Hasbro didn't "make" him a BotCon exclusive. The BotCon crew submitted a proposal for the toys, and they were allowed to use them because Hasbro had no plans to make them. Any toy that has been made as a BotCon exclusive could be done so because there was never any intention to release it anyway.

 

This bit bears repeating for any kind of exclusive. However, if there's any legitimacy to the complaint, I suppose one could say that Hasbro can't ever decide, say, three years down the road, to re-open the Universe line and do an Ironhide repaint of Tow-Line, since Botcon did do such already....

But, frankly, the chances of that happening were slim to none to begin with. At least, this way, the folks that got the Botcon exclusive got an Ironhide.

 

Because you touch yourself at night.








 

 

That's what bugs me a little bit about Hasbro... they sometimes seem to be unable to see the potential hidden in their own products. It could take them years to figure out that a figure like Towline would be great repainted as Ratchet and/or Ironhide. Where as a that would be the first thought of the general fan.

...and a more current mold... GF Starscream. I don't know about everyone else, but I consider this to be the best to date jet figure. Considering how close it is to WW, and the G1 cybertronian alt mode.... it's perfect to repaint as Thundercracker and Skywarp. Instead they use the Thundercracker mold to repaint as Skywarp.... plus I've read here just how many dislike that mold.

 

The fans represent only a small percentage of total TF sales (10 - 15% IIRC). Going to all the trouble of making a hommage to a character from a toy line 21 years old, is only going to have limited appeal.

There is a lot of potential in the newer TFs for hommages, I just don't want to see Hasbro get into the rutt of "ok what can we make this figure a hommage of?"

I like the current trend of hommages to fan favorites being exclusives, or getting limited use (i.e. one or two hommages) in the main line.

 

These are valid enough, but it's worth noting that Hasbro's intentions are rather different that our intentions. The audience that buys the vast majority of their product (younger folks, we'll call them) really wouldn't remember G1 Ironhide (nor Ratchet, which I'm actually more upset about having been made as an exclusive in such a way that I couldn't get it, even on the second-hand market, for a reasonable price) enough to find the repaint "cool" enough to buy it. By that standard, it may not be all that great "hidden potential." I is, however, an ideal choice for a club/convention exclusive, targeted to fans to whom the likeness to G1 Ironhide is readily obvious.

Anyway, I don't fault Hasbro for not doing an Ironhide repaint in the first place, as it doesn't really fit their goals as well. I certainly don't fault FP for choosing cool things to make as exclusives, and I'm past the anger at the fact that so few were made. It's done with now (at least, for those particular examples), and I can live with it.

(All that said, I'm also mystified at how they thought the Cybertron Thundercracker mold was worth a repaint, but they still haven't seen fit to make the GF Starscream mold available on its own in any form....)

 

Building on what Motor_Master is saying, the other reason that exclusives usually cost so much is the limited production run on them and their limited availability. There's a smaller supply and a MUCH greater demand, therefore those folks running the conventions or rare-runs of various exclusives can charge anything they want. Are they greedy and unscrupulous? In my personal opinion, very definitely. However, if I want an exclusive, I'd just as soon spend the research needed to make one myself than to wait hand-and-foot on Hasbro to release the toy exactly how I like it.

Also, because the fandom counts for such a small percentage of the total sales reeled in by, let's say, Hasbro itself, they can count on some fans - who, let's face it, read the boards - are total devotees and will buy everything and anything. A few sales at a price point of $80-$200 for a Hasbro exclusive will do just as good at bolstering Hasbro profit as a whole lot of initial sales of, say, supreme Starscream at a $50 price point, followed by a price reduction due to poor sales. Whereas the Starscream will go on clearance, the marketers don't have to worry about people passing on exclusives because they are just that - exclusive - and therefore folks will, most of the time, scramble to get the exclusive toy even if it's incredibly expensive.

Personally, it's an amusing and embarrassing cycle, because I see a lot of people posting "Oh my God I can't believe so-and-so exclusive is $200-$400! Buuut, I do need it for my collection..." There's the reason exclusives are so expensive, right there. Some folks feel they have to have 'em.

 

Am I the only one who never saw the Towline/Ironhide/Ratchet resemblance? Even the botcon exclusives looked nothing like the G1 characters, except they all had van alt modes, and a little accessory pack?

 

The resemblence is the van alt mode and transformation. He had a base thingy that he merged with to TF into alt mode, just like Ironhide/Ratchet.

 

Well, Hasbro does like to do repaints. If they are going to do one, why not make it one fans know. It's not like it will interfear with a child likeing it. Hell they could redo a whole G1 line and kids would be non the wiser. Ignorance is neither good nor bad in this case. I've yet to see any fan wank type of repaint that kids would turn their noses up at.

I'm not even for tons of homage repaints. It's just that in some cases there are molds that cry out for it. Like the Hot Rod (Excellion) re-paint of Hotshot.... or Thundercracker and Skywarp repaints of GF Starscream. Thankfully they sometimes get the repaints right. Yay Excellion !

 

Thats what I meant by accessory pack, sorry I didn't use the right terminology my bad.

And I still don't see the resemblance.

 

I think this question answers itself. they make the cool toys exclusive as an encouragement to go to the convention/store/event/etc. If the exclusives were lame, Botcon and e-hobby wouldn't have much of a business would they?

naw, its because these cater to the fans, they try to get ahold of toys fans will like and show up for. Hasbro probably test markets and focus groups the heck out of their main line, and thats good for their mainsteam audience, but with the fans, they already know the audience all too well. the forumla of "redeco Newguytron into Oldguybot" works everytime, and since their only going to make a couple thousand anyway, this insures a solid sell out. You think the average kid cares if Hotshot looks like Hot Rod, a character introduced likely 10-15 years before their birth? Probably not, so they'll take the blue car. But since us fans are suckers, Hasbro can count on us to take both. Thats just an example, mind you.

These toys are exclusive because they want you to buy them and help support the fanclub and stores that partner with Hasbro to keep Transformers on shelves. $30 might seem like a lot to dole out on a deluxe (I remember $30 being the going rate for one of the Car Brothers before RID...), but it spells out a dedication the company knows it can count on in the future, leading to more and better exclusives.

 

That's because the G1 mold was so poorly done. Tow-Line is my favorite Energon deluxe figure.

 

I guess it's been a dream of a lot of G1 fans to do Rachet and Ironhide "right". At the time, even though I disliked Action Masters, I always thought that the oppurtunity was missed for Action Master Ironhide and Rachet, they could have had real faces! Also, Energon had so many G1 homages that I think it was just natural for long-time fans to see the potential of Towline, especially with Hasbro's practise of recolors. Anyway, I'm very pleased with the Botcon exclusives as G1 Rachet and Ironhide have finally been done, much better.

 

to spite us.

 

while i consider myself very into g1/a geewunner, as much as i'd like to get my hands on those exclusive, i can live without em. i mean, towline on his own is already a fun toy. and his cheap/available enough to customize if you REALLY wanted em.

 

I have to admit, I didn't have the Towline mould before I got last year's Botcon set, so I couldn't pass judgement on it; now, however, I absolutely LOVE it.

 

Why do they make cool toys exclusive? answer = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

I definitely understand that there are marketing factors at work that I'm not aware of when it comes to toys, and that it must be a lot of work on the part of the Hasbro team to strike a balance between what fans and kids want in the line. That being said, I am confused by the choice of decos on a number of the recent figures. The Universe line in its entirety; the recent Cybertron Skywarp and Cannonball for example.

Take a look back at the original 1984 checklist. Even before those characters meant anything to us, they had beautiful, well thought-out decos. Granted, most of them were holdovers from their Diaclone colors, but they looked GREAT.

Fast forward to now - we have just been given a lavender jet and a black car with a skeleton on it. What would these two have looked like as a black jet or a metallic red car? They would have gone from silly repaint to must-buy for a number of folks here. Are kids more interested in a lavender jet than a black jet? I don't know - maybe they are.

I don't care about homages - I want to see TF jets in grey, black, and blue because those are great colors for jets, not because of Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, or any other bygone G1 character.