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View Full Version : November Qs for Hasbro (closes 25th Oct)



griffin
10th October 2008, 02:16 PM
November submission - 20 questions to Hasbro by the 1st November, so please post your questions by the 25th October (to give me enough time to sort and check out the best ones, and to converse with anyone who posted something that needs or could be reworded).
Make sure you read the 'Rules' posting before you post your questions.

Carried over questions from last month that will be considered:
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Would it be possible, if Hasbro does open an online store, to work closer with the current TFCC and allow some of their exclusives, such as the recent piranacon? That is, if an Australian based TFCC is not formed.
(this question will depend on the answer of 2 October Qs)
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Possibility of an Australian Botcon? It could even be a general Hasbro convention spanning all of their toylines.
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will there be any more anniversary beastwars toys comming out?
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AUS hasbro website updated any time soon, as it has been neglected for over a year.
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Future of Alternity series?
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Gijoe crossovers?
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Are Hasbro planning to release any "preview" figures for the second Transformers movie, ala Protoform Optimus and Starscream?
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Can we have all the Original Transformers Toy commercials released on DVD?
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And the SWs faqs eventually, to get our own official answers.

llamatron
16th October 2008, 12:24 AM
Are there any plans for a Hasbro release of the recently announced Masterpiece Grimlock? Either by Hasbro themselves (ala 20th Anniversary Prime and "White" Starscream) or importing by Target (like MP-04)?

jacksplatt11
16th October 2008, 12:56 AM
Are there any plans for a Hasbro release of the recently announced Masterpiece Grimlock? Either by Hasbro themselves (ala 20th Anniversary Prime and "White" Starscream) or importing by Target (like MP-04)?

Good question, also interested to know..

roller
17th October 2008, 09:35 PM
Will Season 5 of the Original Transformers tv series ever be released on DVD?

Soundwarp
17th October 2008, 09:36 PM
You mean G1 series.....

I think i've got it....

Diddn't they do all 6?

MV75
17th October 2008, 09:41 PM
Will there be a Rhinox gun based on the Nerf Vulcan dart gun?

jaydisc
17th October 2008, 10:16 PM
There have been some complaints about the paint matching on Animated Bumblebee and Universe Sunstreaker. Did these paint applications pass your approval phase as "good enough" or were you also surprised at the manufactured result?

MV75
17th October 2008, 10:23 PM
Wouldn't be too many complaints then if there was actually matching paint on the toys. I'd complain too if mine was not mis-matched. :D :D :D

Anyway, I think this was answered here, from this post http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=53694&postcount=6 :


4.) 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.


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.


Yea, just as you'd expect. ;)

griffin
18th October 2008, 01:35 AM
Matching paint and plastic has been mentioned at at least one recent BotCon, mentioning how it isn't possible to get pale paints to match plastic colours if painted on dark plastic (like the transluscent black of Sustreaker's chest piece).
I don't have Henkei Sunstreaker yet, but maybe TT used a darker yellow paint, or just used yellow plastic and painted the windows black.

dirge
18th October 2008, 07:47 AM
Matching paint and plastic has been mentioned at at least one recent BotCon, mentioning how it isn't possible to get pale paints to match plastic colours if painted on dark plastic (like the transluscent black of Sustreaker's chest piece).
I don't have Henkei Sunstreaker yet, but maybe TT used a darker yellow paint, or just used yellow plastic and painted the windows black.

This one does smack of a cop-out/delfection, sadly. Classics Bumblebee managed it. Henkei Sunstreaker isn't perfect but the match is quite close.

I'm tempted to say that either someone did make the "good enough" call jay talks about, or the result wasn't what they expected - but obviously they're unable to do anything about it now - and don't want to admit that they'll still ship the sub-par stuff (since destroying and recommissioning would wipe out any profit made from the toy in question, I suspect).

MV75
18th October 2008, 07:57 AM
I'd suggest that they either did use a darker shade, or they did the following:

Undercoat first. It's the thing that makes painting upon different bases to get the desired results possible, they flat out lied at botcon. But I suppose it isn't a lie when they only work on the one principle of a thin layer of paint with no preparation before hand.

Multiple layers.

Just thicker application of paint.

Also about classics bumblebee, it just happened to be the figure that I first noticed the poor paint applications starting to appear on. Mine and others that I saw at the store all had fade through on the roof due to cheap skating the paint application. Sure it wasn't as noticable at first glance like sunstreaker is, but it's there, and when you're as particular about the appearance of the finish of toys as I am, you notice.

dirge
18th October 2008, 08:41 AM
Undercoat first.

Multiple layers.


I don't think any fan would argue, but considering how restrictive Hasbro seems to be with paint budgets, I don't see these happening.



Just thicker application of paint.


This would help, although some of the mismatches we've had lately wouldn't be solved.



Also about classics bumblebee, it just happened to be the figure that I first noticed the poor paint applications starting to appear on.


That's not what I'm pointing to, however. I'm referring to the yellow paint matching the yellow plastic. Sure, that yellow paint may be sloppily applied, but the shades match nicely.

Oh, and Henkei Sunstreaker does use transparent plastic, and a richer, Cadmium yellow, rather than Hasbro's lemon yellow.

I do think jaydisc's question is worth asking, although I'm not sure we'll get much of a reply.

MV75
18th October 2008, 09:02 AM
I was using classics bumblebee pretty much as a first example. Yes I know you wern't using it as such, but I felt that after my own experiences with it that I had to use it as an example to the fact that these issues arn't just appearing now on the current toys. :)

Plus go have another look at him, (classics bumblebee), you should notice that the roof doesn't match, and there are thin spots where you can see though to the under plastic. ;) But as I said, it's not as noticable as sunstreaker, but it is there. Overall it's still a very acceptable toy, (classics bumblebee), but it was the first toy that had me starting to look even more carefully at the products finish, and as such, I've noticed a huge decline since. It became a sort of beginning to a trend. I really was stunned at first when I first did notice it on classics bumblebee, I then spent ages in the store looking at all the other bumblebees on the shelves thinking it was just the one, it wasn't. Sad day that was.

And yea, I'd expect the exact same reply that I did quote above. They totally ignored the paint issue, and they just mentioned the break away feature while avoiding very obvious QC issues of toys falling apart out of the box. Yea, a canned response at best. :) Something I was afraid of when these questions were first gaining momentum, would they ignore "bad" stuff like this and focus upon fan wanks? Well, yes and no. :)

jaydisc
18th October 2008, 09:15 AM
With their last response, they specifically addressed parts popping off, and pointed out that this was NOT a QC issue as many expected, but rather identified it as a design decision, and in my opinion (in most cases), a worthy one.

So, in that same vein, the paint mismatch might not be a QC issue, but rather an accepted cost vs. value compromise. That's what I'm trying to ascertain.

MV75
18th October 2008, 09:37 AM
You could say it was a QC issue then as the parts shouldn't pop off that easily. Opening a toy that falls to bits is a QC issue. Or at the very least it would become a PR issue as people won't continue to buy toys that fall to bits when you just get them out of the box, which is nowhere near the stress they'd endure if you gave them to a kid to play with. Pretty bad looking that is. That is the very thing that stopped and turned me off buying minicons ever again. They just fell to bits all the time, so I just said forget those then. So yea, I still feel they just dodged the issue.

And about the paint, yes, I do see your point there. You want to know if they find a sub-par finish to be acceptable given the budget. Well, I hope that I read that right, because if so, I'd like to know too, and yea, it would even further entrench my opinion that they are cheap skating it too much. Also the budget has increased, the deluxe is now $10.99 USD retail.

GoktimusPrime
18th October 2008, 09:44 AM
jaydisc is correct. Ever since late G2 (and popularised during Beast Wars) Transformers have featured parts that are intentionally designed to pop off under stress, as opposed to say old G1 Transformers where parts would just break off under stress. Some of the early BW toys featured parts that fell off a bit too easily (e.g.: Basic Optimus Primal, and remembering that this was 12 years ago) but they've improved on that. I agree that some toys still feature parts that pop off a bit too easily (like on some Star Wars Transformers) - but that would be more of a design issue, not a QC issue.

A QC issue would be say the face of my Cybertron Ransack... a quarter of his face is unpainted so he has this big red splotch on his face. :( That's not a design flaw, that's just bad QC!

MV75
18th October 2008, 09:57 AM
I still see it as QC though as they should have taken samples, and it seems pretty consistant across certain figures as it just seems to plague just those certain figures. :)

And yea, the introduction of ball joints gave them that extra advantage that they just decided to then call it a "break away feature" when they were most likely trying to decide how to handle the fact that ball joints pop off and how to explain it. ;)

Pulse
18th October 2008, 01:42 PM
I'd suggest that they either did use a darker shade, or they did the following:

Undercoat first. It's the thing that makes painting upon different bases to get the desired results possible, they flat out lied at botcon. But I suppose it isn't a lie when they only work on the one principle of a thin layer of paint with no preparation before hand.

Multiple layers.

Just thicker application of paint.


All this comes down to is saving money... :(





Hasbro Person 1: "Should we give it another layer of paint?"

Hasbro Person 2: "Is it gonna cost more?"

Hasbro Person 1: "Well, yeah"

Hasbro Person 2: "Then one layer of paint will do"




:(

reillyd
18th October 2008, 03:30 PM
I'd like to ask the following question

For the Transformers Universe 25th Anniversary line, are there plans to feature any of the G1 gimmicks (Pretender Shells, Headmaster, Powermaster, Micromaster bases), or will there be further Targetmasters like Cyclonus or cassettes like Hound/Ravage? Fans really appreciate the homage to classic G1 toys

Feel free to reword as appropriate.

Autocon
24th October 2008, 12:04 AM
how many more BW characters will be introduced in the universe line?

griffin
24th October 2008, 12:57 PM
Some questions I might be asking if we run short of Qs to submit:

Thoughts on Fans project City Commander/UM trailer? Would they consider something like that in future?

Why is Robot Heroes 'Hardshell' not called 'Decepticon Bombshell', or Universe 'Tankor' not called 'Decepticon Octane'? Is there some sort of Trademark issue, or a problem with the use of the actual word, like the Dinobot 'Slag' being called 'Snarl' now.

Which fan-sites are involved in the Hasbro TFs Q&A program, including non-US sites.

Have any of the recent factory closures in China been ones that produce Transformers, and if so, has it affected any upcoming releases?

Are records kept of exactly how many units of each toy is produced, including limited edition store exclusives?

Universe Galvatron was reduced to a Deluxe size because it was decided that there shouldn't be 2 similar figures (dark military vehicles) closely released in the one size class, so why was Universe Powerglide done in white, despite Silverbolt also being released as a white plane at about the same time?

Will Hasbro be releasing Disney Crossover Transformers, or is the toy revealed by TakaraTomy a one-off figure that will not be released by Hasbro?

Is the 'Crossover' concept something Hasbro would like to expand further, into other franchises in the future?

griffin
24th October 2008, 01:29 PM
And since no one posted this from the MP Grimlock discussion:

Do each Hasbro and TakaraTomy produce their own toys with different quality standards, or does one manage the production of all stock, and just forwards on the stock the other has ordered to their own design/deco specifications? If the latter, does TakaraTomy have higher production standards, or just better luck with their resulting product?

(I think they will be a bit defensive of that Q, and might not respond to it. If they don't I may resubmit the first part in the future, as the second part sounds like I'm insinuating something.)

Autocon
24th October 2008, 04:39 PM
Universe Galvatron was reduced to a Deluxe size because it was decided that there shouldn't be 2 similar figures (dark military vehicles) closely released in the one size class, so why was Universe Powerglide done in white, despite Silverbolt also being released as a white plane at about the same time?


can also use the example of dropshot and 'insert other name here' of that tank mould perhaps?

also if theyve changed slag to snarl, what do we call snarl then?

Gutsman Heavy
24th October 2008, 04:48 PM
also if theyve changed slag to snarl, what do we call snarl then?

non-existent?

griffin
29th October 2008, 10:05 PM
Okay, these will be the questions I'll be submitting for November, this friday. I haven't asked for updates on store exclusives, because we only just had an update, and probably only need it every 2 months. It will help free up question slots every two months though.

If anyone has any suggestions or complaints about the following, please let me know before Friday.

1 - The Transformers Advent Calendar has been seen in Coles and Kmart already, are there any other officially licensed TF Christmas merchandise items for Australia this year?
-
2 - Takara have released Transformers Model kits in the past, is there any interest for Hasbro to do something similar? Or maybe even a kit of parts from an actual Transformers toy to 'build-it-yourself' type of concept, for a select character toy, allowing for custom detailing and painting, or just the self satisfaction of building your own Transformers toy?
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3 - Can we see the old 80s toy commercials released somehow, either as a future DVD bonus feature or on the Hasbro Transformers website?
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4 - Can Hasbro look at doing a Roleplay toy resembling the Beast Wars Rhinox chaingun, which could be similar to the Nerf Vulcan dart Gun?
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5 - Do each Hasbro and TakaraTomy produce their own toys, or does one manage the production of all stock, and just forwards on the stock the other has ordered to their own design/deco specifications?
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6 - Hasbro US were kind enough to detail the design process (from concept to finished product) of Transformers toys at BotCon 2007. Is it possible to get some details and photos of the actual production procedure in the factories to see just how these amazingly complex toys are actually produced, constructed, painted and packaged?
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7 - Hasbro US announced in one of their US Q&As that they would be releasing another Masterpiece figure late next year, is it the new MP Grimlock, or is it too early to reveal yet?
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8 - Will Hasbro be releasing Disney Crossover Transformers, or is the 'Mickey' toy revealed by TakaraTomy a one-off figure that will not likely be released by Hasbro?
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9 - Is the 'Crossover' concept something Hasbro would like to expand further, into other franchises in the future?
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10 - Have any of the recent factory closures in China been ones that produce Transformers, and if so, has it affected any upcoming releases?
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11 - Are records (production or accounting) kept of exactly how many units of each toy is produced, including limited edition store exclusives?
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12 - Colour mismatching, like on Universe Sunstreaker and Animated Bumblebee - was this an unexpected occurance from the factory campared to the prototype, an economic decision (limited by number of paint apps allowed), or just unavoidable due to paint and plastic colours currently available. And would this explain why the 25th Anniversary Optimus is a pinky red instead of its original deep red?
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13 - Mr Toys Toyworld (a franchise of 20-odd Toyworlds in SE QLD) stocked about 200 Alternator Rodimus Toys last year. Since Hasbro have minimum order quantities, was the quantity of these so small because it was leftover stock at the factory's warehouse that Hasbro wanted to clear (Toyworld gets a lot of clearance items)? And since the precedent has now officially been set, can we now do this (with Toyworld's help as our agent) for various other figures not being released here, because we actually secured almost half of those 200 figures for fellow collectors (at little to no mark-up), and should be able to easily move that total figure in the local collector market if necessary.
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14 - A comic book website last week with writer Shane McCarthy confirmed the upcoming 'Autobot Drift' toy. Will this be in the 25th line, and when is it likely to be released?
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15 - Does Hasbro US or Hasbro AUS administrate the Australian section of the Hasbro Transformers website, and will it be updated soon, as it has been neglected for over a year now? And is it possible to get Hasbro US to disable the auto-redirect on their website, which prevents collectors from accessing the most of the main site (it registers your location as being non-US and auto-directs you to the applicable country page). I know that Hasbro US may not want to confuse the foreign markets (kids & parents) with product that may not be available there, but the outdated sections like ours is promoting unavailable product anyway.
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16 - Why is Robot Heroes 'Hardshell' not called 'Decepticon Bombshell', or Universe 'Tankor' not called 'Decepticon Octane'? Is there some sort of Trademark issue, or a problem with the use of certain actual words (like the Dinobot 'Slag' being called 'Snarl'), because fans would rather see the prefex 'Autobot' or 'Decepticon' to the name, than see a new name for a toy that is clearly a homage to an existing toy/character.
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17 - If Slag toys (Triceratops) are now being called Snarl, what would a Snarl homage toy (Stegasaurus) likely to be called, if we ever get one?
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18 - Universe Galvatron was reduced to a Deluxe size because it was decided that there shouldn't be 2 similar figures (dark military vehicles) closely released in the one size class, so why was Universe Powerglide done in white, despite Silverbolt also being released as a white plane at about the same time?
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19 - Around the time of Beast Wars (1997-2001), prices went up because the exchange rate dropped to US50c, but then stayed the same as the exchange rate went up to US98c. With the recent drop in the exchange rate back to below US60c, are we likely to see another increase in prices here soon?
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20 - Is there any interest by Hasbro AUS or Australian toy companies in general, to have a convention or promotional event to market the toy products to the consumer, similar to how the annual Toyfair markets the toy products to the retailers? Or would this have to be instigated by an independant party or business?

-----
And the questions I couldn't fit in this month, or don't need to ask yet.
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Were the Movie 'Preview' (Protoform Optimus and Starscream) concept figures last April considered a success or failure to Hasbro in terms of sales and retailer interest?
(this question is to find out if there is a chance for more protoform or preview toys next year, without actually asking them, because they won't tell us - but it can wait until next month)
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What are Hasbro's thoughts on the Fans-Project City Commander (Classics Ultra Magnus Trailer/exosuit), and would Hasbro ever consider doing something like that in the future?
(couldn't fit this one in this month, so will submit it next month)
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Which fan-sites are involved in the Hasbro TFs Q&A program, including non-US sites.
(also couldn't fit this one in this month, but it is low priority, as all participating sites are probably now known)
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Would it be possible, if Hasbro does open an online store, to work closer with the current TFCC and allow some of their exclusives? That is, if an Australian based TFCC is not formed.
(Will ask this again when Hasbro AUS decides to open an online store)
-
For the Transformers Universe 25th Anniversary line, are there plans to feature any of the G1 gimmicks (Pretender Shells, Headmaster, Powermaster, Micromaster bases), or will there be further Targetmasters like Cyclonus or cassettes like Hound/Ravage? Fans really appreciate the homage to classic G1 toys.
How many more BW characters will be introduced in the universe line?
(some of this has already been vaguely answered, but will ask again later)
-
Will there be any more anniversary beastwars toys comming out?
(probably not now that the 25th line is being done, but will ask in a future submission)
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Gijoe crossovers?
(this has been answered as 'not in 2009', so will ask again later)
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Any idea if TakaraTomy are planning to have the Alternity series be a long term series like Binaltech, and if they do, would Hasbro look at the viability of releasing them as well, after the Movie next year?
(this has been answered as 'not in 2009', so will ask it in a later Q&A submission)
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And the SWs faqs eventually, to get our own official answers.
http://www.mousedroid.com/hasbro/faq.html
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(I think that within a few months, we will be struggling to submit 20 questions each month, so it shouldn't take long to clear out all those extra questions - and I'm gonna have to do up an archive of all Q&As to keep track of what has been asked, and what should be asked and hasn't)

i_amtrunks
30th October 2008, 08:43 AM
Looks good Griffin, but if Hasbro AU raise prices in the not too distant future, I'll be blaming you for putting the idea in their head with #19! :p

Also love that we technically ask multiple smaller questions in the one larger question!

dirge
30th October 2008, 09:43 AM
1 - The Transformers Advent Calendar has been seen in Coles and Kmart already, are there any other officially licensed TF Christmas merchandise items for Australia this year?


Oh I so want to go all PC and ask you to include Hannukah in this question :p

MV75
30th October 2008, 12:13 PM
And ask if there is a Jihad version with a tiny bomb for each day for the extremists that believe in a little physical suffering for a period will bring eternal happiness.

Of course, the bombs will have to adhere to child safety laws, so they can only singe the eyebrows, and be 1 meter long so that they can't be swallowed by infants.

Oilspill
30th October 2008, 07:56 PM
One to add to the list of questions for later:

Does Hasbro have plans to re-release all of the 1984 characters in the Classics/Universe range? There's a lot of potential Legends class figures, plus some fan favourites like Jazz, Ratchet and Wheeljack and Soundwave and his cassettes (excluding Ravage).

Golden Phoenix
30th October 2008, 08:50 PM
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19 - Around the time of Beast Wars (1997-2001), prices went up because the exchange rate dropped to US50c, but then stayed the same as the exchange rate went up to US98c. With the recent drop in the exchange rate back to below US60c, are we likely to see another increase in prices here soon?

SSHHHH!! You'll give them ideas

STL
31st October 2008, 01:12 AM
Hrm, could we ask them how much of their pricing is based on exchange rates? Maybe that might be a better question.

griffin
31st October 2008, 01:39 AM
The point I'm trying to make is that they used the drop in exchange rate as an excuse to raise prices, but didn't adjust the prices back when the exchange rate went up. I'm wanting to see if they will be using this latest drop in the exchange rate as an excuse to raise their prices again, despite not getting any relief as it climbed. I just think that Hasbro US and AUS got it so good as the exchange rate went up, that they will try to maintain that excessive profit margin as the exchange rate goes back down - they can still make a profit from the toys with a rate even worse than it currently is at, but it's that recent 100+ percent profit margin they've been enjoying lately that they may want to keep enjoying.
As such, I think the only relationship there is between their prices and the exchange rate, is when it gives them an excuse to raise prices, but never drop them.
I'll have a think about it though, as it could still be something else that could be asked.

Golden Phoenix
31st October 2008, 07:37 AM
The point I'm trying to make is that they used the drop in exchange rate as an excuse to raise prices, but didn't adjust the prices back when the exchange rate went up. I'm wanting to see if they will be using this latest drop in the exchange rate as an excuse to raise their prices again, despite not getting any relief as it climbed. I just think that Hasbro US and AUS got it so good as the exchange rate went up, that they will try to maintain that excessive profit margin as the exchange rate goes back down - they can still make a profit from the toys with a rate even worse than it currently is at, but it's that recent 100+ percent profit margin they've been enjoying lately that they may want to keep enjoying.
As such, I think the only relationship there is between their prices and the exchange rate, is when it gives them an excuse to raise prices, but never drop them.
I'll have a think about it though, as it could still be something else that could be asked.

I don't think they will. They said that they don't base prices on the changes of the exchange rate when we asked why they kept their prices high, it would be hypocritical to do so.
Plus, it would piss the retailers off and we would be having a witch hunt if they did

STL
31st October 2008, 12:09 PM
Plus, ...we would be having a witch hunt if they did

What? Afraid of all 116 of us? :p

MV75
31st October 2008, 03:07 PM
Hang on, I thought they based their prices on what people will pay. Plain and simple as that.

SilverDragon
31st October 2008, 08:07 PM
Are there any plans to incorporate Robots in Disguise characters into the main (i.e. not Robot Heroes) 25th anniversary line?

Golden Phoenix
31st October 2008, 08:54 PM
What? Afraid of all 116 of us? :p

Well once we get a big enough mob going, others will just join for the heck of it. That's how it works. Half the people in a mob don't know what they are yelling for, they just wanna smash stuff.

Paulbot
31st October 2008, 09:06 PM
Are there any plans to incorporate Robots in Disguise characters into the main (i.e. not Robot Heroes) 25th anniversary line?

An RID Bruticus homage is in the line, but still a good question. Maybe rephrased around the RID cartoon and not the toyline?

And the questions for November are decided. We'll carry the ones posted in the last few days over to the December Questions for Hasbro thread (coming soon! :) )

griffin
1st November 2008, 12:50 AM
Um, yeah... I haven't given you guys a new topic for new questions. Sorry about that.

roller
1st December 2008, 10:42 PM
so did november get answered? theres a January 2009 thread already?:confused:

griffin
2nd December 2008, 02:53 AM
Nope, still no answers for November. :(