Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

[Henry921]

Guess the big boxed sets aren't selling well... if they ever were.

Still, between these and the blind packs and the gestalts, Kre-O has some interesting stuff and a good variety in the product. It's a niche audience who'll buy these, but I'll bet they sell better than the current crop.

Might get OP and Soundwave. Old collector's habits...

[Fires_Of_Inferno]

Alright, that Blitzwing head looks awesome, and I'm sure it's a cool figure, but why OH WHY don't we have a classics/universe/reveal the shield/generations Blitzwing yet? At least this gives me some hope that we'll be getting one!

EDIT: BLLLUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH! *vomits blood*

[That Bot]

Nice sarcasm there. but i agree with JOP and its what ive been saying, unless we as fandom and more importantly money spending shoppers do something about this the trend downward will continue.

There is no downward trend. This is branching out. There are still two simultaneous lines of pure Transformers for you to choose from. Three if you include the plethora of residual DOTM. If you don't like any of the main lines, go back and fill in some old gaps in your collection from lines you did like while you wait for something new that you like to hit retail. Find another hobby. Do something productive. Don't just sit around and mope because this brand isn't the same as it was however many years ago. Companies change, and not always in the way we like them to. That's just life.

how do we make a change? stop buying the sub par junk and stick with the better stuff we want. bot shots, the new bionical-ish crap, the smaller deluxes, the over priced voyagers.

This is what you should always do anyways. Nobody is forcing you to like these things, or to buy them, or to worship at Hasbro's altar. Buy what you like. Don't buy what you don't like. Don't fret over this side merchandise if it doesn't strike your fancy.

now i am not saying buy nothing at all... but if we could all gear ourselves towards buying better figures and let the rest sit on shelves, it will send a message.

I think you're forgetting two important points:
* adult fans like us only count for a small percentage of sales
* kids are the target audience of this brand as a whole and make up the vast majority of sales
It's been demonstrated that kids love Bot Shots. Small, cheap, gimmicky things are in right now. Beyblade, Bakugan, Monsuno, and now Bot Shots. It's like the 2010s version of Pogs.

I don't know what the consensus is on Kre-O, but it must be doing something right since they keep pumping out new stuff. And since LEGO's Bionicle and Hero Factory lines of what are essentially constructable action figures continue to sell like hotcakes, Hasbro wants a piece of that pie too. If they've done focus testing and concluded that kids will like this stuff, then more power to them I say.

Again, by all means, don't buy things you don't like. Doing otherwise is silly. But try to remember our stake in the business. We adult fans are the vocal minority of this franchise. With the exception of Masterpieces, these toys are not made exclusively for us, they do not have to meet our absolute approval. Hasbro's philosophy is to make toys for kids and if adults like them, too, that's just Prime. Please don't try to give us more power than we have. I'm not saying that to be mean, I'm saying it out of sincere concern, because if you believe we have more power than we do, and things continue as they are, you will just find yourself more frustrated.

this is how companies work, they have analysts that say wahts selling and whats not and what direction to move in. right now we seem to be eating up the junk yet still complaining about it...

Again, kids buy this stuff, not just us. Bot Shots are selling well among kids, Hasbro continues to make them.

time to send a message folks, and its up to each of you to decide what that message is. i am personally only buying mastepieces and alternity figures. i knows these are tailored to collectors and i cant expect hasbro to always cater to these lines, but i am letting them know i wont stand for the other stuff until the QC improves.

Just a little correction, quality is different from quality control. I'm pretty sure you mean quality in this situation, not QC.

and That Bot, from the way youve responded to me, and now i see a few others... i guess you are the new local smartass... good job

It's true, I can be very snarky, but I'm usually well-intentioned and I can also be very eloquent like in this post.


I'd just like to remind everybody: the Transformers brand exists for one purpose and one alone: making money for Hasbro. Everything they do is towards that end. And their target audience is kids. As long as kids like what Hasbro is offering, there's no problem. If adult fans have problems, they may get addressed, but we aren't really that much concern to them. And because we are adult fans of a children's franchise, it's important that we remember that we don't get much say in the direction the franchise goes in, because again, we're outside the target audience and contribute little to the bottom line. Sure, you may think these building sets are ugly and a waste of plastic, but maybe to someone in the target audience they're the coolest thing ever. This doesn't make your opinion invalid, but it's always important to keep it in perspective.

[Manterax Prime]

Quick note: I just noticed Prime has a couple energon swords stored on his back.

[VioMeTriX]

it is funny that hasbro doesnt realize most adult collectors are parents, and we buy toys for our kids, and my son even realizes the value of not buying crap figures....hasbro doesnt do everything to make money... if so we wouldnt have enough bumblebees on shelves to create a floating island to live on... i know thats far fetched, but damn dont you see that same yellow hell on all of the shelves the last few years or so.

but i know when my child spends my money or even his own, i am making sure as a responsible parent that money is spent wisely on a lasting toy, no matter the brand.

That Bot, your answer rings true, but not absolute, just as my view shouldnt be an absolute either. but there are things we can do. again the majority of transformers kids should have a significant number of transformer collecting parents (dads)... so lets come together as a community, and see what small things we can do as a whole to have an impact on what hasbro does as far as transformers lines, and the quality of figures over all. i am fully aware of trending and gimmicks, but the only gimmick transformers really need is intuitive transformations, good story, and a good product for a fair price...

My friend David is an area rep for hasbro (and my assurance i get the figures i want) also agrees the quality has come down and price has gone up. hes not sure what to do.

[kirbenvost]

Maybe Hasbro's noticing that quality has been lacking. I know some don't agree but I feel a lot of the stuff they're showing off lately seems a bit nicer even if it isn't in line with what I want to collect. DOTM and PRID (*cough* and FOC Bruticus) were low points for Transformers, hopefully it's uphill from here.

Off-topic, but That Bot... I know you're someone, but who? I keep getting confused when people change their usernames. Where's Counterpunch, for that matter?

Yeah, first thing that came to mind was Bionicle/Hero Factory. They look kind of nice but I'll pass, I don't need them. Kreons fill my desire for silly buildable TFs quite nicely. Glad to see a Blitzwing, I hope we get a real one soon.

[VioMeTriX]

Maybe Hasbro's noticing that quality has been lacking. I know some don't agree but I feel a lot of the stuff they're showing off lately seems a bit nicer even if it isn't in line with what I want to collect. DOTM and PRID (*cough* and FOC Bruticus) were low points for Transformers, hopefully it's uphill from here.

Off-topic, but That Bot... I know you're someone, but who? I keep getting confused when people change their usernames. Where's Counterpunch, for that matter?

Yeah, first thing that came to mind was Bionicle/Hero Factory. They look kind of nice but I'll pass, I don't need them. Kreons fill my desire for silly buildable TFs quite nicely. Glad to see a Blitzwing, I hope we get a real one soon.

I agree

[noctorro]

They should've made these right from the start. I said it before Slizers/Roboriders/Bionicle concept is great for Transformers!


I do think they transform without reassembling the whole thing. Maybe put of 4 wheels or 2 wings but nothing more than that.

[Janus Prime]

Wow! These make Kre-O look like msterpieces, but I totally see myself buying some sets just to get a specific piece.

[JOP]

Yes. All of those things you listed are transformable robot figures.

I will be the first to admit that I should have added the qualifiers 'complex' and 'high quality' to my comment about Hasbro and their production of transformable robot figures (or lack thereof). To be fair, I did not anticipate that someone might interpret the latter half of the sentence in a completely literal fashion, while also choosing to utterly disregard the earlier half of the sentence in which I criticize the Fall of Cybertron figures for their comparatively diminutive size and low material to cost ratio, and the Beast Hunters figures for their ridiculously reductive transformations.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for bringing this problem to my attention, and to inform you that going forward, I will attempt to structure my statements so that they are less open to willful misinterpretation by the sarcastically inclined.