Gen2 coloured Combiners?

[griffin]

Wasn't there a rumor earlier this year that G2 Devastator is a SDCC exclusive? I hope it's not going to be all G2 combiners at SDCC, but 5 G2 combiners over the next year would be cool for the G2 fans.

Since Hasbro didn't want to risk a Metrotitan deco for the SDCC Metroplex exclusive last year, I think there is zero chance that they would risk a Gen2 deco for any combiners as SDCC exclusives (if they do any combiners this year).
They play it safe for the non-collector "market" of SDCC, which means more effort on the packaging and some fancy bling on the toy, to keep it recognisable to the regular people that are at SDCC buying a lot of the various exclusives.
As such, we ended up with four versions of Metroplex and no Metrotitans.

[Deonasis]

^True i guess. Maybe just a green devy with dirt painted on for SDCC.

[Zommael]

Since Hasbro didn't want to risk a Metrotitan deco for the SDCC Metroplex exclusive last year, I think there is zero chance that they would risk a Gen2 deco for any combiners as SDCC exclusives (if they do any combiners this year).
They play it safe for the non-collector "market" of SDCC, which means more effort on the packaging and some fancy bling on the toy, to keep it recognisable to the regular people that are at SDCC buying a lot of the various exclusives.
As such, we ended up with four versions of Metroplex and no Metrotitans.

I think the G2 colourations for the combiners, especially Devastator, probably have more appeal than a recolour of a toy that was only released in Japan and backed up fiction that even by Japanese standards is tending towards the obscure. On the other hand, G2 Devastator is still recognisably the enormous and cool combiner people remember from their childhoods, but now he's in "real" colours and more resembles most real world construction vehicles. So I'd say the chances are probably significantly greater, simply because Metrotitan is such an obscure thing.

[griffin]

I agree that before 2012 Metrotitan was way too obscure to be considered appropriate as a $100-ish toy, but after the IDW comics included the various Metrotitans in middle of 2012, we had half a year of it becoming an obvious or expected redeco when Metroplex was announced six months later... and then we ended up with four versions of it in white when one could have been a full blue/pink redeco.
Unfortunately, three versions were for markets that needed it to be Metroplex (Hasbro, SDCC, TakaraTomy), but the Hong Kong convention should have been a Metrotitan redeco instead of a slightly different SDCC version (I think it was just stickers and figurines that were different).

But I guess we just wait and see, as it shouldn't be much longer for the SDCC exclusives to be announced, as I think it is only about 10-12 weeks away.

[Zommael]

I agree that before 2012 Metrotitan was way too obscure to be considered appropriate as a $100-ish toy, but after the IDW comics included the various Metrotitans in middle of 2012, we had half a year of it becoming an obvious or expected redeco when Metroplex was announced six months later... and then we ended up with four versions of it in white when one could have been a full blue/pink redeco.
Unfortunately, three versions were for markets that needed it to be Metroplex (Hasbro, SDCC, TakaraTomy), but the Hong Kong convention should have been a Metrotitan redeco instead of a slightly different SDCC version (I think it was just stickers and figurines that were different).

But I guess we just wait and see, as it shouldn't be much longer for the SDCC exclusives to be announced, as I think it is only about 10-12 weeks away.

Unfortunately the Metrotitan (the blue and pink one) was just one amongst many in that story, so while the name had been popularised, the character was still deeply obscure. I agree Hasbro could have done a Necrotitan or similar for one of the redecos, but given the stuff-up with colouring for that character in the only story where he was a major character it really seems like a distant dream.

On the other hand, while G2 Superion and the other G2 Scramble City types are the definition of neon - or at least the one that gets used in the fandom - G2 Devastator actually uses colours more appropriate to the alt modes than the original. That's why I think we are more likely to see it. Of course, that raises a massive question about what's going on with G2 Superion over there, but that could easily be an exclusive along the lines of G2 FOC Bruticus.

[griffin]

Okay... to move on from a debate that can't be resolved any time soon, how about we wait, and if there ends up being a Devastator for SDCC, you win the Marvel no-prize if it's G2 yellow or orange, and I win the Marvel no-prize if it's just G1 green?

[Zommael]

Okay... to move on from a debate that can't be resolved any time soon, how about we wait, and if there ends up being a Devastator for SDCC, you win the Marvel no-prize if it's G2 yellow or orange, and I win the Marvel no-prize if it's just G1 green?

Sounds good to me!

[Hursticon]

I guess if they are heading down the Gen2 path, the odds of a Gen2 coloured Megatron improves... but it might need to be next year to give time to clear out all the Armada Megatron toys from stores.

I cannot tell you how badly I NEED for this figure to happen! >_<

Here's a friggin' convincing "Proof of Concept" Digi-Bash that made the Twitter-rounds a number of months ago:




It'd also be really cool to finally see G2 Menasor/Stunticons make it to retail in some guise - It'd be nice, too, to see them bring back the original G2 Box artist again to do the packaging for such products, like they did for G2 FoC Bruticus.

[UltraMarginal]

Since Hasbro didn't want to risk a Metrotitan deco for the SDCC Metroplex exclusive last year, I think there is zero chance that they would risk a Gen2 deco for any combiners as SDCC exclusives (if they do any combiners this year).
They play it safe for the non-collector "market" of SDCC, which means more effort on the packaging and some fancy bling on the toy, to keep it recognisable to the regular people that are at SDCC buying a lot of the various exclusives.
As such, we ended up with four versions of Metroplex and no Metrotitans.

So how do you then explain the Knights of Unicron set?

I want a No-prize now !

I cannot tell you how badly I NEED for this figure to happen! >_<

Here's a friggin' convincing "Proof of Concept" Digi-Bash that made the Twitter-rounds a number of months ago:




It'd also be really cool to finally see G2 Menasor/Stunticons make it to retail in some guise - It'd be nice, too, to see them bring back the original G2 Box artist again to do the packaging for such products, like they did for G2 FoC Bruticus.

that looks better than the Armada one on shelves at the moment.

[griffin]

So how do you then explain the Knights of Unicron set?

Yeah, that one was so far left-field, it's outta the ballpark.

But if I recall, last year's big two sets took the longest to sell out, as one was Movie toys (not exactly a fan favourite) that was missing a Dinobot, and the other was very unusual, even to most fans.

Actually, having a quick look on ebay, both of the big sets didn't hold their value at all, almost a year later. Most are selling for between US$120-170, and their original prices were US$185 for the rockband and US$160 for the Dinobots (which at least means the Dinobots can hold better value if they are now both fairly evenly matched on the secondary market).

I'm actually quite surprised at the secondary value of those two sets. SDCC sets used to hold their value and essentially become an investment, which is why us fans who want them would scramble to buy fast, before the prices keep climbing. But this time the two biggest sets failed to maintain their value at all... so how were we to know that 2014 was the year that we should have waited 9 months and get them dirt cheap.

Also surprising is that the Kreo set is the one exclusive that is still worth more than its original SDCC US$60 price (the cheapest sale price was more than the SDCC price by $10).