It depends. Original G1 characters like Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge should be regular releases whereas more obscure characters like Road Rage should've been a limited exclusive.
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Exactly. As it happens, I believe Road Rage is shelf warming and massively discounted. And for Thrust who is a significant character (selling at a high price too!) who appears in the cartoons and movie, we're getting a limited run. There just seems to be limited consistency in their business model.
The Hasbro HK units are never known but seems to be much larger than the Japanese production run.
Ah ok then. In that case, anyone know how Ramjet ended up in terms of availability / production numbers, notwithstanding product recalls? He was also a 2000 piece TT mall exclusive and if it wasn't for OTCA members I would have been unlikely to have nabbed him without paying something exorbitant.
I completely understand most of those points you make, except for this one:
"Now consider the fact that Ramjet is a limited exclusive, with a small production run of only 2000 figures made. Economies of scale drives the price up."
Now I can only go on my own thinking but that is a choice made by TT to limit production. I absolutely think he should be a regular non-limited release, especially compared to others like Road Rage and Loud Pedal. This hurts TT because they miss out on more sales and they don't get a cent from overpriced ebay/secondary market sales due to the 'rarity' they caused and hurts fans/collectors at the same time.
bbts has a preorder up also... I have ordered just incase I miss PC tonight