Fort Max Reissue

[TheDirtyDigger]

Could somebody more fluent in Japanese than I am possibly send a question to Takara/Tomy about the plans/possibilty of an Encore Fortress Maximus please?

Any assistance or information would be most greatly appreciated here.

Thank you.

[lcz128]

Yep! That'd be awesome. Here here! Please help us!

[roller]

The day there will be a fort max reissue, is when i pay $100000 on a beaten up original G1 version, the following day they will announce a reissue with bonus figures etc etc

[MV75]

So hurry up and do that then roller.

If that is all that it would have taken, then why didn't you do it sooner?

[roller]

So hurry up and do that then roller.

If that is all that it would have taken, then why didn't you do it sooner?

i don't have an ebay account anymore, so if someone were to say, buy me a cheap fort max that is currently on Ebay Aust.

Then you would get an Encore Fort Max from Takara San :)

win win for you

[autobreadticon]

Takara haven't announced future encore releases, after encore Metroplex, what is next and when will they likely announce future encores? Nevermind Fort Max ;)

[iceburn]

next will be:
- Encore Shockwave
- Encore Scorponok
- Encore Trypticon
- Encore Fort Max





(haha, just joking and PRAYIN very hard)

[swoop]

I'd love to see takara do more two packs in the encore line. Sideswipe/Sunstreaker, cyclonus/scourge and stuff like that would be good

[heroic_decepticon]

I'd love to see takara do more two packs in the encore line. Sideswipe/Sunstreaker, cyclonus/scourge and stuff like that would be good

That would be extremely sweet. Sunstreaker, Sideswipe has ever been my favourites (and I for one am glad Sideswipe is getting 'spotlighted' by IDW)

Writing to Takara in Jap seems to be in Gok's department I'd wager.

I heard they suffered massive losses when they did the RiD Brave Maximus, and that was done cheap by Takara standards- die cast parts unpainted, no accessories except a radar dish, etc, etc. Judging by that, a Fort Max reissue appears to be unlikely, but hell, not impossible (who'd have imagined them reissuing Sky Lynx and Omega Supreme which are not even Takara originated molds to begin with).

[Pulse]

If they were to be an Encore Fort Max one day, I'd be more than willing to pay up to $300-400 or so for him. That amount wouldn't faze me in the slightest. :) (compared to what complete Fort Max's are going for on Ebay, $300-400 is absolute peanuts... :))

[heroic_decepticon]

I think you're right, $300-400 wouldn't faze collectors or even if it did, they would shell out the cash anyway knowing how much Fort Maxes are going for on eBay.

But I think the concern for Takara would be selling to the mass market because there wouldnt be enough fans to justify their production run. To sell to the mass market, they would have try linking the guy into current TF cartoons and continuity too.

Parents would hardly be too trilled with buying a $300-400 toy for their kids.

Brave Max retailed for S$200 (AU$160), and still it didn't do too well. And at that price, Takara is probably already suffering a loss (the logistics of shipping this guy around and keeping it intact is just one of many problems; I saw Brave Maxes casefresh back in the day and 7 out of 10 boxes are damaged due to transit). Any higher and it becomes a less than viable retail product...

[GoktimusPrime]

I guess it could also depend on how well other really big reissues like Sky Lynx, Omega Supreme and Metroflex have been selling. If they're moving slowly then it's not much incentive for Takara to reissue more expensive big-hitters, let alone Fortress Maximus being the mother of all TF biggies. If they still have the Trypticon mould (last used in 1998 for BWII's Gigastorm) then they might want to consider reissuing that as another market test before considering Fortress Maximus.

I'm a bit surprised that e-Hobby hasn't decided to reissue Metrotitan... I'd totally get one, even if it doesn't come with Metrobomb. It'd be really sweet if e-Hobby gave us a reissue Grand Maximus if Takara reissued Fortress Maximus. :)

Reissue Fortress Maximus would also be more expensive than Brave Maximus considering that it would come with accessories that Brave Max never had (i.e.: weapons).


But I think the concern for Takara would be selling to the mass market because there wouldnt be enough fans to justify their production run. To sell to the mass market, they would have try linking the guy into current TF cartoons and continuity too.

Parents would hardly be too trilled with buying a $300-400 toy for their kids.
Takara doesn't market their reissues at parents or their kids. Every reissue package states "For Ages 15 and Up" - they are marketing it at older collectors. Having said that, they are marketing it at a mass collector market.

[Tober]

Does anyone know how well the recent Encores have done?

I heard sales were rather poor :(

[kup]

Does anyone know how well the recent Encores have done?

I heard sales were rather poor :(

The trick would be to check which of the reissues did poorly if that is true.

We have to keep in mind that we have already had many of the encore reissues in previous and fairly recent lines such as the Book reissues. I am sure that most people who bought one of those book reissues would not bother with the encore, I know I wouldn't. However if the molds that have not previously been reissued have sold well then that tells a different story.

[jaydisc]

Does anyone know how well the recent Encores have done?

I heard sales were rather poor :(

Kyle said not good in another thread:


Even with Encore, I don't believe they will continue pass Metroplex. Sales of the later Encores have been pretty poor in Asia. TakaraTomy had high hopes for Encores, but the sales simply did not meet their expectations. Many Asian toy stores had to get rid of their stock with no profit and often with loss. TakaraTomy will not continue a line if they don't receive enough orders.

[liegeprime]

The trick would be to check which of the reissues did poorly if that is true.

We have to keep in mind that we have already had many of the encore reissues in previous and fairly recent lines such as the Book reissues. I am sure that most people who bought one of those book reissues would not bother with the encore, I know I wouldn't. However if the molds that have not previously been reissued have sold well then that tells a different story.

Someone should give his feedback to TakaraTomy. Coz if they just simply consider their observation of the line sales in general they then might consider canning the line as how they did with the book types, just when the figures being shelled out where beginning to become better IMO. TT should really consider a bit more researching on what really sells ( which Im sure they would consider as they at least take end customer feedback unlike Hasbro whose end customer is the middlemen).

We have yet to see a reissue of the rest of the seekers and other car molds which they havent done in the book types. Exclusive dinotapes or for that matter some of the more common ones (ratbat, eject, rewind, combiner Slamdance, Squawkbox). I was hoping they would go past these as well and consider reissuing figures fans have been clamoring at. Just observing ebay alone would give them an idea of what figures sell (often at ridiculous prices)and which do not due to the difficulty in acquiring these figures. Such as Reflector, Headmaster juniors, Headmasters (Sr. :p). These figs are not big and will not be hard to sell. They just have to really select pieces which are not reissued to death like say Jazz coz then nobody of course would buy it anymore after the umpteenth time its been out there.

[GoktimusPrime]

well that's assuming that they still have all those moulds. The only exception is Eject/Rewind - I can NOT understand why TakaraTOMY doesn't reissue them because we know that they still own the freakin' mould!

[heroic_decepticon]

I'm saddened but not surprised that Encores didn't sell well. If like what Gok said is true and these are aimed at older collectors, its all the more reason they wouldn't sell well (when measured against toylines aimed at children).

Aimed at older collectors means they will only be available at specialty toy shops and websites, they are niche. They wont be available at general retail and that is where most sales are generated. Kids can convince their parents to buy many many things, often without restrain.

Older collectors have so many more concerns. Teens are concerned with being cool, pimples, partying, alcohol and girls (or guys). Collectors in their 20s are concerned with studies, school fees, text books, partying, and girls (or guys). People who are working are concerned with mortgages, car installments, bills, career, tax and girls (or guys).

And we ask the question, where does toys, even if these toys were Transformers, fit into the pecking order? In short, by not targeting kids or making Encores available to kids, sale will inevitably not measure up to expectations when compared against kiddy toylines.

Much as I hate to admit it, I'd wager anyone that Ben10 toys are selling better than TF Encores, seriously.

[dirge]

Metrotitan would bomb. He never appeared in a cartoon, and can't really be tied in as an eHobby exclusive (Twincast, Guardian Robot). I wouldn't get it.

As for some of the moulds not released, I don't think TT see restoring some of them as viable. We know Sunstreaker & Wheeljack are lost. Convoy (Prime) was also lost, but they know they'd be able to milk that one to cover the R&D Cost.

At this stage I think the most realistic "new" reissues would be:

Piranacon, Trypticon (both moulds used fairly recently)
Eject & Rewind if they can work out how to package them
Trailbreaker, Thrust, Ramjet (limited about 6 years ago)
Dirge, Bluestreak, Red Alert, Grapple, Hoist (not mass released in Japan, only limited a few years back)

All the above moulds should still exist. Along with the Bruticus mould, but there are far too many version (real and not so real) out there, they've stated this one wont be happening.

Personally? I'd like to see Shockwave, Sandstorm & Snarl. Along with Fort Max & Liokaiser for everyone else to get (:

[griffin]

I wanna see a Metalhawk reissue, so I can get myself a nice cheap one.
I've heard they can go for up to $700... :p

[i_amtrunks]

Releasing figures like Jazz and Starscream was probably not the greatest move, since those figures seem to be re-released every 2-3 years.

If they are going to release further encores, releasing them in sets might not be a bad way to go. Encore Rd Alert/Inferno, Bluestreak/Sideswipe, Grapple/Hoist would all be decent sets that also tie into the G1 cartoon at the same time.

[heroic_decepticon]

I nominate Encore Springer.

The thing about the reissue starscreams is that Takara always gives me a new reason to buy each release... sign.

[jaydisc]

I nominate Encore Springer.

I'd buy that for a dollar!

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/buyfordollar.jpg

Actually, I'd quite happily pay more than that ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

Metrotitan would bomb. He never appeared in a cartoon, and can't really be tied in as an eHobby exclusive (Twincast, Guardian Robot). I wouldn't get it.
Yeah but as a limited e-Hobby exclusive I reckon they could get away with it.


As for some of the moulds not released, I don't think TT see restoring some of them as viable. We know Sunstreaker & Wheeljack are lost. Convoy (Prime) was also lost, but they know they'd be able to milk that one to cover the R&D Cost.
Convoy was partially lost (i.e.: they lost the arms but had the rest of the moud from G2) - it cost them an arm (sic) and a leg to recoup the R&D cost of reissuing that toy - and yeah, they've milked it dry.


I wanna see a Metalhawk reissue, so I can get myself a nice cheap one.
So that you can have two Metalhawks?! :p d:


Releasing figures like Jazz and Starscream was probably not the greatest move, since those figures seem to be re-released every 2-3 years.
Agreed. I was personally glad to get Encore Soundwave cos I missed the TFC reissue... but yeah, overall I don't think it was a great move to reissue stuff that's already been reissued. I'm happy with the Encores from Sky Lynx onward, since they're all new previously unreissued stuff ('cept Bumblebee, but of course he sells cos you have to buy him to get Outback, Swerve, Pipes and Tailgate! Devious!!).


If they are going to release further encores, releasing them in sets might not be a bad way to go. Encore Rd Alert/Inferno, Bluestreak/Sideswipe, Grapple/Hoist would all be decent sets that also tie into the G1 cartoon at the same time.
Sideswipe and Inferno was reissued in TFC so I dunno about that. I agree with Red Alert, Bluestreak, Grapple and Hoist though.


At this stage I think the most realistic "new" reissues would be:

Piranacon, Trypticon (both moulds used fairly recently)
Eject & Rewind if they can work out how to package them
Trailbreaker, Thrust, Ramjet (limited about 6 years ago)
Dirge, Bluestreak, Red Alert, Grapple, Hoist (not mass released in Japan, only limited a few years back)

All the above moulds should still exist. Along with the Bruticus mould, but there are far too many version (real and not so real) out there, they've stated this one wont be happening.
Yeah, I'd agree with those suggestions. Rewind and/or Eject should've been packaged with Twincast instead of Flipsides. As neat as Flipsides is, I would've much preferred either Eject or Rewind instead of her.