I need to vent!

[kup]

I think those people on those boards are upset about 'having' to pay a fortune for the BotCon seekers, when really their own shortsightedness is to blame for ignoring the obvious eventual release of the remaining Seekers by Hasbro or Takara. We all know well that Hasbro and even Takara will redeco and remould figures as much as possible, especially moulds used for the Seekers and Optimus.

Besides, Hasbro versions of Thundercracker, Thrust and Dirge, won't be the same as the BotCon ones. And the Hasbro ones won't even be the same as the Takara ones either.

They seem to think that BotCon have exclusive rights to those three Classics Seekers just becaue they produced their versions of them. They would only have exclusivity to the remoulded parts and specific colour schemes on their own figures - something that Hasbro and Takara don't/didn't have anyway. And the value of BotCon Thrust will still hold because it is a different mould and colour to the Hasbro version.
And what of Universe Overkill? It was also a BotCon figure, but no one seemed to care when Hasbro released it as well (in a different colour scheme of course).

I think that's over simplifying the issue.

Back then then Hasbro had announced that the Classics line was cancelled. It was also heavily implied that this was permanent and the that the remaining seekers would be released as Botcon exclusives so that they would at least exist in some form for fans to enjoy - This only further implied that Classics was over, finished. At this point nobody knew about Universe nor Henkei and Hasbro was heavily gearing towards the movie franchise.

The vast majority of fans believed the line was permanently cancelled and with good reason given Hasbro's announcements. These fans included not just myself but other much more experienced fans too so it was not just a few newbies that thought so. Naturally prices for the seekers went to ridiculous levels as at the time it seemed as the only way to complete your Classics collection was to acquire these exclusive toys.

Back then I had resigned myself to never completing my Classics collection and I remember several other people with similar thoughts as the Botcon seeker prices were outrageous due to demand. Thankfully an opportunity appeared to get them at a very reasonable price otherwise I would have never acquired them.

Some months later the Classics 2.0 was announced which became Universe and some months after that Henkei. It is now very easy to say that Hasbro or Japanese releases were obvious with the benefit of hindsight but back then we were trusting what was told to us by Hasbro.

Personally, I sympathize with those who paid $250-$300 per seeker. Back then it seemed as the only way to complete Classics and I understand why they feel cheated even though I would never have paid that price for them.

[MV75]

Those that overthink tend to call logical conclusions simple. You were too smart for your own good.

What's done is done. You still have something that isn't going to be publicly (store) available, deal with it.

[kup]

Those that overthink tend to call logical conclusions simple. You were too smart for your own good.

What's done is done. You still have something that isn't going to be publicly (store) available, deal with it.

I am not complaining about the release, dude. I am actually considering buying one and happy that its actually available to all. I am simply showing some sympathy for those who did fork out the big cash for the botcon seekers instead of putting them down as 'your fault, you bought it' when the circumstances surrounding that release wasn't so clear cut.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

My issue (one of two) is less with the "I paid heaps and now a similar toy is available at usual retail price so I'm ticked off" - which is understandable enough - than with the way it's somehow only those who have the time and money to go to the conventions and/or splurge $300 on what is, when you get right down to it, just a toy, who seem to qualify as 'fans'. Like many of us here I would love to get my hands on the Botcon 07 set but it's not worth the outlay when there are things like food and rent etc that need paying - I'm quite happy with PCC Huffer over BotCon Huffer for the Odieverse.
For every fan who forked out several hundred dollars per seeker there are many many more who missed out entirely, and when you get right down to it Hasbro/TakTom are toy companies - they want to sell as many toys to as many customers as possible. Doing these repaints/remolds now is part of how HasTakTom gets the funds to make new TFs in the future - it's basically a net win aside from scalpers people who bought them up with the intent to sell them on later at inflated prices. The 'true fans' who just had to finish their Classics collection still have their exclusive seekers and have had them for several years over the rest of us, while now the rest of us have the chance to get more generic ones. Myself, aside from Starscream I'm just gonna go with whatever loose G1/reissue seekers I end up finding for my collection, but I do hope they do a mass-release TC and Dirge so those fans who want a full set of Classic/Universe seekers can get them and maybe we can all get some more new-mold Classics/Universe/Generation/whatever toys to boot.

Also, they're just toys!!! How can grown rational adults get so fired up over this stuff - it really is just like all those little kids locking themselves in their bedrooms for days or weeks on end because Optimus Prime died, except that we're supposed to be grown-ups now. I like collecting TFs sure, but it's just a hobby and the way select portions of the fandom seem to treat it like it's life-or-death important gets to me sometimes.
And yeah, I get the irony of my getting frustrated at other people getting frustrated over this kind of thing, but really...can we all grow up and get some perspective here? Optimus Prime dies, sure, but he is just a cartoon character...

[kup]

Actually Generations Dirge has the potential to be the best of all Classics Dirges. It not only benefits from the Japanese 'proper' wings mold but it is likely to be accurately painted unlike the funny stripes of the henkei version.

In regards to pissed off fans, I do sympathize with them but yeah they should get over it. However there is no need to put them down for buying the botcon seekers as if they were stupid for having done so. That's what triggered my post not the first post on the subject which is justified.

[Sky Shadow]

Re: this topic.

Let's face it - lots of us have spent money on toys only to have them reissued and see our toys plummet in 'value' - it happens all the time. Landcross for example, went from a rare Japanese 'exclusive' to being sold in little boxes for the price of Micromasters. If anyone really wants a Stepper they can now get a reissue for about a fiftieth of what original Steppers used to go for. Heck - now people can get all three original 1984 seeker toys as MISB Encores for less than a hundred bucks. If people are going to look at Transformers as expensive commodities, then - like the stock market - some investments will go up, others will inevitably go down. Nobody needs countless recolours of that same Classics seeker mould - it's the choice of individuals if they want to spend big bucks on toys. If TakaraTomy or Hasbro do inevitably happen to bring out similar ones later on, at least you got to play with them or have them in your collection for that little bit longer - it's that time you're paying for.

[Tober]

[kup]

I have seen that shortpacked comic before - It's awesome!

[Gutsman Heavy]

I struggle to understand why people rage about a exclusive getting a similar/better cheaper retail release, sure I payed $100 for my Henkei Thrust, but this Generations one does not rob me of the joy I had in finally getting it, and "completing" my classic seekers. Sure I might not get as much for it on ebay, but I never intended to, so meh! THRUSTS FOR ALL!

[griffin]

I think that's over simplifying the issue.

Back then then Hasbro had announced that the Classics line was cancelled.

Yes, the line was cancelled, but not the moulds. Anyone who felt cheated by assuming that a cancelled line meant that Hasbro could no longer use those moulds, was ignoring/forgetting the fact that Hasbro redeco just about everything, but not necessarily within the one line.

The entire Universe line was pretty much just redecos from existing 'cancelled' lines. So were a lot of Classics and store exclusives under the Universe and Classics banner.

A cancelled line just means we won't see a certain figure in that packaging again - it does not rule out a certain figure from ever being released under a future line/banner. That's the element of short-sightedness I was referring to (assuming a cancelled line means no more of that mould to ever be used).