Does anyone else just not care anymore?

[GoktimusPrime]

When I posted that I was like "Haha! Because that would be silly!". But people actually act like this? Daaaaaaaamn.

+1. If I felt like giving up on Transformers at the first sign of the franchise losing steam, I probably would've stopped collecting around 1990-91 when Action Masters came out! Thankfully I didn't.

We've stuck with this franchise for 27 years now... I hardly see the current lull as any reason to abandon it now. We've faced MUCH tougher times than this. I don't even consider this time to be even remotely tough at all really. Sure it's not fantastic, but "tough"? Nah. To suggest that this may be the end of the franchise? Things have to get a LOT worse than this before I'll even entertain that thought. 1995-96 and 2002 were tough and frustrating years. Compared to those years 2011's really not that bad (not great, but not bad IMO).


Above: Melbourne fan meet, December 2001. (Look at all those peg-warming Beast Machines toys!) Little did we know that we were in store for a year of massive frustrating disappointment...

[bowspearer]

I have to disagree. Things are starting to get stale, Hasbro Aust hasn't been the same in years, the Aaron Archer is more GIJOE fan than TF fan as I understand it, Walmart rather than toy designers dictate lines and Hasbro has simply gotten so large that much like the Cybertronian Empire as Grimlock put it in G2 Issue 1, they see too large a picture- to the point where they can't see the cracks in things.

Theoretically, Hasbro could come up with some way to come back from this as they did with Euro G1, BW and RiD. I just can't see them being in a position to initiate what is required to make it happen.

[LordCyrusOmega]

Well with the toy sale on at Target and new things advertised in their cataloge I'm going to head on over and see what I see.

I'll always love Transformers. Always have. It felt like this between the Animated and RotF lines, also between Cybertron and Classics. Something new will come and there will be stuff to buy again. It just sucks that we are missing out on things, eg Human Alliance, that we may never see. I tend to avoid online buying as I'm impatiant but it looks like that's what I'm going to have to do.

Makes it worse that I tried to buy some comics to experience other media but recieved an email saying they were out of stock and shouldn't have been available.

[theheretic]

I'm not sure I understand. What do you mean the franchise is stail or that it might be the end of it? Didn't the latest TF movie bring massive profits for Hasbro? With WFC and FOC they've remained a new universe that I think a lot of fans love. TF Prime isn't too bad, could have been much much worse (it could have been in the Bayverse). There's an abundance of toys out at the moment (unfortunately they are basically the same as TF2007). The MP line is looking great. What's not to like at the moment?

[griffin]

Beast Machines was stale, with about 30 toys released in the year, and shelfwarming for years afterward. The last 4 years of the new Movies is definitely the opposite of stale. It might be the same main characters and forms for the last few years, boring many fans, but Hasbro profits (and Transformers being their largest earner for the last 5 years) would give them no reason to change anything.
Beast Machines was not a (money) winning formula, so they changed their direction, axing the line and cancelling Transtech... bringing in Vehicles from the JP Car Robots line.
Movie Universe on the other hand, is a (money) winning formula... and what business that wants to stay in business is going to change, or walk away from a winning formula.
We certainly aren't their meal ticket, so they're just gonna keep producing product for the kiddies and parents who are, no matter how repetitious it is.

[SkyWarp91]

Despite not many new toys coming out or not coming out fast enough, perhaps it's time to cherish all the toys we already have?

[theheretic]

I think that although the collectors aren't their main money maker they haven't forgotten us with new reissues coming out and new MP's on they way. I don't think they should have made a new starscream but the new optimus was great (good size, great alt mode and poseability) and the ultra Magnus prototype looked fantastic. So I think we are in for some treats next year. I'm hoping for some Fall of Cybertron toys and continued Generations releases.

[GoktimusPrime]

One good thing about now new TF purchases atm... I can put money aside for when Encore Devastator comes out (supposedly end of this month).

[bowspearer]

One good thing about now new TF purchases atm... I can put money aside for when Encore Devastator comes out (supposedly end of this month).

Or scoring MIB pre-tfs for the price of an ultra

[bowspearer]

It might be the same main characters and forms for the last few years, boring many fans, but Hasbro profits (and Transformers being their largest earner for the last 5 years) would give them no reason to change anything.

More like they milked an angle dry (as the shelfwarming of the DOTM line proves). Fans make up a large minority of their total market globally, yet the only people who are going to buy upteen dosen variants of a single character are completists.

Most parents are going to take a look at the latest version of Bumblebee and decide that their child already has that toy and pass it over.

It's amazing that they didn't have those main characters shelfwarming with ROTF.

I honestly can't see this Hasbro being able to declare pumping out more versions of the same character at this point or later on, a victory.