Why not release G1 in mainstream toy market?

[SkyWarp91]

May sound like a noob-ish question but considering the popularity behind G1 why doesn't Hasbro re-release it back into the general market and advertise it as 'Vintage' or something spiffy like so? I also know that Takara Tomy is doing encores and all, but they're so expensive because they're marketed as collector's toys! Given the technological advances in the last couple of decades I'm sure that producing G1 toys (even if it means having to recreate a template for production) wouldn't be so hard given the simplistic transformations.

've heard that most of the old templates used for some of the G1 original toys can't be used anymore (either lost or destroyed or something), is that right?

I also know that some of their g1 figures have been reproduced for the mainstream market (like G1 prime for the 25th Anniversary) but why are they so expensive?

[SharkyMcShark]

They did, about 5 - 7 years ago. The commemorative series, which re released a fair few of the G1 toys.

[SkyWarp91]

They did, about 5 - 7 years ago. The commemorative series, which re released a fair few of the G1 toys.

Yeah I remember the commemorative series, but wasn't those toys quite expensive? Like $70 for a vehicle like Jazz or something? I'm talking about why they don't release the G1 toys at a cheaper price - like $25 for a deluxe-ish sized figure.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

My guess would be becasue they would lack mainstream appeal. Sure the older folks would probably buy them up like nobody's business (especially at $25) but compared to toys today they are crappy and kids would be more inclined to go for the more recent ones I think. And kids are where Hasbro gets their moneys from.

Also need to bear in mind the cost for making the toys. I think Skids would be pricey to make, despite his scoutish size. They wouldn't be able to pump him out at whatever the cost of a scout is now methinks.

[SkyWarp91]

My guess would be becasue they would lack mainstream appeal. Sure the older folks would probably buy them up like nobody's business (especially at $25) but compared to toys today they are crappy and kids would be more inclined to go for the more recent ones I think. And kids are where Hasbro gets their moneys from.

Also need to bear in mind the cost for making the toys. I think Skids would be pricey to make, despite his scoutish size. They wouldn't be able to pump him out at whatever the cost of a scout is now methinks.

Yeah, now that I think of it that way - even if they did release the G1 toys at the cheaper mainstream prices the only customer-base that would really buy the toys would be the collectors whereas the kids would prefer playing with the newer, technologically advanced toys. And you're right about the costs associated with reproduction, considering many of the G1 toys used chrome parts too; nowadays production at Hasbro has probably reached a point where they use much more environmental and costly efficient materials than back in the G1 line up.

Ah well, like SharkyMcShark said Hasbro did kind of try putting out the G1 line again in mainstream stores and marketed it as the 'Commerative series' but because they were quite expensive themselves the line didn't last that long (iirc).

[Gouki]

And ignoring cost, a vast number of G1 toys are, well, crap.

[5FDP]

Yeah I remember the commemorative series, but wasn't those toys quite expensive? Like $70 for a vehicle like Jazz or something?

We have TRU to thank for that. Astrotrain was available through Kmart around 2005 at a much more reasonable price of $20.

[liegeprime]

"snip" nowadays production at Hasbro has probably reached a point where they use much more environmental and costly efficient materials than back in the G1 line up. "snip"

not all materials they use are as yet"environmental friendly" though they appear to be startingto with he recent change from twist ties to twist papers..... also adding to the cost is that of petrol cost. Since plastic is a by product produced from oil it all depends on the suppy... those oil leaks in the news isnt helping at all as well.... thousands of oil supply wasted and damaging the surrounding environment thereby decreasing supply threby increasing oil prices...and so on and so forth...

[MV75]

1. TRU screwed up the prices to insane levels. I bought my commemoratives all from ebay.
2. There is no supporting cartoon.
3. We have lip service and mainstream appeal in the new classics and generations line.
4. We have TakTom releasing encore lines with new (risky) molds that hasbro would never do.

[GoktimusPrime]

As others have pointed out, it's because the majority of the market for Transformers is children. We adult collectors are minority. The G1 reissues are also produced in limited numbers too because they're for a small niche market. In Australia most reissues were store exclusives too (e.g. Toys R Us).

The thing with G1 reissues now is that I think HasTak have already reissued almost all early G1 moulds that are still in existence. Moulds for figures like the Dinobots, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker etc. have either been officially confirmed or are rumoured to be lost or irreparably damaged/destroyed. Other moulds like Shockwave, Jetfire, the Deluxe Autobots, Deluxe Insecticons etc. didn't belong to Takara. When Takara merged with TOMY they did reissue moulds that belonged to TOMY like Sky Lynx and Omega Supreme. But otherwise there aren't a whole lot of G1 moulds that we know HasTak still have that they could reissue.

Trypticon is a possibility -- but I've heard rumours that Metroplex and Omega Supreme shelfwarmed. If this is true then I can understand TakaraTOMY's hesitance in reissuing Trypticon. Fortress Maximus is a possibility for Japan... but Hasbro could never reissue it because the mould doesn't satisfy current US toy safety regulations (re: drop test). And again, if the other cityformers have shelfwarmed then Fort Max would definitely be out of the question.