regardless of how much it costs to make/re-make a mold, I guarantee that the profit from the dinobots specifically would bring in tons more money than it would take to remold them, especially if they come in a gift set

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It wouldn't, only Western collectors care about them, without the Japanese market Takara/Tomy can not make up the costs of recasting the missing Dinobots and if needed fix the G2 molds.

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You underestimate the greed of the American People, Americans will riot to the toy store to buy doubles of these. They alone can make up the cost. :mwahaha

 

 

 

I dunno... I'm just goofin, you're probably right

 

you don't have to crush a man's dreams  :epic  :(

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I'll be happy to crush a man's dreams :thumb

 

The thing is too, the collectors' market just isn't enough to justify recasting molds. I didn't see the TRU reissues flying off the shelves.

I think G1 had something that you can not recreate. I also believe it was more popular with the youth of the 80’s than today’s Transformers are.

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I think what made G1 exciting (at least, from what I remember) was the novelty of it. Transforming robots that could "think and feel" was a new concept in the US at the time (come to think of it, it may have been new to Japan as well, given their bias towards non-sentient robots). It was exciting and there was a lot of buzz surrounding it... Plus, the toys were darn cool.

 

So clearly that's not recreatable today. But of course the culture is different today as well. Back in the Reagan-era 80's, the basic premise of good versus evil really resonated with kids. (Which is one reason why I think the 90's-produced Beast Wars/Machines are much less "black and white" -- they too reflect their time.) And "Transformers" happened to show up in the post-Star Wars void, between the Atari and Nintendo ages, through a stroke of luck. It was primed (no pun intended) to succeed.

 

Today it would have to be something different. In the 70's, it was Star Wars; in the 90's, it was Pokémon (like it or not); it can't be "transforming robots" again. It's been done.

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:pfx

 

Transformers' popularity was reflected by the time period. In the 1980s, it was an entirely new concept -- in fact, transforming robots had been a mainstay of Japanese culture since at least the '70s before Diaclone, Microman, Dinosaur Robo, or anything like that came along. So the concept of a toy that "changes from sports car to robot and back!" was just cool. Bear in mind the '80s gave us an onslaught of transforming robots: Transformers, Macross/Robotech, Voltron...the time was right for "the next big thing", and said big thing was those shows/toy lines. Unfortunately, reissues have been proven to be a less-than-effective way of selling TFs, as the TRU line fell apart badly. And indeed, as others have mentioned, many of the Takara reissues add nice little touches -- remolded face for Bumblebee, Energon mace for Megatron, Energon cubes for the Insecticons, remolded tape deck for Soundblaster -- that make them a tad cooler than the originals in some ways. But to reissue the Dinobots would be expensive/not at all cost-efficient for Hasbro, unfortunately.

If you really want the Dinobots that badly, be patient, and save up all your dollars, and eventually you can buy them off eBay. I have almost zero disposable income, but I still manage to collect the TF's I want by saving and being patient. You can't sit and wait around for Takara to reissue some toys that the Japanese aren't too fussed about. Take the matter into your own hands and do something instead of Starscreaming about what would have been "cool".

And yes, Hellion42, I'd buy a couple of Slag's and Snarl's at $30 to offset the "price gouge" made due to productivity... they were cool looking figures to me! :thumb [/color]

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Actually, I mentioned $30 as the original MSRP for the TRU rereleases... the dinobots are more complex, and would cost more, prolly close to $50. *more below*

 

I guess the best chances of classic figs coming from currently available TFs are in the BT/Alt line.

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:pfx  Cybetrton Prime is the only mainline TF to really grab me in the store since... well, since I was a G1-craving kid.  Most of the BT/Alts are works of art.

As for the assertion that no one would pay the reissue price tag for these, I disagree.  Look at eBay - they still command a very high price

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SOME will of course pay just about any price for a given item.  But there has to be enough demand to warrant restarting production.  As the TRU series has shown, the demand really isn't there, no matter how loudly individuals say otherwise.  They're not going to make a product simply becasue some people want it, they have to be reasonably sure they're going to make money in the process as well.  See below.

The thing is too, the collectors' market just isn't enough to justify recasting molds. I didn't see the TRU reissues flying off the shelves.

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But to reissue the Dinobots would be expensive/not at all cost-efficient for Hasbro, unfortunately.

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For every TF fan that would be ecstatic at a dinobot rerelease, there's some that'll either not be interested and/or scoff at the price (as I did when I saw they wanted $35 for the Seeker rereleases).  And for every one of THOSE, there's thousands of members of the general toy-buying public that won't even give it a second look.  There is great demand for these toys among a specific subset of fans.  Overall, though, that demand is minimal.

 

If cost of production > return on investment, then product =/= manufacture.

Take the matter into your own hands and do something instead of Starscreaming about what would have been "cool".

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Yeah, because thats exactly what I did :roll

 

Give me a break, and try reading more carfully.

Actually that is the major reason...for some odd reason the Japanese weren't big on the Dinosaur Robo/Dinobot toys

 

That and Swoop's mold "broke"

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The Japanese, who we have seen countless times fleeing in shear terror from Godzilla, don't like Dinosaur Robots?

 

*scratches head in utter bewilderment*

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*Thinks and wonders why there were Dinosaur TF's in BW/BM-(megatron) then...*

I have a problem with all this talk of the TRU reissues not selling -

As i stated before - In my area, The Primes FLEW off the shelves. Even Magnus did.  The Seekers sold reasonablly well (i think)

 

But the fact that the shelves were and are clogged with "Grapple"?? "Redalert??" "HOISTWTF?!?!?!?!!?!?!??!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

but NO Swipe, NO Inferno, NO TRAILBREAKER! then screw them OF COURSE they didnt sell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing i remember about Red alert is him going lame and haywire in one ep.  And Hoist goes hollywood - or some shi**

I really would have forked out the $40 bucks on a Trailbreaker. I certainly did for Starscream, Skywarp,  (and I have a G1) and Jazz and Prowl and *Streak!

Again it makes me wonder if Hasbro is sometimes TRYING to sink the line -

And lets not forget that TRU was Probably the WORST "exclusive" vendor they could have chosen....

 

If done right then i think the Reissues would have done well and yes even the Dinobots would have as well (and even if its ONLY Grimlock!!)...

 

Hunter

(For what its worth Slag and Sludge were always my fave of the  toys... but of course Grim is the hero in the books and show....)

Actually that is the major reason...for some odd reason the Japanese weren't big on the Dinosaur Robo/Dinobot toys

 

That and Swoop's mold "broke"

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The Japanese, who we have seen countless times fleeing in shear terror from Godzilla, don't like Dinosaur Robots?

 

*scratches head in utter bewilderment*

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*Thinks and wonders why there were Dinosaur TF's in BW/BM-(megatron) then...*

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BW was designed by Kenner after Hasbro bought them to try to re-invent the line. Japan got BW a year later.

I really would have forked out the $40 bucks on a Trailbreaker.

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I don't to go to far off-topic, but...

 

What is with the facination with Trailbreaker? (not just you HR)

 

He was only in one episode. To me he was more forgetable than Red alert or Hoist.

Ode To TrailBreaker:

Black Pickup/Camper

Forcefields

One arm was a gun

 

What more is there to like in a bigass transforming robot??

 

I think he was in more than one episode......

 

Hunter