In MotUC, there are a lot of figures that were re-released, with the only change made being the addition of a "The Original" starburst to the package. The re-releases were all released within 9 months of the originals. Would the re-released figures be considered reissues (and point to the original release in the "Reissue of" field) or are they considered repackaged a la Energon Arcee in Universe packaging?
Well, the figures inside, if identical between releases, would be just be shared between both versions since they were likely cranked out in the same production run. As far as the reissue vs. non-reissue stuff, I guess if the only addition was the starburst to the package, it would be considered a reissue. The Arcee in Energon packaging versus Universe isn't a case of reissue since the subline actually changed. Actually, do you have the "The Original" starburst versions just being part of the main line, or do you have them sectioned off in their own subline? If just part of the main line, they yeah, I'd go with reissue, I guess.
Unlike the other MotUC re-releases, the re-released He-Man and Skeletor figures were slightly altered from the first releases; He-Man had some red deco removed from around his eyes, and Skeletor's left hand was slightly retooled. Skeletor's bio was also revised on the back of the package. Are these considered reissues or separate releases (I know they're not repackagings since there were changes made to the figs)?
I guess I would consider them separate releases as they're too different to be called straight-up reissues. Honestly, I'm not even sure what to consider a true reissue anymore. Think of something like Commemorative Series Astrotrain. He's meant to be a reissue of the original U.S. G1 Astrotrain, but this time, he's in completely different colors (since Takara had that color scheme handy due to their recent TFC Astrotrain). So, is the U.S. Commemorative Series Astrotrain meant to be a reissue of the original G1 Japanese black and white scheme? Not really since, for our purposes, reissues don't really extend from country to country (a toy released in the U.S. isn't a reissue of a Japanese toy). The TFC version could be considered a reissue of the original Takara G1 version, though.
In the original MotU line, He-Man and Skeletor were re-released about 3 years after their initial release. The re-releases were identical except for 1) "The Original" starbursts printed on the packaging, 2) the mini-comics included, and 3) the figures had hard, solid plastic heads instead of the soft, hollow, squeezable heads of the original versions. Are the re-releases considered reissues or just separate releases?
I guess these are closer to being reissues, but I don't know...
The MotU Commemorative Series He-Man and Skeletor figures have solid heads, but their packages don't say "The Original" on them. Would they be considered reissues of the soft-head original figures or the hard-head later releases?
I guess a reissue of the hard-head later releases if everything else was the same?
The original releases of Trap Jaw and Tri-Klops came with a Warrior's Ring, which was omitted as a running change. The Commemorative editions of these figures do not come with the rings. Would they be considered reissues of the releases that came with the ring or without?
I guess reissues of the releases that came without the ring...
As you can see, I'm not much help when it comes to this kinda stuff, haha. It doesn't help that I'm only thinking in terms of Transformers, either.
I guess it all boils down to what we consider a reissue...is something like the previously-mentioned Astrotrain a reissue? Is the Universe 25th Anniversary Optimus Prime (the one with the comic book and the weird colored trailer) a reissue of a previous Optimus? If so, which one?
MIKE
engledogg
