The Energon Pub

[ZeroWolf]

I never said the G1 designs weren't ridiculously dated, no disagreement there. But they are a hell of a lot more marketable to kids than the MTMTE cybertronian designs. Kids can look at Earthrise Grapple and know that it is an older style crane. Kids will look at MTMTE Jazz and ask, what the heck is that, a shoe? (Real feedback from a real kid on that comment.)

Generations figures are designed and marketed for adults primarily. If you look at Hasbro investor-facing material, adult purchases for adults are an important constituency. Just as they have media properties for different demographics, they maintain separate product lines.

I think they still take kids into consideration with generations as they've said collectors are only 30% (which is bigger then I thought) so there's still the parents who'll be potentially buying these for their kids.

Also with the recent reveal of Cyberverse Deluxes, I'd argue they are making more of an effort to pull collectors in with that line as well now (just waiting for them to do generations styled rescue bots)

[AcademyofDrX]

I never said the G1 designs weren't ridiculously dated, no disagreement there. But they are a hell of a lot more marketable to kids than the MTMTE cybertronian designs. Kids can look at Earthrise Grapple and know that it is an older style crane. Kids will look at MTMTE Jazz and ask, what the heck is that, a shoe? (Real feedback from a real kid on that comment.)

Generations figures are designed and marketed for adults primarily. If you look at Hasbro investor-facing material, adult purchases for adults are an important constituency. Just as they have media properties for different demographics, they maintain separate product lines.

I think they still take kids into consideration with generations as they've said collectors are only 30% (which is bigger then I thought) so there's still the parents who'll be potentially buying these for their kids.

Also with the recent reveal of Cyberverse Deluxes, I'd argue they are making more of an effort to pull collectors in with that line as well now (just waiting for them to do generations styled rescue bots)

If memory serves, that 30% is all-inclusive across the franchise, so it would be the share including not just Generations, but child-oriented sub-lines like Rescue Bots, other animated tie-ins, and the basic movie toys. But don't take my word for it, here's Seibertron's own reporting from Hasbro's 2017 Investor Day presentation https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/toy-fair-2017-hasbro-investor-presentation-report-the-last-knight-dragon-toy-and-rid-bruticus-revealed-tfny-hasbrotoyfair/37358/:
"Most numerous users of Hasbro products are over 14 (TF Generations, SW Black Series, Marvel Legends)."
You can see that idea represented specifically for the Transformers brand in slide 17 of the Entertainment in Brand Building deck. https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/4aa02741-e932-48a2-99fe-69c896d7e8ab

In the case of Generations at least, it's not that Hasbro is making toys for kids that they hope adults also buy - it's the other way around. We're the target market.

[AcademyofDrX]

@ZeroWolf Also, I think you're probably on point about Cyberverse deluxes, especially with BAF Maccadam.

[william-james88]

I never said the G1 designs weren't ridiculously dated, no disagreement there. But they are a hell of a lot more marketable to kids than the MTMTE cybertronian designs. Kids can look at Earthrise Grapple and know that it is an older style crane. Kids will look at MTMTE Jazz and ask, what the heck is that, a shoe? (Real feedback from a real kid on that comment.)

Generations figures are designed and marketed for adults primarily. If you look at Hasbro investor-facing material, adult purchases for adults are an important constituency. Just as they have media properties for different demographics, they maintain separate product lines.

This is false. Hasbro said to their investors that fans aged 10 and up consist of 30%. They never gave numbers regarding people 18+. John Warden said the audience for the generations line is still predominantly kids. A leader optimus is mandated by the higher ups along with the idea of having differently coloured bots in a wave. These are decisions made in kid oriented lines.

[Sentinel_Primal]

So, thinking about potential Megatron designs for this line, and what if they don't give him an Earth mode and instead give him something like a mix between Animated's Cybertronian mode Megs and Prime's design for Megs? I've alwayd liked the idea of Megatron refusing an Earth mode because he feels he's above it

[AcademyofDrX]

I never said the G1 designs weren't ridiculously dated, no disagreement there. But they are a hell of a lot more marketable to kids than the MTMTE cybertronian designs. Kids can look at Earthrise Grapple and know that it is an older style crane. Kids will look at MTMTE Jazz and ask, what the heck is that, a shoe? (Real feedback from a real kid on that comment.)

Generations figures are designed and marketed for adults primarily. If you look at Hasbro investor-facing material, adult purchases for adults are an important constituency. Just as they have media properties for different demographics, they maintain separate product lines.

This is false. Hasbro said to their investors that fans aged 10 and up consist of 30%. They never gave numbers regarding people 18+. John Warden said the audience for the generations line is still predominantly kids. A leader optimus is mandated by the higher ups along with the idea of having differently coloured bots in a wave. These are decisions made in kid oriented lines.

I'm not convinced. Recent months have seen toys across Hasbro's older lines like Moonracer, from a single TF cartoon episode in 1985 ,and Marvel's Boom Boom in a costume from 1991. I don't buy that twelve year olds are rushing to pick them off shelves, bright colors or not. And 14 year olds aren't staking out Target to get the new Black Series Mandalorian figure with exclusive carbonized graphite. I'm not going to worry about trying to figure out, say, the median age of purchasers of a specific figure, and I'm not going to claim that 6 Optimus toys a year is to satisfy adults, but there's plenty of evidence that many creative choices are made specifically to cater to older fans.

[Sabrblade]

I've alwayd liked the idea of Megatron refusing an Earth mode because he feels he's above it

In that case, just reissue the already-Cybertronian-altmoded Siege Megatron in Earthrise.

[Skritz]

I've alwayd liked the idea of Megatron refusing an Earth mode because he feels he's above it

In that case, just reissue the already-Cybertronian-altmoded Siege Megatron in Earthrise.

Hey maybe they'll throw a curveball and Earthrise Megatron will be based off this:

Or maybe this?

[Triggerdick Megatron]

If they do the other basic original Micromaster bases, who should they do next>

Hothouse's Fire Station


Greasepit's Petrol Station


Airwave's Airport


Personally I would like to see Greasepit's Petrol Station

I so second this... We need a line of bases and micromasters for the 21st century.

[Triggerdick Megatron]

I've alwayd liked the idea of Megatron refusing an Earth mode because he feels he's above it

In that case, just reissue the already-Cybertronian-altmoded Siege Megatron in Earthrise.

Hey maybe they'll throw a curveball and Earthrise Megatron will be based off this:

Or maybe this?

One that transforms into a rifle would be great.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

^The Purple tank redeco always looked a lot better than the Green.

So, thinking about potential Megatron designs for this line, and what if they don't give him an Earth mode and instead give him something like a mix between Animated's Cybertronian mode Megs and Prime's design for Megs? I've always liked the idea of Megatron refusing an Earth mode because he feels he's above it

Alternatively, they could ditch the tired recycled designs and give Megatron something previously unmade/unused in fiction...











As for the conversation above, to shed the 80's aesthetic for good (as they should have already, 35 years later) they need a new series that goes all out with brand new and unconnected designs that capture people's imagination. So they forget the old and embrace the new. It's not like they haven't done that before...

[ZeroWolf]

For megs, stay away from handguns or any hand held weaponry as its silly. Though that throw away joke from the recent Ghostbusters x Transformers crossover where prime said the war started because he'd stood on megs gun alt mode was perfect (I know he said it as a joke)

Anyway, I'd be down for a megs triple changer, tank/jet, like the abandoned marauder Megatron from Animated. Or maybe they'll do an Animated homage and make him a helicopter. Though it would be nice to give Cybertron Optimus his counterpart...

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Or just go the Bayformers route, make Megatron a truck too. That way the would save money on a new mold and only need to redeco Earthrise Prime and give him a new head. I'm sure Warden would be happy with that..

[ZeroWolf]

Nah we can already get three bad guys out of Earthrise Prime, no need to add to that

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Still no Motormaster though? You would have thought a retool of SIEGE Magnus, Galaxy Prime or Earthrise would have been a no brainer. A reimagining too. Leader Class Decepticon Motormaster - unaffiliated with the Stunticons.

[emlit]

Makes sense to me.

[ZeroWolf]

Still no Motormaster though? You would have thought a retool of SIEGE Magnus, Galaxy Prime or Earthrise would have been a no brainer. A reimagining too. Leader Class Decepticon Motormaster - unaffiliated with the Stunticons.

I'd imagine they'd stay clear of that idea (though he was one of the three bad guys I meant) after the reception they got with Ultra Class Onslaught and Silverbolt (and the Hotspot redeco of Inferno). Despite Onslaught being a good toy, people weren't happy that they didn't combine.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Which is part of the problem. Some people are too fixated on OLD ideas. The Constructicons in Animated are a great example of reinvention. Did they have a significant presence in the show? Yes. Were they Devastator? NO. Swindle was another.

It also indicates some people don't see any value in the individuals of a Combiner Team, they only want the Gestalt. Which is such a wasteful, limited perspective. No wonder Transformers is stuck in a rut of recycling the same 15+ 80's characters.

[ZeroWolf]

Which is part of the problem. Some people are too fixated on OLD ideas. The Constructicons in Animated are a great example of reinvention. Did they have a significant presence in the show? Yes. Were they Devastator? NO. Swindle was another.

It also indicates some people don't see any value in the individuals of a Combiner Team, they only want the Gestalt. Which is such a wasteful, limited perspective. No wonder Transformers is stuck in a rut of recycling the same 15+ 80's characters.

Very much agreed.

Animated Swindle was great and I'd like to see another take like that again.

You're spot on how some view the special teams, seeing the gestalt as the main focus, it's how some justified the titan predaking and Devesator.

An interesting comparison is how Studio Series are handling devy, releasing him part by part allows us to get to grips with the individual components and spend time with them as just them.

[Sabrblade]

Which is part of the problem. Some people are too fixated on OLD ideas. The Constructicons in Animated are a great example of reinvention. Did they have a significant presence in the show? Yes. Were they Devastator? NO.

They were going to be, though.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Which is part of the problem. Some people are too fixated on OLD ideas. The Constructicons in Animated are a great example of reinvention. Did they have a significant presence in the show? Yes. Were they Devastator? NO.

They were going to be, though.

Yes, but it never came to pass. So we can only work with what was released in the final product. Since Volcanicus now exists, does that mean whenever the Dinobots reappear in fiction some self-entitled fanboy will throw a fit if they aren't a Combiner Team?

[Sentinel_Primal]

Which is part of the problem. Some people are too fixated on OLD ideas. The Constructicons in Animated are a great example of reinvention. Did they have a significant presence in the show? Yes. Were they Devastator? NO. Swindle was another.

It also indicates some people don't see any value in the individuals of a Combiner Team, they only want the Gestalt. Which is such a wasteful, limited perspective. No wonder Transformers is stuck in a rut of recycling the same 15+ 80's characters.

I was actually thinking how great it'd be to get new versions of Animated Mixmaster, Scrapper, and Swindle. Honestly, I'd be okay with them being "G1-ified" as long as the designs still had the Animated-esque details like Scrapper bucket torso or Mixmaster's stomach drum

[Skritz]

they could ditch the tired recycled designs and give Megatron something previously unmade/unused in fiction...

Not in this line, buddy. Or any future line with this current design team.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

they could ditch the tired recycled designs and give Megatron something previously unmade/unused in fiction...

Not in this line, buddy. Or any future line with this current design team.

Indeed. Transformers is held back by people on both sides of the franchise. Wishful thinking they would ditch Warden & Co for the final part of the WFC trilogy to offer up something new... Because they definitely don't want that...

[Microbot]

Any news about available thses on Amazon or Europe retailers?