Studio Series discussion

[Dake]

I think it's mostly money.

It's tough to redo a relatively modern line without it. All the updates to older properties are one thing, and the G1ification of Prime and Animated is doing something different. But WfC is just not that long ago, and the original figures were decent. Throw in today's smaller budgets and they've removed the one thing they really need if they want to improve on what we've had before - the cash to really up the parts count and engineer them all out.

 

[unluckiness]

The game subseries always seemed like filler to me. Maybe the disarray caused by ROTB getting rescheduled caused them to push these out half-baked? I dunno, all I have to base this on is the clusterhug of the ROTB toyline

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Aside from Bumblebee's torso, the proportions on these look fine to my eyes.

 

[unluckiness]

I find Bumblebee to be the most egregious. Megatron just needs a different cannon, Prime just needs mudflaps and maybe gap fillers and Barricade's kibble is more or less where it's supposed to be, just bigger due to restrictions of three dimensional space. I don't think there's any easy solution to Bumblebee's chest.

It's a shame. I love the design but the new one's got issues and the old one was big for a deluxe back then but positively ginormous nowadays. He's probably near the current Optimus/Megatron height with double the mass

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

EDIT: - I posted this here by mistake. Please could a mod move this and the related replies below to the legacy thread please?

Takara Tomy are at it again with their overcharged products:

- https://takaratomymall.jp/shop/g/g4904810907251/

They're charging ¥38,500 for a straight recolour, lol.

In other news, you can get a non-titan class (but still fairly big) iteration of this character from around $80-180. In fact, you could buy a blue (Autobot) and purple (Quintesson) for around 180 dollars (if you get the cheapest) or around the same price as the Takara version (if you get the expensive version).

Pangu Toys PT-02B Defensive Fort w/ LED

Explore Pangu Toys' PT-02B Defensive Fort w/ LED, a 10.62" high ABS structure, perfect for adding an illuminated, defensive touch to any setup.

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Newage H53B Michael Omega Supreme Dagon Version

Here comes the new action figure, H53B Michael Omega Supreme Dagon Version,a whole new look.This figure is highly articulated to recreate your favorite scenes.

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All the various versions of this character/mold are here:

-

Show.Z Store

Show.Z Store -Your TF Database

showzstore.com

 

[unluckiness]

Yeah, Takara does charge a lot but I dunno about comparing unlicensed toys manufactured in China to the official toys manufactured in Vietnam(?). I'd chalk it up to the guardian robot having a market that is a niche of a niche, having gigantic packaging and having to coordinate a new run of toys. Setting the factory up to manufacture things costs a significant amount and the 3P seems to optimize this by apparently manufacturing all the color variants in one go.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Yeah, Takara does charge a lot but I dunno about comparing unlicensed toys manufactured in China to the official toys manufactured in Vietnam(?). I'd chalk it up to the guardian robot having a market that is a niche of a niche, having gigantic packaging and having to coordinate a new run of toys. Setting the factory up to manufacture things costs a significant amount and the 3P seems to optimize this by apparently manufacturing all the color variants in one go.

One is cheaper but smaller. There's nothing wrong with comparing them. Takara just shot themselves in the hot with this pricing so it's an easy choice for me; 3P is the winner and they will be getting my money in the near future.

For those with serious money (possibly more than sense), they could buy all three of them for a small, varied squad of similar bots. I like to imagine that the guardian bots were made, like other troop builders, in a variety of models (sizes, shapes, roles/functions, etc) so why not have several different ones if one can afford to?

 

[Shadewing]

Yeah, Takara does charge a lot but I dunno about comparing unlicensed toys manufactured in China to the official toys manufactured in Vietnam(?). I'd chalk it up to the guardian robot having a market that is a niche of a niche, having gigantic packaging and having to coordinate a new run of toys. Setting the factory up to manufacture things costs a significant amount and the 3P seems to optimize this by apparently manufacturing all the color variants in one go.

tbf its even high compared to what Hasbro is charging; it's like $70 dollars more.

 

[unluckiness]

Takara charges more for nearly identical toys. It's not limited to the guardian Robot. I don't know why and I don't agree with it but it's something they regularly do.

Nemesis costs $53 more. I dunno, maybe they figured they could get away charging a bit more because exclusivity.

I also realize this isn't the generations thread.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Takara charges more for nearly identical toys. It's not limited to the guardian Robot. I don't know why and I don't agree with it but it's something they regularly do.
View attachment 15800View attachment 15801
Nemesis costs $53 more. I dunno, maybe they figured they could get away charging a bit more because exclusivity.

That's probably it. However, Amazon Japan usually charges less than Takara Tomy Mall. For example, here's the same figure at Amazon Japan.

As Omega Sentinel is an "exclusive" to TT Mall, it's set at Takara's arrogant prices. Apart from Notraplex, I've bought every titan class figure (including repaints) but I shan't be getting this. Between the price for this and their dialled -in G1 rehash ("Missing Link"), Takara are losing the plot, IMO.

I mean, isn't this getting closer and closer to the Japanese Haslab Unicron price?

 

[Superomegaprime]

Its likely import fees that making up the bulk of the charge as its coming into Japan from overseas

 

[Sabrblade]

Its likely import fees that making up the bulk of the charge as its coming into Japan from overseas

Those higher Takara prices are the prices paid by the local Japanese, not combined with import fees.

 

[Dake]

The 3Ps are literally half the size. How are they comparable?

 

[Princess Viola]

The 3Ps are literally half the size. How are they comparable?

Yeah other than 'them being based on the same thing', I really can't see any way to compare the official toy with the 3Ps. But I mean the main appeal of the Titan Class figures is the size, so pointing at a cheaper and unlicensed alternative that also misses out on that aspect is like...missing the whole damn point.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

The 3Ps are literally half the size. How are they comparable?

Well, they are in price. Besides, scale isn't necessarily the same for all Guardian-pattern bots. In Animated, Omega S.P.R.E.E.M was a smaller, prototype of Omega Supreme, and in the G1 cartoon, one of the Quintesson guardian robots was fairly small too.

So, if we can believe our imagine that there are an aesthetic, function and size-range of guardian robots (which is what I do for any troop builder bots, such as sweeps, armada Cyclonuses, sharkticons, etc), then a slightly smaller one is a perfectly acceptable and cheap substitute for the larger, overpriced one, right? I've already mentioned this in my previous post, btw.

 

[lastmaximal]

 

[Haywire]

View attachment 16023View attachment 16024View attachment 16025

Change the blue and dark gray for red, black, and metallic green, and you would have something!

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

New listings.

Wave 1: February 2024
Core MV5 Mowhawk
Core MV6 Rumble
Deluxe MV7 Wheeljack
Deluxe MV7 Scorponok
Voyager 86 Scrapheap
Voyager WFC Starscream
Leader MV6 Megatron

Wave 2: April 2024
Core MV6 Starscream
Deluxe WFC Sideswipe
Deluxe MV6 Sunstreaker
Deluxe 86 Gnaw PR
Voyager MV6 Shockwave
Leader 86 Swoop

Wave 3: August 2024
Core 86 Steeljaw
Deluxe WFC Decepticon Infantry
Voyager MV6 Skywarp

Wave 4: December 2024
Core MV6 Frenzy
Deluxe HM Megatron
Deluxe Next Gen Bumblebee
Voyager WFC Ratchet
Leader 86 Springer

Level A Ast: June 2024
Level A Ast MV8 OP
Level A Ast 86 Bumblebee

 

[Glitch]

Can't be long until we see 'Transformers One' in this line up.