Transformers Figure Subscription Service Is Go

http://www.transformersclub.com/

The new six-month subscription is $282 or $47 a figure, plus TFCC international shipping.

Shipping options are:

Post Office Express Mail International $286.50 ($47.75 per shipment times six)
Post Office Priority Mail International $234.60 ($39.10 times six)
First-Class Mail International Parcel $113.28 ($18.88 times six)

To add Insurance to order is $21.00. Insurance includes delivery confirmation and signature required if available.

Or in other words it is at the very least going to be $400 for five Deluxes and an Ultra (or $70ish for each toy). If you're going to go in with a friend for shipping or want to try being a scalper, it might be more cost efficient to order two or three subscriptions at once.

For this, you will receive:

1. Autobot Strategist: Jackpot (Animated Jazz as AM Jackpot.)
Includes: Photonic Penchaku

2. Autobot Messenger: Circuit (Movie Axor as AM Circuit.)
Includes: Invisibilty Screen Generator

3. Decepticon Scout: Breakdown (The most recent BotCon G2 Breakdown as his G1 incarnation.)
Includes: Concussion Rifle and Vibro-Projection Engine

4. Decepticon Espionage: Slipstream (Prime Starscream as Animated Slipstream.)
Includes: AGP (Alternating Gyro-Power) Nullifiers

5. Decepticon Clone Commander: Scourge (Generations G2 Optimus Prime as RiD Scourge.)
Includes: Sword of Fury

6. Maximal Commander: Ultra Mammoth (Beast Wars Neo Big Convoy as Ultra Magnus.)
Includes: Blue Bolt Cannon, Energy Bolts, Thunderstrike Missiles, and Reconfiguration Matrix

There's no reason to hurry as long as you get in by September the 10th - these toys are made to order.

I'm 99% sure that I'm not going to do it this time, since I only like Circuit and Ultra Mammoth. But it's an interesting new business model.

I only somewhat like two of their figures but would not pay over $50 for any so I won't be getting the sub either. On the plus side, they are offering First Class international shipping so it's not too bad.

They should of thought of more interesting characters with better executions to make them worth the high price.

I think I will wait til they show up on eBay. I only want 2 of the figures.

You can't just order one figure? It's all or nothing? If so that's a pity because like most people I'm interested in only a couple of them.

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Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

I'm 99% sure that I'm not going to do it this time, since I only like Circuit and Ultra Mammoth. But it's an interesting new business model.

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Originally Posted by kup

I only somewhat like two of their figures but would not pay over $50 for any so I won't be getting the sub either.

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Originally Posted by Decepticon

I think I will wait til they show up on eBay. I only want 2 of the figures.

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Originally Posted by snaketales

You can't just order one figure? It's all or nothing? If so that's a pity because like most people I'm interested in only a couple of them.

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Yes, Snaketales, unless there are some 'left' to be sold on the site, at which point it will be the usual TFCC scragfight - they can't be preordered individually. Clearly most of us only like a couple, so maybe it would be worthwhile if it was discerned whether or not they are the same ones. If 'not' then perhaps Ozformers could split some subscriptions.

Out of interest, let's see what toys we would be after in but please note that even if we do find a way to do a group order, I would not be in it. I only mildly like these figures so to me, they are not worth the $50+ asking price.

Kup:
- Circuit
- Slipstream

That pricing is not too bad. It's on par with a BotCon box set. Just shame there's no nice box (or any box).

Because of my past experience with the club, they won't see my $ for this (as I will NEVER re-join the club even if want the toys)

I am however interested in somehow trying to get Scourge and Breakdown for the Classics Collection

That's a lot of cash for a lot of meh toys.

Thanks for that price breakdown Sky Shadow. Helped me decide to give it a miss. (I was 99% there anyway)

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Originally Posted by Trent

That's a lot of cash for a lot of meh toys.

Thanks for that price breakdown Sky Shadow. Helped me decide to give it a miss. (I was 99% there anyway)

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Ditto,

The only one that remotely interests me is Slipstream (As there are so few Decepticon/Predacon/Vehicon Fembots) but at $50+ a figure? - Bah! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Paulbot

That pricing is not too bad. It's on par with a BotCon box set. Just shame there's no nice box (or any box).

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Yeah but they characters and paint jobs are not really interesting enough to make me want to pay those prices. If they had been as interesting as say Botcon 06 characters, I would be all over them.

The shipping cost is actually quite reasonable. I'm surprised!

I'm totally in for Slipstream, Circuit and Ultra Mammoth. I have a month or so to think about it...

that is a little more expensive then i thought they would be... shipping is a killer.

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Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

Or in other words it is at the very least going to be $400 for five Deluxes and an Ultra (or $70ish for each toy). If you're going to go in with a friend for shipping or want to try being a scalper, it might be more cost efficient to order two or three subscriptions at once.

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There's also + $82 for cost of 2013 membership + $3 online processing charge (as opposed to paying in person? :confused::p). $485 for 7 figs is still $70ish for each toy, unfortunately Classics Depthcharge does nothing for me either. Too bad they won't do a bulk shipment at the end of the year - I understand that they probably don't have a large warehouse, but there was potential to cut costs for consumers.

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Originally Posted by Decepticon

I think I will wait til they show up on eBay. I only want 2 of the figures.

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Originally Posted by kup

Out of interest, let's see what toys we would be after in but please note that even if we do find a way to do a group order, I would not be in it. I only mildly like these figures so to me, they are not worth the $50+ asking price.

Kup:
- Circuit
- Slipstream

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Originally Posted by Hursticon

Ditto,

The only one that remotely interests me is Slipstream (As there are so few Decepticon/Predacon/Vehicon Fembots) but at $50+ a figure? - Bah! :rolleyes:

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I'd only be in it for Scourge + Slipstream. From the sample reactions in this thread, it seems like Slipstream may end up going for $120+ on eBay.

Aaaannnd Preorders for Slipstream are sold out on BBTS.

Damn scalper scum. It's her, Scourge and Ultra Mammoth I want.

Seriously. I've been praying for an Ultra Magnus repaint of the Big Convoy mold for ..like ten years now.

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Originally Posted by Zippo

Because of my past experience with the club, they won't see my $ for this (as I will NEVER re-join the club even if want the toys)

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This +1

I am a bit concerned by this part of their rules in the email

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7. If you pick a shipping service that does not include insurance or if you don’t pick the insurance, we do not have any responsibility for replacement of lost or damaged or misdirected orders.

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So if you get a dud figure with slow postage, then no replacement? Or damaged during shipping? To which are they referring to I wonder.

So, subscribing to the figures also doesn't automatically make you a member? And their online processing fee was supposed to just cover costs of their shop when they first got the online thing set up.

And that's why I will not give them my cash. Oh and also coz of boring toys and piss poor magazine.

It looks like the club has gone from being a club to becoming a shop now there is no other reason to join aside from exclusive toys by the looks of things.

sooo, who's getting a sub? I will be getting at least one, hell I may be a arsehole scalper & buy two to sell the second on Evilbay

This was what I was looking for...

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FSS shipments cannot be combined or shipped with any other in-stock or
pre-ordered items from the Transformers Collectors' Club Store.

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Despite what they said at BotCon...

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toys would be shipped in blocks to save on shipping costs. So, one may be released each month, but would only be shipped out every 3- 6 months (if selected).

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Combined shipping was going to be the only reason anyone outside of America would even consider this, otherwise it is a tripling of the "two toys per year" structure they were currently running at.... and those toys were in fancy boxes. These are supposed to just be in baggies to (as they said at BotCon) "save on shipping".

They were able to produce Deluxe figures to sell for $30 without a box, and $45 with a box... why are these $47 each in a bag. Even if you knock off a couple dollars from the 5 Deluxes to pay for the Ultra, it is still $40+ for each Deluxe, in a baggie like the annual Membership toys (which they sell for $25-30, for profit).
After making a killing on the recent store exclusives (for $60-70 each, despite having previous ones for as low as $45), they are certainly adding a healthy profit margin on these ones too.

I'll post up a EOI topic in the Group Orders section, to see if there are any full sets we can put together for Australians (which one person can then offer to subscribe and forward the rest to others).

...And suddenly, 3rd party asking prices didn't look so bad after all. :p

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Originally Posted by fatbot

sooo, who's getting a sub? I will be getting at least one, hell I may be a arsehole scalper & buy two to sell the second on Evilbay

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I wonder if this will gain much scalper interest.
They are made to order, so aren't going to run out (a scalper's dream), and they are so expensive for a Deluxe toy in a bag (remember, Deluxes in America are $10-15 IN packaging). If any figures are high demand and others are really low demand, it will also make it difficult to offload a lot of extra figures if a scalper buys up several sets. (kinda like a retail case assortment with half being Bumblebee - online stores have to sell those cheap, while charging more for the remaining figures to offset it)

They also mention that the extras will be sold on their site for considerably more (as an incentive to pre-order all six). Just how much more can they charge for a Deluxe in a baggie.

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Originally Posted by Hursticon

...And suddenly, 3rd party asking prices didn't look so bad after all. :p

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I'd bet that's what's happened. They've seen what people are paying for 3rd party figures and jumped on that bandwagon thinking that everyone will dance around throwing money at them willy nilly no questions asked:rolleyes:

The EOI topic is here, for those wanting one or more of these figures (but aren't a member, or don't want all six).

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Originally Posted by griffin

I wonder if this will gain much scalper interest.
They are made to order, so aren't going to run out (a scalper's dream), and they are so expensive for a Deluxe toy in a bag (remember, Deluxes in America are $10-15 IN packaging). If any figures are high demand and others are really low demand, it will also make it difficult to offload a lot of extra figures if a scalper buys up several sets. (kinda like a retail case assortment with half being Bumblebee - online stores have to sell those cheap, while charging more for the remaining figures to offset it)

They also mention that the extras will be sold on their site for considerably more (as an incentive to pre-order all six). Just how much more can they charge for a Deluxe in a baggie.

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I can definitely see scalper interest here. Remember whilst they are producing according to demand, they have a ridiculous cut-off date that's scarcely 3 weeks from their announcement date (10th Sept 2012). So far out of all the figs they've sold, the only one that's really shelfwarmed for them is Animated Cheetor. Botcon Spinister/Octopunch has surprisingly been up for a a while now. Seems like anything Classics related sells like hot cakes, so I can only see that they will stand to make an ginormous profit even from the excess that they'll list on their website.

Secondly, see:

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Originally Posted by TFCC Website

5. The figures will be shipped in random order. All members receive the same figures each month. So if you don’t mind, when you get your shipment each month, PLEASE do not go online and tell what you received. We want each shipment to be a surprise for as many members as possible.

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Subscription figs are shipped once a month at random. We can already observe some figures showing more demand than others. If somebody was lucky enough to score a Slipstream or Ultra Mammoth on their first month, I'm sure it will fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market - as with what happened with the recent FP Steel Core shipments.

There's always the possibility that even after paying FunPub's asking premium, you may not receive that one fig you truly want until 12 months later. That would be incredibly unlucky - like 0.1% chance unlucky (1/6 * 1/5 * 1/4 * 1/3 * 1/2), and maybe a sign that you should invest in a lottery ticket :)

No no, All members receive the same figure each month. For example: everyone gets slipstream in the first shipment.

Okay, I'm confused already. Am I correct in thinking that if you yourself are a subscriber, you MUST receive one of each toy, but are able to order as many copies of each as you like?
Or is it you can only order in multiple complete sets of 6?:confused:

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Originally Posted by Trent

I'd bet that's what's happened. They've seen what people are paying for 3rd party figures and jumped on that bandwagon thinking that everyone will dance around throwing money at them willy nilly no questions asked:rolleyes:

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The trick is that they have to make stuff people would want to buy at those prices not just do lame repaints of older molds.

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Originally Posted by SuspectimusPrime

So far out of all the figs they've sold, the only one that's really shelfwarmed for them is Animated Cheetor. Botcon Spinister/Octopunch has surprisingly been up for a a while now. Seems like anything Classics related sells like hot cakes, so I can only see that they will stand to make an ginormous profit even from the excess that they'll list on their website.

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Their Astrotrain, Airrazor and 2005 set of figures were hanging around for years.

As for the random shipping, I think that they are just stating that they can't tell which 2 figures will be first. EG, they might save the Scourge until the end of the year, but everyone gets sent an Ultra Mammoth and Slipstream as the fisrt batch. That's why they don't want people posting it on the web. (Good luck with that, there is no way the Americans are going to wait 2 weeks for the rest of the world to get theirs)

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Okay, I'm confused already. Am I correct in thinking that if you yourself are a subscriber, you MUST receive one of each toy, but are able to order as many copies of each as you like?
Or is it you can only order in multiple complete sets of 6?

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Me too, so one subscription allows me to order extras or what? If I can choose to buy 3 scourges but only one Mammoth, then why can't I decide to drop Mammoth altogether?

I also agree that the cut off date is too soon. this is why I won't be rejoining, but it still bugs the crap out of me!

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Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy

As for the random shipping, I think that they are just stating that they can't tell which 2 figures will be first. EG, they might save the Scourge until the end of the year, but everyone gets sent an Ultra Mammoth and Slipstream as the fisrt batch. That's why they don't want people posting it on the web. (Good luck with that, there is no way the Americans are going to wait 2 weeks for the rest of the world to get theirs)

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We are a community that's notorious for exercising our bragging rights :)

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Originally Posted by tinyJazz

Okay, I'm confused already. Am I correct in thinking that if you yourself are a subscriber, you MUST receive one of each toy, but are able to order as many copies of each as you like?
Or is it you can only order in multiple complete sets of 6?:confused:

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Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy

Me too, so one subscription allows me to order extras or what? If I can choose to buy 3 scourges but only one Mammoth, then why can't I decide to drop Mammoth altogether?

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I'm still a member until Feb next year, just logged in to the subscription service and this is what you get:

http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...nservice-1.jpg

It means you get to order unlimited amounts of the same six-fig set.

Also, looks like BBTS has already gotten in on the scramble. With BBTS setting premiums on these premiums, you can be quite sure they won't be going for any less on eBay in the coming year. With Scourge/Slipstream/Ultra Mammoth amounting to $330, this ensures a healthy profit for any other small-time scalpers (especially from domestic US). Pic below as of 19/08/2012. Saying that the Subscription Service figs are made to order, however must be sold in a set, probably does more to promote than to deter scalperism. They're essentially setting a popularity contest.

http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...subservice.jpg

Well from the looks of the above, top work too by the way Suspectimus :cool:, there is only going to be 1 to 2 winners here and it's not going to be the customer - Especially not an International customer. :rolleyes:

I think I'll stick with cheapening my hobby. :D

I think my membership ends this month. If I order these figures now and don't renew, will I still get sent these things over the next 12 months?

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Originally Posted by tinyJazz

No no, All members receive the same figure each month. For example: everyone gets slipstream in the first shipment.

Okay, I'm confused already. Am I correct in thinking that if you yourself are a subscriber, you MUST receive one of each toy, but are able to order as many copies of each as you like?
Or is it you can only order in multiple complete sets of 6?:confused:

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Being a member doesn't force you to buy a set, or reserve one for you either. It's more like a double-membership, in which you have to buy a membership to the club first, then you have to buy a membership to this subscription system.
And think of it like a BotCon boxset, but is instead being sent out one-per-month instead of all at once. You have to buy all six as a set, like a package deal, but you will only get one toy sent out each month for six months. Everyone gets the same toy in each particular month, but the identity of that month's figure is a surprise.

JUST BE AWARE - the original wording of their Transformers Subscription had copied their GIJoe wording, so it mentions a plural of two figures being released at a time. This is not applicable to the Transformers Subscription. We are only getting one figure per month released, the GIJoe Subscription is getting two per month.

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Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy

Me too, so one subscription allows me to order extras or what? If I can choose to buy 3 scourges but only one Mammoth, then why can't I decide to drop Mammoth altogether?

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No. You have to buy complete sets. Unlimited sets, but all six have to be purchased like a BotCon Boxset.

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Originally Posted by Decepticon

I think my membership ends this month. If I order these figures now and don't renew, will I still get sent these things over the next 12 months?

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That shouldn't be a factor, as you purchased it (pre-ordered it) before your membership expired... so they already got one membership fee out of you to authorise your access to the toys.
Just make sure that if your postal address changes before the toys are released, you contact them about it.
Or just send them an email asking if you MUST remain a member during the entire toy-release period.
This is something they plan to do every year, so maintaining a membership long-term may end up being necessary anyway.

(each year at botcon they try to get our sympathies over how much time and resources are taken up on creating 40-50 toys each year for their two clubs - which affects their other services like the club and conventions - so how much more of a negative impact is an extra 10-12 toys for both clubs gonna have on their other services? If you think they are bad now, this "toy business" direction they are heading into is just going to make everything else suffer)

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Originally Posted by griffin

(each year at botcon they try to get our sympathies over how much time and resources are taken up on creating 40-50 toys each year for their two clubs - which affects their other services like the club and conventions - so how much more of a negative impact is an extra 10-12 toys for both clubs gonna have on their other services? If you think they are bad now, this "toy business" direction they are heading into is just going to make everything else suffer)

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See this is what I hate, they still refer to themselves as a club but all they are interested in is selling toys.

The shipping is outrageous for anyone outside the US, and I'd strongly advise using a mail forwading service. I don't want to spruke for any particular one, but I use them now for any club purchases and it saves me a fortune.

In order to 'secure' the two I wanted the most for my Classics Collection, I decided to lock in an order at BBTS for Scourge and Breakdown.

I'm willing to chuck down the cash to get Ultra Mammoth and Slipstream (maybe Circuit), but is it worth the hassle?

Also, US postal forwarding service? Intrigued I am. (But also at work, and really shouldn't even be on here, let alone looking for US postal stuff). How does this work?

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Originally Posted by reillyd

The shipping is outrageous for anyone outside the US, and I'd strongly advise using a mail forwading service. I don't want to spruke for any particular one, but I use them now for any club purchases and it saves me a fortune.

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Originally Posted by Gouki

Also, US postal forwarding service? Intrigued I am. (But also at work, and really shouldn't even be on here, let alone looking for US postal stuff). How does this work?

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I'm very interested in mail forwarding services too, especially what has worked in the past for a fellow Ozformer :) Is there another thread that discusses them?

Ehhh bugger it, I pre-ordered Slipstream and Circuit from Bigbadtoystore. It works out a bit more expensive than buying them in the subscription but I don't have to mess around with selling the dudes I don't want. Plus I can have 'em shipped together and buy other stuff to go with them. I wonder when those Dark Energon figures are being released.

Recieved this email from the club and one particular paragraph caught me eye.

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NOTE ABOUT SINGLE FIGURES: There will not be a large quantity of single figures ordered for the club store so if you are interested in most of the figures offered, we recommend that you subscribe and sell the items you are not interested in to others. This will ensure that you receive the figures that you really want.

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Sounds like they have taken a leaf from Matty Collecotr's book...