I've never been much of a fan of the club.  If you've read The Phazer or The Predaking, you don't have to look up my comments.  Most of it's about money being better spent elsewhere, not a lack of it.  The attitudes of certain individuals irk me as well, but not frequenting their lair(s) does wonders for my tolerance.

 

On the other hand, they would seem to have alot of costs that go into what they do.  Much of this I've actually looked up here and there for other projects now and then.

 

When I wanted to license a certain decade-old anime character for custom action figures, a guy in the industry told me I was looking at about 7% of retail but that I'd also need to hire a lawyer at additional cost before they'd even talk to me.  We've heard before what the TF license is, over $100K right off the bat if I remember right.  That's a serious investment - alot of your parents probably borrowed less for their _house_.

 

The figures, I had to order in bulk to even get considered.  Some places do special heads and accessories for a standard body.  There I was looking at $200 a figure.  If I wanted an entire figure prototyped, it was $10,000 for just that process, then the mold making, and _then_ the actual toys (see bulk ordering).  The industry guy I talked to before that said a TransFormer has so many more parts that I should triple any estimate I get on human-types.

 

Now I imagine repainting pre-existing molds in horrendous colors dooesn't involve alot of that cost.  So Hasbro is either being unreasonable or Fun Publications is trying to preserve a margin.  Frankly, I think the entire industry (among others) is bent on pushing production costs so sky high that only mega-multi-billion dollar corporations can afford to participate and that's a shame.

 

Third, printing is CHEAP.  I was working on a comic once that I'd planned on self publishing eventually.  I, ordering less than 100 copies of a 25 page book, was looking at just over $1 per copy.  Now figure the tiny little, what is it, 6-7 pages you get in the club comic but with a bulk order of at least 1000?  The newsletter could be photocopied at _Kinko's_ for not even $1 per copy.  A $20 inkjet at $50 per cartridge is probably about as cost effective.

 

Oh, but there's the art, because we have to pay Dreamwave has-beens/wannabes $300 to color a page.  We probably pay some other sellout more than that to make sure they're always squating or reaching forward with their puffy limbs too.  And that uninspired WWE quality script doesn't write itself (how long were Mick and Patyk unpaid to run up $35K at Dreamwave?).  Oops, my bias is showing isn't it?  Anyway, my real point is that this scales OK at 50,000+ copies (unless you're Pat "fly-by-night" Lee) but it breaks down at significantly less.

 

Hang around Penciljack awhile if you want to have your mind blown and dreams of funding a short comic crushed.  Amateurs like we have in our fandom are usually unreliable, those folks simply price themselves out of markets altogether.

 

At the end of the day, Fun Publications has to pay the people working for them and the rent for their building.  I won't defend their product, because it holds no appeal to me.  I won't defend their staff, because I don't associate with them in any way.  But they are doing a job and delivering a service with the expectation of being paid and there are real costs factored into the nutty membership price you're all paying.

 

What's sad (speaking of hypocrisy), is watching all the self-important idiots of this fandom, who never know exactly what they want or would love an idea only if you changed everything about it, tear each other to shreds every time the movie or club or a toy gets discussed the N+1th time.  It demonstrates an unparalleled inability to understand;  I'm a fan because I actually _like_ some things as they are (or were, in more and more cases) - if you don't, find something _else_ you do, if you don't know what you want, think some more before you speak - and I'm tired of seeing them ruined.

 

This is only going to get worse as the movie approaches, as havent-seen-a-TransFormer-in-20-years-but-insist-Megatron-was-the-VW-bug-who-turned-into-a-planet-or-something "experts" meet Alternators-should-be-simpler-and-have-less-realistic-details-and-be-ninja-or-pirate-themed-versions-of-Beast-Wars-non-show-characters-with-attitude "fans" en masse.

Heh, I agree. :)

I've never been much of a fan of the club.  If you've read The Phazer or The Predaking, you don't have to look up my comments.  Most of it's about money being better spent elsewhere, not a lack of it.  The attitudes of certain individuals irk me as well, but not frequenting their lair(s) does wonders for my tolerance.

 

On the other hand, they would seem to have alot of costs that go into what they do.  Much of this I've actually looked up here and there for other projects now and then.

 

When I wanted to license a certain decade-old anime character for custom action figures, a guy in the industry told me I was looking at about 7% of retail but that I'd also need to hire a lawyer at additional cost before they'd even talk to me.  We've heard before what the TF license is, over $100K right off the bat if I remember right.  That's a serious investment - alot of your parents probably borrowed less for their _house_.

 

The figures, I had to order in bulk to even get considered.  Some places do special heads and accessories for a standard body.  There I was looking at $200 a figure.  If I wanted an entire figure prototyped, it was $10,000 for just that process, then the mold making, and _then_ the actual toys (see bulk ordering).  The industry guy I talked to before that said a TransFormer has so many more parts that I should triple any estimate I get on human-types.

 

Now I imagine repainting pre-existing molds in horrendous colors dooesn't involve alot of that cost.  So Hasbro is either being unreasonable or Fun Publications is trying to preserve a margin.  Frankly, I think the entire industry (among others) is bent on pushing production costs so sky high that only mega-multi-billion dollar corporations can afford to participate and that's a shame.

 

Third, printing is CHEAP.  I was working on a comic once that I'd planned on self publishing eventually.  I, ordering less than 100 copies of a 25 page book, was looking at just over $1 per copy.  Now figure the tiny little, what is it, 6-7 pages you get in the club comic but with a bulk order of at least 1000?  The newsletter could be photocopied at _Kinko's_ for not even $1 per copy.  A $20 inkjet at $50 per cartridge is probably about as cost effective.

 

Oh, but there's the art, because we have to pay Dreamwave has-beens/wannabes $300 to color a page.  We probably pay some other sellout more than that to make sure they're always squating or reaching forward with their puffy limbs too.  And that uninspired WWE quality script doesn't write itself (how long were Mick and Patyk unpaid to run up $35K at Dreamwave?).  Oops, my bias is showing isn't it?  Anyway, my real point is that this scales OK at 50,000+ copies (unless you're Pat "fly-by-night" Lee) but it breaks down at significantly less.

 

Hang around Penciljack awhile if you want to have your mind blown and dreams of funding a short comic crushed.  Amateurs like we have in our fandom are usually unreliable, those folks simply price themselves out of markets altogether.

 

At the end of the day, Fun Publications has to pay the people working for them and the rent for their building.  I won't defend their product, because it holds no appeal to me.  I won't defend their staff, because I don't associate with them in any way.  But they are doing a job and delivering a service with the expectation of being paid and there are real costs factored into the nutty membership price you're all paying.

 

What's sad (speaking of hypocrisy), is watching all the self-important idiots of this fandom, who never know exactly what they want or would love an idea only if you changed everything about it, tear each other to shreds every time the movie or club or a toy gets discussed the N+1th time.  It demonstrates an unparalleled inability to understand;  I'm a fan because I actually _like_ some things as they are (or were, in more and more cases) - if you don't, find something _else_ you do, if you don't know what you want, think some more before you speak - and I'm tired of seeing them ruined.

 

This is only going to get worse as the movie approaches, as havent-seen-a-TransFormer-in-20-years-but-insist-Megatron-was-the-VW-bug-who-turned-into-a-planet-or-something "experts" meet Alternators-should-be-simpler-and-have-less-realistic-details-and-be-ninja-or-pirate-themed-versions-of-Beast-Wars-non-show-characters-with-attitude "fans" en masse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Summary?

The Club can lower their prices on the store without Hasbro's help. Don't be fooled for one minute that they can't. Like any retailer, they pay wholesale for the product they sell. They can take less profit from what they sell if they want to. Its up to them to undercut their competition and win customers with better prices.

 

The bottom line is TCC is just dull and boring. It lacks excitement and impact. Something that I believe only happens when you are in touch with the fan base. We only need to look at companies like e-Hobby and the original BotCon enterprise to see that its not the money that people care it about, its the excitement.

Hasbro running an online store isn't too big a deal for them. They still have retail stores in a couple places, and also sell from catalogs. So if they offer a discount for the online store, and the online prices are retail, then the other 2 sources must be higher?

I much rather join a fan-run and fan-based club like OzFormers or just online fan groups and boards... the official club just doesn't offer value for money.

The Club can lower their prices on the store without Hasbro's help. Don't be fooled for one minute that they can't. Like any retailer, they pay wholesale for the product they sell. They can take less profit from what they sell if they want to. Its up to them to undercut their competition and win customers with better prices.

 

The bottom line is TCC is just dull and boring. It lacks excitement and impact. Something that I believe only happens when you are in touch with the fan base. We only need to look at companies like e-Hobby and the original BotCon enterprise to see that its not the money that people care it about, its the excitement.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Come to think of it, why not an E-Hobby-esque fan club? This so-called TCC is not something that many international TFans care about. Also the prices of the exclusives are atrocious. They don't have to limit their exclusives to conventions that less than 1% of the whole fandom can go to. Since the major retailers aren't as interested in TF exclusives anymore (until the movie comes out), why doesn't the club have its own online shop instead with a free membership that allows everyone to buy? Kinda like BBTS but with their very own exclusives.

 

3H really loved the fandom but was horrible in management. MC is good at management but still very much lacking in being with the fandom. A balance has to be made.

Another thing I noticed in the Botcon Cheetor thread... last year, ppl were complaining about how the exclusives weren't worth it. Now with pre-BW Cheetor, even though he's a pretty small TF, almost everyone loves him, but wishes he wasn't an exclusive.

 

I'm probably alone in this like always, but I find that a tad hypocrytical...

Another thing I noticed in the Botcon Cheetor thread... last year, ppl were complaining about how the exclusives weren't worth it. Now with pre-BW Cheetor, even though he's a pretty small TF, almost everyone loves him, but wishes he wasn't an exclusive.

 

I'm probably alone in this like always, but I find that a tad hypocrytical...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i think (some) people are willing to pay a premium for awsome exclusive tfs. last years set only had the exclusive and premium part of that equation. i love the set for this year, and i think its being well recieved by others as well. at least its better than the feedback from last year.

Another thing I noticed in the Botcon Cheetor thread... last year, ppl were complaining about how the exclusives weren't worth it. Now with pre-BW Cheetor, even though he's a pretty small TF, almost everyone loves him, but wishes he wasn't an exclusive.

 

I'm probably alone in this like always, but I find that a tad hypocrytical...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree. Honestly, if an exclusive ends up being what TFans Starscream about wishing it was a mainstream toy, that is a good sign that the repaint/remold worked.