WOW. The Starwars transformers are REALLY unpopular

ballsquid · Post by **ballsquid** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 2:52 pm

Just had a look on ebay and most of the loose ones, even complete with all weapons aint selling for 99p. They still £12-£15 in shops so what i wanna know is, are these things actually selling and if not why do they keep bringing so many out?

Post by **Clay** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 12:38 am

I've often wondered the same thing myself.

The whole thing is a bit of a missed opportunity, anyway. The vehicles from Star Wars are fairly recognizable and don't have any pesky licensing issues associated with real cars and the like (Hasbro makes all the Star Wars merchandise anyway), so then they go ahead and ruin most of the toys by trying to make them look like Star Wars characters instead of robots.

Pun-3X · Post by **Pun-3X** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 2:39 am

Well, it's not even that, really. It's the fact that the robots look horrendous. And it isn't because of the character they're trying to convey. Their designs are severely lacking. The Marvel crossovers are doing the same thing, but a lot of their toys are pretty solid regarding articulation and proportions. We keep getting these little twig arms, ugly-shaped bodies, 8-sided ratcheting joints, etc. for the SW guys. If they would change the in-house design aspect that most of this line is trying to stay within, there might be some improvement in popularity. Although at this point I think the damage is too far done.

Notabot · Post by **Notabot** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 3:21 am

I'm with Clay on this, and I have been from the start. Some of the molds would be pretty fantastic if the robot mode didn't look like a scoliosis-plagued version of some Star Wars character. Just the idea of it is pretty hokey: "I'm gonna build me a gigantic robot version of myself." The ones that turn into storm troopers, clone troopers, and other "faceless" troopers wind up working the best in my opinion because they look more like a standard robot.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 3:55 am

Transformers fans generally don't like the humanoid character factor, which is a bit Animorphy. Star Wars fans don't like the way they turn into boxy, ugly versions of SQ characters.

Post by **Clay** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 2:27 pm

Pun-3X wrote:Well, it's not even that, really. It's the fact that the robots look horrendous.

Notabot wrote:Some of the molds would be pretty fantastic if the robot mode didn't look like a scoliosis-plagued version of some Star Wars character.

Cliffjumper wrote:Transformers fans generally don't like the humanoid character factor, which is a bit Animorphy. Star Wars fans don't like the way they turn into boxy, ugly versions of SQ characters.

Yeah, that's I mean. Look at Demolisher from the movie: the whole wheel-bot thing can work out rather well. Now look at this Star Wars ship. It's got a big circle that could be used for a similar wheel-bot design, but instead turns into a person with half a space ship hanging off the back. And that's not to say that it would have to look like Demolisher or anything to come off well, but rather just an obvious design choice give the vehicle they're working with.

Like I say, lots of missed opportunities.

ballsquid · Post by **ballsquid** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 5:21 pm

I agree that on the most part they are poo. I did like the deathstar one tho. I just dont get why these things are still being released along with the marvel ones when they seem so unpopular and seem to be selling really badly.
Why do these things get new toys and yet, at least for the time being, the animated toy line gets discarded? At my local toy stores, mainly toys r us etc, the animated toys were always being picked up and bought where as the star wars ones just warmed the shelves or the special offers section and a look at ebay seems to say the same. Makes me think, does Hasbro actualy do market research?

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 5:49 pm

I think the Star Wars ones were massively overproduced - Hasbro expected them to sell to both sets of buyers, which would have been massive numbers.

Animated's mainly been canned to clear the way for current (Movie) and forthcoming stuff. TFSW is more a peripheral line.

ballsquid · Post by **ballsquid** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 5:54 pm

i agree, just my local toy shop still has new releases for starwars so i dont see why one series has to finish to let another start. Is it just because they are worried we would be buying the animated instead of the movie toys but the SWTF are not taylored for the same crowd? If so it seems abit silly, does it really matter what we spend our money on so long as they make their cash? plus they dont have to pay Bay his cut for sales of animated lol

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:36 pm

One series doesn't have to finish for another to start necessarily - unless they clash demographics, which Animated and Movie do to some extent. Hasbro are going to go with the current one, and they're going to go with the movie when it's taking the box office by storm. They shift more units with that than with the dregs of Animated.

The SWTF are aimed at a slightly different demographic - they don't clash with the Transformers stuff as much (for a start, they're more Star Wars figures - that they're named Star Wars Transformers is more a convenience from Hasbro owning both licences/properties - if they didn't own Transformers, the same toys could well be made but with a name like, I dunno, Star Wars Modifiers or something). Hasbro often pairs a fiction-supported main line with a non-fiction supported back-up (e.g. Universe running alongside Animated - the latter was really bringing in the young kids, while the former was cleaning up in a wider age range).

Later waves of SWTFs are probably being made in much smaller numbers, which have taken sales into account - this happens with most lines. Presumably the figures are still profitable (Hasbro have already sold the stock that's warming shelves in shops).

Treadshot A1 · Post by **Treadshot A1** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:47 am

Clay wrote:Yeah, that's I mean. Look at Demolisher from the movie: the whole wheel-bot thing can work out rather well. Now look at this Star Wars ship. It's got a big circle that could be used for a similar wheel-bot design, but instead turns into a person with half a space ship hanging off the back. And that's not to say that it would have to look like Demolisher or anything to come off well, but rather just an obvious design choice give the vehicle they're working with.

Like I say, lots of missed opportunities.

While i agree with your point, the Hyperdrive ring actually comes off and is designed to be intrerchangeable with the older Starfighters released before it that came without the ring. A remold, if you will. Totally changing the transformation would be slightly more costly, i would think.

Not that i disagree with the point of this thread though, just saying.

ballsquid · Post by **ballsquid** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:19 am

do you guys think these things will ever increase in secong hand value or just die and go away? Looking at G1's it seems to be the unpopular toys that sell for the most like the pretenders for example since noone bought them and so became rare

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:25 pm

Nah... They're made in too large a number, too many collectors buy toys in pairs now (keeping one sealed for future sales) and they'll just never find a following. Rarity doesn't necessarily come into value - Euroforce stuff is rare, but it doesn't have the mystique of the Japanese exclusive stuff, and thus is quite cheap to pick up. G1 Bumblebee, on the other hand, was made in massive, massive numbers and was very expensive before the reissues just because so many people wanted him.

Lines have to have a following to go for much as a lot of vintage toy-buying is nostalgia and completism, and people have to have some affection for them in the first place for those to kick in.