There was a time in my early days of collecting where I relinquished the idea of tainting my Transformers collection with unofficial 3rd party scum. It’s funny how things change though, as once I had my first taste of this “scum”, I couldn’t stop getting them. For some reason 3rd party Transformers seem to be a touchy subject among ‘bot collectors lately. While many diehard Hasbro fans seem to think these “unofficial” toys are the bane of collecting, others such as myself welcome these companies and products with open arms (and wallets). It seems like in the past year or so, we’ve seen an explosion of new products and companies at an unprecedented rate, which is awesome to see considering how much risk there is that comes with bringing a new product.
Enough of my blabbering though, I’ll get on to the real reasons I believe that our beloved 3rd party companies and toys are here to stay.
Quality and Design
Probably the biggest of the very few negatives that accompany these unofficial Transformers is the price. While the prices may often be large, they’re also usually followed by some great quality in both the plastic and the design. What makes these toys great is how much thought is put into them; the whole process from start to finish is like a carefully constructed masterpiece. I’ve been fortunate enough to get an inside look at a couple of the design processes for some companies, and they absolutely blew my mind.
These guys aren’t just ripping designs from the internet and printing them via something similar to Shapeways, absolutely not. There are multiple design steps involved in getting the quality as high as possible for the buyer. Getting 3d mockups, wax and resin prototypes, quality control, all of these are just a few parts of the design process for your average 3rd party company.
Not only is the quality of the plastic of concern, but the overall quality in terms of mechanisms and transformations is also something these companies pride themselves with. When I think of high quality 3rd party toys lately, I immediately think of Fansproject’s Steel Core and Mastermind Creations’s Screecher. Not only are both of these great in terms of the feel and build of the plastic, but they each feature distinctive gimmicks that just aren’t possible for retail toys to have. That’s where the biggest advantage of 3rd party toys come in. Sure, not all toys by these companies are original characters, but they recreate our favorite characters in such a kickass way that really brings out the character. Some how a 12 inch tall Devastator just seems more appropriate than a 5 inch tall one.
If you’re reading this article and don’t have much experience with 3rd party Transformers, I don’t want you to get the impression that all of these companies are as high quality as I’m making them out to be. Every company has the occasional problem, but the ones that are excellent bounce back from those problems and make them right. There are of course the companies that are known to have universally great quality, but there are still some turds and outliers that can make a bad name for 3rd parties.
Fan Interaction
I cannot stress this point enough. In the world of unofficial Transformers there can be a lot of questions that need to be asked, and when a company is readily available for communication, that goes a very long way to influencing a purchase. Most seem to be fond of Facebook as their communication tool, which can do wonders for company to fan communication.
Now when I say “Fan Interaction”, I don’t just mean responding to emails in a timely manner, I’m also talking about when a company responds to their fan’s wants. Something that comes to mind just recently deals with Planet X’s Project Genesis. When the colored prototype pictures surfaced about a week ago, there was mixed reaction with how bright the colors were. Some, including myself, were hoping for less of a G1 scheme and more of a War for Cybertron one for Omega Supreme. Instead of just ignoring the fan recommendations, Planet X brought it upon themselves to do something about it. Mastermind Creations also took some fan advice recently in including another piece of train track with the rest of the Eliminators, Stormer and Warper.
This type of fan interaction is really what makes collecting these products extremely fun. It really seems like it’s a joint effort between the companies and the fans to bring the best product possible to the table, not just the one that makes the most money.
When I approached Headrobots very early on in thedaytimeninja.com’s lifespan about doing an interview, I honestly expected them to ignore or deny my request, especially when the website was hardly 3 months old. When Headrobots not only agreed to do it, but also asked if they could use the interview to tease some never before seen products, I was absolutely amazed. Tell me that isn’t a group of awesome dudes. The guys at Mastermind Creations have also been very gracious in approaching me for interviews and articles.
And how could I not talk about the recently successful Kickstarter project, Transforming Collections, by friend of the site Philip Reed, of battlegrip. A freaking book about 3rd party Transformers? Not only does the book consist of pictures and general information, many companies were eager to help out in the project providing material. That’s when you know you’ve got a strong community and company relationship.
Creativity and Ingenuity
Like I said before, while all 3rd party Transformers aren’t 100% original designs, they’re all mostly interpretations of obscure characters that we might not get otherwise. But there’s no cheating here; these companies are completely responsible for the physical design from conception to production.
I’m not just talking about creativity in the sense of drawing a mockup on paper, but in the sense of bringing something to life and creating a character. It’s great to see some of these companies really striving to bring the products to life in their own universe via comics and media, which is something Hasbro’s Transformers have seem to fall short of most of the time.
While I personally am a very big supporter of original 3rd party designs such as Fansproject’s Steel Core, it’s still great to see a company’s rendition of a popular character that hasn’t seen too many great toys (I’m looking at you, Predaking and Menasor!) Not only do these toys provide an awesome version of an already existing character, they show how awesome these companies can be by often blowing the Hasbro and Takara versions out of the water.
These companies aren’t established corporations raking in millions of dollars a year. These companies are small groups of hard working individuals who wish to bring the latest and greatest designs and toys into the hands of collectors.
That’s what I love. When I purchase something by a well-respected 3rd party company I’m not getting a toy that skimps on plastic or functionality so the company can make a quick buck, I’m getting a work of art. Something that’s taken these companies months and months to design and bring to fruition. Something that’s going to be the highlight of my collection. Something that I’ll always consider to be one of the best pieces that I own.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the 3rd party shelf is my favorite compared to the others. With everyone else out there who is in the same boat, I think it’s a monument to the excellence and craftsmanship that these toys have. This why these companies aren’t going anywhere.
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I too collect 3rd parties. Heck I have pretty much purchased all the bots released by major 3rd party companies like FP, MMC, MT, etc. You name it, I probably have it. One thing that bothers me about your article is this allegation about the plastic quality made by third parties. Truthfully, there is no way to know unless someone runs a stress test.
The high prices I believe can be attributed to a number of things. First, having smaller runs does have an impact on costs especially when FP first came onto the scene. Secondly, the time period coinciding with FP's first release was a time when the world economy was booming. Again in order to have a factory produce such a small run for you would require paying a hefty price. Thirdly, it's all about risk protection for everyone involved in the chain. FP needed to charge higher in order to cover the risk of their product failing (they had a specific target number that would at least allow them to cover their cost). The retailers had to charge more because there were taking a chance carrying something's that's unproven (this is not specific to toys, anyone's unproven in any field would have to pay a gate toll to prove themselves).
So what explains the persistence of high prices? Well, no doubt some of it can be attributed to the sheer creativity of these 3rd party companies. At the end of the day if the products are not attractive, there will be zero demand for them. But I think a lot of it can also be contributed to mass psychology. Once you are used to paying high for something you like, you'll continue to pay the same high price. If you compare 3rd parties to any other products, the fact is that competition should bring prices down. Furthermore the economy is currently sucking HARD. Factories in China are looking for work and often provides attractive financing, all of which should contribute to bring prices down.
Final conclusion: We are all suckers. The greatest skill of any human is to convince him/her self of anything. 3rd party companies will continue to charge high prices until there's not going to be enough demand at their current price point, and I think this is coming soon because 2013 is the time when the world economy is overdue for a SHTF moment.
Thanks for the reply!
I do feel like I should add some more to the quality part, or maybe a disclaimer in the first section stating that all 3rd parties aren\’t created equal. I\’ve had some problems with some, most notably iGear.
And I like your point about price. I do think the high prices are attributed to the smaller runs and higher expenses, but I do think we\’re almost trained to pay the high prices. Something that I\’m glad to see coming are the MECH iDEAS Jumpstarters, which are at a price we haven\’t seen yet. I believe they\’re $35 a piece, which most things that size have been $50 easily.
And yes, I\’m a sucker too.
Well frankly, I have never had an issue paying more for a piece that is either far more intricate or highly detailed or in most cases, both.
I love 3rd party Support. While Hasbro leads the way, there is a LOT of ground to cover in the mythos of Transformers and 3rd party support provides fans with figures they would otherwise never see.
So yes, please keep up the great work 3rd party guys!!
I am going to use the cell phone market as an example. Whenever a newer and better cell phone comes around (does anyone still remember those brick sized cell phone from the 90s
), there is usually a one time effect where prices would jump, but afterwards prices for similar phones would drop and often quite dramatically. The reason why I mentioned those brick sized phones is to provide a point of comparison i.e. the crappiest phone from today is far cheaper and far more functional than those phones even if you include inflation. In fact if you include the later, the price of today's entry level phones is probably 500% cheaper than the phones in the 90s!!! Phones like the iPhones, etc maintain their price point BUT they provide richer functionalities with each release.
The point here is that absent reasonable advances in terms of figure design and quality with each release (and let's admit it, ratchet joints, combiner ports etc were all introduced by HASBRO), prices should come down. Not radically perhaps but down regardless. If the economics does not explain the price point, then we can only look at subjective elements and hence …..
We are all suckers. No shame admitting to that. After all I am one.
QED. And Merry XMas
And one more thing. People do not rush into a specific business sector if there are no good profits to be found. Just look at the proliferation of people starting up their own 3rd parties. In fact nowadays, a new company seems to be started every 2 weeks or so. As much as we think that FP stands for Fans Project, in reality it stands for : "For Profit".
First of all – Merry Christmas everyone!
Second – Its not that I don't agree with your points, but if you're arguing economical issues, then you're ignoring a HUGE factor. Let's stick with your analogy: Apple has factories that produce thousands of iPhones a day. Now say a couple of guys design a way better iphone-like cell phone, that has more functionality and better equipment, sure the components are the same cost as what Apple's using, but if they're only 20 people producing 5 – 10 phones a day, the profit margin is completely skewed. The only way to make a marginal profit is to charge a much higher rate for the device.
Hi there, I didn't ignore that factor at all. In fact, look at my first post. I specifically pointed out limited production as a likely cause of high prices. The point of my later argument is the following: let's say we've established a baseline of 85 dollars a figure. I don't mind paying another 85 dollars for the next figure if the figure has something new to offer be it some improvements on the quality of the plastic or some other innovation. It's true that 3rd party companies are offering us characters we want, but they have not invented one single mechanic in terms of transformation that Hasbro has not thought about first. Additionally, who has quantified this supposedly high production costs for limited figures. I definitely believe it is higher, but very much higher? I don't think so. Furthermore this is no longer just one company doing this right. I am willing to bet that most of these third parties are using pretty much the same factory (or two) and hence the later should be able to stockpile materials/labor at a much lower price. Good companies as a rule of thumb will pass along cost savings to customers.
For another most recent example of people trying to delude themselves, you can head over to tfw2005 and take a look at the discussion on Not-Chromedome. Some people don't want to admit it, but FP has taken a STEP BACK with that figure and they have to hide behind a charity drive to charge a pretty high price for a substandard figure. Hei at least Hasbro has never stooped that low.
3rd party stuff is great. Why not create the stuff fans want that toy companies are not doing. I love the fact that all these companies are making mini human figures. The quality of all these figures is amazing too.