Jump to content

2012 Highs & Surprise


Maz

Recommended Posts

You can’t keep a good thing down, and Transformers has continued to go from strength to strength in 2012. New offshoots of the brand were announced, and with a seemingly assured future for at least a couple more years, and well loved parts of the toy line being extended with very popular additions, Transformers enthusiasts have much to be excited about. On top of that, the appeal of vintage Transformers collecting has grown and the known universe has expanded. But that’s just my opinion…

 

2012 Highs & Surprise | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

 

xyear08.jpg

 

Again, warning: opinions included!

 

All the best

Maz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The surprise with Encore Fortress Maximus isn't so much the drop test thing, as Japanese toy safety laws differ from US laws; and Takara and Hasbro are contractually bound to not "cross contaminate" each other's market by taking in factors of each other's market into account when developing toys (unless the toys are co-developed on both sides, like say Armadaverse). What was more surprising is that other larger and expensive reissues have been notorious shelf warmers (e.g. Encore Sky Lynx, Metroplex, Omega Supreme etc.; I personally saw some of these toys shelfwarming in Akihabara last year). TakaraTOMY is taking a massive leap of faith in collectors by risking the reissue of Fortress Maximus, and I really hope that the toy does sell well, which should in turn encourage TakaraTOMY to reissue more big G1 Cityformers (e.g. Trypticon, Scorponok etc.). We all vote with our wallets, and letting toys shelfwarm is a clear sign of saying "No!" (although it doesn't seem to phase Hasbro's stance on Bumblebee).

 

IMO the RRP for MP Lambor/Alert is too much. I managed to get MP Lambor for a cheap price (about $50, and it was the Amazon version)... but I was disappointed by the toy so I didn't bother getting Red Alert. I find the shoulders on my Lambor keeps popping out really easily when I play with the toy (note I said play, not just casually "fiddle" or transform, I mean _proper_ play). I found someone else's Lambor had the same problem, so it doesn't appear to be isolated to my toy alone. So yeah, wasn't impressed enough to get Red Alert (not while I'm still trying to save up for Encore Fort Max). If Hasbro releases a local version, I'll definitely get theirs. Hopefully it'll be cheaper than TakTOM's, though I'm sure the colours won't be as nice.

 

Alternity's never been a line that's really interested me. A line that's smaller than Binaltech with no die-cast metal, but at the same (sometimes even higher) RRP... eep! Also the new GTR line is not without controversy (re: Japanese fan politics - not really worth getting into).

 

Michael Bay and the next TF movie -- no surprise there either. He's often said things about the movies that turned out not to be true, so I don't believe anything anyone says about them until I see the films myself. Anticipating Michael Bay TF films is like going gambling... I can't wait to be disappointed. :P

 

I don't collect non-current stuff... so I have nothing to say about that vintage stuff, but I can see that it's exciting for people who do collect them. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking back, all the great things seemed to have come from Japan or other Asian countries that got GDO. US news, other than the 4th movie, have been pretty underwhelming. So Takara items, maybe some third party things, and old finds are this year. Too bad Hasbro is bringing up last place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
  • Create New...
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE