Interview with Australian Toy Designer

[UltraMarginal]

I LOVE this stuff!!


TFW have posted a sample (http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/11/08/interview-with-alexander-kubalsky-an-inside-look-at-transformers-toy-engineering-376057)of a review with toy designer Alexander Kubalsky.

they link to the entire interview here (http://designdecode.org/article.php?p=alexander-kubalsky) which I sadly can't see from my work computer, it's just a white page. hopefully it shows up for others.

This is interesting, I wasn't aware that an Australian had worked with Takara designing transformers. Also lots of interesting insight, even in the snippets that TFW put up.

[SMHFConvoy]

I LOVE this stuff!!


TFW have posted a sample (http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/11/08/interview-with-alexander-kubalsky-an-inside-look-at-transformers-toy-engineering-376057)of a review with toy designer Alexander Kubalsky.

they link to the entire interview here (http://designdecode.org/article.php?p=alexander-kubalsky) which I sadly can't see from my work computer, it's just a white page. hopefully it shows up for others.

This is interesting, I wasn't aware that an Australian had worked with Takara designing transformers. Also lots of interesting insight, even in the snippets that TFW put up.

I know a couple of people in Oz who worked on Armada

[ChlorHex]

that's like a mega dream to be working on designing toys!
What a fortunate bloke!
All the prototypes! *drools*

[Ravagecat]

I LOVE this stuff!!


TFW have posted a sample (http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/11/08/interview-with-alexander-kubalsky-an-inside-look-at-transformers-toy-engineering-376057)of a review with toy designer Alexander Kubalsky.

they link to the entire interview here (http://designdecode.org/article.php?p=alexander-kubalsky) which I sadly can't see from my work computer, it's just a white page. hopefully it shows up for others.

This is interesting, I wasn't aware that an Australian had worked with Takara designing transformers. Also lots of interesting insight, even in the snippets that TFW put up.

Great read, thanks for sharing :cool:

[SMHFConvoy]

Isn't this guy the one who designed classics Mirage?

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Isn't this guy the one who designed classics Mirage?

Yup

[High_Q]

I found the interview educational because the interviewee was very articulate in expressing his design philosophy.

I was surprised though, that he is brazen about designing what are obviously IP infringing products. (It's just not possible to explain away the resemblance of Ocular Azalea or the Remix cassettes to HasTak IPs) :confused:

[DELTAprime]

I was surprised though, that he is brazen about designing what are obviously IP infringing products. (It's just not possible to explain away the resemblance of Ocular Azalea or the Remix cassettes to HasTak IPs) :confused:

Hasbro can't be bothered to even ban imports of 3P products into the US by going to the ITC and ICE, so I doubt they care if someone that used to work for them makes some 3P products. :/

I'm not getting worked up anymore about 3P (other than pointing OTCA members to the correct section to post questions because it makes life easier for the mods).

[griffin]

It was early 2008 that it was revealed that we had an Australian working inside TakaraTomy, and then he left there in 2014.
The original interview that was circulating in 2008 is now gone, as is his original facebook page (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=17818), but some of his drawings are still on deviantart (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=12457).


It has also been a rumour for some time that certain designers and ex-designers were responsible for various 3P toys... which would make sense, as those designers submit heaps of ideas, to then be told that only 3 or 4 can be done in this year's budget.... leaving them with just one option to have their concept dreams be fulfilled.

[reillyd]

It has also been a rumour for some time that certain designers and ex-designers were responsible for various 3P toys... which would make sense, as those designers submit heaps of ideas, to then be told that only 3 or 4 can be done in this year's budget.... leaving them with just one option to have their concept dreams be fulfilled.

The man clearly has mad skills, but I'd love to see some new designs and characters created in the style of transforming vehicles/ships that weren't copies of Takara/Hasbro characters. If he's been doing the ocular max cassettes (which is an amazing product, and actual cassette sized) imagine what new characters he could create beyond a jaguar, condor, ratbat and rumble/frenzy.

It would be nice to have some genuine competition for the Transformers, because otherwise its what - gobots/machinerobo?

I wish Aaron Archer would be poached by some company to do new designs. When they started blatently knock off pretender shells, it got killed pretty quick. But I've seen some of his otherwork on deviantart page, and he designs great toys. Why they ever canned him I'll never understand. Armada was genius, and revived the franchise.

[KELPIE]

I wish Aaron Archer would be poached by some company to do new designs. When they started blatently knock off pretender shells, it got killed pretty quick. But I've seen some of his otherwork on deviantart page, and he designs great toys. Why they ever canned him I'll never understand. Armada was genius, and revived the franchise.

I don't think it got killed off, they just couldn't gather the funding needed to get it off the ground.

I thought the world of Aaron but I don't think Armada revived the franchise.