Fortress Maximus originally retailed in the US for $99 (AU$140*) and in Japan for 12800JPY (AU$120*). Fortress Maximus was exceedingly rare in Australia, so it's difficult to confirm what the price was here, but it's possible that it could've been a tad under $200.
Brave Maximus was made in China. So was Unicron and Primus. Encore Fortress Maximus would've been made in China or Vietnam. I don't see how this would affect the quality of packaging; the factory would package the toys properly if Hasbro told them to do it.
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*July 1987 exchange rate