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Post by Toph on Feb 1, 2024 9:37:16 GMT
It made sense for Unicron. That was so big and so expensive, that they couldn't be sure that enough of them would sell. I mean that one was a legit gamble.
But I don't think this is actual crowdfunding, but as a made-to-order production run with a minimum requirement that they're framing as crowdfunding because it's trendy.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 1, 2024 10:32:19 GMT
It just needs to fund to make me happy, and it'll do that by the weekend. Might take a bit longer than that as these things do slow down, but yeah this should fund easy. |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 1, 2024 11:27:55 GMT
It made sense for Unicron. That was so big and so expensive, that they couldn't be sure that enough of them would sell. I mean that one was a legit gamble. But I don't think this is actual crowdfunding, but as a made-to-order production run with a minimum requirement that they're framing as crowdfunding because it's trendy. Nope, it's crowdfunding, if don't hit target, it don't get made - see previous failed crowdfunding efforts including Cookie Monster, the one everyone forgets. If it was a made to order production run, that would typically be done through retailers/wholesalers rather than the consumer directly. It's an questionable practice for companies the size and scale of Hasbro and allows them the benefit of sitting on money for a considerable period of time without having to deliver product. |
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 1, 2024 14:35:46 GMT
It will fund, my biggest objection to these things is in on principle, large organisations should not be using crowdfunding platforms, when they have the resources to make them anyway. Same. I do find it tiresome. My annoyance is aimed at the big companies, not the fans who buy the crowdsource products. -Ralph |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 1, 2024 15:51:30 GMT
Oh absolutely.
We should not be funding work on things for Hasbro to sell and not at something over what would be the RRP for a commander. Especially given those products are bought by retailers for significantly less than the RRP, meaning the profit margins on something like this are significantly higher for Hasbro as there is no middle man.
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Post by Toph on Feb 1, 2024 18:21:41 GMT
It made sense for Unicron. That was so big and so expensive, that they couldn't be sure that enough of them would sell. I mean that one was a legit gamble. But I don't think this is actual crowdfunding, but as a made-to-order production run with a minimum requirement that they're framing as crowdfunding because it's trendy. Nope, it's crowdfunding, if don't hit target, it don't get made - see previous failed crowdfunding efforts including Cookie Monster, the one everyone forgets. If it was a made to order production run, that would typically be done through retailers/wholesalers rather than the consumer directly. It's an questionable practice for companies the size and scale of Hasbro and allows them the benefit of sitting on money for a considerable period of time without having to deliver product. I acknowledged that it won't get made with the "with a minimum requirement" part. If they can't guarantee that X number of units, the minimum they need to sell for the price they set to turn a profit, they won't do it. I still think this is something that looks similar to, but is still different from true crowd sourcing, and it's being framed that way because it's trendy. Matty Collector would do this same model for their subscription figures before crowd sourcing ever took off. Even FP's TFSS used this model. |
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Post by that_bluestreak on Feb 1, 2024 19:07:58 GMT
Both fedex and USPS give me anxiety as both sometimes dump my stuff on the side of the road, a quarter mile away from my house. Even worse is USPS has specific instructions that if it won't fit in my mail box, to leave me a pick up notice. Fedex no longer seems to leave it on the main road, but they will sometimes dump it in field halfway up the driveway to my house. I never ever have a problem with amazon (whom ironically is the one who keeps threatening to switch to unmanned drone delivery, objectively the worst delivery option of them all) Whereabouts do you live, if you don't mind an internet stranger asking. I am a bit jealous of your remoteness. |
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Post by legios on Feb 1, 2024 19:28:08 GMT
Hermes just seem to operate on a "we make enough profit on the successful deliveries so are happy to refund the failed ones to the senders" business practice, on the proviso that it's the senders that then needs to handle the recipient. When it's the recipient who the courier has failed, irrespective of who had the contract with Hermes, they seem to be ducking their responsibility. No pride in delivering an actual service. And heaven help you if as a sender your parcel gets stuck in tracking limbo and you want to talk to someone. They can rename to Evri all they want, but if I see a company using them I'll actively avoid. "No pride in delivering an actual service." Yes, exactly that. Delivering a service is not their purpose corporately. As a company they exist to extract value. A defining trait of late-modern capitalism when the thing that a company does is no longer a consideration, simply the profit that results from their acting. Hermes has found a sweet spot where their service is bad, but not bad enough that it reduces their profit too far, and allows them to offer it sufficiently cheaply that enough other companies choose to use it, and value is extracted. What service the customer's client receives is not a consideration in this equation at all. This is how a lot of organisations now operate - not just couriers, but also rail companies, airlines, some "franchised" education providers behave in ways that suggest that this is their nature as well. Karl |
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Post by Toph on Feb 1, 2024 19:38:51 GMT
Whereabouts do you live, if you don't mind an internet stranger asking. I am a bit jealous of your remoteness. Outside of Dallas, and don't be jealous. I haven't had true Internet access since dial up stopped being supported. I've never known what highspeed internet is like. I'm too far from anything to get there by foot or bike. The closest gas station is five miles away. The closest book store is an hour's drive. It takes 30 minutes to get to work. And I have to go through a cluster of white nationalists just to go to walmart. Rural life sucks. |
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Post by shaggydave76 on Feb 2, 2024 13:15:21 GMT
I've seen a few Youtubers mention it, but it's £249.99 in the UK and $249.99 in the USA, meaning we're having to pay an extra 25% for the privilege. It SHOULD be £196.97 at the current exchange rate. Bloody Hasbro! I could be wrong, but I dont think the US price includes tax our price includes 20% VAT. Take off the VAT and you're in the right ball park. Good Point! Didn't think of the VAT, but I think we still end up paying more, what with the import tax and postage costs from abroad, etc... Unless they have some that will be stored and shipped from within the UK. Bloody Government!  |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 2, 2024 13:38:14 GMT
Yes, but remember there's no chunk being taken out of this by wholesaler/retailer, so still a scummy move on Hasbro's part on both sides of the pond, even allowing for VAT or exchange rate.
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Post by Bogatan on Feb 2, 2024 14:33:02 GMT
Oh yeah its price gauging in that respect, but for anyone saying it would be cheaper at retail, I dont think it would.
The only advantage is that they would likely eventually go on sale and if sold as individual toys Ralph could get Blueballs.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 2, 2024 15:00:55 GMT
Ralph could get Blueballs. SO...MANY...JOKES. INNUENDO...OVERLOAD |
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 2, 2024 15:44:56 GMT
I would get Blueballs.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 2, 2024 17:40:18 GMT
6,036 Backers
Target 10,000
Funding ends in:
41 Days 10 Hours 19 Minutes
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Post by that_bluestreak on Feb 2, 2024 17:52:07 GMT
Whereabouts do you live, if you don't mind an internet stranger asking. I am a bit jealous of your remoteness. Outside of Dallas, and don't be jealous. I haven't had true Internet access since dial up stopped being supported. I've never known what highspeed internet is like. I'm too far from anything to get there by foot or bike. The closest gas station is five miles away. The closest book store is an hour's drive. It takes 30 minutes to get to work. And I have to go through a cluster of white nationalists just to go to walmart. Rural life sucks. Ouch, sorry to hear that. Yeah that's not my idea of a rural idyll. |
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Post by Llama God on Feb 3, 2024 9:32:14 GMT
RIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, it's been A Week. I'll try and squeeze a riot in once the Conjunx is back from the Fabled East... Anyway, since I've not put my five Scottish pence in yet, I share the views of a few people on here it seems, in that I'm not particularly impressed with this offering. As a sculpt it's all fine, and looks perfectly serviceable for those that don't have the original. As a Haslab offering... it actually makes me angry. I share the same general opinion towards Hasbro doing "crowdfunders" as others on here, but I can kind of understand and excuse it for something like Unicron, which stores wouldn't necessarily carry, and for relatively obscure characters like Victory Saber or Deathsaurus who couldn't necessarily guarantee sales. But Optimus Prime? Optimus fucking Prime, the face of the franchise? Yeah, this is taking the piss. It's just an excuse to guarantee that these Commander Class figures will sell at full price, escaping the fact that these childrens' toys are getting a bit overpriced. In fact the thing that really annoyed me was that on the stream the presenters got Haslab Victory Saber out to show how big Omega Prime was in comparison, and how much plastic robot we were getting for the money, and how good a value it was. Which just served to highlight how overpriced Victory Saber and Deathsaurus were. Not the best move there. Suffice to say, I'm passing. Unless I suddenly become rich, in which case hypocrisy will become my closest friend. |
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Post by Benn on Feb 3, 2024 10:08:30 GMT
I mean, Victory Saber was the cheapest of the three 'normal' sets they've done, and you got four robots in that, so I guess he's not terrible value by that metric.
This is what, £70 more? And For less robots.
Even Deathsaurus was a little disappointing for only being one toy in my eyes (not counting the Micromasters here, as they weren't announced 'til after funded closed, so couldn't sway the decision to buy), but he had the size and only being a little more expensive.
By any metric, Omega Prime isn't doing enough for the price.
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Post by Toph on Feb 3, 2024 11:00:10 GMT
Honestly I feel Omega beats Victory hands down.
Victory Saber:
• A roughly Commander class, with a deluxish figure that combines to a super version of himself
• A roughly Voyager class triple changer
• A Micromaster set of 2 (same pricepoint as Core Class), which are (minimal) repaints of retail figures.
Omega Prime:
• A Commander Class with a voyager figure that combines with his trailer in multiple ways, including a super mode
• A Commander class figure
• A Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be combined indefinitely with multiple figures
All three figures can combine together.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 4, 2024 18:35:47 GMT
6,423 Backers
Target 10,000
Funding ends in:
39 Days 9 Hours 24 Minutes
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Post by Benn on Feb 4, 2024 19:06:24 GMT
Indulge me a moment, as I'm having trouble remembering: is this the lowest 'required backers' number for a TF Haslab?
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Post by Jaymz on Feb 4, 2024 19:14:35 GMT
Indulge me a moment, as I'm having trouble remembering: is this the lowest 'required backers' number for a TF Haslab? To fund: Unicron - 8,000 backers Victory Saber - 11,000 backers Deathsaurus - 11,000 backers Omega Prime - 10,000 backers |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 4, 2024 19:38:02 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 4, 2024 21:06:00 GMT
Cookie Monster still waits in hell.
-Ralph
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Post by Benn on Feb 4, 2024 21:17:35 GMT
But... who does he wait for?
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Feb 4, 2024 21:27:06 GMT
Elmo.
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 4, 2024 22:08:38 GMT
The fire down there's apt then.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 5, 2024 7:59:45 GMT
6,507 Backers
Target 10,000
Funding ends in:
38 Days 20 Hours 0 Minutes
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 5, 2024 17:15:13 GMT
6,538 Backers
Target 10,000
Funding ends in:
38 Days 10 Hours 44 Minutes
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Post by Jaymz on Feb 5, 2024 22:43:25 GMT
Preorders have opened in Japan now, so expect to see some jumps in the backer numbers. Already over 7k now.
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