2018 Transformers fan vote

[griffin]

First it was Windblade.
Then we had the Combiner Victorion.
Then Trypticon and Optimus Primal in the last two years.

The next global Transformers fan vote starts soon (Hasbro have posted a teaser video on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/transformers/videos/1822505827819603/)).... so keep an eye out on the news coming out of New York Toyfair this weekend (if you don't hear about it here first).

Fingers crossed that Australia gets a more involved role in the short-list selection process this time.

[Sutton]

The vote will be:

Needlenose vs Tracks
Spinister vs Wheeljack
Impactor vs Mirage

No idea what that actually means or how it will work yet.

[griffin]

The vote will be:

Needlenose vs Tracks
Spinister vs Wheeljack
Impactor vs Mirage

No idea what that actually means or how it will work yet.

I imagine that there will be a proper public official announcement from Hasbro on the fan vote... before Tuesday at least.... to tell us clearly what they need from us, and more importantly, why.
It may be fun to have us voting on characters, but if we know what we are voting for, or why, it will help with the decision.

This was Seibertron's description of what was mentioned at the presentation panel...


Fan vote poll for a deluxe class:
#Needlenose vs Tracks (brother vs brother),
#Spinister vs Wheeljack (Saboteur vs Scientist),
#Impactor vs Mirage (Greater Good vs Greater $$$)


Vote by hashtag Tuesday 2/20 - Friday 2/23 on Facebook and Instagram (hashtags above). Winners will be sold separately, but share story.

Not a lot of time for Hasbro to promote this, as it is just two days time (2 and a half in America)... and is that it, or will there be many elimination rounds, that eventually narrow down the winner?

[griffin]

Seibertron have posted up more details (https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/hasbro-transformers-2018-fan-vote-war-for-cybertron-pairings-voting-opens-february-20th-hasbrotoyfair-nytf/40694/)... but it is still a little confusing.

It looks like two winning toys will be released after this fan vote, but since they have three pairs to vote on next week (which would result in 3 winners), maybe there will be multiple rounds to end up with two winners.
The first six for voting next week aren't that inspiring, with 5 of the 6 already done in Prime Wars styling (yes, three were FunPub exclusives, but it's not like Hasbro are offering six "first ever" toy options for us to want to vote for).
Tracks also has a Classicverse toy, but could do with a Combiner form to go with all the other Original Series Autobots in the Prime Wars style.
(even though the next Generations series is being called War for Cybertron, I would imagine a continuation of the same style and design as Prime Wars toys, just with new gimmicks)


From the coverage of the Hasbro Brand Entertainment panel, we have the details on the next fan-vote poll that will lead to not one but two, separately sold figures - each with their backstory and reason for inclusion together - for the new War for Cybertron toyline (that will follow the end of Power of the Primes and Prime Wars Trilogy).

The voting runs on official Transformers social media platforms Facebook and Instagram from Tuesday February 20th to Friday February 23rd, using the hashtags provided below.



Needlenose and Tracks - #NeedlenosevsTracks (brother vs brother)
Spinister and Wheeljack - #SpinistervsWheeljack (Saboteur vs Scientist)
Impactor and Mirage - #ImpactorvsMirage (Greater Good vs Greater Profit)


You vote for the pairing, but each of the winning figures will be available separately at retail. We will bring you more information as it becomes available!

[DELTAprime]

Well I need a Needlenose, Spinister and Impactor for my CHUG collection so I see little point in me voting as I'd just use three accounts and vote for each set once.

[griffin]

The 2018 Transformers fan-vote has begun. Vote on the Transformers facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/transformers/videos/1827437210659798/) (or any of their other official social media sites that is taking votes), and check out the art and story behind each of these pairings here on the Hasbro Pulse site (http://pulse.hasbro.com/news/war-cybertron-fan-vote-here) (text copied below).



War for Cybertron is an up-close, gritty, three-part look at the battle for the fate of Cybertron. These are beloved and familiar events from Transformers lore told through the eyes of the heroes and villains in a story of conflict and consequence, where in order to gain what you want, you must be willing to lose everything you have.

For the first time fans can vote on a pair of characters who will become part of the Generations lineup as Deluxe Class figures. Choose wisely…these rivals will have to share the same shelf…even though they may not like it!

CHOOSE YOUR RIVALS

SPINISTER vs. WHEELJACK
Saboteur vs. Scientist
It’s saboteur vs. scientist as Spinister and Wheeljack lock circuits in a battle of wits. Who will come out ahead as they play a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

NEEDLENOSE vs. TRACKS
Brother vs. Brother
Brother is pitted against brother as these two family members choose to fight on opposite sides of the war. When their loyalties are tested by the trails of combat, which bond will hold stronger: family or faction?

IMPACTOR vs. MIRAGE
Mirage vs. the Mercenary
The Wreckers, led by Impactor, are a highly skilled team of mercenaries who are at their best when the odds of survival are at their worst. They're exactly the kind of soldiers the Autobots need on their side. Can Mirage persuade them to join the Autobot cause?

Vote for your favorite character pair and help shape the future of the Transformers universe!




Voting ends in about 3 days time, so it is not long at all for you to have a say in which of these three pairs will be released as Deluxe toys in next year's Generations toyline.




It looks like two winning toys will be released after this fan vote, but since they have three pairs to vote on next week (which would result in 3 winners), maybe there will be multiple rounds to end up with two winners.


I realised the other day that the voting format is likely to be a vote on one of those three pairs, not a vote on one character in each pairing.... which now obviously gives us the "two toys" that they were mentioning.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Between various Generations lines and the TFSS I’ve got new versions of all these characters so it’s a bit on a non-issue for me. A shame they didn’t tackle characters that hadn’t had the treatment yet - maybe like some proper Headmaster Horricons or Action Master Elites.

Maybe even that clock that killed Hitler :p

[M-bot]

I’m keen on a newer, better model Mirage and Impactor, so they got my vote.

[Autocon]

When did tracks and needlenose become brothers?

Id vote impactor

[DELTAprime]

When did tracks and needlenose become brothers?

I'm guessing in an upcoming issue of IDW.:p

[BigTransformerTrev]

When did tracks and needlenose become brothers?



I'm guessing in an upcoming issue of IDW.:p

Older issues of IDW from a few years ago

[reillyd]

When did tracks and needlenose become brothers?


They weren't. It was retroconed in recent IDW. In G1 continuity they aren't related. If the vote doesn't go ahead they still won't

[griffin]

So, there is no word or even a hint at future voting rounds... this single vote on one of three pairs, over just 3-4 days, looks like it might just be it.

Is this the least interesting fan vote so far?
This may just be me and my opinion, but it just seems so uninspiring, not just because of what this year's fan vote is about, but because previous years seemed so much more interesting or epic.

Results of previous votes may have been polarising to fans, but the voting process back then was often quite involved when creating new characters, or featured iconic characters when voting on a new toy for an old character.
This time it just seems so simple (a short voting period for one of three options, with little fanfare or promotion), and features characters who probably wouldn't even make it on the short list of the Hall of Fame fan-vote... and the two that are most iconic to fans and the general public, just recently got Generations toys (Mirage and Wheeljack).
Tracks is the only one of the six that didn't see a Prime Wars Trilogy era toy, and even though three of them were limited FunPub toys, they are out there if fans of those characters really wanted them.

I expect that the winning toys will be Deluxes, or else they wouldn't fit in with the other Generations toys that are similar to these characters (other Autobot cars, Targetmasters), and that won't allow the designers to do too much with the engineering and details, or else these will cost as much as Masterpiece toys.

And the worst of it, is that if the resulting two toys are very nicely done, it is an annoying tease that we then won't get the other four produced.
I would have preferred several rounds of voting, eliminating characters in a head to head showdown, resulting in two winners... making it more interesting with each round, and we wouldn't be too upset about the loosing options being a tease of toys we'll never see, because there would be too many losers.

[DELTAprime]

The best comment on the Facebook page for the vote is something along the lines of "Just give us Spinister, Needlenose and Impactor".

They are three characters Hasbro has not done properly in G1 form. To only give us one of them is a bit painful for collectors like me that want a full G1 cast from 84 to 92 in CHUG.

[UltraMarginal]

I only just barely bothered to vote.

it feels like such an anti-climax to me.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I only just barely bothered to vote.

it feels like such an anti-climax to me.

Why is it all I can ever say when I read one of your posts is:

+1

:D

[griffin]

The fan-vote ends today (American time), and Hasbro have posted up some new (last minute) info that might have changed the vote of fans....


Q: Aren’t Needlenose and Tracks brothers? A: Yep! And, you’ll get a glimpse into what drove them apart and led to them joining the Autobots and Decepticons in the War for Cybertron trilogy! Get Excited!

Q: Why antoher Wheeljack figure, we recently got him as a toy? A: Wheeljack is one of the few Autobots whose Cybertronian vehicle alt-mode is seen in the original 1984 pilot episode of “The Transformers”. This version has never before been created in toy.

Q: Why does Impactor wear a Decepticon logo? A: Much like the bounty hunter Doubledealer (who bears the Autobot crest), Impactor wears faction logos which do not align with his true nature as a Transformer. You’ll learn why and how he came to wear the Autobot crest, instead, in the untold stories of the War for Cybertron Trilogy.

I don't know where these were posted, but it was mirrored here (http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/02/23/war-cybertron-fan-vote-ending-today-fan-questions-answered-359952).

Based on the response about Wheeljack (having his Gen1 Cybertronian mode), it suggests that the winning toys will be completely new designs.... and even more of an annoying tease that the losing four will not be made (or else, what would be the point of having a fan-vote to decide what toys will be released).

[reillyd]

and even more of an annoying tease that the losing four will not be made (or else, what would be the point of having a fan-vote to decide what toys will be released).

I smell something fishy there. They say that you WILL SEE in the new series....... so they've already planned for them to play a role in either the IDW story, the cartoon, or some other media. Impactor for example playing a double role , so presumably more than one episode or issue. That sounds like a major plot point to me, and I suspect we'll be seeing the toys packed individually. The fan vote seems more about a two-pack versus line.

[Bidoofdude]

If we are indeed not getting all three (which would be a bit stupid IMO), mentioning Cybertronian mode Wheeljack probably would have been a bit more useful before the event, rather than right on the dot.

I would love a new Tracks, or a golf cart Wheeljack.

[griffin]

I certainly would have vote for Wheeljack if we knew that it would be the Cybertronian mode, and if it was implied that we wouldn't get it if it didn't win.


I smell something fishy there. They say that you WILL SEE in the new series....... so they've already planned for them to play a role in either the IDW story, the cartoon, or some other media. Impactor for example playing a double role , so presumably more than one episode or issue. That sounds like a major plot point to me, and I suspect we'll be seeing the toys packed individually. The fan vote seems more about a two-pack versus line.

After the RID cartoon gave us a LOT of Decepticons that never became toys, I just don't trust that anyone who is in the upcoming cartoon or comic universe will get toys.
As such, I think we won't get a toy for every character, but the winning pair will be guaranteed to be done.

If they release the other four, at all... it will cheapen the already unexciting 2018 fan-vote. (I'm not saying that they shouldn't do all six, as I'd still want them, and want fans of those characters to get them as well, and not be teased like this and never get it.)

[Autocon]

I certainly would have vote for Wheeljack if we knew that it would be the Cybertronian mode, and if it was implied that we wouldn't get it if it didn't win.



After the RID cartoon gave us a LOT of Decepticons that never became toys, I just don't trust that anyone who is in the upcoming cartoon or comic universe will get toys.
As such, I think we won't get a toy for every character, but the winning pair will be guaranteed to be done.

If they release the other four, at all... it will cheapen the already unexciting 2018 fan-vote. (I'm not saying that they shouldn't do all six, as I'd still want them, and want fans of those characters to get them as well, and not be teased like this and never get it.)

Did they ever make the dragster praying mantis? Coz of the design direction there were some really interesting unique characters developed.

[UltraMarginal]

Why is it all I can ever say when I read one of your posts is:

+1

:D

I guess, I'm just that awesome! :confused:

Hearing that Wheeljack would be Cybertronian mode completely changed my opinion of the poll and who to vote for.

[Autocon]

Did we get a winner?

[Raider]

Impactor v Mirage (https://www.facebook.com/transformers/videos/1837515759651943/)

[UltraMarginal]

Here's hoping they don't dilute the existing wreckers media too much.
It'll be interesting to see how they handle it, the Wreckers have always been a fruitful story team.

[DELTAprime]

While I do want all 3 new CHUG characters made Impactor was the one I wanted the least as he doesn't have a G1 toy.

[Ploughmans Lunch]

I saw a video of a guy standing on a greenscreen announcing who won, I think. I didn't turn the sound on, I had a general idea of what was being said, but something... I dunno, and I realise this is tip-toeing into very "I am a bit of a sensitive baby" thing, and probably is me projecting or whatever, but like....

It might've been nice if this wasn't a 'vs' set vote (I'm assuming it's for a 2-dlx set or whatever) and more of an "&' set. Like, maybe two ppl (cybertronians, I dunno) working together, or whatever. I do know that V/Vs. doesn't always imply conflict (tho from the imagery used it was pretty obvious what sort of term Vs. took in this context), but think given the state of the world and media in general, could've been nice. Yes, I know Hasbro have no social obligation to reduce conflict/conflict imagery, just wishful thinking, thats all.

I know that this is generally a brand for essentially war toys/war media and that conflict is a a large part of it's story/presentation and will likely be going into the future. I know that there's probably next to no appetite to change this either within Hasbro (excluding some current IDW stuff) or within fandom generally (because it never brings up), and I'm not so delusional to think that this approach of "&" instead of "Vs." was in any way considered or whatever (in the way I'm babbling now).

Just woulda been nice to have, despite their factional differences, Needlenose and Tracks (who are brothers now, I suppose) not at each other's throats. Or Mirage/Impactor working together to like.... I dunno, fix a fence.


Llalalala.

[Raider]

I got the impression that vs. doesn't necessarily mean in the physical conflict sense but extends to other areas such as ideological points, ie Tracks v Needlenose to explain why two brothers are fighting for different causes, Impactor v Mirage has something to do with Mirage convincing Impactor to fight for the Autobots.

I for one didn't vote as I felt Impactor was going to win out and that is who I would have voted for anyway but even if I was wrong I was not overly fussed.

[Ploughmans Lunch]

I got the impression that vs. doesn't necessarily mean in the physical conflict sense but extends to other areas such as ideological points, ie Tracks v Needlenose to explain why two brothers are fighting for different causes, Impactor v Mirage has something to do with Mirage convincing Impactor to fight for the Autobots.

True, and I don't want to sound like im oversimplifying anything, but I guess when coupled with the imagery they used (each member rushing at each other, often with a weapon), I couldn't help but assume the vs. aspect involved some kind of physical violence against one another. Which again sure, thats part of the whole transformers thing, just I dunno, I'm getting violence burnout at the moment.

Might log off x

[ChlorHex]

Dang it!
All I wanted was Wheeljack in his cybertronian mode! :mad:

[UltraMarginal]

Dang it!
All I wanted was Wheeljack in his cybertronian mode! :mad:

I think that's my biggest disappointment out of this fan vote as well.

[griffin]

I think this is our first look at an actual Siege Mirage toy (https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/06/12/takara-tomy-siege-display-at-tokyo-toy-show-first-look-at-siege-deluxe-mirage-toy-389718) (I think only CG renders were released before). Just like Impactor, it should be a regular release toy.
(display is at the Tokyo toy show that's on right now in Japan)

[tinyJazz]

Wow, Mirage’s bot mode looks really good. Alt mode, not so much. Now I want to know what he looks like next to Henkei Hound.

[Autocon]

Wonder how long omega can sustain that weight on it