Transformers Collaborative series
- Thread starter TriBlurr
- Start date
Guess we know which team they favour.
Helmet mode would make sense if the goal is to appeal to sports fans who aren't necessarily toy collectors. Go into any Lids Locker Room or NFL team pro shop. Mini undersized toy helmets are a fairly popular collectable in the NFL fan sphere.
But how would you ensure that those fans didn't just buy THOSE helmets instead of the Transformers ones?
Putting them in robot mode tells you how their product differs from otherwise similar ones.
I guess it depends on who exactly is the market and where these are being sold. Robot mode makes sense since these are at Walmart, but I don't see helmet mode being an instant turnoff if it's directed at the right market.
And in that case you could have the picture of it transforming into a robot on the package to make it clear what this is and why it's different from other mini helmet collectables.
Got my Macross Prime in. I'll be doing the full thought dump/review in the usual thread, but man I am underwhelmed. It's fiddly, over-engineered and has weird proportions.
It's definitely got Macross in it.
It's definitely got Macross in it.
Sure, but did you read the rest of my thought there to see why it amused me?
Just for the sake of picking nits, three of those are in var mode because they're deliberately aping G1 packaging.
Ectotron also had a rerelease packaged in robot mode.
And the specific appeal of those models is the vehicle mode.
Still, modern TFs packed in alt mode.
IDK, I don't do football.
Even then, five out of eight is still a majority.
One could argue the same might go for the helmet as well.
IDK, I don't do football.
I wasn't given a number, I just picked some at random who were, and I bet there are probably some I missed as well.
Even then, five out of eight is still a majority.
They want football fans to immediately see why these things are different from the rest of the mini helmet merch. Packing them in robot mode is the most obvious way to do it. I doubt it goes much further than that.
Fair.
Still leads back to my original point: I wonder how many people who are interested in these will be able to transform them, or want to.
Still leads back to my original point: I wonder how many people who are interested in these will be able to transform them, or want to.
It's crazy how Macross got it right the first time around, and then never again.
I'd argue that the same can be said for the NFL guys. Again, collectable mini helmets are a big thing among NFL fans who maybe otherwise aren't that into collecting.
With nerd culture having been mainstreamed over the past two decades, the simple knowledge that you could have a mini helmet of your favourite team that fits in with other mini helmets you may have but this one is also a Transformer, may very well be enough to make the product stand on its own even with a packaging focus on the helmet.
In fact I dare say that the appeal of every collab is the alternate mode, since "hey what if POPULAR THING from this other property was also a Transformer?" is the whole point.
It might also have to do with the fact that these are being sold in the action figure aisles at retail. Packaging these in football helmet mode could give the wrong impression to retailers about what these products are supposed to be, while packaging them in their robot modes makes it crystal clear what they are and why they are being placed in the action figure aisles instead of the sports memorabilia aisles.
While the vehicle-mode-packaged Collaborative figures are also being sold in the action figure aisles (instead of the vehicle toy aisles), retailers and consumers are both used to seeing Transformers toys that turn into vehicles, but ones that turn into miniature football helmets is a new thing that they aren't used to seeing yet. So packaging these in robot mode provides the clearest understanding of what these are, where they are supposed to be placed in the stores, and why.
While the vehicle-mode-packaged Collaborative figures are also being sold in the action figure aisles (instead of the vehicle toy aisles), retailers and consumers are both used to seeing Transformers toys that turn into vehicles, but ones that turn into miniature football helmets is a new thing that they aren't used to seeing yet. So packaging these in robot mode provides the clearest understanding of what these are, where they are supposed to be placed in the stores, and why.
Old news, I know, but I found an Ertl PowRTron at a thrift store today (not the actual Knight Rider one, but still close), and anyway, I thought I'd compare it to the Knight Rider Crossover figure. As you can see, they're pretty hard to tell apart! (Agent Knight is the one on the right)
Hot Wheels wave 2
news.tfw2005.com
These, along with Red Twin Mill (Target Exclusive) going up for preorder this week.
Hot Wheels Collab El Segundo Coupe & GT-Scorcher First Look
Thanks to TFW's nune we now have our first look at two new Hot Wheels Collab molds: El Segundo Coupe and GT-Scorcher. Both Autobots are shown here in their bot and car modes as well as their packaging. See them after the jump and let us now if you're interested in the discussion thread!
news.tfw2005.com
These, along with Red Twin Mill (Target Exclusive) going up for preorder this week.