Hydrodive BB & Golfire Grimlock cancelled. End of Animated days?

[Gutsman Heavy]

dun dun dunnnnnn! (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/animated-8/animated-voyagers-hydrodive-bumblebee--golfire-grimlock-cancelled-166904/) Is this a sign of the end? Will the chins pack it in? Will we still get Arcee and "Soundblaster"? What the hell is "golfire"?

[STL]

What the hell is "golfire"?

Dunno, don't care though. Good riddance.

I'll miss the Hydrofoil BB though. A bit disappointed about a new and improved BB mold given he was a cast character and his Activator doesn't do as much for me as it does for others.

I seriously seriously hope that's not the end of Animated. I want me Arcee and Soundblaster!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Here's hoping we still get toys for the upcoming characters... I'll be pretty disappointed if we don't see C-------, R-- A---- and S---- in full plastic glory.

EDIT - Names changed.:)

[Sky Shadow]

Here's hoping we still get toys for the upcoming characters... I'll be pretty disappointed if we don't see C******s, R******t and S****a in full plastic glory.

Spoiler-policy-of-OTCA-wise, I think if all Movie toys and characters are required to be written as spoilers then it's only fair that Season 3 Animated characters should be as well.

[Stompy]

This news makes me sad. Hopefully it just got cancelled to make room for the movie toys and will later be released once the movie hype starts dying down. :(:(:(:(:

[Golden Phoenix]

I'm guessing stompy is right. They wouldn't go to all the effort to make a new mould just to scrap it at the last minute.
And did they ever announce the wave after this one?
I remember Eric saying they were going to do a _______ Bulkhead with a blue colour scheme

[Paulbot]

Remember that BBTS have cancelled a preorder on a particular wave/case assortment. It doesn't follow that the toys are never coming out.

[SofaMan]

Grimlock repaint...meh.

The HD BB would be a shame if that doesn't see release, though as Paulbot said it may just be that Hasbro are modifying their waves and case assortments.

[TF76]

Bumblebee looked cool but I can live without it, maybe they are just changing whats in that wave and Bumblebee will still see a release some time soon.

Grimlock was just an ugly recolor but a lot of money would have been invested in the new Bumblebee mold.

[griffin]

I blame Walmart...

[Kyle]

:(

[jaydisc]

Things looking worse. (http://tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46116)

[Sky Shadow]

BBTS has merely cancelled Golfire Grimlock and Hydrodive Bumblebee due to typos. They were meant to be Golfer Grimlock - the leader of a new line of sport-based golfing Animated toys and Hydrodrive Bumblebee (who uses his submersible craft to go down into water traps and collect lost golf balls.)

(Seriously, if it is the end of Animated then it's the worst and most stupid decision Hasbro has made in years.)

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

(Seriously, if it is the end of Animated then it's the worst and most stupid decision Hasbro has made in years.)

Yes, unfortunately, they seem to do this a bit. I hope its now true, although Grimbo would have been a pas, I was looking forwards to Bumblebee.



I blame Walmart...

You think they are pushing for the movie line now? I am beginning to like Walmart less and less now. The information that I have come across on here appears that Walmart have more control over Transformers than Hasbro do...

Before I blamed cheap quality TFs and horrid repaints on Hasbro, now it seems that Hasbro only do it to sell to Walmart....:(

[GoktimusPrime]

I think both parties have some culpability - Wal★Mart for pressuring Hasbro, and Hasbro for bowing down to that pressure. :/ JMO.

But the loss of Hydrodive Bumblebee and Golfire Grimlock doesn't bother me in the slightest -- there are other Animated characters that will never be constructed as toys that irks me much more. (-_-)

[i_amtrunks]

I'm thinking this may have something to do with stores wanting to only stock Movie toys during the release of ROTF, even though Hasbro have planned to run Animated alongside the movie (and past it of course.)

If the Wave has been cancelled (and not just BBTS no longer selling them) I can see the logic, Grimlock is a peripheral character with a larger toy, so he wouldn't sell as well as the Deluxe versions of the main cast. Having a repaint that (as yet) does not tie into any episode from the show doesn't make sense.

Cancelling Bumblebee is slightly stranger, as he sells like Hotcakes, even that horrible Elite Guard Bumblebee seems to sell alright, even though it doesn't tie into any show appearance.

If Animated is cancelled, and not "updated" with a sequel like Ben10, it's one of the dumber things Hasbro have done in recent years.

[Kyle]

I hope they'll release the "cancelled" toys under the Universe banner (it's a possibility). They already have Animated Legends and repaints from other series in there. I also hope there will be an Animated "Sequel" after the TF2 Movie.

[roller]

that would be a bit weird canning a successful line too soon before its 'stuck around for too long' time

[SilverDragon]

While the toys never interested me (I don't really like 'Bee and the Grimlock repaint looked blah), the cancellation is concerning me a fair bit. I'd like to know WHY exactly these guys have been cancelled, and whether this is a sign of the end of Animated, or simply something else entirely.

The decision to end Animated (as opposed to the Crossovers line, for example) baffles me. It's a hit, why end it now?

Could it be the movie? I don't really think so-Hasbro could just temporarily pause the line, like they are apparently doing with Universe, for the movie, and then start it up again. Also, all the extra publicity the movie would provide would mean that demand for TFs would be high, likely regardless of the line.

[Oilspill]

Here's hoping we still get toys for the upcoming characters... I'll be pretty disappointed if we don't see C-------, R-- A---- and S---- in full plastic glory.

EDIT - Names changed.:)

And the rumored R****** P****.

Not that there were ever any rumors of toys being made for these characters, but I would have loved toys for W****th and B***n in particular.

And of course, Omega Supreme.

Damn, I hate missed opportunities!

[MV75]

The only ones I want to see are omega supreme and arcee. At least an arcee. Give us give us give us.

[STL]

I'm thinking this may have something to do with stores wanting to only stock Movie toys during the release of ROTF, even though Hasbro have planned to run Animated alongside the movie (and past it of course.)


I think that's a very good analysis of the situation. With the climate being what it is, I can understand why retalers only want to stock one line - the line with the media hype machine behind, the line of a movie that is one of hte most anticipated of this year. I don't like it but to me, with the American economy as it is, holding excess inventory and straining cash flows just doesn't make sense.

And I think we should commend Hasbro and even Walmart if this is the view that's been taken. They're both better off as a result.

If this is the view, I'm more inclined to think of it as a hiatus more than anything else. That said, it makes poor sense for the Animated cartoon to be airing in May b/c the whole purpose of a cartoon is to build support for a toyline which now obviously doesn't seem like it will be there.

[Kyle]

Guys, looks like it's not all bad news. :)

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/animated-8/new-transformers-animated-figures-166940/

Here's hoping they'll still release Animated Hot Rod in toy form...

[Stompy]

Great news then. Sounds like they are just halting the line until the movie hype dies down. This is indeed great news. More new figures, although I doubt it will be a new Ratchet. Unless it's a cybertronian version or some sort of season 3 upgrade (ala Samurai Prowl). Freeway Jazz sounds like a repaint and Wingblade Prime I reckon is just a repaint with a new weapon that can turn into wings, rather than his old axe.

Blackout is the only real new mould from what I think.

[Sky Shadow]

That said, it makes poor sense for the Animated cartoon to be airing in May b/c the whole purpose of a cartoon is to build support for a toyline which now obviously doesn't seem like it will be there.

March, actually. As in, Animated Season 3 starts in two weeks' time. It's completely daft for Hasbro to not have toys on the shelves for a TV show that's actually on in lieu of toys that aren't even going to have a movie for another four months.

[snazzbot 101]

March, actually. As in, Animated Season 3 starts in two weeks' time. It's completely daft for Hasbro to not have toys on the shelves for a TV show that's actually on in lieu of toys that aren't even going to have a movie for another four months.

It has seemed that as a toyline, Animated has gotten the pooey end of the flagpole every since the line began. Wasn't its debut delayed until well after the cartoon started?

I can understand they don't want to be in competition with the Movie line but they're such two completely different aesthetics. Surely there's room enough for both.

(Though this appears to be more of retailer-driven decision so perhaps not.)

[STL]

I think Animated has had one of the worst runs in terms of promotion. Most of its promotion from the get-go hasn't made sense. No cartoon at peak sales times to draw kids in. And it started off way before the toys were even available. I remember us starting to get them at last year's K-Mart's Mid Year sale way after we'd at least finished the 1st season.

[griffin]

Apparently the official club (who has an online store) is cancelling pre-orders for Arcee and the Soundwave redeco, but not because the toys have been cancelled. It is based on Hasbro delaying their release (assumed to be spacing out their Animated product releases as the Movie season approaches), and the collector club needed to get confirmation of their new release dates before pre-selling them.
http://tformers.com/transformers-transformers-animated-arcee-and-electrostatic-soundwave-delayed/11082/news.html

[i_amtrunks]

Hasbro have shot themselves in the foot a little with their movies.

The movies need to be released in the US Summer, to garner as much publicity as possible, and the build up to the movies starts a month to 6 weeks before the movies release, plus the movie will run in cinemas for at least another 6 weeks, meaning that about 4 months of the year is taken up with the movie squarely in the spotlight.

As we found out with the first movie, Hasbro wanted to (and due to the movie's success were able to) continue the Movie line for another 4 months past the 2 months it aired in cinemas, (ignoring stock issues) bringing it to the Christmas season (and well beyond). Something I am sure they are planning again to do with the sequel.

Animated took a similar role last year, running through the US Summer, through till Christmas.

This leaves a paltry window of four "dead months" in terms of sales in the beginning of the year that are more or less empty. Hasbro knows this, thus why shelves have been empty the past 4 or so years at this time of the year.

With the sequel film due out in late June, we should have movie toys out in late May. With the Third series of Animated only starting in mid March, this gives the third season of Animated a total of 10 weeks to have some time in the Spotlight before the movie takes over.

10 weeks in which Hasbro has to sell as many Animated toys as possible while it is focused on. Being focused on the Movie Toys, hasbro have slowed development and release of Animated toys to a bare nothing, meaning that there will be few (if any) new Animated toys released in the USA in this 10 week period.

Due to stock issues and tv station delays between the USA and Australia, it is likely that new Animated toys (albeit from Season 2) will be on shelves in Australia while the third season airs in the USA. Not the ideal conditions, and to make it worse, The third season of the series is likely to air after the movie (say August), when shelves are dominated by movie toys, and bereft of the Animated toys released now.

Sure that'll help sales of Movie toys (at least the movie cast, we saw how little the non-cast characters sold), but it is really tearing a huge chunk from the Animated sales.

I know it's not Hasbro's fault when paramount needs to release the film, and when Walmart order their stock (and of what), nor when the series airs in other countries, but I feel they could have organised it all a little better so that Animated was not so overshadowed so quickly.

[Golden Phoenix]

Agreed with you there.
Although here it looks like we will have new Animated toys in the big retailers when Season 3 comes outs. I know it won't be on TV here, but I'll still watch it online.

[griffin]

The thing I worry about though, is that we know of at least 12 new characters for season 3 (from the club magazine), but only one has a guaranteed toy so far, because it was already released some time ago before it was planned to be in the cartoon (3 if Jetfire and Jetstorm make it to the cartoon). What of all the other new characters, and various season 2 characters that haven't had toys done. We are missing a huge cast of toy characters here, and we aren't going to see much new stuff over the next 6-8 months while the focus is on the Movie toys. Arcee (and sorta Ratbat) appears to be the only new character toy that we know is definitly still being released as a toy, and she's from the first season.
I just can't think of any official word or leaked toys for Animated right now (I could be forgetting some though).

[kup]

I would buy Animated Arcee just because she is the closest thing we have gotten to a G1 Arcee toy. It really took almost a quarter of a century to release an Arcee toy that resembles G1 and transforms into a car.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think that HasTak should just stick to the traditional formula of creating Transformers as a toyline first and then making it into a show, comic book etc., thus avoiding getting a large cast of characters (especially recurring characters) who appear in fiction but have no toys. Transformers should always be a toyline first and foremost IMHO.

[Golden Phoenix]

I think that HasTak should just stick to the traditional formula of creating Transformers as a toyline first and then making it into a show, comic book etc., thus avoiding getting a large cast of characters (especially recurring characters) who appear in fiction but have no toys. Transformers should always be a toyline first and foremost IMHO.

But then you get situations like during the beast wars where you have some toys with nothing but a box bio for fiction.
Chances are, it would also detract from the story. You'd get huge instances where they replace characters, in one way or another, purely to sell toys.

I think by getting a story going first, the potential is higher for better story telling and greater character depth

[GoktimusPrime]

But then you get situations like during the beast wars where you have some toys with nothing but a box bio for fiction.
Nothing wrong with that. We had that in G1 and G2 too. Also, the main reason why so many toys never appeared in the Canadian BW series is because CG animation is very expensive. With cel animation you can afford to throw in every toy - as we saw with Beast Wars II and Neo.


Chances are, it would also detract from the story. You'd get huge instances where they replace characters, in one way or another, purely to sell toys.
That depends on how Hasbro would want the toys introduced and how writers deal with such instructions from Hasbro. They could have characters appearing briefly - and we've had that a-plenty in Animated, e.g.: Wreck Gar, Swindle, Soundwave etc. Just so long as we don't get what we had in the first episode of G1 Season Four with all these characters appearing for like a few seconds and then never to be seen again (e.g. Sixshot)!! :p

But these are all matters of execution - I think the core concept is sound. For the majority of TF history over the past 25 years Transformers has been first and foremost a toyline.


I think by getting a story going first, the potential is higher for better story telling and greater character depth
While I'm a fan of both the live action movie and Animated, I'm not convinced that their stories and character depths are any better than other TF franchises which were developed as toys first. I know what you mean by saying that the potential is there, and I would agree with that, but I've yet to see the results.

[liegeprime]

Arcee (and sorta Ratbat) appears to be the only new character toy that we know is definitly still being released as a toy, and she's from the first season.
I just can't think of any official word or leaked toys for Animated right now (I could be forgetting some though).

Well if everything goes well, she'll be released. If Hasbro will follow their long "tradition" with Arcee, they're gonna F$@k all the fans up again and wont release/cancel/extremely alter her even with leaked pics and all. They didnt in G1, they released a redecoes/recolor/diff alt mode and slap the name Arcee in Energon, Universe and Movie. For some reason I dont get why Hasbro does this to her

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I was just having a look at the collectors club shop site and they still have Hydrodrive BB and Gold Grim up for pre-order.


This item is scheduled to ship within 4 weeks of the anticipated May 31, 2009 shipdate.

mind you, I am not sure how accurate they are.

They also listed Wingblade Optimus Prime as well as Blackout!


Animated Voyager Wave 3 2009-Blackout and Wingblade Optimus Prime 2 pieces. Pictures to follow.


This item is scheduled to ship within 4 weeks of the anticipated May 30, 2009 shipdate.

[jaydisc]

The Transformer Club has just cancelled pre-orders for Arcee. :(