is 3rd party over?

[elburrito]

IMO, Quakewave is the pinnacle of 3rd party TFing toys. Looking at Shockwave pics, I can nit pic, but I will buy it and try to sell Quakewave. Now I've heard a rumour re: the next MP from a source that is quite credible (cancelled my order for TnR not-jazz because of it). It has me wondering if 3Ps days are numbered. I have been a supporter of 3rd party toys but, at the end of the day, Takara is just better. Why buy an inferior toy? Regardless of how attractive it may look. Thoughts?

[Masta_Skidz]

I see a lot of these newer companies going under due to Takara's recent push on the MP line but not all of them

[protoform_ironhide]

Those 3rd parties are the ones that push Hasbro/Takara to pump out these figures, so I rather have them around. Has/Tak needs competition.

[CAF]

They should just all partner and licence the good shit and scrap the bad shit

[Deception]

There's too much transformers left to do so I'd give them a few more years at least. I'm surprised they only make 3p transformers. Those brick mmprs would be sick if they had 3p love.

[innermanchild]

Originally Posted by protoform_ironhide

Those 3rd parties are the ones that push Hasbro/Takara to pump out these figures, so I rather have them around. Has/Tak needs competition.

Totally agree. Not sure we would have gotten as much news from Takara/Hasbro recently if not for companies like FansToys and other 3rd parties forcing their hands. If they are enough of an issue for Hasbro to ban their products from Botcon, then they must be doing something right.

[Megatron75]

I'm going to say "no", 3rd party is not over. I haven't bought any 3rd party figures since the early days of 3rd party add-on sets and the infancy of their stand-alone figures. As much as I don't collect them, the products are always improving and other collectors are always seem to buying them, even if they end up selling them off when an official product comes along. I'd say that this is really their time. HasTak just can't produce as many toys as the collective 3rd party companies that are out there right now can.

[Sir Prime A Lot]

Takara is better? At what? I don't know of a single toy that Takara did better than a quality third party.

[Rev]

I think that the franchise is expansive and there will be lots of room for 3rd party stuff for a good while. Takara is certainly stepping it up these days. I don't think third party companies are forcing Takara. I think they are proving that there is a market. Like a free market research team.

I disagree that Takara is better. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't.

[Einstein]

Originally Posted by Sir Prime A Lot

Takara is better? At what? I don't know of a single toy that Takara did better than a quality third party.

You haven't been buying much than have you?