Q and A round 6

[Onslaught Six]

We haven't yet, as far as we know (and neither has anybody else so it's not just us) and also, we've got a good bunch of questions right now that already sound pretty interesting and are Good. And truthfully, I can't think of anything I want to ask right now that *doesn't* veer into questions like "Are we getting the third bike, or not?" and "So, uh, Scrapper and Overload. Yes? No?"

[Dominic]

Okay guys, the polls close in less than a day.

My votes are for 3, 5 and 6.


Dom
-still waiting on answers for Round 5......

[andersonh1]

I vote for 3, 5 and 7.

[JediTricks]

Have we gotten the answers for round 5 yet? Did I miss them somewhere?

No, they promised us the answers last Monday and then nada. Same with Star Wars. And they're not usually on the same schedule as each other, so I'm guessing the problem is the middleman firm who handles the organization between the fan sites and Hasbro. This has led to tons of problems in the past with Star Wars, but I'll take a shot with TF because a miss means a 2-month-long backup.

We haven't yet, as far as we know (and neither has anybody else so it's not just us) and also, we've got a good bunch of questions right now that already sound pretty interesting and are Good. And truthfully, I can't think of anything I want to ask right now that *doesn't* veer into questions like "Are we getting the third bike, or not?" and "So, uh, Scrapper and Overload. Yes? No?"

This is why going to panels, or at least reading my writeups, can help get rid of those questions. Are we getting 3rd bike? Yes, no instructions on combination, they want the name Moonracer. Scrapper & Overload? No, they didn't have separate bot modes in the film and Hasbro didn't want to do every Devastator figure. See? Easy.

Here are my votes:
3
5
7

Question 4 seems like it's been addressed indirectly through other things they've said in past Q&As. They get a lot of back-and-forth with the moviemakers during production, sometimes they see stuff they like, sometimes it's there to fill a need, sometimes it had more importance before it was cut but was too late for Hasbro to not produce it.

Question 6 seems like it needed a little more baking, it doesn't seem quite right to me, possibly because we have a question waiting to be answered about half of it, and I haven't seen a lot of complaints about breakage.


Anyway, thanks for the participation gang. I've just tallied up the votes, my vote put all 3 of those questions over the top so it's 3, 5, and 7 for this round.

[JediTricks]

Here are the 3 questions I just edited and sent in this round, and I almost feel like these questions are a bit more journalistic than a fan site should send in, but they're excellent questions you guys came up with no matter where they come from and I cannot wait to see how Hasbro addresses or sidesteps them

*) - By now we all know that the 2007 movie was a box office and toy aisle smash hit, even to the point where Hasbro had to play catch-up with production, but of course that's looking back at the end results. Our question goes further back to ask if Hasbro had plans for what to do if the movie had bombed, and if so, what were they? If no solid plans, could we play hypotheticals and hear what you guys at Hasbro TF think would have been done if that had happened?

*) - There's no question that the second Transformers movie is a box office powerhouse, all but guaranteeing another sequel. With Revenge of the Fallen, the 2007 movie's robot aesthetic was tweaked a little, this new film introduced combiners and robot siblings into the mix, and there was even a Pretender in the film (though not the toy line). With TF2 in the bag and TF3 on the horizon, what further tweaks and new additions would Hasbro's TF design team like to tackle for the next film? Are there other types of gimmicks and shapes you'd like to attempt for the toy line? Other TF legacy concepts you'd like to see integrated into the next film? Of course, we understand that this is too early to actual talk about what WILL be done, but we'd still like to hear what the team would LIKE to do.

*) - Despite the new movie's stellar box office performance both at home and overseas, there have been some significant criticisms and points of negative feedback levied at the film from many different parties. How does Hasbro feel about types of humor employed in the film that could be called "low-brow", "inappropriate", and worse representing the Transformers brand as a whole? Is there any concern about that sort of thing possibly having long-term impact on audiences' future opinions of the Transformers brand, especially as a toy franchise before a film franchise?

[Onslaught Six]

This is why going to panels, or at least reading my writeups, can help get rid of those questions. Are we getting 3rd bike? Yes, no instructions on combination, they want the name Moonracer. Scrapper & Overload? No, they didn't have separate bot modes in the film and Hasbro didn't want to do every Devastator figure. See? Easy.

I know that's what you said they said--and it's not that I don't trust your report, because I know you were Actually There, but every other site in the known Universe seems to have heard something different.

That said, these kind of questions really look like they're gonna be asked by other sites.

Also, nice rewriting. We look smart!

[Dominic]

-changed topic from "global".

Dom

[JediTricks]

Our answers are in:
http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/503

I have requested a follow-up clarification on question 1, but we'll see if we get any traction.

I fully feel like you guys did great and it's Hasbro that's steamrolled us on these answers, but maybe I'm missing some of the gold in answers 2 and 3, you guys tell me.

[andersonh1]

I have to say, all three are pretty much non-answers, aren't they? Not much info here at all. What exactly do we learn from answer #2 for example?

As for answer #3:

Hasbro is proud of the entertainment that we create with a wide variety of age groups in mind. Specific to our TRANSFORMERS brand, we are successfully delivering a number of different types of entertainment experiences beyond traditional toys and games, and into categories such as movies, video games, publishing, apparel, and more. As you know, the movie is rated PG-13. We strongly encourage parents and caregivers to be involved in all aspects of their children’s development, including play, time spent on the computer, watching television, and making decisions about the appropriateness of a movie for themselves and their family. When you consider the longevity and popularity of the TRANSFORMERS brand, today’s fans are often adults in their 20’s, 30’s and older, who have fond memories of enjoying TRANSFORMERS when they were younger. We will continue to strive toward creating great entertainment experiences for TRANSFORMERS and our vast portfolio of iconic brands for a wide range of age groups.

How preachy can you get? For the record, I'm in my late 30s, and I did not enjoy the lowbrow aspects of the new movie. It's not just a question of not letting my young children see it, I don't care for it personally. My 'fond memories of enjoying Transformers when I was younger' don't include Devastator having a scrotum or Wheelie humping anyone's leg.

I think we were pretty much blown off on all three. This was a wasted Q and A session, through no fault of anyone on this board.

[JediTricks]

I agree, that answer really felt like pure PR pap.

ActionFigs got their answers up (gee, I wonder how ) and the 3rd motorcycle has YET ANOTHER NAME!

http://www.actionfigs.com/index.php?cat ... cleid=2471