Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm online friends with the guy who's hosting that image. I'll ask him if he can supply me with a higher res scan.

[Verno]

I'm online friends with the guy who's hosting that image. I'll ask him if he can supply me with a higher res scan.
You're a marvel mate.

[griffin]

And ask where it is from, in case someone here has it but isn't aware of it, or has forgotten. (I have quite a few US & JP books and guidebooks, so I want to see if I actually have it somewhere in my bookshelves)

[M-bot]

Did the G2 Combaticons come with stickers? If so, are they any different (especially colour-wise) from the stickers for the G1 Combaticons?

Google image search not helpful.


Nope! All their awful decos were painted or tampographed on! :D

Many thanks!:)

[GoktimusPrime]

You're a marvel mate.
Bad news, he no longer has the book (TV Magazine January 1998)

And ask where it is from, in case someone here has it but isn't aware of it, or has forgotten. (I have quite a few US & JP books and guidebooks, so I want to see if I actually have it somewhere in my bookshelves)
It should look like this (http://wing-auctions.c.yimg.jp/sim?furl=auctions.c.yimg.jp/images.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/image/ra187/users/8/2/4/5/bookoff99999_boc-img600x450-1462952785yegj3w27411.jpg&dc=1&sr.fs=20000). Otherwise I wonder if the Beast Wars Encyclopaedia (http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/msi/00/03/384/480.jpg) might also have it.

[griffin]

Can anyone read Japanese?

http://www.dvandom.com/tv/ax.GIF

Apologies for the size. It's the largest (only) version I can find.

A couple of google searches, I came across this version of it tweeted by TFWiki back in 2014 (https://twitter.com/tfwiki/status/540580821561008131) (right-click and view both images for a big enough image to read the Japanese text), which is the same cut-away image, but with a different layout around it... so it might have been re-printed in another Japanese publication some time later.
Best to ask the TFWiki people about its exact origin (they only note it as being from a guidebook) as I couldn't find the images on the actual TFWiki site.

[GoktimusPrime]

That is much clearly (and importantly, legible). :) I don't have time to do translations now, but perhaps Odie, Tets or any other Japanese speaking members might like to have a crack. :cool:

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I'm knda short on time atm as well...sorry Verno.:(

[Bladestorm]

Decisions, decisions:
Fortress Maximus... my son wants a big city Transformer. HK ani-con is coming up and the SDCC exclusives should be available there and I think there will be an SDCC version too (?).

So my question is: which city-former do I get him?
The new Hasbro titans Returns Fort Max? the SDCC version?
Or do I try and find an older city-former - Metroplex?
He wants big and highly playable with his other bots.

We have Trypticon... and now my son wants one of the even bigger guys.

What's going to be the biggest and best bot with a "reasonable" price tag?

[GoktimusPrime]

Get whichever is easiest and most affordable for you to get.

[UltraMarginal]

Decisions, decisions:
Fortress Maximus... my son wants a big city Transformer. HK ani-con is coming up and the SDCC exclusives should be available there and I think there will be an SDCC version too (?).

So my question is: which city-former do I get him?
The new Hasbro titans Returns Fort Max? the SDCC version?
Or do I try and find an older city-former - Metroplex?
He wants big and highly playable with his other bots.

We have Trypticon... and now my son wants one of the even bigger guys.

What's going to be the biggest and best bot with a "reasonable" price tag?

I read a review over on Seibertron that said Fort Max felt lacking in pretty much all modes. Primarily since the original toy had a lot more play features in City mode. If you're looking specifically for playability, perhaps the reissue of the original might be a good option, or Metroplex, or the new Fort max, he might have been unnecessarily negative.

[griffin]

Decisions, decisions:
Fortress Maximus... my son wants a big city Transformer. HK ani-con is coming up and the SDCC exclusives should be available there and I think there will be an SDCC version too (?).

So my question is: which city-former do I get him?


Tell him he's too spoiled already and give him some wooden blocks to build his own Autobot city with his imagination... :p

(having a 1980s childhood flashback moment there... :o )

[GoktimusPrime]

I remember when Masters of the Universe first came out -- either Castle Grayskull hadn't been released with the first wave of figures or we just never saw it in stores -- but one of my older cousins built a Castle Grayskull from a cardboard box. It was AWESOME! :D It had various chambers and even gimmicks, including a working drawbridge and trapdoor! :cool:

I didn't have any city/base-formers during the 80s, although I remember seeing someone else's Metroplex and feeling incredibly underwhelmed by its puniness. I didn't start collecting playsets until the 90s when I was a bit older; and the smaller and more affordable Micromaster bases were easier for a kid to collect. :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to rocking on my porch and telling the local kids to get off my lawn. :p

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I remember when Masters of the Universe first came out -- either Castle Grayskull hadn't been released with the first wave of figures or we just never saw it in stores -- but one of my older cousins built a Castle Grayskull from a cardboard box. It was AWESOME! :D It had various chambers and even gimmicks, including a working drawbridge and trapdoor! :cool:

I didn't have any city/base-formers during the 80s, although I remember seeing someone else's Metroplex and feeling incredibly underwhelmed by its puniness. I didn't start collecting playsets until the 90s when I was a bit older; and the smaller and more affordable Micromaster bases were easier for a kid to collect. :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to rocking on my porch and telling the local kids to get off my lawn. :pHeh, I made a Sarlacc pit like that once with my best friend at the time. It had multiple stomachs and everything - we spent ages getting the drop-to-stomach ratio roughly even.
That thing was pretty awesome.

[Bladestorm]

Tell him he's too spoiled already and give him some wooden blocks to build his own Autobot city with his imagination... :p

(having a 1980s childhood flashback moment there... :o )

Hahaha! The 80's were the best! I may not have been allowed a Transformer but I sure had large tub of blocks. One of the FIRST things I hunted down when I was pregnant with my first child was wooden blocks which are still used on a regular basis by both kids to this day (and my oldest will be 12 this year if that indicates how much love the blocks have had over the years). Lego is also a perennial favourite - in fact the basic imaginative boxes of lego get more use than the "make it once" sets.

I admit my son is too spoilt BUT he has saved his own money to help pay for his first city-former so I can't be too hard on him. He's also saved enough pocket money for UW Computron as well thanks to Chinese new year Lai See so I'm really proud of him for setting goals and sticking to them (unlike his sister who spends money as soon as she earns/receives it).
He has been eyeing off Metroplex for a while (begging me for the last 2 years) but I was wondering if the new Fort Max (in whichever form) would be a better option (and maybe slightly cheaper). I've seen a couple of reviews that aren't too favourable towards the Hasbro one so I thought I would seek knowledge from those of you who have had previous experience playing with and owning earlier versions of city-formers (both in your childhoods and as adults) or seen this new guy up close.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think it's reasonable when it's his own money. :)

[5FDP]

I didn't have any city/base-formers during the 80s...

Same, and I can't remember any of my friends having one either. Probably because most of my friends stopped 'collecting' Transformers before any city/base-formers came out. I was one of the few that continued on into my teens. My hidden shame :p

[Verno]

A couple of google searches, I came across this version of it tweeted by TFWiki back in 2014 (https://twitter.com/tfwiki/status/540580821561008131) (right-click and view both images for a big enough image to read the Japanese text), which is the same cut-away image, but with a different layout around it... so it might have been re-printed in another Japanese publication some time later.
Best to ask the TFWiki people about its exact origin (they only note it as being from a guidebook) as I couldn't find the images on the actual TFWiki site.
That is sexy. Cheers Griff!

[Paulbot]

A couple of google searches, I came across this version of it tweeted by TFWiki back in 2014 (https://twitter.com/tfwiki/status/540580821561008131) (right-click and view both images for a big enough image to read the Japanese text), which is the same cut-away image, but with a different layout around it... so it might have been re-printed in another Japanese publication some time later.
Best to ask the TFWiki people about its exact origin (they only note it as being from a guidebook) as I couldn't find the images on the actual TFWiki site.


That is sexy. Cheers Griff!

With those images you can get get the original uploaded resolution where the Furigana is much clearer. Here's links to the full res versions if it helps: Part one (http://i.imgur.com/tVLFMtB.jpg) Part two (http://i.imgur.com/LTesFak.jpg)

[doublespy]

Do Hasbro have any say in Takara's MP character selection?

Although Masterpiece is supposed to be a domestic focused line for TakTom, does the overseas market play into the character decision?

Was talking to a couple of friends about why we haven't seen a new mold MP Megatron.

[griffin]

Do Hasbro have any say in Takara's MP character selection?

Although Masterpiece is supposed to be a domestic focused line for TakTom, does the overseas market play into the character decision?

Was talking to a couple of friends about why we haven't seen a new mold MP Megatron.

Probably not anymore, as Hasbro seemed to have given up on releasing them now (or just one here or there).
Aaron Archer said at BotCon that it was him and Hasbro that got the series started with the Anniversary Optimus, but as time went on it seems that Hasbro have been getting less and less involved, to the point of Takara not relying on a Hasbro release to help fund the production (with higher production numbers to pay for the moulds).

[GoktimusPrime]

Do Hasbro have any say in Takara's MP character selection?
Nope.

The best way for fans to convince TakaraTOMY to make a new MP Megatron would be to either suggest it on the online poll, which unfortunately is now geoblocked. I'm really hoping that our members here who are in Japan are regularly using the online survey, because most of us here are blocked off from it. I was regularly giving feedback to Takara from 1997~2014.

Hhhmmm... I just thought that I should start saving them and bringing them with me later this year to Japan and spend one evening in a hotel submitting votes and nominations for all the Japanese figures that I've been buying... but then I realise that most of my Japanese toys recently have come from Premium Collectables, who seem to source them from a non-Japanese Asian source. The upside for some people is that they come with coins (makes no difference to me though, as I don't really care about them), but the downside is that none of them come with that little slip of paper with the toy's code for accessing the online survey! Anyone care to share the codes? It should be the same code for the toy; e.g. all the codes for MP Shockwave should be identical, so it shouldn't invalidate your opportunity to vote and nominate. Or you might like to try it first before sharing your code. :o Aah... I should remember to write down the toys' ISBNs (known as JAN codes in Japan) too. Still, without those codes the ISBNs will be pretty useless.

I trust that you and your friends nominated Megatron before the geoblocking came into effect. I never did because it's not a toy that I personally care about being done as an MP again (I skipped MP11 and MP28). Although I voted/nominated Galvatron several times and there's no sign of that happening. It obviously depends on what other people are voting and nominated on too. :)

[Verno]

With those images you can get get the original uploaded resolution where the Furigana is much clearer. Here's links to the full res versions if it helps: Part one (http://i.imgur.com/tVLFMtB.jpg) Part two (http://i.imgur.com/LTesFak.jpg)
Delicious! Cheers, Paulbot!

[Fungal Infection]

Has there been a knock off of masterpiece Clampdown released? I'm seeing some very cheap clampdown on ebay, not sure if I should bite :confused:

[doublespy]

Thanks guys.

But is it possible that TakTom still take into aacount of the international market, especially when Masterpiece has become such a success and been multiple releases a year? For example if they did a Walther P38 Megatron, there will be limitations to overseas sales.


Probably not anymore, as Hasbro seemed to have given up on releasing them now (or just one here or there).
Aaron Archer said at BotCon that it was him and Hasbro that got the series started with the Anniversary Optimus, but as time went on it seems that Hasbro have been getting less and less involved, to the point of Takara not relying on a Hasbro release to help fund the production (with higher production numbers to pay for the moulds).

Looks like I've been wrong the whole time. I was under the impression that Takara always budgeted MP releases without taking possible later Hasbro adaptations into account.

[GoktimusPrime]

Unless Hasbro and TakaraTOMY have agreed to collaborate on something, both companies disregard each other's markets when developing products for their respective markets.

AFAIK MP1 is possibly the only time that Hasbro and Takara collaborated on an MP. I suspect that the rest of them were purely developed by Takara(TOMY) without consultation with Hasbro (and thus without regard to their markets).


For example if they did a Walther P38 Megatron, there will be limitations to overseas sales.
Exactly, and Takara(TOMY) does release Walther P38 Megatrons, which clearly demonstrates that they are disregarding any sales potential in Hasbro's markets. This includes:
* G1 Megatron reissue ("Perfect Edition")
* G1 Megatron reissue (TFC book box)
* G1 Megatron reissue (DotM TF Chronicles)
* eHobby Megaplex
* G1 Megatron reissue (black ver.)
* MP5 Megatron
* MP Megatron (gold ver.)
If Takara(TOMY) were concerned about what Hasbro could release, then I doubt that they would've released all those toys. My understanding is that when it comes to a lot of the collector-centric toys, Takara(TOMY) makes them and Hasbro opportunistically decides whether or not they want to bring them across to their market. Toys like MP1 would be the exception rather than the rule for Takara's collector-centric toys.

[doublespy]

AFAIK MP1 is possibly the only time that Hasbro and Takara collaborated on an MP. I suspect that the rest of them were purely developed by Takara(TOMY) without consultation with Hasbro (and thus without regard to their markets).


I don't recall MP1 being a collaboration? It was purely a one off thing done by Takara and they marketed it with Binaltech




Exactly, and Takara(TOMY) does release Walther P38 Megatrons, which clearly demonstrates that they are disregarding any sales potential in Hasbro's markets


I was trying to say, maybe the reason that we haven't seen a new gun Megatron is because TakTom did start to take the markets abroad into consideration. Doesn't make much sense that we still haven't heard anything about Megs?

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't recall MP1 being a collaboration? It was purely a one off thing done by Takara and they marketed it with Binaltech
RE: What griffin said↓ (I didn't know this until griffin mentioned it, so it's new to me too :))

Aaron Archer said at BotCon that it was him and Hasbro that got the series started with the Anniversary Optimus,

I was trying to say, maybe the reason that we haven't seen a new gun Megatron is because TakTom did start to take the markets abroad into consideration. Doesn't make much sense that we still haven't heard anything about Megs?
Hasbro and TakaraTOMY are contractually forbidden from taking each other's markets into consideration unless both parties have agreed to do so.

There could be the fact that Megatron has already been done as an MP and is thus a lower priority to redo as an MP compared to characters who've never been done yet (I would prefer TakaraTOMY to do this). There has only ever been one completely new MP mould of an existent MP character, and that's Convoy (MP1/MP10). MP11 is a retool of MP3, so they didn't have to build a whole new mould from scratch, and MP9 is really Rodimus Convoy (with the bonus function of being able to become Hot Rodimus), while MP28 is purely Hot Rodimus. No other MP aside from Convoy has really been completely remade from scratch - and we all know that it's because Convoy is the "flagship hero character" of Transformers.

Also, simply talking about it achieves nothing. If people really wanted to see a new MP Megatron, then they should have voted/nominated for him on TakaraTOMY's online survey (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=201) before they geoblocked it in 2014. MP5 came out in 2007, so people have literally had seven years to pump feedback to TakaraTOMY. So if they haven't done it yet, I can only imagine that there's a lack of demand for it. Unlike Hasbro, TakaraTOMY allows fans to give them direct feedback, although they've now restricted it to only people in Japan (which lends further credence that they are enforcing their legal obligation to disregard Hasbro's markets). I have thrice asked TakaraTOMY to please consider lifting the geoblock (twice over the phone and once on their FB page), but they've decided not to do so (which is their prerogative).

Not voting/nominating on the survey and then whinging about TakaraTOMY not releasing toys that you want is kinda like not voting then complaining about the government. :rolleyes: If you care then vote!

[doublespy]

RE: What griffin said↓ (I didn't know this until griffin mentioned it, so it's new to me too :))

Sorry, I thought Aaron Archer meant Hasbro's 20th Anniversary Prime got Masterpiece started from a one-off thing to a full on series.


Hasbro and TakaraTOMY are contractually forbidden from taking each other's markets into consideration unless both parties have agreed to do so

AFIK, Hasbro Asia is distributing Japanese MPs in several Asian countries/regions, (similar to what we have here in Australia), so TakTom may think Hasbro as a distributor for markets abroad. Just my guess though.:D

As far a new mold Megatron, I'm not complaining/whining, just wondering why it hasn't been done now as to me it is a pretty logical choice. TFW2005 is having a poll now for "what do you wanna see as the next MP). Megs is at 2nd place trailing Jazz. And it's not a small poll, so yeah

[griffin]

Hasbro and TakaraTOMY are contractually forbidden from taking each other's markets into consideration unless both parties have agreed to do so.

Did they actually use the words "taking each other's markets into consideration", or was it more likely that they are just not permitted to sell in each other's markets?

As I had noted on the MP Exhaust topic (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=453373#post453373) (TT altering the cigarette logos so that it could be imported by Westerners), TakaraTomy may well only sell to Japanese businesses, but many of those businesses sell a large chunk of the stock to non-Japanese... and if those businesses can't sell to foreigners, then they won't order enough stock from TakaraTomy to make it worth producing in the first place.
In other words, if TakaraTomy only produced enough units for the Japanese market because they close their eyes to the bleeding of units to other countries, they would produce a lot less units, making them really rare to everyone (in and out of Japan), and the toys would be lots more expensive to pay for the limited number (like the TTM exclusives).
It would be stupid for them to not include estimates of non-domestic customers in their production budget, because even though they might not be doing the exporting to a Hasbro country, their "middle-men" (the stores that do export, or sell to Japanese fans who on-sell to foreigners), sell a significant number on their behalf.

[griffin]

Sorry, I thought Aaron Archer meant Hasbro's 20th Anniversary Prime got Masterpiece started from a one-off thing to a full on series.

His wording at the BotCon panel (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/bc16aa.html) has him claiming to be responsible for the Masterpiece line, by creating the Anniversary Optimus, which would be sold in Japan as "MP-01"... not necessarily numbered because Japan had plans to do an ongoing line, but because they number everything, even one-off items "just in case".


His proudest achievements or what he wants to be known for...
- Instigating the 20th anniversary Optimus toy that led to the Masterpiece toyline.
- Bringing us licensed cars in a meaningful way with Alternators.
- Worked on the Minicon gimmick and gave them the name "MiniCons" and did the logo.
- Overseeing the Animated toyline with Eric Seibenaler.
- Bringing out a Unicron toy in 2004, and as late as 2002 they didn't think they'd ever have one.
- His work on the Movies (being in a senior role at the time they were started)
- Creating the story of the first 13.Not sure how much of a part he played in the project though as many new concepts are done as a committee of various people, like brainstorming sessions.


AFIK, Hasbro Asia is distributing Japanese MPs in several Asian countries/regions, (similar to what we have here in Australia), so TakTom may think Hasbro as a distributor for markets abroad. Just my guess though.:D
Hasbro Asia in Hong Kong are quite the unique entity... a bit like Hong Kong is to China - they are part of Hasbro but have a lot of autonomy (at this time). They seem to have a really close relationship with TakaraTomy, to get their own production runs on the various Japanese Transformers, including the TakaraTomyMall exclusives.


As far a new mold Megatron, I'm not complaining/whining, just wondering why it hasn't been done now as to me it is a pretty logical choice. TFW2005 is having a poll now for "what do you wanna see as the next MP). Megs is at 2nd place trailing Jazz. And it's not a small poll, so yeahEven though TakaraTomy would take into account the foreign demand of their products, I think they probably just don't want to risk Megatron just yet... and could just be waiting for demand to build to a point that it outweighs any prohibition or restrictions in various Western countries that would end up with the most of them (America, here, UK).
I think it might be soon though as this new size scale of MPs needs a new Megatron, and after the Coneheads are done, it might be a good time for one.

[GoktimusPrime]

AFIK, Hasbro Asia is distributing Japanese MPs in several Asian countries/regions, (similar to what we have here in Australia), so TakTom may think Hasbro as a distributor for markets abroad. Just my guess though.:D
Yes, but the toy is already well and truly beyond the conceptual design phase by the time that Hasbro AP gets around to striking a deal with TakaraTOMY to get excess stock for the Asia-Pacific market. It's so late in the deal that by the time Hasbro AP contacts me to translate the instructions/bios for the toy, I've already pre-ordered it from Amazon JP or HLJ, because at the time that the pre-order became available even I had no clue if Hasbro was going to be releasing it or not. Time frames can vary, but Hasbro AP's decision to import the toy can come as late as just 2~3 months before the toy's release date. As we all know, Transformers toys are conceived and designed about a year before their release, so by the time Hasbro AP seals the deal to do a special import of these toys, it's far too late for them to have any input in the design process.

Basically what happens is that TakaraTOMY develops these toys for their market - the news is announced and Hasbro may decide to release the toy as an 'after thought.' But it's not a decision that's made from the very beginning as it would be with toys that Hasbro and Takara(TOMY) collaboratively work on. If it were, then I would hope that Hasbro would've given me much more advance notice and time to work on adapting the instructions and bios to English, but with only 2~3 months out from the release date, we're running on a really tight schedule and I often only have days to complete the work (which isn't even my day job, so I have to squeeze time in to do it... there were lots of late nights (-_-)).


As far a new mold Megatron, I'm not complaining/whining, just wondering why it hasn't been done now as to me it is a pretty logical choice. TFW2005 is having a poll now for "what do you wanna see as the next MP). Megs is at 2nd place trailing Jazz. And it's not a small poll, so yeah
Okay, but as an unofficial fan poll it is exactly that. Unofficial. TakaraTOMY's poll results are fed directly back to TakaraTOMY's marketing team. It's an anonymous poll, so you don't see what anyone else nominated or voted on, but I can tell you that a lot of toys that my friends and I have voted or nominated on before in the past for reissues, BTs, MPs etc. have come to fruition. :)

[GoktimusPrime]

Did they actually use the words "taking each other's markets into consideration", or was it more likely that they are just not permitted to sell in each other's markets?
Both. In 2003 I asked Hasbro AU if they would be willing to get a small batch of Transformer toys for the Sabretron 2004 convention. Hasbro told me that it was a minimum order of 1000 units, which was of course too many and too expensive. I then called Takara to see if I could just skip the middle man and see if Takara would be able to make these toys for us. I was told that because the convention would be in Australia, a Hasbro market, Takara could not make any toys for us without express approval/permission from Hasbro. Takara told me that Takara and Hasbro have a contract between the two companies which forbids them from developing products for each other's markets without express permission from each other. This was why they couldn't manufacture any exclusive toys for an Australian convention without Hasbro's permission.


In other words, if TakaraTomy only produced enough units for the Japanese market because they close their eyes to the bleeding of units to other countries, they would produce fewer units, making them really rare to everyone (in and out of Japan), and the toys would be lots more expensive to pay for the limited number (like the TTM exclusives).
It would be stupid for them to not include estimates of non-domestic customers in their production budget, because even though they might not be doing the exporting to a Hasbro country, their "middle-men" (the stores that do export, or sell to Japanese fans who on-sell to foreigners), sell a significant number on their behalf.
I'm not saying that it wouldn't be beneficial for TakaraTOMY to take foreign markets into consideration, but I can only tell you the facts as per what Takara explicitly told me in that telephone conversation. I was disappointed when I found out too! I wanted official exclusive toys for an Australian TF convention! And I did try to find loopholes around it, like telling him that these toys would only be sold directly to collectors at a convention, and that they would never be available for retail sale in stores, and thus it wouldn't be contaminating the mainstream Australian market. But I couldn't convince Takara to see otherwise, they were adamant that they had to stick to their legal contractual obligations with Hasbro.

I think at best, TakaraTOMY may guesstimate how overseas markets may respond to their toys. I think if they were explicitly thinking about overseas markets with Exhaust, then they might've thought about approximating the Marlboro logo; similar to what they did with the Red Cross logo on MP Ratchet. The fact that they've geoblocked all users from outside Japan from accessing the online survey also makes no sense if they want to gather information from overseas fans. It was a really easy way for us to give feedback to TakaraTOMY while appearing to only be targeting Japanese fans, since the survey was only in Japanese. But maybe they started noticing an increasing number of participants logging onto the survey with non-Japanese IPs and felt that they needed to put a geoblock in place in order to honour their contractual obligations. This is culturally a very Japanese thing to do -- they will honour what they consider to be the 'correct' or 'proper' thing to do, even if it's logically impractical. Geoblocking the survey only serves to further isolate non-Japanese fans from giving them valuable feedback. And I did make several requests to TakaraTOMY to lift the geoblock, but again, no deal.

I suspect that if TakaraTOMY were more mindful of the overseas market, then they may have considered making MP Road Rage a limited exclusive instead of a mass release retail figure like Exhaust. Because that toy is still shelfwarming at places like HLJ for about half the original pre-order price! Road Rage makes me think that TakTOM are kinda "shooting blind" when it comes to factoring in the foreign markets. The domestic market clearly hasn't been enough to absorb it, but they've obviously overestimated demand from overseas markets too, so now the combination of both markets are insufficient to move stock. Consequently we've seen TakaraTOMY learn from this experience and the upcoming MP Loud Pedal will be a limited exclusive. Even toys like MP11T Thundercracker and MP11NR Ramjet were limited exclusives, which indicates that TakaraTOMY may be playing things more conservatively after being burned with Road Rage.

Imagine how easily this could be avoided if:
* TakaraTOMY didn't geoblock their online survey.
* If the online survey was also available in other languages like English, Chinese etc.
* If the survey didn't make you enter your name in Japanese and only allows you to enter a Japanese residential address via drop down menus and manual typing in Japanese. Of course, people could easily get around this by copying and pasting names and addresses off a Google search, but it feels like yet another hurdle to make the survey less accessible to non-Japanese residents.

And of course, the packaging, instructions etc. would already be multilingual if TakaraTOMY were factoring in overseas markets -- just as a lot of Hasbro's packaging is multilingual.

[doublespy]

His wording at the BotCon panel (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/botcon/bc16/bc16aa.html) has him claiming to be responsible for the Masterpiece line, by creating the Anniversary Optimus,

Ah thanks, I do remember in the MP official guide book there was an MP01 concept drawing done clearly by Hasbro with various Dreamwave inspired design tidbits on it as "guidelines" to Takara designers (simply put, do this, don't do that, a common Hasbro approach we've come to know and love:D) It was possibly put together at the same time when they decided to do BT/Alt.



Yes, but the toy is already well and truly beyond the conceptual design phase by the time that Hasbro AP gets around to striking a deal with TakaraTOMY to get excess stock for the Asia-Pacific market. It's so late in the deal that by the time Hasbro AP contacts me to translate the instructions/bios for the toy, I've already pre-ordered it from Amazon JP or HLJ, because at the time that the pre-order became available even I had no clue if Hasbro was going to be releasing it or not.


I'm 100% sure but as griffin noted above, business wise it wouldn't be smart for them to only produce enough for the Japanese market alone; and it definitely wouldn't be "excessive stock", as a lot of the more recent MPs come out in mainland China/Taiwan at the same time as the Japanese market, with Japanese instructions and translated Chinese ones. The production had been planned all along. Why? The market is big enough there. :D

[doublespy]

Both. In 2003 I asked Hasbro AU if they would be willing to get a small batch of Transformer toys for the Sabretron 2004 convention. Hasbro told me that it was a minimum order of 1000 units, which was of course too many and too expensive. I then called Takara to see if I could just skip the middle man and see if Takara would be able to make these toys for us. I was told that because the convention would be in Australia, a Hasbro market, Takara could not make any toys for us without express approval/permission from Hasbro. Takara told me that Takara and Hasbro have a contract between the two companies which forbids them from developing products for each other's markets without express permission from each other. This was why they couldn't manufacture any exclusive toys for an Australian convention without Hasbro's permission.


I'm not saying that it wouldn't be beneficial for TakaraTOMY to take foreign markets into consideration, but I can only tell you the facts as per what Takara explicitly told me in that telephone conversation. I was disappointed when I found out too! I wanted official exclusive toys for an Australian TF convention! And I did try to find loopholes around it, like telling him that these toys would only be sold directly to collectors at a convention, and that they would never be available for retail sale in stores, and thus it wouldn't be contaminating the mainstream Australian market. But I couldn't convince Takara to see otherwise, they were adamant that they had to stick to their legal contractual obligations with Hasbro.

I think at best, TakaraTOMY may guesstimate how overseas markets may respond to their toys. I think if they were explicitly thinking about overseas markets with Exhaust, then they might've thought about approximating the Marlboro logo; similar to what they did with the Red Cross logo on MP Ratchet. The fact that they've geoblocked all users from outside Japan from accessing the online survey also makes no sense if they want to gather information from overseas fans. It was a really easy way for us to give feedback to TakaraTOMY while appearing to only be targeting Japanese fans, since the survey was only in Japanese. But maybe they started noticing an increasing number of participants logging onto the survey with non-Japanese IPs and felt that they needed to put a geoblock in place in order to honour their contractual obligations. This is culturally a very Japanese thing to do -- they will honour what they consider to be the 'correct' or 'proper' thing to do, even if it's logically impractical. Geoblocking the survey only serves to further isolate non-Japanese fans from giving them valuable feedback. And I did make several requests to TakaraTOMY to lift the geoblock, but again, no deal.

I suspect that if TakaraTOMY were more mindful of the overseas market, then they may have considered making MP Road Rage a limited exclusive instead of a mass release retail figure like Exhaust. Because that toy is still shelfwarming at places like HLJ for about half the original pre-order price! Road Rage makes me think that TakTOM are kinda "shooting blind" when it comes to factoring in the foreign markets. The domestic market clearly hasn't been enough to absorb it, but they've obviously overestimated demand from overseas markets too, so now the combination of both markets are insufficient to move stock. Consequently we've seen TakaraTOMY learn from this experience and the upcoming MP Loud Pedal will be a limited exclusive. Even toys like MP11T Thundercracker and MP11NR Ramjet were limited exclusives, which indicates that TakaraTOMY may be playing things more conservatively after being burned with Road Rage.

Imagine how easily this could be avoided if:
* TakaraTOMY didn't geoblock their online survey.
* If the online survey was also available in other languages like English, Chinese etc.
* If the survey didn't make you enter your name in Japanese and only allows you to enter a Japanese residential address via drop down menus and manual typing in Japanese. Of course, people could easily get around this by copying and pasting names and addresses off a Google search, but it feels like yet another hurdle to make the survey less accessible to non-Japanese residents.

And of course, the packaging, instructions etc. would already be multilingual if TakaraTOMY were factoring in overseas markets -- just as a lot of Hasbro's packaging is multilingual.

Thanks. That's very informative. But I also think just like what they did with Ratchet's Red Cross, TakTom definitely should've/might have already found a way around their legal obligations. Having Hasbro Asia as an agent/distributor makes perfect business sense while technically not breaching their contract.

[Bladestorm]

The fact that they've geoblocked all users from outside Japan from accessing the online survey also makes no sense if they want to gather information from overseas fans.

You may find the geoblock isn't willingly in place but perhaps due to international corporate pressure from overseas franchisees.
I am pretty sure Tak Tomy would gladly look at the non Japanese market if there was an easy way to do so. Japanese toy makers have had some pressure on them to keep their stuff as local release only; most recently with another big movie franchise causing some ripples so it is easy to speculate their may be more to the restriction than ... uh... meets the eye. ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

^good point :)

I'm 100% sure but as griffin noted above, business wise it wouldn't be smart for them to only produce enough for the Japanese market alone; and it definitely wouldn't be "excessive stock", as a lot of the more recent MPs come out in mainland China/Taiwan at the same time as the Japanese market, with Japanese instructions and translated Chinese ones. The production had been planned all along. Why? The market is big enough there. :D
As someone who's worked on translation instructions, I can tell you that these decisions are made pretty late in the piece. It's entirely possible that the Chinese instructions may have been done as late as 3 months prior to the toy's Japanese release date.

And I know that it makes business sense for TakaraTOMY to factor in the overseas markets - you don't need to convince me of this. But I'm also telling you that it's extremely typically Japanese to stick to the rules over doing what may be more practical. Here's an example that anyone who's lived in Japan would have seen (and those of you who've visited there may have seen): Japanese people never cross at a pedestrian crossing when the light is red, even when it's perfectly clear to do so. It may be 01:00 and there isn't a car in sight, Japanese people will continue to stand and wait for the signal to turn green before crossing. And when foreigners like me just ignore the red signal and jay walk across that crossing, I get dirty looks. :o Japan is culturally quite OCD. ;)

[doublespy]

^good point :)

As someone who's worked on translation instructions, I can tell you that these decisions are made pretty late in the piece. It's entirely possible that the Chinese instructions may have been done as late as 3 months prior to the toy's Japanese release date.


Yes translation work can be done as late as it gets, but production planning can not. And we're not looking at a mere 300 units sort of thing like we have here in Australia. If you check the Asian hobby shops and online retailers you'd know MPs are moving fast. As a distributor, Hasbro Asia may have done one of two things: they either placed order on TakTom as early as when TakTom are scheduling for their own production runs, or they took ordered some stock in production, and some on back order, so the factory will extend their production schedule to fill these units on back order.

The point being, it was probably planned production that TakTom can take into account when forecasting demand if they wanted

[GoktimusPrime]

The point being, it was probably planned production that TakTom can take into account when forecasting demand if they wanted
It's not an issue of whether they can or not, but TakaraTOMY won't because they legally cannot due to contractual obligations with Hasbro. What we may think about this "no cross market contamination" clause is immaterial, the fact is that it exists. That's why I've been saying for years that the best way for fans - in or outside of Japan - to let Takara(TOMY) know what they think is to vote/nominate regularly. That's why I went to the trouble of maintaining the survey translation thread to allow non-Japanese speaking fans to also partake in the survey. There's nothing I can do about the geoblocking but there was a good 6 year window for everyone to submit their preferences directly to TakaraTOMY.

[Verno]

How do you pronounce the 'G' of Ginrai? Is it 'G' as in Guinness, or 'G' as in gin?

[Jaxius._]

How do you pronounce the 'G' of Ginrai? Is it 'G' as in Guinness, or 'G' as in gin?

Pretty sure it is the same as gin.

[GoktimusPrime]

How do you pronounce the 'G' of Ginrai? Is it 'G' as in Guinness, or 'G' as in gin?
Pretty sure it is the same as gin.
Jaxius._ is correct. For this reason I initially spelt his name more phonetically as "Jinrai," but the official spelling is "Ginrai." Mind you, sometimes the official spelling on some Japanese toys can be quite different how they're supposed to be pronounced (because to most Japanese people Roman letters are purely decorative).

e.g. (official spelling) → (actual pronunciation)
Ginrai → Jinrai ("jinn-rye"); ジンライ=jinrai
Minelba → Minerva; although it can also be Minelba because Japanese doesn't differentiate between l/r or b/v. Also in Classical Latin although it's spelt "minerva" it's pronounced "minerwa" ("mee-nehrr-wah"), because the Romans always pronounced 'v' as 'w'; the pronunciation changed to /v/ in Vulgar Latin; ミベルバ=mineruba
Carb → Cab キャブ
Jallguar → Jalgar; the "u" is silent. This follows the same rule as the Japanese pronunciation of G1 Ravage's name, Jaguar - which is pronounced as "Jagar" (ジャガー;jagaa); ジャルガー=jarugaa

Other names which are sometimes mispronounced by Anglophone fans:
Leozack = Léo ("leh-oh"), not "lee-oh"; レオザック=reozakku
Lio Kaiser = "lye-oh" Kaiser, not "lee-oh" Kaiser; ライオカイザー=raiokaizaa
Lio Convoy = "lye-oh" Convoy, not "lee-oh" Convoy; ライオコンボイ=raiokonboi

[Mythirax]

So I'm trying to work something out, as google searches have left me with no answers.

I been looking at Titan Wars Fortmax's Waist, is it put on the wrong way?

Seeming as it's the same waist piece as Metroplex, it's just backwards? It just looks strange with the screws facing the front.

So you guys can see what I mean. (http://i.imgur.com/K35rkRm.jpg)

[Sinnertwin]

So I'm trying to work something out, as google searches have left me with no answers.

I been looking at Titan Wars Fortmax's Waist, is it put on the wrong way?

Seeming as it's the same waist piece as Metroplex, it's just backwards? It just looks strange with the screws facing the front.

So you guys can see what I mean. (http://i.imgur.com/K35rkRm.jpg)

nah, it's supposed to be that way as part of his retool

[Jaxius._]

They used as many parts from MEtroplex as possible so it would be cheaper, ramps, shoulder cannon, left shoulder, legs, crotch, and more are all reuses.

[Mythirax]

Guess I might take mine apart :D

[GoktimusPrime]

Yes, Fortress Maximus' waist is reversed from Metroplex's. I suspect that this may have been deliberately done as:
a/ The alt modes may no longer require the waits to rotate 180 degrees
b/ To make the waist look more distinct from Metroplex. It gives the appearance of being retooled without actually being retooled.

Here's a comparison; (L-R): TR Fort Max's crotch, LG Fort Max's crotch, Gen Metroplex's butt
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/TR_fortmax_crotch_zpsdmdgg2fv.jpg
I couldn't find any images of Fort Max's butt (bummer), but I'm assuming that it'd be the same as Metroplex's crotch. Anyone able to post a further comparison?

P.S.: Can anyone tell me what the Autobot text on Fort Max's crotch says? It's too low res for me to make it out. :confused:

[Golden Phoenix]

I think they have also reversed the base of the whole torso.
Even though the waist swivels, I see this bit on the back of Metroplex, but on the front of Fort Max.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7616/27730607216_05ef2b591a_z.jpg

Not sure why they moved it to the front though, unless it couldn't have been made flush with the back (I'm assuming he ends up on his back in City mode).

The question is why they didn't remould it out? It was part of the transformation for Metroplex. I don't have Fort Max yet, but does it still let you fold out the arm? Do you have to pull the arm out from the side for transformation at all?

[Mythirax]

I saw in a video someone fold the arm out. But it seemed pretty useless :D

[GoktimusPrime]

I initially thought that the lack of remoulding there was due to budget reasons... but given the significantly higher price tag on this toy over Metroplex, I find it harder to swallow that excuse. (-_-)

[Mythirax]

I initially thought that the lack of remoulding there was due to budget reasons... but given the significantly higher price tag on this toy over Metroplex, I find it harder to swallow that excuse. (-_-)

Yeah the price I'm not to thrilled about. But I don't want to miss out and end up paying even more. So I'm taking the risk :)

[BigTransformerTrev]

Going to Adelaide for a few days. I see there are 3 Toys R Us and 3 Comic Shops. Are any to be recommended over the others? OR are there any other good stores there one can find TF's at?

[GoktimusPrime]

Any interesting/decent TF stuff worth getting from the UK atm?

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I just had an interesting thought...

Do the RotF Scout Human Alliance figures scale with the old Dino Riders toys? I seem to recall the Dino Riders being roughly the same size, albeit rather more chunky.

[GoktimusPrime]

Would someone be able to post some hi res pics of TR Fortress Maximus' stickers please? I'm trying to translate the text but some of it is so small that I can't read it, and my phone camera isn't good enough to take decent enough pics for me to enlarge to read.

Thanks

[UltraMarginal]

For those that purchased a Masterpiece Ramjet, did you get a collector coin with it.

I received mine last week from PC and there was no coin, the listing says there was a coin but if there wasn't actually a coin I don't want to be chasing ghosts.
I have emailed them and I'm yet to receive a reply.

[gamblor916]

Mine didn't come with a coin. Can't seem to find any evidence that such a coin exists either.

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

PC confirmed no coin in this post (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=520315&postcount=1610).

[UltraMarginal]

For those that purchased a Masterpiece Ramjet, did you get a collector coin with it.

I received mine last week from PC and there was no coin, the listing says there was a coin but if there wasn't actually a coin I don't want to be chasing ghosts.
I have emailed them and I'm yet to receive a reply.


Mine didn't come with a coin. Can't seem to find any evidence that such a coin exists either.


PC confirmed no coin in this post (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=520315&postcount=1610).

Thanks guys,
I received an email from PC overnight, stating that there was no coin produced. You would have thought they'd remove the detail from the listing to avoid confusion.

[Megatran]

Thanks guys,
I received an email from PC overnight, stating that there was no coin produced. You would have thought they'd remove the detail from the listing to avoid confusion.
Totally agree. Removing the factually incorrect statement from the description shouldn't be too much effort. :rolleyes:


Whilst on the topic of PC & MP-Ramjet, does anyone know what this statement taken from their FB page means exactly?

We do reserve to right to cancel and ban any customer who feels there is some other form of recourse against PC for simply trying to provide them a exclusive toy at a low price.

[Seraphim Prime]

Whilst on the topic of PC & MP-Ramjet, does anyone know what this statement taken from their FB page means exactly?

They probably got someone who was being a serial pest on their Facebook page, either requesting constant updates or badmouthing the business on their own page, and banned them,

[requiemau88]

Has anyone else had a problem with TR Galvatrons head master coming out smoothly? SPrime's head comes out with only a little effort, but it seems Galv's connector is a lot stiffer. I'm genuinely concerned I'm going to rip of the headmasters head instead of pulling it out cleanly.

Anyone else having this problem?

[millhouse]

Did Tiny Titans series 4 get released in Australia? Just after one figure in particular.

[DELTAprime]

Does anyone know of a list of when TT items are due to go up for preorder? Kinda getting sick of checking every day to no avail.

[griffin]

Did Tiny Titans series 4 get released in Australia? Just after one figure in particular.

We missed wave 1 & 4 here.

[millhouse]

We missed wave 1 & 4 here.

Damn. I'm after a Galvatron, but I don't like the cost of shipping from the US for such a small item!

[High_Q]

Does anyone know whether the Encore series of G1 reissues has been discontinued? I was hoping for reissues of the deluxe Headmasters after Fort Max, but there has been no Encore reissues since then.

[Ozgardian]

Is the 3rd party trns Tetra squadron set of 7 worth getting?

[Batfan007]

Would someone be able to post some hi res pics of TR Fortress Maximus' stickers please? I'm trying to translate the text but some of it is so small that I can't read it, and my phone camera isn't good enough to take decent enough pics for me to enlarge to read.

Thanks

I can do with digital camera in the daylight. But what the text are you talking about?

[SuspectimusPrime]

Is the 3rd party trns Tetra squadron set of 7 worth getting?

Don't recall anyone here getting them via the 3rd party acquisitions thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=13442). Vangelus provides a good review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbXX44aVBUc) of the set. They seem durable enough, displays great as a squadron, but I couldn't get past the few posing limitations and shell-forming (in tetra jet mode, the back panel requires many little studs to be pegged in place).

[UltraMarginal]

Does anyone know whether the Encore series of G1 reissues has been discontinued? I was hoping for reissues of the deluxe Headmasters after Fort Max, but there has been no Encore reissues since then.

I'm not sure the line is dead, but don't hold your breath for more. They may revive it in lieu of more platinum sets or in parallel. I'd love to see the entire headmasters and target masters line from G1 reissued.



Is the 3rd party trns Tetra squadron set of 7 worth getting?

answered here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=531343#post531343)

[philby]

what is 'AFA' and why is it important? it seems to be a way to just put a bigger price on something you want to sell...

[TAAUBlaster]

what is 'AFA' and why is it important? it seems to be a way to just put a bigger price on something you want to sell...

AFA (Action Figure Authority) is an independent grading service for toys (much like comics)

I don't really agree with the prices of AFA graded stuff (even though I do own a few) but the idea of having things graded does have merit I feel. AFA's cases are always top notch and very good quality which are custom made to suit each specific item - whether is still sealed, or a loose figure.

With the acrylic cases being sealed, it stops dust and any further storage damage happening to boxes and pretty much keeps them in the exact condition they were submitted in. I think that's important from a preservation viewpoint.

Personally, I don't collect graded figures to sell at a high price in the future. I do it because I like having the best example I can find of my favourite childhood figures - which luckily is mostly less popular/later released figures.;) And I like the way they display in the AFA cases.

[Batfan007]

I'm not sure the line is dead, but don't hold your breath for more. They may revive it in lieu of more platinum sets or in parallel. I'd love to see the entire headmasters and target masters line from G1 reissued.




answered here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=531343#post531343)

Personally I don't see it happening. Especially with the high quality KO's floating around ebay of G1 toys.

[DELTAprime]

Is the 3rd party trns Tetra squadron set of 7 worth getting?

Just FYI, we keep all third party discussion to the Unauthorised Transformers Product section of the forum.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=46

If you look through that section you might get some find some previous post about them.

[DELTAprime]

Just got LG Hardhead, Galvatron and what's his name. Is anyone else concerned that the Headmaster's heads will pop off in the Transector's socket? Seems like a rather tight fit.

[morg176]

Has anyone bought anything from 'the little toy company' .com.au ?
They dont appear to have shipping costs in austraila.
Titan master heads figures are $10, just wondering

[Trent]

Has anyone bought anything from 'the little toy company' .com.au ?
They dont appear to have shipping costs in austraila.
Titan master heads figures are $10, just wondering

I have once or twice. No problems.

[Ozgardian]

Thanks SuspectimusPrime & Ultramarginal for the responses. Will keep that in mind DeltaPrime, thankyou kindly for the info.:)

[Batfan007]

Has anyone bought anything from 'the little toy company' .com.au ?
They dont appear to have shipping costs in austraila.
Titan master heads figures are $10, just wondering

Yeah I just bought my T.R. apeface from there.
Arrived fine, legit seller, yadda yadda yadda.

Edit: little toy company is based in Vic, Australia.

[SMHFConvoy]

Has anyone bought anything from 'the little toy company' .com.au ?
They dont appear to have shipping costs in austraila.
Titan master heads figures are $10, just wondering

Just put through an order, postage options are at the checkout and there are 3 of them:

Pick up (from where is unknown)
Standard ($9.00 for me)
Express ($15.00 for me)


I don't know if the postage fees are the same Australia wide.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

what is 'AFA' and why is it important? it seems to be a way to just put a bigger price on something you want to sell...

I've wondered this too, especially since they don't seem to have any qualifications. Well, they didn't, not that there is likely to be any, but they have graded KOs before, so....

I don't like them ;)

Plus I like to play with my toys.

[DELTAprime]

but they have graded KOs before,

Anyone want a MOSC AFA graded G1 Bumblebee? Yep they graded a bunch of KO Bumblebee's as genuine and I bet they are grading a lot more KO's as genuine these days since they now grade loose toys.

Also they do VGA, the Video Game Authority. I really see no point in grading games, they are not something you need to a have a pristine copy of. It's digital, a download works just as good disk or cartridge and I'd rather pay $10 to download Super Mario World than thousands for a MISB graded copy.

[BruiseLee]

Anyone want a MOSC AFA graded G1 Bumblebee? Yep they graded a bunch of KO Bumblebee's as genuine and I bet they are grading a lot more KO's as genuine these days since they now grade loose toys.

Also they do VGA, the Video Game Authority. I really see no point in grading games, they are not something you need to a have a pristine copy of. It's digital, a download works just as good disk or cartridge and I'd rather pay $10 to download Super Mario World than thousands for a MISB graded copy.

Wow, grading a KO as legit? Really wonder how "experts" don't have the tell tale signs of these KOs to go by.

[EvMeister316]

Hey guys, Just after some advice on where best to purchase Takara/Tomy transformers from i.e. price and reliability of seller? Was considering Robot Kingdom or Toy Story World (ebay). After Unite Warriors Superion.

[BruiseLee]

Hey guys, Just after some advice on where best to purchase Takara/Tomy transformers from i.e. price and reliability of seller? Was considering Robot Kingdom or Toy Story World (ebay). After Unite Warriors Superion.

Both of them are reliable sellers. Packaging may be better with RK though.

[Batfan007]

Both of them are reliable sellers. Packaging may be better with RK though.

What do rk do. Do they put foam on outside or something?

[tinyJazz]

What do rk do. Do they put foam on outside or something?

All my orders from RK have been well packed with styrofoam.

[griffin]

Ehobbybaseshop.com is also pretty good, and wraps things in bubblewrap too. Just a bit antiquated with their ordering as you have to wait for a paypal invoice from them after you place the order (to make sure items are in stock and check the postage estimate).

[GoktimusPrime]

I really don't see the point of paying someone else to grade your toy. If I want to know what the condition of my toy is, then I'll just go look at it myself. :rolleyes: If I'm buying a toy, and let's say I wanted to keep the box, I would simply cherry pick the best condition box on the shelf or keep the receipt and exchange the unopened toy for another one with a better condition box that I find later. Or befriend someone who works in a retail store that sells toys and get him/her to contact me when a new case arrives so that I can cherry pick straight out of the case.

If I'm purchasing from an online source then I would ensure that it's from a retailer that I would trust to deliver toys with boxes in good condition. I would probably avoid retailers like Premium Collectables in favour of another source that would say wrap the box in bubble wrap. (but as someone who no longer cares about the condition of the box, I'm happy to go with sources like PC :D) Even if that source might be a bit more expensive than say PC, I'd be willing to pay that extra premium to increase the likelihood of receiving a toy in as good condition as possible. I reckon it'd be cheaper than sending it overseas for some stranger to subjectively judge it and encase it in plastic.

And if I wanted to protect the toy then I'd purchase a display unit to protect and display my toys (although they are expensive).
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Conventions/EB%20Games%20Expo%202015/ebexpo_setup1_zpsoxuvxtpt.jpg

[EvMeister316]

Thanks for response griffen and tiny jazz. I will probably go with robot kingdom although still deciding whether the extra $$ are worth it for unite warriors otherwise Hasbro g2 Superion it is. Missed the boat on the Hasbro g1 :(

[philby]

Has anyone bought anything from 'the little toy company' .com.au ?
They dont appear to have shipping costs in austraila.
Titan master heads figures are $10, just wondering

i have made a few purchases through their ebay store, i don't think they had their own website yet then. they have been great to deal with so far and being in melbourne have allowed for local pick up too.

[philby]

thanks for the AFA chat. i was curious and interested because some people seem to put a lot of emphasis on it when trying to sell 2nd hand/old vintage stuff. it seems a bit weird in a way. i mean are these people official representatives of the toy companies? is there some kind of accreditation or qualifications? it almost seems like some kind of scam hehe

[Oztron]

Wow that looks worse than it was intended to be, well said Griffin, and your exactly right, fans will settle in thier desired groups/forums. And the quest for quantity over quality isn't something I'm doing intentionally. You guys have been doing this for years, there's a prestige there, and I in no way want this to look like or be some type of competition.

[griffin]

Wow that looks worse than it was intended to be, well said Griffin, and your exactly right, fans will settle in thier desired groups/forums. And the quest for quantity over quality isn't something I'm doing intentionally. You guys have been doing this for years, there's a prestige there, and I in no way want this to look like or be some type of competition.

Not sure what you are referring to, but as I've always told fans who want to interact here - it is on the condition that they don't target or compete with other Australian fansites or its members, as we are too small a fandom in this country to be competing with each other.
Besides, this site doesn't tickle the interests of every fan (and isn't expected to), so it is good to have options, for fans to settle in to where ever is best for them to enjoy their hobby.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

i mean are these people official representatives of the toy companies?
is there some kind of accreditation or qualifications?
it almost seems like some kind of scam hehe
No
No
And it does seem a bit that way doesn't it? ;) :p:D

[calvinsum]

Joined OZFORMERS several weeks ago and I was wondering how I could become a verified member? Many thanks!

[CHILENO20]

Verified member???? Please explain :)

[Seraphim Prime]

From the Forum User Guide (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=2):


What are the different Ranks, and how to earn them?

Rank 1 - New/Inactive
This is the rank everyone starts with. You don't have access to some sections of the board, or the PM (private messages) system. You need to interact here a little first for us to be sure that you are a Transformers fan, and we will activate your full Basic membership.

Rank 3 - Basic Member
When someone has interacted here a little, or posted an introduction, it helps us see that they aren't a spammer/scammer, and they gain this ranking, which gains access to the Meets and Sales sections, plus the PM system.

Rank 5 - Dedicated Member
Upgraded Basic Members after a few hundred posts or significant contributions to the sightings, news and info sections. It increases PM mailbox quota and possibly some preferential treatment with events or promotions that have limited availability.

Rank 6 - Deluxe Member
Only offered to dedicated fans who can be verified that they are over the age of 18, for continually contributing to the community as a fan. They are rewarded with a greater PM mailbox quota, Ozformers exclusives, and priority access to other exclusive or limited things... but it is also a position of responsibility, as they are expected to represent the standards of this site and community.

Basically, continue to be involved.

As a Basic Member, you've got access to pretty much everything the board has to offer - sightings, discussions, sales threads, etc.

The bonus of extra storage space (and therefore burden on the board's servers) coming as you establish yourself more and get involved with the various aspects of the community.

Welcome to the boards! We hope you've been enjoying yourself so far, and look forward to sharing in our hobby with you, whether you want to show off you collection, discuss comics, or provide your thoughts on different figures, we cater to almost all tastes here. :)

[griffin]

You are already a "verified" (activated) member.

[calvinsum]

From the Forum User Guide (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=2):



Basically, continue to be involved.

As a Basic Member, you've got access to pretty much everything the board has to offer - sightings, discussions, sales threads, etc.

The bonus of extra storage space (and therefore burden on the board's servers) coming as you establish yourself more and get involved with the various aspects of the community.

Welcome to the boards! We hope you've been enjoying yourself so far, and look forward to sharing in our hobby with you, whether you want to show off you collection, discuss comics, or provide your thoughts on different figures, we cater to almost all tastes here. :)

Thanks a lot! The reason why I was asking this stupid question was because I didn't have access to the sale board as I was not a verified member....(maybe my rank was not high enough?) However, just realized that I have got the access already now...Thank you guys!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Does anyone know the Tariff Classification for Transformers?

I sent a whole bunch of TFs back here to Oz by post, and Customs/"Border Force" is demanding I complete some crappy Import Declaration form before they'll release them to me.:(
I've been searching for the right code for ages, and of course the phone line is too busy so they can't take my call.

Le sigh.

[GoktimusPrime]

Schedule 3 Section 20 Chapter 95 - Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof
https://www.border.gov.au/Busi/Tari/Curr#Schedule3

[GoktimusPrime]

Welcome to the board, calvinsum. Just out of curiosity, is your user name meant to be Latin?
i.e. calvin(us) sum = "I am Calvin"

:)

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Cheers Goki.

As far as I can tell it's 95030030 . Stat code is 18 .

EDIT - Aaaaand it turns out I didn't need it anyway. Customs was asking me to fill out (and still hasn't twigged onto the fact that it is) the wrong form. Found that out after a nice half-day trying to get through to the phone line. They want/ed me to fill out an Import Declaration form, as in for commercial purposes, rather than an Unaccompanied Personal Effects form. Even though the boxes are labeled as my own personal effects, and the contents are all loose and wrapped in plastic bags and newspaper for padding.
So now I get to pay them for 5 days' holding fees, and have wasted a day (more if they want to be pains in the butt about it) filling out forms, because they mistook my stuff for commercial goods.

[calvinsum]

Welcome to the board, calvinsum. Just out of curiosity, is your user name meant to be Latin?
i.e. calvin(us) sum = "I am Calvin"

:)

I know nothing about Latin...lol, but it's good to know it can be interpreted in this way:D

[prjkt]

I'd make a claim that it was their mistake and they should waive the fee

[SuspectimusPrime]

Cheers Goki.

As far as I can tell it's 95030030 . Stat code is 18 .

EDIT - Aaaaand it turns out I didn't need it anyway. Customs was asking me to fill out (and still hasn't twigged onto the fact that it is) the wrong form. Found that out after a nice half-day trying to get through to the phone line. They want/ed me to fill out an Import Declaration form, as in for commercial purposes, rather than an Unaccompanied Personal Effects form. Even though the boxes are labeled as my own personal effects, and the contents are all loose and wrapped in plastic bags and newspaper for padding.
So now I get to pay them for 5 days' holding fees, and have wasted a day (more if they want to be pains in the butt about it) filling out forms, because they mistook my stuff for commercial goods.

You should count yourself lucky if you paid for 5 days and actually got it back on the 6th day.
https://www.border.gov.au/News/Pages/travellers-clients.aspx

There are a lot of jobs on the line with the current EBA negotiation. The union has been engaged in protected industrial action, which has affected standard processing times and the quality of it.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/immigration-boss-warns-additional-job-losses-are-inevitable-20160207-gmo4c2.html

[Batfan007]

thanks for the AFA chat. i was curious and interested because some people seem to put a lot of emphasis on it when trying to sell 2nd hand/old vintage stuff. it seems a bit weird in a way. i mean are these people official representatives of the toy companies? is there some kind of accreditation or qualifications? it almost seems like some kind of scam hehe

What AFA?
Why is that in this thread?
Can you link to it?

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

What AFA?
Why is that in this thread?
Can you link to it?
Action figure something something.
Because it was asked in relation to tf toys
Two pages ago mate. There's a link in the page numbers at the bottom of the thread.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

You should count yourself lucky if you paid for 5 days and actually got it back on the 6th day.
https://www.border.gov.au/News/Pages/travellers-clients.aspx

There are a lot of jobs on the line with the current EBA negotiation. The union has been engaged in protected industrial action, which has affected standard processing times and the quality of it.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/immigration-boss-warns-additional-job-losses-are-inevitable-20160207-gmo4c2.htmlI got a response today...they've accepted it as personal effects and are releasing it. I imagine I'll get slugged for 6 days, but that's the better part of 5 years' collecting while living in Japan so I don't want to lose it.

I think the trick was that I listed them as 'Transformers', which I assume someone mistook as the electrical equipment, hence the 'probably-commercial' bit. I clarified it yesterday so that might be the key.
Handy lesson learned: label TFs as 'Transformers Toys'.

And yeah, I'd heard that "Border Force" was getting screwed over, along with the rest of the public service. Old Eric Abetz isn't much of a negotiator it turns out, and is pretty stingy to boot. So yeah, good luck within bad I guess.
Better yet, I'm pretty sure my last package for a while came today, so I got in just under the wire.

[GoktimusPrime]

Gawd... shipping back my entire early BW and MW collection after living in Japan for 1 year was bad enough... I can only imagine how much worse (and dearer) it must be to be shipping back 5 years' worth of toys! :eek: As a full time student the cost of shipping my own toys back cost me an arm and a leg. :o

[Bladestorm]

I got a response today...they've accepted it as personal effects and are releasing it. I imagine I'll get slugged for 6 days, but that's the better part of 5 years' collecting while living in Japan so I don't want to lose it.

I think the trick was that I listed them as 'Transformers', which I assume someone mistook as the electrical equipment, hence the 'probably-commercial' bit. I clarified it yesterday so that might be the key.
Handy lesson learned: label TFs as 'Transformers Toys'.


Did you have to pay any duty at all Ode?
I'm curious because at some point I'm going to be in the same position of trying to get my collection back to Sydney as well and worried about how best to go about it especially as I have a few SMIB figures I don't want to crack open until I am back and have a place to display them...

[BruiseLee]

Did you have to pay any duty at all Ode?
I'm curious because at some point I'm going to be in the same position of trying to get my collection back to Sydney as well and worried about how best to go about it especially as I have a few SMIB figures I don't want to crack open until I am back and have a place to display them...

I've shipped a number of large boxes from Singapore. If declared as personal effects there shouldn't be an issue with import duties. As Ode said, just list as toys. Maybe also chuck in some well loved toys amongst the minty boxes just to prove that point :)

[Paulbot]

I think the trick was that I listed them as 'Transformers', which I assume someone mistook as the electrical equipment, hence the 'probably-commercial' bit. I clarified it yesterday so that might be the key.
Handy lesson learned: label TFs as 'Transformers Toys'.

When I came back from BotCon with a lot of toys, I just listed them as "Plastic Toys" - figured that was generic enough.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Did you have to pay any duty at all Ode?
I'm curious because at some point I'm going to be in the same position of trying to get my collection back to Sydney as well and worried about how best to go about it especially as I have a few SMIB figures I don't want to crack open until I am back and have a place to display them...If it's personal effects then it's all good. They initially wanted proof of value when they were holding them as goods for sale, but personal effects are apparently OK.

The form you'll want to fill out - if anything does get held back - is B534. The email they sent me asked for Form N10, which is for commercial imports.
Another thing worth noting is that there are pretty stingy size limits for sea mail, so sending things back can get a bit pricey. Also, apparently you're not allowed to send precious-metal items via EMS, it has to be air or sea mail and insured.
You also need to explicitly state that the packages contain no alcohol, no lithium batteries, and no glues/adhesive substances.

I'm not sure if they're waiving the fee for the storage, I sort of doubt it though. Apparently an invoice was meant to be sent via email, but I have't gotten one yet, just a message saying the boxes have been accepted as personal effects and will be sent to me via Australia Post.

[Bladestorm]

Thanks guys.

It's good to know the figures can come in without too much drama, and that descriptions are important. :)
I'd been stressing a bit over how I was going to get them back when the time comes but sounds like it won't be an issue.

[Batfan007]

Action figure something something.
Because it was asked in relation to tf toys
Two pages ago mate. There's a link in the page numbers at the bottom of the thread.

I misread that post.

Thought it was AMA rather than AFA.

I was like WTF is an AMA doing in this thread. :D

[Sam]

I am curious to know if there were any indications / hints that the G1 Starscream was going to be made one of the good guys?

I ask because it seems most characters that have red, blue, and white in their colour scheme tend to be considered the good guys, while those with purple and black are Decepticons.

I know this is a generalisation, I was merely curious and thought many members here are experts in Transformers history (including behind the scenes decisions that most casual fans such as myself wouldn't know).

Hope that question made sense. :)

[GoktimusPrime]

Starscream (and Thundercracker)'s colours are a direct carry over from Diaclone's Jet Robo (http://www.robotkingdom.com.hk/images/products/thumb/TFVDJETROBOF15S1.jpg). In Diaclone, both are stated as "Acrobat Type," which suggests to me that they may be inspired by jets seen in aerial acrobatic shows which can feature colours otherwise not seen in military jets (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/F-15_eagle_USAF.jpg). The original MP3 Starscream features a relatively more realistic looking colour scheme, but is disliked by many fans, and all subsequent MP Starscreams have featured the G1 accurate acrobat colours. Skywarp was the only of the 3 first year jets whose colours were decided by Hasbro and not based on a pre-existing Diaclone colour scheme.

Images of acrobatic jets:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/db/32/f8/db32f8b3cbec683b25852751934e3256.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/59/68/74/596874a61b45393f62d0d529de0f7d7f.jpg

Ultra Magnus' colours may have been modified to make him look more "heroic" to kids.
Diaclone colours (http://diaclone.net/orid/dia057/05715.jpg)
Although the decision to change Magnus' colours must've come later considering that Toei got to the stage of animating and colouring in scenes where Ultra Magnus is sporting his Diaclone colours (http://66.media.tumblr.com/84de21099b44900ca254a0d0b9feee7f/tumblr_n0c66eWqG61sbfls0o7_1280.png). And now Diaclone Magnus is being retconned as a new character known as Delta Magnus (http://inxspro.com/image/cache/data/product%20images/TTMP010B/TTMP010V-850x850.jpg).

[Jaxius._]

Whatever happened to the number 4?

[tinyJazz]

Whatever happened to the number 4?

Special guests, people involved with the TF brand in an official capacity. (It's in the userguide! :p)

A few years ago we had someone from the jayjays team getting feedback for transformers designs. I think they were a rank 4.

[Trent]

Is TrU the only retailer stocking the Combiner Wars gift sets? Specifically Computron? $200 is way too steep so I'm either gonna wait for a 25% (or more!) off sale or try and pick it up somewhere else at a more... palatable price.

[Verno]

Would any of our Japanese speakers care to do a quick translation of the info on Cheetor?

http://i.imgur.com/AYEBTHM.jpg

[GoktimusPrime]

Would any of our Japanese speakers care to do a quick translation of the info on Cheetor?
Just a quick translation from me (others may feel free to polish it up if they like) :o
Colour images and sale schedule for Masterpiece Cheetor have now been announced! As with Optimus Primal, hydrographic and tampographic prints have been used to produce spots all over the body's surface. Furthermore, the head section enjoys a diverse range of expressiveness with 3 interchangeable eyes to switch between normal, angry and surprised. On sale in January 2017, RRP 7560JPY (approx. AU$100).

[Verno]

Just a quick translation from me (others may feel free to polish it up if they like) :o
Colour images and sale schedule for Masterpiece Cheetor have now been announced! As with Optimus Primal, hydrographic and tampographic prints have been used to produce spots all over the body's surface. Furthermore, the head section enjoys a diverse range of expressiveness with 3 interchangeable eyes to switch between normal, angry and surprised. On sale in January 2017, RRP 7560JPY (approx. AU$100).
Cheers, Gok. Muchly appreciated mate.

[GoktimusPrime]

You're welcome. :) I had to look up "hydrographic" as I'd never heard of that before! :eek:

[DELTAprime]

Hey guys. Just wondering how long it normally takes for the SDCC sets to normally either drop to rock bottom prices if they don't sell or hit their peak if the're popular?

I'm after this years TR Brainstorm, Sentinel Prime and Windblade set. I have my fingers crossed it drops. (fingers crossed)

[UltraMarginal]

I've never seen sdcc sets drop significantly. but If I'm after one I've usually bene lucky to get something for a reasonable price early and then stopped looking.

[griffin]

The last couple of years saw a number of the exclusives go cheap after a while because they didn't sell out for ages (and some were available in other countries)... but may have gone back up after they eventually did.
I would imagine that the 3-pack and Fort Max would plateau or drop for a while as well, as I think they both have a global release (in countries that wanted them).

[philby]

Hi, I bought 2 figures online recently from Robot Kingdom in a double-pack and the price was slightly reduced since the boxes were not pristine and they had a little sticker on them. I wasn't too fussed since getting the figures was a priority so I didn't really care what it meant but now I'm curious since I want to sell one as it was actually a spare. Is anyone able to tell me what it says and what it means?

The item description mentioned coming from secondary market (I guess not direct from Hasbro/suppliers) and I think these were for Asian or Chinese conventions as the battery replacement instructions for one was in Chinese and not English. Any help? Thanks :D

http://i.imgur.com/1TvWDZI.jpg

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't speak Chinese, but thankfully Chinese characters are largely mutually intelligible with Japanese, so I think 中国検験検疫* refers to the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine (http://www.nite.go.jp/jiko/chuikanki/press/2009fy/090609.html).

--------------------------------------
中国検験検疫 = ちゅうごくけんけんけんえき (chuugoku-ken-ken-ken-eki)
Although in Japanese it's usually just simply referred to as 検疫所 (けんえきじょ;ken'ekijo)... I think. :o

[Bladestorm]

Hey guys. Just wondering how long it normally takes for the SDCC sets to normally either drop to rock bottom prices if they don't sell or hit their peak if the're popular?

I'm after this years TR Brainstorm, Sentinel Prime and Windblade set. I have my fingers crossed it drops. (fingers crossed)

They don't normally go down significantly in price that I've seen. Last years sets are still the same price they were at release here.
Unlike last year where the sets were massively over stocked there aren't as many left overs on shelves (here in Hong Kong) of the 2016 sets. The 3 pack is currently HK$750 everywhere I've seen it locally for your reference.

[defenderoz]

hi guys, how do you know if you have replied successfully to PMs. I cant see the sent messages?

[DaptoDog]

Go to your Private Messages. There is a drop down box titled "Jump to Folder" just below the coloured storage chart. Click on that and switch it to Sent Items.

[defenderoz]

Thank you. Worked well! Appreciate it!!

[defenderoz]

Hi There how do you add photos of your transformers
you wish to sell to a thread. What are the rules?

[1AZRAEL1]

As i commented on your thread, upload yo any image sharing site and use its [IMG] link

[defenderoz]

ok sure, i think i forgot

[griffin]

This topic has some advice on where to free-host images (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=17677), as we don't have attachments of images here (it's too expensive while we are ad-free).

[Handsprime]

How does Powermaster Optimus Prime combine with Fortress Maximus to form Cybertron city?

[BruiseLee]

How does Powermaster Optimus Prime combine with Fortress Maximus to form Cybertron city?

Well first someone spikes their energon... :p

Don't have them yet but believe that the ramps from Optimus will join to Max much like how we've seen TR Blaster combine with Max.

[CyberiusPrime]

For combiner wars.

I know Huffer wasn't released locally, did pipes have a local release or did i miss the boat on him?

Thanks

[christalcase]

For combiner wars.

I know Huffer wasn't released locally, did pipes have a local release or did i miss the boat on him?

Thanks

Yes, Pipes was released a few months ago. I got mine back in March so if you can't find one now, probably missed the boat :(

[M-bot]

For combiner wars.

I know Huffer wasn't released locally, did pipes have a local release or did i miss the boat on him?

Thanks

I saw a Pipes just the other day, and while I'm in your neck of the woods, I'm struggling to remember exactly where it was. I have visited K-Marts at Dandenong, Foutain Gate and Carrum Downs in the last fortnight, so one of those I'm pretty sure.

[UltraMarginal]

Is anyone aware if we are expecting to see the later waves of RID warriors here?

from Griffins checklist (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=509199&postcount=3):


----- Wave 3 (???)
- Optimus Prime (Power Surge remould - Auto)
- Scorponok (new brown scorpion - Decep)
- Windblade (new jet - Auto)
----- Wave 4? (???)
- Autobot Ratchet (major remould Strongarm - Auto)
- Bisk (new orange car - Decep)
- Scatterspike (purple redeco Quillfire - Decep)
----- Wave 5? (???)
- Optimus Prime Elite (Power Surge remould & redeco - Auto)
- Paralon (purple redeco Scorponok - Decep)

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to fork out the dosh to import the Japanese releases (if I'm goig to go to the expense iof importing I might as well get the shinier ones, even though most of these don't look to have much better paint jobs like some of the earlier ones.) or if I should wait for local release of these guys. They are starting to get a bit thin on the ground in eretailers so I'm about at the point where I either jump and grab them or just wait for an indeterminate time to see if they will ever be released here.

[SharkyMcShark]

Is the Hasbro Masterpiece release line still a thing?

Wouldn't mind a Hasbro release of MP-28 if it got the same treatment as their MP-9 release (Targetmaster and more vibrant colours)

[UltraMarginal]

Is the Hasbro Masterpiece release line still a thing?

Wouldn't mind a Hasbro release of MP-28 if it got the same treatment as their MP-9 release (Targetmaster and more vibrant colours)

I'd say most definitely, there are ebbs and flows but the options for them to repackage a lot of these toys are pretty easy. perhaps not so much in Australia with so many of the Takara releases being imported here through TRU already. but we've seen Prowl, silverstreak and bumblebee in the last year. (I think it was those characters)
In the past they have taken up to a year or more to release them through Hasbro after the Takara release.

[SharkyMcShark]

Another question: My MP-28 has become loose in joints that don't readily present a means of tightening. To be specific the forward/backward arm movement and the side to side hip movement.

Neither of these are ball joints, and neither are secured by screws. They're both held by pins as far as I can tell.

How can I tighten these? The figure can't hold pose in an arms outstretch pointing guns pose (right arm droops) and the side to side on the legs is quite floppy.

Halp.



I'd say most definitely, there are ebbs and flows but the options for them to repackage a lot of these toys are pretty easy. perhaps not so much in Australia with so many of the Takara releases being imported here through TRU already. but we've seen Prowl, silverstreak and bumblebee in the last year. (I think it was those characters)
In the past they have taken up to a year or more to release them through Hasbro after the Takara release.

Thanks UM :)

[Starscream77]

Is anyone aware if we are expecting to see the later waves of RID warriors here?

from Griffins checklist (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=509199&postcount=3):


----- Wave 3 (???)
- Optimus Prime (Power Surge remould - Auto)
- Scorponok (new brown scorpion - Decep)
- Windblade (new jet - Auto)
----- Wave 4? (???)
- Autobot Ratchet (major remould Strongarm - Auto)
- Bisk (new orange car - Decep)
- Scatterspike (purple redeco Quillfire - Decep)
----- Wave 5? (???)
- Optimus Prime Elite (Power Surge remould & redeco - Auto)
- Paralon (purple redeco Scorponok - Decep)

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to fork out the dosh to import the Japanese releases (if I'm goig to go to the expense iof importing I might as well get the shinier ones, even though most of these don't look to have much better paint jobs like some of the earlier ones.) or if I should wait for local release of these guys. They are starting to get a bit thin on the ground in eretailers so I'm about at the point where I either jump and grab them or just wait for an indeterminate time to see if they will ever be released here.

Was wondering this myself as I want a couple of them

[Paulbot]

For combiner wars.

I know Huffer wasn't released locally, did pipes have a local release or did i miss the boat on him?

Thanks

They had four of Pipes at Myer Chadstone tonight. Not sure if the current $15 sale price applies to CW Legends as well as TR ones.

[Lint]

They had four of Pipes at Myer Chadstone tonight. Not sure if the current $15 sale price applies to CW Legends as well as TR ones.

It does apply to both CW and TR according to shelf tags in-store

[Bladestorm]

Can anyone point me to a website, guide or forum page that identifies the differences between MP-4 and MP-10? Or I'm happy to have people just explain it if it is that simple.
Just curious what makes MP-4 so special in the scheme of things vs other releases.

[Krayt]

Can anyone point me to a website, guide or forum page that identifies the differences between MP-4 and MP-10? Or I'm happy to have people just explain it if it is that simple.
Just curious what makes MP-4 so special in the scheme of things vs other releases.

You know how MP01 prime is different to MP10?

If so you're most of the way there. MP04 is MP01, with additional trailer.

So mp10 is smaller, looks different, and ythe trailer is reduced to scale with the smaller prime

http://www1.toysdaily.com/discuz//forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=166275&extra=page%3D1&page=1

[griffin]

Can anyone point me to a website, guide or forum page that identifies the differences between MP-4 and MP-10? Or I'm happy to have people just explain it if it is that simple.
Just curious what makes MP-4 so special in the scheme of things vs other releases.

I think that it is because it is more streamlined or comic looking in robot mode... plus, it comes with Roller, and was probably a bit cheaper being smaller.
Speaking of smaller, it is more in scale with the new mould MPs since number 10, which was sort of seen as the "Series 2" of Japanese Masterpiece, with a smaller scale for the new moulds since that number.

MP1&4...
http://toycollectors.com.au/collections/griffinofoz/c35s1.jpg

MP10 (Hasbro version)
http://toycollectors.com.au/collections/griffinofoz/c35s6.jpg

[Bladestorm]

Thanks. I was looking at an MSIB MP-4 box up on a shelf at a store in Mong Kok yesterday and couldn't figure out why it was expensive compared to MP-10. Now I know. I've not seen MP-4 irl yet and the box didn't look that much bigger than MP-10 but I guess it is!

Need to add it to my want list (and figure out a budget for it), especially after seeing your images Grif! :)

[SuspectimusPrime]

With TR Chromedome being based off the CW Dead End mould, is there any chance of CW Breakdown/Sunstreaker's mould being retooled into a TR Headmaster Sunstreaker? :confused::)

[prjkt]

With TR Chromedome being based off the CW Dead End mould, is there any chance of CW Breakdown/Sunstreaker's mould being retooled into a TR Headmaster Sunstreaker? :confused::)

Doesn't seem likely, considering I think it's only the core/engineering that's shared, but a custom w/ parts-swapping could work...

[Trent]

Is there an up to date resource somewhere that lists the entirety of the IDW-verse in issue-by-issue reading order?

[Paulbot]

Is there an up to date resource somewhere that lists the entirety of the IDW-verse in issue-by-issue reading order?

Somewhat surprisingly to me, Wikipedia's list (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transformers_(IDW_Publishing)) looks pretty accurate at a quick look and up to date, compared to other fan sources.

[liegeprime]

Ive just finished watching the new episodes of Robots in disguise, which has Starscream and the new minibots in it... one thing Ive been wondering though in the toys the minicon Lancelon toy art in the packaging has a decepticon symbol on his depicted artwork and is equipped with a decepticon shaped accessories pack, as well as being equipped by a decepticon in the package artwork as well..is he meant to be a decepticon?
My confusion is because his symbol on the toy itself is that of an autobot? Plus , after seeing the super big toy of Starscream at TRU. Lancelon is with him in the pack... is this a preview of what to expect in the upcoming episodes..... that he will defect to Starscream or get brainwashed by him?

[griffin]

See here - http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=23434

[Firestorm]

Loosely TF related
I've heard something about Amazon not shipping toys to Australia
Does that include Amazon Japan?

[GoktimusPrime]

Amazon JP's never shipped toys internationally. They do ship other stuff like books etc., but not toys. Amazon JP will ship anything domestically with free next day guaranteed delivery though.

[griffin]

Loosely TF related
I've heard something about Amazon not shipping toys to Australia
Does that include Amazon Japan?

Amazon America have been selling toys to foreigners for a few years now - http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=15048

And some time this year Amazon Japan started to as well - http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=533558#post533558

Both still have items that don't ship to us though so look out for that.

[GoktimusPrime]

And some time this year Amazon Japan started to as well - http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=533558#post533558
Well I'll be reprogrammed with a rivet roller. ;)

[Jaxius._]

So I'm going to AMC on Sunday and Michael Bell is going to be there. Any idea where I can get hd images of the g1 packaging art of the following:
Shrapnel
Swoop
Prowl

Here's an example of what I want (white background)
http://imgur.com/LyYyFkp

[Paulbot]

So I'm going to AMC on Sunday and Michael Bell is going to be there. Any idea where I can get hd images of the g1 packaging art of the following:
Shrapnel
Swoop
Prowl

Here's an example of what I want (white background)
http://imgur.com/LyYyFkp

Try here http://botchthecrab.com/archive/autobot/

[UltraMarginal]

the other option is the transformers legacy art book, you might be able to find a copy at a comic shop, probably the only way to get hold of it by Sunday

[Tober]

I'm interested in the MP Ratbat that's included with the upcoming TFCC set. What would be the easiest and most cost effective way of acquiring it?

[Borgeman]

I'm interested in the MP Ratbat that's included with the upcoming TFCC set. What would be the easiest and most cost effective way of acquiring it?

Somehow I don't think it ever will be - even if someone sells it separate to the rest of the set, I cant see them selling it for less than $80USD

[Tober]

Somehow I don't think it ever will be - even if someone sells it separate to the rest of the set, I cant see them selling it for less than $80USD

Yeah, I have the sickening feeling that's right. :(

[UltimateGalvatron]

I'm in a different boat: just want Megatron. ^

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm in a different boat: just want Megatron. ^
MP? Well...
1) You'll need to wait until you're 18
2) Apply for an imitations firearms permit and ensure that you have fulfilled all relevant legal requirements

[griffin]

MP? Well...
1) You'll need to wait until you're 18
2) Apply for an imitations firearms permit and ensure that you have fulfilled all relevant legal requirements

There's no MP Megatron in that GIJoe/TFs pack.

[UltimateGalvatron]

MP? Well...
1) You'll need to wait until you're 18
2) Apply for an imitations firearms permit and ensure that you have fulfilled all relevant legal requirements

It's a Repaint of Legends Class Megatron from Thrilling 30 in G2 colours ;)

I don't like MP 5 anyway, TBH ;)

[DELTAprime]

Quick question, is the Deluxe Windblade that's in the RID line and the Titan Force set considered a new mould or a remould?

[UltraMarginal]

Quick question, is the Deluxe Windblade that's in the RID line and the Titan Force set considered a new mould or a remould?

I'm pretty sure it's a new mould for the RID line.

[GoktimusPrime]

Quick question, is the Deluxe Windblade that's in the RID line and the Titan Force set considered a new mould or a remould?
New mould.

Although I don't blame you for wondering. When I saw this toy in Japan I thought that it was a redeco and skipped it, then I handled someone else's IRL and realised that it's a whole new mould. Oops. Having said that, I prefer the original Generations figure - the RiD one feels like a simplification of the original, although with less 'dainty' feet it does stand better.

[Jellico]

Someone (I think on these boards) suggested raising Generations Windblade's heels for more stability. Just did it and it worked a charm. Makes me love that expressive mould even more now she can hold a pose.

That said I am really looking forward to RiD Windblade for my daughter. She looks much more play survivable.

[DELTAprime]

Anyone else still get lectured by their parents or other elders about how "your an adult you shouldn't be buying toys and playing video games"?

[GoktimusPrime]

I think the key is to demonstrate that your lifestyle choice isn't adversely affecting any other part of your life.

The first is financial responsibility. TF collecting isn't cheap, but I'm able to pay the bills, food, housing, maintenance of vehicles, schooling etc. Our family's quality of life isn't affected by my collecting. I always make sure that we have enough money to pay for all the other stuff in life, and what I have left over is mine to spend.

The second is social obligation. Transformers collecting and playing can be time consuming, but I ensure that I have time for my family, which includes taking the kid to and from school and extra-curricular activities, dad's taxi etc. :rolleyes: I do what needs to be done and what spare time I have is for me. Although as life gets busier I often incorporate Transformers into social activities, such as going out. That's why many of my TF photos are in locations like restaurants, picnics etc. Some of my friends have commented that most people just post images of their meals -- I post images of my meals with Transformers standing next to them! ;)

IMO actions speak louder than words. If you can demonstrate to people that your lifestyle choice isn't affecting you or anyone else in an adverse way, then that alone will silence your critics. One of my colleagues and I have a playful jab at each other's passions - she says that my Transformers passion is stupid, and I say the same thing about her passion for the Cronulla Sharks. So when she comes in on Monday and says, "Did you see the Sharks game on the weekend?" I'll say, "No, but I'll smile and pretend that I'm interested," and she says the same if I mention something about Transformers. :p

Sometimes I can use other people's aversion towards Transformers to my advantage. e.g. my class toilet pass is a junker Cybertron Sky Shadow (with a string attached so that kids can hook it onto a toilet door handle when they're heeding the call of nature). So whenever a student has to go to the toilet, they have to carry a busted Voyager Class Transformer toy around the school. And other kids see them. And comment. So now I have far fewer students asking to go to the toilet! (and thus far fewer interruptions to my lessons :D) - now before they ask they stop and think, "Do I really need to go to the toilet?" ... also interesting to see the various "modes" that Sky Shadow comes back in. My Year 12s came up with the "doge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doge_(meme))" mode. :rolleyes: Such toilet. Much pass. Woof.

[DELTAprime]

Oh don't worry Gok, all that stuff comes first. My family just see it as childish. I don't think they get that toys and video games can be made for anyone that's not under 12.:(

[Jellico]

Oh don't worry Gok, all that stuff comes first. My family just see it as childish. I don't think they get that toys and video games can be made for anyone that's not under 12.:(

I have found examples like a model car collection or a trophy case are good examples to explain the motivation to collect. The sorts of things that they might have collected. But keep it mainstream and not one associated with weirdness.

[UltraMarginal]

I see people have similar reactions to animated tv and film. just because it's animated doesn't mean it's for 5 year olds exclusively. Look at all the Pixar films for example.

not to mention that most blockbuster films these days are hugely animated they're just animated to look realistic... :p

[Bladestorm]

Anyone else still get lectured by their parents or other elders about how "your an adult you shouldn't be buying toys and playing video games"?

Yes. ESPECIALLY because I am female.
My parents think it is totally and utterly ridiculous that I have toy trucks and robots on display in my home (and that I let my kids also have them). But then, they wouldn't even let me have Optimus when I was a kid... sooo....

When people ask I say they make me happy. They're a hobby - just like playing a sport, participating in a club or collecting stamps. People don't seem to bat an eyelid if you collect stamps but can't see that the same satisfaction can be gained from toys too. My kids are cool with it, my husband is cool with it so at the end of the day what anyone else thinks doesn't really matter.
However it does still sting a little when people don't want to understand it.

[Megatran]

"I'm an adult. I like playing with adult toys. Is there a problem with that?"

[CHILENO20]

"I'm an adult. I like playing with adult toys. Is there a problem with that?"

Hell No! :D

[jazzcomp]

"I'm an adult. I like playing with adult toys. Is there a problem with that?"
Is this the right thread? :confused:

[CHILENO20]

3rd party toys are considered for adults right?

[GoktimusPrime]

Oh don't worry Gok, all that stuff comes first. My family just see it as childish. I don't think they get that toys and video games can be made for anyone that's not under 12.:(
Mate, most of my school mates didn't think that toys were suitable for anyone over the age of 3. :rolleyes: It got progressively worse during school because a lot of other kids in my primary school pretended that they were teenagers and "too cool" for toys. This pressure led to a lot of my other toy-playing friends dropping out of toys as we got older. By time I was in Year 6, no other kid in my year was playing with toys. Other collectors had sold off or given away their collections because they felt that they had "grown out" of toys (weird, I know). :confused: Years 7-8 was really bad because kids started getting nasty and bullying me (verbally and physically) because I was a Transformers collector. This included other kids deliberately damaging my toys and memorabilia. By Year 9 kids had matured enough and became tolerant of toy and comic book collectors. But it wasn't until I hit uni that I encountered more serious collectors; other people who displayed their toys, collected and read toy collectors' magazines, went toy hunting together etc. :D I was able to carry toys on me without fear of bullies.

While seeing my friends "grow out" of Transformers meant that I was losing playmates, the one benefit for me was that I was often the recipient of unwanted toys - often for free or sold at dirt cheap prices.

[DELTAprime]

Thanks guys, that makes me feel better. Still burns every time tho.

[griffin]

If it helps, send them a link to my collection website and tell them, "at least I'm not as bad as this guy"... and it might distract them from having a go at your collecting, or think your hobby is quite tame in comparison. :p

[Golden Phoenix]

If it helps, send them a link to my collection website and tell them, "at least I'm not as bad as this guy"... and it might distract them from having a go at your collecting, or think your hobby is quite tame in comparison. :p

Not gonna lie....may or may not have done this already......

[griffin]

Not gonna lie....may or may not have done this already......

Hehehehe...

[DELTAprime]

So what do you guys think the chances are of the Hasbro TR Fort Max going cheap like other city formers of the past decade? I kinda want a Hasbro Cerebros and Spike to represent the full Rebirth lineup, but not gonna pay the current prices for that purpose.

[Megatran]

Sighted at Big W for $174 by several members on this forum.

[DELTAprime]

Sighted at Big W for $174 by several members on this forum.

$174 for a deluxe class with a Titan body I'll never display, I'll pass on that. We saw deep discounts on Gen Metroplex's and G1 Fort Max online after they shelf warmed.

[Deonasis]

Is there a comprehensive guide to RotF Leader Primes online somewhere?

I have a few fancy versions and am trying to decide which to sell to buy the new MB-11 but I just can't remember what accessories go with what colour pinstriping. :confused:

[DELTAprime]

Is there a comprehensive guide to RotF Leader Primes online somewhere?

I have a few fancy versions and am trying to decide which to sell to buy the new MB-11 but I just can't remember what accessories go with what colour pinstriping. :confused:

Look at the galleries over at Seibertron, Ryan has galleries up of most of them.

Personally the APS01U is the one to have as it comes with every Buster, Jetwing and Striker Prime accessory. The MB-11 looks from the stock photo shots to just be the original Buster Prime without pinstripes.

[Megatran]

I don't recall Gnaw featuring heavily in the G1 cartoon, yet he punches disproportionately well above his weight in popularity. Why is that? Is it the lack of reissue since the original 1986 release (apart from the TR Gnaw)?

[Borgeman]

I don't recall Gnaw featuring heavily in the G1 cartoon, yet he punches disproportionately well above his weight in popularity. Why is that? Is it the lack of reissue since the original 1986 release (apart from the TR Gnaw)?

The only official quintesson transformer released, and thus has a 100% share in quintesson popularity.

That's my take :cool:

[BigTransformerTrev]

I don't recall Gnaw featuring heavily in the G1 cartoon, yet he punches disproportionately well above his weight in popularity. Why is that? Is it the lack of reissue since the original 1986 release (apart from the TR Gnaw)?

When I was a kid, it was the only toy from the 86' line-up I didn't want.

Then as an adult, I paid a fortune to get him :o



The only official quintesson transformer released, and thus has a 100% share in quintesson popularity.

That's my take :cool:

There was Alpha Quinesson from the Energon series. Never managed to track down the toy at a reasonable price though.

[Borgeman]

There was Alpha Quinesson from the Energon series. Never managed to track down the toy at a reasonable price though.

Yeah ok, never knew that even existed. Ugly af tho :p

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't recall Gnaw featuring heavily in the G1 cartoon, yet he punches disproportionately well above his weight in popularity. Why is that? Is it the lack of reissue since the original 1986 release (apart from the TR Gnaw)?
The Sharkticons appeared in 9 episodes of the G1 cartoon. It makes them a lot more popular than say Skids who appeared in only 2 episodes of the cartoon. Although Skids did have a prominent appearance in the G1 comics; the Sharkticons' appearance in the comics were all in alternate universes (mostly a future version of Earth-120185). And don't forget that the toy continuity is a thing too (in fact it's the prime continuity of G1).

Also, being a cheap army builder probably helps heaps. Gnaw, Wreck Gar and Scourge were the first army builder Transformers, but with all three being more expensive boxed figures, it just wasn't feasible for most kids to army build 'em. Gnaw wasn't even that interesting a toy to warrant splashing out a higher price point on. I remember skipping the toy in 1986 and later bought it loose complete in box in 1988 for $5. Gnaw is giving fans a chance to build an army of Transformers on the cheap.

[Tober]

Is it known who the designer for the latest Masterpiece releases post Ultra Magnus is?

It mostly looks like Kobayashi's work, but I'd like to be sure.

[DELTAprime]

Anyone seen where I put my Takara Generations guide book?:o

[TAAUBlaster]

Anyone seen where I put my Takara Generations guide book?:o

Probably the same place as my vintage G1 picture books :p

Hope you track it down soon :)

[philby]

Titans Return Galvatron can't move his head. Is it the same for the whole range? Are some better than others?

[prjkt]

Galvatron looks to be a TR hackjob, is the Titan master feature shoved into a pre-existing design, and the neck socket that's supposed to move has an arc of about five degrees, pretty useless. Others designed that way like Blaster don't have an issue.

[philby]

Ok so generally if i was to recommend the TR line as toys and say that you can get a bunch of different sizes and all the little head dudes interact with each other well that would be fine?

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, on the whole the TR line is freakin' awesome. Galvatron is one of the poorer figures. It would've been a whole lot better if it had never been made into a Titan Master. Some people whinge about CW/TR, but honestly, imagine if these toys had been released 10 years ago when Classics started. Compare TR Astrotrain with Classics Astrotrain, or even CW Ultra Magnus with Classics Ultra Magnus with whatever the name of that third party armour was (especially when you factor in the cost!). CW Powerglide completely craps all over Universe Powerglide and is 3.5 times cheaper! And IMHO TR Wolfwire is a much better toy than Timelines Weirdwolf. No offence to the Cybertron Snarl mould - I own CYB Snarl and I think it's a nice enough toy... but it's not Weirdwolf.

Some people have criticised the TR figures for perhaps being a tad plain in design, but have a look at the original G1 figures that they're based off. A lot of the 1987 Headmasters were pretty plain/straightforward designs. G1 Chromedome literally bends in half backwards to become a car. :rolleyes: This is why I always compare new toys with their original counterparts, to demonstrate just how much of an improvement these toys are over the originals, even in context of vintage and price.

Adjusting for modern day prices, the G1 Headmasters would be roughly $60. The TR Headmasters are half this price. So what we are seeing are new and improved versions of the original Headmasters at the equivalent/adjusted price of a small 1988 Targetmaster (like say Scoop, Landfill, Spinister etc.). That's phenomenal value for money.


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Titans%20Return/th_TR_chromedome03a_zpsqhkyu8zv.jpg
The toy on the left cost the equivalent of roughly $60 today and transforms in four steps and has 2 points of articulation. The toy on the right costs $25 and transforms in 12 steps and has 16 points of articulation.

And look, there are always going to be exceptions. CHUGUR is a mixed bag just as G1 was - both lines have great and awful toys. As Demonac pointed out, Fortress Maximus is a rare case where the G1 toy is superior to the modern day one. I like TR Fortress Maximus, but I got mine from PC for $159.95, which is 2.5 times cheaper than the price of G1 Fortress Maximus' modern day price of approx. $400*.

-----------------------------------
*32800JPY = Encore Fort Max's RRP

[philby]

ok thanks :)

[DELTAprime]

Yeah, on the whole the TR line is freakin' awesome. Galvatron is one of the poorer figures. It would've been a whole lot better if it had never been made into a Titan Master. Some people whinge about CW/TR, but honestly, imagine if these toys had been released 10 years ago when Classics started. Compare TR Astrotrain with Classics Astrotrain, or even CW Ultra Magnus with Classics Ultra Magnus with whatever the name of that third party armour was (especially when you factor in the cost!). CW Powerglide completely craps all over Universe Powerglide and is 3.5 times cheaper! And IMHO TR Wolfwire is a much better toy than Timelines Weirdwolf. No offence to the Cybertron Snarl mould - I own CYB Snarl and I think it's a nice enough toy... but it's not Weirdwolf.

Some people have criticised the TR figures for perhaps being a tad plain in design, but have a look at the original G1 figures that they're based off. A lot of the 1987 Headmasters were pretty plain/straightforward designs. G1 Chromedome literally bends in half backwards to become a car. :rolleyes: This is why I always compare new toys with their original counterparts, to demonstrate just how much of an improvement these toys are over the originals, even in context of vintage and price.

Adjusting for modern day prices, the G1 Headmasters would be roughly $60. The TR Headmasters are half this price. So what we are seeing are new and improved versions of the original Headmasters at the equivalent/adjusted price of a small 1988 Targetmaster (like say Scoop, Landfill, Spinister etc.). That's phenomenal value for money.


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Titans%20Return/th_TR_chromedome03a_zpsqhkyu8zv.jpg
The toy on the left cost the equivalent of roughly $60 today and transforms in four steps and has 2 points of articulation. The toy on the right costs $25 and transforms in 12 steps and has 16 points of articulation.

And look, there are always going to be exceptions. CHUGUR is a mixed bag just as G1 was - both lines have great and awful toys. As Demonac pointed out, Fortress Maximus is a rare case where the G1 toy is superior to the modern day one. I like TR Fortress Maximus, but I got mine from PC for $159.95, which is 2.5 times cheaper than the price of G1 Fortress Maximus' modern day price of approx. $400*.

-----------------------------------
*32800JPY = Encore Fort Max's RRP


As someone that was born in 1984 I missed out on many of the original toys in their first run. Even as a 6 or 7 year old getting the first Classics line I couldn't help but be disappointed at many of them. Ironhide had no head. My Powermaster Optimus Prime was a better toy than 1984's Prime. I even said I didn't want Starscream because he didn't look right.

I even gave up collecting Encore and other G1 reissues because for every Fort Max, Predaking or Sixshot where I thought it was a really cool toy I got bummed out by 3 or 4 toys cause they were either not very show accurate or had the playability of a brick.

Fast forward to today and I have the vast majority of the G1 cast with toys that either look like their G1 cartoon self (ie:United Jazz) or are a cool update on their G1 self (ie: LG Magnus). Sure we get a few bad toys every now and then like Tall Tankor or that Legends Class guy that is meant to go on CW Menasor's chest, but I feel far less let down by them than G1 toys.

[1AZRAEL1]

You mean Black Jack that is CW Menasor chest? I have the G2 version of CW Menasor and don't bother using him as the chest. But the figure itself homages the G1 micromaster, I think it's great

[Jellico]

I had zero interest in TR. Head masters were the show that killed the show that ruined the show that I loved. I was only going to target select legends.

Then my 2yo got his hands on Wheelie. He went straight to the cockpit looking for someone to put in it. That was when I accepted my destiny.

The whole cockpit pilot dynamic is fun and the base modes of the big guys adds more play value. Say what you will about quality or removable heads the TR bots are FUN and really that is what it is all about.

[5FDP]

I had zero interest in TR. Head masters were the show that killed the show that ruined the show that I loved.

I'm the opposite. The whole of season 3 killed it for me. When they introduced the Headmasters, it renewed my interest and I wanted to see more. Loved the 3 part Rebirth episodes.

[AJ_Prime]

If it helps, send them a link to my collection website and tell them, "at least I'm not as bad as this guy"... and it might distract them from having a go at your collecting, or think your hobby is quite tame in comparison. :p

haha Griffin my wife said to me a while back that I have too many transformers. I showed her your website and your youtube clips and told her that when my collection gets even close to yours she can make comments like that.

I might've also said that I aspire to have a collection like yours (although I know I never will), and that if we ever win lotto I'm dedicating an entire wing of our mansion to a Transformertorium (sorry Trev, might've stolen your term there ;) ).

I think a part of her is hoping that we win lotto, and another part is hoping that we don't.

[GoktimusPrime]

The 1987 line was the "beginning of the end" for G1 (although it was a very drawn out end). But remember that it was ultimately dwindling toy sales which led to the decline in quality and eventual cancellation of the G1 cartoon. So don't blame the cartoon, blame all the quitters who stopped collecting Transformers in/around 1987. :(

[prjkt]

You mean Black Jack that is CW Menasor chest? I have the G2 version of CW Menasor and don't bother using him as the chest. But the figure itself homages the G1 micromaster, I think it's great

As a chest piece, pretty crap combination,and a standalone figure he's actually pretty awesome. Interesting transformation scheme and great articulation for a little guy.

[Trent]

As a chest piece, pretty crap combination,and a standalone figure he's actually pretty awesome. Interesting transformation scheme and great articulation for a little guy.

Agreed. Blackjack is a great stand alone little figure. Crap chest plate, but great toy.

[Bidoofdude]

Haven't kept track due to a bunch of stuff, when are we supposed to receive the Gnaw/Kickback wave and the Brawn wave? I presume Soundwave has been skipped in major retailers.

[DELTAprime]

Probably in the new year. We are up to wave two for most items in Australia and the US is up to wave 3.

[SMHFConvoy]

TR Bumblebee, his number plate says, "100 STRA"

Is this a reference to something?

[Sinnertwin]

TR Bumblebee, his number plate says, "100 STRA"

Is this a reference to something?

The live action movie bumble's number plates are 900 STRA -pause it at 0:20 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upg523aQSCM)
I don't know what the 1 is in particular reference to though.

[Megatran]

Anyone know the unit count & character distribution per case for the wave 3 TR Generations Legends containing Gnaw, Bumblebee & Kickback?

[griffin]

Anyone know the unit count & character distribution per case for the wave 3 TR Generations Legends containing Gnaw, Bumblebee & Kickback?

BBTS has the case ratio (http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS25251&mode=retail) at 3 Gnaw, 3 Bbee, 2 Kickback (8 in total).

Obviously the people at Hasbro were catering to some of those in the target audience for the Generations toys (us older collectors) who would probably army-build the Gnaws. If this was a mainline series like RID, I would have expected Gnaw to be the short-packed figure, with either four Bumblebees (because it's the face of Transformers since 2007) or three Kickbacks, which would be the more well known character and recognisable toy to the general public.

[UltraMarginal]

they could probably get away with selling cases of just Gnaw.

I know if they turn up at clearance two years from now I'll be getting a few extra. Same goes for kickback really.

[Sinnertwin]

Gnaw? Just Tao it. (https://world.taobao.com/item/539674299740.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.3joREQ)

[DELTAprime]

Gnaw? Just Tao it. (https://world.taobao.com/item/539674299740.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.3joREQ)

That price is confusing, it's the Yen symbol but 43 Yen is more like $0.60 not $8 AUD, also Yen doesn't have decimals.

[Sinnertwin]

That price is confusing, it's the Yen symbol but 43 Yen is more like $0.60 not $8 AUD, also Yen doesn't have decimals.

It's also the symbol for the Chinese currency. It works out to be $8.44 each before shipping according to Tao.


¥ 43.00 ( 约AUD 8.44?)

[DELTAprime]

It's also the symbol for the Chinese currency. It works out to be $8.44 each before shipping according to Tao.

Really, in news shows they either call it Uwan or RMB, which is already confusing enough having two names for a currency, but to use Yen's symbol is more confusing. China, pick one name and go with it!

[griffin]

Really, in news shows they either call it Uwan or RMB, which is already confusing enough having two names for a currency, but to use Yen's symbol is more confusing. China, pick one name and go with it!

It is both - one is the currency name (like Aussie Dollar), while one is the primary or base unit of currency (like cents or dollars here).

Renminbi is the name of the currency (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renminbi), translated as "the people's currency", while the Yuan is the unit for prices... but is used by most Westerners as the name of the currency, because it is easier (and more objective as it is less political).
As such, both RMB (for Renminbi) and CNY (for Chinese Yuan) are used as the abbreviation of the currency (like AU$).

[DELTAprime]

Hey Griff, I just noticed we are up to 899 pages of this thread. Does this BBS software have a limit on the number of pages a thread can have?

[Sinnertwin]

Let's find out.

[griffin]

Hey Griff, I just noticed we are up to 899 pages of this thread. Does this BBS software have a limit on the number of pages a thread can have?

Not that I know of.

There was some discussion a few years back about starting ongoing topics annually, but it didn't seem to be necessary or supported.

[Sinnertwin]

Interesting...

[Borgeman]

Hey Griff, I just noticed we are up to 899 pages of this thread. Does this BBS software have a limit on the number of pages a thread can have?

899? Im only up to 225!

You need to up the posts per page - who has time for clicking "next page" that often :p

[Sinnertwin]

odd. i see 899.

[Sinnertwin]

ah, you've gone the 40 ppp option. gotchya.

[Paulbot]

I just set mine to 5 posts per page and am now on page 1799!

[Handsprime]

ah, you've gone the 40 ppp option. gotchya.


Didn't know you could do that.

[Borgeman]

Amateurs :rolleyes:

[Sinnertwin]

Well, excuse me, Mr. Posty McPostypants

[DELTAprime]

Stupid question here. Just got ho,e with my TR Fort Max and opened him. Are the eyes on the general retail TR Fort Max meant to be uncoloured? Also is he meant to have a weapon of some type?

[Sinnertwin]

The regular release didn't have any rifles or swords from memory, only the SDCC & TT versions did.

[prjkt]

The regular release didn't have any rifles or swords from memory, only the SDCC & TT versions did.

True, but the leg cannons detach and have handles he can wield them with

[Sinnertwin]

True, but the leg cannons detach and have handles he can wield them with

It's just not the same, man, it's just not the same :p

[DELTAprime]

Question for those of you that are a bit more organised with your collection. Gok I'm looking at you buddy...:p I don't want to go to the extent that Gok has with his shelves of accessories in trays, but I want to keep accessories sorted and easy to find for all the Encore and MP toys I'm about to throw out the clamshells for. (keeping in mind they range from tiny things like MP Red Alert's sparking ear things up to MP-10's trailer). What would you guys recommend to store all if them?

I'm going to keep the outdated MP's that are not on display like MP-4 and MP-14 in their clamshells for now, might consider a selloff for them.

[Sinnertwin]

For my loose collection, I use 2 things
Expandafile thingo for instructions/sticker sheets/cards etc

Large Ziplock sandwich bags, with accessories from individual ranges all grouped together in seperate bags, in a small plastic storage tub.