Are there too many Exclusives in the Siege Toyline?

[Bidoofdude]

With the sole exception of Smokescreen, we can see that all of these Selects toys are repaints based on obscure (and formerly Obscure) characters. They're not widely known and they're all repaints. Not that long ago all of these toys would've only been possible as BotCon exclusives. Today they're made available as mail-away figures which makes them far more accessible than convention exclusive toys.
I'm personally quite happy that we're getting these toys, and the idea of plain-packaged mail-away exclusives is reminiscent of the G1 mail-aways. How fitting is it that Powerdasher is being released as a mail-away exclusive toy? If only they required us to clip and send in Robot Points from the store released toys!

I think a big part of this exclusive fatigue has to do with all the different lines and retailers at once. Especially as an international buyer where stuff is not confirmed to be coming from somewhere easy to access, there’s just so much effort required as fans. As someone purely into G1 cartoon characters, obscure repaints aside, I still have to go to Walmart, Amazon, Walgreens/whatever Asian store stocks Ratchet, and Hasbro Pulse PLUS regular retail to get all the guys I want, and half of those aren’t even here.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think a big part of this exclusive fatigue has to do with all the different lines and retailers at once. Especially as an international buyer where stuff is not confirmed to be coming from somewhere easy to access, there’s just so much effort required as fans.

I see this more as an issue with our local distribution (or lack thereof) rather than what I would call "true exclusivity." After all, we also missed a lot of the Thrilling 30 stuff but those toys were readily available in stores overseas. Even store exclusives aren't the same as mail-away/online exclusives because people can just walk into any of these stores and grab the toy. We've had our fair share of store exclusive stuff too (e.g. Target exclusives, TRU exclusives etc.). I know that the end result still sucks for us, but it wasn't by design. Not in the same way as Pulse or Takara TOMY Mall exclusives; I regard those as "true" exclusives if you take my meaning.

As someone purely into G1 cartoon characters, obscure repaints aside, I still have to go to Walmart, Amazon, Walgreens/whatever Asian store stocks Ratchet, and Hasbro Pulse PLUS regular retail to get all the guys I want, and half of those aren't even here.

Once upon a time most of these figures would have been picked up by local retailers, but for whatever reason that eludes me it doesn't seem to be happening with these store-exclusive Siege figures. But even all of these store exclusives appear to be repaints and/or retools of pre-existing moulds, and again many of them are based on fairly obscure characters (with characters like Ratchet and Skywarp being exceptions).

Although if you're looking to build a CHUG collection based just on characters who appeared in the G1 cartoon then you're at a considerable advantage. Not only do you have fewer toys to collect but also most of those characters have already been done as CHUGs anyway. Obscure and generic cartoon characters aside, we've got...
* Season 1: all done
* Season 2: all done
* Season 3: almost all done; there are a few outstanding ones like retail CHUG versions of the Battlechargers and... that's it
* Season 4: most done; we need the remaining Throttlebots, Autobot Targetmasters, Headmaster Horrorcons and Scorponok
So as far as the Anglophone G1 cartoon is concerned, the overwhelming majority of the cast already exist as CHUG toys. You're just filling in a few gaps now with the latter two seasons.

If you're also looking to complete the Japanese G1 cartoon cast then that's a different story, but again we have had some progress here including characters like Go Shooter, Metalhawk, God Ginrai, Dai Atlas, Sonic Bomber, Grand Maximus, Lio Kaiser etc., and arguably King Poseidon with the upcoming Seacons. When I look at both the store and online exclusives for Siege, aside from obscurities from the G1 cartoon, I can't see any toy based on a character that doesn't already exist as a CHUG figure. As much as the decision to include Smokescreen as an exclusive figure instead of Barricade just confounds me, but the fact is that CHUG Smokescreen toys already exist.

And honestly... we live in an age of online shopping. Making toys exclusive like this isn't nearly as difficult as it used to be before online shopping. In 1985 we missed out on Shockwave and the Deluxe Insecticons which just sucked. The internet didn't exist for any of us to bug our parents to shop online. I mean, we had a modem on our Commodore 64 but all it could do was allow computers to remotely communicate with each other... but it wasn't the internet! Heck, a lot of us could've probably imported G1 Megatron if online shopping were a thing.

And I'm talking as someone who has, for a very long time, resisted online shopping. I didn't really get into it until 2013 (the year when we started missing those sweet sweet Thrilling 30 toys). I still greatly prefer brick and mortar shopping over online shopping but the fact is that we're doing pretty well considering that online shopping even gives us the option to obtain toys that we're missing at local retail. Especially as local retail seems to be increasingly unreliable.

[Tilarta]

I want the Seacons:
https://www.allspark.com/2019/06/fir...lects-seacons/

But I am uncertain if I can afford them, from memory, when I did the price conversion, the complete set came to around 500 AUD.
From what I was told, they're not a Titan size Combiner, they're about the same size as the regular Combiners, Victorion, Volcanicus, Defensor, etc.
So paying substantially more then it would have cost me to get a Titan Siege Omega or Titans Returns Predaking is not something I'd be wanting to do.
Especially as that price was just for the toys alone, without factoring in international shipping and other charges.

I'm hoping Hasbro release the Seacon set as less exclusive later, with a fairer pricepoint.
If they do so, I'll jump at the chance to get them, (if the scale is not Titan size) as Pihranacon was always one of my favorite Combiners.
What I consider fair is 50 AUD for Snaptrap, 25 AUD for each of his limbs (plus Overbite, who is technically a gun).

[Bidoofdude]

Once upon a time most of these figures would have been picked up by local retailers, but for whatever reason that eludes me it doesn't seem to be happening with these store-exclusive Siege figures. But even all of these store exclusives appear to be repaints and/or retools of pre-existing moulds, and again many of them are based on fairly obscure characters (with characters like Ratchet and Skywarp being exceptions).

Although if you're looking to build a CHUG collection based just on characters who appeared in the G1 cartoon then you're at a considerable advantage. Not only do you have fewer toys to collect but also most of those characters have already been done as CHUGs anyway. Obscure and generic cartoon characters aside, we've got...
* Season 1: all done
* Season 2: all done
* Season 3: almost all done; there are a few outstanding ones like retail CHUG versions of the Battlechargers and... that's it
* Season 4: most done; we need the remaining Throttlebots, Autobot Targetmasters, Headmaster Horrorcons and Scorponok
So as far as the Anglophone G1 cartoon is concerned, the overwhelming majority of the cast already exist as CHUG toys. You're just filling in a few gaps now with the latter two seasons.

It is still a little fresh for me as I come to completion on my ‘84-‘86 cartoon cast, as a lot of the older toys are quite dated or not ideal. Thankfully the new versions, like with Ironhide and Ratchet or the Datsun bros, are pretty definitvd, in my eyes at least. Honestly it’s crept up on me, with only 2 1984 Autobots, a few 85 bots and some unmade 86 bots and cons.

I myself have definitely gotten a lot more picky, both as becoming an adult and given the collecting climate changing in recent times, to the point where most characters are not only possible, but likely for an update. While a collector like myself would have settled for something like GDO Springer back only half a decade, there are now multiple options for anyone who wants a particular Springer, be it cartoon, IDW or somewhere in between. Definitely don’t envy the times back in 2002-2008, where with most characters it would be a UT redeco, and getting a new mould toy would be THE option for a character.

I think a lot of the collector base has shifted from the “filling a spot” mindset to a “get a definitive version of everyone” one that not only creates a lot more diversity between collectors, but means Hasbro keep pumping out different options. That’s why a lot of these exclusives are still hot property. Hasbro are trying and it shows.

Gonna be time to pick up the slack and head into 1987 territory, given I skipped basically all of them so far.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I managed to get the Siege Rainmakers and Micromaster 10-pack from a mate visiting the US and I've got a few other shared exclusives preordered through BBTS. So really it's now just Redwing, Ratchet & Aragon that it's irking me I'm missing out on.

That said, it would have been a lot better if a lot of the others had been easier to access/purchase.

[MayzaPrime]

I will only be getting Unicron... so I voted 1-5

[BigTransformerTrev]

I will only be getting Unicron... so I voted 1-5

Yeah I only voted from 1 to 5, but I've ended up getting/will get:
*Rainmakers
*Micromaster 10-pack
*Chromar
*Zetar
*Nightbird
*Lancer
*Greenlight
*Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce
*Reconnisnce 3-Pack

Didn't even count Unicron but I'm grabbing a couple of him too

[1AZRAEL1]

I managed to get the Siege Rainmakers and Micromaster 10-pack from a mate visiting the US and I've got a few other shared exclusives preordered through BBTS. So really it's now just Redwing, Ratchet & Aragon that it's irking me I'm missing out on.

The fan vote 3 pack with Aragon is on OMP for about AU$124. Can always sell the other 2 off. I'll be selling the holo Mirage when it arrives.

[DELTAprime]

The fan vote 3 pack with Aragon is on OMP for about AU$124. Can always sell the other 2 off. I'll be selling the holo Mirage when it arrives.

Yeah, I just mailed off my Holo Mirage and IDW Impactor today to some folks that wanted them.

I have all the 2019 exclusives I want now except Ratchet which is in the mail, Lancer which is on preorder at BBTS, and Zetar which is on preorder at OMP.

I hope Hasbro doesn't look at the success of the exclusives and decide to do them again next year.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I hope Hasbro doesn't look at the success of the exclusives and decide to do them again next year.

Yeah that's a good (and worrying) point