FansProject comments on recent Henkei Powered Commander release

If that is correct then Why is Kapow selling something that should only be available to Asian sellers?

But I hope this means that the new commander is going to be even more different than the pictures on their site.

Editor wrote:If that is correct then Why is Kapow selling something that should only be available to Asian sellers?

But I hope this means that the new commander is going to be even more different than the pictures on their site.

Means Kapow is getting this from an Asian source, which is what is mentioned in the notice. They don't have control over this.. Similiar to the "credit card" exclusives to the Japan market for Henkei Strafe. The oversears retailers have buyers in the local markets. In any case, as long as this version of Powered Commander is colored differently w/chrome, I'm OK. When I see official pictures, all will be forgiven. Thanks FP for stepping forward and clarifying. I'm still a tad annoyed that they didn't mention the "Henkei" release before the convention, but I can chalk it up to lack of business experience. I hope FP has learned some things after this 'crisis.'

Editor wrote:If that is correct then Why is Kapow selling something that should only be available to Asian sellers?

But I hope this means that the new commander is going to be even more different than the pictures on their site.

Like I said in my previous post, maybe Kapow hasn't secured any from FansProject, because they thought it was a wide release.


And going by FansProject's statement, it looks like TFCon was told there would be a different version from the start. Who made the statement for TFCon? The same person FansProject dealt with? Or someone else that really didn't know about this other version?

Good enough for me.

Honest apologies resulting from unintended offenses set things right once again.

While I cannot say that I was part of the group who bought the TFcon one or is even trying to obtain this re-release.... it does sound like FP knew beforehand that there would be a chance of another release. Who knows how well this was communicated or if the right people heard about it from the convention staff, but if that's true then they can't really be to blame. Its unfortunate that there seems to be a language barrier that prevents 100% clear communication at times, but for a group that's spending a tremendous amount of time and upfront costs to make molds for collectors I really think we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe the things they considered more valuable in an exclusive (the briefcase) were overestimated in their value. It seems that if anyone should be a little more to blame it would be whoever decided to tone back the TFcon deco details. (Assuming they had some clue that a future, similar release may be likely)

Well, I guess business mistakes happen. And it is the company's first year and all. I still do not like paying more (TFCon cost) and then the rest of the world gets it for less. But if they are limiting the release to Japan only, then it takes the sting out a little...only a little.

Still looking forward to future products with Fans Proj, but from this point, the word "exclusives" means crap to me in terms of ANY transformer, from Hasbro, Takara/Tomy, Fun Pub, and Fans Proj.

Everyone has his own strengths and weaknesses. Doctors can't be asked to build a bridge and engineers can't be asked to do brain surgery. As FP said they don't know how to do marketing. They apologized, and I forgive them.

For a group of fans to share their work (and their work is awesome) with the rest of us and not know how to do marketing of the product in the first place is a testament of how they really meant this to work: they want their work to be enjoyed by those who appreciate them. Can you fault them for that?

People bitch and moan about how much the TFCon exclusive is right now and how much they could have saved if they knew of this upcoming repaint, or about the exclusivity of the figure going down, but come on... it's still technically a different figure. I bought the TFCon exclusive myself at a high price: $305 + $30 for shipping. Do I regret doing that? No. Because I have a figure that's exclusive to TFCon and I like it. Will I get the new chromed PC that's scheduled for asian release? Hell yes, because it looks sweet and I want it too.

FansProject, I still look forward to your next project.

Very well appreciated that they said that. I still love my Powered Commander set.

Prime Evil wrote:Well, I guess business mistakes happen. And it is the company's first year and all. I still do not like paying more (TFCon cost) and then the rest of the world gets it for less.

Again look at the cost. The price that Kapow listed in Brit pounds at current conversion rates is so close to the TFCon price in Canadian dollers the difference is quite small.*

*unless your a person that freaks if you see something a buck cheaper than what you payed for it.

I'm glad most of you are taking their statement well. For starters, I never blamed them for the entire ordeal but then again, I didn't go to BotCon and buy the toy so it would've been a biased stance. It's like a few of you said, mistakes happen even in the business world and at least FansProject stepped forward to clairify the situation. I just thank FansProject for keeping their heads up and providing us with interesting, great-quality products and hope they continue to do so.

Whatever. I can't really say anything against an apology, whether its from the heart or not.

I found that to be very well explained, very thought out and concise.
Nobody should have any issues with this apology.
Unfortunately some still do which leads me to ask...

So what, again, is the problem here with the fans?? They went to the Convention, dropped obscene cash for an exclusive, and that exclusive is not going to appear anywhere else. Folks are pissed because a different version is coming out elsewhere with chrome on it?? Tough Sh**, you still have an "Exclusive" figure! Color schemes on TF's change all the time, even 'con items get repainted and recycled elsewhere. You people know this stuff and yet you still whine even though it's you're own damn fault for using your disposable income to satisfy your damn HOBBY!
This fan response)is half the reason I don't bother with special set or Convention exclusives. I've had numereous chances to pick up convention items and I've passed simply because I don't want to be like a lot of you people.
If I'm gonna dis on a company about their product, I'm saving it up for Hasbro alone!

I don't know, from what I've read, I actually am leaning towards the FP story about all this. FP's going to sell these guys no matter what. TFCon had more to gain getting people to come to the convention by offering up this set as an exclusive. Just my opinion...

In any case, glad they finally broke their silenc. Like I said a lot earlier in this post, they're a young company and were bound to make mistakes along the way. It sounds pretty clear to me now that they'll learn from all this.

DevastaTTor wrote:TFCon had more to gain getting people to come to the convention by offering up this set as an exclusive. Just my opinion...

Did you not read what TFCon said?

TFCon wrote:We at TFcon wish to extend an apology to any attendees or fans who feel slighted by recent events concerning the release of a Henkei Commander Set. We at TFcon were unaware of any intention of FansProject to release the set (with or without changes), and had been informed that this colour scheme would be exclusive to our convention. We regret that this is not the case, and hope that the actions of FansProject will not reflect poorly on our show, as they are outside of our control.

Blurrz wrote:

DevastaTTor wrote:TFCon had more to gain getting people to come to the convention by offering up this set as an exclusive. Just my opinion...

Did you not read what TFCon said?

TFCon wrote:We at TFcon wish to extend an apology to any attendees or fans who feel slighted by recent events concerning the release of a Henkei Commander Set. We at TFcon were unaware of any intention of FansProject to release the set (with or without changes), and had been informed that this colour scheme would be exclusive to our convention. We regret that this is not the case, and hope that the actions of FansProject will not reflect poorly on our show, as they are outside of our control.

TFCon's statement goes against what FansProject stated today, that both parties talked about a second version, and it was ok if the second version was different. So either believe one of them, or consider it was miscommunication. With that stated, the following assumption is based on both FansProject and TFCon both knowing there would be a second version eventually made...

TFCon had to sell 500 units in two days. If fans thought that would be the only place to get Powered Commander, then it would help TFCon sell them all out. As FansProject stated, they only make the products, not sell them. So they didn't have to promote Powered Commander at all, as TFCon bought all 500 pieces from them. All FansProject said online was "TFCon Exclusive Ver.". TFCon themselves said it was an "Exclusive", not "Exclusive Version". So everyone thought it would be the only place to buy it. And with that, a lot of fans made the trip out to TFCon just to get Powered Commander. I'm sure if FansProject announced another version before the event, TFCon would be mad and a lot of fans would not show up. So assuming all this, it would make TFCon not look to good if they admitted to knowing it in the first place that FansProject was always going to release another version. The only problem then is that FP says one thing, and TFCon says another. Anyways, the above assumption is based on one side of the story. Other side is FP are no good liars who cheated TFCon and fans, lol.

While, admittedly, I would love to own a set of Powered Commander armour, because I think that it looks lovely in general (and better than the Ultra Magnus colours) I can't see myself wanting to drop hundreds of dollars on an unoffical, unendorsed product.

Venksta wrote:

Blurrz wrote:

DevastaTTor wrote:TFCon had more to gain getting people to come to the convention by offering up this set as an exclusive. Just my opinion...

Did you not read what TFCon said?

TFCon wrote:We at TFcon wish to extend an apology to any attendees or fans who feel slighted by recent events concerning the release of a Henkei Commander Set. We at TFcon were unaware of any intention of FansProject to release the set (with or without changes), and had been informed that this colour scheme would be exclusive to our convention. We regret that this is not the case, and hope that the actions of FansProject will not reflect poorly on our show, as they are outside of our control.

TFCon's statement goes against what FansProject stated today, that both parties talked about a second version, and it was ok if the second version was different. So either believe one of them, or consider it was miscommunication. With that stated, the following assumption is based on both FansProject and TFCon both knowing there would be a second version eventually made...

TFCon had to sell 500 units in two days. If fans thought that would be the only place to get Powered Commander, then it would help TFCon sell them all out. As FansProject stated, they only make the products, not sell them. So they didn't have to promote Powered Commander at all, as TFCon bought all 500 pieces from them. All FansProject said online was "TFCon Exclusive Ver.". TFCon themselves said it was an "Exclusive", not "Exclusive Version". So everyone thought it would be the only place to buy it. And with that, a lot of fans made the trip out to TFCon just to get Powered Commander. I'm sure if FansProject announced another version before the event, TFCon would be mad and a lot of fans would not show up. So assuming all this, it would make TFCon not look to good if they admitted to knowing it in the first place that FansProject was always going to release another version. The only problem then is that FP says one thing, and TFCon says another. Anyways, the above assumption is based on one side of the story. Other side is FP are no good liars who cheated TFCon and fans, lol.

I think you're a little bit too sympathetic towards FansProjects here. You're right, if anyone of the 500 knew that this wasn't going to be an 'exclusive' then I'm pretty sure most of the people outside of Canada wouldn't have come to the Con. But that's not the freaking case. No one knew that it would be released in Japan, and in my opinion, Fansprojects is the one to blame.

Either way I'm mad, angry, whatever, and I'm not buying another product of theres.

Hello, I'm reatively new to collecting and EXTREMELY new to this Forum and I hope all of you seasoned vets will forgive me in my "youth" as I become accustomed to this new world.

That being said, I've been a huge fan of Fansproject and the work they've done. When they first produced the city commander set I HAD to get it cause Ultra Magnus looked naked with no armor. Now I've been following this whole "powered commander" set from the very beginning and I can't help but wonder did everyone forget that on the origional artist sketch for the P.C. on fansprojects website it said in "TFcon exclusive ver"? meaning from the beginning that another version was basically guarenteed.
http://www.fansproject.com/wordpress/wp ... con091.jpg

I also forgot to reading this little bit of information right here on Seibertron.com awhile ago.

FansProject have updated their site with a picture of concept art for the TFCon exclusive Powered Commander. This version appears to come with some extras, according to the artwork. If what the artwork is to be believed, then those lucky enough to receive this exclusive will receive shoulder missiles as well as what appears to be an energon-cube carrying case.

Also of interest is the sub-title TFCon Exclusive Version. Could we possibly see a general release of this figure sometime in the future? Seibertron.com will keep you informed!

It's nice that they apologized and I do think that people should keep in mind that they are a new company and are only human. I bet I would make business mistakes too if I was starting up a new company.

Anyway, I think it was probably a misunderstanding. TFCon may have looked at the phrase "TFCon Exclusive Version" and thought their Powered Convoy was an exclusive version of the City Commander mold. Whereas FP were trying to say it was an exclusive version of Powered Convoy.

This makes sense when they said they had originally suggested the TCon logo be painted on rather than a sticker set.

Blurrz wrote:How can anyone love an exclusive when it's released to the masses! FansProject makes the exclusive null and void.

It's really easy. You can like something based on how much you like it aesthetically, not based on its rarity.

Tempest in a tea pot. Unless FansProject reissued an identical item, the exclusive version is still an exclusive.

Personally, I hope this (and the BotCon seeker fiasco) does give people pause about hoarding items with the hope of selling them to make a profit later, which increases prices through artificial scarcity. If you want to gamble, go to Vegas or invest in the stock market.

(I realize this will be an unpopular position, especially amongst those that measure their self-worth through the "value" of their toy collections. Screw it. Maybe we, as fans, need to take a long hard look at ourselves and what our traits are that allow us to be parted from exorbitant sums of money for convention exclusives in the first place before we jump down anyone else's throat.)

Edited on account of a slightly more thoughtful statement.

Counterpunch wrote:

metaphorge wrote:I realize this will be an unpopular position, especially amongst those that measure their self-worth through the "value" of their toy collections. Screw it.

*edited on account of edit*

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't think that's the motivation to get upset here for even a plurality of people who are riled up about this issue, but we both know good and well folks like that are out here, and I don't think they're providing much enhancement to the collecting community.

I'm mostly just tired of the reactionary attacks and moaning that occur anytime a product that is remotely close to an 'exclusive' that has become expensive on the secondary market gets announced (which are even more annoying than the "oh god I can't get that cool exclusive" complaints that inevitably follow when an exclusive is announced in the first place). (And to clarify, I'm not singling out discussion at Seibertron.com; in my view it's a hobby-wide problem.)

Yes, if I paid $300 on eBay because I wanted something, would I be annoyed if something similar enough that I would have been satisfied with it became available that were much less expensive to obtain? Yes, but really, the only person I'd really have to blame for that is myself; potential buyer's remorse should have been part of the purchasing decision in the first place.

Obviously you expect people to have differing opinions on our overly pricey plastic play-pretties, but folks seem to lack a sense of proportionality on how angry they get... and it particularly bothers me to see people jump all over groups like FansProject that have added quite a bit of enjoyment to our hobby without immense gain for themselves.

Then again, a sense of perspective is rare these days.

I just read the TFW thread on this, and I just wanted to say I'm pretty proud of us Seibertronians.

This is a polarising topic that is certainly pushing people's angry buttons - perhaps rightly so, perhaps not - but the discussions here have been almost entirely civil and relatively mature.

It's one reason why I really like the people on this site. The fact that during this sort of incident, which can get people pretty riled up, the conversation doesn't degrade to the level of "You're a whiny b*tch. No, you're a whiny b*tch. I'm gonna smash you."

It may sound weird, but I just wanted to say thanks to all for your maturity as a whole.

Oilspill wrote:I just read the TFW thread on this, and I just wanted to say I'm pretty proud of us Seibertronians.

This is a polarising topic that is certainly pushing people's angry buttons - perhaps rightly so, perhaps not - but the discussions here have been almost entirely civil and relatively mature.

It's one reason why I really like the people on this site. The fact that during this sort of incident, which gets some people pretty riled up, the conversation doesn't degrade to the level of "You're a whiny b*tch. No, you're a whiny b*tch. I'm gonna smash you."

It may sound weird, but I just wanted to say thanks to all for your maturity as a whole.

...and this is one of the primary reasons I even bother to say much on the subject here. ;D

Blurrz wrote:Either way I'm mad, angry, whatever, and I'm not buying another product of theres.

That is certainly your perogative...But you are going to be missing out on some really awesome stuff just because you have a grudge...


I never really blamed them to begin with...The situation seemed a little odd but I care a million times more about the products they release moreso than the exlusivity of the product...I don't care if thousands of other people have the same thing as me as long as I like it and am happy with it...

I don't think I have anything in my collection that I would consider ultra-rare but I love my collection without even giving any regards to that...

metaphorge wrote:

Oilspill wrote:I just read the TFW thread on this, and I just wanted to say I'm pretty proud of us Seibertronians.

This is a polarising topic that is certainly pushing people's angry buttons - perhaps rightly so, perhaps not - but the discussions here have been almost entirely civil and relatively mature.

It's one reason why I really like the people on this site. The fact that during this sort of incident, which gets some people pretty riled up, the conversation doesn't degrade to the level of "You're a whiny b*tch. No, you're a whiny b*tch. I'm gonna smash you."

It may sound weird, but I just wanted to say thanks to all for your maturity as a whole.

...and this is one of the primary reasons I even bother to say much on the subject here. ;D

I agree with you both wholeheartedly. I love this board for the lack of friction and hate that usually is present at TFW. If I gotta post somewhere and my opinions will differ from others, I know I can speak my mind here and still have a civil talk with most of us. That and the TFCC. Both have very good board members and there is just less hate.

Oh, and I'm not as ticked off about PC anymore incase ya'll are wondering.

typh0id wrote:

Blurrz wrote:Either way I'm mad, angry, whatever, and I'm not buying another product of theres.

That is certainly your perogative...But you are going to be missing out on some really awesome stuff just because you have a grudge...

I wouldn't say it like that.. FansProjects is an unofficial product. I don't know if it's gonna break down in a year, 2 years or a decade from now. All I know is that Hasbro will last quite some time. Plus the amount of money that is required to get their products is ridiculous. Yeah it looks nice and all, but the money could be spent on so many other TFs.

Oilspill wrote:I just read the TFW thread on this, and I just wanted to say I'm pretty proud of us Seibertronians.

This is a polarising topic that is certainly pushing people's angry buttons - perhaps rightly so, perhaps not - but the discussions here have been almost entirely civil and relatively mature.

It's one reason why I really like the people on this site. The fact that during this sort of incident, which can get people pretty riled up, the conversation doesn't degrade to the level of "You're a whiny b*tch. No, you're a whiny b*tch. I'm gonna smash you."

It may sound weird, but I just wanted to say thanks to all for your maturity as a whole.

It's funny that the closest person to smashing things would be me. And my namesake is homage to one of the most annoying TFs in history. Just cause we are angry sometimes, doesn't mean we need to have flamewars with other people. We're quite friendly here at Seibertron.com

Well in this instance, I think that ignorance is a reasonable defence. The guys at TFClub certainly know their stuff when it comes to design and build, I guess we should be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to an area they are less hot on. Their full and frank explanation and apology ends this here for me.

Seems like a big part of this was the all too common "lost in translation" effect. Something I have to deal with on a daily basis.

One thing that I do take a umbrage at is the animosity from some members of the board towards those of us that consider an exclusive item to be a desirable thing as if we are in to this as some sort of elitist thing.

I admit to being a completest, but this is not for investment, but out of LOVE for Transformers as a brand and what it means to me and what I have gone on to do with my life since i started collecting in 1984 at the age of 8 (designing robots). I still take my toys out of their packaging, play with them and display them.

I put a lot of my hard earned cash into my HOBBY, but that is my choice to do so. That said, I do not want to spend more money than i have to. What riled me about this incident was that I (as many others did) thought that this new release would be almost identical and that, in order for me to obtain the TFCon exclusive and get it to the UK, I had to pay 300 bucks when I could have bought the wide release version locally from Kapow toy for half that.

Others of us (not me) justifiably in my opinion, buy one convention exclusive for themselves as a fan and one to flip after the con to help them cover the cost of their trip. Listen to the guys on the WTF@TFW podcast and you will hear guys talking that LOVE their HOBBY and go to great lengths and sacrifices to get their hands on toys they really want ant to get to conventions to meet with friends that they only see face to face maybe once or twice a year.

I don't want to start an argument, but i just felt that i should make it clear that you disposable income is not inversely proportional to you LOVE of a HOBBY.

Stickshift wrote:One thing that I do take a umbrage at is the animosity from some members of the board towards those of us that consider an exclusive item to be a desirable thing as if we are in to this as some sort of elitist thing.

I admit to being a completest, but this is not for investment, but out of LOVE for Transformers as a brand and what it means to me and what I have gone on to do with my life since i started collecting in 1984 at the age of 8 (designing robots). I still take my toys out of their packaging, play with them and display them.

I put a lot of my hard earned cash into my HOBBY, but that is my choice to do so. That said, I do not want to spend more money than i have to. What riled me about this incident was that I (as many others did) thought that this new release would be almost identical and that, in order for me to obtain the TFCon exclusive and get it to the UK, I had to pay 300 bucks when I could have bought the wide release version locally from Kapow toy for half that.

Others of us (not me) justifiably in my opinion, buy one convention exclusive for themselves as a fan and one to flip after the con to help them cover the cost of their trip. Listen to the guys on the WTF@TFW podcast and you will hear guys talking that LOVE their HOBBY and go to great lengths and sacrifices to get their hands on toys they really want ant to get to conventions to meet with friends that they only see face to face maybe once or twice a year.

I don't want to start an argument, but i just felt that i should make it clear that you disposable income is not inversely proportional to you LOVE of a HOBBY.

Very well put...


I love showing off my collections (though I have rare occasion to do so) and I like saying "Ooh this figure here is pretty rare" but ultimately, I collect figures for ME because I love them, not for bragging rights...

Stickshift wrote:One thing that I do take a umbrage at is the animosity from some members of the board towards those of us that consider an exclusive item to be a desirable thing as if we are in to this as some sort of elitist thing.

I admit to being a completest, but this is not for investment, but out of LOVE for Transformers as a brand and what it means to me and what I have gone on to do with my life since i started collecting in 1984 at the age of 8 (designing robots). I still take my toys out of their packaging, play with them and display them.

I put a lot of my hard earned cash into my HOBBY, but that is my choice to do so. That said, I do not want to spend more money than i have to. What riled me about this incident was that I (as many others did) thought that this new release would be almost identical and that, in order for me to obtain the TFCon exclusive and get it to the UK, I had to pay 300 bucks when I could have bought the wide release version locally from Kapow toy for half that.

Others of us (not me) justifiably in my opinion, buy one convention exclusive for themselves as a fan and one to flip after the con to help them cover the cost of their trip. Listen to the guys on the WTF@TFW podcast and you will hear guys talking that LOVE their HOBBY and go to great lengths and sacrifices to get their hands on toys they really want ant to get to conventions to meet with friends that they only see face to face maybe once or twice a year.

I don't want to start an argument, but i just felt that i should make it clear that you disposable income is not inversely proportional to you LOVE of a HOBBY.

Keep posting perfectly reasonable crap like that and you'll go far in this business. You'll go far my boy!

Not sure if I should be offended or flattered. Let's go for the latter.

Thanks CP



Keep a look out for some evidence of my "True Fan" status over the next month. Hopefully I will have something of interest to report in a week or so.