We’ve had Generations at Retail in some form for 15 years now (all the way back to Classics in ‘06), & this is the first Star Saber we’ve had in it. Not only that, but HasTak had to make it a HasLab release to get it out at all. How many people are left to buy another one?

There are no absolutes in life, but considering how many characters there are left to redo over Transformers’ long history, the only way I see us EVER getting another Generations one is if HasTak ever go back to stylised versions of G1 like earlier CHUG figures, and he’d be SIGNIFICANTLY different to this one.

Look, will we ever get another Star Saber toy? Yes. (eventually…) Will it be this one? No. Your best bet is in a few years he gets a new / reissued Masterpiece figure, or he gets one in Cyberverse / Core class somehow. It’ll be nothing like this one.

 

I think as stated by others, the point of this HasLab was probably to evaluate the viability of JG1 characters in the worldwide market. So it was likely necessary to make this a HasLab to evaluate such. Hasbro now knows that this demand is there. It's not farfetched to postulate them filling the niche by branching out into other size classes or stylistic iterations of the character a few years down the road. And of course, if more JG1 characters are included in subsequent lines, it would to me, further the necessity of including a Star Saber in some form as well. The WFC line has shown that people are willing to buy multiple iterations of the same character (given the Cybertronian and Earth modes), and there's even some spillover into SS (SS-86 Hot Rod and Kingdom Rodimus) so I don't think a HasLab Star Saber precludes a different iteration from being included in Legacy or the next trilogy line.

That is true, but I think the chances of us getting another Star Saber figure in Generations later on is higher versus <insert random JG1 character or late G1 character here>. Simply because of his status as a faction leader. And I don't think anyone is under any real illusions here of what a mainline Star Saber would look like. Of course it'll be necessarily different and probably less complex than this figure. I don't think it is realistic to hope for a re-release of this figure, though it would be nice.

Again, I think it is folly to hope for this figure to be re-released or for a future Star Saber figure to be like this one. I just think that in a few years, if Hasbro wants to persist in promoting JG1 characters, there's a niche and demand for a mainline Star Saber figure. Some people may want a Star Saber representation in their collection, but cannot justify the cost of this figure or need the bells and whistles it comes with. But if Hasbro expands on JG1 characters in mainline retail, it's also probably a bit off track to say that Star Saber will remain a HasLab or MP thing. Given his status as a faction leader, if Hasbro wants to expand on JG1 in Generations in a few years, he seems like a necessary inclusion there.

 

Oh yeah, the charge is good, got emails for the amount spent and the low balance. Now the fun begins to save up

 

I think JG1 is finally overdue for chug.

 

Absolutely. But let's give Hasbro a few more years. They only literally just learned the demand is there.

 

Indeed! Baby steps first. You don’t want to go all out at once. Let Star Saber, Deathsaurus and Minerva guide the way.

 

Yes, of course. My hope is that we see another Star Saber figure in the mainline sooner rather than later for those who might want him but cannot get or justify this figure. I'm just trying to be positive here, because I feel like the tone of this thread is getting very cynical.

 

It’s not cynical to point out that expecting a limited run collectors item to be eventually sold at retail is not going to happen. There will eventually be another Star Saber in some capacity but not until they redo all of G1 again.

 

If there is a new Star Saber (aside from a legends class which is still unlikely) in the mainline in the next five years I’d be very surprised.


I am not trying to be cynical but the point of a Haslab is to say “this is the only way we’re doing this, get it now or get left behind”. If they were to do another Star Saber (unless it was radically different, like an IDW version) then it would go against that messaging. For every single Haslab going forward there would be the thought of “oh I don’t need to back this right now, there’ll be another version soon”.

 

Will this be the last and only time Hasbro releases the character? Probably not.

However, the next one might be in Cyberverse-style.. or Core Class-size. Or it might not be able to form Victory Saber. Or it might not come with Saber and just be the larger robot..

I think if you want one with all the bells and whistles this one has (Saber, Victory Leo, G1 styling, larger than a Voyager, etc..), this was your last chance for the foreseeable future.

-SS

 

I agree, this seems to be the definitive Star Saber set for chug. Unless they rerelease star saber with victory Leo for masterpiece.

 

But I'm not expecting this and even pointed out that it's not realistic. My point is that it's not out of the question to postulate Star Saber getting a new figure as a mainline release in the Generations line in a couple of years. Of course it won't be this figure, but it would satisfy a niche of people who want a Star Saber but can't get this one. Will we need to wait until Hasbro redoes all of G1 again? I don't think so, personally. We get loads of Optimus and Megatron figures before that happens. Of course, those are more well known names, but Hasbro is difficult to predict.

I don't think that's necessarily the point of a HasLab. This post pointed it out rather eloquently. It seems more like this project was to test demand for niche JG1 stuff, rather than to say Star Saber is a one time thing and the be all and end all for this character. And now that Hasbro knows the demand exists, it probably opens the door for more mainline releases of these characters, which would also necessarily include Star Saber.

Sure, I think those are sacrifices we must expect if Star Saber gets a Generations mainline release. Maybe we could get Victory Leo as a separate figure in the same line, but you know, we do have to expect some compromises if the character comes out at a lower price point. Some people simply want a mainline Generations Star Saber and might not want all the bells and whistles anyway.

 

So, is the video of the painted prototype on Hasbro pulse new? Cause this is the first time I've seen it.

 

With the final pick in the Pulse draft the Haslab Super Funding Graph chooses....Star Saber!
Where it will fit amongst the rest of the team is currently unknown; however, Star Saber's stellar attributes workable size, and pricetag were just too attractive to pass up.

And now that the campaign is finally over, with only a few of the affiliate bulk orders left to be tabulated, we can all sit back and ponder the project as well as the future with a drink since the "Bar's Up!"

Currently Star Saber stands at a little over 27k backers, which is a remarkable feat for such a figure. Indeed, at the onset the campaign faced a number of hurdles, as well as the potential double-edged sword of pricing, that could have impeded Star Saber from even becoming a reality. The first is that among the 3 major franchises to which Haslab has so far catered, Transformers is certainly the smallest. Marvel and Star Wars are prime cornerstones to the Hasbro empire; have brand familiarity that currently dominate pop culture; and, despite some recent hiccups, maintain vast fan bases eager to spend money. In contrast, Transformers, albeit beloved by cadres of engaged supporters, is a distant third.
Already relying the smallest of the 3 major pools of potential backers, the Transformers team then curiously chose as their Haslab project a Japanese-created character, who was relatively obscure to all but the most diehard of fans and arguably had never even had official exposure in Western media. The character's very name was more likely to invoke images of an actual sword than robot.
Knowing that the potential backer pool was shallow and likely influenced by the experience of selling a $600 figure two years prior, the team wisely set the prospective price at under $200, making it the cheapest Haslab figure project to date. This action certainly made Star Saber more attractive, especially to those unfamiliar with the character, but it also forced the required number of backers to rise. Indeed, the resulting 11k necessary orders is currently the 2nd highest of all Haslab campaigns.
It is easy to see how the stage could easily have been set for failure. Necessitating a high number of initial backers for an relatively unknown character from what could be the smallest base of customers does not pave an easy road to success.

Yet after 45 days, here we are.



Not only did the Star Saber campaign succeed but, it seems fairly safe to say that it upended all but the rosiest of expectations. Currently reporting 27,364 backers, the project ended securing approximately 249% of the required orders. This becomes even more impressive when compared with the other 3 most recent Haslab projects: The Marvel Sentinel, Marvel's Galactus, and Star Wars's Razor Crest. Rather than be outclassed or over-shone by its fellow high powered contemporaries, Star Saber was able to hold its own respectively, placing in the middle of the pack both in the final tally of orders and the percentage filled for production.

Percentage of success

Razor Crest (6k req)----469%
Sentinel (6k req)----365%
Star Saber (11k req)---249%
Galactus (14k req)---225%

Final Numerical Tally*

Galactus------31517
Razor Crest---28136
Star Saber----27365
Sentinel-------21885

Star Saber's financial victory will likely have ramifications on the direction of the Transformers team as well as their future Haslab plans. It potentially opens the door to new JG1 designs and characters, and, indeed, the boards' leakers have suggested as much. If the rumors to be believed, Star Saber's campaign was closely watched by higher-up within Hasbro to judge the validity and profitability of such characters. It has even been suggested that a Deathsaurus leader- or commander-class figure is a distinct possibility in 2023 now that Star Saber has paved the way forward. Since Hasbro is well known for liking money, the likelihood of forays into the JG1 world appear definitely high, but at least at the moment it would be best to perhaps limit expectations to that of the primary characters. Yet combined with the apparent success of the Kingdom line and their introduction of the Beast Wars mythos, it seems that Hasbro for the first time in nearly 10 years is willing to stretch beyond the boundaries of 1984-1986.
Finally, it will be interesting to watch for any repercussions upon all future Haslab projects. The performance of the Star Saber campaign evidences the potential for success with even smaller priced projects. Both the Sentinel and Razor Crest were sold for $350 and Galactus came in at a full $400. The moderately cheap $180, in contrast, seems downright pedestrian, yet it likely turned at least a moderate profit. It also vastly overperformed compared to Unicron and likely set a very pricepoint benchmark for Transformer projects moving forward. Its very nature also hints at the feasibility of a potential gift-set style offering containing multiple figures, which of course fits perfectly among the Transformers' penchant for combiners and later powered-up robot forms.
In closing, Star Saber remarkably comes at a time when the Transformers brand seems to be at something of a cross-roads. For the past 8 years at least a heavy reliance on G1 has largely kept them afloat and turned a handsome profit, but it has to some begun to feel stale, especially as children who grew up with different variations become full-fledged adults with disposable income. On these boards numerous people have called for an expansion of the brand not only so that they may too grab modernized versions of their favorite childhood toys but also to keep the brand fresh. Star Saber may represent part of this new future and help lead the Transformers against their true enemies: stagnation and obscurity.


*The final numbers keep changing not just for Star Saber. When I checked Galactus last week it had 31520 and now it lists 31517

 

It is an interesting dilemma that they haven’t had to face with prior projects as the sheer scale or price of previous projects made them obviously poor retail matches. This was the lowest priced project yet, which was also of a main character. Either way, if hasbro sees it as profitable or necessary to draw more people into the line we’ll see a star saber again. Probably not this one though.

 

That’s got to be new. I remember the pic/video count being at 37 earlier and it’s 38 now

 

As always your posts are very enlightening! Thanks for compiling the data into graph form and putting it into context for us lesser mortals hahaha!! I’m gonna miss your graphs. It’s been awesome!

Also did you back star saber or no?

 

HeroQuest cost $100 for the base game and $150 for the full package

 

This is a bit off-topic, but can someone link me to where people are rumoring about Deathsaurus in the 2023 mainline?

Miss them? Is he going away somewhere?

 

where is that image posted? I can't find it anywhere.