New Robotech as Jetfire

[griffin]

This isn't by Hasbro or TakaraTomy, but a Hong Kong business who does licensed toys, including Robotech... and their latest batch of fully-convertible figures replicate the toy that Hasbro released as Jetfire, including one that is coloured like Jetfire (in red and white) with the proper Jetfire head.

It is a little smaller than the original, and looks a little different, but has LEDs all over it, and is limited to 1000 units (500 sold in HK and 500 sold online for the rest of the world - which sold out really fast).

The price was us$230 (about au$350), but the product page made it look like it was only us$110, as that was actually the deposit price.

[JJJ]

After it sold out yesterday, they opened it back up again for another 888 copies (no idea why they picked that number). I haven't looked since, but I imagine that those have also sold out.

[griffin]

I guess they could keep pumping out thousands over a period of several years... and I imagine that they didn't expect this sort of response from Transformers fans, as they were only producing toys for Robotech fans, who are a lot more niche now after all this time.

[Skyfire]

888 copies (no idea why they picked that number).

8 is like lucky 7 for Cantonese Chinese people, of which many HK people are. The Cantonese word for 8 sounds very similar to the word for "fortune". So it's common for promotions in HK and other Cantonese-speaking places to use 8s.

Robotech fans, who are a lot more niche now after all this time.

Now I feel old...

[jazzcomp]

Missed out on this.

[kovert]

This Valkyrie model could have a button cell battery compartment that is deemed unsafe by the ACCC for sale to customers in Australia. Earlier Valkyrie models from KitzConcept Ltd have a battery compartment secured with a screw, whereas recent models apparently do not. Would direct imports by Australian residents be affected by products with a non-compliant battery compartment?