BotCon Panels 8/12 - Hasbro Product Review.

[griffin]

(More movie spoilers here, so look away now if you don't want to be spoilt)
I will post a 'censored' non-movie version in the regular news section.

Saturday 1pm (2 hours)
Panelists - Greg Lombardo (Senior Marketting), Aaron Archer (Senior Design Director), Eric Seibenaler (Senior Designer), Bill Rawley (Senior Product Designer), Joe Kyde (Designer), Forrest Lee (Writer), Mike Blaylock (Product Marketting).

Slideshow first.

Store Exclusives.
- 6inch Titaniums Optimus, Thrust, Hot Zone (US Target excl).
(each is just a redeco - WW Optimus, WW Starscream, RiD Optimus)

- Commemorative Insecticons (TRU 3-pack)
- Commemorative Perceptor (TRU)
(both sets have their chromed parts and all weapons, but Perceptor's missile launcher has no spring)

- Masterpiece Skywarp (Walmart) with a more toy-accurate deco to the JP one.

- ROTF Battlepack - Soundwave (blue redeco) and Megatron (2007 Voyager in silver) (TRU)
- ROTF The Fall (red/black redeco) (Target)

Animated toys are intended to be released at the end of 2009/early 2010, but no exact timings yet. (Probably because these are a number of toys that have reached tooling stage, and need to be produced to make back their investment)
- Electrostatic Soundwave with Ratbat (Deluxe Decep)
- Arcee (Deluxe Auto)
- Rodimus Minor (Deluxe Auto)
- Cybertronian Ratchet (Deluxe Auto)
- Cybertronian Ironhide (Deluxe Auto), Ratchet redeco with a new head.
- Fugitive Waspinator (Deluxe Auto), green Bumblebee redeco. They wanted a new head, but cost prevented them, so Forrest wrote up the bio to explain it as being Wasp during the episode where he pretends to be Bumblebee.
- Goldfire Grimlock (Voyager Auto), gold redeco (slide called it Goldfire, while the display case tag called it Golfire)
-Hydrodrive Bumblebee (Voyager Auto), new smaller Bumblebee.
- Blackout (Voyager Decep), in 'Earth mode' as a helicopter like Movie Blackout.
- Wingblade Optimus (Voyager Auto), Deluxe Optimus with extra bits.
- Thundercracker (Voyager Decep), Starscream redeco.

Revenge of the Fallen.
Most of the 2009 product is in their display in the Dealer Room, so they just showed us some concepts and prototype figures, we can expect to see in 2010.
- Autobot Wheelie (Legends size)
- Soundwave (Legends size)
- Brakedown (Scout - car)
- Skystalker (Scout - stealth jet)
- Scattorshot (Scout - assault vehicle)
- Lockdown (Deluxe - same vehicle and robot form as Animated Lockdown)
- Ratchet (Deluxe size)
- Dirge (Deluxe - Harrier type jet, with a cone head in robot mode)
- Jungle Attack Ironhide (Voyager redeco with heaps of extra detatchable weapons)
- Bludgeon (Voyager Decep - tank with a very Gen1 looking robot mode and skull face)
- Human Alliance Barricade w/ Frenzy.

Q&A.
Universe line won't be back until Fall 2010 (our spring), because the movie line is expected to continue unitl mid 2010.

There is a 3rd Movie Bike planned (to have toys of all 3), but nothing confirmed yet. Could end up just being a redeco of Arcee or Chromia.

Drift - answer in tomorrow's Hasbro panel.

The new series on the new network left no room for Animated to continue.

Masterpiece Grimlock will be done by the end of next year (12-18 months).

No more Gen-1 Robot Heroes for the foreseeable future (apparently a number of unreleased ones are therefore cancelled).

ROTF Devastator - due to cost, time and engineering restraints, the boxed set prioritised a combined form, while the individual figures prioritised a convertable form.

Not all of the ROTF Constructicons will be done as individual toys at this stage (I think only four have been done so far).

No Deluxe Animated Cliffjumper because there is an Activator one.

The 2 ROTF Autobot Bikes (Arcee and Chromia) apparently combine as a toy because they originally were going to in the movie, but in the final script of the movie, they don't.

No plans for any 'Base-formers' for next couple of years.

Over the next year they will be replacing twist-ties (with something else that is bio-degradable) and reduce packaging size in an attempt to go green (and cut costs).

The Japanese Legends/EZ Devastator set seen recently online is something they want to release as a store exclusive, but won't be before 2010.

The fourth Leader sized toy for ROTF is not Blackout. But 'no comment' on Starscream... ;)
(see the next Hasbro panel for more on this)

Mighty Muggs - there are no current plans for the 3rd wave (Jazz and Shockwave) to be released, and the line is on hold until they can find a home (store exclusive) for them. So maybe the Movie ones are also not going to happen? (no great loss... :p )
(rumour I overheard was that US TRU may be taking on the entire Mighty Muggs range as a store exclusive, but that is so unconfirmed I am hesitant in even mentioning it)

Are there 6 or 7 Constructicons in the Movie, because the Hasbro set has 6 while the JP Legends/EZ set has 7? Couldn't comment because it is a plot element in the Movie, but could 'suggest' that there are quite a few Constructicons out there which aren't all required to form Devastator everytime...

The Alt-mode/vehicle mode Robot Heroes in the Movie line are a test at this stage, and we would only see more if they do well. (someone wanted to see the Gen1 Dinobots in dino mode, which I think would look great as a 5-pack set)

Greg made a statement on behalf of Hasbro about the recent surge in fan-made, unlicensed toys and accessories. They were willing to ignore them when the occasional one popped up, but now that there are quite a few being produced and in the works, they are starting to look at putting a stop to them, because it still infringes on their Intellectual Property (that bit about all concepts and likenesses are the property of Hasbro, etc etc...). As more unauthorised product gets out there into the hands on kids and parents who aren't aware of them being items that aren't produced by Hasbro/Tomy, and subsequently not properly tested as required by law, who do those people turn to when they have a problem with poor quality or injury? They chase up Hasbro, because the product resembles a Transformers product, even if it doesn't use the names on its packaging. And more importantly, they would want to stop fan projects that use their Transformers products to promote/market their items in photos or on the packaging.
It might still be too early to tell what Hasbro are going to do about it, but wanted to put those unauthorised projects on notice that they are looking more at them now, to protect their brand's image, reputation and integrity from items that could mislead others into thinking they are official or at the same quality as the real things.
Maybe nothing will happen at all, because we saw how successful they were on stopping the production of counterfeit TFs with several Movie KOs released before the real things (from all those toys being leaked from the Chinese factories).

Greg concluded by saying that none of those people making the fan-made items ever approached Hasbro for a license.

There wasn't going to be an Animated Cyclonus because of the Universe one.

No plans for a Universe Red Alert (Tomy have released one). (but I would expect it would be one of the first released if Universe comes back in late 2010)

The Swine Flu prevented the Tomy guests from attending this year.

The character of Yokitron in Animated was named after one of the JP designers.

[Kyle]

[COLOR=red]Greg made a statement on behalf of Hasbro about the recent surge in fan-made, unlicensed toys and accessories. They were willing to ignore them when the occasional one popped up, but now that there are quite a few being produced and in the works, they are starting to look at putting a stop to them, because it still infringes on their Intellectual Property (that bit about all concepts and likenesses are the property of Hasbro, etc etc...). As more unauthorised product gets out there into the hands on kids and parents who aren't aware of them being items that aren't produced by Hasbro/Tomy, and subsequently not properly tested as required by law, who do those people turn to when they have a problem with poor quality or injury? They chase up Hasbro, because the product resembles a Transformers product, even if it doesn't use the names on its packaging. And more importantly, they would want to stop fan projects that use their Transformers products to promote/market their items in photos or on the packaging.
It might still be too early to tell what Hasbro are going to do about it, but wanted to put those unauthorised projects on notice that they are looking more at them now, to protect their brand's image, reputation and integrity from items that could mislead others into thinking they are official or at the same quality as the real things.
Maybe nothing will happen at all, because we saw how successful they were on stopping the production of counterfeit TFs with several Movie KOs released before the real things (from all those toys being leaked from the Chinese factories).

Greg concluded by saying that none of those people making the fan-made items ever approached Hasbro for a license.

I was surprised they mentioned nothing about the KOs such as WST Dinobots this time, and decided to say something about the fan made items. At least their statement (being made at BotCon) is an acknowledgement in itself that many of the people behind these projects are fans.

I'm not so surprised that they didn't want to say much about the factory leaks... :o as it'd highlight a problem in their production system and the trade-off in employing cheap labour.

I also doubt the people who buy these fan made items online are kids or parents who buy for their kids.

Also interesting how Hasbro itself has been infringing on others' intellectual properties. I wonder if Hasbro ever approached Lamborgini for a license for their Universe/Henkei Sunstreaker and Sideswipe? Whether they did or not they ended up releasing the toys anyway. :o Maybe they were willing to ignore and forgive themselves with the occasional ones here and there. As a fan I'm more than happy that they released the toys for us though. :p:D

[Kyle]

The 2 ROTF Autobot Bikes (Arcee and Chromia) apparently combine as a toy because they originally were going to in the movie, but in the final script of the movie, they don't.


The 2 ROTF Autobot Bikes (Arcee and Chromia) apparently combine as a toy because they originally were going to in the movie, but in the final script of the movie, they don't.

The combination will be of 2 bikes not 3 bikes? Or 2 bikes will work as well as 3 bikes? :confused:



The Japanese Legends/EZ Devastator set seen recently online is something they want to release as a store exclusive, but won't be before 2010.

That's it, I'll get a Japanese set first without waiting.



No plans for a Universe Red Alert (Tomy have released one). (but I would expect it would be one of the first released if Universe comes back in late 2010)

:D

[RageOnTheRoads]

Sheesh, you'd think they would at least make an effort to give us all the individual constructions seeing as the bot's that make up that block that they're passing for Devastator can't transform. I was really looking forward to picking up a deluxe/voyageur Scrapper or Hightower. :(

Whinging aside thats excellent news about Breakdown and Human Alliance Barricade!:)

[griffin]

I was surprised they mentioned nothing about the KOs such as WST Dinobots this time, and decided to say something about the fan made items. At least their statement (being made at BotCon) is an acknowledgement in itself that many of the people behind these projects are fans.

They did mention the WST Dinobots in that statement, because they are unauthorised fan products that are targetting the fans but are obviously using Brand elements to sell the products.
Even though they are probably produced like counterfeit toys by reverse engineering actual Dinobot toys (and in this case, shrinking the tooling sizes), I think they aren't seen as KOs/counterfeits in the classic sense.


I'm not so surprised that they didn't want to say much about the factory leaks... :o as it'd highlight a problem in their production system and the trade-off in employing cheap labour.

They didn't on the panel, but I did front up their 'second in command' at the Hasbro booth about it, and they still don't seem to be able to do anything about it because Tomy owns the factories. So it's Tomy we have to be hounding over it, or at least making aware that their profit margins are going to be eaten into by KOs that are (more recently) hitting the market before the real thing (thanks to reverse engineering toys that are leaked months beforehand).


I also doubt the people who buy these fan made items online are kids or parents who buy for their kids.

I tried to word that so that it pointed out that even though these items are being made for and marketted to the obsessed fans who 'should' know that they aren't authorised, you still end up getting a fair amount of these items getting into the hands of kids and parents of kids thanks to ebay and BotCon. There was a huge turnout of local people to the convention this year because Paramount were out on the nearby streets that week promoting BotCon. And since there was a lot of fan-produced items and counterfiet Transformers in the dealer room (one of the things I whinged about to Hasbro), it's the uniformed kids and parents who see a TFs product at the convention and don't even question it's authenticity. Why would they? It looks like a TFs product, sold at a TFs convention... What happens when it breaks or injures a child (like small parts being swallowed)? The first point of call would be Hasbro, who could be sued or get negative publicity over it.

It might not be a huge proportion of these items going to the less-obsessed fans who know what they really are, but can Hasbro really risk having any injuries or negative publicity by one or two people over something they didn't authorise?

And from my own experience here, it's not just the average kid or parent of a kid who gets misled by these items. I purposefully try to keep these unauthorised items out of the main news sections here, because we have had members in the past who thought things like the WST Dinobots were legit TFs products.


Also interesting how Hasbro itself has been infringing on others' intellectual properties. I wonder if Hasbro ever approached Lamborgini for a license for their Universe/Henkei Sunstreaker and Sideswipe? Whether they did or not they ended up releasing the toys anyway. :o Maybe they were willing to ignore and forgive themselves with the occasional ones here and there. As a fan I'm more than happy that they released the toys for us though. :p:D

That makes for a good point if they didn't get some sort of authorisation. I'd thought they would though, because there have been certain vehicle forms that were intentionally distorted to get around the infringement issue. But then, if it still resembles it in some way, it is the same as the fans producing items that resemble official TFs products.

[Autocon]

i dont get the bike thing? if all three were going to combine why make a redeco?
if all three bikes are different in in the movie than thats just cheap

also not making individual toys for all the constructicons more cheapness

maybe this devestator is just a moke up? they lied to fans so it would be a surprise and yes they all have robot modes! they just made them individual to get the 3rd mode amiright amiright!!?? one can dream:rolleyes:

[Sleeve]

There wasn't going to be an Animated Cyclonus because of the Universe one.

This saddens me......


On the subject of intellectual property, I also recall a woman asking about things like the fan-made plushies. I'm pretty sure she actually makes them. Lombardo grabbed the mic and said he doesn't want to give the typical Hasbro response, as many people at Hasbro have varying opinions, however his personal opinion is that when fans make their own toys, such as kitbashing, he doesn't mind it if it's done in fun. After all, he said, it's that dedication to the brand that keeps it alive. However, the minute it goes from been made in fun to been made for business purposes, (like the City Commander sets, Gear of War, Plushies etc), that's when they're infringing on intellectual property and are subject to the wrath of Hasbro.