View Poll Results: If all 10 Cyber Series toys were released here, would you...

Voters
26. You may not vote on this poll
  • buy most or all, even if they are priced like Voyagers and Leaders

    0 0%
  • buy most or all, but only if cheaper than the equivalent size class

    5 19.23%
  • buy one or two, no matter the price

    3 11.54%
  • buy one or two, if they are cheap or on sale

    12 46.15%
  • not buy any (not interested in these or already have them)

    6 23.08%
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Thread: Would you buy Asia exclusive GDO toys in Australian stores?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
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    Default Would you buy Asia exclusive GDO toys in Australian stores?

    In 2015 there was a small range of toys called Cyber Battalion and Cyber Commander, produced by the "GDO" (which apparently stands for Global Development Organization - who also did the Asian exclusive Generations toys in 2012).

    A second wave of the Cyber series toys was just released earlier this year (Prowl, Jetfire, Movie deco Optimus), and it looks to have re-released a number of the first wave with them.

    This gives us ten different toys so far in this series (in two size classes, but much simpler engineering compared to other toys of their size)...

    Cyber Commander (large size - about Leader class size)
    Wave 1 - Optimus (gen1 colour), Bumblebee.
    Wave 2 - Optimus (Movie colour).

    Cyber Battalion (small size - about Voyager class size)
    Wave 1 - Grimlock, Starscream, Megatron, Bumblebee, Optimus.
    Wave 2 - Prowl, Jetfire.

    This image shows all but the movie deco Optimus...


    Since these are released in limited markets (usually a couple of Asian countries and a few South American countries), they have at times been hard to obtain, or only been found at one or two sources. Their rarity in Western markets (like America and the UK) makes them appealing to some collectors, but in turn, their simplicity puts off others who would normally seek out rarities or unusual toys like these.

    Anyways, with the second wave currently being released in Asia, what sort of interest would there be by collectors here, if Hasbro Australia was able to release them to our major retailers?

    So the poll question is, if all 10 were released here, are you likely to...
    - buy most or all, even if they are priced like Voyagers and Leaders.
    - buy most or all, but only if cheaper than the equivalent size class.
    - buy one or two, no matter the price.
    - buy one or two, if they are cheap or on sale.
    - not buy any (not interested in these at all).

    Hopefully, if we did get them here, and they do well enough, Australia could become a regular home for future GDO toys (and future Asia exclusive toys).

    Post your opinions here as well, like how much you think these size classes should be priced here (be reasonable), and if you'd prefer to see these at most retailers, or just as a store exclusive to one retailer, so that it doesn't flood the market too much with a fifth Transformers "toyline" (alongside RID, Generations, Movie line, and Rescue Bots).

    I think that a retail price here has to make sense though, as they might be simpler toys, but they are the larger size classes (Voyager & almost Leader size), and Transformers products generally get priced according to size/mass, over complexity or simple gimmicks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    7th Jan 2010
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    Default

    I picked "buy one or two, if they are cheap or on sale".
    I personally don't agree with the charging based purely by size, things like the RiD Super Bumblebee for example are no where near worth the $120 retail price when it's just a chunk of plastic that stands there and my opinion follows a similar line of thought with these toys.
    If there is very little design or articulation it's not worth anything near the same as similar sized figures that have had a lot of work put into them, especially when such simple toys are essentially for younger kids to throw around and smash up.
    In saying all that I'd get Starscream and Jetfire for the right price, but that price would be less then the price of a deluxe as far as I'm concerned

  3. #3
    Join Date
    10th Nov 2009
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    Diamond Creek, Victoria
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    Default

    seen the OP's enlarged toys two years ago. China's local shop price was 99 RMB, aka 19AUD around these days. Didn't see taobao shop selling them, if they do, would have been even cheaper.

    This toy lines are perfect for kids, coz the toys share similar images of "daddy's G1/MP toys"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    22nd Feb 2014
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    Melbourne
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    Default

    Didn't really pick one as I would buy more than 1 or 2 of the Voyager sized ones but not most. Given the simple transformations, I think I would buy them around the deluxe pricepoint even though they are Voyager sized.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    4th Jan 2015
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    Default

    If they kept to the pricing they have them in China they should come out cheaper than similar sized figures whatever market they are released in.
    I got the large Optimus and Grimlock for around AU$15 each and the smaller Optimus for about AU$10 in a Toys'R'Us in China - and Toys'R'Us are notoriously expensive in their local markets regardless of country.
    My son still adores the Grimlock even though he is almost a year old now... and he's held up well to the rigours of a 10-year-old regularly playing and transforming him so they're pretty good toys.
    However, the figures also sell out quickly in the markets they are released in for certain characters like Optimus and Starscream so I'm not sure what kind of volume these figures are produced in.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
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    Sydney NSW
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    Default

    I'd only get 'em if they were really cheap and I had nothing else to buy... it'd be an impulse buy.

  7. #7
    Megatron Guest

    Default

    Buy one or two, no matter the price

    I would buy one or two (of Megatron and Starscream). I like the look and style of these toys much more than the movie line, plus I'd keep them sealed anyway as a collector or I tend to just display them rather than play with them so the level of transformation (simple compared to more complicated) is meaningless to me.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    2nd Jun 2011
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    Default

    I actually had a few of these ordered cheap through a JP retailer over a year ago but had to cancel due to my low funds

    I'd certainly grab Starscream, Jetfire, Prowl, Megatron and maybe the big Optimus but only if the cost reflected their relatively simplistic transformations

  9. #9
    Join Date
    7th Jan 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bladestorm View Post
    I got the large Optimus and Grimlock for around AU$15 each and the smaller Optimus for about AU$10 in a Toys'R'Us in China
    See now that is reasonable considering they are simple toys with some of them essentially just being upscaled legions, around that price point would be just fine

  10. #10
    Join Date
    24th May 2007
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    Brisbane
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    Default

    I passed on the details to Hasbro Australia... so it's up to them if they find a retailer, and if they get a good price on them.

    Mine that I ordered in April from Singapore finally arrived this week... and they are a bit bigger than I was expecting.
    I thought the larger ones were smaller than Leader size, but are actually on par with recent leader class figures.
    While the smaller ones were about Voyager size, their simple transformations will attract criticism from older collectors, I don't find these as being any simpler to our 1980s Gen1 toys. We just expect that larger should mean more complicated... or else it looks too cheap. (which the smaller Bumblebee does... but I think it comes down to the sculpting as well - these have lots of flat panels, so it makes them look cheaper)

    These are all but Starscream, which I now need to track down, to complete the set.


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