Alright, here we are, a few days before Christmas. I honestly don't expect to get much for (or after) Christmas, at least until the new year, so I'm going to go ahead and post this.
Transformers: Prime - the TFP mainline started in earnest earlier this year, and we're now several waves into it. As of this posting, the new Beast Hunters toys are already being released in some states!
-Cyberverse Legion: Breakdown. This is the only toy this character has gotten (so far), and it's the one CV Legion that I keep coming back to to play with over and over. The Outback repaint is great, too. Runner up: Cliffjumper/Tailgate - really impressive transformation and articulation.
-Cyberverse Commander: Tie between Dreadwing and Skyquake. Easily one of the best little jet molds of the past few years (Starscream just can't win in the smaller size classes, can he?), and both come with great, tailor-made weapons. Runner-up: Bulkhead, for having a great weapon, fun transformation, and both modes looking good.
-Cyberverse Vehicles: Energon Driller - damn fun. Doesn't hurt that it comes with Knock Out, who gets his two signature weapons. Runner-up: Star Hammer - pretty fun, but here Wheeljack outshines the spaceship.
-Deluxe: A tough one, but the "PRiD" Vehicon/Eradicon wins out. He's just an amazingly simple design with an almost magical transformation scheme. Easily one of the best car-formers in a while. Runners-up: Tie between Soundwave and Dead End. Soundwave effectively captures the show look for robot mode while having a convincing UAV alt mode. Dead End is just crazy, and sends the already great Wheeljack mold into the rad zone.
-Voyager: Thundertron. A fairly atypical TFP voyager, but he benefits from this. The lion mode suffers, but the bot mode is really great. Makes me nostalgic for the wonderful Cybertron toyline. Runner-up: Dreadwing. Once you get a handle on this guy, he's pretty awesome. Imposing bot mode and chunky, powerful-looking jet mode.
Transformers: Prime: First Edition - yep, we've gotten most of the remaining FE toys at TRU!
-Deluxe: Vehicon! While outshone by its PRiD counterpart in many ways, this version has its own unique charm, and I like having two different toys of a "drone" character that aren't carbon copies of each other. Very fun and interesting transformation, and the arm gun mode for the weapon looks really good. Runner up: I didn't have to buy any others!
Transformers: Prime: Dark Energon - BBTS exclusive repaints.
-Deluxe: Starscream - repainted as Skywarp with clear black parts, he looks like he's teleporting! I've been wanting a Skywarp toy like that since 2004. Runner-up: Knock Out in a violently neon green (also, incidentally, the only one of these deluxes that actually has clear purple plastic).
Transformers: Generations - this part is for the new, revamped Generations line, which is (so far) exclusively populated with Fall of Cybetron toys. The legends and voyages are just now being released, so nothing here for them yet.
-Deluxe: Shockwave. I've been waiting for a deluxe G1-style Shockwave for a long time, now, and Hasbro delivers! Great toy. Runner-up: Vortex - he's the one I keep coming back to to play with over and over, and I like his sword-guns.
Transformers: Generations - these are the toys, under the original Generations banner, that were to be Asia-market exclusives that were also released at TRU!
-Legends: Thundercracker. He looks great, and while he can't "properly" use his null-ray cannons in bot mode, it makes him more heavily armed and "completes" his jet mode appearance. Runner-up: Hoist. Just has a fun vibe about him.
-Scout: I actually didn't buy any of these, thought I thought the Laserbeak repaint of Skystalker looked good.
- Deluxe: Wheelie. He's a great example of what a little remolding can do to make a preexisting mold look like someone else altogether. The weapon really brings it home. Runner-up: Swerve - a classy, nice-looking remold.
-Voyager: Didn't buy any of these, either, but Megatron looks fun, and Hot Spot is tempting.
Masterpiece: Two this year! Crazy!
-Thundecracker. Love remolded MP Seeker design, and he completes the trio. He's also much less expensive than Optimus Prime!
Bot Shots - transforming Robot Heroes! Well, basically.
-Single-packed: Lockdown. Pleased that he showed up again, and he's pretty stand-out compared to many of the others in this (admittedly) homogeneous line. Runner-up: Thundercracker also looks really good.
-Trailers: Optimus Prime. Easily the best OP w/trailer we've gotten since the UT lines. So much fun. Runner-up: didn't buy any others, but if I did, it's probably be Starscream for the character.
-3-packs: Brawl/Shockwave/Ironhide if only for Shockwave, who looks great. The Decepticon 3-pack from wave 1 is a good runner-up, though, with the best version of Megatron, clear Acid Storm, and Nemesis Prime.
Kre-O: the 2nd year with the Battle for Energon theme and preview wave of Microchangers!
-Microchangers: Waspinator. He has a lot going on, and I like how all of his extra parts can be incorporated into his bot mode (if not the wasp mode). Runner-up: Sunstorm - cool dark energon null-rays and effective jet mode.
-Troop builders: Cliffjumper w/Vehicons. CJ has a nice classic appearance, and the TFP-style Vehicons look great. I love that they are each different from one another.
-Bigger sets: Devastator w/Ironhide. This mammoth set is fantastic. Obviously, you get Devastator from 4 constructicons, Ironhide, and some fun construction site builds. Devastator is great, and Ironhide looks good, even if he's a bit short. Runner-up: Optimus Prime/Megatron. Optimus Prime is a great buildable action figure. and Megatron is right behind him.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
"Twins..." Well, sort of.
Earlier this year, I didn't think I'd be writing a post like this. When the First Edition debacle happened early in the spring, we were pretty much told that we wouldn't be getting any more FE toys beyond the first deluxe wave in the US. Canadians managed to still get the voyagers, Entertainment Pack, and deluxe wave 2 (just Cliffjumper), but the US got nothing aside from Arcee, BB, and Starscream (well, there were the NYCC "prepaints," but I feel like there wouldn't have been as much complaining if those had been cut instead of the other FE stuff). In addition, even Canada never got the FE Vehicon (Eradicon in my vernacular). Takara released their own version, including some slight paint differences and robot-mode packaging, but Hasbro only ever ended up releasing theirs in their Asian markets some months later. In short, if you wanted a FEhicon, you were going to pay at least $60 or so for it. Now, this revelation had a bit of its sting removed when we found that the more impressive PRiD Vehicon mold would be coming to America in wave 3. I happily snatched up the first (and for months, only) one I saw this summer, but for many, this toy was just as impossible to find due to shortpacking. Finally, it seems that Hasbro has come to its senses on both fronts. We learned as SDCC this summer that all the remaining (well, except for "normal Cliffjumper) FE toys would be released at Toys R Us, including a release of Arcee and Starscream, but not BB (thank goodness). I managed to get my FEhicon last week - it was the only one left. Also, Hasbro finally put the PRiD Vehicons back into circulation as part of wave 5, along with more Knock Outs (who was also somewhat rare) and the new Kup and Rumble toys. See, now, you can actually walk into a store and have a halfway decent chance of finding a PRiD Vehicon - one guy I know managed to find eight (!) in one day and only between two stores. I myself have seen four in one week between two stores.
Very long story short, I now own both TFP Vehicon/Eradicon deluxe molds. I was initially resigned (quite happily) to only own the PRiD mold, and was lucky to get one as early as I did, but I've found that the original FEhicon is a fun and also somewhat impressive mold on its own. And, for "characters" who are identical troop builders, it's nice to have two of them that aren't exactly alike. Here are my basic impressions of both molds (I will mostly likely give them both their own mini-reviews later):
PRiD: Very small car mode, especially next to FEhicon. No hidden weapon storage, but multiple mounting points in car mode. Transformation is very innovative and allows it to avoid the kibble trap that the FEhicon falls into. Bot mode is great - I don't even mind the "weird" elbows. I do wish the knees had a greater degree of motion, and may do surgery to make that happen. Again, multiple gun mounting options in bot mode. Great head automorph that doesn't rely on springs. Overall, one of the best deluxe cars in a long time.
FE: Bigger in car mode, though still not among the largest deluxe car TFs. I like that the gun can be hidden in the undercarriage, but it's not a very solid connection; luckily it can be mounted on two points on the hood. Transformation is way more interesting and complex than I anticipated, but it does leave him with a substantial kibble cape. it would have been nice if, at least, the spoiler could have folded down in bot mode. Bot mode, in general, is better than expected, too. It is overall more bulkier than the PRiD mold, but the build of the torso is a lot slimmer and closer in appearance to the PRiD in hand, once you're able to see torso as separate from the cape. I like the boots a bit better, and there are 3 ways for the gun (smaller, by the way) to be held. My favorite, with the hand folded back, is of course the hardest one to have the gun keep in place, but it can be managed (and looks good once it's there). Articulation is a bit better than expected, too, including a waist swivel, something almost totally lacking in the PRiD line, including its Eradicon deluxe.
So, if you're able, I definitely recommend picking up both molds. I'm not an army builder guy, but when Hasbro presents a rare opportunity like this - two molds of the same army builder type in scale with each other (well, mostly) - it's hard for me to pass up.
Very long story short, I now own both TFP Vehicon/Eradicon deluxe molds. I was initially resigned (quite happily) to only own the PRiD mold, and was lucky to get one as early as I did, but I've found that the original FEhicon is a fun and also somewhat impressive mold on its own. And, for "characters" who are identical troop builders, it's nice to have two of them that aren't exactly alike. Here are my basic impressions of both molds (I will mostly likely give them both their own mini-reviews later):
PRiD: Very small car mode, especially next to FEhicon. No hidden weapon storage, but multiple mounting points in car mode. Transformation is very innovative and allows it to avoid the kibble trap that the FEhicon falls into. Bot mode is great - I don't even mind the "weird" elbows. I do wish the knees had a greater degree of motion, and may do surgery to make that happen. Again, multiple gun mounting options in bot mode. Great head automorph that doesn't rely on springs. Overall, one of the best deluxe cars in a long time.
FE: Bigger in car mode, though still not among the largest deluxe car TFs. I like that the gun can be hidden in the undercarriage, but it's not a very solid connection; luckily it can be mounted on two points on the hood. Transformation is way more interesting and complex than I anticipated, but it does leave him with a substantial kibble cape. it would have been nice if, at least, the spoiler could have folded down in bot mode. Bot mode, in general, is better than expected, too. It is overall more bulkier than the PRiD mold, but the build of the torso is a lot slimmer and closer in appearance to the PRiD in hand, once you're able to see torso as separate from the cape. I like the boots a bit better, and there are 3 ways for the gun (smaller, by the way) to be held. My favorite, with the hand folded back, is of course the hardest one to have the gun keep in place, but it can be managed (and looks good once it's there). Articulation is a bit better than expected, too, including a waist swivel, something almost totally lacking in the PRiD line, including its Eradicon deluxe.
So, if you're able, I definitely recommend picking up both molds. I'm not an army builder guy, but when Hasbro presents a rare opportunity like this - two molds of the same army builder type in scale with each other (well, mostly) - it's hard for me to pass up.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Gone fishin'
So, I manged to nab the Autobot Assault Devastator set last week! I finally managed to have some time to begin working on it today, and I came across two surprises that I didn't know about:
A) The Devastator kreon (yeah, this is the yellow Kre-2 version) has dark energon clear purple hands. Don't know if this decision was made before or after they decided to keep the "Megatron" gun black instead of clear purple, but it's a weird yet neat touch.
B) all of the "new" Ironhide stuff comes in a separate bag, and he also has his own instruction booklet. Both feature a new item for one of the Constructions - Hightower. It's a hook! Why am I excited? Because I wasn't very comfortable with Hightower. Sure, being a red crane, he resembled RiD Hightower, but he's an Autobot. Since he's a crane, you'd think he'd be Hook (who's been replaced, at least in name, by Decepticon Hightowers (like the Classics version), but he's still red, and he has a wrecking ball, not a hook. Going with the color, I had intended to call him Overload, after the RotF red Constructicon, even though he's an articulated dump truck, not a crane. But now, all of this doesn't matter since "Hightower", who I'll call Hook, has a, well, hook! I mean, he's still red, but I don't care.
A) The Devastator kreon (yeah, this is the yellow Kre-2 version) has dark energon clear purple hands. Don't know if this decision was made before or after they decided to keep the "Megatron" gun black instead of clear purple, but it's a weird yet neat touch.
B) all of the "new" Ironhide stuff comes in a separate bag, and he also has his own instruction booklet. Both feature a new item for one of the Constructions - Hightower. It's a hook! Why am I excited? Because I wasn't very comfortable with Hightower. Sure, being a red crane, he resembled RiD Hightower, but he's an Autobot. Since he's a crane, you'd think he'd be Hook (who's been replaced, at least in name, by Decepticon Hightowers (like the Classics version), but he's still red, and he has a wrecking ball, not a hook. Going with the color, I had intended to call him Overload, after the RotF red Constructicon, even though he's an articulated dump truck, not a crane. But now, all of this doesn't matter since "Hightower", who I'll call Hook, has a, well, hook! I mean, he's still red, but I don't care.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Unleash the Beasts
And now for something completely different...sort of.
NYCC 2012 is going on and today was the Hasbro panel. The new big thing for transformers? Beasts!
Transformers: Prime season 3 is subtitled Beast Hunters, introducing a new faction of monstrous beasts, the Predacons. Their leader is Predaking, somehow procured by Shockwave (who better damned get a toy). Anyhow, the toyline is seeing some appropriate changes, and here's what they had to show us today:
Legion class:
-Bumblebee: extensive remold. Car mode is covered in spikes, guns, and armor panels. Bot mode is remolded, too, with a new horned "helmet" (I don't mean removable), abdominal region, etc. I especially like how his twin blaster is molded onto his hood, but the barrels end up as shoulder cannons - that's a nice touch. He comes with a crossbow weapon. While I wasn't impressed enough with the base mold to buy the (admittedly nice) shadowblade repaint, I may get this since I most likely won't buy the deluxe version.
- Smokescreen: the newest Autobot on the show debuts in toy form! This is a "normal" representation of the character, without "beast hunting" modifications. This version has the show deco, and his weapon is a pretty neat gun with chainsaw bayonet that manages to fit in with the line's theme. I love that they've finally figured out how to do real door wings on a deluxe (though I admit I don't know enough about the character's show design to know if he has those door wings in fiction). A bit like Knock Out in overall appearance, and no knees (I think), but overall I like it quite a bit.
-Airachnid: Well, I hate that it still has only three blades, and I don't like that they are already reusing weapons in wave 1, but this toy definitely looks better than the deluxe. The rotor blades look decent enough as a rotary shield on the arm, and at least the crossbow (BB's) is already strongly associated with fembots to make a lot of sense. Both modes look uncompromised.
- Twinstrike: Ok, this is actually Sinnertwin, an update of one of the G1 Terrorcons. This honestly looks like one of the best legion molds yet (impressive, considering they've been making them for about 7 years now), and certainly the best beast mode legion (short list, but whatever). I love the transformation - while the G1 toy wastefully turned the twin dragon heads into a backpack, here they become the arms. I also like how the beast thighs flip back to bulk up the robot lower legs. The weapon is a hammer/cannon. I really like this one, enough to make me regret having just sold my G1 Sinnertwin. I do like the name update, by the way.
Commander class:
- Bulkhead: again, a heavy remold like BB. He has Roadbuster's colors, a bunch or armor plating detail, a "cowcatcher", and a new "viking helmet" horned head. The new weapon is a hammer/axe/cannon, the design of which is directly taken from some other property I can't identify. This is pretty neat, and different enough from Bulkhead proper to serve as Roadbuster himself (barring he gets his own design down the road). I might get this one, though it makes the likelihood of me purchasing the pretty nice current blue redeco go down.
- Predaking: Not bad. I prefer his larger toys and don't care much for how the dragon head/neck split to form...well, kibble, but it'll work for this size class. The bot mode pic with the weapon is obscured, but it appears to be the tail and to have a firing missile, which would be a first for this size class.
CV Vehicles:
- Sky Claw with Smokescreen: A nearly wingless jet in Blue Angels colors with a similarly-painted Smokescreen (same mold as the single Legion release). Has a capture claw at the front to grab predacons, and has deployable side turrets a la the Star Hammer. Not bad, and it actually kind of reminds me of Dreadwing's ship from the show. I do like how the Smokescreen toy has a number (7) and deco that homages the Alternators/BT version, which I kind of prefer to the original G1 deco. Not sure if I'll get this in addition to the single release version, but I do like it overall.
- Apex Armor with Breakdown: The armor is a remold of Bumblebee's armor that just got released. Breakdown himself is a repaint of his legion toy, and both are done up in a deco that reminds me of some micromaster that I can't put my finger on. I think that this is supposed to represent the Silas-controlled Breakdown, but I could be wrong. The armor is heavily remolded, by the way, and definitely is a more "feral" way that looks like it could take out a few predacons.
Deluxe class:
- Bumblebee: Ok, this is the remold of the deluxe class "PRiD" BB mold. Same idea as the legion remold, but the "hawk" crossbow is a totally different design and comes with six (!!!) missiles. I like that he still has his two blasters. Most likely won't get this, and for the same reason that I won't keep Dark Energon BB: I prefer the FE mold to represent the character. The mold suits Hot Shot a lot better, I think. Still, here's another great opportunity to make a Wasp, Hasbro...
- Soundwave: another heavy remold, this time with more G1 colors and a new-mold Ravage instead of Laserbeak. The weapon is a larger claw-launcher, with the claw attached by a string.
I really like this one and will definitely get it, even if Ravage looks a bit silly in armor mode.
- Wheeljack: heavy remold, lots of spikes. The green is more "lime" this time, and the translucent plastic is red. Weapon is a weird "spear" with a circular head, sort of like Sparkdrinker. Probably won't get this, having already owned the mold twice over.
- Laserback: finally, a new mold. This is another Predacon, apparently another dragon. It's quadrapedal, no wings. The name is funny, but descriptive - his back elevates and opens to reveal a missile launcher. In bot mode, the tail also functions as a whip weapon. Fairly perfunctory, but kind of neat. A bit of a toss up. Could make a good Repugnus.
Voyager:
- Predaking: better than the commander toy. This is the Predacon leader, named for the G1 Predacon combiner, but having conceptually more to do with Cybertron Scourge, it seems. Black, orange, yellow dragon. Unlike Scourge, he has wings, and they're pretty decently sized. He has two missile launchers that either flip out or attach at either side of the main dragon head, another similarity to Cyb Scourge. Again, bot mode pic is obscured. I might get this instead of the larger one, but we'll see.
NYCC 2012 is going on and today was the Hasbro panel. The new big thing for transformers? Beasts!
Transformers: Prime season 3 is subtitled Beast Hunters, introducing a new faction of monstrous beasts, the Predacons. Their leader is Predaking, somehow procured by Shockwave (who better damned get a toy). Anyhow, the toyline is seeing some appropriate changes, and here's what they had to show us today:
Legion class:
-Bumblebee: extensive remold. Car mode is covered in spikes, guns, and armor panels. Bot mode is remolded, too, with a new horned "helmet" (I don't mean removable), abdominal region, etc. I especially like how his twin blaster is molded onto his hood, but the barrels end up as shoulder cannons - that's a nice touch. He comes with a crossbow weapon. While I wasn't impressed enough with the base mold to buy the (admittedly nice) shadowblade repaint, I may get this since I most likely won't buy the deluxe version.
- Smokescreen: the newest Autobot on the show debuts in toy form! This is a "normal" representation of the character, without "beast hunting" modifications. This version has the show deco, and his weapon is a pretty neat gun with chainsaw bayonet that manages to fit in with the line's theme. I love that they've finally figured out how to do real door wings on a deluxe (though I admit I don't know enough about the character's show design to know if he has those door wings in fiction). A bit like Knock Out in overall appearance, and no knees (I think), but overall I like it quite a bit.
-Airachnid: Well, I hate that it still has only three blades, and I don't like that they are already reusing weapons in wave 1, but this toy definitely looks better than the deluxe. The rotor blades look decent enough as a rotary shield on the arm, and at least the crossbow (BB's) is already strongly associated with fembots to make a lot of sense. Both modes look uncompromised.
- Twinstrike: Ok, this is actually Sinnertwin, an update of one of the G1 Terrorcons. This honestly looks like one of the best legion molds yet (impressive, considering they've been making them for about 7 years now), and certainly the best beast mode legion (short list, but whatever). I love the transformation - while the G1 toy wastefully turned the twin dragon heads into a backpack, here they become the arms. I also like how the beast thighs flip back to bulk up the robot lower legs. The weapon is a hammer/cannon. I really like this one, enough to make me regret having just sold my G1 Sinnertwin. I do like the name update, by the way.
Commander class:
- Bulkhead: again, a heavy remold like BB. He has Roadbuster's colors, a bunch or armor plating detail, a "cowcatcher", and a new "viking helmet" horned head. The new weapon is a hammer/axe/cannon, the design of which is directly taken from some other property I can't identify. This is pretty neat, and different enough from Bulkhead proper to serve as Roadbuster himself (barring he gets his own design down the road). I might get this one, though it makes the likelihood of me purchasing the pretty nice current blue redeco go down.
- Predaking: Not bad. I prefer his larger toys and don't care much for how the dragon head/neck split to form...well, kibble, but it'll work for this size class. The bot mode pic with the weapon is obscured, but it appears to be the tail and to have a firing missile, which would be a first for this size class.
CV Vehicles:
- Sky Claw with Smokescreen: A nearly wingless jet in Blue Angels colors with a similarly-painted Smokescreen (same mold as the single Legion release). Has a capture claw at the front to grab predacons, and has deployable side turrets a la the Star Hammer. Not bad, and it actually kind of reminds me of Dreadwing's ship from the show. I do like how the Smokescreen toy has a number (7) and deco that homages the Alternators/BT version, which I kind of prefer to the original G1 deco. Not sure if I'll get this in addition to the single release version, but I do like it overall.
- Apex Armor with Breakdown: The armor is a remold of Bumblebee's armor that just got released. Breakdown himself is a repaint of his legion toy, and both are done up in a deco that reminds me of some micromaster that I can't put my finger on. I think that this is supposed to represent the Silas-controlled Breakdown, but I could be wrong. The armor is heavily remolded, by the way, and definitely is a more "feral" way that looks like it could take out a few predacons.
Deluxe class:
- Bumblebee: Ok, this is the remold of the deluxe class "PRiD" BB mold. Same idea as the legion remold, but the "hawk" crossbow is a totally different design and comes with six (!!!) missiles. I like that he still has his two blasters. Most likely won't get this, and for the same reason that I won't keep Dark Energon BB: I prefer the FE mold to represent the character. The mold suits Hot Shot a lot better, I think. Still, here's another great opportunity to make a Wasp, Hasbro...
- Soundwave: another heavy remold, this time with more G1 colors and a new-mold Ravage instead of Laserbeak. The weapon is a larger claw-launcher, with the claw attached by a string.
I really like this one and will definitely get it, even if Ravage looks a bit silly in armor mode.
- Wheeljack: heavy remold, lots of spikes. The green is more "lime" this time, and the translucent plastic is red. Weapon is a weird "spear" with a circular head, sort of like Sparkdrinker. Probably won't get this, having already owned the mold twice over.
- Laserback: finally, a new mold. This is another Predacon, apparently another dragon. It's quadrapedal, no wings. The name is funny, but descriptive - his back elevates and opens to reveal a missile launcher. In bot mode, the tail also functions as a whip weapon. Fairly perfunctory, but kind of neat. A bit of a toss up. Could make a good Repugnus.
Voyager:
- Predaking: better than the commander toy. This is the Predacon leader, named for the G1 Predacon combiner, but having conceptually more to do with Cybertron Scourge, it seems. Black, orange, yellow dragon. Unlike Scourge, he has wings, and they're pretty decently sized. He has two missile launchers that either flip out or attach at either side of the main dragon head, another similarity to Cyb Scourge. Again, bot mode pic is obscured. I might get this instead of the larger one, but we'll see.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Hey there
Wow, hard to believe it's been just over a month since my last post. The month of September flew by, and normally I do birthday posts, but I didn't do much of anything on here this year.
As far as the birthday situation goes, here's what I bought:
- Kreon Galvatron
- TFP CV Commander Ironhide (finally)
- Kre-O Street Showdown set (Knock Out and Wheeljack)
- TRU exclusive Masterpiece Thundercracker (gift from parents)
As far as the birthday situation goes, here's what I bought:
- Kreon Galvatron
- TFP CV Commander Ironhide (finally)
- Kre-O Street Showdown set (Knock Out and Wheeljack)
- TRU exclusive Masterpiece Thundercracker (gift from parents)
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Jackpot
Well, after my whiny last post, I was able to order the subscription service last night.
Now to figure out the dark Energon stuff.
Now to figure out the dark Energon stuff.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Ugh.
Ok, so my awesome SDCC post from July, with all of its awesome toys? It may not amount to much.
Money, money, money - I just don't have enough!
First and foremost, there are the TFCC Subscription toys. I did a post on them a couple of weeks ago, and it looks like they may not happen for me. The cost - about $360 - is pretty damned high, and earlier this week when I mentioned the idea of her getting me the set as a combined birthday/Christmas gift, she wasn't at all interested. Didn't say no, but I have my doubts she'll say yes (and the clock is ticking! They stop taking orders on the 10th!). So there's that.
I've considered asking my parents for the set in the same fashion, but I already had Amazon Jetwing Optimus on preorder that they were going to pay for. Mom was going to get me the SDCC exclusives this year for a belated Father's day gift, but I missed out on Bruticus, so I ordered Jetwing Optimus instead. However, I imagine the idea of my parents spending nigh-$500 on me within 6 months isn't too appetizing to them. I weighed my chances of getting the Subscription set against how much I wanted Jetwing, and I settled on cancelling the Jetwing preorder, which I just did. So, I guess, that's one obstacle out of my way, though I don't know how much it will help.
I also considered finally listing my Botcon 2010 box set on ebay and using the money from that to get the FSS, but when I had got the Botcon set, I had told my wife that I'd give the money back to us as a family to use for something collectively. I brought this up, and, again, she didn't say no to this idea, but it was clear she didn't care for it.
On top of all this, BBTS decides to list their exclusive Dark Energon repaints today (well, at 12 in the morning, what the hell?) in the midst of all this FSS stuff. While not that bad as individual prices, the four deluxes are only available as a case for $60 plus shipping, and the two voyagers are sold together as well for $50 plus shipping. Originally, the only one of these toys I didn't want in any way was Optimus, but now that I know that acquiring them will be difficult, I really only want the Skywarp-looking repaint of Starscream. So, either I pay over $60 to get him and either sell the other three deluxes (or decide to keep some of them, I don't know?) or I have to buy him on the secondary market, hoping that someone on a board will let me at him for a decent price before resorting to ebay.
So, if I were to pony up and buy both of these sets, it would cost $470. And that's not considering BBTS's shipping costs. $500 for 12 toys. Now, this isn't unheard of in the franchise. To fully enjoy a Botcon set, buying both the box set and the souvenir exclusives costs about the same. However, this isn't Botcon. Yeah, the FSS toys are close in concept, since they are just an expanded take on the Club's online exclusives, but the main problem with both of these sets is that if you want a realistic shot at getting any one toy for a decent price, you've got to get the set. With BBTS, there's no option. With the Club, they say that the individual toys will be available at some point, but of course only at a higher price and being very limited. And, again, even if you are among the hardcore that attends Botcon every single year and manages to do so by carefully budgeting through the year, now you've got what amounts to a second Botcon-level expenditure that nearly came out of nowhere. And, again, if you want it, you've got to act now, pretty much. Of course, this ignores all the "normal" retail purchases you might want to make to keep up with the current cool stuff that Hasbro is putting out.
Anyhow, this is all getting a bit frustrating. In hopes of making a bit of extra cash that could go toward some of this stuff (and also just thinning out the collection a bit), I compiled a list of transformers that I'm going to be selling over the next few weeks/months. None of them are real blockbusters, but, again, hopefully I can reclaim some of the cash they cost me.
Money, money, money - I just don't have enough!
First and foremost, there are the TFCC Subscription toys. I did a post on them a couple of weeks ago, and it looks like they may not happen for me. The cost - about $360 - is pretty damned high, and earlier this week when I mentioned the idea of her getting me the set as a combined birthday/Christmas gift, she wasn't at all interested. Didn't say no, but I have my doubts she'll say yes (and the clock is ticking! They stop taking orders on the 10th!). So there's that.
I've considered asking my parents for the set in the same fashion, but I already had Amazon Jetwing Optimus on preorder that they were going to pay for. Mom was going to get me the SDCC exclusives this year for a belated Father's day gift, but I missed out on Bruticus, so I ordered Jetwing Optimus instead. However, I imagine the idea of my parents spending nigh-$500 on me within 6 months isn't too appetizing to them. I weighed my chances of getting the Subscription set against how much I wanted Jetwing, and I settled on cancelling the Jetwing preorder, which I just did. So, I guess, that's one obstacle out of my way, though I don't know how much it will help.
I also considered finally listing my Botcon 2010 box set on ebay and using the money from that to get the FSS, but when I had got the Botcon set, I had told my wife that I'd give the money back to us as a family to use for something collectively. I brought this up, and, again, she didn't say no to this idea, but it was clear she didn't care for it.
On top of all this, BBTS decides to list their exclusive Dark Energon repaints today (well, at 12 in the morning, what the hell?) in the midst of all this FSS stuff. While not that bad as individual prices, the four deluxes are only available as a case for $60 plus shipping, and the two voyagers are sold together as well for $50 plus shipping. Originally, the only one of these toys I didn't want in any way was Optimus, but now that I know that acquiring them will be difficult, I really only want the Skywarp-looking repaint of Starscream. So, either I pay over $60 to get him and either sell the other three deluxes (or decide to keep some of them, I don't know?) or I have to buy him on the secondary market, hoping that someone on a board will let me at him for a decent price before resorting to ebay.
So, if I were to pony up and buy both of these sets, it would cost $470. And that's not considering BBTS's shipping costs. $500 for 12 toys. Now, this isn't unheard of in the franchise. To fully enjoy a Botcon set, buying both the box set and the souvenir exclusives costs about the same. However, this isn't Botcon. Yeah, the FSS toys are close in concept, since they are just an expanded take on the Club's online exclusives, but the main problem with both of these sets is that if you want a realistic shot at getting any one toy for a decent price, you've got to get the set. With BBTS, there's no option. With the Club, they say that the individual toys will be available at some point, but of course only at a higher price and being very limited. And, again, even if you are among the hardcore that attends Botcon every single year and manages to do so by carefully budgeting through the year, now you've got what amounts to a second Botcon-level expenditure that nearly came out of nowhere. And, again, if you want it, you've got to act now, pretty much. Of course, this ignores all the "normal" retail purchases you might want to make to keep up with the current cool stuff that Hasbro is putting out.
Anyhow, this is all getting a bit frustrating. In hopes of making a bit of extra cash that could go toward some of this stuff (and also just thinning out the collection a bit), I compiled a list of transformers that I'm going to be selling over the next few weeks/months. None of them are real blockbusters, but, again, hopefully I can reclaim some of the cash they cost me.
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