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Thread: Encore 23 Fort Max

  1. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5FDP View Post
    That was bound to happen and one of the very reasons why you shouldn't rely on toys as an investment.
    +1. And they would be the only people who stand to "lose" anything from a reissue. For those of us who just collect toys purely for the love/enjoyment and not for financial gain -- there's nothing to lose. Those of us who want the reissue are stoked, those who want the original will be happy because the aftermarket price will go down, and those who want neither - okay, they have nothing to gain, but nothing to lose either (it's more like, "Meh" - which is how I feel about most other Encores).
    Quote Originally Posted by Skullcruncher View Post
    The number of original fort max's on ebay seems to have increased - people trying to get their money back before the price drop! I hope they then reissue this guy as grand too. That might get me excited about it.
    I was talking about that to someone earlier this evening, and they speculated that TakTOM would be more likely to do Grand Max in a few years' time -- i.e. after Fort Max has done it's run. And that actually makes some sense. Fortress Maximus is a big f'expensive toy - no doubt's there. If you release Grand Maximus around the same time frame as Fortress Maximus, a lot of people are going to be more likely to choose one mould or the other rather than buying both. Let's say for example they announced that both would be released in 2013 or 2014 -- and say if something came up and I could only save up for one of them. Well, I already have a G1 Fortress Maximus, and as much as I'd like to get a minty reissue, if it came to the crunch I'd choose Grand Max over a Fort Max reissue, simply because I don't have a Grand Maximus. And ya know, I want a Fort Max reissue because my Fort Max is badly yellowed and missing accessories -- if my Fort Max was in better condition, I'd skip the reissue altogether... as I'm sure a lot of other people on this board are doing who already have a Fort Max that's in reasonably good or excellent condition.

    Cos that's what I did with Encore Omega Supreme -- my G1 Omega Supreme is in good working condition, so I skipped the reissue. Then eHobby announced they were doing GADEP, a character I don't have, so I got that. And as we know, Encore Omega Supreme was a horrific shelf-warmer... and that's something TakTOM doesn't want. So it would be in their better interest if they just waited a year or a few years for the market to 'absorb' Fort Max stocks -- then do Grand Maximus. That way, the two Maximi won't be cross-competing with each other (as Omega Supreme and GADEP may have), and it would also give collectors who bought Fort Max time to financially recover and be in a better position to purchase Grand Max.

    Quote Originally Posted by swoop View Post
    still not up at hlj or amiami , I thought they would of had them up by now
    Japanese fans are saying that there's an information embargo in place atm, so companies/retailers shouldn't be leaking this information out. That's why TakaraTOMY told me that they had no plans to reissue Fortress Maximus when I called them yesterday. The operator herself may not have been aware of this or the embargo -- more likely her computer system would just tell her that there's nothing planned (because that's actually what she told me -- I could hear her typing away and she said that the system was showing her that they didn't have any information, so she told me that that TakaraTOMY "has no plans" to reissue Fort Max). It just seems that some retailers have chosing to break the embargo prematurely and even started taking pre-orders. But we can't really blame other retailers for "doing the right thing" by respecting TakTOM's embargo.

  2. #82
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    BBTS lowered their prices by $20 from their initial listings, down to $330 (or $380 for the impatient) (plus postage).

  3. #83
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5FDP View Post
    That was bound to happen and one of the very reasons why you shouldn't rely on toys as an investment.
    Good point.. I can't kid myself with that one anymore

  4. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5FDP View Post
    That was bound to happen and one of the very reasons why you shouldn't rely on toys as an investment.
    Its also one of the reasons i don't buy expensive Japanese Transformers, there bound release most of them eventually! So i would rather buy the reissues and pay a lot less than the originals.

  5. #85
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    Well Robotkingdom seems tobe the cheapest, but I'm really hoping for a 'early bird special' at hlj
    On the lookout for MISB Headmaster Highbrow, Takara or Hasbro. I'm sure I could make you a sweet deal!

  6. #86
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    Quote Originally Posted by rocman12 View Post
    Its also one of the reasons i don't buy expensive Japanese Transformers, there bound release most of them eventually! So i would rather buy the reissues and pay a lot less than the originals.
    True... but Fortress Maximus was a tricky one to predict (and kudos to those who called it). But consider the following:
    + Takara started reissuing G1 toys in 2000
    + Takara released Brave Maximus in 2000 - thus we knew that they still had the mould
    + Takara's other big/expensive reissues like Sky Lynx, Metroplex and Omega Supreme were shelfwarmers -- and Fortress Maximus is going to be bigger and more expensive than any of those.
    + Some would argue that Takara's enthusiasm/commitment for reissues has waned of late, with many of their later reissues being reissues of toys that have already been reissued (Convoy, Megatron, Starscream Meister, Predaking etc.) and not enough reissues of stuff that has never been reissued.
    + Some fans have also argued that because the Fort Max mould fails to meet current US toy safety standards (which is why Brave Max was never released as RiD Fortress Maximus) that Hasbro won't be able to do their own reissue, which in turn might discourage Takara from doing so. (even though both companies are disallowed from taking each other's markets into account when developing toys - so I personally don't think this was a terribly plausible excuse)

    TakaraTOMY is taking a calculated risk in reissuing Fortress Maximus. While there's that initial enthusiasm from fans like us who'll scoop the toy up lickety-split, once that dies down, TakTOM needs to maintain the enthusiasm and demand for the toy. Look at Jetwing Optimus Prime -- remember when that toy came out and a lot of people were gunning to get it? Especially when Big W's toy sale rolled along, that thing sold pretty quick. But now it's shelf warming at Target who've reduced the price massively. I sincerely hope that Encore Fort Max doesn't shelfwarm... I hope that the fans 'reward' TakaraTOMY for putting their faith in us by releasing this toy. And it's easy to say "Hey everyone, support TakTOM and buy this toy!", but it's a damn expensive toy! It's just not something anyone would buy unless you were damn certain that you absolutely 110% wanted this toy!

    Is there anyone here with a complete and excellent condition G1 Fortress Maximus who still wants to get a reissue Fortress Maximus? Or is everyone who's wanting this toy either:
    a) Don't currently have a Fortress Maximus, or...
    b) Have a Fortress Maximus that's incomplete and/or in less than excellent condition (like me)

  7. #87
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    (b)..... But i'm banking on re-issue parts showing up for cheap(er) around the place in a year or so. I'd be keen to chip in for one. I need spike, cog, cerebros gun and maybe the radar.

  8. #88
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    a) Dont have the toy... I chose Brave Max because the colors I preferred, and is cheaper. BUt with the release of this toy priced like it is. Im getting it, just need to save a lot. Beats having a go at ebay for the originals which is annoyingly expensive and on top of which shipping is expensive, then customs hit you with import tax etc etc soooo very very expensive!!
    Wanted AM partner Vanguard, Myclones Dirge, G1 Victory Leo, e-hobby Dark scream ( the black version), e-hobby Magnificus
    Parts- AM partner Basher-side guns, G1 Actionmaster Elite Windmill's blades[I][B]

  9. #89
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    a) Don't own the toy. One of my grails that I never thought I'd own, Though like most G1 I'm probably going to be dissapointed, I could never justify spending the ebay prices for him. Is he really worth the $1000+ price tag?

  10. #90
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    Quote Originally Posted by LordCyrusOmega View Post
    Is he really worth the $1000+ price tag?
    I personally don't think so. With aftermarket prices you're never paying for the actual 'worth' of the toy, but rather the rarity/scarcity.

    IMHO...
    Pros
    + The toy is massive. 55cm tall in robot mode, 78cm long in starship mode and weighs 5kg. There's no denying the impressiveness of the size of this figure.
    + The robot mode is just covered in weaponry. Even without his accessories, you've got 2 twin cannons on the arms, 2 twin cannons in the hands, 2 massive cannons on the torso, 2 twin cannons in the legs -- so even _without_ the other weapons, Fortress Maximus has fourteen guns built into him!
    + The toy is an incredible play set for other Transformers. It has a working lift, car launchers w/ ramps, a moving radar dish and prison cell (w/ staircase!)
    + It also comes with other figures you can play interact with - least being the Headmaster units Cerebros and Spike, but also Gasket and Grommet (who combine to form Cog).

    Cons
    + Size aside, it's a pretty plain action figure with relatively simplistic transformation, even by the standards of the day. The alt modes are very much "lie the robot down" -- do a few things... you're done.
    + No other Transformer even comes close to the size of the Fort Max robot. This makes him a difficult action figure to interact with other action figures because there's just nothing else in his size class -- even his 'rival' Scorponok way shorter than him.
    + There's no such thing as a cheap Fortress Maximus. And at 5kg you can bet the postage won't be cheap either.

    ...so be aware that Fort Max is an incredible play set, but mediocre action figure. I don't think it's worth $1000 - but then again, I don't think any toy is worth above its RRP. Is it worth $370-400? That's certainly more expensive than Brave Maximus' RRP ($300), but that was 12 years ago - and also, Brave Maximus was a regular retail release, whereas Takara always does G1 reissues in more limited numbers (since it's targeted at the smaller niche adult market), so I expect that this will be a relatively smaller production run than Brave Max. Also, they may have had to remould the Master Sword (because reports are that Car Robot's God Sword was really flimsy). I think it's a fair price - a helluva lot better than what you'd pay for a MISB G1 Fortress Maximus.

    Here is dirge's review

    Being such an expensive toy, I think it makes sense to consider carefully whether or not you want this toy. If you haven't seen a Fort Max IRL before, I strong strongly recommend that you do so before considering whether or not you want to make an order. Go find a friend who has a Fort Max and have a look at their toy, or ask another OTCAer who lives near you if you can see theirs (either at their place or if they want to bring it to a fan meet etc. ). Maybe someone can bring their Fort Max to the next Parra Fair -- mine's not complete or in the best condition, so I'll do it only if noone else is willing... or maybe I can bring my Brave Maximus which is complete and in excellent condition (but different colours - but at least you can still check out the mould).

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