Re: TFViews questions for Hasbro, round 2
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:41 pm
The thing about video reviews bummed me right out, after our poll tore them a new one. 
I wonder if their answer on that is going to increase turnout for TF reviews.
BTW, below is the other sites' Q&As as of right now. I'm compiling another list, but won't post it in the news until it's complete:
ActionFigs.com: You’ve stated that the Universe line is celebrating not only the original Generation One line, but the rich history of Transformers overall. Does this include characters from G1 media who haven’t appeared in toy form (at least not as they originally appeared)? Over the years, we’ve gotten several of these characters in other forms, like RID Jhiaxus and several motorcycle Arcee figures, as well as Unicron, who seems to transcend different incarnations. However, have you considered finally producing classic characters like Arcee, the “Allicons,” Scrounge, Alpha Trion, the Last Autobot, and maybe even non-transforming characters like Quintessons and Nightbird?
Hasbro: Many of our teammembers would love to do many of those things. Some classic characters do not always make sense to be designed as they once were, a good example is Soundwave. Kids today probably wouldn’t know what a tape player was! But where ever possible, the team will try and pay tribute to those classic characters from the past eras of our Transformers brand.
We have had great “non-transforming” items in the line such with Robot Heroes and Unleashes but those characters are not currently planned.
ActionFigs.com: We’ll be direct about this, with confirmation of TakaraTomy producing a Masterpiece Grimlock for 2009, and Hasbro hinting at importing a new Masterpiece character, will Hasbro be bringing this MP Grimlock figure to the US?
Hasbro: No confirmation at this time, but it is on the “to do” list. So we’re working on a plan to bring it here at some point in the relative near future, but can’t say “yes” officially.
ActionFigs.com: In the last few years, Transformers has enjoyed a few rather groundbreaking lines that suffered short runs: Alternators and Titanium Series 6″ figures. What factors do you think contributed to their downfalls? Hindsight being 20/20, what would you go back and do differently with each of those lines?
Hasbro: Always tough to pinpoint the make or break factors in the success of a new assortment. Some of our favorites internally are not necessarily those that enjoy the most commercial success. It is a combination of sales, potential character depth and particular need for a play pattern. Alternators as an example, allowed us to offer model scale and quality vehicles, but were limiting in terms of character variety and price point options. As you know, nothing is ever gone forever. There is always the possibility that we will revisit expressions from the past if they make sense within the current line.
Our design team has done an incredible job of constantly looking for the next breakthrough toy innovation for Transformers and we are excited to reveal some of the new concepts slated for the 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie line.
ActionFigs.com: Not to be indelicate about this, but General Motors’ financial status has been publicly revealed to be in dire straits, and the company has been asking the US government for financial assistance, which the current political climate leaves that in some doubt. With GM being the chief brand for both Transformers movies and the company possibly on the brink of bankruptcy, or perhaps forced to change production focus to a different “green” line of cars, has there been any thought on Hasbro’s part to how that may affect the TF2 movie toy line? Might there be a shift on marketing for the toys and the film because of this turn of events?
Hasbro: Hasbro has not yet released any official information about the Movie 2 product line, therefore I can’t really discuss specifics. But the movie has completed primary shooting and Hasbro will continue to market the product line with a strong focus on our characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee as we always do regardless of any outside factors.
ActionFigs.com: The upcoming Universe Hound figure comes with an all-new cassette Ravage that looks amazing from all we’ve seen. Since this is one of the classic cassettes, we’ve got to know, will we be seeing more of them soon? Could we possibly dare to dream that one of them might come with cartoon-accurate piledrivers in some way?
Hasbro: Currently, we are not planning on adding any additional cassette characters. But there are so many great characters that were once cassettes that could still be redesigned, only the future will really tell if/when those characters will once again regain their place on toy shelves!
ParryGamePreserve.com: In the Gi Joe line, there was a recent figure homage to Matt Trakker from M.A.S.K.. Is there any chance of a homage to a classic M.A.S.K. vehicle in the Transformers line? Thunderhawk would make a great flying Autobot car…
Hasbro: One of our designers was a big M.A.S.K. fan as a kid and Matt Tracker teamed up with the Transformers in his toybox all the time. He thought the GI Joe figure was a great nod but nothing is currently planned for a T-Bob crossover though.
ParryGamePreserve.com: Target has had exclusive “Ultimate Battle Packs” of Gi Joe and Star Wars in recent years, which have been awesome. Is there any chance of a Transformers set of this size and quality?
Hasbro: Everything is certainly always on the table when we are discussing possible exclusives for our retail partners. Each exclusive needs to meet that specific retailers plans, so when the time is right we hope to be able to do some great things like that. Needless to say, I would keep your eyes open for some great exclusives next year.
ParryGamePreserve.com: With the 25th Anniversary figures announced so far, we have two of the seven classic Beast Wars Maximal crew coming. Any chance of seeing any more of them in the 25th line, or perhaps some of the Predacons? Note: we need a new, non-Transmetal Rattrap!
Hasbro: The 25th Anniversary is meant to celebrate the many eras and fantastic spectrum of characters that Transformers has had in the last 25 years. We were only able of pull a few Beast Wars characters from that era for the 25th Anniversary. Cheetor makes sense because he’s a popular character and our design team wanted to create a more realistic Cheetor. Dinobot was another good choice because kids love dinosaurs and fans seem to really like Dinobot as a character. But we currently have no plans on adding more Beast Wars to the line.
ParryGamePreserve.com: Why did Universe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe not get chromed spoilers and engines? Is it a cost issue or does Hasbro think kids don’t like chrome?
Hasbro: Overall, the decision to or not to vaccum metalize or “”chrome”" an item comes down to a couple of things. First, plastic does not take well to vacuum metalizing. When a piece of plastic begins to flex, the metalized pieces can begin to flake taking away from the aesthetic of the toy. Additionally, in certain cases the vacuum metalized process can actually weaken the plastic leading to higher breakage of certain pieces.
As a result, in those instances where we feel it makes sense to add the vacuum metalized pieces without compromising the aesthetic or safety of the product we will certainly do so.
ParryGamePreserve.com: There have been a number of updates already announced for the 25th line to concepts which have long been extinct - Targetmasters, cassette alt-modes. What are the chances of trying to make a cool Pretender figure in the 25th?
Hasbro: I would have to say not good for the Pretenders in the 25th Anniversary line. While Pretenders are certainly a cool part of the heritage of the brand, we felt that there were other eras that were better suited to celebrate in the 25th Anniversary.
TFormers.com: Given your focus on the kids’ toy market, what do you think about licensing the Transformers brand to specialty companies (e.g., Diamond Select, Sideshow Toys), who could create transformable Transformers figures for adult collectors?
Hasbro: Because of the technology and expertise involved in making Transformers toys, we would be worried about the quality that any other company would be able to achieve in making a Transformers figure.
Your idea is technically what the Transformers Collector Club is for, and the recent release of the Seacons is an example of how we find alternate ways to get out products that the fans enjoy.
TFormers.com: Are there any plans to develop figures of the Starscream clones, Constructicons, and.or humans for the Transformers: Animated toyline?
Hasbro: Constructicons - Not at this time.
If we do these characters, we want them to be fully realized and able to take advantage of their iconic abilities. Unfortunately, timing is prohibiting us from making these items anytime in the near future.
We would not want to force fit them into the line and make versions of these characters that don’t accurately reflect a Constructicon’s abilities.
Humans - Not likely at this time.
Clones - It’s likely that between Exclusives and the Mainline, you’ll see clones in the future.”
TFormers.com: Are there any plans to expand the Universe Robot Heroes line to other scales similar to Galactic Heroes and Super Hero Squad? An example being larger six inch tall figures for combiners and citybots.
Hasbro: Now if we answered every question with a direct yes or no question, where would the fun be in that!
All we can say is stay tuned as 2009 begins to unfold! There will surely be an item here or there that is a change from the past.
TFormers.com: The Autobot cassette characters are coming out as Universe Legends class figures and a new mold of Ravage will also be released with the Universe Autobot Hound figure. Is there currently any consideration being made to develop new molds of other cassettes?
Hasbro: There are currently no plans for Autobot cassettes in our Universe Legends class. niverse Deluxe Hound will come with Ravage who is a cassette minion of Soundwave. As of right now, we do not plan on adding any new molds for other cassettes.
TFormers.com: Would releasing the Henkei! Thrust and Dirge retooled molds in the United States violate your agreement with Fun Publications regarding not providing a main release for their Thrust/Dirge retool/remold figures?
Hasbro: In short, we could release versions similar to TakaraTomy’s (TT) versions. In fact, we worked with TT to ensure that their versions were different enough from the BotCon versions to ensure their exclusivity.
But we recognize that there have been some fan favorites that are hard to find since they have only appeared in BotCon sets so far. We work closely with FP to ensure they get good exclusivity but we also don’t want to miss good opportunities nationally.
So there may be a chance that Hasbro releases different versions of those characters (including Thundercracker as well), but it won’t be in 2009.
Unicron.com: Since the Japanese-exclusive G1 cartoon series (The Headmasters, Chojin Masterforce, Victory, and Zone) were released on DVD in Europe and Australia, is there any hope of seeing them, and perhaps Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo, released on DVD in North America? Particularly the United States. From what we can tell, there is quite a demand!
Hasbro: Hasbro has the rights to the majority of the past Transformers entertainment now, and we are currently formalizing a distribution plan globally. This doesn’t mean that you will see everything at the same time - we are deciding when and where for the portfolio of entertainment.
Unicron.com: About a year before the 2007 Transformers Movie, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci hosted a “live chat” on Yahoo where they unveiled the names of Transformers characters that would appear in the film. Is any such event, (where all characters are unveiled) in the works to announce the characters that will be in Revenge of the Fallen? If so, where and when? If not, we would like to make a suggestion. How about letting the various Transformers Fan Sites unveil one character (each) *before* the toys show up on ebay or some Chinese auction site? You can’t let them have *all* the fun right?!
Hasbro: There are currently no plans to make an announcement that we know of, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. But that decision (and your spin on it) are studio-led decisions. We’ll bring it up with our friends at the studio (doesn’t hurt to ask)!
Unicron.com: In the Transformers: Animated shows, Optimus Prime has various trailers. It seems that the Animated Voyager Prime has a spot on his “Axe” and at the bottom of his heels for add ons. Is there any chance of getting different trailers made for him?
Hasbro: Yes, you will see different trailer/accessory combinations of Animated Optimus Prime. They will not all be built off of the existing Voyager cab, however.
Unicron.com: Other than characters we already know of (Blurr, Swindle, Shockwave, Jetfire/Jetstorm…), do you have any *new character molds* slated for the Animated line in 2009 during and after the release of Revenge of the Fallen? If so, would you be willing to release a name or two for this Q&A?
Incidentally, we’d really love to see Cybertron mode toys for Bumblebee/Wasp/Cliffjumper, Ratchet/Ironhide. Also, we really liked the matte finish on the earlier TFA toys and how it added to the ‘Animated’ aesthetic. We hope you bring it back!
Hasbro: Well, by the time you read this you’ll already know about characters like Arcee, Waspinator, Samurai Prowl, and Atomic Lugnut… as for some new things to expect - you’ll get to see a newer, smaller version of Bumblebee with a cool new accessory upgrade. Soundwave will also be returning complete with a new minion. Everyone’s favorite flamed Prime ‘wannabe’ will also be getting the Animated toy treatment. We’re also doing some exploration for some of the Cybertronian mode characters…
Unicron.com: Talking Universe/Classics, I love the Seekers and want more! Any chance we will get the other two Rainmakers, Sunstorm or those with remolded wings? What’s up with the non-G1 colors for obvious G1 homage molded toys like Powerglide and Leo Prime? (I would’ve preferred a gold and white in tribute to Lio Convoy from the Japanese series Beast Wars II.) Any chance we’ll ever get to see Universe/Classics characters featured in IDW comics stories? Please?
Hasbro: As of right now, there are no plans for additional Seekers. Colors are a tricky thing; our design team has been concentrating on realistic alternate modes for our robots as well as coloring. The team thought it was better to make Powerglide primarily silver with characteristic red highlights as a bright red plane would not be very realistic. Leo Prime’s coloring was under much debate early on and though the white and gold version did not make it out this time, you never know if and where it might show up in the future although nothing is currently planned.
I wonder if their answer on that is going to increase turnout for TF reviews.BTW, below is the other sites' Q&As as of right now. I'm compiling another list, but won't post it in the news until it's complete:
ActionFigs.com: You’ve stated that the Universe line is celebrating not only the original Generation One line, but the rich history of Transformers overall. Does this include characters from G1 media who haven’t appeared in toy form (at least not as they originally appeared)? Over the years, we’ve gotten several of these characters in other forms, like RID Jhiaxus and several motorcycle Arcee figures, as well as Unicron, who seems to transcend different incarnations. However, have you considered finally producing classic characters like Arcee, the “Allicons,” Scrounge, Alpha Trion, the Last Autobot, and maybe even non-transforming characters like Quintessons and Nightbird?
Hasbro: Many of our teammembers would love to do many of those things. Some classic characters do not always make sense to be designed as they once were, a good example is Soundwave. Kids today probably wouldn’t know what a tape player was! But where ever possible, the team will try and pay tribute to those classic characters from the past eras of our Transformers brand.
We have had great “non-transforming” items in the line such with Robot Heroes and Unleashes but those characters are not currently planned.
ActionFigs.com: We’ll be direct about this, with confirmation of TakaraTomy producing a Masterpiece Grimlock for 2009, and Hasbro hinting at importing a new Masterpiece character, will Hasbro be bringing this MP Grimlock figure to the US?
Hasbro: No confirmation at this time, but it is on the “to do” list. So we’re working on a plan to bring it here at some point in the relative near future, but can’t say “yes” officially.
ActionFigs.com: In the last few years, Transformers has enjoyed a few rather groundbreaking lines that suffered short runs: Alternators and Titanium Series 6″ figures. What factors do you think contributed to their downfalls? Hindsight being 20/20, what would you go back and do differently with each of those lines?
Hasbro: Always tough to pinpoint the make or break factors in the success of a new assortment. Some of our favorites internally are not necessarily those that enjoy the most commercial success. It is a combination of sales, potential character depth and particular need for a play pattern. Alternators as an example, allowed us to offer model scale and quality vehicles, but were limiting in terms of character variety and price point options. As you know, nothing is ever gone forever. There is always the possibility that we will revisit expressions from the past if they make sense within the current line.
Our design team has done an incredible job of constantly looking for the next breakthrough toy innovation for Transformers and we are excited to reveal some of the new concepts slated for the 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie line.
ActionFigs.com: Not to be indelicate about this, but General Motors’ financial status has been publicly revealed to be in dire straits, and the company has been asking the US government for financial assistance, which the current political climate leaves that in some doubt. With GM being the chief brand for both Transformers movies and the company possibly on the brink of bankruptcy, or perhaps forced to change production focus to a different “green” line of cars, has there been any thought on Hasbro’s part to how that may affect the TF2 movie toy line? Might there be a shift on marketing for the toys and the film because of this turn of events?
Hasbro: Hasbro has not yet released any official information about the Movie 2 product line, therefore I can’t really discuss specifics. But the movie has completed primary shooting and Hasbro will continue to market the product line with a strong focus on our characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee as we always do regardless of any outside factors.
ActionFigs.com: The upcoming Universe Hound figure comes with an all-new cassette Ravage that looks amazing from all we’ve seen. Since this is one of the classic cassettes, we’ve got to know, will we be seeing more of them soon? Could we possibly dare to dream that one of them might come with cartoon-accurate piledrivers in some way?
Hasbro: Currently, we are not planning on adding any additional cassette characters. But there are so many great characters that were once cassettes that could still be redesigned, only the future will really tell if/when those characters will once again regain their place on toy shelves!
ParryGamePreserve.com: In the Gi Joe line, there was a recent figure homage to Matt Trakker from M.A.S.K.. Is there any chance of a homage to a classic M.A.S.K. vehicle in the Transformers line? Thunderhawk would make a great flying Autobot car…
Hasbro: One of our designers was a big M.A.S.K. fan as a kid and Matt Tracker teamed up with the Transformers in his toybox all the time. He thought the GI Joe figure was a great nod but nothing is currently planned for a T-Bob crossover though.
ParryGamePreserve.com: Target has had exclusive “Ultimate Battle Packs” of Gi Joe and Star Wars in recent years, which have been awesome. Is there any chance of a Transformers set of this size and quality?
Hasbro: Everything is certainly always on the table when we are discussing possible exclusives for our retail partners. Each exclusive needs to meet that specific retailers plans, so when the time is right we hope to be able to do some great things like that. Needless to say, I would keep your eyes open for some great exclusives next year.
ParryGamePreserve.com: With the 25th Anniversary figures announced so far, we have two of the seven classic Beast Wars Maximal crew coming. Any chance of seeing any more of them in the 25th line, or perhaps some of the Predacons? Note: we need a new, non-Transmetal Rattrap!
Hasbro: The 25th Anniversary is meant to celebrate the many eras and fantastic spectrum of characters that Transformers has had in the last 25 years. We were only able of pull a few Beast Wars characters from that era for the 25th Anniversary. Cheetor makes sense because he’s a popular character and our design team wanted to create a more realistic Cheetor. Dinobot was another good choice because kids love dinosaurs and fans seem to really like Dinobot as a character. But we currently have no plans on adding more Beast Wars to the line.
ParryGamePreserve.com: Why did Universe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe not get chromed spoilers and engines? Is it a cost issue or does Hasbro think kids don’t like chrome?
Hasbro: Overall, the decision to or not to vaccum metalize or “”chrome”" an item comes down to a couple of things. First, plastic does not take well to vacuum metalizing. When a piece of plastic begins to flex, the metalized pieces can begin to flake taking away from the aesthetic of the toy. Additionally, in certain cases the vacuum metalized process can actually weaken the plastic leading to higher breakage of certain pieces.
As a result, in those instances where we feel it makes sense to add the vacuum metalized pieces without compromising the aesthetic or safety of the product we will certainly do so.
ParryGamePreserve.com: There have been a number of updates already announced for the 25th line to concepts which have long been extinct - Targetmasters, cassette alt-modes. What are the chances of trying to make a cool Pretender figure in the 25th?
Hasbro: I would have to say not good for the Pretenders in the 25th Anniversary line. While Pretenders are certainly a cool part of the heritage of the brand, we felt that there were other eras that were better suited to celebrate in the 25th Anniversary.
TFormers.com: Given your focus on the kids’ toy market, what do you think about licensing the Transformers brand to specialty companies (e.g., Diamond Select, Sideshow Toys), who could create transformable Transformers figures for adult collectors?
Hasbro: Because of the technology and expertise involved in making Transformers toys, we would be worried about the quality that any other company would be able to achieve in making a Transformers figure.
Your idea is technically what the Transformers Collector Club is for, and the recent release of the Seacons is an example of how we find alternate ways to get out products that the fans enjoy.
TFormers.com: Are there any plans to develop figures of the Starscream clones, Constructicons, and.or humans for the Transformers: Animated toyline?
Hasbro: Constructicons - Not at this time.
If we do these characters, we want them to be fully realized and able to take advantage of their iconic abilities. Unfortunately, timing is prohibiting us from making these items anytime in the near future.
We would not want to force fit them into the line and make versions of these characters that don’t accurately reflect a Constructicon’s abilities.
Humans - Not likely at this time.
Clones - It’s likely that between Exclusives and the Mainline, you’ll see clones in the future.”
TFormers.com: Are there any plans to expand the Universe Robot Heroes line to other scales similar to Galactic Heroes and Super Hero Squad? An example being larger six inch tall figures for combiners and citybots.
Hasbro: Now if we answered every question with a direct yes or no question, where would the fun be in that!
All we can say is stay tuned as 2009 begins to unfold! There will surely be an item here or there that is a change from the past.
TFormers.com: The Autobot cassette characters are coming out as Universe Legends class figures and a new mold of Ravage will also be released with the Universe Autobot Hound figure. Is there currently any consideration being made to develop new molds of other cassettes?
Hasbro: There are currently no plans for Autobot cassettes in our Universe Legends class. niverse Deluxe Hound will come with Ravage who is a cassette minion of Soundwave. As of right now, we do not plan on adding any new molds for other cassettes.
TFormers.com: Would releasing the Henkei! Thrust and Dirge retooled molds in the United States violate your agreement with Fun Publications regarding not providing a main release for their Thrust/Dirge retool/remold figures?
Hasbro: In short, we could release versions similar to TakaraTomy’s (TT) versions. In fact, we worked with TT to ensure that their versions were different enough from the BotCon versions to ensure their exclusivity.
But we recognize that there have been some fan favorites that are hard to find since they have only appeared in BotCon sets so far. We work closely with FP to ensure they get good exclusivity but we also don’t want to miss good opportunities nationally.
So there may be a chance that Hasbro releases different versions of those characters (including Thundercracker as well), but it won’t be in 2009.
Unicron.com: Since the Japanese-exclusive G1 cartoon series (The Headmasters, Chojin Masterforce, Victory, and Zone) were released on DVD in Europe and Australia, is there any hope of seeing them, and perhaps Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo, released on DVD in North America? Particularly the United States. From what we can tell, there is quite a demand!
Hasbro: Hasbro has the rights to the majority of the past Transformers entertainment now, and we are currently formalizing a distribution plan globally. This doesn’t mean that you will see everything at the same time - we are deciding when and where for the portfolio of entertainment.
Unicron.com: About a year before the 2007 Transformers Movie, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci hosted a “live chat” on Yahoo where they unveiled the names of Transformers characters that would appear in the film. Is any such event, (where all characters are unveiled) in the works to announce the characters that will be in Revenge of the Fallen? If so, where and when? If not, we would like to make a suggestion. How about letting the various Transformers Fan Sites unveil one character (each) *before* the toys show up on ebay or some Chinese auction site? You can’t let them have *all* the fun right?!
Hasbro: There are currently no plans to make an announcement that we know of, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. But that decision (and your spin on it) are studio-led decisions. We’ll bring it up with our friends at the studio (doesn’t hurt to ask)!
Unicron.com: In the Transformers: Animated shows, Optimus Prime has various trailers. It seems that the Animated Voyager Prime has a spot on his “Axe” and at the bottom of his heels for add ons. Is there any chance of getting different trailers made for him?
Hasbro: Yes, you will see different trailer/accessory combinations of Animated Optimus Prime. They will not all be built off of the existing Voyager cab, however.
Unicron.com: Other than characters we already know of (Blurr, Swindle, Shockwave, Jetfire/Jetstorm…), do you have any *new character molds* slated for the Animated line in 2009 during and after the release of Revenge of the Fallen? If so, would you be willing to release a name or two for this Q&A?
Incidentally, we’d really love to see Cybertron mode toys for Bumblebee/Wasp/Cliffjumper, Ratchet/Ironhide. Also, we really liked the matte finish on the earlier TFA toys and how it added to the ‘Animated’ aesthetic. We hope you bring it back!
Hasbro: Well, by the time you read this you’ll already know about characters like Arcee, Waspinator, Samurai Prowl, and Atomic Lugnut… as for some new things to expect - you’ll get to see a newer, smaller version of Bumblebee with a cool new accessory upgrade. Soundwave will also be returning complete with a new minion. Everyone’s favorite flamed Prime ‘wannabe’ will also be getting the Animated toy treatment. We’re also doing some exploration for some of the Cybertronian mode characters…
Unicron.com: Talking Universe/Classics, I love the Seekers and want more! Any chance we will get the other two Rainmakers, Sunstorm or those with remolded wings? What’s up with the non-G1 colors for obvious G1 homage molded toys like Powerglide and Leo Prime? (I would’ve preferred a gold and white in tribute to Lio Convoy from the Japanese series Beast Wars II.) Any chance we’ll ever get to see Universe/Classics characters featured in IDW comics stories? Please?
Hasbro: As of right now, there are no plans for additional Seekers. Colors are a tricky thing; our design team has been concentrating on realistic alternate modes for our robots as well as coloring. The team thought it was better to make Powerglide primarily silver with characteristic red highlights as a bright red plane would not be very realistic. Leo Prime’s coloring was under much debate early on and though the white and gold version did not make it out this time, you never know if and where it might show up in the future although nothing is currently planned.
