Reissue Gen1 Hotrod again?

[danny-boy]

“Pre packaged Star Wars characters still in their display box? Are those the limited edition action figures? Why it’s Luke, and Obi-wan, and my favourite Chewie! They’re all here!”

G1 Figures in their original packaging. This is what I’ve been dreaming of.

[kovert]

The 'Generation One Commemorative Series' Rodimus Major cost A$35 at Toys 'R' Us in Australia back in 2003. Adjusted for inflation (2017) that is now around A$50.

[GoktimusPrime]

*rubs chin*
*does maths*

You're right.

My working...

In 2003 Deluxes (known as Max-Cons) cost about $25.
Disclaimer: I'm working off the Japanese RRP but IIRC the AU RRP wasn't too different, so give or take a few dollars.
This year the price of Deluxe figures has risen to $35, representing a x1.4 price rise.
If Commemorative Series Rodimus Major cost $35 in 2003, then 1.4 x $35 = $49, which of course rounds up to $50.

So yeah, it is on par with the rate of inflation for Deluxe Class figures. Other size classes have also risen in price, but it happened a few years ago. Remember when Scout Class figures used to be $15? They're now called Legends Class and they're $20, so that's a rise of x1.3. And the cost of Voyagers (formerly known as Megas) and Ultras also crept up during the Unicron Trilogy years. Voyagers now sell for the cost of Ultras and although it's been a while since we've had any Ultras in stores, they did sell at $70.

I guess it's like being a frog saucepan.

[DarkHyren]

Now up for preorder on Toybot Importz as well: https://www.toybotimportz.com.au/col...utobot-hot-rod
Just stock photos for now, be interesting to see what packaging this ends up using and if they end up reissuing more G1 figures

[UltraMarginal]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

I like the idea of commemorative toys like this, if they did commemorative dinobots for $50 I'd probably grab them. but we've been hearing for years that the moulds were lost ... so I don't know how much I care personally.

[philby]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

I like the idea of commemorative toys like this, if they did commemorative dinobots for $50 I'd probably grab them. but we've been hearing for years that the moulds were lost ... so I don't know how much I care personally.

Can they reverse engineer the molds? If they got some of the actual toys, can they make new molds from them? Would it be any cheaper today than 30 years ago with stuff like 3D printing? So it might not be exactly 100% the same but close enough...?

[Jazzman]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

I like the idea of commemorative toys like this, if they did commemorative dinobots for $50 I'd probably grab them. but we've been hearing for years that the moulds were lost ... so I don't know how much I care personally.

Be nice just to see a head count of what moulds were actually available after all these years. Been lots of reissues... just wonder what else is out there

[UltraMarginal]

Can they reverse engineer the molds? If they got some of the actual toys, can they make new molds from them? Would it be any cheaper today than 30 years ago with stuff like 3D printing? So it might not be exactly 100% the same but close enough...?

I think you'll find they'd end up being like a KO in geometric accuracy. it would be a multi stage process making wax moulds or something similar, and working up to a metallic mould. with each step, the geometry would lose accuracy (thermal expansion and surface damage to parent mould) the final product would have much less surface definition and possibly not mate with adjoining parts.

3D printing requires an accurate CAD model, and is no where near cheap enough for the volumes they would have to produce.

They may be able to essentially re-design them from scratch using existing copies of the original toys and developing new cad models, then a machined mould would fit together but there would be minor if not noticeable differences to the original toy, Which I'd be more than happy with but the Non-recurring Engineering on that would be as much if not more than a new design, possibly hard to recoup from a toy design of that vintage.

Be nice just to see a head count of what moulds were actually available after all these years. Been lots of reissues... just wonder what else is out there

That is a list I would love to see, something that there could be a fan vote on, or even stuff that could be released through that crowd fund style system they did with the sail barge from star wars

[GoktimusPrime]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

Yeah, I remember seeing him for $25, but it was discounted from $30.
I got the first Takara reissue for around that price but it got stolen a few years later.

Yes, the later bookcase style boxed reissues were $70 which was stupidly expensive considering that you could either:
a/ Preorder the Takara reissues from HLJ and get them for about half the price, or...
b/ Go to a local import store and get the Takara reissues for about the same price

Back then TRU priced their toys as if online shopping didn't exist. Oh wait...

[danny-boy]

no longer on Robot Kingdom's website. the plot thickens.