Currently at about $135 AUD shipped for both from Amazon Japan. $65-$70 for a little penny racer these shouldn’t be more than $20. I know everything is expensive these days but that price is a bit excessive.
Currently at about $135 AUD shipped for both from Amazon Japan. $65-$70 for a little penny racer these shouldn’t be more than $20. I know everything is expensive these days but that price is a bit excessive.
These guys are quite a bit more complex than a penny racer, but I too feel the RRP is a bit over the top.
To be honest though, I'm surprised TT are pushing through with these guys for a number of reasons.
1. They are small
2. I bet they were not easy to make.
3. They don't project value for money when you see how small they are.
The 3rd one makes them quite a gamble really. Optimus. Soundwave, and the bigger guys would easily get away with their high prices, but these guys being so small would be a tough sell.
(He says despite knowing that Amazon japan had 400+ pre-orders taken for them in the morning the listing was put up)
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However, nobody will be paying the RRP. Amazon Japan will heavily discount the price over the course of a few weeks, and all the other place in Japan that are taking orders have already applied much the same discount. Or at least nobody needs to pay RRP; anyone who waits for local retailers to stock these things will of course pay a higher price than those buying directly from Japan (higher even than adding the cost of postage from Japan), but that's a choice.
I don't think there is any special difficulty in making them, though. Plenty of other manufacturers have been making similar toys with parts the sizes we're seeing here for quite some time without issue, although yes, they too tend to have prices that some people say are high.
The price and value are all subjective judgement calls, right or wrong for us alone in our own heads, and really the only way to say whether it was "right" or "wrong" as a general thing is to look at the sales in the end. And these will, I believe, sell out, which would be as close to saying the price wasn't actually wrong (not the same as saying it was right) as we can reasonably get.
I wonder if they'll do Anime versions of these two? The alt cartoon face Bumblebee head has been around for a long time now. That's the one thing making me hesitate with these two. Missing Link Anime Convoy is fantastic.
Several Aus retailers have C-03 and C-04 listed (cheaper to get from Japan):
Popcultcha $89.99 for Feb 2025
Bee: https://www.popcultcha.com.au/transf...on-figure.html
Cliff: https://www.popcultcha.com.au/transf...on-figure.html
Gamesmen $94.95 for Mar 2025
Bee: https://www.gamesmen.com.au/transfor...-action-figure
Cliff: https://www.gamesmen.com.au/transfor...-action-figure
Titan Pop Culture $99.99 for Mar 2025
Bee: https://titanpopculture.com.au/produ...9da6e24a&_ss=c
Cliff: https://titanpopculture.com.au/produ...9da6e24a&_ss=c
Toy Igloo $99 for Mar 2025
Bee: https://www.toyigloo.com.au/transfor...bumblebee.html
Cliff: https://www.toyigloo.com.au/transfor...iffjumper.html
Just to illustrate how much cheaper, for those still on the fence about the idea of ordering from overseas...
I will be paying AmiAmi something around $50 for each of Cliff and Bumble, plus perhaps $20 postage from Japan (Convoy's postage was $30). $120-ish for the pair (and for those that care about such things, I'll have them before Christmas).
Or, in the best-case scenario, I would pay $180 to get them from Popcultcha (presuming the free postage for orders over $100 works for two separate items that may or may not arrive at the same time). And they'll turn up around March.
Thanks for the heads up all. I’d not heard of Ami Ami before, but will give it a go.
On the lookout for MISB Headmaster Highbrow, Takara or Hasbro. I'm sure I could make you a sweet deal!
Missing Link C-03 and C-04 have been released in Asia e.g. AmiAmi, HobbyLink Japan, The Falcon's Hangar.