Reissue Gen1 Hotrod again?

[UltraMarginal]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

I like the idea of commemorative toys like this, if they did commemorative dinobots for $50 I'd probably grab them. but we've been hearing for years that the moulds were lost ... so I don't know how much I care personally.

[philby]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

I like the idea of commemorative toys like this, if they did commemorative dinobots for $50 I'd probably grab them. but we've been hearing for years that the moulds were lost ... so I don't know how much I care personally.

Can they reverse engineer the molds? If they got some of the actual toys, can they make new molds from them? Would it be any cheaper today than 30 years ago with stuff like 3D printing? So it might not be exactly 100% the same but close enough...?

[Jazzman]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

I like the idea of commemorative toys like this, if they did commemorative dinobots for $50 I'd probably grab them. but we've been hearing for years that the moulds were lost ... so I don't know how much I care personally.

Be nice just to see a head count of what moulds were actually available after all these years. Been lots of reissues... just wonder what else is out there

[UltraMarginal]

Can they reverse engineer the molds? If they got some of the actual toys, can they make new molds from them? Would it be any cheaper today than 30 years ago with stuff like 3D printing? So it might not be exactly 100% the same but close enough...?

I think you'll find they'd end up being like a KO in geometric accuracy. it would be a multi stage process making wax moulds or something similar, and working up to a metallic mould. with each step, the geometry would lose accuracy (thermal expansion and surface damage to parent mould) the final product would have much less surface definition and possibly not mate with adjoining parts.

3D printing requires an accurate CAD model, and is no where near cheap enough for the volumes they would have to produce.

They may be able to essentially re-design them from scratch using existing copies of the original toys and developing new cad models, then a machined mould would fit together but there would be minor if not noticeable differences to the original toy, Which I'd be more than happy with but the Non-recurring Engineering on that would be as much if not more than a new design, possibly hard to recoup from a toy design of that vintage.

Be nice just to see a head count of what moulds were actually available after all these years. Been lots of reissues... just wonder what else is out there

That is a list I would love to see, something that there could be a fan vote on, or even stuff that could be released through that crowd fund style system they did with the sail barge from star wars

[MV75]

Real inflation puts it at $44, but yea, this is aussie retail.

I see no numbering on this, so I'd rule out a commemorative release run. BUT, they may be doing a g1 repro run. That would be exciting.

[griffin]

I remember Rodimus Major (Hotrod) was surprisingly cheap compared to the other Hasbro reissues here in 2002, as it should have been about AU$40, based on the prices of the others compared to the various US prices.
I recall that the US prices at that time were about half of the Australian prices for the others, but Hotrod was only slightly more than the US price (I think it was US$20 in America, while it was only AU$30 here, when it was expected to be about AU$40).
As such, an AU$50 price now would also be about on par with the US price 16 years ago... and probably cheaper than it should be considering inflation, and how much extra Hasbro likes charging on collector figures these days.

Commemorative Series Reissue retail prices in Australia at TRU.
Optimus Prime - $90
Ultra Magnus - $70-90
Decepticon Jets / Rodimus Prime - $70-90
Autobot Cars - $70
Rodimus Major - $30

I just wish I had recorded the US retail prices back then.

[GoktimusPrime]

I swear I bought that hot rod from TRU for $25. I jumped on it at the time. then the following commemorative toys were $70 for some reason and I left them on the shelf.

Yeah, I remember seeing him for $25, but it was discounted from $30.
I got the first Takara reissue for around that price but it got stolen a few years later.

Yes, the later bookcase style boxed reissues were $70 which was stupidly expensive considering that you could either:
a/ Preorder the Takara reissues from HLJ and get them for about half the price, or...
b/ Go to a local import store and get the Takara reissues for about the same price

Back then TRU priced their toys as if online shopping didn't exist. Oh wait...

[danny-boy]

no longer on Robot Kingdom's website. the plot thickens.

[Galvatran]

no longer on Robot Kingdom's website. the plot thickens.

Sounds like they pulled Hotrod.

[High_Q]

Sounds like they pulled Hotrod.

I received an email from RK about this item with this announcement:

Thanks for your Robotkingdom order for:

Walmart Exclusive TRANSFORMERS G1 AUTOBOT HOT ROD.

Preorder will be re-opened upon further notification.

Your order is already on our record and it is still valid.

I think they just filled their preorders since i've not received a refund.