Comparisons Reveal Astrotrain Reissue Has Different Colours than G1 Toy + New Stock Images

Is there the slightest possibility that the colors of that vintage copy could have faded over the years?

This is great for the Nostalgia factor, and I'm glad they're doing it, however getting a $50 G1 Astrotrain out at the same time as a $50 Siege Astrotrain really seems to drive home the let's wait for this to hit clearance Factor for me. That may also because I have the white reissue from several years ago.

Sabrblade wrote:Is there the slightest possibility that the colors of that vintage copy could have faded over the years?

True, but that would probably also cause the white to yellow. We need a bigger sample size

Sabrblade wrote:Is there the slightest possibility that the colors of that vintage copy could have faded over the years?

My G1 astrotrain also has that more grape purple we see in the vintage one above. As do the pics in the seibertron gallery. Take that as you will.

I still prefer my anime color Encore reissue.

hausjam wrote:I still prefer my anime color Encore reissue.

You mean eHOBBY, there was no Encore Astrotrain.

I still prefer my anime color eHOBBY Astrotrain.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Emerje wrote:

ScottyP wrote:^ It made that release a fun novelty. Couple that with its de facto KB exclusive status with the vaporware CE Sideswipe, meaning it was never more than $25 2005 dollars, that made for a fun time.

Sideswipe was the KB exclusive, I got mine from a KB Toys Liquidator store and never saw them at regular stores. Astrotrain was a Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive, though I could have sworn I saw him at TRU, but I guess my memory is off.

Emerje

Commemorative Series Astrotrain was meant as a TRU exclusive, to be released alongside Stepper/Ricochet, but TRU decided to cancel the line due to low sales. Stepper/Ricochet managed to slip into stores, but Astrotrain didn't. On the side, that version was re-released in Asia in 2012.

If I know he got a HTS release I probably already know all that, right?

I'm indifferent about the purple being darker, doesn't really effect anything unless you're comparing side by side. It's the gray that should have been darker.

Emerje

who cares its still purple and i still want it

The in-hand images lack the red ab decals, while the stock images (minus the in-box one) have said decal. And I thought Earthrise Optimus was confusing.

Mindmaster wrote:The in-hand images lack the red ab decals, while the stock images (minus the in-box one) have said decal. And I thought Earthrise Optimus was confusing.

Arent they stickers? The guy probably chose not to put them.

william-james88 wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:The in-hand images lack the red ab decals, while the stock images (minus the in-box one) have said decal. And I thought Earthrise Optimus was confusing.

Arent they stickers? The guy probably chose not to put them.

Are they stickers? I dunno, I never owned the original.

But you bring up a fair point, I didn’t think about owner’s discretion. I forgot the stickers for these reissues are applied by the owner.

I'm still amused by how the G1 box artists had to distort the character to make it look like it's more poseable than it actually is. The figure does not have the bendable shoulders and elbows that the box art conveys, nor can it in any way move its legs the way the painting depicts. Truth in advertising, Hasbro!

They needed to remake the arms like the wst version so the arms extend

ausbot wrote:They needed to remake the arms like the wst version so the arms extend

There was no wst Astrotrain. Justitoys made the unofficial one.

Am I the only person he remembers the toy for G1 astrotrain being Grey and Purple, not White and Purple?

Rodimus Knight wrote:Am I the only person he remembers the toy for G1 astrotrain being Grey and Purple, not White and Purple?

Putting it next to the Japanese black-and-white one will show that it is gray, just a very light shade.

Not really a big fan of the darker purple. I already have a G1 Choochoo and the TRU reissue so Ill probably pass on this one.

Wallyworld dropped the price a tad.

Good news for those who found the Walmart exclusive Transformers G1 Astrotrain reissue a tad too expensive. Fellow Seibertronian Ironhidensh has found on at his local Walmart for $39.73. This almost immediate $10 drop in price now brings this reissue to the same price as the original was sold in certain places. Below we can see an image of the original Astrotrain still in box and still with a price tag of 14.99, the same price point as the G1 seekers at the time. Adjusted for average inflation, that would make it $37.11 US today so very close to what the reissue is going for. And of course, with this toy out there you no longer have to pay $700 if you want an authentic G1 Astrotrain sealed in box.

Not the price drop I was hoping, but it beats paying $50 for a reissue that small.

Quantum Surge wrote:Not the price drop I was hoping, but it beats paying $50 for a reissue that small.

Any lower and it becomes cheaper than what it sold for in the 80s.

william-james88 wrote:

Quantum Surge wrote:Not the price drop I was hoping, but it beats paying $50 for a reissue that small.

Any lower and it becomes cheaper than what it sold for in the 80s.

Oh boy, I'd love it if that happened.

I'm trying to decide if I want to grab this release. I bought that Astrotrain/Blitzwing Platinum release for an awesome price off of our very own Chuck Dawg a while back. the ones in the weird coolers. I told myself that was good enough because I liked the silly decos. I figued that would be the G1 A-train in my collection.

But, there is something so dang appealing about having a more traditional deco.

william-james88 wrote:

now I want a mini glow in the dark poster reissue as well.

Ironhidensh wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

now I want a mini glow in the dark poster reissue as well.

If it was included with this release, would you jump on the new price? I think I would.

Also cobo, if ever you decide to get this astrotrain and want to unload your two pack to finance it/not have doubles, let me know.

Nice that the price dropped, but after the debacle I experienced with Soundwave (checking every Walmart for a month straight and finally finding him and his tapes and then the price dropping on them), I’ll wait this one out or find a used, vintage one for a little cheaper.

william-james88 wrote:

Quantum Surge wrote:Not the price drop I was hoping, but it beats paying $50 for a reissue that small.

Any lower and it becomes cheaper than what it sold for in the 80s.

Shouldn't it be? The engineering was done decades ago, so it has more than paid for itself. The parts count is small, the amount of plastic used is small, the assembly is simplistic, and the paint apps are absolutely minimal. This is a toy that was cheap and easy to put on shelves.

Generally speaking, G1 reissues should be priced more like Cyberverse figures than anything else on the shelves.

Dr. Caelus wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Quantum Surge wrote:Not the price drop I was hoping, but it beats paying $50 for a reissue that small.

Any lower and it becomes cheaper than what it sold for in the 80s.

Shouldn't it be? The engineering was done decades ago, so it has more than paid for itself. The parts count is small, the amount of plastic used is small, the assembly is simplistic, and the paint apps are absolutely minimal. This is a toy that was cheap and easy to put on shelves.

Generally speaking, G1 reissues should be priced more like Cyberverse figures than anything else on the shelves.

I agree that the price should not necessarily match up to inflation because it is much cheaper to make a toy like this than it was in 1985. Also, people are really exaggerating over how close this discount brings the toy to it's original price. A direct match would only be $28.66. So yes, they could discount it quite a bit more and still account for inflation.

william-james88 wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

now I want a mini glow in the dark poster reissue as well.

If it was included with this release, would you jump on the new price? I think I would.

Sold yesterday.

Dat G1 Astrotrain.
Lo and behold, another thing I'll never see in store.

Check brickseek, it's showing that price at all my WMs even with no stock yet.

https://brickseek.com/p/transformers-to ... in/8603976

This one may move fast. My local sighting thread is already on the hunt.

More importantly the mother fucker is available right now via the WM app.

Edit: I see it's available for pickup. I was there today and didn't see it. YMMV



I couldn't find it on their website.

Lore Keeper wrote: Also, people are really exaggerating over how close this discount brings the toy to it's original price. A direct match would only be $28.66. So yes, they could discount it quite a bit more and still account for inflation.

How did you calculate that? Cumulative inflation since the g1 era has been 147.6%

so 14.99 X (1+1.476) = $37.11

I don't know where your 28.66 comes from.

I have as much chance of finding that Astrotrain reissue in the Chicago area as I do that vintage figure in the other photo.

I am no expert. But I don't think it's fair to simply take a toy price from 1985 and plug it into a CPI calculator. There are other factors. Plastics cost alot more back in the 80s than they do now. But design and engineering costs are much lower now. There is also the question of volume. Shipping costs. Distribution costs. Etc Etc. Many of these things cost more now, relative to then. Many of them cost far less.

CPI calculations are a measure of how much your money is worth now compared to any given point in the past. They are meaningless in determining how much something costs to make now vs then.

hausjam wrote:I am no expert. But I don't think it's fair to simply take a toy price from 1985 and plug it into a CPI calculator. There are other factors. Plastics cost alot more back in the 80s than they do now. But design and engineering costs are much lower now. There is also the question of volume. Shipping costs. Distribution costs. Etc Etc. Many of these things cost more now, relative to then. Many of them cost far less.

CPI calculations are a measure of how much your money is worth now compared to any given point in the past. They are meaningless in determining how much something costs to make now vs then.

But I was never talking about production cost, none of us know of it , all we know is the price. 2 different things. The inflation calculator confirms that this toy is priced similarly to how he was in the 80s. He's as expensive for us now as he was for our parents 30+ years ago.

william-james88 wrote:But I was never talking about production cost, none of us know of it , all we know is the price. 2 different things. The inflation calculator confirms that this toy is priced similarly to how he was in the 80s. He's as expensive for us now as he was for our parents 30+ years ago.

Fair enough for your point. But for others who wish to make the point that hasbro may be taking advantage of nostalgia for the sake of price gouging, using inflation to counter their argument is not fair at all. I am of the opinion that the cost to produce these vintage reissues is less in 2020 dollars than it was in 1985 dollars. But, that is simply my unsubstantiated opinion. And of course, it they did sell them at a more reasonable cost, it’s likely scalpers would buy up all of them and sell them on eBay at this price point anyway. So the point is probably moot.

However, I cannot reconcile the opinion of anyone who is pro-hasbro at this point. G1 reissues aside, their generations and studio series keeps going up in price, and down in quality. Their MP line has doubled in both price and QC issues. Meanwhile, knockoffs have reached parity in quality at half the price. Unlicensed originals have, for the most part, far exceeded what they are doing.

I really do appreciate where Hasbro has brought us. But they have lost their way and should be embarrassed by a good deal of the poorly designed, poorly made, overpriced product they are making.

hausjam wrote: Their MP line has doubled in both price and QC issues. Meanwhile, knockoffs have reached parity in quality at half the price.

The MP line isn't Hasbro's and the latest KOs for these pricier mp figures (like sunstreaker and Dinobot) have sucked. Where have you read otherwise? They instead prove that quality can't always be matched for cheaper.

hausjam wrote:I am no expert. But I don't think it's fair to simply take a toy price from 1985 and plug it into a CPI calculator. There are other factors. Plastics cost alot more back in the 80s than they do now. But design and engineering costs are much lower now. There is also the question of volume. Shipping costs. Distribution costs. Etc Etc. Many of these things cost more now, relative to then. Many of them cost far less.

CPI calculations are a measure of how much your money is worth now compared to any given point in the past. They are meaningless in determining how much something costs to make now vs then.

Regardless of what parts of putting the toy on the shelf costs more or less than it did 35 years ago, the bottom line is that the selling price is practically the same. Assuming that Hasbro hasn't completely turned its business model upside down, they still produce product for profit, so they take into account all production costs when putting a price on a product and ensure that they make money. The CPI is not meaningless because it can be applied to the cost of production the same as to the selling price.

£39 to us UKers over at ID toys. Think the funky colors blitzwing/astrotrain set was less than half of that on sale at some point. Passing on this one.

Y'all know how some Walmarts are starting to clearance out the Soundwave and Cassette 2-packs? Well, the Walmart nearest to me still has a bunch of each but has not clearanced any of them.

Meanwhile, I just took a trip over to the second-closest Walmart to see what they have, and they were sold out of all Soundwaves and Cassette sets. While they did not lower the price on the cassettes, they did for Soundwave, and you guys will never believe how much that store lowered its price for Soundwave.

It's a price so unbelievably low that tried to take a picture of the price tag as proof, but my phone is an older model (one with a slide-out keyboard, no less) since I only ever use it just for calls and texting (I prefer an actual computer for web browsing). When I tried to use my phone's camera, it apparently wouldn't let me save the photo since I don't have an online data plan for my phone (like I said, I don't use it for the Internet, so I have no use for a data plan).

In short, I don't have photographic evidence to back this up, but man, I have GOT to tell you guys this clearance price. It's just that ridiculous:

$3.50 USD

Yes. Three dollars and fifty cents You-Ess-Dee!

That. Is. INSANE!!

Walmart makes no sense. Why do they keep begging Hasbro for exclusive Transformers stuff when they can't keep anything in stock and their distribution is so lopsided? Then they clearance out the overpriced stuff they begged for at a huge discount. How much do they pay Hasbro for these G1 reissues? Is the mark-up THAT much on Walmart's end that they can afford to pull these kinds of stunts? Where is all of this money coming from?

Walmart can be pretty rando at times. I think a lot of it is just the employees. I bumped into a couple employees on the clearance isle and "talked" them into marking Rodimus Unicronus down to $20. As of the last time I checked, two of the closest to me WMs still had Soundwave at full price. Then Astrotrain basically comes in stock on clearance. I'll take your word, but if you really wanted to prove the price, just screen cap brickseek.com

carytheone wrote:Walmart can be pretty rando at times. I think a lot of it is just the employees. I bumped into a couple employees on the clearance isle and "talked" them into marking Rodimus Unicronus down to $20. As of the last time I checked, two of the closest to me WMs still had Soundwave at full price. Then Astrotrain basically comes in stock on clearance. I'll take your word, but if you really wanted to prove the price, just screen cap brickseek.com

Well, he wasn't joking:

https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory ... =453478696

bovinefromspace wrote:

carytheone wrote:Walmart can be pretty rando at times. I think a lot of it is just the employees. I bumped into a couple employees on the clearance isle and "talked" them into marking Rodimus Unicronus down to $20. As of the last time I checked, two of the closest to me WMs still had Soundwave at full price. Then Astrotrain basically comes in stock on clearance. I'll take your word, but if you really wanted to prove the price, just screen cap brickseek.com

Well, he wasn't joking:

https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory ... =453478696

Ask and ye shall receive:

Wolfman Jake wrote:Walmart makes no sense. Why do they keep begging Hasbro for exclusive Transformers stuff when they can't keep anything in stock and their distribution is so lopsided? Then they clearance out the overpriced stuff they begged for at a huge discount. How much do they pay Hasbro for these G1 reissues? Is the mark-up THAT much on Walmart's end that they can afford to pull these kinds of stunts? Where is all of this money coming from?

Well, as an employee with access to some of that info, I can tell you that Prime and Starscream both cost $35/each, so the markup is $15 at full price. I never checked Soundwave, but I assume it's the same.

Has anyone else noticed on the cassettes how much the cardboard bends? I bought 2 of each keeping one set sealed but the cardboard has bent so much the cassettes fell out.

Ravage2031 wrote:Has anyone else noticed on the cassettes how much the cardboard bends? I bought 2 of each keeping one set sealed but the cardboard has bent so much the cassettes fell out.

I didn't notice on my cassettes yet, but the first set of Minicons I had were horrible and started curling up.

Ravage2031 wrote:Has anyone else noticed on the cassettes how much the cardboard bends? I bought 2 of each keeping one set sealed but the cardboard has bent so much the cassettes fell out.

Any idea of what could be causing the bending? Humidity? Temperature?