Would you prefer to buy Combiners as individually-carded figures or as box sets?

I think one of the frustrating things about the PotP line so far (to me anyway) is the level of difficulty and cost involved in trying to complete Abominus and Volcanus. The Terrorcons and Dinobots were spread out over multiple waves, e.g. two of Abominus’ components (Hun-gurr and Rippersnapper) are in wave 2 and the remaining three (Blot, Sinnertwin and Cutthroat) are wave 3 figures, so we’d have to wait months between releases to get all the Terrorcons. Then to top it off, the distribution of the Deluxes has been mediocre in Australia (for a lack of better terms). I’ve not seen any wave 2 Deluxes at any of the main stores (Kmart, Big W, Target), and yet wave 3 is JUST starting to appear at Target. This might not be so bad for those wanting to complete Abominus since the only Deluxe Terrorcon Wave 2 is Rippersnapper, but it’d suck more if you want to complete Volcanus (Snarl and Sludge are wave 2). This distribution problem is probably due to reluctance by the stores to pay more for Deluxes, which have gone up in price by about $10, but that’s a somewhat different topic.

There is the option of going online and getting the rest of the assortment, but you’d have to pay extra for shipping plus scalper-induced-“premiums”. Thinking about it now, it would have been good to have the option of getting all the Terrorcons/Dinobots in one hit, i.e. as a box-set like CW Victorion, Computron, G2 Bruticus, etc.

Which kind of brings me to the question, would you prefer buying Combiners as box-sets instead of individual figures?

Pros: We’d get all characters in one hit, and it generally works out to be relatively cheaper since we’re buying them in bulk (less packaging and less intricate details, etc.).

Cons: We don’t have the option of buying individual characters. Some people might only want Blot and none of the other Terrorcons. Also if one breaks or goes missing, and needs to be replaced, we’d have to buy a whole box-set just to replace that one character or part.

To be honest, I actually prefer buying separately.

1) When i was a kid, my mother gave me Brawl. Dude. Brawl. This amazing new Decepticon tank guy. I was what 9 years old? I know every inch of that toy. By the time I could make Bruticus, I'd poured over all the limbs (I got Onslaught last). Each Combaticon toy has so much personal history. Even as an adult, I find myself taking one toy out of a boxset per day so I can drink in each one's majesty.

2) Sense of accomplishment. Adult collectors (mostly) have the money to go buy a boxset whenever we want. Sure, we might be bringing a packed lunch to work for a week or two if we buy on impulse. And there are exceptions (I saw Dinoking on sale once, $A2,000!). But we can buy the whole box simply enough, if we really desire. The sense of accomplishment isn't there. Well, maybe in finding Dinoking (if not in opening up to realise you paid $333 a pop for repainted Pretender Monsters).

3) You can pick and choose. Take the Liokaiser boxset with that horribly shoehorned Dezarus and 4/6 of the Breastforce as an example. I'm a big fan of the Breastforce combiners but the Dezarus core just didn't work for me. I bought the set and sold Dezarus cheap... now I have four nice limb bots without collector cards.

4) Kinda ties into what you said above about replacements. I like Combiner Wars Brawl (and the character) enough that I have both Bruticus and Brawl on display. I didn't have to go out and buy two Blast Offs to do it (only to go buy the shuttle version also!).

Your pros to the boxset are valid (along with the awe-inspiring box filled with TF goodness, something of a counterpoint to my first point). But yeah, separately works for me, even if Hasbro's distribution model doesn't always.

I can totally relate to the Combaticon Brawl story. The first Combaticon I had was G2 Blast Off. For a long time, I used that toy as a substitute Astrotrain (I wanted Astrotrain but got into Transformers too late and missed out). I think its because of this that I'm more emotionally attached to Blast Off than Astrotrain. If they ever release the Special Edition CW Blast Off in G2 colours, I'd buy it for sure. But given a choice, I'd wouldn't want to pay for all 5 Combaticons just to have a white and purple Blast Off.

I think the points you raised compelled me to prefer buying Combiners as individual components rather than as a box set. I just wish they made it easier to acquire all 5 Dinobots or all 5 Terrorcons simultaneously in PotP, instead of making one or two figures of each faction available in-store, then forcing us to buy the rest online due to shoddy distribution. I think it's great that we can have modern iterations of the Terrorcons, but we shouldn't have to go online and pay extra shipping costs, go through various obstacles, and/or sacrifice an animal to a pagan deity; just to have a complete Abominus (or Volcanus).

I think maybe it would have been better if Hasbro arranged the wave assortments so that all the Dinobots appear in wave 1 and all the Terrorcons get released in wave 2 - Just like how all the wave 3 Deluxes in Combiner Wars were Protectobots, and all of the wave 5 Deluxes were Combaticons. It would suck a little to wait longer if you're a fan of only one of the teams, but at least you'd get the whole team.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FatalityPitt

I think maybe it would have been better if Hasbro arranged the wave assortments so that all the Dinobots appear in wave 1 and all the Terrorcons get released in wave 2 - Just like how all the wave 3 Deluxes in Combiner Wars were Protectobots, and all of the wave 5 Deluxes were Combaticons. It would suck a little to wait longer if you're a fan of only one of the teams, but at least you'd get the whole team.

---

Yep, it would be better if Hasbro did that.

But they wont.

Why not? Because if you want, say, the Combaticons, then you will turn up, buy the lot in one go and maybe not go back into the store for months.

So they learned that if they release the teams over multiple waves, it will keep you coming back into the toy shop to see if the character you need is there. And hey, since it isn't there you might just pick up a different character to keep you entertained until the one you really want turns up!

It's an @r$eho!e of a strategy that shows no inclination to please the fans, but it is a sound marketing strategy and Hasbro are in the business of making money, not making their consumers happy.


As to whether I'd prefer individual releases or box-sets, I really liked when you could get Combiner Wars individually and then Unite Warriors as box sets. Then you had the best of both worlds. But now that Takara toys are exactly the same as the Hasbro ones, there is no point. Apparently Takara are showing less interest in giving the customers what they want as well :rolleyes:

I don't know enough about the economic considerations of the industry, but from a consumer's perspective, I'd say both options are good, and its a pity when we have only one or the other. It would have been cool, for instance, back in Combiner Wars to have had the Constructicons sold separately. They definitely look like good toys in their own right, and in-story are possibly of more value to the Decepticons individually than the members of any other combiner team.

On the other hand, gift sets are nifty. I never had that as a kid, so when I got Victorion (preferencing a character I'd never heard of before) I was stoked by the packaging and sense of completeness that comes with it. For this reason, I keep them in box most of the time, and the packaging is definitely part of the charm.

Overall, I feel that more coherence to what is released in what waves would be good. At any one time we should be able to get toys from different factions, at different prices, and with consistent themes.

Having said that, some thought does seem to go into the planning of Transformers. For instance, over the course of the Prime Wars Triology, each Insecticon was released, one per chapter, so that after a few years you could get all three. It would be even better if we'd been told that in advance. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BigTransformerTrev

So they learned that if they release the teams over multiple waves, it will keep you coming back into the toy shop to see if the character you need is there. And hey, since it isn't there you might just pick up a different character to keep you entertained until the one you really want turns up!

It's an @r$eho!e of a strategy that shows no inclination to please the fans, but it is a sound marketing strategy and Hasbro are in the business of making money, not making their consumers happy.

---

I think by using that strategy, Hasbro have shot themselves in the foot in more ways than one.

They've underestimated the intelligence of the consumers. I admit I have gone to a store looking for a figure, and ended up buying different figures because the one I wanted wasn't there and I didn't want to waste the trip. But other more sensible customers will either save their money by choosing to go home empty-handed, or order from an online store. If customers sensibly choose to save their money by not buying alternatives, then said alternatives will likely peg-warm. If toys peg-warm, then shops will be less inclined to order more units of those toys since they can't move the stock.

I think if Hasbro had done what they did during Combiner Wars where all members of certain Combiner teams were allocated to a wave; the chances of peg-warming would be greatly reduced. For instance, if all the Terrorcons were assigned to wave 2, fans would be compelled to buy all the Wave 2 Deluxes regardless of whether they like the toys individually or not. For example, even if someone didn't like Cutthroat, they'd still probably buy him to benefit from the combining gimmick and complete Abominus. The nice thing about Combiners, from a marketing standpoint, is that in order to benefit from the gimmick, you can't just buy one. You need at lease 4 Deluxes and a Voyager

In PotP, in it's current state, there's wave 1 figures like Dreadwind and Jazz that are peg-warming (in my area at least). These figures aren't bad, and I appreciate that they exist, but they wouldn't be deemed as "essential" as the Dinobots and Terrorcons. Jazz is similar to Optimus Prime in that anyone who would want a Jazz most likely already has one, and the PotP Jazz isn't impressive enough to supersede the previous Jazz toy - only thing that makes it special is the combining gimmick. Dreadwind is a lesser known character and retool of a mould that's been used many times before. One thing these guys share in common is that even though they can combine with other figures, they're not essential parts of any Combiner. You can skip them without missing out on Abominus or Volcanus. I think this is why they peg-warm.

When things peg-warm, and stock doesn't move, stores will be less inclined to order newer waves. Because newer waves don't come in, fans get frustrated.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dan

Overall, I feel that more coherence to what is released in what waves would be good. At any one time we should be able to get toys from different factions, at different prices, and with consistent themes.

Having said that, some thought does seem to go into the planning of Transformers. For instance, over the course of the Prime Wars Triology, each Insecticon was released, one per chapter, so that after a few years you could get all three. It would be even better if we'd been told that in advance. :)

---

Similar theme to what Trev said; they want to keep us on our toes, and waiting for the next great toy... So they can trick us into giving them more money ;)... This might be hard to imagine, but try to picture someone who only likes Insecticons and no other Transformer. If Hasbro released all three in a single line, that person will just buy the Insecticons, then stop collecting Transformers and move on to the next phase of their lives *shudder*. But If Hasbro sold this person Bombshell and made him/her wait 2 years for Kickback, that person will likely be tempted into buying other non-Insecticon Transformers during the two years - because he/she will be checking for announcements of Kickback and stumble across something cool along the way.

But I agree, it'd be fantastic if we could know what's going to be released a head of time so we know when to time our purchases.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're spread across waves as the *retailers* don't want case assortments with "all planes" or "all cars" or "all animals".

I remember Griffin talking about how Walmart wanted variety. And, ultimately, Hasbro wants the *stores* to buy the cases.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dirge

I wouldn't be surprised if they're spread across waves as the *retailers* don't want case assortments with "all planes" or "all cars" or "all animals".

I remember Griffin talking about how Walmart wanted variety. And, ultimately, Hasbro wants the *stores* to buy the cases.

---

Depends on the Combiner Group being sold I guess. I can see that happening if its:

Aerielbots - all planes
Dinobots - all Dinosaurs (yes I know Swoop isnt technically a dinosaur)

but if its the others you have:

Protectobots - Fire Truck, Ambulance, Police Car, SWAT tank, Rescue Chopper, Police Motorcycle
Stunticons - Truck, Ute, Race Car, 4 x Sports Cars
Combaticons - Missile Truck, Army Jeep, Tank, Space Shuttle/Jet, Helicopter, Laser Gun
Terrorcons - 2 x 2-Headed Dragon, Bipedal Shark, Hawk Monster, Ogre

Maybe the Constructicons (Construction vehicles), Predacons (big orange animals) & Torch Bearers (Green & Red Femmebots) got sold in packs because of overwhelming similarities, but with a lot of the subgroups there is at least some variation

I prefer a set so I know I am getting the Combiner in one hit.

I probably wouldn't be so worried about buying individuals if you could get some assurances all the figures would eventually come out but here in Australia things really do seem to be hit and miss.

Having said that, economically it is probably easier for Hasbro to sell the individual figures rather than sets due to the issues of cost/profit, variety and the fact people may only be after individuals...

So I'll take boxed sets where I can and keep hoping to find limbs for other combiners as I need them when they come out individually.

As an adult consumer, I prefer sets. Saves me time.
As a kid... well, collecting them individually was the only choice since the G1 box sets were never released here. But even if they were, collecting toys individually is usually easier because kids don't usually have enough money to get entire sets in one hit. Collecting sets slowly figure by figure is easier for kids, and a combining gimmick was a great incentive to complete the set. It's not like say not completing the Dinobots or Insecticons etc. -- when you completed the Constructicons or the Protectobots etc., you were "rewarded" by being able to finally combine them into a single gestalt robot. And I cannot deny that there is this great sense of achievement that you feel after having spent weeks or months (or years!) chasing down and completing a combining set.

Buying them all in one hit doesn't give you that same sense of reward, but being a more time-poor adult makes me prefer the box sets more. I wonder if the CHUG box sets sell better or poorer than individual figures. It really sucks that we are more likely to skip waves now, leaving collectors high and dry with finishing sets, especially combining teams. This wasn't a problem with G1 - although we never got any of the box sets, we did get all of the individual members (and some of them were reissued in the early 90s).

I guess that another advantage of box sets is that you don't run the risk of collecting just part of a team and then having to source the rest. It's all or nothing with the box sets - either you get the whole thing locally, online or not at all. Take POTP Predaking for example. I got mine online and I've yet to see a local release, so I'm glad I got mine online. One the other hand, I only have POTP Hun-Grrr and Rippersnapper and I haven't see any sign of the rest of the Terrorcons at my local shops, so that sucks. I've gone and ordered them from an online store, but really... :rolleyes:

Collecting combining teams individually would be less harrowing if I had more faith in local retail releases.