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[Seibertron]

Do you still love me, Hasbro? Because if you did, you'd let me have all those cool Animated toys you're holding out on. Don't tell me those kids in Japan will get them first!

I'm sure Hasbro still loves you. After all, You Are Him.

Kidding aside, I think the remaining TFA figures will get released (if at all) in Japan before they'll ever get released here. I think this type of item would be perfect for Japan to release because those that really want them outside of Japan can easily use online retailers to have these figures imported which equals good sales for Takara Tomy on figures that they might not have released otherwise. It'll be interesting to see just how many of these figures get released.

[Seibertron]

"Will the Generations line include homages from all eras of Transformers?"

Yes. Hasbro stated this at Toy Fair 2010. Picture "Generations" as the continuation of Classics. I declare Generations be called "CLASSICS 3.0"!!!

[Razorclaw0000]

So what two questions were chosen? Also, was the pool of questions just this thread, or did it include questions from previous threads that have never been asked?

[Seibertron]

"Will the Generations line include homages from all eras of Transformers?"

I thought that was already confirmed that it would... but maybe not


.

"Will the unreleased Animated figures be released in the Generations?" was my original idea but it seemed too specific.

Good question. I actually don't have an answer for this but didn't want to use this question as one of our two questions after thinking about their possible answers.

POSSIBLE ANSWER #1: "No, the same Animated packaging will be used for these items."

POSSIBLE ANSWER #2: "Yes, the new Generations packaging will be used for these items."

Personally, I think it would be really smart to release Rodimus and Ironhide with the Generations packaging. I'm all about consistent branding. If TFA is out of life, I don't see the point in continuing with using the TFA packaging. I'm sure MIB collectors would like them to continue using the TFA packaging, but I don't think Hasbro cares about that as a reason.

I actually think this will depend on whether or not TFA Season 3 comes out on DVD this fall. If it does, I can see a point to continuing to keep these figures packaged in the traditional TFA packaging (which oddly never received a refresh during its long shelf life of 2 years).

[Seibertron]

So what two questions were chosen? Also, was the pool of questions just this thread, or did it include questions from previous threads that have never been asked?

I just used the questions from this thread. It took me about forty minutes to pick the two questions. I asked about G1 Unicron and the Transformers Hall of Fame because I felt that both questions were relevant and I didn't have an answer for them.

[Seibertron]

You released Generation One Soundwave under the Classics line as a Toys R Us exclusive, and then Perceptor and the Insecticons under the Universe line. It seemed logical that Blaster would be the TRU exclusive for Generations, so why the change to an SDCC exclusive? Will another character be selected to uphold the tradition of non-vehicle TRU commemoratives for the Generations line? And please tell us that Blaster will also be available on Hasbro Toy Shop!

I don't think this "tradition" is intentional. They released Soundwave in 2007 because fans had been demanding a US release of the reissue and because they couldn't think of a better way to homage the figure in the Classics line. FunPub even used the reissue Soundwave as that character in the 2007 Botcon comic.

Perceptor and the Insecticons were reissued because Hasbro thought they were somehow relevant because of ROTF's Scalpel (aka "The Doctor") and Insecticons. I kind of get the Insecticons connection, but to me, saying there's a connection between Perceptor and Scalpel is a stretch other than they're both microscopes.

[Seibertron]

Sorry but another question came to mind....

So everybody knows that when the Transformers came out in the early 80s, Takara could not release some characters such as Shockwave and Skyfire, as they were the property of other companies. Now, does Hasbro have the rights to all of Takara's character inventory including the e-hobby exclusive characters? And if yes, are we gonna see any of those characters in any future line?

I think the BotCon Bug Bite, Deathsaurus, Universe Leo Prime and the canceled Victory Saber pretty much confirmed that.

Takara and Hasbro both share the rights to these characters. Takara Tomy can do whatever they want with these characters, as can Hasbro. The real issue with the unreleased figures in Japan has more to do with Takara didn't want to promote products from their direct competitors in the Japanese market.

I'd love to know why Europe got screwed on some G1 figures. I don't think they got Shockwave or Swoop.

[Seibertron]

Will Botcon continue to be overseen by funpub in the future or do they have a "contract" of sorts to run the con? With the delays in the registration( understandably) will Hasbro look elsewhere for a company to run their Con?


sorry had to get this off my chest LOL

I really wanted to ask some variation of this question but didn't after considering their possible answers. I'm assuming there is an actual contract between FunPub and Hasbro so if (in theory) Hasbro was unhappy with FunPub, they probably would be extremely limited with what they can legally say in a response.

As unhappy as I am with the registration process and the lines during the first day or two at the con, I do have to give FunPub credit for turning a so-so 2 day convention into an actual 5 day event. BotCon today is night-and-day different from how it used to be. I just wish they'd listen to a few of us and actually make some changes (though admittedly, they did listen to us about the online registration ... I just wish they hadn't waited until the last minute).

[Seibertron]

When designing a new transformer do you ever take into concideration with other hasbro toy lines?
the most specific example i can think of would be motorcycles which my this time most of us have realized are pretty close to being in scale with G.I. Joe figures. is this ever on purpose and do you have any plans (other than the one known G.I.Joe transforming motorcycle) to exploit this in the future?

Hasbro has been asked about this year after year in various ways. For whatever reason, they seem not to want to do GiJoe / Transformers crossovers because they're concerned about brand confusion. A question similar to this was asked in a previous Q&A on another TF site ... anyone got a link to it? To me, it seems like it would be the greatest toy crossover line ever which I'm sure kids and adults everywhere would love.

One day ...

GiJoeTransformers1a.jpg (47.81 KiB) Viewed 2420 times

[Razorclaw0000]

So what two questions were chosen? Also, was the pool of questions just this thread, or did it include questions from previous threads that have never been asked?

I just used the questions from this thread. It took me about forty minutes to pick the two questions. I asked about G1 Unicron and the Transformers Hall of Fame because I felt that both questions were relevant and I didn't have an answer for them.

Fair enough.

In regards to the Animated figures not being released, I suspect we'll get a huge announcement at BotCon, or a very conspicuous lack of an announcement.

[Seibertron]

What is Hasbro's views of third-party outfits, like Fans Project, Head Robots, Mastermind, and old-timers like ReproLabels? Does Hasbro feel that these fan-based products hurt sales of Hasbro products, or help them by increasing the overall popularity of the franchise?

Theres's no way they're gonna boost popularity. They're marketed towards people who are already fans; people who aren't Transformers fans probably don't know 3rd party companies exist.

I disagree. These products are marketed primarily over the internet, and I think that the rise of fandom on the internet is what kept the franchise alive and allowed it to make the comeback that we're now all enjoying. The toys can stand by themselves, or their popularity can be increased by comics, TV shows, and such. I'm putting third-party toys into that same category.

I actually agree with Optillamanus. The 3rd party products are geared and marketed toward existing Transformers fans. I think because of the extreme popularity in Transformers right now that small companies like Fans Project can exist.

[Seibertron]

Will Hasbro export the latest Animated Lines (Blackout, Arcee)in mass quantity to Southeast Asian region? (regarding that Arcee is hard-to-find on the US market)

I think you're going to have to import these figures from Japan.

[Seibertron]

Is there any reason for Animated Blitzwing having buttons in his arms?

Anyone got some speculation on this?

[Seibertron]

How far along is Hasbro in moving its production to Vietnam? We've seen a leader-class Starscream so far with the Made in Vietnam stamp. What does moving to Vietnam mean in terms of quality/quantity of current/future productions?

Wasn't sure about these questions. I'm assuming the Q3/Q4 2010 products will be made in Vietnam, especially if that Leader Class Starscream is any indication. I'd like to know the reason behind the move. Hopefully the move is to a more secure factory ... one where products don't constantly leak. I also hope that quality will remain the same or improve.

It's seeming to be a trend that figures are getting seriously redone instead of a simple repaint; not that repaints aren't done, but one has to look at Recon Ironhide and the mentioned Drift/Blurrz re-do. Is this going to be a new direction for Transformers?

I think the popularity of this brand and Hasbro's sales figures speak to the answer for this. The more popular the brand is, the more we'll see of things like this. Remolding Ironhide and Bumblebee was a great way to get more life out of the same character with a new "mold". They gave us an insane amount of Bumblebees and a bunch of Ironhides ... after they milked the original molds, they gave them some remoldings which I think requires them to create a new physical mold for the factory so that they can continue to profit off their initial investment.

[Editor]

Thanks for using the HOF question Ryan.

I love they are doing it, I just hope they have a better plan behind it than just "hey this character is now a hall of famer"

[It Is Him]

Thanks for using the HOF question Ryan.

I love they are doing it, I just hope they have a better plan behind it than just "hey this character is now a hall of famer"

I was kinda wondering the same thing. They could release a special toy to commemorate the event. Like you know, an action master or something.

[Counterpunch]

Is there any reason for Animated Blitzwing having buttons in his arms?

Anyone got some speculation on this?

They aren't buttons, it's like an automorph to add bulk to him. I believe that they need to depress in one of his vehicle modes to fit properly.

[Seibertron]

Hasbro has sent us back responses for the two questions that we sent them last month. Here're the questions and Hasbro's answers for May 2010:

1. Fans were treated to a huge surprise at BotCon 2009 when they got to see not one but two G1 Unicrons on display. This was an item that many kids from the 80s dreamed of owning and as adults they still do. What can you tell us about the original G1 Unicron toy that was on display at BotCon 2009? How many of them are there? Any chance we'll ever see the G1 Unicron or G1 Arcee made?

We were really happy to have had been able to display the Unicron toy at last year's convention. Besides being a great item to be able to display for our collectors, we also see it as an opportunity to educate the next generation of TF fans on the vast history of the brand.

for your more specific questions: 1) we are not sure on the exact number of G1 Unicrons, we do know that it is very rare; 2) there are no plans to release a G1 Unicron or Arcee.

2. We haven't heard much regarding the point of the Transformers Hall of Fame and how it will move forward beyond this initial year and induction at Botcon. Will future inductions be held in similar fashion of company picks and fan picks or will it be more fan controlled? And what is the greater point for the Hall, seeing it should be tied to greater media exposure. Is this all just publicity for ramping up excitement within the fan community, without actively having a pay-off beyond the possibility of backing the winning candidate for the 5th spot? Could this possibly be used for a "Transformers Hall-of-Fame" subline of the upcoming Generations toyline?

Overall, our objective for establishing the Transformers Hall of Fame was to create an annual event that celebrated the accomplishments of the people and characters that have had a significant impact on the brand. Thus, you can expect that every year there will be more people and characters inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame through a combination of Hasbro and fan input.

[joeformer]

I have to ask this cause its driving me nuts. With all the human characters in the movies and in the idw comics. Will there ever be little mini articulated in scale figures made for the movie line and the classics line. Please make them. It feels like the toy line is not complete without them. I know about the human alliance line which is great. But I would love to see some mini figures for the classics and movie universe. Please.

[zenosaurus_x]

Well, I'll try again.....
First Question:Why are the larger characters often made excessively small? I can understand that they may be too big to make accurate but then why make them outright tiny? For example Movie BoneCrusher and Classics Trypticon or even Grimlock are very small.

Second Question:From the ROTF line, why are there new molds of characters who were not in the movie, but a few characters in the movie don't have toys? My example here would pretty much just be Scrapper though....as OverLoad and Hightower don't TransForm in the movie...

I asked them in more detail last time...but I'd really like those answered....

[It Is Him]

Overall, our objective for establishing the Transformers Hall of Fame was to create an annual event that celebrated the accomplishments of the people and characters that have had a significant impact on the brand. Thus, you can expect that every year there will be more people and characters inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame through a combination of Hasbro and fan input.

Gee, that's boring.

[zenosaurus_x]

Yeah it...kinda is....
They should mix it up a bit, maybe make some different groups, if someone is good enough to be IN the Hall of Fame...we probably already know who it is......

[Amelie]

I don't think they got Shockwave or Swoop.

The UK certainly didn't get these two lovelies. I got Swoop last year after importing him from America. Then got shafted by the import-tax man.

The fact they don't know how many Unicrons were produced is curious. I'm wondering if they prematurely started mass-production but failed the toy safty tests? It's a possible explanation as to why we see full production toys, but they're unclear as to the numbers - otherwise it would be very odd not to know how many prototypes produced.

[Seibertron]

I don't think they got Shockwave or Swoop.

The UK certainly didn't get these two lovelies. I got Swoop last year after importing him from America. Then got shafted by the import-tax man.

The fact they don't know how many Unicrons were produced is curious. I'm wondering if they prematurely started mass-production but failed the toy safty tests? It's a possible explanation as to why we see full production toys, but they're unclear as to the numbers - otherwise it would be very odd not to know how many prototypes produced.

I'm sure Hasbro knows or doesn't want to disclose that information. I imagine it has more to do with the person who answered the questions didn't really look into it as both of the answers provided were pretty generic. I thought asking about something that didn't have to do with current or upcoming releases would reveal more fruitful answers but I was wrong. I was really hoping they would provide some neat information about the G1 Unicron toy. I think I could've provided the answer they gave us.

[Amelie]

both of the answers provided were pretty generic. I thought asking about something that didn't have to do with current or upcoming releases would reveal more fruitful answers but I was wrong. I was really hoping they would provide some neat information about the G1 Unicron toy. I think I could've provided the answer they gave us.

Maybe we should've phrased it something like "Why wasn't the original G1 Unicron released? Was it due to pricing or toy safety issues?". Or some clever was to avoid the generic answers.