sports bros broing out about some memorabilia, only to get weird looks when I compliment them on their collection and then get asked what I’m into (Tfs, mini painting, and D&D for reference). People don’t even realize they’ve got the exact same hobby as other collectors, just with a different focus.

 

Almost in my 30s and I can say that in my age group there isn't any stigma associated with collecting geeky shit, at least not that I've encountered. Not that I'm about to post pics of my MP collection on Facebook or anything, but if it's in the background of a photo then cool  

That could 'explain' the Beast Wars prices (a younger generation that doesn't feel like they're wasting money on collectibles), but I did see a few comments on Japanese Twitter expressing shock at the price of MP-44. It's like BG says, it's a big surprise because the people collecting it for the past 16 years aren't used to these prices. It's basically just TT finally playing catch up to the likes of Hot Toys or whatever (which are more expensive, and consistently have their own QC issues).

Maybe it's TT just trying it out with big name characters like BW Megatron and Dinobot, and G1 Prime and Bumblebee. They might temper the price when it comes to other characters, we'll have to see how they price Hound and Blackarachnia, or any future carbots or minibots.

I hope the feeling in @HolyCulture's bones is right and combiners are on the horizon, but it's possible that TT will reduce their accessory count or parts count in some way to allow them to come under a certain budget. But then to produce 'ultimate' characters, does a line require a 'no matter the cost' mentality?

I'm buying two copies of MP-44, but I still am aware that it's priced more than what can be explained with parts count and rising cost of materials. But I'm ok with it. The market in Europe or Ebay is pretty good that if I want to sell a used MP I can make decent money back. I don't think that much about the cost, once it's paid for I know I can make most of it back, but I get my money's worth of enjoyment out of the MPs, now more than ever. Sadly it ain't true for everyone, but I imagine it can be true for a whole bunch of new collectors who are seeing an Optimus Prime figure that for the first time 100% evokes Peter Cullen's cartoon character.

 

Honestly @Sam that is really wonderful to hear. I know a fair number in their late-20’s/early 30’s who’ve had a much kinder experience than people in my own age group about their hobbies. I’d love to know where the line of that change was drawn.

Likewise, I enjoy my MPs to a degree that the price feels like I’m getting my value from them, though I’m a little mystified by the idea of wanting to turn them around (well, I get it if you buy extras), but do we all speculate on the as much as just collect to enjoy?

 

I’m typically not one to buy doubles of anything but this week I bought a second copy of 32, 36, 43, and 44. Display options baby! Buying toys as an investment is never wise.

 

More like I'm more secretive and self-conscious about the thought of people going through my things after I'm gone!

 

Lol! Display options are grand!

This is the exact reason I’m not particularly spicy about V2/3’s. I can display the earlier version in alt mode. I particularly love the jet mode for the seekers, and bought all the knockoff display stands because I’d love to display them that way with updated bot modes.

 

I also have all the KO stands. A V3 seeker would be welcomed here as well  

 

What’s the date on that show?

 

I hope it's something that future generations can leave behind altogether. Just let people do whatever they like to make themselves happy!

Yup I don't typically buy doubles either. I ended up with three copies of MP-21 (one which I gave away) because Bumblebee's my favourite character. I've had two copies of MP-27 since release, but never opened the back-up. That was a head-scratcher  

Getting three copies of MP-45 because Bumblebee's still my favourite, two copies of MP-44 because I want to have a 'rarely touched' enclosed display of MP-36 facing off against MP-44. Second copy of MP-18+ is for a custom I have planned.

I totally dig displays that show them off in both modes though, even if that's not for me. For my favs it's nice to have an 'extra' copy to play around with on my desk.

Heh, can you imagine the horror:

"What the heck?! He had MP-44 instead of MP-10?? But Hasui SUPERIOR OH THE SHAME!"



Tokyo Toy Show is June 7th - 10th  

 

I don't think the Japanese market as a whole is doing that great, as the declining birth rate kind of removes a lot of potential customers. I think all the prices have kind of went up some over the last few years across the board.

As far as the pricing is kind of a dead horse at this point. I don't think it's about pricing people in or pricing them out, they just aren't gearing their line toward people outside of Japan and that's their prerogative. I pointed out awhile ago that their was a shift on their part to appeal to people who weren't necessarily Transformers fan. There are more collectors of scifi robots/action figures than there are of Transformers, who in their right mind wouldn't try to appeal to the greater market versus a small niche one. @Vaikyuko hit on a number of points about the Japanese market , people forget our japanese counterpart likely isn't married, rents, and has no kids simple translation they get more "me" money. That's not denying things have gotten more expensive, but everything isn't for everybody. Nobody knocks anybody for saying "this is too rich for my blood" its the prevalent attitude on this board of "how dare they charge more that what I feel I should be paying." Which is funny because they aren't making this stuff for us anyway, there is no English set of instruction packed in a MP box.

 

If an American company said it didn't care about the rest of the world, the shitstorm that ensued would destroy them.

 

That’s not true. Nestle has been actively flipping the bird to the entire planet for ages, and were all still eating a ton of their food because they own like 60% of the continental packaged food industry.

It’s not that Takara doesn’t care about other markets. As @jackisking says, they’re not focusing their strategy on the worldwide market. The largest collector market in the word is in Asia, particularly Japan. We are a secondary market, so the primary strategy of pricing and marketing only looks at us probably as a bonus, and a way to ensure sales of popular characters and sets.

 

As usual, we hope that the rumor for Jazz will be revealed there and it will turn out it's not.

 

There's a difference between wrecking the environment and saying you don't want our money.

 

First, Takara hasn’t said that. They’re clearly making choices to include the western audience, but were much smaller as a market, so we cannot be their primary focus. It’s naive to assume that because we’re not their focus, that we’re being rejected.

Second, Nestle does more than wreck the environment. This is literally a company that says they believe they have rights to own natural resources and then sell them to the people who produced those resources on their behalf, but moreso, by being callous to a market (the world) they are meeting your requirement for “saying” they don’t want our money. That’s how boycotts happen.

 

East Asia is not the United States. There is a metric sh!t ton on stuff that goes on and said in East Asia that would never pass mustard here.

 

There's noisy manufactured outrage peddled by the media and then there's quiet outrage when shareholders find out you're purposely leaving money on the table in another market.

I don't care what Takara does at this point with no real product differentiation anymore. I was just pointing out how that sort of disinterest wouldn't fly here.