Down_Shift - First off, let me thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us today. It will mean a lot to not only fans of Seibertron.com but all fans of your work. So far everything you've done as a company has been very well received. It must feel very good to know that what your doing is going over so well.
FansProject - It does feel very good.
D_S - My first question is how does it feel to be at a Hasbro endorsed event knowing that your product is being sold as the convention exclusive?
FP - We don't put much thought about it, we buy Hasbro toys just like everyone else. We love everything Transformers and are pleased to be a part of it.
D_S - How did you start FansProject? What made it come together?
FP - You know as a kid we all wanted to make our toys better? We did and still do. A small group of customizers found one another on the Internet and started talking. Soon we decided to try the CJ Upgrade kit to see how it would go.
D_S - Where is FansProject situated?
FP - Our manufacturing facilities are located in mainland China. Our team members are all over the world and communicate our ideas through the Internet to one another. We occasionally meet in person though. That's a lot of fun.
D_S - I bet it is. You're literally living the dream. Now we know this plays into a big part of your lives but is this a full-time job for all of you or is this more a labor of love? Maybe it's both?
FP - We do Fansproject work as a hobby, not as a business. We all have full time jobs, and work on FansProject projects in our spare time.
D_S - How many people are on the FansProject staff?
FP - There's about 6 or 7 members on the actual design team.
D_S - How does it feel to have pioneered the field of 3rd-party customs?
FP - To be honest, it doesn't really matter to us that we were the first in the field. It would not have mattered if we were #10. We do this because we enjoy it, not because it's groundbreaking.
D_S - What's the decision process behind what you decide to make? I know I'd be all over the place. Too many wants and not enough time. heh.
FP - We do what we enjoy making. Of course we do enjoy pleasing the fans in the process and accept all suggestions. We evaluate all options based on the economics and logistics of production before we fully commit. We release images of our progress only when we are sure as we are sure that's the way we want to go.
D_S - So how much of the money made from the sale of a figure goes directly into producing future projects?
FP - Most of the money we make goes back into upcoming projects. This is our hobby after all so most of our money goes into future product designing and manufacturing costs. When we first did the CJ kit we lost money making it. But it got us out there. However we do buy lots of new figures for "product research". It's a business expense. Ha ha ha.
D_S - I would love to be able to write off my hobby. It's the perfect crime. If you could, please describe some of the future projects that we have been treated to today.
FP - G3 Trailer: The "stealth mode" is a recent idea and almost a money losing feature that we are adding to the trailer. It uses a reflective mirror-like substance that's not glass that is used to hide the trailer and also fits neatly inside. This way we have an answer to "where did the trailer go?" Has taken 2 years just to get to the stage we are at now.
- Protector: This stands a little shorter than City Commander, to be in scale with the rest of the line. If all goes well, it could see release by the end of year, however we will not announce certain release dates until mass production begins.
- Defender: This will be our first stand alone figure. It is around the same height as a Deluxe figure and is a "three changer".
- Collector: Second Stand alone figure. Collects "junk". Take a guess. More on this figure later.
- Warbot/???: Will be a "three changer" as well. Not two seperate vehicle modes. Big.
- GlacialBot: An Ice Aged themed combiner team that is very classic in design. We wanted to keep the retro flavor and taste that we grew up loving. Made of 5 figures so far. Mammoth, Deer, Sabertooth Tiger, Bear, & Rhino. These modes may change. Designing a Gestalt from the ground up is challenging work, but we think we have pulled it off with success.
- Superion Maximus Limbs Set: Each limb is meant to fit in with the plane mode. For example a hand converts to a bomb door when the robot is in plane mode. Accessories attach to plane modes for additional firepower.
- Pharohbot: Lots of design sketches. May want to take it in another direction. We may release sketches one day to see if there is enough fan reaction to make it feasible.
D_S - I noticed that in the Powered Commander comic there are no words spoken. Just a dramatic sequence of events. Is there a specific reason for that?
FP - No time to come up with one actually, but and it and the art style turned out very well actually. Much like a Manga. We think it turned out very well.
D_S - Have there been any legal issues between FansProjects and Hasbro/Takara?
FP - No, we are making money off of it, but we're not in it for profit, and all profits go back into manufacturing. It`s a hobby and I think that's for the best. We haven't had any conversations with them at all, positive or negative, and that`s just fine with us.
D_S - What are your thoughts on iGear's City Commander upgrade package; an add-on to your add-on?
FP - We don't mind at all, there isn`t any right or wrong in this hobby. Of course we prefer that if there is a kit for our products, we'd like it to be of good quality.
D_S - So the 4th party KOs of your CJ kits don't bother you?
FP - Again, we don't look at the whole thing like a business, it hasn't hurt our feelings. Even Hasbro has knock offs you know.
D_S - With the appearance of some competition, how has that affected your strategies?
FP - It hasn`t; we do this for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of collectors. It doesn`t matter who else is out there.
D_S - How often do you expect to release new characters and products?
FP - We would prefer something new is released every 3-4 months, but we won't be willing to release something if we don't believe it meets our specifications. We are fans too, we wouldn't want something that doesn't meet our expectations.
D_S - After seeing the previews today I'm really excited about your upcoming projects. Would you be able to give us a release order?
FP - We will be releasing what is ready, whenever it is ready. Right now there isn't really a specific order. Although progress on the Superion limbs is coming along nicely. We have a very tentative release of sometime in June.
D_S - How long does it take for a character to go from concept to shipping the final product?
FP - It has taken a long time, longer than fans think. We've been working on the G3 Trailer for 2 years now and had the first prototype of City Commander just as the CJ Upgrade package was released.
D_S - Do you have any plans to do kits outside of the Transformers line?
FP - Not at this time. We have too many ideas right now that are related to the Transformers lines.
D_S - Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us and share your experiences with us. Is there anything you'd like to say to the fans?
FP - We would like to thank everyone very much for the support. We hear lots of requests for what we should make, but at the same time we're doing what we love which means we have our say too. We never want to go against the fan's wishes but at the same time it all boils down to what we want to do. Thank you very much for the support!
