The Energon Pub

In sequel to this thread.

how-do-you-feel-about-the-state-of-the-franchise-now--t68663.php-

That was what people were thinking 5 years ago.

So I was wondering how do you feel now ?

well with yet another Bay led movie coming out....& it'll probably be no different to the same old guff that we've had 4 times previously! but I'm hopeful about the animated movie coming out

& with the current toylines...RID/CW ect reusing existing molds to make new figures(Sliverbolt/Cyclonus/& possibly Scattershot...ok granted that cyclonus is a good remold. Dead End/Streetwise/Prowl/ & possibly Lightspeed...ok again Streetwise & Prowl were ok remolds. Off Road/Ironhide, Drag Strip/Mirage, Blackjack/Runabout, Groove/whatever his RID repaint is called!......ect the list goes on! but you get the idea) instead of giving us completely new ones.

plus....with some of the figures nowadays....we seem to be getting a lot more faults with them(RID Grimlock knee ratchet issue, CW Optimus/Motormaster hip joint issue....although that's being fixed with the Battle Core Prime & reissue Motormaster coming out! the Thrilling 30 Generations Voyager Blitzwing/Doubledealer shoulder issue! even though eventually there was a custom fix for that.....ect) as well as other issues such as Blaster from the Platinum Edition range plastic quality feeling rather cheap & KO like! & not worth the price that the retailers are selling that set he's part of for.

plus on figures like Generations Metroplex...the plastic quality is rather hollow, thin & could easily stress.

same with Hasbro CW Devastator....plastic is thin in places, there's limited articulation(although they're correcting that with the Takara version) & there's a distinct lack of paint application(again the Takara one sorts this)

I could go on & on.....but in hindsight...& taking all of what I have said....it just doesn't feel the same as back in the 80's

too many reused & repainted molds, too few articulation with certain figures(Hasbro Devastator, Platinum Edition Blaster & Perceptor), too many faults with figures nowadays(as highlighted above), too high prices we pay for figures that are substandard, & finally....the plastic used on some figures today compared to the plastic used in the 80's.....is crap!

as for the various cartoon series....well I've enjoyed them....but a lot of people are finding faults with them...or just not liking them altogether.

same with the multitude of videogames.....I've enjoyed them.....while a lot of people just rubbish the games!

as for the comics....I don't read those....so couldn't possibly say

Wow, loaded question. A lot has changed! Probably best to take it prong by prong.

• Television: I think this is, for now, a "no change" in the past five years. Prime was just about to premier five years ago, and while it was good, I think RiD is a step backwards (though with a different target audience, this is somewhat unfair, but hey, opinions.) Rescue Bots is good for the kids I hear, so I'll put that as a positive. I'm unsure what to think about this upcoming Combiner Wars series, but it's smart to be looking at alternative ways to do that in lieu of traditional TV, which is possibly dying a very slow death.
  
• Comics: Far and away, by every standard, in a much better state than five years ago. I don't feel further elaboration is needed.
  
• Videogames: Some missteps after FoC, but that was pretty fantastic. Devastation is out in five days, and it looks promising, so we'll see. This is either one of those areas that's better, but not dramatically so as of right now.
  
• Movies: Better, because DotM and AoE weren't nearly the on screen disasters that RotF was. As for the future, we'll see. I really feel like Bay wants to be done with it but won't let go for some $reason, but it's tough to say if someone else would do better. Trying to take it into Marvel-esque franchise territory is a good idea in theory, but I don't know if they've got the creative aptitude to pull it off. I think they'd have to do a dramatically different one-off type movie with nothing at all to do with the previous films for it to work, which doesn't seem to be the case right now based on rumors. Just sounds like we're getting TF5a and TF5b, which may disappoint me but again, money talks and this is it talking.
  
• Toys: Generally worse off in design and quality. There are dozens of reasons for this, the primary one being that we aren't a fandom that will pay $20 for scouts or $35 for deluxes. The reality is we'll pay $50 for scouts and $70 for deluxes, but only if you put "Fansproject" on the box with a note that says "HASBRO IS TEH SUXORZ" inside.
  
  With that joke out of the way, we're having trouble as a fan community dealing with the troubles the toy industry faces on the whole, but I think Combiner Wars is a perfect example of Hasbro evolving with the times in a smart, fun as heck way. These aren't of the build quality and don't have the engineering quality of stuff from five years back, but that's what we've built the brand to ourselves, as consumers, by scoffing at Deluxes that cost more than $12 for years and not leaving positive reviews to counteract the angry parental ones railing against complexity on Amazon. That said, the overall themes and direction are fantastic, age appropriate for each line, and I think there's a better long-term growth strategy for the toys now than there was with the former brand team (I don't feel that way about the brand overall, more on that later.)
  
  Also, Masterpiece. This has been a renaissance and I hope it continues. To me, it makes up for the other mass retail product's dip in quality, so overall, I think toys are in the "no change, but maybe just a tad worse off" boat.
  
• Brand awareness: Better off, but not by much. This may change if the new strategy with the movies works, but it can't be denied that overall marketing for Transformers takes a serious back seat to Marvel and/or Star Wars when there isn't a movie in-season. I'm sure this is almost due in whole to budget constraints, but it's still not a good look. I think the brand needs to do more to keep itself not only in front of consumers, but fresh in appearance. Trotting out movie Optimus and Bee again in two years won't do this. It'll be ten years since Transformers by then, with the same overall marketing tone in place. That is not how to build the franchise, that's how to get consumers to yawn and walk away because they've seen it before in their mind's eye.
  
• Competitive standing: Good but worse off than five years ago. Sentai/Power Rangers is eating into the US "big ol' robot toy" market much more now, as I perceive it at least, than five years ago. Don't discount a Gundam comeback, it's been a very slow burn but with stuff like the Bluefin distribution of kits into Barnes and Noble stores, very smart Youtube releases of the latest shows, and a generation of kids that grew up on a hearty menu of Legos that may start thinking they're "too old" for those, it's worth consideration, if only for a short moment. Takara's been working upstream against that for ages, and sometimes it shows in their TF product (for instance, Arms Micron.)
  
  Superhero movies have definitely taken away some thunder as well, and it looks like Hasbro is going to be on the hastily patched up, leaking water from the outset boats with the "toys to life" craze just as it passes its peak, if they ever set sail on that journey at all. Which, really, I think would be a bad idea at this point. And no, I don't think RiD's scanning counts for much there, even though the mobile strategy is wise. The real depth and engagement in that arena comes from, at least the attempt at, deep and engaging games on a console, in a room, with a controller, and not on a tiny screen with a camera that one then taps on repeatedly for hours.
  
  I think Titan Wars is very promising, in theory. We're reaching a point where, if not very soon, then somewhat soon, Transformers is going to have to evolve again to stay competitive. Maybe some big 'ol playsets that are also big 'ol robots is a smart move.

I'll probably think of tons more on this later, but that's what threads and edit buttons are for!