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View Full Version : Transformers Mighty Muggs... Where does the mutilation end?



griffin
5th July 2008, 02:08 PM
We've had Titanium figurines, HOC figurines, and the cutesy Robot Heroes figurines more recently, but now get ready for even more mutilation of your beloved Transformers characters... Mighty Muggs.
Another one of Hasbro's recent gimmick figurine lines, that has spread across several of their toy lines, it was bound to hit Transformers eventually. And now it looks like it will be soon.

According to TFW2005.com, they were found in a US Target computer.



What are Mighty Muggs? If you've been in the toy aisles lately you've seen them: chunky little figures with large heads. So far, Hasbro has released Mighty Muggs of Star Wars, Marvel and Indiana Jones characters


http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/universe-classics-20-29/target-dpci-reveals-transformers-universe-mighty-muggs-165300/

For more info on Hasbro's other Mighty Muggs, try here (if it doesn't redirect you to an AU address)
http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ps_results&prevpage=ps&keyword=mighty+muggs

- - - -
I feel that figurines of Transformers has been the one opportunity to give us fans more show-accurate and proportionate characters, so figurines that ruin the proportions even more, is a waste. And I especially don't like having cutesy *evil* characters... :mad:

dirge
5th July 2008, 02:18 PM
It's getting harder and harder for the completists like you, griffin. I mean, Robot Heroes, 3" Titaniums, blasters, Cyberslammers... and now these. It must add up to a significant cost for limited satisfaction ):

griffin
5th July 2008, 02:23 PM
You're tellin me... :(

Burn
5th July 2008, 03:58 PM
Burn does not buy non-transforming Transformers.
Though he does have two Action Masters but we don't speak about them. It was out of curiosity, we all experiment at times!

But eh, what are we going to do about it? Years ago we were having trouble finding Transformers or even having a line to collect, now we've got 'em coming out the wahzoo's and we still complain.

Damn fanboys! :p

Pipesqueak
5th July 2008, 04:48 PM
I'll stick to G1 Robot Heroes thank you very much.

Zippo
5th July 2008, 08:54 PM
Big pass!!

dirge
5th July 2008, 11:22 PM
Burn does not buy non-transforming Transformers.
Though he does have two Action Masters but we don't speak about them. It was out of curiosity, we all experiment at times!


But did you inhale? :D



But eh, what are we going to do about it? Years ago we were having trouble finding Transformers or even having a line to collect, now we've got 'em coming out the wahzoo's and we still complain.


Yeah but the quality (conceptwise) is dropping. I mean, back in (say) 2000 we had the gap between Beast Machines & what eventually became RiD (after Transtech got the boot), where quite a few of us were importing Car Robots toys. And while there wasn't that many of them, the Car Robots moulds are classy figures, and the repaints in that line (which were mostly new moulds to the Japanese market) were quite well considered.

Now we have lots of Transformers, but instead of the low end being Spychangers, it's a static piece of PVC such as robot heroes. I'm not bagging robot heroes perse, but as Transformers go they're pretty basal.

And the repaints? Paint Bumblebee with random blue cr4p and change the box! Paint him red and call him Cliffjumper! Paint him black and call it Stealth! Paint it with battle damage (even though he's brand new) and sell it in a two pack! :mad: :( :mad:

I'm not complaining - I'm perfectly happy skipping the cr4p I don't want, but I do lament the recent dilution of the franchise.

Burn
6th July 2008, 05:48 AM
What do you expect from a profit driven company?

MV75
6th July 2008, 08:15 AM
What do you expect from a profit driven company?

Is that meant to be some sort of insult? If so, I don't understand, because every company is in it for profit. If they arn't, then they go bankrupt. Being in it for the profit is the core of any business.

I think what you mean is what Dirge touched upon, that being lazy.

Or more simply, they're going for quantity over quality, and which shows so much for me (their declining quality), that it's such a major factor for me now in my decision to skip local hasbro classics 2 and go straight for the henkei releases.

As for the "Mighty Muggs", makes me immediately think of something that will beat me up and rob me of my money. Well, I guess if I bought them, they'd rob me of my money, so Muggs is right. :D
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Burn
6th July 2008, 08:51 AM
Is that meant to be some sort of insult?

ummmm no. Not sure why you'd even think it was.

My point is, I see these sorts of threads pop up on a regular basis on the various forums. People either expressing their disappointment about repaints or quality control or some gimmick/line they don't like and someone's always asking "why does Hasbro do this?"

Simple economics. They're out to make a profit. Repaints are cheaper than making new molds. And things like Mighty Mugs will offer variety and may attract the attention of those the main line may not target, people who collect "cute" things for example.

Transformers have become a huge money maker for Hasbro and they're going to put that name on as many pieces of merchandise as they can. And I don't see that as being lazy, lazy would be sticking to just one line and pumping out repaint after repaint, Mighty Mugs are at least showing diversification. It all comes back to profit. Hasbro aren't in business to please the fans, they're in business to please their stock holders, as I said, they're a profit driven company, nothing more, nothing less, and certaintly, not intended to be insulting to anyone.

Good to see i'm not the only one skipping Classics 2.0 and go for the Henkei releases instead. :D

liegeprime
6th July 2008, 09:13 AM
erm Ive seen these Cute figures - the starwars ones. What exactly are they? just cute statues with big heads? no other gimmick like "its also a coin bank" or the head comes off becoming a "mug" to drink on or sumthink? :confused: Dont flame me but I like it for display, but havent bought one since my priority still is for actual TF figures, then Lego, and if Im itching to buy something that is when I "might" consider buying these... things

Kyle
6th July 2008, 10:08 AM
I kind of like the idea of TF have Mighty Muggs... but then I'm planning to sell all the TF Revoltechs in my own collection since ultimately they don't transform... :p

dirge
6th July 2008, 10:38 AM
Burn, the laziness that Hasbro has been exhibiting recently is only one business model. They focus on minimal effort, designing toys that will appeal on the shelves, rather than creating a product designed to actually satisfy the customer. The endless repaints tend to be very bright, purely because they want to catch the kid's eye off the shelf. If the repaint has mould issues, well that's okay, as long as the toy sells.

Takara on the other hand, actually want to make sure the customer is satisfied - and hence will return. Case in point is yellow BT Tracks - many people who purchased that toy weren't happy, so Takara negotiated with GM to do a blue one, ensuring that collectors who wanted Tracks to be blue are _happy_ and are likely to come back for the next BT.

Even if I have no vested interest in the end product, I'd much rather see companies run with a model that focusses on satisfying the end consumer, so that customers develop a true loyalty. I wonder how many parents bought 1970s Bumblebee for a their kid only to see the trigger break within 5 minutes... and I wonder how many of those parents now don't buy Transformers for their kids? Okay that was a QC issue that probably slipped under the radar, but that's the sort of experience that Hasbro should be trying like hell to avoid.

Golden Phoenix
6th July 2008, 11:17 AM
I have one of them. They are kinda cool, just sitting there. I have Mace Windu, and he just looks cool. So I figured why not. I am sceptical about the Transformers one. They better not be just straight repaints of each other

MV75
6th July 2008, 12:28 PM
ummmm no. Not sure why you'd even think it was.

In the context it was said. BTW, nice save, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. ;) :D




My point is, I see these sorts of threads pop up on a regular basis on the various forums. People either expressing their disappointment about repaints or quality control or some gimmick/line they don't like and someone's always asking "why does Hasbro do this?"

Simple economics. They're out to make a profit. Repaints are cheaper than making new molds. And things like Mighty Mugs will offer variety and may attract the attention of those the main line may not target, people who collect "cute" things for example.

Transformers have become a huge money maker for Hasbro and they're going to put that name on as many pieces of merchandise as they can. And I don't see that as being lazy, lazy would be sticking to just one line and pumping out repaint after repaint, Mighty Mugs are at least showing diversification. It all comes back to profit. Hasbro aren't in business to please the fans, they're in business to please their stock holders, as I said, they're a profit driven company, nothing more, nothing less, and certaintly, not intended to be insulting to anyone.


As I said, and Dirge did again, they are lazy and are after immediate profit, not customer satisfication. I really have noticed the decline in QC over the years from Hasbro.

It's also not really diversifying, they just try and take what they have and see how they can shoehorn in a new franchise into the same gimmick. Have a longer look around. :) You'll see lots of "cross-overs".



Good to see i'm not the only one skipping Classics 2.0 and go for the Henkei releases instead. :D

Damn straight. :) The decline of QC and loss of focus upon the product has really forced my hand to look elsewhere.
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Robzy
6th July 2008, 12:38 PM
Good to see i'm not the only one skipping Classics 2.0 and go for the Henkei releases instead. :DI think that list of customers will be very long! :D


I wonder how many parents bought 1970s Bumblebee for a their kid only to see the trigger break within 5 minutes... and I wonder how many of those parents now don't buy Transformers for their kids? Excellent point! This QC issue (which has appeared again in Animated, as well as in some of the early Classics 2.0 reviews I'm reading) is becoming a serious concern for me as a collector! Apart from the fact that I don't want to buy cheap crap, I don't want potential fans (young and old) to be put off by inferior toys that break!


.

Pulse
6th July 2008, 02:13 PM
You gotta feel sorry for Prime & the guys...

I mean, he was seriously pimped out for the movie by Hasbro & Bay and now... He's probably wondering what else they'll slap his image on... :(

Burn
6th July 2008, 09:35 PM
As I said, and Dirge did again, they are lazy and are after immediate profit, not customer satisfication. I really have noticed the decline in QC over the years from Hasbro.

Being lazy ... cutting costs ... whichever way you look at it really it all comes down to reducing costs and increasing profit margins. Whatever you call it, yeah, it sucks.

See i'm not arguing with either of you, I agree 100% about Hasbro's QC issues. I've just accepted that they're out to make money and will cut corners and do all sorts of dodgy things to do it.

Hence why some of us are looking more at the Japanese releases (even though some of TT's releases as of late haven't been the usual high standards of Japanese QC we've been use to)


It's also not really diversifying, they just try and take what they have and see how they can shoehorn in a new franchise into the same gimmick. Have a longer look around. :) You'll see lots of "cross-overs".

Again it really comes down to what you want to call it. Shoehorning, diversifying, branching out. They know they have a popular franchise at the moment and they're going to milk it any way they can.

Anyone know what other toys Hasbro makes that can have other lines crossed over into them? We can start a betting pool on what will be next.

GoktimusPrime
6th July 2008, 10:59 PM
You gotta feel sorry for Prime & the guys...

I mean, he was seriously pimped out for the movie by Hasbro & Bay and now... He's probably wondering what else they'll slap his image on...
Put yourself in their position. Would you really care what they were slapping your face on so long as you were receiving royaltie$$$ for it?? :) So long as they're not making a Life Day Holiday Special, I don't think they really care what merchandise is being churned out. They'll just be kicking it back and sippin' on some Energon cocktails in the Bahamas waiting for some suckers to come buy this crap with their image on it. ;D

MV75
7th July 2008, 02:34 PM
Anyone know what other toys Hasbro makes that can have other lines crossed over into them? We can start a betting pool on what will be next.

$10 says Gi Joe.

Actually, make that $100. Such a sure bet, because of the upcoming film, and because they've crossed the lines before. :)

Just watch, Gi joe will have:

Transformers.
Nerf blasters, (I won't complain about a vulcan in camo colours though. :) ).
Heros
These Mugg things
Masks/Costumes

Ah, to hell with it, just look at the transformers movie line pre and post, and put Gi Joe on them.


Put yourself in their position. Would you really care what they were slapping your face on so long as you were receiving royaltie$$$ for it?? :) So long as they're not making a Life Day Holiday Special, I don't think they really care what merchandise is being churned out. They'll just be kicking it back and sippin' on some Energon cocktails in the Bahamas waiting for some suckers to come buy this crap with their image on it. ;D

I'd care because it's called selling out.

You have to draw the line to where it starts to damage your reputation.
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GoktimusPrime
9th July 2008, 08:07 AM
There are worse forms of sellouts:

http://www.tvparty.com/bgifs14/starwarsheader.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asnVcbWQ2cg) Star Wars Ep 4.5*
(yes, it's legit)

*officially known as the Star Wars Holiday Special, continuity-wise it occurs after EpIV and before EpV. Does anyone else think that Luke looks like a girl in that? ;)

Burn
9th July 2008, 09:02 AM
Is that a Ferengi in the bottom right corner?

kup
9th July 2008, 10:51 AM
Is that a Ferengi in the bottom right corner?

Looks like one without the ears :D

SofaMan
9th July 2008, 10:51 AM
They better not be just straight repaints of each other

LOL!

genechan
9th July 2008, 01:21 PM
*thinks how cute they will be* :3

Wahahahaha Megatron....cute XD

TF76
12th July 2008, 04:28 PM
I can't wait to see them, I think they will be really cute too.

GoktimusPrime
12th July 2008, 04:37 PM
IMO the cutest TFs are the Q Robo Transformers (http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/q_robo1.htm). :)

http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_convoy1.jpghttp://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_megatron1.jpghttp://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_soundwave1.jpg
http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_jazz1.jpghttp://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_starscr1.jpg

genechan
12th July 2008, 04:54 PM
IMO the cutest TFs are the Q Robo Transformers (http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/q_robo1.htm). :)

http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_convoy1.jpghttp://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_megatron1.jpghttp://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_soundwave1.jpg
http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_jazz1.jpghttp://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/figure/img/qrobo1_starscr1.jpg

squeeeeeeeee Jazz and Screamer >D

GoktimusPrime
12th July 2008, 08:02 PM
I have all the Q Robos pictured there except for Convoy and Starscream. :p

genechan
12th July 2008, 10:19 PM
D: where did you get them?

GoktimusPrime
13th July 2008, 10:08 PM
From the land of the harpoonedrising sun. :)

Burn
24th July 2008, 07:34 PM
Fail! (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/generation-1-1/transformers-mighty-muggs-on-the-way-165450/)

SilverDragon
24th July 2008, 08:16 PM
Meh. The only one I'd buy is Sludge anyway, since he just screams to be made into one. Actually, scratch that, not even the least remade Dinobot can make me buy one of those after they fooled me into thinking they actually were recycled. :P

STL
24th July 2008, 10:14 PM
Meh. Won't touch this.

I didn't touch slumblebee and sofitimus for similar reasons too. There's robot heroes then there's these.

And on the issue of what Hasbro does, I don't like it but the reality is like SWs, we're gonna start seeing TF over all sort of crap. Just pick up the stuff u like and skip that which u don't.

iceburn
25th July 2008, 09:36 AM
Pics update of the Mighty Muggs
Taken from TFormers (http://tformers.com/transformers-2008-sdcc-day-1-mighty-muggs-optimus-prime/9894/news.html)

http://tformers.net/g/albums/9894/DSCF2867.JPG

There's 2 more pictures of Optimus Prime's packaging in the link above

i_amtrunks
25th July 2008, 10:15 AM
So they dont actually do anything? serve some kind of function? (even bobble heads bobble!)

So they are just ugly for the sake of it?

iceburn
25th July 2008, 10:21 AM
probably we could ask sifun on that as he has a Venom Mighty Mugg!

sifun
25th July 2008, 12:29 PM
they're just cute and look cool. They don't do anything apart from having their arms move around.
I haven't opened my venom yet.. Still need spiderman ;)

1orion2many
25th July 2008, 01:01 PM
Burn does not buy non-transforming Transformers.
Though he does have two Action Masters but we don't speak about them. It was out of curiosity, we all experiment at times!

But eh, what are we going to do about it? Years ago we were having trouble finding Transformers or even having a line to collect, now we've got 'em coming out the wahzoo's and we still complain.

Damn fanboys! :p

:)+1 on the must Transform thus it's called a Transformer:D

JuzMel
7th November 2008, 08:17 PM
BBTS has them out for pre-order too.. they are kinda cute! Esp. bumblebee!

BBTS TF Might Muggs (http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS16229&mode=retail&picture=out)

jacksplatt11
7th November 2008, 09:03 PM
The one thing that annoys me about Mighty Muggs, especially the TF ones, is that sometimes the heads of the character being represented just don't suit being a sphere.. For example, Megatron.. looks terrible... I would rather prefer that they had proper heads, the same as their characters, and would even consider getting some if they did... but I guess that's the gimmick eh

Bumblebee looks alright cause he has the "horns" but... meh