MPC Alphas...How much is too much?

[inheuk]

Personally, I like the sculpt of the MPC despite its clown feet but like most of you out there, I feel that it's too small for the retail price Toynami is asking for. I would have to put myself in the $60 max category.

If I had to wager, i'd bet the majority of you would be in the 50 max category

[Radd]

I'd snatch one up in a heartbeat if I could fine one in the 30 dollar range. Between $30 and $40. $35 would be fine, but the closer it got to 40, the less willing I'd be. I mean, you can get a 1/60 scale Yamato for around that much and I just don't see an MPC being worth more than a Yamato 1/60. It's not that much larger, and it's arguably worse in the sculpt and detail department. Add to that the fact that you can get an armoured VF of some sort for between 50-70 bucks, and an unarmoured MPC for $80 just looks all the less appealing.

I'm not even a rabid MPC hater. I would have snatched them all up and given kudos to HG and Toynami for finally releasing something worth getting, if the price had been reasonable.

Someone's bound to post soon that this thread probably belongs in the pinned MPC thread, and they're probably right.

[UN Spacy]

Considering it's in the size range of a 1:60 the most I'd pay is $40 MAX.

[Uxi]

Depends on the guinea pigs who actually buy one and review it... if it turns out to be pretty good, I could be persuaded to as high as retail. Otherwise, I'm expecting to wait for them to depreciate a bit. Voted $50...

[drifand]

$50 to $60 tops. Look at the quality and intricacy of the TAKARA Binaltech Smokescreen... They've got 'no competition' in the TF market and I still paid less than $50 for it. If Toynami wants a bigger profit margin, they should scale back on the kitschy boxes and go with a simpler, classier box. Give your customers real value and they'll support you with more dollars.

[eriku]

As someone who's been buying high-end Japanese imported toys for a long time I think I have a pretty good idea of how things should be priced, and it's easy for me to see that Toynami is taking advantage of their customers wallets. The Alpha is smaller than the MPC VF-1 (and those weren't $80 toys either), will most likely go through mediocre quality control at the factory and on top of everything else, it is a freakin' DOMESTIC toy! Many of us are used to paying inflated prices for imported toys, but those prices are set by the Japanese market and we have to play by their rules. Toynami doesn't have to play by those rules but they think that since we're used to paying high prices for anime toys that we wont mind paying them extra as well.

Unless the Alpha ends up on sale somewhere in the $20-$40 range I won't buy one.

Edited February 23, 2004 by eriku

[GreenGuy42]

I want to see a production version before I pass judgement. Oh, and I'm cheap....

I'd say, oh.... maybe fifty..?

[bsu legato]

Put me down for $40. Given the Alphas tiny stature, plus the likely Toynami QC and design issues, I'd have a real hard time justifying any more money.

[Ladic]

$40

[Jawjaw]

It doesn't matter how much you want to spend, it all depends on demand. If demand falls short, then we will be able to find them cheap. It sounds like there is a lot of interest in the Alphas but not much interest in paying full price. Thus, I don't think prices will drop that much.

[Anubis]

Given it's size, I'd say it's worth no more than 50 bucks.

[Godzilla]

Well, you can preorder the alpha here for $65. Toynk

Frankly $65 is a little much but I am willing to get the first one. $80 is way too much esp after getting burned on the Rick Hunter MPC. I nevered paid full price after I preordered the Rick Hunter MPC. Never again I say!

[Anubis]

Well, you can preorder the alpha here for $65. Toynk

Frankly $65 is a little much but I am willing to get the first one. $80 is way too much esp after getting burned on the Rick Hunter MPC. I nevered paid full price after I preordered the Rick Hunter MPC. Never again I say!

How much is shipping though?

[Godzilla]

Well, you can preorder the alpha here for $65. Toynk

Frankly $65 is a little much but I am willing to get the first one.  $80 is way too much esp after getting burned on the Rick Hunter MPC. I nevered paid full price after I preordered the Rick Hunter MPC.  Never again I say!

How much is shipping though?

I think $4.99

[Radd]

What? The MPC Alpha? I wasn't even thinking of that. I was thinking only about the VF-1 MPCs. I'd pay less for an Alpha. They're so tiny in comparison. I understand why they are, and even approve of it, but it doesn't change that they are a lot smaller and I wouln't want to pay as much as I would for the VF-1. I'm thinking $20-$30 for an Alpha.

It's a shame Toynami and HG went this route, probably thinking it was the 'safer' way to cash in on the toys. Where as, they could have sold them for less and made less on each individual toy purchased, but could have sold a lot, lot more.

[ewilen]

Just finished watching Mospeada, and although I liked it, it doesn't inspire rabid fanboy collector's urges in me the way that Macross does. I'd snatch up a Legioss for $10, but I'd almost certainly pass at $20.

[1 VF-1 2NV]

No more than $40 shipped !!!!!!!!!!

[Agent ONE]

For me its a storage issue. I can't keep collecting toys that I can't display. My 1/48s take up all the space I am willing to give to display toys, so it is more than a money issue to me, I'd have to want to buy something, but more than that I'd also have to want it so bad that I am willing to put a 1/48 away to display it. I'd say other than a DYRL style Macross, there is nothing that will entice me to do that.

[motley]

$40 max. its small, AND its a US produced toy. the only reason we pay as much as we do for our imported stuff, is simply because its imported and we're essentially paying japanese prices, which we all know are considerably higher. even $40 is a bit much for what we're getting considering how small the thing is. that and as a toynami original, we have no idea what the quality will be like. they've been pretty spotty on their high priced knockoffs so far, so its anybody's guess what the quality on their first original toy will be.

[Keith]

$40 max, plus an additioanl $10-15 more for a TREAD that perfectly attaches. Of course something tells me if they do make one, they'll try to charge an equally ubscene $80 for it.

Edited February 23, 2004 by Keith

[EXO]

$40 max, plus an additioanl $10-15 more for a TREAD that perfectly attaches. Of course something tells me if they do make one, they'll try to charge an equally ubscene $80 for it.

I've got a feeling if (Big effin IF) they do come out with a tread, it'll be more. They're excuse wil be a bigger product, bigger box when essentially these should have been the same cost as their VF FPs and then the Treads should be the same cost as the VF MPCs(which was over priced to begin with). Just remember that there really isn't a previous model kit that a transformable tread can be taken from, it would be a big feat for them to come up with one. I wonder what excuse they'll make when they let the fans down... ummm, the molds were broken?

[TheLoneWolf]

$40 max. I feel the toy itself is worth $30, but I'll toss in an extra $10 due to Gakken scarcity. I believe prices will drop as the Mospeada/New Generation audience isn't as large as the Macross audience, and look at how quickly the first MPC's dropped in price.

[captain america]

One thing elludes me...

Toynami seem to want to keep the "Masterpiece" toys in a continuous scale. However, if you take the Alpha and place it in the regular MP book/box, it will have an ENORMOUS amount of empty space around it. For those of you who have the superposeables, the MP will be roughly the same size. Just take that & place it in the MP Veritech box... See what I mean?

From a marketing PoV, would it not simply have been more intelligent to forego scale continuity just to have a larger, more price-justifiable toy in a box that promotes ITEM/SERIES continuity? Just short of having a "mini MPC" box specifically for the Alphas, it may look quite awkward. It may just be me, but it seems that they like creating marketing problems for themselves.

[Cyclone]

I'm quite happy to pay the US RRP, because what other option do I have? Got Gakkens, zero interest in other transforming toy lines.

Cyc

[Valkyrie]

It seems to me that they kept the Legioss small just so they wouldn't have to make Tread wouldn't too huge (and thus costing more than most would be willing to pay)

And speaking of which, there's something about this whole situation that I find quite amusing. Here we have Toynami about to start selling these stupidly small and insanely overpriced Legioss toys. All the while saying "We'll make a Tread too if the Legioss sells well enough". But logic would seem to dictate that NOT making a Tread too would be extremly stupid.

Cause if you want a Legioss, you've got choices. There are toys and models out there in 3 different scales each. But for Treads, you've got I think 3 different resin models and a prototype toy. All of which are quite rare.

And here they are saying they MIGHT make a Tread toy? It'd be their only sure-fire seller!! People who said 'hell no' to the Tread MPCs will be lineing up around the block to get thier hands on a transformable Tread toy. And even if it doesn't link up with the Legioss, it'll still likely be the best Tread toy ever made. Cause let's face it, even HG/Toynami would be hard pressed to do much worse than the Gakken prototype

But anyway.... The Legioss is worth $40 tops to me. But I'd imagine I'll likely buy a Tread.

And yes, I refuse to use the Robocrap mecha names

[Druna Skass]

$50 would be pushing it, though I may be willing to pay up to $60 for it if a follow-up Tread was certain.

I can't remember their original names, but why did they put Lancer on the Green Legioss's box instead of Rand. From what I remember Rand was in the Green Legioss most of the time with Lancer in the Tread.

[bsu legato]

Alright, who's the lone joker who voted "$80 and up"?

[Damaramu]

$40 tops. I really wouldn't pay any more than that.