Siege of Cybertron Place Holders on TRU.ca

[imfallenangel]

Originally Posted by DCompose

People pay $30 a pop for Marvel Legends or Star Wars Black series figures. Transformers should really be no different. To those who say that they are going to pass on them because of the prices, you're going to find them cheaper and you're going to buy them. I call your bluff. No Transformers fan that likes a toy is going to let $10 get in the way of owning it. Who are you trying to kid? Shit goes up in price, that's how the world works. People argue when stuff costs more, and then whine when there's no changing in salaries or manufacturing jobs go away overseas. Everyone wants everything for nothing, that's not how it works. When I was collecting Beast Wars, they were $9.99 for a Deluxe. If the price is too high for you, wait for a sale. Check amazon everyday for price drops. Make a trade with someone for stuff that you don't need/want anymore. Sorry for the rant

The trouble with your rant is that the reality is...

Transformers are TOYS... meant for kids, not collectors, it's just a case that many adults that grew up with these toys, turned to collecting them.

They are toys, meant to be played with, possibly end up broken, trashed, replaced, etc.

Somewhere, this got lost, and your rant kinda explains the "why" manufacturers are doing it, because they know that we're getting close to the point where all their "toys" in the Transformers line are being gobbled up by "collectors". So they downgrade them in plastic content, complicate the transformation so that they are fancier..

Don't believe me? come on, what 7-8 year old kid cares about a "Studio series" (that was selling a few years earlier in a blister pack for 1/2 the price).

When I go by the Transformers in stores, it's almost 4/5 people looking at them are older men that "reeks" of "collector", and almost never kids as it used to be.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are our own worst enemy because too many actually defends the price hikes, the lesser quality... it's like you're working for them.

It's not wanting everything for nothing, it's a question that when you see KO/2rd party ones that are amazing quality at 1/2 the prices that the "big boys" who can mass produce at much cheaper rates... it's simply wrong.

Need examples? Devastator re-re-release at 99$... that's simply a joke, when I was able to buy some that are same quality at Dollarama a few years ago for 1$ each... that set should have sold for no more than 20, maybe 30$. Heck I just got the Kingbian Zhanshen oversized "KO" and it's freaking amazing, it's the great plastic of "yore", the design is fantastic, METAL parts, and being oversized makes it bigger than Voyager size, and I still paid under 50$ for it.

So yeah... selling pieces of plastic that are TOYS for children, that cost them pennies to make for 700%+ markup... and you're happy about it, even supporting it...*sigh*

And yes, most of us will still get them because we like them and it's what we collect, and there's not much choice, is there... but it doesn't mean that we have to consider it "right". But more and more now, personally, I've been looking and getting KO as I'd rather support those that make this a bit more affordable and at the same or even better quality, it's a smart thing to do. Hasbro and Takara could stop producing but the 3rd parties would go on.

[Pascal]

Originally Posted by imfallenangel

Need examples? Devastator re-re-release at 99$... that's simply a joke, when I was able to buy some that are same quality at Dollarama a few years ago for 1$ each...

Utter BS. I had the Dollarama KO, the fit was awful. I also had the original G1 Devy and the fit on the new reissue was better.

[Yonoid]

this is the thread your looking for....

http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showt...=74112&page=13

[Scrapper6]

Originally Posted by Yonoid

this is the thread your looking for....

http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showt...=74112&page=13

Only for complaining, also, You're is what you were aiming for in your post. Your implies that the person in question owns the thread.

This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood grammar Nazi.

As far as the price hike and the comments by DCompose and others are concerned. Personally, I am living on a budget, I do not buy Studio Series though I do want them, I wait for sales to get them because these things are sitting around on shelves cluttering ad nauseum due to the price increase.

It's impossible to compare the likes of Marvel Legends or Black Series to Transformers, Transformers are not high-end adult collectibles marketed to kids, Transformers are meant to be kids toys also bought by adult collectors.

Pricing people out of the hobby is a very real danger with these price increases, especially when wages are stagnant and these are luxury items. Because toys are not the only things rising, food is constantly on the rise, household bills for utilities are also always being raised and our buying power is reduced and reduced and reduced where at this point there is either the poor or the rich, the Middle Class has effectively been bumped off.

Of course this is just one man's opinion, feel free to disagree to your hearts content. I for one am glad to at least see that the links are there and more than likely I will soon be choosing to get one or two items, but not as many as I used to.

[DCompose]

Originally Posted by Pascal

Utter BS. I had the Dollarama KO, the fit was awful. I also had the original G1 Devy and the fit on the new reissue was better.

Agreed.

[ngnaw]

I blame scalpers lol and now I will need to stack 3 coupons on top of each other so they come out to like 15 bucks each lmao!

[DCompose]

Originally Posted by Scrapper6

It's impossible to compare the likes of Marvel Legends or Black Series to Transformers, Transformers are not high-end adult collectibles marketed to kids, Transformers are meant to be kids toys also bought by adult collectors..

I agree with everything said, minus this part. I have to respectfully disagree with this. Because War for Cybertron are PRECISELY targeted for adult collectors and are adult collectibles. What child wants a Seige Cog or Sixgun? These are marketed for us, the adult fans, not for kids (although some kids will get them for Christmas, much like Marvel Legends or Black series). If we're looking for Transformers targeted for kids, they are out there too, they're called Cyberverse.

[canprime]

I wonder if Hasbro is still towing the company line that collectors make up only a small fraction of their sales. That may be true for some lines/toys, but I think we can safely say that for Transformers the collectors are who they have been gearing their products towards for awhile now.

[Scrapper6]

Originally Posted by DCompose

I agree with everything said, minus this part. I have to respectfully disagree with this. Because War for Cybertron are PRECISELY targeted for adult collectors and are adult collectibles. What child wants a Seige Cog or Sixgun? These are marketed for us, the adult fans, not for kids (although some kids will get them for Christmas, much like Marvel Legends or Black series). If we're looking for Transformers targeted for kids, they are out there too, they're called Cyberverse.

Fair enough, I don't believe they are though. Nothing about the current Transformers lines are marketed towards anybody. (When's the last time you saw an actual commercial for anything on television?)

I have no idea what Hasbro's marketing strategy is concerning this new line, but seeing as how they aren't making any commercials then they clearly aren't marketing these to anybody.

Now if we were to use the term Targeted, that would fit more. Marketing implies advertising dollars being spent and advertisements and the whole nine yards (at least from what I recall of my business course.), targeting the products to us is probably more accurate hence the MSRP being hiked to match with Studio Series, which is also targeted more towards the adult collectors.

Honestly though I'm getting sick and tired of seeing toy sections clogged with those damn Studio Series boxes and other items. Hasbro has flooded the market with three (four counting the RID left overs still hanging around) product lines with similar characters... hell they've got five damn product lines on the shelf right now because Bumblebee has its own kid's oriented gimmick line. Folks are not buying as often as they used to because of the poor marketing approach, the overabundance of product hogging the shelves and parents just getting tired of buying a Bumblebee for their kids.

Of course I could be wrong about that.

[Mumps]

Looks like my minimum wage ass is done with toys...