How much of your G1 collection is reissues?

[Jetfire in the sky]

Like you said, they're reverse moulded, which Takara(TOMY) don't do -- the closest they did was with reverse moulding the arms for the original G1 Optimus Prime mould, and they claim that it was really expensive for them to do this.

I have to disagree with TakTom's "claim" on this, reverse molding is easy as, especially when they know the way the general molding process goes. Some finer details may be a bit more difficult, however this would take no more than a day or two once base "prototypes" have been created. I'd be interested to know where this claim has come from

But HasTak's inability or unwillingness to reissue these toys is only half the problem. Half the blame has to lie with collectors who BUY knock offs and keep pirates in business.

Totally with you there. I have often considered buying one just to tear it open and pick it apart to see all the failures myself, but I would never do it at the B.S. prices these dirty pirate SOB's are asking.

[Trent]

The only G1 originals I have a Grimlock, Seasspray and Cosmos. Everything else is reissues.

My G1 collection is really small..

[GoktimusPrime]

I have to disagree with TakTom's "claim" on this, reverse molding is easy as, especially when they know the way the general molding process goes. Some finer details may be a bit more difficult, however this would take no more than a day or two once base "prototypes" have been created. I'd be interested to know where this claim has come from

Takara stated it 12 years ago shortly after they reissued Convoy. I honestly can't remember where now, and also a lot of references were posted on Japanese TF forums which no longer exist (e.g. Naito Naonori's Transformers Net iirc).

[Ultra Mackness]

I only have the '84 and '85 list complete along with a few select characters from the '86 line (movie characters basicly) and about 30% of them are reissues. It was a higher number than I expected before I went through and counted them all up but I don't mind too much. While I wanted certain individual characters to be bona fide (e.g. Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Starscream) others I was less concerned and only wanted a representative and a reissue would do fine (Red alert, Astrotrain) provided I had representatives of each character from the cartoons and movie up to '86.

[kup]

Like you said, they're reverse moulded, which Takara(TOMY) don't do -- the closest they did was with reverse moulding the arms for the original G1 Optimus Prime mould, and they claim that it was really expensive for them to do this (and we can see that HasTak has milked that reissue mould more than any other to get their money's worth!).

I think that is just spinning things to justify why they are not reissuing certain molds. It is clear that it is fairly easy/inexpensive to recreate and mass produce molds at an industrial scale or we wouldn't have so many knock offs that are of comparable quality to Tomy's/Hasbro's.

The 3rd parties also seem to get up and running creating their own molds reasonably easy enough.

I think that is just an 'urban myth' that Has-Tak created to justify why they don't reissue certain figures. It could be that they simply couldn't be bothered to fix/recreate molds they don't readily have.

[Jetfire in the sky]

I think that is just spinning things to justify why they are not reissuing certain molds. It is clear that it is fairly easy/inexpensive to recreate and mass produce molds at an industrial scale or we wouldn't have so many knock offs that are of comparable quality to Tomy's/Hasbro's.

The 3rd parties also seem to get up and running creating their own molds reasonably easy enough.

I think that is just an 'urban myth' that Has-Tak created to justify why they don't reissue certain figures. It could be that they simply couldn't be bothered to fix/recreate molds they don't readily have.

I guess back then they could have said that so that the bootlegggers wouldn't even bother, I think at that stage we had the KO Beachcomber getting around and perhaps Ravage and Rumble I think. All fairly basic figures when it comes to parts. I think it a serious shame that Has/Tak don't pursue these clowns, they would be making some serious coin.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think one big problem is that these counterfeits are made in China where it's difficult to pursue piracy... because anyone who's been to China will know that there are fakes of everything everywhere -- it's actually harder to find legit TFs in China than it is to find KOs!

[Paulbot]

My G1 collection contains only a few reissues: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Inferno, the Aerialbots, and Sandstorm

I have a bunch of Encore toys and the Commemorative series figures and the like, but I don't think of them as part of G1 collection. I think of them as part of my Encore collection. Or my Commemorative series collection etc.

I only think of the gold-boxed classic reissues as part of my G1 collection because they came out during G1, but I still think of them as "reissues" and even in my G1 collection I have always listed them separately to my Prowl, Ratchet, Protectobots or Astrotrain that I got in the early 80s.

A reissue isn't the same as having an original, but I'm happy enough to be still be able to get versions of the older figures that are brand new and cheap(ish) as part of my Encore collection.

[Bidoofdude]

My G1 collection contains only a few reissues: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Inferno, the Aerialbots, and Sandstorm

I have a bunch of Encore toys and the Commemorative series figures and the like, but I don't think of them as part of G1 collection. I think of them as part of my Encore collection. Or my Commemorative series collection etc.

I only think of the gold-boxed classic reissues as part of my G1 collection because they came out during G1, but I still think of them as "reissues" and even in my G1 collection I have always listed them separately to my Prowl, Ratchet, Protectobots or Astrotrain that I got in the early 80s.

A reissue isn't the same as having an original, but I'm happy enough to be still be able to get versions of the older figures that are brand new and cheap(ish) as part of my Encore collection.

You're the man I hope to be.

[Jetfire in the sky]

I only think of the gold-boxed classic reissues as part of my G1 collection because they came out during G1, but I still think of them as "reissues" and even in my G1 collection I have always listed them separately to my Prowl, Ratchet, Protectobots or Astrotrain that I got in the early 80s.

A reissue isn't the same as having an original, but I'm happy enough to be still be able to get versions of the older figures that are brand new and cheap(ish) as part of my Encore collection.

I have to say that I have done this with the Gold Box Classics Reissues, if I have been able to pick up a figure I don't have then I would get the Goldie, but once I get the original it's gone.