Here is a list of other sites’ questions from the first round of Hasbro’s Q&A on October 13th, 2008. And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out our own Q&A here on TFviews as well.

16bit.com: The Transformers Legends class toys seems to be going along swimmingly– the new G1-style Beachcomber and Bumblebee look like a lot of fun, and so does Brawn. Can we expect to see additional minibots from the old days– specifically the Go-Bots style repaints sold in Japan by eHobby a few years ago? A tiny white Bug Bite and a blue Path Finder?
Hasbro: I don’t currently have any plans for Go-Bots repaints but I would love to continue blowing out classic characters in our Legends scale. I’d personally try to stick to smaller bots as they look more in scale with my Deluxe when they’re posed out on my shelf. But scale isn’t something we concentrate on.

16bit.com: The Transformers Animated line is stunning, with toys that are nearly spot-on with the exception of their faction logos. Sentinel Prime and Jazz both have the red Autobot symbols, but the rest of the line sport silver or gold faction sigils. Why was this colorful feature ignored?
Hasbro: I wouldn’t say it was ignored, we were trying to keep the characters as true to the show as possible. Many characters don’t have their faction symbols in their vehicle modes, but it’s impossible to have them magically appear in the toy execution once the character is converted to robot. So we used a less-obtrusive color. We also were using only 1 deco operation on the faction symbols in Animated in many cases so we could “spend the money” elsewhere on the toy, and the silver/gold versions looked better than the red/purple versions. So it ended up being a combination of all of the above. At the end of the day, Eric tries to manage cost with show accuracy and chooses what to do to make the coolest toy possible.

16bit.com: Star Wars and GI Joe have seen incredible business with repainting certain “army builder” figures over the years– Cobra Vipers, Cobra Officers, Clones, Stormtroopers, and so forth. It seems there’s a little bit of opportunity in Transformers with the wonderful Classics Starscream mold. After getting the six “seekers” from the old days and a new Acid Rain, when can we expect deco opportunities like G2 Ramjet, Sunstorm, or maybe even a “Ghost” Starscream?
Hasbro: We are glad you like that mold too – we really like it and are hoping to be able to do exactly what you are talking about. We would love to be able to do all the Seekers over time. We have to phase them out over time though because we don’t want a whole shelf full of jets. So hopefully we will be able to continue to put a couple versions out a year to help you complete the set.

16bit.com: In Japan for Transformers SuperLink (Energon), Takara offered scores of bonus Energon Weapon toys. This was great– many Transformers have similarly sized hands, and are lacking in awesome weapons. We see you’re bringing back Targetmaster partners with Cyclonus and Nightstick soon. Will we be seeing packs of Targetmaster guns some day soon, or additional Targetmaster figures to outfit our collections?
Hasbro: There are no plans to offer weapons separately. We do our best to add them to figures as it makes sense.

16bit.com: I’ve seen pictures of the new Transformers Universe Legends Brawn with green wheels (which look weird) and black wheels (which look fantastic). Which color will be on the final product?
Hasbro: The final will have black wheels. This is an example of a testshot image being released that is incorrect. You’ll get your black wheels and you’ll like it! ;)

ActionFigs.com: Although we realize that Hasbro and the Transformers Collectors Club might like to keep the BotCon exclusives as unique as possible, the demand for the remaining three ‘Seeker’ Decepticons (Thrust, Dirge, and Thundercracker) is enormous. An upcoming Starscream figure looks to be a repaint of the Classics figure from two years ago in a more cartoon-accurate paint scheme. Since these other three Seekers had minor color differences in their various incarnations, could it be possible that they could see a wider release in altered versions that could not easily be mistaken for the BotCon versions (especially since Thrust and Dirge also required new wings which are, so far, unique to these releases)? And while we’re on the subject of repainted Seekers, can we expect a Sunstorm in the future as well?
Hasbro: Thank you for understanding what the big issue is with the exclusive sets – we need to ensure that we don’t de-value those sets. I think that it is possible for Hasbro to release new versions of those characters as long as there are enough differences from the original Classics versions. However, we have been trying to get a wide variety of the Seekers out before going back to do 2nd versions. So we don’t have any immediate plans for those 3 characters, but they are not totally “off limits”. And to your Sunstorm question – Acid Storm was originally going to be Sunstorm, but we changed our mind. So now you know Sunstorm is on the short list of Seekers!

ActionFigs.com: Will the Universe and Animated lines continue alongside new Revenge of the Fallen movie product for 2009? If not, are there plans for them to return towards the end the ROTF movie line’s run?
Hasbro: We anticipate the Animated TV Series being on air throughout 2009, so we will plan on having some Animated toys along side of the ROTF product. The line clearly won’t be as big as it is right now, but we will keep some key assortments going. As for Universe, it will continue via some retailer exclusives, etc. but it likely won’t be as large of a line as it will be before the Movie. But we are very happy with the Universe line and expect it to become a bigger part of our line again at some point after the movie product has run its course.

ActionFigs.com: On the filecard for the Classics Grimlock, his function is listed as Dinobot Commander. Since his card specifically mentions his role in charge of a group called ‘Dinobots’, could the Universe Classics line get some of these ‘Dinobots’ for him to command? Off the tops of our heads, we can come up with very good suggestions for names (all of which start with an ‘S’ for some reason) and alt-modes for 4 of these hypothetical ‘Dinobots.’
Hasbro: We love the Dinobots too! And we really liked how the Grimlock figure turned out. However, due to the movie we have really been focusing on vehicle modes for the most part in Universe instead of beast modes since those are the most recognizable to the largest audience. There are some new beasts planned for the 25th Anniversary Universe line to celebrate the Beast Wars era, so we hope that will open the doors for us to do more of the Dinobots in the future. But there are no short-term plans for any of the other 4 original Dinobot characters right now.

ActionFigs.com: In the Classics and Universe Classics line, we’ve gotten updated versions of Astrotrain and Octane (under the replacement name, Tankor). Any chance of seeing the third Decepticon Triple-Changer, Blitzwing, as a Classics-style figure soon? The set seems a little incomplete at the moment.
Hasbro: We’ve really tried to provide a wide variety of characters in the Universe/Classics line, especially recently with the 25th Anniversary line because we really wanted to try to celebrate ALL aspects of the brand. So the fact that we have done 2 triple-changers already is a big feat! Because we have already done 2, we were focusing on some other things. But that doesn’t mean we won’t do Blitzwing, just that the timing hasn’t been right. Also, he is a key character in Animated and we try to not have the same characters out in both lines if the toy would be similar.

ActionFigs.com: A line of discussion that has come up many, many times among fans over the past quarter-decade of Transformers has been that of a combiner figure made up of the Dinobots. That has always felt like a fairly natural extension of some already popular Transformers concepts, yet nothing has really ever come of it in the line’s 25 years beyond the rather underwhelming Energon Grimlock/Swoop set. We have combiners based on construction vehicles, airplanes, cars, military vehicles, trains, predator animals, sea life, Maximals, Predacons, even pretender monsters; yet not the beloved Dinobots. Why is that? And what are the possibilities of seeing a Dinobots combiner in the future?
Hasbro: Well, we can’t really answer for anything other than what we have done for the past 8 or 9 years. Most of the reasons why we have chose the combiners we did was our past history. There never was a Dinobot combiner, so we didn’t think of re-inventing it. That being said, there is no reason not to do a Dinobot combiner. I think in order for that to happen though it will need to be an important part of a TV series.

CollectionDX.com: What’s the future of the G1 reissues? Will the “Encore” line contain the Dinobots?
Hasbro: We are looking at doing a couple more G1 re-issues in Fall 2009, but no specific plans yet to announce – they will likely be retailer exclusives if they do make it out. As for the Encore series, that is a series that TakaraTomy does in Japan and I can’t really comment on their future plans.

CollectionDX.com: What’s the future of the Masterpiece line? Will we see a Masterpiece Grimlock that transforms into an anatomically realistic T-Rex?
Hasbro: We are looking at a few options of existing Masterpiece products to bring over to the US. Also we have been in discussions with TakaraTomy on a new character for Masterpiece… so hopefully you can wait patiently for an announcement!

CollectionDX.com: Will there be more Alternators?
Hasbro: At this time we have no plans for Alternators. We can only focus on so many things at a time and our plate is full in 2009 with Animated, Universe, and Movie.

CollectionDX.com: How about the new Alternity line – will that make it to the states?
Hasbro: There are no plans to bring the Alternity line to the US in 2009 as there are already a lot of projects the Hasbro Transformers team are working on supporting Universe, Animated, and the new Movie.

CollectionDX.com: Will classics Jetfire get reissued?
Hasbro: We typically won’t re-issue the exact version if we do bring a character out again in Classics (see example of the new Starscream). But there are no current plans for a another Jetfire in Universe in 2009.

CoolToyReview.com: Aside from them being solid and enjoyable figures, many fans were surprised to see the core Autobot and Decepticon teams of the Animated figures had a fair amount of accurate scaling between themselves and other characters. The only exception to this though is Lugnut! In the series he towers over Megatron but in the figures Bumblebee looks like he’s ready to take his lunch money. He may not be the most liked character in the series, but surely he’s “toyetic” enough to warrant a Supreme class figure. Between “The Punch”, his missile salvo attack, a head design that easily lends itself to basic animatronics and a neat vehicle mode, he pratically sells himself. Short version of the question: Will you please make an Animated Lugnut that’s (a lot) bigger than his Voyager figure?
Hasbro: Glad to hear you like ole’ Luggie! We actually put more evaluation into who goes into the Leader Class other than scale in the show. And unfortunately for Lugnut, there were other characters that we felt had more face-time in the show or would have a broader appeal (ie: kid appeal). So we felt that the Voyager scale would be the best fit for Lugnut.

CoolToyReview.com: I was late joining the bandwagon on collecting the Alternators and or Binaltech from Takara. As a result I have slowly been amassing a collection but since the movie came out, the secondary market has caused the prices on these to skyrocket and thus making it economically unfeasible to continue collecting these. Is there any chance Hasbro may re-release Alternators again in some repackaged format down the road? I think given the demand we see in the secondary market that many collectors still need these, especially those who started to collect since the movie. I would especially love to see Wheeljack or Mirage done with more classic paint schemes.
Hasbro: The Alternators line has been a fan favorite since it’s launch, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough mainstream interest to keep it viable. As of right now, there are no plans to re-launch the Alternators line as we have turned our attention to supporting the Universe line from a collector standpoint. However, as I like to say, “never say never”.

CoolToyReview.com: Being a Star Wars collector for many years I have come to a love/hate relationship in regards to repaints and remolds, most notoriously with clone troopers. It seems like with the new Universe/Classics line we are seeing almost equal parts repaint/remolds vs. new molds whereas with the first Classics line we were spoiled with all new molds. Is there any type of quota, official or un-, Hasbro trys to meet with regards to repaints/remolds vs. new molds released?
Hasbro: There is not any magic number that we try to use. When we launched Classics, the concept was brand new so we had to use all new molds. As lines get successful, many times we need to utilze more repaints than originally planned to help keep up with the demand. So that’s what you have been seeing in Universe this fall – in Deluxe and Ultra classes we were able to bring in a lot of new molds. And the Universe concept was so well received that we added the Voyager scale later but needed to use re-paints to hit the same timing. You will eventually see new molds in Voyager scale in Universe.

CoolToyReview.com: Whatever the reason to justify their existence, the Big Millennium Falcon and AT-TE playset/vehicles have changed things. With 2009 being another Transformers movie year and Season 3 of Animated green-lighted, can fans dare to dream of seeing an Animated Omega Supreme in the same beastly scale as the Falcon?
Hasbro: No matter what the scale is, I think most of us would like to see a large-scale Animated Omega Supreme. However, with the movie coming next summer our higher priced items will be in support of the movie. Also in order to do a toy at that size, we would need to get more exposure to the character in the TV series to ensure that the kids know the character too. So I wouldn’t expect to see it in the next year, but we would like to do it at some point.

CoolToyReview.com: Any chances of seeing newer moulds of Beast Wars characters? Alot of characters that were made originally were never done justice. If not at least a reissue here and there in the modern Universe packaging?
Hasbro: You’re in luck! We have a couple of Beast Wars characters slotted for the 25th Anniversary Universe Deluxe assortment with all-new molds! The first character will be Cheetor. There will be one other new mold, but as of the time I am typing this I’m not sure if it’s been announced… so what the heck – it’s Dinobot!

Cybertron.ca: When will Hasbro Toy Shop start shipping to Canada?
Hasbro: HTS is looking to add Canada as a shipping destination No firm date yet but would estimate Spring 09.

Cybertron.ca: Will Canada be getting the Universe Special Edition figures?
Hasbro: I don’t think anything has yet to be confirmed for Canada. But we will try to get an answer to you when we hear something.

Cybertron.ca: Will Activator class toys continue for other lines?
Hasbro: There are no plans for Activators in other lines yet, but if proven successful we will likely do it in other lines as an “easier to convert” toy alternative to the regular Transformers toys.

Cybertron.ca: Are there any other G1 molds being reissued in the 25th anniversary line?
Hasbro: Nothing yet officially, but we have a couple in mind for Fall 2009 that may show up as retailer exclusives.

Cybertron.ca: There seems to be a general feeling in the fandom that remolding a toy does not amount to significant cost, and that remolded heads/components would be greatly preferable to straight repaints. Could you share some numbers on exactly what it costs to make a new head/component versus what it costs to just make a new paint mask? In other words, what’s the cost difference between a remold and a re-deco?
Hasbro: For many reasons I can’t get into specific cost comparisons, but let’s see if I can answer your questions. Firstly, remolding a toy is the same cost for the most part as an original mold when it comes to tool cost if you are referring to remolding an entire toy – you just save design and development time and cost (but that’s what the teams are paid to do, so the cost is already there). Remolding new heads is much less expensive because the head molds are small, but the biggest issue we run into is timing. The time it takes increases lead time dramatically compared with a straight-up redeco. And there’s a lot less of a designer’s and engineer’s time for a re-deco (time they need to spend on all the other projects they are working on). So what we’ve done recently is planned new parts for the redeco at the time of the first toy (like on Universe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe). That process is not a new rule we are using, just a more effective option up-front. Cost is still the same as if we mold up an new head later, but we decreased the lead time of the 2nd toy. I hope that helped answer your question.

Figures.com: Now that most of the Scout class Transformers from the last few years have been repainted at least once in the Movie line, what can fans expect to see as a part of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen line?
Hasbro: Unfortunately it’s a little too early for us to give any specific comments on the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen line. But I can say you will be seeing new Scout Class molds!

Figures.com: Will Transformers Attacktix Series 2 ever see distribution and release and if so, when?
Hasbro: If it hasn’t come out yet, it likely will not as there is not a big push for Attacktix at this moment.

Figures.com: What’s next for the Transformers Titanium line?
Hasbro: We currently are using the Titanium line opportunistically. We are working on a few repaints as exclusives for 2009 for the 3″ and the 6″.

Figures.com: Fans really love the Transformers: War Within comic book character designs and these designs have been included in the Titanium and Cybertron lines. When can fans expect to see additional Transformers: War Within figures made and what line will these figures be a part of?
Hasbro: We love them too! 2009 is just such a busy year with Animated, the Movie, and the 25th Anniversary that we had so many other things that we wanted to do since we already did a number of molds in the Titanium line.So there are currently no plans for new molds, but we may be using one or two of the existing molds as part of the aforementioned exclusives in the Titanium line.

Figures.com: As of late, the Transformers Universe line has focused on updating Generation 1 characters rather than newer characters. Will fans continue to see these updated Generation 1 characters or will the line eventually return to repaints representing alternate and newer Transformers characters?
Hasbro: The current Universe line is used as a way to bring a wide range of characters into the marketplace. Currently we are G1 focused but as we get into next year we will be celebrating a wider variety of toys in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Transformers. We will continue to add in repaints where it makes the most sense.

IDWpublishing.com: Any chance of seeing Universe 2.0 Voyager Onslaught remolded/recolored into G1 Hardhead?
Hasbro: I’d say that’s a good possibility for a repaint either for our main line or an exclusive. But when ever possible, I try to offer more than just a straight repaint, such as a new head or weapon. So I might have to sketch up some options and see just what I can come up with.

IDWpublishing.com: Why did you choose that particular deco for Universe 2.0 Deluxe Cyclonus and Nightstick, which differs radically from the prototype? Many fans liked the purple prototype.
Hasbro: Sometimes test shots come in and all of the molds are not cast in the correct colors. But that’s why test shots exist, so that we can catch those problems before the toy is produced. In this example, an image of a Cyclonus testshot was released and fans had issues. But rest assured, the mold is going to remain purple and match the initial prototype image.

IDWpublishing.com: And chance for new-mold Universe 2.0 combiners teams/gestalts?
Hasbro: The typical gestalts require a price point higher than any of the ones we have established in the short-term in Universe, so we won’t be tooling up any new Universe gestalt molds for 2009. But we really like the combiner idea and would like to add some new combiner play in the relative near future (no specific plans or line decided – we are talking about it).

IDWpublishing.com: Why the baby blue for Universe 2.0 Ironhide’s face? It was originally silver, which was correct. It changed from proto to production to baby-blue. Ironically Robot Heroes Ironhide came out at the same time, he had the correct silver face. Why the difference?
Hasbro: It’s supposed to be silver. When I last saw the final paint on the figure it was silver. But somehow in the development process, someone somewhere picked up a blue brush instead of the silver one. We are currently making a “running change” on the face so future Ironhides will be correct.

IDWpublishing.com: Will we see more Headmasters toys in Universe 2.0? If so, will they be based on IDW Headmasters? How about a Sunstreaker with headmaster Hunter?
Hasbro: I hope we’ll be seeing more Headmasters in the future for Universe. If we continue to celebrate all of the different eras of Transformers there will certainly be some more headmasters to redesign. I’m not too sure about seeing a Sunstreaker with Hunter…we had already done a Sunstreaker in Deluxe so having another Sunstreaker offered again just a year later might be tough. But we’ll try to get some fun stuff in the line for you guys.

ParryGamePreserve.com: As with the designer of the old and new Millennium Falcon, are any original members of the Transformers team still working on the 25th anniversary?
Hasbro: Nobody on the Hasbro Transformers team. There is some continuity at Takara but there are not any “original” TF project members still working at Hasbro.

ParryGamePreserve.com: Does Hasbro have any plans in the works for a new release of Kup, perhaps as a contemporary pickup truck or other modern vehicle? He is seldom seen in toy form, and a new version of this gruffly likable old warrior is long due, in recognition of his fan favorite status, and the high regard of voice actor and movie legend Lionel Stander!
Hasbro: Agree Kup and a few other classic characters should be redone/updated. As we have done over the years when there is a good place to do a classic character we will. Stay tuned.

ParryGamePreserve.com: Will there be any other g1 re-releases beyond Optimus Prime?
Hasbro: We have a couple others in mind that we are not ready to announce yet as they will likely be retailer exclusives in the fall if they happen. But they won’t come with DVD, comic, etc.

ParryGamePreserve.com: The mercenary Decepticon Lockdown has been a big hit with we fans of the Transformers : Animated showline. Is there any chance of seeing a “realistic” version of this cunning bounty hunter in another Transformers toyline?
Hasbro: The TF team really likes that character too. We don’t have any current plans to do Lockdown in a realistic version yet, but that would be pretty cool so consider it on our list!
ParryGamePreserve.com: Will the character of Wheelie be included in the 25th anniversary celebration?
Hasbro: Wheelie will be included in the 25th Anniversary line. He will be one of several Legends figures and is certainly a nod to his fan following.

Seibertron.com: Will there be toys based on characters presented in any of the IDW comic book series? We know the new character DRIFT is supposed to get the toy treatment, but what about favorites like Sentinel Prime (Megatron: Origins), Nova Prime (-tion series and Spotlights), Thunderwing (Stormbringer). An answer in response to the general question, not the specific characters would be much appreciated (unless you want to mention specific characters…)!
Hasbro: When we can we love to fold into the product line any new or popular character from any outside source Comic or Video game. We have done things like the Fallen in the past, and we look for more down the road.

Seibertron.com: Will we see the Alternators line return soon? BinalTech has returned to Takara Tomy, and Takara Tomy is also adding the new Alternity line. The Alternators line was supposed to make a comeback after the first movie, but we are getting close to the second and no mention of any Alternators revival.
Hasbro: There are no current plans for Alternators in 2009. There are just so many exciting things happening in 2009 that we had to make choices. The team likes the Alternators concept, but unfortunately it’s just not the right time for a re-launch.

Seibertron.com: Are you considering releasing any other re-issues of Generation 1 toys like 25th Anniversary Optimus Prime at this time? He’ll be pretty lonely on his own shelf.
Hasbro: We have a few G1 molds that we would like to see come out in Fall 2009, but not yet ready to announce as they will likely be retailer exclusives.

Seibertron.com: There are a lot of issues with HASBRO brand product quality control lately. We know you care about the brand and toy because of your desire to protect collectors from lesser quality Knock Offs, but can you tell us what you have been doing to address issues with HASBRO Quality Control problems such as loose pieces that fall off out of the package, poor paint application quality, missing paint applications, and as the case may be with Universe Prowl- tacky, sticky paint.
Hasbro: You are correct in stating that a quality product is at the forefront of our minds. First point, as conversion of Transformers has become more complicated, it is critical for peices to pop off more easily. This is meant to stop breakage and stress points. It some of the pieces didn’t pop off, they might end up snapping off or at the very least stressing the plastic. However, we have heard some complaints about Animated products and are currently investigating. If you have specific issues please contact our consumer affairs department.

Seibertron.com: Transformers fans love the fact that you are now putting us on a more equal footing with GI JOE and STAR WARS collectors by doing this Q/A, responding to the fandom more, and offering more nods to popular fan characters. Any plans for the ‘fan favorite’ idea to be put to use with Transformers? A poll could be taken in the same manner as has been done for GI JOE and STAR WARS. That way, you could see if there was a large demand for characters without us flooding HASBRO’s regular e-mail address, or filling forums with, “Will Hasbro ever make ‘X’ threads?”
Hasbro: The fan choice would be a lot of fun to do! Transformers are a little harder to pull off than Joe or Star Wars because of the complex tooling (costs a lot more due to size and complexity). But that doesn’t mean we won’t do it – it just won’t be in 2009…unless of course you vote for the Bay-former since we already have Michael Bay’s head sculpted – HA! (those of you that saw the Easter Eggs on the movie DVD will know what I’m talking about).

TFormers.com: Are there any steps being taken to address for the recent quality issues in the Transformers: Animated and Universe lines?
Hasbro: Product quality is at the extremely important to us. Firstly, as conversion of Transformers has become more complicated, it is critical for peices to pop off more easily. This is meant to stop breakage and stress points. It some of the pieces didn’t pop off, they might end up snapping off or at the very least stressing the plastic. However, we have heard some complaints about Animated products and are currently investigating. If you have specific issues please contact our consumer affairs department.

TFormers.com: Hasbro has said that the Universe line is a tribute to all eras of Transformers. Can you reveal any figures currently in the pipeline, or planned for production, that the fans can look forward to?
Hasbro: We have announced most the characters and figures that we will be celebrating in Spring 2009 as part of the 25th Anniversary. Some of the great ones include: Cheetor, Hound, Cyclonus, Smokescreen, Hot Shot, Inferno and many other of the great characters throughout the ages.

TFormers.com: What is the process you use to decide which characters get made into which size class?
Hasbro: Bill Rawley: We try to mix up all of the different types of vehicle and alt modes, flying, tanks, faster land based, beasts, etc. Having a variety in vehicle modes and robot silhouettes is a plus, not to mention having a good balance of Autobots and Decepticons. Scale is not really something we stay true too, it’s just to difficult. But where ever possible I’ll try and throw historically smaller guys like Wheelie and Bumblebee into a Legends scales. That way they look closer to their actual scale when posed next to Deluxe.
Eric Siebenaler: One part Animation Scale, one part Popularity/Exposure, one part Feature driven, one part Brand Goals, and one part Personal Preference. Not in any particular order.

TFormers.com: MikePrime: Will there be a Transformers Crossovers G.I. Joe line?
Hasbro: We have had many discussions about GI Joe Transformers either executed as the other Crossovers lines or even true to the Comic (Joe figures and Transformers figures together). Right now is just not the best time with the Movies being the main focus for brands, so don’t expect to see it in 2009.

TFormers.com: BLACKOUT34: 5) Will the Alternity Convoy figure (in either color) see a US release?
Hasbro: Not likely in 2009.

TFW2005.com: Will there ever be GI Joe styled 3.75 inch figures for human characters (any generation)?
Hasbro: There are currently no plans for a 3.75″ scale human figure in any Transformers line, but we do have an awesome concept for Fall 2009 in support of the movie that I think you will find very cool! Stay tuned

TFW2005.com: Will Animated and Universe toys be sold alongside the new movie toys next year or will they be put on hold to make room for the first few waves of the movie toys on stores shelves?
Hasbro: Universe will be put on hold when the movie toys come out (although we will likely have a few new toys out in Universe as retailer exclusives). But Animated will continue with certain key assortments alongside of the new Movie toys. But we don’t think of Universe being done, just on hiatus.

TFW2005.com: Will we ever see Voyager/Ultra/Leader class molds of more popular/leader-based characters in the Universe/Classics 2.0 line?
Hasbro: Since we did Optimus and Megatron in Voyager when we launched Classics, we didn’t want to go back and do new versions at a slightly larger scale so soon after. So we have been focusing on bringing out characters in the higher priced assortments that have great alt modes and have pretty good fan recognition. After we get through the movie product we will likely re-evaluate Universe to see which characters we want to focus on. There are still so many great characters that haven’t been done at all in Classics/Universe that we have been wanting to get those out first.

TFW2005.com: Will there be an Omega Supreme toy for Animated?
Hasbro: Not in the near future. In order to do Omega Supreme justice, it would need to be Leader or Supreme Class. And we typically only launch those as new molds in the fall. With the Movie coming out this summer, the higher priced toys will be in the Movie line. But we do love the way he turned out and would love to see him in the line.

Toymania.com: Star Wars and GI Joe have a multitude of online e-tailer exclusives… Why is it that Transformers doesn’t get this kind of love domestically? E-Tailer exclusives would be a great way to get fans figures that they want that generally would not do as well at mass retail. I think the majority here would agree there would’ve been a lot less nerdcore rage and lot more money in your pockets if the notorious “BotCon Seekers” had been afforded the opportunity to be released as e-tailer exclusives.
Hasbro: We are investigating E-tailer exclusives – we have started to do exclusives at HasbroToyShop.com and continue to do so. However, the issue with the “BotCon Seekers” is a different issue. At the time of the decision for that BotCon set, we were not planning on the Classics line to be reborn. So we thought it would be better to get them out in some regard instead of not at all. Clearly the demand for those figures were strong and had we known then what we know now we would have chosen different characters. We hope to not have that issue again.

Toymania.com: Are the TF Mighty Muggs going to stay with G1 initially? Or are we going to get a hodge podge of different characters from different lines early on?
Hasbro: Initially, we will stay with the G1 styling for the first few waves of Mighty Muggs. However, after that you can expect us to explore characters throughout the vast 25 years of Transformers history.

Toymania.com: Will any more of the masterpiece editions, such as Megatron, Thundercracker & Skywarp, come to US retail?
Hasbro: Without giving away too much information, yes we are looking to bring more Masterpiece to the US. However, unfortunately due to regulations it won’t be Megatron due to his too-realistic alt mode.

Toymania.com: We’ve seen Transformers Crossovers with both Star Wars and Marvel Comics, will we ever see a crossover with G.I.Joe, a series that actually has had crossovers with Transformers in both comic and cartoon form. Prototypes were made nearly 20 years ago and we even got a transforming Snowcat in Energon, but why no official line?
Hasbro: We have had many discussions about GI Joe Transformers either executed as the other Crossovers lines or even true to the Comic (Joe figures and Transformers figures together). Right now is just not the best time with the Movies being the main focus for both, so don’t expect to see it in 2009.

Toymania.com: Universe Classics Galvatron shows obvious signs that he was intended to have a third form. Was this third form completed and can we have official instructions on how to make it?
Hasbro: Initially, Takara had engineered Galvatron to be a triple changer (the third mode being a tank/walker vehicle) but that’s not what Galvatron is. To me, he’s a really large cool cannon. So I opted to drop the third mode and really concentrate on the two modes he has currently. Because the pieces were already engineered, Takara kept them in the toy. We do not call out his third mode but Takara might if they choose to in their release of Galvatron. My first sketches of Galvatron’s alt mode were of a large cannon that took a lot of design ques from the G1 movie but had treds. A stationary cannon just isn’t as fun to play with compared to something that can move and shoot.

Unicron.com: Perceptor (and his 6-year old daughter!) ask: Can you tell us about your plans to produce female character toys for Transformers, especially including SARI but we’re also interested to hear about your plans for Arcee and Genaral Strika (as well as human figures such as professor Isaac Sundac, Capt. Fanzone and super-human villans like the Angry Archer.
Hasbro: Arcee is a fan favorite character and will become more fleshed out in the upcoming season of TF Animated. We have a toy planned for her as well. No Plans for Strika right now. As for the humans, as much as we would all want an Angry Archer figure, there are no plans to produce the humans.

Unicron.com: Sabrblade asked: I’d like to know more about what else is planned to commemorate Transformers 25th Anniversary. Will there be more “completely show-accurate” versions of characters from past lines like cartoon accurate Universe Deluxe Starscream figure or other “Masterpiece” figures?
Hasbro: We are looking at releasing another Masterpiece figure in the US in Fall 2009, but are not ready to make an announcement yet. Also we are glad you liked the new version of Starscream. I think that we are looking at each character individually and deciding how we want to handle it. But there might be a few more suprises for you in 2009.

Unicron.com: obsidian@unicron.com (Jason) asked: Can you tell us about the Transformers Animated Constructicons making their way to toy form: size, price point, potential release date, will they interact/unite in anyway?
Hasbro: Contrary to Popular belief. We have no concrete plans for Animated Constructicon Product. Any drawings that support evidence otherwise are merely situational design explorations in the event that we one day decide to do them.

Unicron.com: Knightwing asked: I would like to ask how many more figures are planned for Transformers Animated as a way to see if Animated is officially an “ongoing” series? In other words, does Hasbro have plans to evolve it into something else; in the way that Armada became Energon which became Cybertron which was phased out in favor of Classics…? We hope not, we love Aniimated and would like to see it stick around for awhile!
Hasbro: We look at Transformers Animated as its own thing, so if the story evolves it will likely still be called Transformers Animated, and maybe have a sub-name. Hasbro plans to continue with the Animated toys throughout 2009 as we anticipate the series continuing on Cartoon Network throughout the year.

Unicron.com: Byrerprime asked: Is Transformers going to offer “Comic Book Packs” similar to Star Wars and G.I. Joe, where a classic figure is packaged with a reprint of a pertinent comic?
Hasbro: We have begun to do this with some exclusives. There are one or two coming out this fall, but will likely be at a higher price point than the SW and Joe packs since our figures are so much bigger. I know one is a Voyager and Deluxe packed with a comic.

And that’s it for round 1’s questions.