Ramen Toy Says They Are Doing Their Own Gh... I Mean 1/12 Scale Car With Flames

[JayC]

Overseas company Ramen Toys which has recently made officially licensed Silver Hawks figures as well as a number of un-offically licensed 80's based products, today made an announcement about their plans to released a new 1/12 scale Dodge Charger like car with flame effects.

Obviously this is an attempt on their part to try and fill the void that will likely be left when Hasbro's HasLab Engine of Vengeance campaign fails to be funded later today.

No word yet on what the price will be for the Ramen Toy vehicle and of course without a Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider figure to go with it, I am not sure how appealing the car will actually be.

Here is what they posted about it:

The “Happy Halloween 2022” is a project by fans for fans.
In recent developments that we have been following , we came to the conclusion that there is a good section of the community who wants this project and we would like to play our part as part of the community to help achieve fulfilling dreams.
As such, we have gone ahead to initiate project “Happy Halloween 2022”.

This approximately 18 inch long vehicle is made to accommodate 6 inch figures and will feature the following :

- more than 15 strip LEDs
- a 45 second sound bit of engine and flame effects
- 2 effects mode , full lights on with no sounds and flickering lights with sound module in play
- opening doors, hood and trunk
- realistic detailed interior
- movable seats
- working steering and movable gear stick
- “real rubber” tyres with interchangeable flame effects.
- chrome electroplated bumper rim and wheel hub caps.
- finished in high quality semi gloss black.

No figure will be included for “Happy Halloween 2022” but possible figure(s) complementary to this vehicle is/are in the plans for immediate action if this project gets backed.

“Happy Halloween 2022” Prototype will be available in December and actual pricing will be revealed.

We will provide the price of the ”Happy Halloween 2022” base on our MOQ of 2000 units and we will also reveal what the price can come down to if we were to have 9000 units ordered ( which we humbly know we will not achieve).
If successful, the project will have a target delivery date of 4th Qtr 2023 or earlier.

[Kikipage1984]

Well this seems interesting let’s see how it goes

[tarot]

while this is interesting, it wasn't just the car that I wanted. It was Robbie AND the car.

[leokearon]

On 10/31/2022 at 5:44 PM, tarot said:

while this is interesting, it wasn't just the car that I wanted. It was Robbie AND the car.

Yeah, unless Hasbro plan to release a solo Robbie figure, there probably isn't going to be that much appeal.

[Jmacq1]

Somehow I'm betting this isn't going to cost the less-than-$150 that folks INSISTED the Engine of Vengeance should have cost.

[monron999]

On 10/31/2022 at 2:51 PM, Jmacq1 said:

Somehow I'm betting this isn't going to cost the less-than-$150 that folks INSISTED the Engine of Vengeance should have cost.

I'm interested in seeing how it turns out. I can't see them even attempting this without doing their best to ensure this doesn't fail as bad as the Haslab. The distinct disadvantage is that there will be no figures with this. I agree that the notion that the Haslab should have been $150 is inconceivable but the $350 price tags was equally laughable. My feeling is if they expect to be able to sell this thing at all it has to clock in at less than $100, and make it a lot better looking than the Haslab one to boot. Whether they can or not remains to be seen. I do think, and this has lab seems to reiterate it, that Hasbro has the tendency to inflate what they think they can value their product, but I also don't have all that much faith in how much a smaller, less resourceful company is able to compete.

One thing is for sure, Ramen Toys just made things a lot more interesting. If they pull this off they just might expose Hasbro's ability, or maybe inability to do some things the Hasbro team have insisted are not possible.

[since83]

Watch, it's  400 dollars!

[Scotty97]

I need to see more of their announced toys get released before I can get too deep. If the 3" scale MASK-like Camaro is close to $180, and this is for 6" scale? 

[JayC]

We told you last month that in light of Hasbro's failed Marvel Legends Engine Of Vengeance Haslab campaign, that overseas company Ramen Toy would be doing their own non-licensed version of the 1/12 scale car they have dubbed the "Happy Halloween" car.

Today Ramen Toy has released some new 3D renders of the upcoming 18" car. They still have not released any kind of specific details for this item like price but when more details become available we will be sure to update you.

[monron999]

LOL, 3D renders, 3D renders, as far as the eye can see. Gotta love those 3D renders. They sure do paint a pretty picture. Now I'm gonna say the quiet part out loud because I know it is question one on everyone's mind. How much is the damn thing gonna cost? Cuz if this thing is gonna be anywhere near $150, without a figure and without bonus awards, I can save you a whole lotta time and effort, and money and tell you to bail out now. Yeah, there's a lot of room between $150 and $350, but without any extra incentive you're fighting an uphill battle. Bottom line: $100 to $120 for the car and effects alone might get the presses rolling, and $130 to $150 with some sort of stand in figure we might be able to throw a Ghost Rider head sculpt on is the max. So quit showing us what you can do and tell us what's gonna be the damage, cuz at the end of the day, no matter what excuses Hasbro and the brand team landed on, the biggest problem with the Haslab was the price, especially after the Sentinel and Galactus figures and all they came with. If you can't show up Hasbro with both product and price just stop wasting all our time.

[MRT]

They plan on adding LEDs and Engine noises too... wish there were no electronics and try to keep the price as low as possible.

[leokearon]

On 11/15/2022 at 5:42 AM, MRT said:

They plan on adding LEDs and Engine noises too... wish there were no electronics and try to keep the price as low as possible.

Totally agree, like where the lights and that really a big draw for any of the HasLabs?

[MRT]

On 11/15/2022 at 3:49 PM, leokearon said:

Totally agree, like where the lights and that really a big draw for any of the HasLabs?

Not to me.. the first thing I do with figures that has electronics is take out the batteries so it doesn't eventually leak.

[Atlantis]

Seems a rather strange project to take on, in lieu of the utter failure of the Hazlab. A car without the figures will fail as surely as the overpriced project they just tried to sell. Curious as to the thinking here, but good luck...

[Reno]

On the surface this appears to be an even worse deal than the HasLab. They want $250 for just the car. That was my big hang up with the whole thing to begin with. I wanted the figures and would have happily paid $150 for the four figures (Robbie, Madelyne, Mephisto and Hellstorm) but I just couldn't bring myself to believing the car was worth more than $100 to me on it's own - so there was no value proposition to me personally. Now Ramen wants $250 for just the car and an extra $40 for the accessories... and no figures. That's an easy pass for me. Hopefully this will make some people happy who really wanted that HellCharger though.

[monron999]

On 11/21/2022 at 5:26 PM, Atlantis said:

Seems a rather strange project to take on, in lieu of the utter failure of the Hazlab. A car without the figures will fail as surely as the overpriced project they just tried to sell. Curious as to the thinking here, but good luck...

Yeah, I think the entire thing was to show it could be done at a much more reasonable price. I dunno, I did the math and it just doesn't pan out. Maybe if they'd included the Interchange packs or maybe even done it all as one set, but no, still not biting. Putting it together, base price plus both interchange packs, minus a figure, not even considering the tier rewards, all this seems to do is strengthen Hasbro's stance. I'll maintain that I still can't see this vehicle (or any vehicle) so complex to justify either one of these price points, but it was nice to see someone else try. And to actually put out the product for purchase. Of course, this is a smaller third party, but you'd think a very large manufacturer could do something similar at a much smaller cost. Not sure exactly what I factor into it, but somehow the price point that sticks in my head that would seem reasonable enough is about $150 with the interchangeable parts, no figure included. That's just me though.

[tarot]

Not to mention this is just a lump of plastic in the end. Hasbro (while yes overpriced) still had alot of extra features like lights and sounds. What ramen fails to realise is it's not the car we waited. it's the car and the figures, all of which were brand new characters that we couldn't get any normal ways. But people will still back this cause "screw Hasbro".

[TheArrow]

I think the missed opportunity here is one where the party with knowledge of the matter actually breaks down the costs involved in making something like this.

And I mean break it all down; cost of tooling, numbers of tools needed to manufacture within a time-line, box size, internal box supports, shipping pallet sizes. expected profit margins built-in etc---and ALL the considerations in play from start to finish. 
It would probably be a sobering wake-up for collectors who generally are oblivious to such info, and would be useful for both the hobby and the industry going forward.   
Now, I know a lot of people would roll their eyes at this and just say that's it's all just dull/dry crap that they have zero interest in, but this kind of thing is HOW you get your toys. 
The real guts of the whole process.   
And it would answer the big "why" that so many people ask when it comes to design and marketing decisions for these toys.

[PushYouDown]

The realities of business and especially the toy business are often lost on toy collectors. 

[since83]

So yeah....300 bucks? No figs? How did "holding the line" and keeping prices down go? Why was everyone jumping on the McFarlane, DC , Joe fan hate train that built up online? Ooooo Mephisto has boots, bah what a ripoff right?  I am so p.oed right now. That joke last week replicating one of the covers I wanted to make just rubbed salt in a wound. I Still Want Robbie!!!!

[Ironspider428]

See, it's a cool car. The original Haslab was a cool car. But I can't justify spending $250 on a cool car. I would have been much more likely to get the Haslab for $100 more, which also came with all the interchageable parts plus potentially 4 figures. I think the reasons it failed were justified, there's just not enough of a Robbie interest to push a $350 Haslab, but seeing how much this company is doing there's for makes me think it actually wasn't that bad of a deal. Really the only thing I truly wanted from that Haslab was Mephisto, so hopefully Hasbro finds a way to do him, though based on their comments of those tiers, it's not likely. 

I'm glad anyone who wanted the car can have one, but I'm genuinely curious who is in that market. Anyone who buys this just to spite Hasbro would make me so mad. 

[monron999]

On 4/10/2023 at 10:29 AM, tarot said:

Not to mention this is just a lump of plastic in the end. Hasbro (while yes overpriced) still had alot of extra features like lights and sounds. What ramen fails to realise is it's not the car we waited. it's the car and the figures, all of which were brand new characters that we couldn't get any normal ways. But people will still back this cause "screw Hasbro".

Well the Screw Hasbro part not only came from the price but all the strong arm tactics they pulled out when they realized they laid a deuce while trying to defend the price. First they stack the car up to the Sentinel, honestly believing the customer didn't have the understanding the Sentinel was still a much larger, much sturdier, much more complex lump of plastic, like we were all really that stupid. I would venture to say that BS convinced about 0% of us. Then the audacity to wave all these characters and figures in our face, most of them simple kit bash that can easily be done in other waves or formats, mind you, and then say, "Gotta get it now, or never get it again". Many, including you yourself have mistaken my disgust with the Haslab debacle as hate for Hasbro, when it was almost exactly the opposite. I liked the vehicle, I liked the figures, I liked the tiers, but I hated the price and I hated the assumption that they could pretty much throw anything out there at any price they say and expect that we swallow. The cherry on the cake was the "threat" that we'd never see those figures (freakin' Mephisto) again if we didn't cave into this obvious price gouge. But I still hung in there. I left my money in the crowd fund longer than most people here (certainly longer than good old Corporate Prime) and I was crushed, then upset, then angry with Hasbro when it flopped, because it was due to their own greed. I still feel/know that ML under any other company is not ML. I was a huge Toybiz loyalist during the Dark Days of ML with Hasbro, but my opinion now is that TB started the action figure revolution and Hasbro perfected it, with ML and across several other lines. I love ML and, aside from all the MCU and Disney+ excess, I love what Hasbro has done with it. But, that only makes me that much angrier about how they dropped the ball so badly on this particular Haslab. Hopefully they don't screw the pooch again with the next Haslab cuz we all need a new Giant Man (and yes, it will be Giant Man or one of his forms).

[McHogan]

On 4/10/2023 at 12:20 PM, PushYouDown said:

The realities of business and especially the toy business are often lost on toy collectors. 

This is probably true but businesses should do a better job of factoring in what the public would pay. These Ramen people must have seen the push back Hasbro got  and still priced their product relatively close to what the majority of us decided not to pay. 

I know my point is subjective but when I saw Ramens final price tag which for me if I did buy from them would cost me the add on kits as well and once again, the base product is higher than I feel is "worth" the cost to me. 

I agree, collectors don't know the factors involved but neither Hasbro nor Ramen is "reading the room" as is evident  by the high final costs. Sure Ramen is cheaper. But clearly not enough for fans to jump on board en mass to make this a success. 

OK so factor A& B is why it costs so much. But whatever fans think it should cost goes a lot further than these companies give it credit for. 

For me neither Hasbro’s or Ramens cost was low enough for me to feel worth in the money I'd spend. Again this is subjective but I would not have spent more than $150 for all the bells and whistles. We didnt like Hasbro’s cost and their Haslab failed. Many don't like Ramens either so I guess fans may speak again with their wallets. 

My best guess after reading comments here and other sites that it probably isn't a good start for Ramen when people are still asking "are you kidding me?" In concern of the price 

[TheArrow]

This kind of thing is a good example of the classic fickleness of collectors, and why it's next to impossible for entities like Hasbro or Ramen to read us accurately.
Something like Galactus or the Sentinel, Razor Crest or Unicron funds, but the Rancor or the Ghost Rider car doesn't.  They cannot predict what thrills us or what trips us because there is NO common ground or threshold. 
You could ask a hundred collectors as to why they don't think Item X isn't a good value, and you'd get 157 answers.

[McHogan]

On 4/10/2023 at 9:25 PM, TheArrow said:

This kind of thing is a good example of the classic fickleness of collectors, and why it's next to impossible for entities like Hasbro or Ramen to read us accurately.
Something like Galactus or the Sentinel, Razor Crest or Unicron funds, but the Rancor or the Ghost Rider car doesn't.  They cannot predict what thrills us or what trips us because there is NO common ground or threshold. 
You could ask a hundred collectors as to why they don't think Item X isn't a good value, and you'd get 157 answers.

I completely agree. That's why in my post I made sure to use "subjective" when gauging consumer interest. I 100% wanted the Hell Charger to succeed and with the Tiers announced was confident it would. Color me shocked when it failed spectacularly. 

I'm sure Hasbro THOUGHT they had a sure fire hit on their hands and were as surprised at everyone when it tanked. 

But more in the spirit of my earlier post, Hasbro saw that fans were not happy with the cost and tried to spin their stance to justify the high price. Ramen for their part saw this as well and hinted that they could do essentially the same car at a lower price. Which they did...kinda. they saw the complaints about cost and delivered their product, not to say a direct copy of what Hasbro did, at only $100 -ish dollars less. Depending on what add on kits float anyone's particular boat. 

To me, and again subjectively,  it seems Ramen didn't listen to collectors at all. It seems their big plan was undercutting Hasbro but still offering a product most fans don't want to pay the price for. 

I considered Ramens offering and was more than willing see what they were giving us. But once I saw the cost I immediately knew I was out. I don't know what the limit any other fan is willing to spend but I know it's out of my price range and if even 100 other people feel that way then Ramen undercut themselves by not really making their product that much less than Hasbro’s