Canadian Transformers News and Discussion Forum

[Gaetznes]

Just showing my age on this one. But does anyone here remember back in the 80's and to some extent the 90's that toys spend more time on the shelves. By that I don't mean they were shelf warmers. Just that the actual toys were produced longer. Resulting in not a 3 month window for you to buy a figure, but any where from say 8 months to well over a year. In some case, certian transformers or Gijoes were produced for 2 or more years.

I'm just finding it intresting that current waves if your lucky you may find them 3 months after the launch. Meaning you have to be on the ball at launch to get some figures. If not, online retailers are the only other option. I have a very hard time personally to buy a figure for $18 plus shipping if I know I could get it for 10 plus tax locally.

On the Hastak side of things I totally understand there movitives and agenda. There are preciviably (I think I spelt that wrong) so many of each toy they produce that can be sold. Its all about the almight dollar at the end of the day. Implying that if it is like movies, 50 percent of the figures sold happens in the first week vs the rest of the year. So why flood the market with potentially unsellable toys when you need to send out that second and third wave etc etc.

With that said, I do believe it partly has to do with our culture as a whole. Short attention spans, the need for the newest thing on the market, and esspecially our ablity to be a society very dependent of disposiblity.

As a collector it is some what of a conundrum. On one hand I want the ablity to hunt down these toys locally. So if it takes months I'm good with that. Its the hunt that adds to the fun and joy once I do find it. I'd like to have that time to beable to find it, however in todays market I do not.

If I did have that time, Ie: longer then 3 months. There is a price to be paid, that being the longer I can collect say wave 1, I must now wait longer for wave 2 and onward. Which is sad in a way that they limit each wave. Limit it as in how many figures are released weither it be 4 or 6.

What would be nice, but not pratical would be to release all the waves at once. Implying that Hastak could release 30 plus figures at once and still make some good profit at the same time.

As a collector you wouldn't have to worry about the short window of being able to buy them. But it would be very expensive to get them if your a completist. Additionally if they were released all at once, we would have to wait a year for any new figures. I think distrubition may become a problem at that kind of voloume. Ie: you may only recieve 1 of each figure per box, or each box maybe randomized. Meaning each box may not have all the figures in that line Which then may result in a widly produced figure hard to get even if its being made/sold for a whole year.

I think I've just answered my own curiosity. I mean why do they only do them in waves of like 3 months. Its to maintain intrest. I guess I just need to write it out.

Well all i can say, does anyone agree with my rant? or is there something i've missed? Share your thoughts what ever they maybe.