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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 10, 2013 20:40:41 GMT -5
oh and they have a different idea of what a figure should be..what some people may see as "outdated" others see as "traditional". Bandai loves to impress with high technology, HLpro seems to love sticking with vintage chogokin "traditions" but expressing them in a more modern way. I see them as selling me the "toy" that Popy should have sold me back in 1978.. a traditional figure, DONE RIGHT! Its that classic "charm" that I like about them that makes me collect them.. I have bandai stuff too, its execellent.. but I dont have the same type of "connection" to them as I do the HLpro stuff.. Those two companies are selling two different "ideas".. one "high tech" the other "classical".. but in the coming years I belive HLpro is gonna "mix it up".. youre gonna see some really cool interpretations of chogokin stuff. Yes Tom but HLPRo is so limited with characters,all they have is Grendizer and related,in order to really collect their stuff as an alternative,they need to branch out with WAY more characters.Im sure we will see more though,they just need to get a bigger flame under their butts and get rolling here. ;DAlso Tom I think you should really get a few SOCs I think your horizons would be much broader in the meantime!Alot of SOCs are tradional like the Getters,Mazingers,Gaiking etc.They are way different than the SRCs you own.Or do you own some?Just going by your reveiews Im not sure.Youd be amazed!! oh yeah for sure, yeah they got some classic style SOCs, but in my mind I was thinking about the GX-45 type platforms, you know. that ultra modern articulation. But yeah the Getters are on the top of my list.. Im just focused on the HLpro stuff that I need for the time being bc now I have LOCAL access to it.. gotta get it out of the way first. As for character expansion, they are working on it. The reason why its so slow coming is bc they are doing VERY WELL just selling what they have now to those countries that just eat Grendizer up in vast quantities. If you add too many characters too quickly you end up competing against yourself.. something that even car companies have trouble with. Another thing we must consider, on this thread we mostly discuss the Metaltech line.. thats only a small portion of what Hlpro is making. They make a f**k-ton fo vinyls, coin banks, mugs tee shirts, Jumbos SD's.. vintage style vinyls.. just all kinds of things that are never really discussed in this thread. So its not like Bandai's SOC or SRC departments. Just focused on one thing.. HLpro is basically running all kinds of lines all at once. Yeah you may only get one or two Metaltechs a year but you gotta count all the other stuff they put out in the other lines they got going...and they are fairly conservative when it comes to releasing stuff. They run stuff until it stops selling, Not exciting for collectors all the time but its a good way to protect your business.b But dont think that its on "autopilot".. they know what they are doing,... I checked. ha ha I got nothing but respect for them. They are going to be around for a long time too.. |
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Post by Chen on Mar 10, 2013 20:50:29 GMT -5
SOC's excel at precision and engineering, they don't usually have the most diecast but they do use it enough that makes sense and in the right places. But just because something has a lot of metal doesn't mean its high end if that were true then Hot Wheels toys would cost a lot more.
The way I see HLPRO is that they are learning to make high end diecast robots, their simple but honest and have a unique style. They don't have the extreme articulation of a SRC or the technical sophistication of a SOC but they are getting better and that just comes with experience. If you honestly compare say GX-01 to MT-01 the Metaltech is a better product and cheaper too then initial prices. Sure there are some basic designs like the elbows on Grendizer or how the metal halves fit on Giru Giru, just simple pegs, but they work and I'm sure the next generation will learn from Grendizer and other products out there. Gin Gin will be the actual test to see just how far they've progressed and what lessons they learned.
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Post by Chen on Mar 10, 2013 20:54:18 GMT -5
I should also say that yeah the standard SOC's are good but if you want a taste of the technical side of SOC's get a hold of one of the newer combiners like God Sigma. I still marvel at the engineering and attention to detail but honestly most large SOC's are technical marvels, you just gotta pay for it lol.
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 10, 2013 21:09:26 GMT -5
"simple but honest.. unique style" well said Chen, well said. Also we must consider that the retail price here in the US tends to be higher than other countries due to the system of distribution and exchange rates, things like that..
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Post by B- on Mar 10, 2013 21:45:57 GMT -5
I should also say that yeah the standard SOC's are good but if you want a taste of the technical side of SOC's get a hold of one of the newer combiners like God Sigma. I still marvel at the engineering and attention to detail but honestly most large SOC's are technical marvels, you just gotta pay for it lol. Yes this is a fact,but Tom likes the simplicity of the old school type robots,and the closest thing to HLPro type robots are the simple android type like the ones I mentioned.A good place to start.Ofcourse If I was to recommend one SOC it would be Godsigma or Daltanious. |
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 10, 2013 22:04:26 GMT -5
yeah.. anything beyond Combattler V is too "modern" for my tastes and I BARELY like Combattler... ha ha
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Mar 10, 2013 22:14:13 GMT -5
Chen, the MT01 is nowhere near as good as the first SOC GX-01, not even close. I've disassembled both of those figures and the engineering difference is from here to the moon and back (eight times).  The MT01 is still a cool figure and it has always been cheap, even upon its initial release. I also don't buy the story that HL Pro makes their figures with simple no frills articulation instead top of the line engineering completely on purpose and no matter what. Investing in higher engineering costs a lot of money, so they just decided to go with a cheaper way to do it. Not everything that is done is always a "HOMAGE" to the things of olde.  }D |
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Post by cupnoodles on Mar 10, 2013 22:51:57 GMT -5
I caught a video review of the Metaltech Giru Giru and I have to say I really like the color schemes of their robots. I am not collecting super robots yet (saving that for later). If I start I will definitely pick up some of the metaltech robots. Only problem I have is the rounded shoulders on lots of the newer versions of super robots. I never liked those.
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Post by Ross McCollector on Mar 10, 2013 23:10:40 GMT -5
Chen, the MT01 is nowhere near as good as the first SOC GX-01, not even close. I've disassembled both of those figures and the engineering difference is from here to the moon and back (eight times). The MT01 is still a cool figure and it has always been cheap, even upon its initial release. I also don't buy the story that HL Pro makes their figures with simple no frills articulation instead top of the line engineering completely on purpose and no matter what. Investing in higher engineering costs a lot of money, so they just decided to go with a cheaper way to do it. Not everything that is done is always a "HOMAGE" to the things of olde. }D TMZ...THANK YOU ... that was going to be my response exactly regarding the whole HLPro's "simplicity" theory.  As Chen mentioned too, HLPro is a beginner company that is improving with more figures and hopefully Gin Gin will show that, so let's just keep it at that. |
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 10, 2013 23:44:51 GMT -5
Chen, the MT01 is nowhere near as good as the first SOC GX-01, not even close. I've disassembled both of those figures and the engineering difference is from here to the moon and back (eight times). The MT01 is still a cool figure and it has always been cheap, even upon its initial release. I also don't buy the story that HL Pro makes their figures with simple no frills articulation instead top of the line engineering completely on purpose and no matter what. Investing in higher engineering costs a lot of money, so they just decided to go with a cheaper way to do it. Not everything that is done is always a "HOMAGE" to the things of olde. }D I think its compromise between both.. I like the sculpts more than I like engineering. I guess its just a matter of taste. But if you go back to the beginning of the thread, Hlpro did exactly what they said they were going to do and it worked in the market place. Now they are moving on to more complicated stuff.. the told me that Jin Jin is really nice with an updated articulaiton system and a future Grendizer is on the list of things to do in the future. But MT01 seems to be selling real well overseas so I have no idea when hes going to be retired. No matter what, I think Hlpro is "collectable".. they got me to buy it and I buy more of it..I like the feel of what the make. I like the SOC stuff too, and in alot of cases you get a bit more for you money in terms of engineering and features but Im not all about that.. I like the stuff that HL does .. and 20 years from now they will be "vintage".. I just look at it that way. |
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Mar 11, 2013 0:13:32 GMT -5
No need to wait 20 years bro, their figures already sport vintage engineering. ;D Any doubts, take apart the MT01 and you'll see. I like their figures and I like their sculpts, but they need to modernize their figures articulation and articulation looks pronto! }D |
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 11, 2013 10:19:26 GMT -5
let me ask you this TMZ, how much do you think Bandai actually makes when they sell a GX-45?
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Post by ryomakabuto on Mar 11, 2013 11:07:09 GMT -5
I think bandai will probably make at least half of the cost than what they spent on producing the figure, or maybe more, otherwise they would not sell it. Bandai is not loosing money.
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Post by cupnoodles on Mar 11, 2013 11:14:43 GMT -5
I think bandai will probably make at least half of the cost than what they spent on producing the figure, or maybe more, otherwise they would not sell it. Bandai is not loosing money. In general its usually about 1/5 of retail to produce and another 1/5 of retail to insure, ship, distribute. |
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 11, 2013 12:24:52 GMT -5
yeah, the only thing that matters is what the distributors pay for them and the more they order from Bandai the less they pay for them per item. A GX45 probably costs 40 bucks or so distributor cost. Maybe even less. Then Bandai has to cover all thier costs and whats left over is profit.. I bet the profit is about 10 bucks per unit. Could be even less. Thats why they demand such huge orders from distributors and retailers. But thats Bandai's business, that is thier strategy they can do what they want. Great figures but to me it seems like a lot of money to tie up for such a small profit margin... they survive by selling in huge Japanese mega stores I think. At least the little Super Robot studios under the Bandai umbrella do. The Bandai "toy factory" departments probably do better in the profit catagory.
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 11, 2013 12:42:31 GMT -5
I think bandai will probably make at least half of the cost than what they spent on producing the figure, or maybe more, otherwise they would not sell it. Bandai is not loosing money. Bandai doesnt lose money no, but with the SOC and SRC lines, they dont make very much money.. its the other departmenst that make huge profits, selling low cost items in larger numbers at higher profit margins. I think the SOC type departments are used as "Flagship" departments to help sell the cheaper items made under the Bandai Umbrella.. so SOC and SRCs are mostly used as "advertisements" yeah they make some profit but the big profit comes from the more common mass-produced stuff made under the Bandai umbrella. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2013 12:44:38 GMT -5
No Offense, but I do not get what you are trying to imply when Comparing Bandai with HLPro. It is like comparing GM with one of those small British car builders like Ariel. One is larger which mass produces a large array of vehicles for the masses, while the other makes quirky, impractical but fun little cars for a niche clientele.
Both companies are profitable, but the larger one covers a larger market segment. The same goes with these toy companies that you are comparing. Bandai is in the business of making money, and being a large company they can dictate the quantities of certain items that a distributor can order. HLPro being smaller cannot afford that yet.
Also Bandai's manufacturing practices which you explained a while back, is nothing new because that is the standard Japanese manufacturing process regardless of the goods being made. The US and the rest of the Western world slowly adopted that strategy about 20 years ago because it makes financial sense.
In a sense both companies have their merits, and do cover a wide range of collector's needs. But Bandai satisfies most collectors needs. And since money is being made, Bandai can afford it.
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 11, 2013 12:54:45 GMT -5
Thank you.. well said.
Oh, sorry.. Im just responding to what some of my friends are saying. Yeah they are both strong outfits. But I remember when I kinda had pre-concieved notions about bout HLpro when I first got back into collection after a long break from it.. and let me make it VERY clear, I DONT WORK FOR HL PRO!.. Ive never asked them for a dime. Im just friends with an important player in HLPro and I became friends with them by making videos, telling them the truth about what I thought and asking questions, plus my business background and personal stuff.. but I will tell you this, if I had 40,000 to invest (and I DONT ha ha) and was given a choice between Bandai Super Robot department and HLpro, Id choose to invest in HLpro. All the factors that I look for in an investment venture are there..that company is doing very well and has a bright, BRIGHT future. They gonna be around for a long time...
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Post by Gettershadow on Mar 11, 2013 13:41:06 GMT -5
oh BTW guys, my musice video came out yesterday.. I do this swordfight with this hot little chick named Aire that Im friends with, it was her first music video.. check it out. It was for "The Birthday Massacre".. enjoy.
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Post by Ross McCollector on Mar 11, 2013 15:07:47 GMT -5
Thank you.. well said. Oh, sorry.. Im just responding to what some of my friends are saying. Yeah they are both strong outfits. But I remember when I kinda had pre-concieved notions about bout HLpro when I first got back into collection after a long break from it.. and let me make it VERY clear, I DONT WORK FOR HL PRO!.. Ive never asked them for a dime. Im just friends with an important player in HLPro and I became friends with them by making videos, telling them the truth about what I thought and asking questions, plus my business background and personal stuff.. but I will tell you this, if I had 40,000 to invest (and I DONT ha ha) and was given a choice between Bandai Super Robot department and HLpro, Id choose to invest in HLpro. All the factors that I look for in an investment venture are there..that company is doing very well and has a bright, BRIGHT future. They gonna be around for a long time... Let's say someone has $40000 to invest, what would be the return on it then and how long? |
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