First Look at Transformers Legacy Minerva
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022 8:10AM CDT
Category: Toy NewsPosted by: william-james88 Views: 30,247
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Transformers Super God Masterforce Minerva (Transtector) Gallery
Transformers Super God Masterforce Minerva (Transtector) Gallery
Transformers Super God Masterforce Minerva (Transtector) Gallery
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Posted by RiddlerJ on June 22nd, 2022 @ 8:21am CDT
Posted by RodimusPrimeUkraine1 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 9:20am CDT
Posted by william-james88 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 9:20am CDT
RiddlerJ wrote:The robot mode looks okay. the alt mode still looks kinda dinky.
yeah, it aint great. Turns out this looks like it was meant more for Elita 1 afterall.
Posted by SpaceEagle on June 22nd, 2022 @ 9:32am CDT
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 22nd, 2022 @ 9:35am CDT
Posted by william-james88 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 9:48am CDT
SpaceEagle wrote:That headsculpt looks really good! Honestly I am not surprised they couldn't retool the car mode to look more like a 959 without getting very angry side-eyes from Porsche, but the lightbar seems less goofy than Elita-1's getup. Definitely picking this up, and hopefully the final product will have more paint. (I did wish the gun wasn't clear plastic but hopefully that'll be changed too? Probably not, it isn't a deal breaker for me anyway.)
What you see in those pics is what you'll get.
Posted by SpaceEagle on June 22nd, 2022 @ 9:50am CDT
william-james88 wrote:SpaceEagle wrote:That headsculpt looks really good! Honestly I am not surprised they couldn't retool the car mode to look more like a 959 without getting very angry side-eyes from Porsche, but the lightbar seems less goofy than Elita-1's getup. Definitely picking this up, and hopefully the final product will have more paint. (I did wish the gun wasn't clear plastic but hopefully that'll be changed too? Probably not, it isn't a deal breaker for me anyway.)
What you see in those pics is what you'll get.
Fair nuff!
Posted by Sabrblade on June 22nd, 2022 @ 10:32am CDT
Posted by RiddlerJ on June 22nd, 2022 @ 10:52am CDT
Walgreens? Yeah, I'll never see it.
Posted by blackeyedprime on June 22nd, 2022 @ 10:56am CDT
Posted by RodimusPrimeUkraine1 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 11:10am CDT
RiddlerJ wrote:
The robot mode looks okay. the alt mode still looks kinda dinky.
yeah, it aint great. Turns out this looks like it was meant more for Elita 1 afterall.
At this point, any new Minerva that transforms into something resembling an ambulance is great. Remember the Thunder blast Minerva? THAT was awful.
Posted by Overcracker on June 22nd, 2022 @ 11:15am CDT
Posted by Grahf_ on June 22nd, 2022 @ 11:32am CDT
Minerva looks good. She's definitely going to be getting a few upgrades to turn her into a Headmaster. Her head looks about the size of a Titanmaster already so the proportions wouldn't be too off. Her head is currently on a Reprolabeled TR Getaway right now and the colors don't match so I'll be looking forward to one of those kits. I have the kit for Nightbeat anyway so why not one for her too. Never found anything to do with Cab's head though. I seen one from Universe Inferno but he's too big and one for CW Inferno but he's too big too. Then I seen a custom of Titanium RID Optimus and that looked good until I realized there's no piece to buy to do that unlike the other two. Oh well. Cab stays in Godbomber's chest for now.
And I really like Chromia Medic Type. The colors really pop on it. I have her, Elita and of course, Thunderblast. Which is why I wouldn't mind seeing this new Minerva/Elita in Thunderblast colors at some point. At least just to get an update of her out there at the very least if not retool her someway to make her a boat of some sort. Just seen some fan art of Thunderblast using the RID Side Burn design. So some people are already on board with a car version of her.
Seeing Side Burn in Thunderblast's colors looks as though she could be the unseen sister of Roulette and Shadow Striker.
Posted by o.supreme on June 22nd, 2022 @ 11:56am CDT
I haven't even been in a Walgreens in months. The last couple times I checked, their once robust toy sections were looking pretty desolate for all brands, not just Transformers.
Posted by SpaceEagle on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:04pm CDT
o.supreme wrote:So I guess we'll call this Minerva from Victory as opposed Masterforce . Anyway, looks cool.
Heh, I'm glad someone remembers when the transtectors became fully-fledged Transformers! Really helps retconning non-Headmaster compatible toys of 'em.
Posted by Sabrblade on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:05pm CDT
Posted by DeathReviews on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:15pm CDT
And there's the fact that these weapons just don't 'combine' well. You can jam them all together sure, but they don't look good. And any combo weapon you make out of them would be unwieldy, and ineffective to the point of mockery if you tried to actually use it. Yes, they're toy weapons, so real life doesn't matter. But they're at least meant to allow SOME suspension of disbelief. I don't look at any of the combos in that diagram, and say to myself, "Yeah, that could work".
And in some measure, it makes me resentful that they forced price point hikes on some figures to dump in these weapons, which many of us didn't even really want, and perhaps diminish the engineering on those figures because they thought the weapons made them 'good enough'.
Posted by Till-all-R1 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:20pm CDT
JazZeke wrote:Yeah, aside from Blitzing's silly gloves, the gimmick isn't an intrusive one. It may dip into the plastic budget, but aside from that the toys don't have to be engineered around them like Mini-Cons or combining does.
Seems this "gimmick" was designed for Legacy Line so I can assume that an obligator reissue/repaint of Blitzwing is going to happen with normal hands within the next two years. lol
I'm not that familiar with Minerva but the bot redeco looks pretty cool, likely won't buy it though as I don't buy unknown to me characters. Simply don't have enough shelf space for everything I'm into let along ancillary items that just look neat. lol
Besides it being a Walgreens Excusive pretty much takes the decision to buy it out of my hands as I've yet to ever secure one.
Seems tome she would have made a decent Target Exclusives even though she's not all red.
Posted by AcademyofDrX on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:21pm CDT
DeathReviews wrote:And in some measure, it makes me resentful that they forced price point hikes on some figures to dump in these weapons, which many of us didn't even really want, and perhaps diminish the engineering on those figures because they thought the weapons made them 'good enough'.
That's not how this works, that's not how any of this works
Posted by SpaceEagle on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:29pm CDT
DeathReviews wrote:The Energon weapon thing may have been a neat concept, but it just doesn't work out that well in real life. There's the fact that they have to force some figures to take weapons which don't make any sense (like Blitzwing), just to carry on the gimmick.
And there's the fact that these weapons just don't 'combine' well. You can jam them all together sure, but they don't look good. And any combo weapon you make out of them would be unwieldy, and ineffective to the point of mockery if you tried to actually use it. Yes, they're toy weapons, so real life doesn't matter. But they're at least meant to allow SOME suspension of disbelief. I don't look at any of the combos in that diagram, and say to myself, "Yeah, that could work".
And in some measure, it makes me resentful that they forced price point hikes on some figures to dump in these weapons, which many of us didn't even really want, and perhaps diminish the engineering on those figures because they thought the weapons made them 'good enough'.
I dunno, the clumps of guns seem fun to me as a "certainly will kill you to death" sort of way, and you don't have to combine them anyway since they look pretty good on their own. The kids will definitely get a kick out of it and I'm sure some adults will get memories of Energon weapons and Arms Microns.
Also the engineering of the figures definitely didn't seem to have suffered at all, the bots are still very fun to handle.
Posted by VisualMalaise on June 22nd, 2022 @ 12:44pm CDT
Posted by william-james88 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 1:02pm CDT
o.supreme wrote:So I guess we'll call this Minerva from Victory as opposed Masterforce . Anyway, looks cool. However, I am a bit surprised. I don't think we ever had confirmation Red Alert ever showed up in a Walgreens store, it was online only ( Pulse very limited, and occasionally on Walgreens.com). Kind of disappointing since I had been able to find all the others going back to TR Brainstorm fairly easily.
Indeed, I don't think Red Alert was ever found in stores aside from a possible return.
Sabrblade wrote:It's basically IDW2 Minerva, who is not a Headmaster.
The IDW2 character is based on this toy's design, so I don't find it fair. Then again some people need fiction to validate a toy's existence so they have that now.
AcademyofDrX wrote:DeathReviews wrote:And in some measure, it makes me resentful that they forced price point hikes on some figures to dump in these weapons, which many of us didn't even really want, and perhaps diminish the engineering on those figures because they thought the weapons made them 'good enough'.
That's not how this works, that's not how any of this works
You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
Posted by Sentinel_Primal on June 22nd, 2022 @ 1:03pm CDT
Posted by blackeyedprime on June 22nd, 2022 @ 1:56pm CDT
AcademyofDrX wrote:DeathReviews wrote:And in some measure, it makes me resentful that they forced price point hikes on some figures to dump in these weapons, which many of us didn't even really want, and perhaps diminish the engineering on those figures because they thought the weapons made them 'good enough'.
That's not how this works, that's not how any of this works
Some one doesnt remember comchips hahahahah any excuse to hike and a company will do it, except they don't even use stuff like comchips as an excuse now but crap like the hands and hotrods accessorys put the blinkers on those that are vocal in accepting it.
Posted by DeathReviews on June 22nd, 2022 @ 2:52pm CDT
You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
I'll allow it 'works' in that it represents what Hasbro is actually DOING. But it doesn't 'work' for many of us buyers, in the sense that we're being asked to believe that figures like Blitzwing are 'improved' by mere reason of the inclusion of these gauntlet pieces.
I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets, and lowered Blitzwing to Voyager price. Based on the size and engineering seen in videos, that seems to be all it's worth. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing "worth" the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on June 22nd, 2022 @ 2:55pm CDT
I'd disappointed that she's not a headmaster, but I find hilarious that she's basically a reverse Titan Return bot.
I'll buy her and I expect a upgrade kit and a Reprolabels set to make her truly perfect.
Posted by AcademyofDrX on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:02pm CDT
DeathReviews wrote:Based on the size and engineering seen in videos, that seems to be all it's worth. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing "worth" the price of a Leader figure.
Do you just ... not remember what Prime Wars voyagers were like at all
Posted by Rtron on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:04pm CDT
DeathReviews wrote:You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
I'll allow that it 'works' in that it represents what Hasbro is actually DOING. But it doesn't 'work' for many of us in the sense that we're being asked to believe that figures like Blitzwing are 'improved' by mere reason of the inclusion of these gauntlet pieces.
I (for one) would rather have paid voyager price for Blitzwing, because based on the size and engineering, that seems to be all it's worth. In exchange for that, I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing worth the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
You don't lower Blitzwing to voyager price just by removing the gauntlets. I can't say I know how Hasbro specifically budgets, but my educated guess is that those gauntlets are not what makes that figure leader price. Blitzwing's parts count and weight for the figure itself is probably between voyager and leader, with parts count being very close to a "normal" leader. There's no way not including the gloves makes him suddenly a voyager, as they only represent 4 parts. That's less than a Core class worth of parts, and they probably don't represent that much weight percentage either.
If I was rich, I'd start a youtube channel exclusively dedicated to weighting, taking apart, and counting the parts and plastic distribution of every figure that comes out. Given there's so much people (rightly) worried about what they're getting for their money, it seems like an endeavor that could gain a good bit of traction.
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:15pm CDT
Rtron wrote:DeathReviews wrote:You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
I'll allow that it 'works' in that it represents what Hasbro is actually DOING. But it doesn't 'work' for many of us in the sense that we're being asked to believe that figures like Blitzwing are 'improved' by mere reason of the inclusion of these gauntlet pieces.
I (for one) would rather have paid voyager price for Blitzwing, because based on the size and engineering, that seems to be all it's worth. In exchange for that, I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing worth the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
You don't lower Blitzwing to voyager price just by removing the gauntlets. I can't say I know how Hasbro specifically budgets, but my educated guess is that those gauntlets are not what makes that figure leader price. Blitzwing's parts count and weight for the figure itself is probably between voyager and leader, with parts count being very close to a "normal" leader. There's now way not including the gloves makes him suddenly a voyager, as they only represent 4 parts. That's less than a Core class worth of parts, and they probably don't represent that much weight percentage either.
I bolded and underlined the crucial part here. When figures in the end fall between two standard price points, Hasbro will always go for the higher one, but adding things to make it seem more worth while isn't necessarily a bad step to take even if it's to "cover up"
Hasbro's no stranger to that you know: when they imported Takara's Car Robots line for RiD 2001, Takara's liberal pricing made quite a few figures not fit with Hasbro's set price points, like Wedge and the Bullet Trains. Wedge was cheaper than Deluxe, but got bumped up to Deluxe anyway, and the trains got bumped to Mega.
Posted by Rtron on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:21pm CDT
Jelze Bunnycat wrote:Rtron wrote:DeathReviews wrote:You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
I'll allow that it 'works' in that it represents what Hasbro is actually DOING. But it doesn't 'work' for many of us in the sense that we're being asked to believe that figures like Blitzwing are 'improved' by mere reason of the inclusion of these gauntlet pieces.
I (for one) would rather have paid voyager price for Blitzwing, because based on the size and engineering, that seems to be all it's worth. In exchange for that, I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing worth the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
You don't lower Blitzwing to voyager price just by removing the gauntlets. I can't say I know how Hasbro specifically budgets, but my educated guess is that those gauntlets are not what makes that figure leader price. Blitzwing's parts count and weight for the figure itself is probably between voyager and leader, with parts count being very close to a "normal" leader. There's now way not including the gloves makes him suddenly a voyager, as they only represent 4 parts. That's less than a Core class worth of parts, and they probably don't represent that much weight percentage either.
I bolded and underlined the crucial part here. When figures in the end fall between two standard price points, Hasbro will always go for the higher one, but adding things to make it seem more worth while isn't necessarily a bad step to take even if it's to "cover up"
Hasbro's no stranger to that you know: when they imported Takara's Car Robots line for RiD 2001, Takara's liberal pricing made quite a few figures not fit with Hasbro's set price points, like Wedge and the Bullet Trains. Wedge was cheaper than Deluxe, but got bumped up to Deluxe anyway, and the trains got bumped to Mega.
Exactly, otherwise, they'd be losing money on the figure. In this case, they'd be losing money on one of the most expensive figures of the "normal" classes. Could Hasbro tank that money loss? I have no idea, but that's not how ANY business works, specially not corporations. They're not going to lose even a single usd per figure just because the design fell in-between classes.
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:30pm CDT
Rtron wrote:Jelze Bunnycat wrote:Rtron wrote:DeathReviews wrote:You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
I'll allow that it 'works' in that it represents what Hasbro is actually DOING. But it doesn't 'work' for many of us in the sense that we're being asked to believe that figures like Blitzwing are 'improved' by mere reason of the inclusion of these gauntlet pieces.
I (for one) would rather have paid voyager price for Blitzwing, because based on the size and engineering, that seems to be all it's worth. In exchange for that, I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing worth the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
You don't lower Blitzwing to voyager price just by removing the gauntlets. I can't say I know how Hasbro specifically budgets, but my educated guess is that those gauntlets are not what makes that figure leader price. Blitzwing's parts count and weight for the figure itself is probably between voyager and leader, with parts count being very close to a "normal" leader. There's now way not including the gloves makes him suddenly a voyager, as they only represent 4 parts. That's less than a Core class worth of parts, and they probably don't represent that much weight percentage either.
I bolded and underlined the crucial part here. When figures in the end fall between two standard price points, Hasbro will always go for the higher one, but adding things to make it seem more worth while isn't necessarily a bad step to take even if it's to "cover up"
Hasbro's no stranger to that you know: when they imported Takara's Car Robots line for RiD 2001, Takara's liberal pricing made quite a few figures not fit with Hasbro's set price points, like Wedge and the Bullet Trains. Wedge was cheaper than Deluxe, but got bumped up to Deluxe anyway, and the trains got bumped to Mega.
Exactly, otherwise, they'd be losing money on the figure. In this case, they'd be losing money on one of the most expensive figures of the "normal" classes. Could Hasbro tank that money loss? I have no idea, but that's not how ANY business works, specially not corporations. They're not going to lose even a single usd per figure just because the design fell in-between classes.
Worth noting is that this phenomenon only props up because of their focus on accurate robot mode cartoon scale: as the characters are different heights, their figures end up in different sizes that may or not coincide with any set price points. If you look at other lines, you may find that they are sized to price point, but not current (WFC and later) Generations.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:35pm CDT
Till-all-R1 wrote:JazZeke wrote:Yeah, aside from Blitzing's silly gloves, the gimmick isn't an intrusive one. It may dip into the plastic budget, but aside from that the toys don't have to be engineered around them like Mini-Cons or combining does.
Seems this "gimmick" was designed for Legacy Line so I can assume that an obligator reissue/repaint of Blitzwing is going to happen with normal hands within the next two years. lol
Blitzwing has normal hands, the gauntlets are accessories that you don't need to display with Blitzy if you don't want.
Posted by Rtron on June 22nd, 2022 @ 3:46pm CDT
Jelze Bunnycat wrote:
Worth noting is that this phenomenon only props up because of their focus on accurate robot mode cartoon scale: as the characters are different heights, their figures end up in different sizes that may or not coincide with any set price points. If you look at other lines, you may find that they are sized to price point, but not current (WFC and later) Generations.
Yeah, and some lines, like Animated, seemed to be scaled to vehicle mode volume. Maybe due to the toys being packaged in alt mode? Thus giving us things like tiny Lugnut and tall as hell Lockdown.
Posted by DeathReviews on June 22nd, 2022 @ 4:06pm CDT
You don't lower Blitzwing to voyager price just by removing the gauntlets. I can't say I know how Hasbro specifically budgets, but my educated guess is that those gauntlets are not what makes that figure leader price. Blitzwing's parts count and weight for the figure itself is probably between voyager and leader, with parts count being very close to a "normal" leader. There's no way not including the gloves makes him suddenly a voyager, as they only represent 4 parts. That's less than a Core class worth of parts, and they probably don't represent that much weight percentage either.
I'll allow there's a certain degree of subjectivity in how a buyer deems what a figure is 'worth'. I don't know about the parts count or any of that other minutae. I'm sure if you took the thing completely apart and weighed everything in a set of micro-gram scales, it may well be that the figure (all by itself with NO accessories) is in fact more complicated/intricate than a normal voyager.
But they say the first bite is with the eye. And again, based on the early video reviews, Blitzwing doesn't seem any more complicated or better than, say, Jhiaxus or Bulkhead. In terms of subjectivity, I'm holding Blitzwing to a higher standard perhaps. They're making it leader price, so I expected them to do better. Some pretty big flaws have been pointed out for both of the alt modes, for example. Some would say that Jhiaxus is actually the better figure since the overall engineering seems more solid.
If I was rich, I'd start a youtube channel exclusively dedicated to weighting, taking apart, and counting the parts and plastic distribution of every figure that comes out. Given there's so much people (rightly) worried about what they're getting for their money, it seems like an endeavor that could gain a good bit of traction.
I'm sure there's an audience for that!
Posted by Nemesis Primal on June 22nd, 2022 @ 4:53pm CDT
Also I'm just now seeing/realizing that Elita ends up with her faux head part on her ass in bot mode, there's many jokes to be had here
Posted by Tuned Agent on June 22nd, 2022 @ 5:17pm CDT
Rtron wrote:If I was rich, I'd start a youtube channel exclusively dedicated to weighting, taking apart, and counting the parts and plastic distribution of every figure that comes out. Given there's so much people (rightly) worried about what they're getting for their money, it seems like an endeavor that could gain a good bit of traction.
I actually tried to do something like that a while ago by counting all the parts of a bunch of TFs to compare them across toylines. I'm unfortunately not rich, and the project kinda sputtered out since I don't have many Prime Wars figures (which is what most people would probably want to compare WFC figures to). I did find out some interesting stuff though, and I'd be glad to continue the project if people are interested (and especially if people wanted to help).
Jelze Bunnycat wrote:Rtron wrote:Jelze Bunnycat wrote:Rtron wrote:You don't lower Blitzwing to voyager price just by removing the gauntlets. I can't say I know how Hasbro specifically budgets, but my educated guess is that those gauntlets are not what makes that figure leader price. Blitzwing's parts count and weight for the figure itself is probably between voyager and leader, with parts count being very close to a "normal" leader. There's now way not including the gloves makes him suddenly a voyager, as they only represent 4 parts. That's less than a Core class worth of parts, and they probably don't represent that much weight percentage either.
I bolded and underlined the crucial part here. When figures in the end fall between two standard price points, Hasbro will always go for the higher one, but adding things to make it seem more worth while isn't necessarily a bad step to take even if it's to "cover up"
Hasbro's no stranger to that you know: when they imported Takara's Car Robots line for RiD 2001, Takara's liberal pricing made quite a few figures not fit with Hasbro's set price points, like Wedge and the Bullet Trains. Wedge was cheaper than Deluxe, but got bumped up to Deluxe anyway, and the trains got bumped to Mega.
Exactly, otherwise, they'd be losing money on the figure. In this case, they'd be losing money on one of the most expensive figures of the "normal" classes. Could Hasbro tank that money loss? I have no idea, but that's not how ANY business works, specially not corporations. They're not going to lose even a single usd per figure just because the design fell in-between classes.
Worth noting is that this phenomenon only props up because of their focus on accurate robot mode cartoon scale: as the characters are different heights, their figures end up in different sizes that may or not coincide with any set price points. If you look at other lines, you may find that they are sized to price point, but not current (WFC and later) Generations.
A bit of a tangent, but I do worry that the "in between classes" figures are going to end up lowering fan's standards over time. At what point will the not-quite-a-class figure just become accepted as the standard for that class? When ER Cliff and Netflix Bee came out, people complained about their size, but eventually warmed up to them because they felt complex, weren't hollow, were slathered with paint, and had a ton of accessories. Then Huffer comes along, who's simple, has very hollow legs, and has an average amount paint and accessories, but nobody batted and eye. Bee and Cliff were worth deluxe money, so obviously Huffer is too, right? Classes are just price points now, after all. I don't know if an overall lowering of standards will ever really happen, but it's food for thought.
Also, a tad off topic, but there are some businesses/corporations that willingly sell certain products for a loss, usually in order to encourage more sales of other products with higher profit margins. A good example are Sony and Microsoft with the PS5 and Series X, which are sold at a loss to make the consoles more competitively priced and affordable, which in turn encourages more people to buy more games (which is where the real money is made). Not really applicable to transformers of course.
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on June 22nd, 2022 @ 5:23pm CDT
Tuned Agent wrote:A bit of a tangent, but I do worry that the "in between classes" figures are going to end up lowering fan's standards over time. At what point will the not-quite-a-class figure just become accepted as the standard for that class? When ER Cliff and Netflix Bee came out, people complained about their size, but eventually warmed up to them because they felt complex, weren't hollow, were slathered with paint, and had a ton of accessories. Then Huffer comes along, who's simple, has very hollow legs, and has an average amount paint and accessories, but nobody batted and eye. Bee and Cliff were worth deluxe money, so obviously Huffer is too, right? Classes are just price points now, after all. I don't know if an overall lowering of standards will ever really happen, but it's food for thought.
Like the "It's what it is" complacent attitude? Maybe, but there will be always be people who want more and they will eventually be vocal about it when push comes to shove. That's why we have reviewers And in my experience, people who shout the loudest get the most followers, though that's not always a good thing generally speaking...
Also, a tad off topic, but there are some businesses/corporations that willingly sell certain products for a loss, usually in order to encourage more sales of other products with higher profit margins. A good example are Sony and Microsoft with the PS5 and Series X, which are sold at a loss to make the consoles more competitively priced and affordable, which in turn encourages more people to buy more games (which is where the real money is made). Not really applicable to transformers of course.
Like sacrificial lambs? I don't see Hasbro or TakaraTomy doing that main line figures plus exclusives, but TakaraTomy has more experience with promotional giveaways (granted, those are big in Japan) and Hasbro has given away samples of finished first wave product to reviewers now and again.
Posted by Rtron on June 22nd, 2022 @ 5:27pm CDT
I would like to see that sort of project, but I wouldn't be able to contribute as I live on the arse end of the world relative to most of the people on this site, or really the fandom at large
Posted by Till-all-R1 on June 22nd, 2022 @ 6:20pm CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:Till-all-R1 wrote:JazZeke wrote:Yeah, aside from Blitzing's silly gloves, the gimmick isn't an intrusive one. It may dip into the plastic budget, but aside from that the toys don't have to be engineered around them like Mini-Cons or combining does.
Seems this "gimmick" was designed for Legacy Line so I can assume that an obligator reissue/repaint of Blitzwing is going to happen with normal hands within the next two years. lol
Blitzwing has normal hands, the gauntlets are accessories that you don't need to display with Blitzy if you don't want.
Okay thanks, I haven't paid much attention to that conversation but when I heard about this I was a bit concerned because I do recall seeing normal hands on the bot.
After hearing of someone finding it I'm now in excitation mode, unfortunately all I saw today at Walmart was waves with Kickback and Skids. G2 Optimus and BB Soundwave.
Posted by primalxconvoy on June 23rd, 2022 @ 4:03am CDT
As for Sh*tswing's gauntlets; they're talking out of their @rses. They could have EASILY added covers for the tank to cover the gap at the front and/or part of the awful faux cockpit. It could easily be used as a shield too. Then, add some wing extenders, or even, just better engineering and more plastic to make a half-decent figure.
Money saved, Hasblo, do better.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 23rd, 2022 @ 4:28am CDT
primalxconvoy wrote:From the same people that tried to make non-Headmaster TF characters in Titans Return into Headmasters, comes a Headmaster character that isn't a Headmaster.
As for Sh*tswing's gauntlets; they're talking out of their @rses. They could have EASILY added covers for the tank to cover the gap at the front and/or part of the awful faux cockpit. It could easily be used as a shield too. Then, add some wing extenders, or even, just better engineering and more plastic to make a half-decent figure.
Money saved, Hasblo, do better.
As pointed out further up, Minerva isn't a headmaster in Victory nor in the recent comics.
Also that gap in Blitzwing is cartoon accurate, which is sadly what they were going for. Plus as stated, the weapons fit the gimmick which has been present throughout, a rather fun gimmick at that. If you want a better Blitzy, I'm sure hasbro will try again in a few years or so
Posted by primalxconvoy on June 23rd, 2022 @ 4:36am CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:primalxconvoy wrote:From the same people that tried to make non-Headmaster TF characters in Titans Return into Headmasters, comes a Headmaster character that isn't a Headmaster.
As for Sh*tswing's gauntlets; they're talking out of their @rses. They could have EASILY added covers for the tank to cover the gap at the front and/or part of the awful faux cockpit. It could easily be used as a shield too. Then, add some wing extenders, or even, just better engineering and more plastic to make a half-decent figure.
Money saved, Hasblo, do better.As pointed out further up, Minerva isn't a headmaster in Victory nor in the recent comics.
That's not relevant as she WAS a Headmaster in Super God Masterforce and the original toy was also a Headmaster. My point stands.Also that gap in Blitzwing is cartoon accurate, which is sadly what they were going for. Plus as stated, the weapons fit the gimmick which has been present throughout, a rather fun gimmick at that. If you want a better Blitzy, I'm sure hasbro will try again in a few years or so
The gauntlets and jet modes are NOT cartoon accurate though. The extra plastic could just has easily been used for an optional cover, just as it was used as optional junk that probably a very small amount of collectors will even bother taking out of the box.
However, the reason I'm not bothering with both of these failures is because there will almost certainly be new, better versions out in the near future. Just look at how many Arcees came out in the span of just a few years as an example, so in that I agree with you.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on June 23rd, 2022 @ 4:55am CDT
So even if the total cost end up being double the price of the OG figure, I'm pretty sure that someone will make an upgrade kit to go convert her into a proper headmaster.
Then, Reprolabels to complete her looks. Especially for the infamous Red Cross symbols.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 23rd, 2022 @ 5:12am CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:For me, Minerva is a headmaster first and foremost. As I see in the transformation video, there's enough room inside the car "cockpit" to slap a car seat on Minerva's butt for a standard headmaster to sit in.
So even if the total cost end up being double the price of the OG figure, I'm pretty sure that someone will make an upgrade kit to go convert her into a proper headmaster.
Then, Reprolabels to complete her looks. Especially for the infamous Red Cross symbols.
Oh that's a given. Add on companies will love it for that segment of fans who want to enhance her.
Posted by primalxconvoy on June 23rd, 2022 @ 5:30am CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:Oh that's a given. Add on companies will love it for that segment of fans who want to enhance her.
The thing is, the days of "mainstream" (?) 3P add-on kits (sold at the major online vendors) seems to be almost over. Most of the kits for smaller figures seem to be from "indie" companies, selling at smaller sites or on Ebay; both of which don't accept credit cards (and I don't do Paypal)...
If I had a feeling an easily available kit would come out, I might bother with Minerva, but I doubt there will be...
Posted by sol magnus on June 23rd, 2022 @ 8:11am CDT
william-james88 wrote:RiddlerJ wrote:The robot mode looks okay. the alt mode still looks kinda dinky.
yeah, it aint great. Turns out this looks like it was meant more for Elita 1 afterall.
I don't know. That's Minerva from the Wreckers comic from last year / this year all the way up and down.
As to Minerva being / not being a Headmaster, I'd like to see it as the original toy was. Even completely reusing the Elita-1 mold or vice versa, making her a Headmaster just as a nod to the original probably could have been done within budget now that we're all up on figure budgets.
I guess 3P can tackle this, but with a ball jointed neck I'm not sure how you carry that off.
Posted by sol magnus on June 23rd, 2022 @ 8:41am CDT
DeathReviews wrote:I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets, and lowered Blitzwing to Voyager price. Based on the size and engineering seen in videos, that seems to be all it's worth. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing "worth" the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
That wouldn't have reduced Blitzwing's price. He would still be a leader class figure.
Posted by Emerje on June 23rd, 2022 @ 8:43am CDT
RodimusPrimeUkraine1 wrote:At this point, any new Minerva that transforms into something resembling an ambulance is great. Remember the Thunder blast Minerva? THAT was awful.
I literally just bought one, I think she's great! Non-G1 characters don't need to stick to the looks of their G1 namesakes, that would be boring.
Emerje
Posted by primalxconvoy on June 23rd, 2022 @ 8:44am CDT
DeathReviews wrote:You're right, that's not how it works. And I thought I wrote it clearly enough in the article. It's the other way around. None of the engineering is diminished, it is instead improved by having a leader budget for a voyager sized toy. The gauntlets are just there to help sell the figure to people who need a visual aid to substantiate paying leader prices.
I'll allow it 'works' in that it represents what Hasbro is actually DOING. But it doesn't 'work' for many of us buyers, in the sense that we're being asked to believe that figures like Blitzwing are 'improved' by mere reason of the inclusion of these gauntlet pieces.
I would have been perfectly happy to live without the energon gauntlets, and lowered Blitzwing to Voyager price. Based on the size and engineering seen in videos, that seems to be all it's worth. Instead, we have to pay leader price for a voyager figure (again) and have our intelligence insulted with the notion that the inclusion of these gauntlet weapons somehow makes Blitzwing "worth" the price of a Leader figure. The only way I could see myself using those silly things is if they could be fitted onto Mensaor's forearms somehow and become proper gloves. Don't see how that's possible though.
THIS.
Thank goodness I didn't bother with the atrocious Siege Astrotrain-wreck, Shocked-it-was-included-inna-wave and Sh*tswing.
Posted by Sabrblade on June 23rd, 2022 @ 9:12am CDT