Re: Hasbro Transformers Announces Pulse Con Exclusive and Teases NEW HasLab Project
Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:54 pm
I tend to agree with osupreme and anyone else who still sees the value of G1.
"Old fans", in my mind entails a couple things:
Nostalgia, which in and of itself can have a powerful pull, as well as the aspect of loyalty over a good portion of time.
Both are substantial in the realm of consumerism.
I'm not saying TF shouldn't or can't "move on" in some ways.
But from a profit-seeking company's point of view, abandoning G1 all-together is most likely a bit pernicious, and Hastak knows this. Which is also why I believe (although, yeah, I still want confirmation) the rumor that the new line will include a substantial portion of G1.
To say the OG's are holding TF back is pretty myopic, at least in terms of toys; G1 will be salient to this franchise for a long, long time.
It wasn't that long ago that I thought all young kids still play with toys, and action figures must be in that mix. But talking about changing with the times, a kid's proclivity for electronics, sports, and even musical endeavors being > toys at an even earlier age is already becoming aphorism.
This isn't to suggest that absolutely no kids play with action figure-type toys.
However, I believe the gap between kid and adult/collector consumer group sales percentages is smaller overall than we think. At least outside of the Cyberverse line.
Going back to my initial point, there were more kids than adults wanting the Target exclusive seeker 2-pack? More kids than adults were excited about Rodimus Prime? Or Cyclonus? Or SS86 Jazz? Or Mindwipe?
How many 10 year olds are thinking, "Bro, I hope I don't turn 12 before all 3 of the other leader class Dinobots are released!".
Then consider the Masterpiece line... A whole line obviously for adult collectors, with somewhere around 40+ of those figures being G1 characters.
Not only are the SG, Selects, Studio Series lines more for adults, they all are what they are because of the hegemony of G1 and the ardor of its "old fans".
I understand how and why collectors would be tired of it, but throwing it into the abyss is actually going to be inimical to how much TF are able to expand in the foreseeable future.
"Old fans", in my mind entails a couple things:
Nostalgia, which in and of itself can have a powerful pull, as well as the aspect of loyalty over a good portion of time.
Both are substantial in the realm of consumerism.
I'm not saying TF shouldn't or can't "move on" in some ways.
But from a profit-seeking company's point of view, abandoning G1 all-together is most likely a bit pernicious, and Hastak knows this. Which is also why I believe (although, yeah, I still want confirmation) the rumor that the new line will include a substantial portion of G1.
To say the OG's are holding TF back is pretty myopic, at least in terms of toys; G1 will be salient to this franchise for a long, long time.
It wasn't that long ago that I thought all young kids still play with toys, and action figures must be in that mix. But talking about changing with the times, a kid's proclivity for electronics, sports, and even musical endeavors being > toys at an even earlier age is already becoming aphorism.
This isn't to suggest that absolutely no kids play with action figure-type toys.
However, I believe the gap between kid and adult/collector consumer group sales percentages is smaller overall than we think. At least outside of the Cyberverse line.
Going back to my initial point, there were more kids than adults wanting the Target exclusive seeker 2-pack? More kids than adults were excited about Rodimus Prime? Or Cyclonus? Or SS86 Jazz? Or Mindwipe?
How many 10 year olds are thinking, "Bro, I hope I don't turn 12 before all 3 of the other leader class Dinobots are released!".
Then consider the Masterpiece line... A whole line obviously for adult collectors, with somewhere around 40+ of those figures being G1 characters.
Not only are the SG, Selects, Studio Series lines more for adults, they all are what they are because of the hegemony of G1 and the ardor of its "old fans".
I understand how and why collectors would be tired of it, but throwing it into the abyss is actually going to be inimical to how much TF are able to expand in the foreseeable future.