Quote Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper View Post
^^ This/these, and also...

Hasbro/Takara-Tomy is more than capable of putting out the same level of quality releases as 3rd Party crews, but 1) they have to take into account child safety laws/regulations, and 2) HasTakTom price points. If, say, FansToys were to 'join up' with Hasbro, and some (let's say American) more-dollars-than-sense parent bought an 'adult collectible' TF for their spoilt kid, who then tried eating said collectible and choked to death, that'd be Lawsuit City for Hasbro.
If a 3rd Party outfit were to join the Official HTT Family, they'd have to both design their works to be dumb-child-proof, and (as likely as not) to make their production cost palatable for mass-release. Parts count, drop-test-survivable, moron-proof, paint apps...all of these factors would be pretty limiting to someone wanting to make high-end transforming robots for theoretically-mature, adult collectors.
why would they have to do that suddenly if they aren't now? why don't they have to do that now? nothing would have changed.

I guess I'm thinking they could just continue to do what they already do, but make it 'official'. that licensing fee does sound pretty steep, but it would be a one-off cost wouldn't it or at least not be every year or something?

how cost effective are these 3rd party companies then? i know hasbro/TT could probably do these figures if they wanted to and think it isn't worth it, but if these companies are doing it then it seems to me that there's something there.