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Masterpiece Toys Are Not Sustainable Forever
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Zobovor
Dec 28, 2016, 9:23:42 PM12/28/16
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At the rate they're going, TakaraTomy could conceivably continue cranking out Masterpiece toys for the next decade or two. The problem is, they're eventually going to run into the same problem that the Generations toys did. Once they've covered all the important characters, they'll either have to give up and end the toy line, or they'll be forced to delve into more and more obscure characters. The problem is, it's not hard to drop $10-15 on a random third-tier character like Triggerhappy or Doublecross. There's merit in buying characters you aren't even that fond of, just for the sake of having a complete set.
You can't do that with Masterpiece toys. There might be people out there who will drop $70-80 USD on a Masterpiece Triggerhappy or a Masterpiece Doublecross simply because they exist. It's possible. But their numbers are small and they alone will not be able to support an endless, all-inclusive parade of G1 characters the way we've been getting with the Generations line.
So, I wonder, realistically, how many characters TakaraTomy will do until they're done.
It's conceivable that they'll finish off all the Autobot Cars from 1984-85. I would once have said that they might only do the sports cars and skip Inferno, Skids, Hound, etc. but now that they've done so many of them, including Inferno, it's realistic that they could get to them all eventually.
Blaster seems like an inevitability, along with cassettes.
Something tells me that they might do Kup and Blurr eventually, if only to complete the triumvirate after giving us Hot Rod. Maybe Springer and Arcee.
Autobots have always been more popular in Japan than Decepticons, and there are a lot more of them to choose from. There aren't too many Decepticons from 1984-85 that would really make sense to do. They could do some pretty impressive things with Astrotrain and Blitzwing (I could totally see Blitzwing having working, rubberized treads that somehow tuck away and fold into his jet wings).
I would love to see Galvatron and Cyclonus and Scourge.
There are several third-party versions of the Dinobots but I would love to see a Takara effort to finish off the group. They're a hugely popular team and, as with the Generations line, it's mind-boggling to me that Grimlock is the only character to be released.
Beyond that, though, there aren't that many characters who seem vital. So, by my count, that's around 21 new molds. Obviously they would do some random redeco versions here and there when practical... Jazz would naturally be reused as Stepper; Blitzwing might get an Overcharge version. I could totally see Takara doing Mirage in Diaclone-red and Sunstreaker as a police car, giving them new names and retroactively adding them to the Transformers mythos like they did with Clampdown and Road Rage.
Anybody agree? Disagree? Think I worry about this stuff way too much? :)
Zob (Chick-Fil-A lemonade is the best lemonade ever)
You can't do that with Masterpiece toys. There might be people out there who will drop $70-80 USD on a Masterpiece Triggerhappy or a Masterpiece Doublecross simply because they exist. It's possible. But their numbers are small and they alone will not be able to support an endless, all-inclusive parade of G1 characters the way we've been getting with the Generations line.
So, I wonder, realistically, how many characters TakaraTomy will do until they're done.
It's conceivable that they'll finish off all the Autobot Cars from 1984-85. I would once have said that they might only do the sports cars and skip Inferno, Skids, Hound, etc. but now that they've done so many of them, including Inferno, it's realistic that they could get to them all eventually.
Blaster seems like an inevitability, along with cassettes.
Something tells me that they might do Kup and Blurr eventually, if only to complete the triumvirate after giving us Hot Rod. Maybe Springer and Arcee.
Autobots have always been more popular in Japan than Decepticons, and there are a lot more of them to choose from. There aren't too many Decepticons from 1984-85 that would really make sense to do. They could do some pretty impressive things with Astrotrain and Blitzwing (I could totally see Blitzwing having working, rubberized treads that somehow tuck away and fold into his jet wings).
I would love to see Galvatron and Cyclonus and Scourge.
There are several third-party versions of the Dinobots but I would love to see a Takara effort to finish off the group. They're a hugely popular team and, as with the Generations line, it's mind-boggling to me that Grimlock is the only character to be released.
Beyond that, though, there aren't that many characters who seem vital. So, by my count, that's around 21 new molds. Obviously they would do some random redeco versions here and there when practical... Jazz would naturally be reused as Stepper; Blitzwing might get an Overcharge version. I could totally see Takara doing Mirage in Diaclone-red and Sunstreaker as a police car, giving them new names and retroactively adding them to the Transformers mythos like they did with Clampdown and Road Rage.
Anybody agree? Disagree? Think I worry about this stuff way too much? :)
Zob (Chick-Fil-A lemonade is the best lemonade ever)
David Connell
Dec 29, 2016, 10:26:52 AM12/29/16
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On Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at 9:23:42 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> At the rate they're going, TakaraTomy could conceivably continue cranking out Masterpiece toys for the next decade or two. The problem is, they're eventually going to run into the same problem that the Generations toys did.
> At the rate they're going, TakaraTomy could conceivably continue cranking out Masterpiece toys for the next decade or two. The problem is, they're eventually going to run into the same problem that the Generations toys did.
> Anybody agree? Disagree? Think I worry about this stuff way too much? :)
>
>
> Zob (Chick-Fil-A lemonade is the best lemonade ever)
And the problem is? Any single line can come to an end; every TF line eventually WILL come to an end. As long as the overall franchise continues, we can be content. Even if you or I don't like the output in a given year, we know the focus will eventually fall onto something we do like.
>
>
> Zob (Chick-Fil-A lemonade is the best lemonade ever)
Take Generations - when the focus was too much on IDW, I was not a happy camper, but now that we're getting more G1ish stuff in Combiner Wars and Titans Return, I'm thrilled.
In the specific case of Masterpiece, I wouldn't be all that upset if the line ended today, but it's never been more than a novelty for me. But if Masterpiece did end, like the other collector's lines Alternators and Alternity before it, then something else will be developed to take its place.
As for what characters we might or might not get, you make a good analysis of what's likely. I think we're also likely to get the big names from the Japanese-only series - we've already gotten Star Saber as the result of a poll, so clearly there's some demand for post-86 characters in Takara's primary market. So I'd say we'll likely get the leaders - Chromedome, Ginrai, maybe Metalhawk, and if we're very very lucky maybe an Overlord or Dezaras to battle them. And you know Hasbro will market Ginrai as PMOP.
As long as we don't get a red Bumblebee passed off as Cliffjumper, I'll be happy.
So yes, you do worry too much about this stuff. ;-) Just enjoy what we do get and don't fret about the line eventually running out of steam.
All good things ...
Zobovor
Dec 29, 2016, 10:31:32 PM12/29/16
to
On Thursday, December 29, 2016 at 8:26:52 AM UTC-7, David Connell wrote:
> And the problem is?
Not really a problem. Just exploring the issue. Taking a step back and looking at the big picture. So often, I just bounce from purchase to purchase, with my eye already on whatever's getting released next month. I wanted to look ahead and speculate what the Masterpiece line might become in five or ten years.
> As for what characters we might or might not get, you make a good analysis of
> what's likely. I think we're also likely to get the big names from the
> Japanese-only series - we've already gotten Star Saber as the result of a
> poll, so clearly there's some demand for post-86 characters in Takara's
> primary market.
I've begun to wonder about Takara's intended audience. I think there definitely was a time when they were making Japanese toys for a Japanese marketplace, first and foremost, but they must know there's a huge international demand for their toys. There's more English-language text on the front of the box for Ultra Magnus than there is Japanese writing. I could see them sprinkling a smattering of English words on the box for flavor, but even the Transformers logo is the Hasbro version. I think they know that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of American consumers who are buying these things. They must know, too, that Hasbro isn't going to import every single Masterpiece toy.
This could be my own bias speaking, but I would presume that Star Saber wasn't as popular a Masterpiece toy as some of the other releases. Yeah, there are a) people who will buy any Masterpiece toy regardless, and b) Japanese fans who love the character, and c) American fans who like the Japanese characters. I don't think that subset is as large as the fans who will buy toys of characters who appeared in both markets (Jazz, Cyclonus, etc.)
My point is that something tells me we're not going to see that many Japanese-only characters. It was one thing when they dominated the SCF toy line, since PVC figures are cheap to manufacture and easy to produce. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but my prediction is we won't get more than one or two more Japanese-exclusive characters.
> As long as we don't get a red Bumblebee passed off as Cliffjumper, I'll be
> happy.
I'm sure they're already working on Cliffjumper. And they'll find some way to get a glass gas gun to pop out of his tail light.
Zob (they're clever like that)
> And the problem is?
Not really a problem. Just exploring the issue. Taking a step back and looking at the big picture. So often, I just bounce from purchase to purchase, with my eye already on whatever's getting released next month. I wanted to look ahead and speculate what the Masterpiece line might become in five or ten years.
> As for what characters we might or might not get, you make a good analysis of
> what's likely. I think we're also likely to get the big names from the
> Japanese-only series - we've already gotten Star Saber as the result of a
> poll, so clearly there's some demand for post-86 characters in Takara's
> primary market.
This could be my own bias speaking, but I would presume that Star Saber wasn't as popular a Masterpiece toy as some of the other releases. Yeah, there are a) people who will buy any Masterpiece toy regardless, and b) Japanese fans who love the character, and c) American fans who like the Japanese characters. I don't think that subset is as large as the fans who will buy toys of characters who appeared in both markets (Jazz, Cyclonus, etc.)
My point is that something tells me we're not going to see that many Japanese-only characters. It was one thing when they dominated the SCF toy line, since PVC figures are cheap to manufacture and easy to produce. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but my prediction is we won't get more than one or two more Japanese-exclusive characters.
> As long as we don't get a red Bumblebee passed off as Cliffjumper, I'll be
> happy.
Zob (they're clever like that)
Ramen Junkie
Dec 30, 2016, 8:40:13 PM12/30/16
to
On 12/28/2016 8:23 PM, Zobovor wrote:
> Anybody agree? Disagree? Think I worry about this stuff way too much? :)
>
>
> Zob (Chick-Fil-A lemonade is the best lemonade ever)
>
When we get Masterpiece Energon Rodimus and Mirage, completed with
> Anybody agree? Disagree? Think I worry about this stuff way too much? :)
>
>
> Zob (Chick-Fil-A lemonade is the best lemonade ever)
>
combining gimmick, you will know the line has jumped the sharkticon.
--
Ramen Junkie
Supreme Dictator for Life, alt.games.final-fantasy
David Connell
Jan 3, 2017, 8:34:33 AM1/3/17
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Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Jan 4, 2017, 8:57:52 PM1/4/17
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Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats
Jan 6, 2017, 1:00:21 AM1/6/17
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On Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at 6:23:42 PM UTC-8, Zobovor wrote:
> At the rate they're going, TakaraTomy could conceivably continue cranking out Masterpiece toys for the next decade or two. The problem is, they're eventually going to run into the same problem that the Generations toys did. Once they've covered all the important characters, they'll either have to give up and end the toy line, or they'll be forced to delve into more and more obscure characters. The problem is, it's not hard to drop $10-15 on a random third-tier character like Triggerhappy or Doublecross. There's merit in buying characters you aren't even that fond of, just for the sake of having a complete set. You can't do that with Masterpiece toys.
Everything comes to an end eventually -- if it makes you feel better, you might end before the Masterpiece line. In fact, you might be dead now, for all I know.
> At the rate they're going, TakaraTomy could conceivably continue cranking out Masterpiece toys for the next decade or two. The problem is, they're eventually going to run into the same problem that the Generations toys did. Once they've covered all the important characters, they'll either have to give up and end the toy line, or they'll be forced to delve into more and more obscure characters. The problem is, it's not hard to drop $10-15 on a random third-tier character like Triggerhappy or Doublecross. There's merit in buying characters you aren't even that fond of, just for the sake of having a complete set. You can't do that with Masterpiece toys.
> There might be people out there who will drop $70-80 USD on a Masterpiece Triggerhappy or a Masterpiece Doublecross simply because they exist.
So, I think you can safely live for another 5-10 years without having no Masterpiece toys. Whether you will want to live in a world with Masterpiece Lander, I don't know.
> Beyond that, though, there aren't that many characters who seem vital. So, by my count, that's around 21 new molds. Obviously they would do some random redeco versions here and there when practical... Jazz would naturally be reused as Stepper; Blitzwing might get an Overcharge version. I could totally see Takara doing Mirage in Diaclone-red and Sunstreaker as a police car, giving them new names and retroactively adding them to the Transformers mythos like they did with Clampdown and Road Rage.
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