A Gateway to Unicron - HasLab Crowdfunding

I feel like this gave Hasbro a very bad idea. I would have been more than happy with a Titan class Unicron for $150, since they could never make a Unicron big enough to interact with existing figures. He's always been a figure you could just accept will always be out of scale (except with Primus). But now a handful of fans with seemingly large bank accounts have planted it in Hasbro's head that we'd be willing to pay $500 for 3' Unicron. I could never see that reaching its goal, at most I'd pay $250-$300 for that. And what worries me more is I feel like Hasbro logic would dictate it meaning we aren't interested in a Unicron figure, not that they've priced fans out of buying one. The Sandcrawler isn't comparable since it'll be to scale and need to be able to interact with the figures, two things that would be impossible for a Unicron figure. Aside from the novelty of a 3' Unicron is there really any good reason for it to be more than 2' Titan size?

Emerje

I’ve got my old Armada Unicron from when I was a kid. It’s dated, sure, but I think it’s as good as we’re gunna get. Anything bigger would probably be overkill.

I’d rather see this being used to create Titan-class Scorponok or Omega Supreme.

I would like him to be more than a transforming ball planet, possibly with some base/battle mode and loaded with minicon ports, a removable or extra head that could possibly be opened up as a small play set. Also loaded with homages to characters he has been involved with (like some crunched pieces of Thrust in some plating) and possibly even including a deluxe Sideways. But I think $500 is too much, possibly somewhere in the range of 300-350 and being twice the size of a titan would be cool.

Graviton wrote:I would like him to be more than a transforming ball planet, possibly with some base/battle mode and loaded with minicon ports, a removable or extra head that could possibly be opened up as a small play set. Also loaded with homages to characters he has been involved with (like some crunched pieces of Thrust in some plating) and possibly even including a deluxe Sideways. But I think $500 is too much, possibly somewhere in the range of 300-350 and being twice the size of a titan would be cool.

This would definitely be for G1 animated movie Unicron, not Armada Unicron so no Armada references and Mini-con ports here. Definitely no extra modes not from the movie.

Emerje

They should make a mega battle set featuring primus and his remaining primes going against Unicron and the Fallen...and a custom battlefield that doubles as a display...

Boo this article! Boo this man!* We want Tidal Wave!



*Don't actually do that part, he's cool

I would definitely be in for a Haslab Unicron. I really want to go in on the sail barge but $500 by April is a bit short notice for such a high price. I don't think Unicron would be anywhere near that price though, I think $250 would be more realistic. Sure it'll be big but not 4' big, I think 3' would suffice. This is Unicron he NEEDS to be bigger than Metroplex.

Need Unicron to be at least 7ft. tall, complete with a brain and gut smelting pool play-set built inside of him, plus head must be detachable. But seriously, I’d settle for a Unicron’s head play set and call it a day.

steals_your_goats wrote:I would definitely be in for a Haslab Unicron. I really want to go in on the sail barge but $500 by April is a bit short notice for such a high price. I don't think Unicron would be anywhere near that price though, I think $250 would be more realistic. Sure it'll be big but not 4' big, I think 3' would suffice. This is Unicron he NEEDS to be bigger than Metroplex.

I think thats a bit on the dreamer side. Unicron at almost any size is going to be a far more complex toy than that Sail Barge.

Me, personally, I would love a Titan Class Unicron, but I don’t have 500 to pledge up front for something like that. I sincerely doubt it would be less than 350, and I fully expect them to throw out the 500 number

ScottyP wrote:Boo this article! Boo this man! We want Tidal Wave!

One of my favourite bosses from the most underrated Transformers game.

Anyway, I've had negative history with crowdfunding so I don't rate it's value (no pun intended)as a platform, especially in this instance. Wherein it let's Hasbro off the hook to make such TF's as part of their default lines and purely overpriced collectors items.

As for Unicron's scale, using Titans Return Fort Max as a guide, he should be 1-2 inches taller than Fort Max, but no more than that. Anything substantially bigger than that is purely ridiculous and infeasible for shipping and/or sale.

It all depends on the height and size whether Id be in or not. Its gotta be big enough to dwarf metroplex but small enough to transform. Id rather spend $500 on a reissue of the lucky draw green unicron of light. Those 5 people who won it (and sold it) have been exclusive long enough. Mass produce the damn thing.

Rated X wrote:It all depends on the height and size whether Id be in or not. Its gotta be big enough to dwarf metroplex but small enough to transform. Id rather spend $500 on a reissue of the lucky draw green unicron of light. Those 5 people who won it (and sold it) have been exclusive long enough. Mass produce the damn thing.

He can still dwarf them in Planet Mode (in contrast to City Mode) without his Robot Mode being too much taller than Fort Max. That also depends on whether this will be G1 "Fat" Unicron or if they will get creative with tucking the Planet mode inside his body.

I'd possibly be in for an investment of around 200$ to get a G1 accurate Unicron, tops. Otherwise, I'll stick with the Takara retool/repaint released in 2010 thank you very much.

As for other potential figures that could come out of this:

- Titan Class Targetmaster Seacons
- Titan Class Armada Tidal Wave (in animation colors)
- Timelines CW-like Nexus Prime giftset with new molds for each character
- Leader class Beast Wars Torca w/o GPS
- Leader class Sky Lynx (that's not a combiner)
- Three-pack of Voyager-class Monsterbots (no Titan Master/Headmaster gimmick)
- All six female Autobots from the Search for Alpha Trion with brand new, unique, molds.

And some other stuff I'm not thinking of right now.

Not interested in Hasbro crowdunding, they do not even offer international shipping through it and even if they did it probably wouldn't be EU friendly, but it would at least be a start. Hasbro should should be a safer bet than kickscammer but it would probably just lead to Takara doing the same, making more exclusives and harder to get stuff (and Takara seem to be leaning towards crowdfunding already with their grand fortress pre-order target bonus thing they did).

i want a 2 foot or taller version to go with my cityformers. and the unproduced beast wars version for sure. would be interested in more info on this.

I'm what you would call a casual TF fan. All of you will run circles around me regarding knowledge of the line. Because of that, I'm not sure I would fund a Unicron. I love the idea, I just don't know if I love it enough to shell out the high dollar amount this would command. But if it is movie accurate (and why wouldn't it be?) I could find myself doing it.

Regardless of the possibility of a Unicron, I love the idea of the HasLab program. Many have criticized it because "multi-billon dollar corporations shouldn't be crowd funding, it's for the little people". That is where some have misunderstood this process. They don't need the money up front, they need to know people will commit to this and they won't take a loss. They are a business, they aren't there to do us favors. So many people have said "I would buy [really expensive item], they just need to make it." But then when it is released they say they don't have the money or the dreaded "I'll wait for clearance." That is exactly what we don't want if we really do want big, cool things.

I am a Star Wars fan and while I was not clamoring to get a sail barge, I love the what they have here. It's a really cool item, it will be really limited, and supporting this can lead to a lot of other great things. So I funded this one. If you are a big Star Wars fan, you should consider doing it too.

$500 for a 4 foot UNICRON that sizes right with Headmasters/Prime Masters/Titan Masters sounds good to me.

Targetmaster Kup wrote:$500 for a 4 foot UNICRON that sizes right with Headmasters/Prime Masters/Titan Masters sounds good to me.

It's a planet. It would have to be four miles before it scaled properly with any normal figures.

I vote for the G1 Autobot Ark or the Decepticon Nemesis as play sets.

Think about how heavy a four foot Unicron would be. Go pick up a TR Fort Max and imagine something twice as heavy as that. I Can't imagine a toy that cumbersome being very fun to transform and play with.

Lore Keeper wrote:Think about how heavy a four foot Unicron would be. Go pick up a TR Fort Max and imagine something twice as heavy as that. I Can't imagine a toy that cumbersome being very fun to transform and play with.

You hang it from the ceiling. It's a dwarf-planet after all.

I would honestly rather have Primus. I have always felt the Cybertron toy was way too small.

Since Titan Class became a thing with Generations Metroplex I've wondered if we would ever get a Titan Class Unicron but the potential with HasLab seems to bring it to the next level. As an "ultimate dream item" I would love to see how a potential project like this would come to fruition. If Hasbro is truly using fan feedback to determine the figure then here are some points I think they should hit...

-Largest Transformers figure ever made. If they can make Jabba's Sail Barge 4ft long then I don't think it's too much to ask for a figure within the 3-4ft range in height, especially for a planet sized character.

-Inter-changeable heads; One battle damaged and one not with attachable green laser beams for the eyes.

- A Legends Class figure eating gimmick similar to Trypticon's titan master gimmick for bot mode and plant mode. A planet mode maw that can open and close would be cool.

- Lights and sound... not something I typically strive for but if Unicron's planetary ring could light up that would be awesome. Light up green eyes and red abs as well would be nice. Now when I refer to sound... I'm not looking for your typical "pew pew" noises... I refer more to something akin to high quality sound clips of lines from Orson Wells as Unicron from the animated movie.

-Quality materials and paint applications. A figure that large will obviously be fairly heavy so good plastic and parts are a must. We don't need him breaking at the knees (AKA strong ratchet joints please). Also solid paints apps and tampographs. (Absolutely no stickers Hasbro...)

-Solid transformation and poseability; Fully articulated fingers, ankle tilt, the works. Don't skimp on the parts count or be cheap and leave out potential accessories. Make this a figure where no one feels the need to buy a 3rd party add on kit.

- A figure stand to support him in plant mode.

-Classic 80's packaging is a must but please... leave off the Decepticon symbols.

-The ultimate rendition of G1 Unicron. If this is our chance to get this figure as the "ultimate dream product" then go all in. Make it happen Hasbro. I'll support it.

Three words:

Animated Omega Supreme

If we were to recommend a straight up planet Unicron, given the probable engineering limits of a giant robot (just look at Metroplex & Fort Max), I'd peg potential robot height at 30"-36" - and a $300-$400 price tag. A light up planetary ring would be awesome - light up eyes are a given.

I could also see Unicron being a head that turns into a large city-tank, a la Transformers Cybertron. So you'd have a traditional Titan triple changer that converts from robot to head to tank and back!

I'm also advocating Armada Tidal Wave (props to ScottyP), a Generations-style 2' Titan that's backward compatible with mini-cons and such. This would be interesting to pursue because many other potential G1 Titan-worthy characters - Omega Supreme, Scorponok, Unicron - would almost undoubtedly sell, whereas HasLab seems to be testing uncertain ideas. Tidal Wave works for that.

firefox91 wrote:Regardless of the possibility of a Unicron, I love the idea of the HasLab program. Many have criticized it because "multi-billon dollar corporations shouldn't be crowd funding, it's for the little people". That is where some have misunderstood this process. They don't need the money up front, they need to know people will commit to this and they won't take a loss. They are a business, they aren't there to do us favors. So many people have said "I would buy [really expensive item], they just need to make it." But then when it is released they say they don't have the money or the dreaded "I'll wait for clearance." That is exactly what we don't want if we really do want big, cool things.

It is a neat idea I suppose but I'm not sure it's our job to assist Hasbro in eliminating their risk. I'm fairly certain this figure would sell out no matter how it was released. And they have to know that. It's going to be difficult to convince collectors to tie up $$$ on something that may not get produced or will, but at an indeterminate future date. I believe they are correct in trying to use social media and online discussion to determine interest in what fans would like to see. But I really feel that's all they need to know what people want. The only issue I can foresee is if they let the price point get a little out of hand.

Squawk'n'talk wrote:Three words:

Animated Omega Supreme

Yes....a hundred times yes.

lakebot wrote: It's going to be difficult to convince collectors to tie up $$$ on something that may not get produced or will, but at an indeterminate future date.

That's not what's happening here. They don't charge you until they reach the pledge goal and if the sail barge is anything to go by it'll have a shipping date when it's announced and they'll give updates along the way of how design and production is going.

I'm pretty happy with the previous unicorn incarnation for now. Think some sort of omega supreme g1 or animated / ark version would be interesting especially for play value. For scale and possibilities - the wooden metroplex someone did was immense - think I'd pony up 500 euro for a plastic version of that.

Lore Keeper wrote:Think about how heavy a four foot Unicron would be. Go pick up a TR Fort Max and imagine something twice as heavy as that. I Can't imagine a toy that cumbersome being very fun to transform and play with.

If it's twice as big, it would be eight times as heavy, not two.

Meanwhile, I would like a G1 Unicron that has a transformation intricate enough that both his modes are on point. But it doesn't need to be insanely huge...

Here's a thought... would anyone be willing to settle for something less than a whole figure?

I know it would still be out of scale, but at $500, I could imagine a pretty big playset/display that transforms/folds up into just his head.

Caelus wrote:Here's a thought... would anyone be willing to settle for something less than a whole figure?

I know it would still be out of scale, but at $500, I could imagine a pretty big playset/display that transforms/folds up into just his head.

I would. At 3ft or 4ft he’s still just another out of scale Unicron. The head would be awesome, plus voice effects as someone previously said.

Caelus wrote:Here's a thought... would anyone be willing to settle for something less than a whole figure?

I know it would still be out of scale, but at $500, I could imagine a pretty big playset/display that transforms/folds up into just his head.

Maybe, if the head was a Titan Class Headmaster that transformed into the UNICRON robot.

How big would the head have to be though to be in scale though I wonder...playsets would be a neat idea since you could do a lot based just on different series. They could allow your collections to become dioramas.

ZeroWolf wrote:How big would the head have to be though to be in scale though I wonder...playsets would be a neat idea since you could do a lot based just on different series. They could allow your collections to become dioramas.

It still couldn't be in scale. I remember reading that the scene in which Unicron picks Galvatron up between his fingers and eats him, puts Galvatron at roughly the size of Denmark.

One could assume that scene was correctly scaled, and everything else is wrong - given the inconsistency in Unicron's size, I think that would be fair - but even so, imagine a mouth large enough to swallow Titans Return Galvatron like a Gummy Bear.

Let's say you released a set of tiny movie figures to go with it - maybe 2-2.5 inches tall, like the minicons and old Legion class figures; that still requires a mouth that's at least two or three times larger than a human mouth, right? So a corresponding head, then the helmet over that, and the horns...

But I mean, a playset could still be fun - a fully articulated and illuminated face could make it a cool display piece, and with some forced perspective, you could fake some in-scale photos.

Then it could open up into a set of displays, including the smelting pool, the hallway with the clawed tentacles, the room with all the monitors, and the room (brain?) where Rodimus and Galvatron fight. Granted, all that would still have to be massive, and probably require some special Legends class figures to go with it.

I could also imagine a weird thing where Unicron's neck/baseplate would combine with his helmet's horns to form the maw of his planet mode. It wouldn't be in scale with anything, either, but would be a neat extra feature using otherwise leftover parts.

Although, if I had all the money in the world to create an epic collection room, my 'Unicron' would just be either:

(1) A ridiculous, animated light fixture inspired by the movie poster.

- or -

(2) One wall of the room, with a built in entertainment center sculpted to look like his mouth and surrounding surface. The mandibles would stretch along the other walls, and the whole thing would have concealed cabinets and little lights synched to the sound system.

Easy answer for me. Anything north of $200 and I'm out, no matter how cool it is. I have a hard enough time justifying the titans with the wife as it is. Lack of space is also becoming an issue.

Mindmaster wrote:I’ve got my old Armada Unicron from when I was a kid. It’s dated, sure, but I think it’s as good as we’re gunna get. Anything bigger would probably be overkill.

I’d rather see this being used to create Titan-class Scorponok or Omega Supreme.

I'm happy for those that want Unicron but I agree I'd rather have Scorponok and Omega Supreme first

Coptur wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:I’ve got my old Armada Unicron from when I was a kid. It’s dated, sure, but I think it’s as good as we’re gunna get. Anything bigger would probably be overkill.

I’d rather see this being used to create Titan-class Scorponok or Omega Supreme.

I'm happy for those that want Unicron but I agree I'd rather have Scorponok and Omega Supreme first

I think you guys are missing the point of Haslab. This is a way to get products out there that would never make it to regular retail. Omega and Scorponok would be regular retail releases like the other titans before them. So this isn't a "one or the other" type thing, it's an extra outlet for the more collector oriented market.

steals_your_goats wrote:I think you guys are missing the point of Haslab. This is a way to get products out there that would never make it to regular retail. Omega and Scorponok would be regular retail releases like the other titans before them. So this isn't a "one or the other" type thing, it's an extra outlet for the more collector oriented market.

Well that's not strictly true in any event. Scorponok and Omega Supreme were already looked over once in a fan poll, for Trypticon. I tie these points together because even after releasing one name only from the poll, they have dismissed the rest of the list entirely. Be it HasTak or HasLab, their track record demonstrates it is and will always be one or the other.

Further proof of this being in their Other Collector orientated Line: The MP Collection. You don't get to choose who you want, you get to select from options they want to make. Which of course their home fanbase is the only region that gets even that level of input.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

steals_your_goats wrote:I think you guys are missing the point of Haslab. This is a way to get products out there that would never make it to regular retail. Omega and Scorponok would be regular retail releases like the other titans before them. So this isn't a "one or the other" type thing, it's an extra outlet for the more collector oriented market.

Well that's not strictly true in any event. Scorponok and Omega Supreme were already looked over once in a fan poll, for Trypticon. I tie these points together because even after releasing one name only from the poll, they have dismissed the rest of the list entirely. Be it HasTak or HasLab, their track record demonstrates it is and will always be one or the other.

Further proof of this being in their Other Collector orientated Line: The MP Collection. You don't get to choose who you want, you get to select from options they want to make. Which of course their home fanbase is the only region that gets even that level of input.

They haven't dismissed anything. There has been one Titan since the vote and it was Predaking who fit in with the potp theme. There's no reason to believe that we won't get the other two during the WFC trilogy. Especially since both Omega and Scorponok have cybertronian at modes.

Exactly, Predaking. Who wasn't even a part of the list Trypticon won. Licensing issues aside, when was the last time you saw Hasbro make Omega Supreme? The G1 Encore from 2008. When was the last time they made G1 Scorponok? A Japan-exclusive repaint in 1988..

In Hasbro's eyes, these are not retail releases. Unicron has been since 2003.

spiderbob007 wrote:I vote for the G1 Autobot Ark or the Decepticon Nemesis as play sets.

This would be fun too, Transformers on the whole have very little in the way of playsets! I really like the Ark from the SDCC Dinobot set a few years back, but since it's paperboard I'm afraid to mess with it too much. Even that in plastic form would be awesome.

I'm kind of amazed at the lack of excitement I'm seeing on here. Who DOESN'T want an unrealistically excellent Unicron figure to finally exist?

Let's be serious -- this is going to happen, right? I find it hard to believe Hasbro has many things to do with Haslabs that are better than this. If you're not doing this, why have the platform at all? I bet it was the first thing on the board when they proposed Haslabs as a project.

And when it happens -- well when it happens I'm going to have to have a long conversation with my wife about my need for this 3' toy that we have no room for in our house.

I would pay 150$ for a titan class Unicron. Cant afford the space for bigger than 2" and wouldnt pay more than that for a 2" toy. Is the Jabba thing USA only?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Exactly, Predaking. Who wasn't even a part of the list Trypticon won. Licensing issues aside, when was the last time you saw Hasbro make Omega Supreme? The G1 Encore from 2008. When was the last time they made G1 Scorponok? A Japan-exclusive repaint in 1988..

In Hasbro's eyes, these are not retail releases. Unicron has been since 2003.

Right, obviously they're not going to release the poll losers immediately after the winner. What would have been the point then? And the poll was for the next Titan not which figure gets a Titan. They're going to do the other two people just need to be patient. And you obviously missed my point about Predaking matching the current play pattern. That is a big deal to Hasbro with this trilogy. Omega and Scorponok are going to happen and they're going to be retail releases.

william-james88 wrote:I would pay 150$ for a titan class Unicron. Cant afford the space for bigger than 2" and wouldnt pay more than that for a 2" toy. Is the Jabba thing USA only?

Yeah it's U.S. only

steals_your_goats wrote: Scorponok have cybertronian at modes.

There are scorpions on Cybertron?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

steals_your_goats wrote:I think you guys are missing the point of Haslab. This is a way to get products out there that would never make it to regular retail. Omega and Scorponok would be regular retail releases like the other titans before them. So this isn't a "one or the other" type thing, it's an extra outlet for the more collector oriented market.

Well that's not strictly true in any event. Scorponok and Omega Supreme were already looked over once in a fan poll, for Trypticon. I tie these points together because even after releasing one name only from the poll, they have dismissed the rest of the list entirely. Be it HasTak or HasLab, their track record demonstrates it is and will always be one or the other.

You can't look at the results of the fan poll and say Hasbro looked over Omega Supreme and Scorponok for the release. To say that these two characters have been 'dismissed' is likewise ridiculous.

The only track record is Hasbro releasing one titan per year since Metroplex. If anything, the release of Predaking is evidence of the success of Devastator, and has no bearing on a release of Omega Supreme or Scorponok down the road.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Further proof of this being in their Other Collector orientated Line: The MP Collection. You don't get to choose who you want, you get to select from options they want to make. Which of course their home fanbase is the only region that gets even that level of input.

Hasbro and Takara coordinate to a large extent, but you can't take a Takara-driven as evidence of any Hasbro-driven decisions.