36 replies to this topic

[lazzy lizard]

why is it that battle beasts are not listed in toyfare, they have any other peice of crap toyline that came out but nothing in there about battle beasts. i do remember them mentioning them once in the 80's toys issue, but it was brief. i finally noticed that LEE's has a sorry excuse for a price list w/ lack of knowledge of the actual names, and shotty pricing.

has anyone wrote to toyfare and asked why not, or made a plug for the website?

if not, i will do so this weekend! unless someone else wants to or might have already?

=)

[THEGODBEAST]

Someone needs too!

Gabe since you offered...knock yourself out!!!

BOTH mags need to do a proper article/pull out guide w/ ALL variations and rare pieces!!!

TGB

[lazzy lizard]

the email has been sent out to toyfare. it doesn't mean it will get printed, but here's hoping for it. so everyone keep they're fingers crossed!!!

=)

Edited by lazzy lizard, 17 March 2005 - 07:32 PM.

[THEGODBEAST]

the email has been sent out to toyfare. it doesn't mean it will get printed, but here's hoping for it. so everyone keep they're fingers crossed!!!

=)

ToyFare has a chance to BLOW Lee's article/layout for BB/LB's OUT OF THE WATER!!!

All it takes is them to be cutting edge rather than mainstream and do a KILLER layout!!! Seriously...BB/LB's have been RED HOT for 7+ years now!!!

We will see...

Did you send an email to Lee's or Tomart? Tomart really likes doing old toys...so they may be the one to do it!

TGB

[Personality #9]

It'll be interesting to see what comes of all this if anything.

For all of us collectors it'd be great to see our favorite little Beasts properly detailed & listed in a high profile magazine like Toyfare.

While I've never actually bought an issue of Toyfare to date, I have thumbed through the mag from time to time and I like how they seem to be able to find out little known facts and details about a various line. Hell, I'd probably buy the issue if it was done right!



Keep us updated on the details Gabe!

[Bermuda Mohawk]

This is just my opinion of the idea about asking Toyfare or another publication about doing a article on Beasts:

It's not going to be what you want.

Reason? Because the market is so small, and really, Beast collecting's strenght is not the size G.I. Joe, nor Transformers, hell it's not even the size of other toylines without coverage like M.A.S.K, Starcom and Dino Riders. What I feel you want, maybe inside scoops, look at what would have come next, interviews? This wouldn't happen, maybe couldn't happen at those mags. What would happen is that some staffer would spend a few hours surfing the web and write an article based on what he finds. What we would end up with is a story whose substance is taken from sites we know and love, pics of the most common Beasts and little insight into anything rare or obscure that we didn't already know. Am I being a tad pessimistic? No, read on.

What needs to be done to get a good article printed is to have the fanbase write it and provide the material. Sure it would be nice to be catered to without doing any work, but that is not going to bring about a well written, well researched article on the Beast lines. I really believe a well written article could appear in Lee's or Tomarts. I don't know how freelance friendly Toyfare is. I know Lee's and Tomarts have taken on articles from fans before. Granted editors at Lee's and Tomarts have final say in content (sadly evident in some of the pre-TF articles I have read), but even if only 75% of an article is used by a fan here, it'd still be twice as good as something just thrown together by a staffer.

Just my opinion.

[lazzy lizard]

RM- you are right in so many ways regarding the possible handling of the battle beast line w/ toyfare. just like theye did w/ the current motu checklist, they probably searched the net or just reference previous issues, took a bunch of pics of loose figs theye had in hand, and slapped it all together w/ some snot and pressed it.

so that being sd how would we fell about doing "our own" collector's guide for beastformers??? i mean who know's the line better than us, right! i'm sure it would drive alot of people to contribute info, pics, etc.... and we could make it a mini travelers type guide, but w/ info that you would actually want to read, and not just use as a reference or checklist.

any thoughts!

oh & BTW i only sent the email to toyfare, i didn/t even think of tomarts.

=)

[THEGODBEAST]

Dave is correct because that is sort of what happened the last time Lee's did a BF's article. I know the person who did it and he did a good job considering what he had photos of and tried his best to reflect the prices...

I have spoken with Jkaris several times about a Fanzine or field guide/price guide for collectors...

TGB

[Personality #9]

I have spoken with Jkaris several times about a Fanzine or field guide/price guide for collectors...

TGB

Now there's an interesting idea! A Fanzine sounds pretty damn cool to me, but is there really that much goin' on in the BB community to publish a fanzine for the line?

[Orca]

I agree with the general feel of getting on of the mags to do the article. They totally killed the Rocklords a while back, and i mean kill. My nephew can do better research and he is only 9. The fan guide is a better idea, actually i thought the idea was to burn the archive onto a cd for whomever wanted one as a hardcopy for the personal records. Why not do all of the writeups, bios, history and landmaps ourselves as an ultimate collector guide for us. A group effort like we have been doing in bits and pieces over the last year for us by us (FUBU) ......i just stole a trademark.......


Where certain beasts were available, What countries got what, the names of the toyline in different countries, the beast world and its territories, what we know of their bios and factions and variations.all that stuff. having it online is great, but its expensive to get a book published or a personal fan-magazine printed. Especially since the toyline is rather obsure to the general collecting public, let alone to the general public. We all seem to agree that any dude working at the mags would never do the write-up justice in our minds so we are better off doing it ourselves like we've been doing and the cheapest way to get all the media to the collector would be to copy it onto a cd.

Just throwing this out there.......

Give each collector credit and a protion of the sales reflecting on their involvement. Sort of like a $10.00 -$15.00 cap and break down the cost from there. This is spare time fan love stuff so no $20 an hr wages type thing. If they are enough sales you can make a few bucks for your fan love time and that would be cool. any thoughts????

[lazzy lizard]

Dave is correct because that is sort of what happened the last time Lee's did a BF's article. I know the person who did it and he did a good job considering what he had photos of and tried his best to reflect the prices...

I have spoken with Jkaris several times about a Fanzine or field guide/price guide for collectors...

TGB

TGB-do you remember what issue it is b/c i know have it in my collection room somewhere???

=)

[Personality #9]

After reading Orca's post I'm definatley sold on the idea of us doing our own fanzine. We do have enough material and knowledge to do one, and it'd be kinda nice having a mag that would have the details of the figures listed along with some fanfic storylines and artwork.

It seems like we have the basic materials available here on the site already. How much of a chance does this concept have of becoming reality?

[lazzy lizard]

i can take some sweet arse fuzzy pics for the guide!!!

=)

[THEGODBEAST]

i can take some sweet arse fuzzy pics for the guide!!!

=)

Easy Napoleon,
If we need any fuzzy "Liger" photos, we will give ya a hollar!

He! He! He!

J/K
TGB

[lazzy lizard]

i haven't tried taking pics while drunk, maybe they'll turn out better???

=)

[Orca]

i haven't tried taking pics while drunk, maybe they'll turn out better???

=)

That's how Marty does it










i take good pictures now because i wear a black cape while i'm taking pictures....

mabey a cape will help if your getting pissed drunk scheme doesn't work~!!!!


.......just don't try to fly

[lazzy lizard]

don't worry about me trying to fly while i'm drunk...been there, done that , have the scar on my head to prove it!!!

=)

[Personality #9]

I thought the scar was there from your wife hittin' you in the head with a frying pan!

[lazzy lizard]

no no no, i'm talking about a totally different scar. i have about 8 on my head alone and one across my throat from when my ex tried to kill me!

=)

[Personality #9]

no no no, i'm talking about a totally different scar. i have about 8 on my head alone and one across my throat from when my ex tried to kill me!

=)

Poor guy! The women of your life just seem to really be out to get ya!

Now I know why you're so into BB's! It's to practice raisin' your own army of mutant animals to defend yourself!!!

[lazzy lizard]

yeah, little do the people of earth know that i have the chemical solution to turn inatimate objects into monsters of mass destruction!! and soon i will rule the world.

=)

[Orca]

yeah, little do the people of earth know that i have the chemical solution to turn inatimate objects into monsters of mass destruction!! and soon i will rule the world.

=)

One thing i never understood in the cartoon world.


The "bad" guys come up with all these fancy schemes that damn near work and of course the good guys win in the end. Why don't the bad guys ever try to do the same thing again, why not do 3 or 4 of them at a time??? Sometimes the thing they did worked the first time but they never capitalized on it at all. Its like the bad guys said, " yep, i had your arse that time....see ya tommorrow for a new adventure" . Your Monsters of mass destruction thing has been done so many times and it always works. Just keep pumping them out and don't stop for anything. For godsakes don't let any women get in the way......they always get in the way of despots and dictators. You have to have a special team to stop them. Some kind of monster that takes joy from all their crying and whimpering and has the all important ability to mute them when they start yammering to your monsters (or you). just my advice...oh yes, anti frying pan delflection is a must.

[Personality #9]

...oh yes, anti frying pan delflection is a must.

I saw an episode of Family Guy where Peter claimed that he invented an anti-frying pan solution that would make him invincible to getting hit with a frying pan... to test it, he had Brian hit him with a frying pan after he drank it and he fell over knocked out!

Needless to say, it didn't work! So I don't know if anybody else has even tried to make an anti-frying pan solution, but I'll keep my eyes pealed!

[lazzy lizard]

i remember that episode it farking rocked! the only deflector i have is my forearm, best thing i got and the 5 D's of dogdeball.

=)

[Darth Monkey]

Okay, I haven't been here in a while, I just saw this thread and freaked out at some of what has been said.

I am the one who wrote the article about Battle Beasts. If you own Lee's Toy Review, issue #131, it's written by Ben Leach. That's me, a member of this board.

So when I see "sorry excuse" referring to the price guide and article I did, it makes me very upset.

I have been collecting Battle Beasts since I was a kid, I love them, just like you guys do. I have also been reporting for Lee's since 1997, when I was just 13 years old. Issue #57 was the first time my name was credited in the magazine. So it took me a long time to establish a strong relationship with that magazine. I had been trying to convince Lee's to do a thorough review of Battle Beasts for years. The truth was that their staff knew little or nothing about the toy line. After convincing them of my writing ability, in 2003, they finally decided to let me write the article. I told them that I would provide pieces from my collection for photography. Imagine, if you will, sending almost your entire collection of Battle Beasts to a company to have photographed, and hope that they arrive back to you, safe and sound, in the condition you sent them. How many of you would agree to that? Lee's was very careful and I commend them for the job they did.

When they do their thorough photo guides each issue, they try to have something that is very collectible, or ties into a movie, or something like that. The truth is that yes, Battle Beasts are HIGHLY collectible, but the fact that there are still relatively few on eBay and relatively few at toy shows. Most dealers and toy collectors do not know they exist, despite the fact that there are people like us who search for them like crazy. Tomart's is still under the impression that they are worthless and that there are only 62 of them. Toyfare does nothing but poke fun at them. When they put out a price guide, when they list Beastformers, every one, from Pirate Lion to Dino Gator, is listed as $10 loose, $40 MIB. They certainly did their research.

So by Lee's printing a two page article about Battle Beasts, it FINALLY gave the line the attention it deserved. As soon as Battle Beasts hit eBay, I have been doing as much research on the internet as possible, and I made it my mission to include as much information as possible in that two page article. I also had to allow for pictures, but Lee's stressed that they WOULD NOT do a full review of the line. So I made sure I included examples of everything: loose beasts, loose Laser Beasts, boxed Beasts, carded Beasts, carded Chariots, boxed Laser Chariots, a white gumball Beast, and a freakin' test prototype Beast. I will be the first to admit that most of you guys have nicer collections than I do, but at least I was able to give beginners an idea of how in depth this line is.

As for the price guide...what's wrong with it? It lists most of the variations, the prices are pretty darn accurate. I mean, come on, eBay is unpredictable, and that's basically what we have to work with. One minute the Shield Battler 6-pack is going for $2,200, now it's worth a couple hundred. The fact that collectors know how valuable Laser Beasts are compared to standard Battle Beasts is important.

The only thing I should have included is Godbeast's customs, because most of the top collectors here buy them, and buy a lot of them. Lee's wanted me to focus on the stuff that was produced back in the 1980's by Hasbro and Takara (and related ephemera). Plus, I was only allowed two pages, I wanted to make sure that at least an American BB checklist was included, along with as many pictures as they would allow.

Let me give you a relevant metaphor for the situation I was in. I am friends with Randy Falk, head of product development at NECA. A lot of people want them to produce obscure horror villains for their Reel Toys line, yet they produce more versions of Freddy and Jason. Why? Because they are popular, they are mainstream, that's what sells. These companies need to make money, so while risk taking sometimes will satisfy collectors, it may lose the company money. That's why I was very fortunate to get two full pages, without ads, dedicated to Battle Beasts. I even said in the article "There's a lot more information out there" because I KNEW I couldn't include everything.

Now, we can try getting Toyfare to do a nice article about Battle Beasts, but you know they'd do a lot of poking fun at them. Unless they talked to us, they'd probably get prices totally wrong. I'm sorry, but when one of you says that Lee's has a "sorry excuse for a price guide" and you compare it to Toyfare's price guide, I take personal offense because FOR YEARS, Battle Beasts had NO PRESENCE in price guides AT ALL, and what presence they had (in Toyfare only when they did their "Ultimate Transformers Price Guides" or whatever they called them).

I'm sorry that I'm not more active on this board. I'm a 21-year-old college student. I'm a journalism major (hence the writing, getting published), so in addition to classes, I spend a lot of time doing stories, and then during the weekends, I work part-time at a pharmacy, making basically minimum wage just so I have a little cash to work with. I hope someday to have the collections you have, but I don't have the time and money to invest in it right now.

Also, I wrote the Rock Lords article that someone referred to that a 9-year-old could do a better research. Dude, that chops my testicles off...figuratively speaking. Lee's said, "Write an article about Rock Lords." I said, "Do you have access to Rockasaurus, or the Jewel Lords, or anything rare?" They said "No, but still mention it." Was the information in the article correct? Yes. Has any other publication done anything on Rock Lords? No.

I hope I have cleared up how the article happened and how significant it is.

Edited by Darth Monkey, 19 March 2005 - 06:10 PM.