Cost Of Transformers Back In The 80's

[Mig]

Does anyone know of a website that archived the costs of each Transformer by figure and year? If so, please post

[Three Storms]

I have a good memory..........

 

1984 - 1986:

 

*Autobot mini's: $3.00 - $4.00

 

*regular Autobot cars: $10

 

*decepticon planes $12 - $15

 

*Soundwave, Megatron, Perceptor, Blaster : $20 - $25

 

*Dinobots, triple-changers: $15

 

*Prime, Ultra Magnus: $25 - $30

 

*Insecticons: $5 - $7

 

*Jetfire, Shockwave: $35

 

*Constructicons, decepticon tapes, other smaller merge team members: $5

 

*Merge team "core" members (Silverbolt, Onslaught, Motormaster): $15

 

Omega Supreme, Metroplex: $40

 

 

These are approximates because not every store sold them for the same price, and they always priced at $9.95 instead of $10, for example.

[Mig]

Thanks man! You rock!!

[SaLsinger]

I remember paying eighty dollars in change for Headmasters' Fotress Maximus at Toys R Us back in the day.

[SureShot]

ahh, if only i had a time machine

[LiquidMetal]

*sighs* Those were the good ol' days!!! @cool@

 

#US1#

[GaZ]

*Merge team "core" members (Silverbolt, Onslaught, Motormaster): $15

 

That seems a lot!?! I would have guessed $10 at the most

[heroicnonsense]

Keep in mind that those prices have inflated over time and Transformers 'would be' less in dollars right now.

 

Prices have been artificially kept on the same 'amount', but in reality TF's are more expensive nowadays.

 

For instance, a $15 seeker would probably be $9.95 in current dollar value. If you buy a Cybertron/Energon toy for $15 right now, that's about equal to 1985's $20-25 pricepoint.

 

Then again, if Hasbro were to produce the seekers again, they'd prolly end up at around $35 and a TRU exclusive. Wait...that actually sounds rather familiar

 

But hey, in 1950, $1000 would buy you a brand new car.

[jhs8swd]

*Merge team "core" members (Silverbolt, Onslaught, Motormaster): $15

 

That seems a lot!?! I would have guessed $10 at the most

Actually you're dead on, I bought my Onslaught in the USA for $9.95, 'cos the price tag is still on the box :-D

[rodimusconvoy21]

Keep in mind that those prices have inflated over time and Transformers 'would be' less in dollars right now.

 

Prices have been artificially kept on the same 'amount', but in reality TF's are more expensive nowadays.

 

For instance, a $15 seeker would probably be $9.95 in current dollar value. If you buy a Cybertron/Energon toy for $15 right now, that's about equal the to 1985's $20-25 pricepoint.

 

Then again, if Hasbro were to produce the seekers again, they'd prolly end up at around $35 and a TRU exclusive. Wait...that actually sounds rather familiar

 

But hey, in 1950, $1000 would buy you a brand new car.

Interesting theory, btw what was the price for something like Scorponok? like 40?

[heroicnonsense]

Scorponok was about Æ’100 here, which would be around $50 at the time.

[heroicnonsense]

Something else sprung to mind just now.

 

Most of G1 was designed in the 70s by Takara. I take it the line was designed by hand (i.e. pencil and paper) and not by CAD/CAM. Also, G1 toys had a lot of diecast parts and tons of accessoiries.

 

Considering the advances in productdesign brought by CAD/CAM, add to that the lack of diecast, and wonder why on Earth we're paying more for the current toylines

[OmegaHarbinger]

Something else sprung to mind just now.

 

Most of G1 was designed in the 70s by Takara. I take it the line was designed by hand (i.e. pencil and paper) and not by CAD/CAM. Also, G1 toys had a lot of diecast parts and tons of accessoiries.

 

Considering the advances in productdesign brought by CAD/CAM, add to that the lack of diecast, and wonder why on Earth we're paying more for the current toylines

That can be summed up in one word: inflation.

 

OmegaHarbinger

[TroyXavier]

Three of the predacons were 12 and the leg units were 14. I remember wanting to get Headstrong but buying Rampage because he was cheaper and I could afford him.

[OmegaHarbinger]

Three of the predacons were 12 and the leg units were 14. I remember wanting to get Headstrong but buying Rampage because he was cheaper and I could afford him.

That's very interesting but is it possible that this Headstrong/Rampage price discrepancy was due to a weight difference between metal and plastic Predacons? Maybe the metal Predacons cost $14 and the later plastic versions were 2 dollars cheaper.

 

OmegaHarbinger

[Reboundicon]

i love looking at the price tags on the boxes of my G1 transformers...its quite amazing.

 

on my devastator giftset it says "$29.99 now on clearance for $19.99!!!"

[ju.ke]

i remember i saw prime for 100 aust dollars back in the days... what was the difference between US $ and Aust back in the 80s?

[Skips]

All I know is that it was a lot of money! :S

[obiprime]

All I know is that it was a lot of money! :S

Yea, back when I was 10 years old 15$ was a fortune. My parents always tried to buy me Bootleg transfomers.

[OB1Killa]

Man, I wish they finished with the seekers, only had ramjet & thrust to go to complete my set....uuurgh Hasbro, U SUCK

[RoyalZarak]

Waaahhh I wish I was back in the early 80s. I remember buying tons of Tfs for only $30. AerialBot Skydive MOSC was only $7

[OB1Killa]

Waaahhh I wish I was back in the early 80s. I remember buying tons of Tfs for only $30. AerialBot Skydive MOSC was only $7

@grumpy@

[nomadofthewaves]

My Starscream box I won off ebay has the price tag on it still it reads KB 16.99$

[Three Storms]

Actually you're dead on, I bought my Onslaught in the USA for $9.95, 'cos the price tag is still on the box

 

My Starscream box I won off ebay has the price tag on it still it reads KB 16.99$

 

Not every store sold them at the same price. The prices I listed are just the average prices I remember them selling for.

[Gigatron]

Megatron and Shockwave were both $30 price point. I think Jetfire was about $34-35...

 

Soundwave was $20, but i got him on sale at KB for $16 for some reason.

 

Also this might be hard to believe, but a couple years after the initial 1984 batch was released, a store named "Montgomery Wards" (i believe was the name) had an entire display of Optimus Primes for $1.99 each! I had Prime already so i passed, but my brother bought one. If i was only smarter i would have had my parents buy the entire display! This store didn't even normally carry any toys.