The Energon Pub

Why doesn't Hasbro take the best from all of the 3rd party companies, put them together and sublet their transformer property out to them?
I know we already have a collectors club, but come on. They're always repaints aren't they? Is that really what you want out of a collectors club?
I was thinking Hasbro could fund the crack team of select guys from all of the 3rd party companies, pay them for their time of course and let them continue to do what they already do and will continue to do with or without hasbros blessing. (That being ofcourse to make us collectors awesome G-1 figures That Hasbro wont release for whatever reason)
This way Hasbro can get in on the action, plus we will be able to have official product, complete with proper names and insignias! Not to mention proper boxes for those who do the M.O.C. thing.
It would also make it possible to get more figures and maybe even lower the price!
Those 3rd party guys do awesome jobs!
City commander,protector armor,springer(defender?),feminine warrior,stuntacons, constructacons, areal bots, swindle , vortex, predicons all the little guys like brawn, huffer, cosmos, etc. The list goes on and on.
Its not like they're the same as other 3rd party figure makers that create other lines. There's a whole other dimension here. The awesome ability to make these figures look toon accurate, while forcing an alt mode into the mix (Sometimes even 2 alt modes!) is something no other 3rd party people have to worry about.
They really do have amazing engineers and a few of the figures theyve made are absolutely brilliant in the way that they transform.
So yeah. Thats my idea. What do you guys think?

You forget, the sole reason why those 3rd party products turn out so well (for us, really) is lack of restrictions, be them law or budgetary, and a totally different market.

The designers of Hasbro have to not only comply to Toy Safety Laws, but also take possible cost per unit into account. The more parts, the more expensive. Were the restrictions removed, Hasbro could work wonders. To illustrate: Cybertron Leobreaker. Hasbro was actually able to make a prototype with much more believable hand, with the fingers folding from inside the legs and thumbs on the outside of each knee. His Cyber Key gimmick was also more complex. See this image here:

Cybertron Leobreaker prototype and color chart on TFWiki.

However, a multitude of factors including oil prices resulted in the toy we have today. Makes me wish someone could tackle this, I want my Leos to have hands!

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Cybertron Leobreaker prototype and color chart on TFWiki.

This image made me sad.

I need to rinse my eyeballs with Generations Metroplex.

That's better.

So did we get a wildly wattered down version of that figure I guess? thanks due to using parts that cant be swallowed I suppose.
I hadnt considered howbadly that might restrict things.
Wouldnt they be able to get arround that though by offering the figures through a collectors club and making it mandatory to have an easy to obtain membership (same as joining this sight) and making you check a box indicating you realize the prodict has small parts?
I admit Im not positive on how all the legalities of making this happen, but it seems that it could if hasbro were willing.
I think theres a way do to it and make everyone happy while keeping the prices of the figures where they are at.

Trust me, I would love to see them cheaper and in stores as much as the next guy/girl. But the current circumstances are just not ideal.

Hasbro is a toy company, first and foremost, and Transformers is a toy line, first and foremost. For the 3rd party products to be sold as toys, it wouldn't be feasible to keep them at their current designs and prices, even as limited club member exclusives.
Hasbro does outsource non-toy products to other companies, true, but 3rd party companies are in lukewarm water with Hasbro, straddling the grey area between original designs and blatant copyright and IP infringement. So Hasbro will most likely never contact them for any design work, amazing as it is.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Trust me, I would love to see them cheaper and in stores as much as the next guy/girl. But the current circumstances are just not ideal.

Hasbro is a toy company, first and foremost, and Transformers is a toy line, first and foremost. For the 3rd party products to be sold as toys, it wouldn't be feasible to keep them at their current designs and prices, even as limited club member exclusives.
Hasbro does outsource non-toy products to other companies, true, but 3rd party companies are in lukewarm water with Hasbro, straddling the grey area between original designs and blatant copyright and IP infringement. So Hasbro will most likely never contact them for any design work, amazing as it is.

Oh no, I think I didnt specify my thoughts well enough. I was talking about keeping them available online only. I know it wouldnt be able to be done by selling them in actual stores for many reasons.
But if they kept them online under a fans club title, Hasbro could simply give their blessing and hand pick the best designers, engineres and moldsman from the 3rd party companies that already exist, they would effectively cripple all their competition by removing their best employees and inserted themselves into the middle of the profit. ( Im sure the crippled 3rd party companies wont vanish completely, but you get my drift)
Basically everything would remain the same, only with one newly formed
"3rd party company" now backed by hasbro making all the figures for us.

Megs for pres wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Trust me, I would love to see them cheaper and in stores as much as the next guy/girl. But the current circumstances are just not ideal.

Hasbro is a toy company, first and foremost, and Transformers is a toy line, first and foremost. For the 3rd party products to be sold as toys, it wouldn't be feasible to keep them at their current designs and prices, even as limited club member exclusives.
Hasbro does outsource non-toy products to other companies, true, but 3rd party companies are in lukewarm water with Hasbro, straddling the grey area between original designs and blatant copyright and IP infringement. So Hasbro will most likely never contact them for any design work, amazing as it is.

Oh no, I think I didnt specify my thoughts well enough. I was talking about keeping them available online only. I know it wouldnt be able to be done by selling them in actual stores for many reasons.
But if they kept them online under a fans club title, Hasbro could simply give their blessing and hand pick the best designers, engineres and moldsman from the 3rd party companies that already exist, they would effectively cripple all their competition by removing their best employees and inserted themselves into the middle of the profit. ( Im sure the crippled 3rd party companies wont vanish completely, but you get my drift)
Basically everything would remain the same, only with one newly formed
"3rd party company" now backed by hasbro making all the figures for us.

Whatcha think jelzee? Now that I cleared a bit of the misunderstanding I mean?
I think it might be difficult to get all parties on board, but that it would work well once it happened and that we would benefit allot.
It would be kind of like the MOTU fans club.

Megs for pres wrote:Whatcha think jelzee? Now that I cleared a bit of the misunderstanding I mean?
I think it might be difficult to get all parties on board, but that it would work well once it happened and that we would benefit allot.
It would be kind of like the MOTU fans club.

Sounds nice, but it also does not sound economically viable. Way too much organisation and hassle for a too small market (which also happens to be an EXTRA-critical market). The TFCC is the closest thing we get to what you are describing, and look how much hassle they have (and cause). It's much easier and cheaper to just cater to non-critical kids with mass-consumption products. Why spend way too much money on R&D development and on details and paint and high quality products when a kid's imagination will already fill in all the gaps on a lesser quality product

Read Jelze's replies to your earlier questions again: you'll find he really has already given all the answers to why your idea is just not viable for a company like Hasbro.

Megs for pres wrote:

Megs for pres wrote:
Oh no, I think I didnt specify my thoughts well enough. I was talking about keeping them available online only. I know it wouldnt be able to be done by selling them in actual stores for many reasons.
But if they kept them online under a fans club title, Hasbro could simply give their blessing and hand pick the best designers, engineres and moldsman from the 3rd party companies that already exist, they would effectively cripple all their competition by removing their best employees and inserted themselves into the middle of the profit. ( Im sure the crippled 3rd party companies wont vanish completely, but you get my drift)
Basically everything would remain the same, only with one newly formed
"3rd party company" now backed by hasbro making all the figures for us.

Whatcha think jelzee? Now that I cleared a bit of the misunderstanding I mean?
I think it might be difficult to get all parties on board, but that it would work well once it happened and that we would benefit allot.
It would be kind of like the MOTU fans club.

Don't quote yourself; it's tacky.

I think JelZe answered your question. It's a nice idea; it's just not practical. Sure, WE would benefit, but it's probably not economically or strategically sound for the companies involved.

GuyIncognito wrote: Don't quote yourself; it's tacky.

Well I was trying to quote jelzee, but thanks anyway man!!!!! Ill try to remember that.

I believe I have found my signature! I cant help but like this guys abrasiveness. Your ate up bro!!!