Gundam toys in the US are officially dead..

[DarkPhoenix]

Mods, feel free to close this later, but it seemed like an important enough announcement not to get lost in one of the other threads that aren't really related to MSiA releases.

In BigBadToyStore's latest e-mail newsletter was this notice:

"Some bad news from Bandai USA - they have

officially canceled the domestic release of Gundam, so from now on the

only figures available will be the imported versions. We'll continue to

import Japanese gundams as long as there is demand for them!"

[Majestic]

That's a shame. I really wish they'd concentrated more on the "serious" gundam marketing and less on SD. I suppose marketing to children is where the money's at, but I think they might have been more successful if they'd marketed to the older collector/anime/adult swim set (more).

[Hoptimus]

Saw that coming.

Seed was just dumped here. The writing was on the wall when G-Gundam flooded the market. Bad move Bandai.

[Hikuro]

A few of their big problems was yeah, they never took it seriously and it aimed towards childern and not early teens to adults.

Battle Scared was like "Oh cool" medicorely so, then it just got annoying, and they shoved G Gundam down our throats.

oh well tis a shame, but I only bought imported anyways.

[Druna Skass]

Meh, I only get the HG and above grade kits from Japan anyway...

[zeo-mare]

Meh, I only get the HG and above grade kits from Japan anyway...

like wise, but it kinda sucks for those who like the domestic releases, all the stores have around here are g-gundam they really flooded the market with those. i seriously wonder how many g-gundam figures are on U.S. shelves

[do not disturb]

never got down with it so whatevs

besides this gives bandai an opportunity to make other things like the 1/55 VE and VT reissues.

[Hikuro]

besides this gives bandai an opportunity to make other things like the 1/55 VE and VT reissues. 

That's pretty wishful thinking considering this is just the end for US Stores.. but otherwise Japanese gundam market is just fine.

[bsu legato]

Heh...in Canada we haven't had MSIA toys since just before the Chars Counterattack line. Then G-Gundam slipped through the blockade somehow, and without any support from the TV show it must have sank like a stone.

[ogami]

All I can say is Bandai America needs to fire its marketing manager... Their marketing sucks big time (after Wing)

There is almost no gundam commerical on TV and no commercial is a big NO to marketing...

Too much old toys on the shelves and new toys are not in the market...

[F360°]

if you mean "fire" as in getting his ass kicked, then yeah!!!

Wait, do they even HAVE a marketing manager??,, How the heck can they screw it up so bad. It should be easy.

I bet anyone here can do a better job.

[Hikuro]

Anyone remember that toy maker group when DBZ was first owned with FUNImation and the toy group went and put in guns and missiles launchers on DBZ figures.....all those guys got fired.

[Anubis]

Bandai America and CN really screwed up this one.

Zero hype, pitiful time slot for Seed, crappy relewase schedule for toys. They didn't even try. They released models in small quantities, charged too much for them, and they released crappy figures for Seed. Disgraceful.

CN is also to blame for the crappy editing of the show, the stupid timeslot, and the pitiful exposure.

If goddam BEYBLADE can still have a place on the shelves, yet they can't milk Gundam's marketing potential, they have the biggest collection of morons in charge imaginable.

Edited April 26, 2005 by Anubis

[Fort Max]

Any hope I had of seeing Gundam as a prominent force in the UK is long dead.

[vfxraven19]

i think YuGiOh stole all the Gundam kids from Bandai

[Legend of TSXer]

Bandai America and CN really screwed up this one.

Zero hype, pitiful time slot for Seed, crappy relewase schedule for toys.  They didn't even try.  They released models in small quantities, charged too much for them, and they released crappy figures for Seed.  Disgraceful. 

CN is also to blame for the crappy editing of the show, the stupid timeslot, and the pitiful exposure.

If goddam BEYBLADE can still have a place on the shelves, yet they can't milk Gundam's marketing potential, they have the biggest collection of morons in charge imaginable.

I couldent agree with you more! Bandai along with CN ruined a great chance to get "MILK" Gundam this time. I really hope they learn from this.

[Effect]

I can't say I'm surprised. Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam really were the only two sereis that got a decent amount of advertising. 0080, 0083, and 8th MS Team got a lot of play but were mainly promoed at night since that's when they aired. G Gundam on the other hand just really appeared one day with no promos on TV save that week it aired I think. SEED also just appeared one day as well, with no promos save a few days before it came on. If it wasn't for the internet, I doubt I would have known about those two coming on when they did.

I still feel it was a mistake for them to release MSG after Wing and the other OVAs. They should have released the movie versions or cut those up into episodes. Then again I'm not sure that would have worked. I think the problem was that the marketed towards kids or maybe they simply took it for granted that just becase it had the name Gundam on it that it would sell.

Also CN didn't edit the show. From my understanding they themselves don't do that but the companies they get the shows from do. Editing aside, maybe it wasn't the editing but the actual stories that viewers didn't like. Sure it was hughly popular in Japan but that doesn't mean it would be here. Difference target audience. Maybe it's the general feel of the show, maybe viewers simply couldn't connect with the characters.

I really doubt that Gundam SEED Destiny will be aired on TV though in the US. One reason I say that is how the EA is shown, and which countries they represent. This has nothing to do with FCC or parents or anything. Just that I think viewers themselves just might not find a show, that has a faction that represents the country they are in, shown and presented the way SEED Destiny presents the EA that enjoyable or interesting since the part of the show that they might relate to is case as evil every chance they are shown. That's just my feeling.

Also, maybe it's that SEED tried to hard to make their world relate more to the current world. While other Gundam sereis while taking place on Earth didn't seem similar to the current Earth we live on and that took away from of the lure that Gundam series tend to have. Just a thought.

I still would like to see how well Gundam X and Turn A Gundam would do if they were shown on TV and toys were made. I think the results might be surprising.

edit: spelling. I keep thinking one thing and typing something else.

Edited April 27, 2005 by Effect

[Gundamhead]

Well their first mistake is the most common. It's a cartoon so it's for kids. I am not surprised. It's sad, but I haven't seen any of the MSIA stuff that was good for a looooong time in the stores. The guys in charge just never 'got it'. First there were sets of the Wing stuff all over, and that did OK, then a bunch of the UC stuff, and it went fast and furious, but was never restocked, then all the battlescarred, SD, and G stuff which nobody liked and still sits on the shelves, and it got restocked! Why not look at the stuff that sold out then restock that? Simple business, give the customer what they want.

As for models, well they charged a bit on the expensive side, and never restocked even after the kits sold out.

There was no commercial support. There was spotty animation support. Shame that Bandai let it go like they did here in the states. Is Gundam in trouble in Japan? Ha! Absolutely not. It's like the Japanese national anthem isn't it? I remeber seeing a picture of the HG Marasai model on a giant billboard. How many billboards have you ever seen with a model kit on it?

I had a feeling this was going to be short lived, but it did better than Robotech stuff in the stores here during the 80's.

In the 80's toy stores were cool. Robotech models, (models in general), Tranformers, GI Joe, Star Wars...all that stuff was constantly being restocked, sold out, and new characters added. There hasn't been a toy line like those since.

[Druna Skass]

I really doubt that Gundam SEED Destiny will be aired on TV though in the US. One reason I say that is how the EA is shown, and which companies they represent. This has nothing to do with FCC or parents or anything. Just that I think viewers themselves just might not find a show, that has a faction that represents the country they are in, shown and presented the way SEED Destiny presents the EA. That's just my feeling.

Yeah I can see that, since the Atlantic Federation is kind of like a satire of the United States. The capital is Washington D.C. and they go around doing what ever they damn well please just because they're the Atlantic Federation.

I can go on and on about that but it'll involve politics so I'll stop at that.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

But hey lets take advantage of this. KB toys has the SEED and battlescarred figures for dirt cheap. 3/10$. I got me the red astray and duel. BLue was the same as red just with a gun so I said no. Red is awesome.....duel is real nice too. A ton better than my old MSIA from 2002. Its been a long while since I bought MSIA.

[Jolly Rogers]

I stopped buying since last year, no big loss here.

[Freedomatrix]

But hey lets take advantage of this. KB toys has the SEED and battlescarred figures for dirt cheap. 3/10$. I got me the red astray and duel. BLue was the same as red just with a gun so I said no. Red is awesome.....duel is real nice too. A ton better than my old MSIA from 2002. Its been a long while since I bought MSIA.

Those Astrays (atleast the several that I bought) are the same quality as the Japanese versions - IMO...heh...same crappy paint job, same weird fitting hands, same horrible shoulder articulation (in relation to the other SEED MSIAs). But what I'm sent off about was that I could have got about 8 of 'em for the JAPs

Get your fill of them while you still can coz with ppls like me around they will be all gone by the end of next month (guesstimation )

[Loner]

This explains why Amazon is having a clearance sale on all their Master Grade kits.

[Vince]

personally it doesn't a thing for me as they stop releasing gundam toys and model in the US. I've been getting everything from Japan anyway, the US releases are just too pricey. Their quality weren't as good as the import after all the safety modifications for childern's toys IMO.

I wonder if any of the marketing people actually went to business school? Or maybe none of them (the marketing people) actually watch Gundam? Sales people that can't identify the correct target customers for their products should not be in sales

It will be nice if they keep doing the English DVD releases though. Well marketing research is probably too hard for some people.

[arrow]

I've always wondered, with all of the different shows-

what age bracket were each of the gundam shows targeted at anyway?

[Black Valkyrie]

Import please.

[Vince]

I've always wondered, with all of the different shows-

what age bracket were each of the gundam shows targeted at anyway?

I think they are target for older childern to adult in Asia, but in the US

anime = cartoon;

if (cartoon)

{

target_age_group = little_kids;

if (US_release)

must_be_g_rated = TRUE;

}

if (target_age_group == little_kids)

heavily_edited_out_all_the_good_stuffs = TRUE;

take_pointly_detail_part_off_toys_and_model = TRUE;

}

if (take_pointly_part_off_toys_and_model)

{

easier_to_mass_produce = TRUE;

quality_of_toys_and model *= 0.75;

don't_expect_anything_good_for_the_true_fans = TRUE;

they_think_sales_figure_will_be_high = TRUE;

sue_by_self_righteous_people--;

good_business_decision = must_be_true;

}

my_reaction = why_buy_them_toys;

[Panon]

what age bracket were each of the gundam shows targeted at anyway?

Primarily 10-16 for the tv shows and later teens for the OVA/movies.

[Commander McBride]

I'm glad this thread went up. Went to KB, got Strike, Launcher Strike, Duel, Buster, and both Astrays, all for 20 bucks. Sadly, no deact Strike ot Sword Strike.

I already had the Sky Grasper w/ Aile Pack from Dengeki, the pack fits on Strike, as well as the launcher setup fitting on the Grasper, it's pretty cool. I'll try to get some pics later.

[combined arms]

I've been lurking over at the GundamOfficial.com forums and according to the folks there, the Sword Strike MSIA never made it to the US. I've never seen one either, though I haven't been to a toy store in a while. It's one of the few US release SEED toys that i haven't been able to pick up, the others being the Aile Strike MSIA and Arch Enemy.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

DAMN IT!! Man the sword strike kicks ass...meh. Oh well looks like I will buy the smaller aile striker though!! Mineswell get that tan one as well. I've gotta say duel and astray are a TON better than the MSIA from 2 years ago!

[DarkPhoenix]

DAMN IT!! Man the sword strike kicks ass...meh. Oh well looks like I will buy the smaller aile striker though!! Mineswell get that tan one as well. I've gotta say duel and astray are a TON better than the MSIA from 2 years ago!

To get the Sword Striker pack, order the Strike Rouge figure. Be warned that the anti-ship beam sword is utter crap due to its flimsy plastic not even holding its shape when its held.

[Commander McBride]

So, there was an Aile released? I didn't see any indication of it on the card... Or was it on the deactive Strike?

What I find really odd, though, is the glaring lack of an Aegis figure.

Edited May 2, 2005 by Commander McBride

[combined arms]

So, there was an Aile released? I didn't see any indication of it on the card... Or was it on the deactive Strike?

What I find really odd, though, is the glaring lack of an Aegis figure.

yeah, there was a boxed (not blister packed) aile strike with sky grasper released in the US. see here:

4.5 inch aile strike

I remember seeing it at a toy store way back when, before i even knew what gundam seed was, and thinking, "that's sweet." I haven't seen it in a store since.

there was also an "arch enemy" sized aile strike, too. you can find it on ebay, but i have never seen one in person.

[Jolly Rogers]

Supposedly KB was blowing it out a couple months ago, although I've never seen a live one.