Hey guys, I need some advice. Let me see if I've got this right.
I'm in Austrlia & our region 4 boxset 1 is a ridiculous A$229.95 http://www.sirenvisual.com.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=showFilmProduct&catalogueNumber=SVEMONDVDSET_1. They were released on 14/8/2003 which leads me to suspect that the box may collect the individually released titles which I believe were not in original screening order? The other boxsets don't seem to be available (yet?).
Region 2 boxsets were only made available this year & are all available now for as low as A$75 incl shipping. There was a problem with the audio on the 1st boxset http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=177189&messageid=1083009595&lp=1091268582. That has been rectified & exchanges were being made available but if I somehow got old stock it would be a hassle to exchange the DVDs in the UK unless they cover postage too.
So it looks like the R2 is the way to go. Are there any differences between the R2 & R4 releases?
Yes, the Australian DVD boxset 1 that you've listed is literally just a collection of the 13 individual DVDs. They contain only the 39 Monkey episodes that were dubbed into English originally back in the late 1970s.
There is no plan to release any other DVD boxsets in Australia; they're not planning to mimic the UK DVD boxsets.
The UK DVD boxsets are superior in several ways -
1) If you buy boxsets 1 - 4, you'll have all 52 episodes, including the newly-dubbed unseen episodes, with all episodes in the correct running order.
2) All episodes have been chaptered
3) Cast biographies, dubbing cast biographies
4) Random narrator quote generator
5) Free double-sided poster with each boxset
6) Exclusive new remixes of Monkey Magic played over the menu in the Extra Features section for each boxset
7) Stills galleries
The release of the 13 newly-dubbed unseen episodes in Australia consists of 4 separate DVD releases - Fabulous Films have confirmed that these DVD discs are identical to those being released in the UK in boxset 5 (which contains just the 13 unseen episodes - you will already get these, inserted in the correct sequence in the series, if you buy boxsets 3 and 4).
Hope that helps. For full specifications of what's on the UK DVD boxsets, see:
http://www.monkeyheaven.com/dvdboxsets.html
PS If you end up buying the 1st version of the UK DVD boxset 1 with faulty audio, Fabulous Films will exchange it for you, even if you're in Australia - and will cover all postage costs.
I made a boo boo thinking that the r4 was episodes 1-13, because the
rereleased UK boxset is episodes 1-13, but as U pointed out it is
volumes 1-13 which is episodes 1-39, the entire original series.
Maybe not as obscenely priced as I had originally stated!