SG Cybertron Convention coverage

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I find that odd since one of the reasons that 3rd parties have been so successful is because they offer things Hasbro does not.

I have always said this and stand by it: The 3rd parties exist because Hasbro neglects the clearly profitable and significant collector side of the market. If Hasbro ever starts catering to that demographic with matching products, it would mean the end of the 3rd party movement.

+1.
I'd gladly have bought, say, 3 different Scout Reflector robots that formed a single camera alt-mode if Hasbro/Takara had put them out, but as it is I've got the PE ones instead. It was 3rd party or nothing - even the lame half-track Perceptor remold never came out. If I'd seen an old G1 Reflector set beforehand I probably would have got that instead, which still wouldn't have netted HasTak any money. Same for City Commander - I'd totally pay Leader or even Ultra class prices for a Voyager UM and decent set of armor to go with him, but as it is it was CC or a naked Magnus.
I understand there's budget and safety concerns that Hasbro have to worry about, but they have also made a business choice to go with the 'Lowest common denominator' a lot of the time and neglect to cater to a niche market, so of course other people will fill the gaps. I'll happily buy from Takara/Hasbro most of the time, but if they aren't going to make something I want and a 3rd party will, well, that's money that wouldn't be going to HasTak anyway. I'm not looking for 'new ideas', I just want my Transformers collection done well...usually that means HasTak, sometimes it means someone else.

That said, there's a cut-off point with what I'm down with - outright KOs and even resizing a al Faith Leader goes a step too far for me to support that. It's one thing to make a new mold based on an existing (not to mention really old/'classic') idea, and another to just lift HasTak's designs straight up (IMO).
It's also stupid for the fans to keep asking Hasbro reps if they're going to work with 3rd parties - they're pretty obviously opposed to them, and it'd be nice for the fans not to rock the boat on this one.

EDIT - I'd totally get a reissue Scorponok.