1/12 vehicles

@mr_articulate Yeah i watched it. I sort of wish I hadn't because... yeah, it looks really good. I don't have anywhere to put that thing but now I really do want it.

Thanks for starting the thread - very stoked to be getting this soon! I watched a video about a month or more ago of Ace breaking down all the different pieces, the things he needed to get the factory to correct, etc. but I didn't know there were production samples. Must be shipping soon!

Definitely going to be buying the Bread Van when he puts it up.

@h-bird Worth noting, the one in the video is explicitly *not* the final car. There are apparently still some tweaks being made. So probably a bit longer to wait on delivery.

Ah good to know - I haven't had a chance to watch yet. I'm not worried about the ship date - I believe December was the original estimate, so if Ramen being the indie/one-man-band operation that they are can deliver within the next 6 months I'd consider that pretty impressive.

It certainly looks impressive, and I’m tempted, but I’m having a hard time understanding how this is more affordable than the Haslab, especially since it doesn’t include any figures that could have been used to defray the cost of the Haslab and it also means we need to source a third party or custom Robbie. I know they’re making a knockoff of him, too, but it really isn’t that much of a bargain, all told. 

@thwiptster Honestly, I don't think it is a huge difference in value. And I think that's because, end of the day, if you want a nearly 20" long vehicle with light and sound and optional bits and everything... the current manufacturing costs mean you can't make it for much less if you want to still have a business on the other side of it.

Like, nobody wants to hear that, but it really feels like all the 1/12 vehicle offerings right now, if they come in cheaper, are doing so with some clear compromises. No (or fewer) figures, no electronics, wheels that don't turn, etc. And that sort of tells me everyone is having the same problem offering stuff at the lower price point, and they're all taking different tracks to get there.

@jakeekiss I think we’re making the same point. People balked at the price of the Haslab, but this doesn’t come out appreciably cheaper and loses out on the legitimacy of officially licensed figure(s) to go with it. Just seems like all the gnashed teeth and vitriol was mostly unfounded.

@thwiptster Yeah. I think a LOT of folks talking about price lately (even for 1/12 figures from indie companies) really aren't aware of how a lot of the pricing works. They don't really grasp the economies of scale, or how companies will sometimes price their stuff too low (like, literally to break even or loss per unit) in hopes of driving up total sales (which, if it crosses certain thresholds will drive down unit production cost, putting them back in the black).

This is how a lot of companies and creators end up screwing themselves. They set an unrealistic expectation in a customer for what the "fair" price is up front, in hopes to get themselves to that economy of scale. Then if those sales don't materialize, they may not ever produce the thing they said, or they might get it done, and immediately have to shut down after. 

In the long run the whole community of consumers then gets the idea that the lower price is how much it "should" cost, regardless of who is making what for which audience. I don't know, it wears me out. Everything is more expensive, and when that happens those boutique luxury items get more expensive faster.

Or, y'know, the short version, we agree, a lot of the groaning wasn't well founded. But the narrative took off and here we are.

I am glad all these companies are trying their hand at 1/12 vehicles though, and by and large, I think all of them look pretty great. If I had more shelf space and a few hundred more a month, I'd grab them all.

I don't think I had a real concept of how big a 1/12 vehicle is until I started getting them in-hand.  I've a real limit on how big something can be to fit on my shelf, and even then it needs to be a critical, iconic vehicle to earn the space. HISS tanks and Dragonflies? Of course. Dukes of Hazzard and A-Team vans? Loved the shows, but no. Soccer mom SUV with a turret? Just too big.

Like, I would love a 1/12 scale G.I. Joe Wolverine, it's my favorite Joe vehicle, but Ramen's renders promise a chassis too big for my shelves. I learned from the Super7 Thundertank that I'd happily accept some down-scaling if it made it a better fit. 

I kind of want Ramen to do a Ghost Rider motorcycle, but based on their 80s Commander sets, I think it'd be relatively pricy. I would pay premium for a HasLab-level Fantasti-Car II, though. That'd be dope.

Only 201 more Ramen Racer units sold by 12/31 and they add the transclucent tires and reveal a driver figure!  Prototype samples look great!  Glad I ordered the black and orange versions!!

I agree that this project strikes me as evidence that the Haslab might not have been overpriced - or if it was, not by a huge amount. It definitely seems like they were factoring in all of the tiers being included, but if the Hellcharger base + early bird + tiers had been included? Easily, easily worth the asking price. My enthusiasm for this project is that a) I'm excited that a backup to get a Hellcharger materialized after my great disappointment that the Haslab failed and b) Ramen Toy/Ace seems like a really positive player in the field putting out a great product, and I'm happy to support them.

Got an email from Ramen Toys about sticker application (or not) for the orange version. Getting closer!  (I opted stickers by me)

The “bread” van is next. Not sure if I’ll add that as I already have a simple rotocast van

Adding the cost for the car with the extras plus shipping, the cost for the Ramen racer car is close to what the Engine of Vengeance would have been. I don't fully understand the criticism of the price of the Haslab compared to this.

Folks were talking about the Vanguard/HISS comparisons in another thread, here's the Roboskull/HISS:

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I weep for the shelves of anyone getting the HISS, Dragonfly, Roboskull, Vanguard, VAMP, and Ramen Racer, but dang how are we getting that many 1/12 vehicles all of a sudden?