More re-issues we didn't need: Galaxy Force Optimus Prime and Crumplezone twin pack

[dirge]

To be fair, STL, kup was replying to a question.

[Soundwarp]

My 2c, the only thing wrong with Ener Shockwave was that his weapon arm was way too heavy - he's always leaning over to one side...

True i really liked the toy aside from that one point!

[FFN]

Archer was in charge of Hasbro's TF Toyline during BM's run or at least had a very senior position. Also if you recall, many of Archer's credited TM2 designs have very similar simplified design than the toys of previous years. TM2s in general were in line with the style of the coming Beast Machines line which are clearly made in Archer's design style, particularly the Maximals. He may not have been the direct designer but it looks like his design influence was in them.

Many Armada toys also share in his design style, particularly when it comes to the high priority of gimmicks over toy design even though they may not have been directly designed by him (but some such as Megatron were). This resulted in large toys with oversimplified transformation and abstract alt modes which was also a mayor issue common with the large Beast Machines toys.

Aaron was lead designer of the Armada line in 2000. As we see from the fact that currently Eric Siebenaler and Bill Rawley are lead designers of Animated and Universe Classics respectively, Hasbro can have multiple lead designers for different Transformers lines. At the moment, I have not seen evidence of Archer being credited for Beast Machines work, and until I do, I won't credit him for it.

Case in point: The team behind Beast Machines designed the cancelled series that would have come after had Beast Machines been more successful: Transtech. Aaron has stated that he is not a fan of the Transtech designs. Does that sound like he was in charge of the same team then?

Aaron was credited with designing four Beast Wars TM2 toys: Iguanus, Optimus Minor, Dinobot 2 and Megatron. Iguanus and Dinobot 2 were fairly complex, and I'd hardly call TM2 Megatron a simple toy compared to the toys of previous years. In fact, I'd call it one of the more complex Beast Wars toys.

As for TM2s being the basis for Beast Machines toys. Transmetal 2 toys are hybrids of technology and organic animals, call it a progression of the Beast Wars 2 Cyber Beasts if you will. Beast Machines were more like smoothed down, stylised cybernetic representations of Earth creatures.

As for Armada, the emphasis from marketing was for kid-friendly gimmicks and play features, with an additional emphasis on durability and stability rather than complexity or articulation. He also said Armada didn't have a high budget (during this period of joint Hasbro-Takara development, Hasbro was the company funding much of the joint Transformers work).

Retail success with Armada brought the higher budgets they enjoy today.

[kup]

Transtech designs are considerably different than BM Maximals. Yeah they follow the same theme of 'mix of the organic and technological' but the engineering plans and concept art do not share the same style as BM from a toy design point of view.

The only Archer toy that I do like, although the robot mode has some dire flaws is TM2 Megatron. The other toys are pretty meh and lesser toys than previous years specifically the ones you listed which design style was clearly followed on with BM.

I will not get into the Profit = good toy line debate as that is just silly.

Anyway I will stop now before someone decides to kill another horse in vain.

[GoktimusPrime]

Armada pre-dominantly came out in 2003 (some figures may have hit North America in December 2002 but it's chiefly 2003). 2000 was still Beast Machines for Hasbro, including the Battle For The Spark sub line.

As for the post-Beast Machines line... *shudder* Hasbro seriously pi$$-farted around when it came to what they wanted to do after Beast Machines. In late January or early February of 2001 I specifically asked what Hasbro were planning on releasing for that year and whether or not they had any plans to release Car Robot. I was told that they were definitely not planning on bringing over Car Robot and that they would be releasing a new original line. I wasn't given much more details beyond that.

Then a few weeks later at the New York FAO Schwarz Toy Fair Hasbro announced "Robots In Disguise" which of course was Car Robot repackaged! And Hasbro didn't even have any toys at their booth, they just had cardboard mock-ups. Now, considering what I was told a few weeks before that I strongly suspect that RiD was a last minute decision when they realised that they'd been sitting on their collective behinds with no real idea as to what they were going to do with TFs until they realised that they had to make an announcement at the Fair. (-_-) So I guessed that RiD would buy Hasbro another year to work on releasing the afore promised new toyline in 2002. Then came 2002 and nope... no new line. RiD got dragged along with lots more repaints... 2002 was the "drought" year where neither Hasbro nor Takara gave us any new lines. (-_-) *sigh* So it was only at the end of 2002 that we heard of Transformers Armada/Micron Legend - and I have to say that after a 2 year wait it was kinda lacklustre. (-_-) I was picking up toys like Armada Scavenger in early 2003 and thinking, "I waited 2 years for this?!?" :/

Btw, does anyone else think that TM2 Megatron kinda looks like a Bomberman Biidaman toy? ;p


(yeah, I know why that ball is there, but it still looks really silly)

P.S.: According to TF wiki these are toys designed by Archer:

Beast Wars
* Transmetal 2 Dinobot
* Transmetal 2 Iguanus
* Transmetal 2 Megatron
* Optimus Minor

Armada
* Hot Shot
* Megatron
* Starscream
* Thrust
* Cyclonus
* Unicron
* Many, many Mini-Cons

Energon
* Signal Flare
* Early Scorponok concept

[Paulbot]

Does nobody want to talk about Galaxy Force Prime and Crumplezone or in general "reissues we don't need"?

Please move on from Armada/Archer/Beast Machines stuff or I'll close the thread.

[FFN]

I think this 2 pack is likely destined for Costco or some other American chain. Hasbro did similar 2 packs during Energon (Prime + Overload redecos) and Cybertron (Prime + Jetfire), as I recall.

Transtech designs are considerably different than BM Maximals. Yeah they follow the same theme of 'mix of the organic and technological' but the engineering plans and concept art do not share the same style as BM from a toy design point of view.

Transtech designs were conceptualised by Draxhall Jump, the same studio that conceptualised Beast Machines.

I will not get into the Profit = good toy line debate as that is just silly.

No, but good sales = lots of kids got into it, and that's the single most important thing for any toyline that still has a child market as a majority. Besides, good sales of Armada also equaled increasing budgets and a relaxation of gimmick demands in later lines.

Armada pre-dominantly came out in 2003 (some figures may have hit North America in December 2002 but it's chiefly 2003). 2000 was still Beast Machines for Hasbro, including the Battle For The Spark sub line.

Toylines take time to develop. The planning stage (ideas, concept work) was in 2000. In 2001 they made the toys (hence early Armada toys are marked as Hasbro/Takara 2001). In 2002 they manufacturered them.

The Armada line was officially launched and appeared at North American mass retail in roughly 3rd quarter 2002, hence BotCon 2002's dinner night 'exclusives' not being so special as the participants interested in Armada had already purchased them some time earlier at Walmart. This was sometime before December, amigo. You must have been confusing the US launch with the Australian launch, which was December 2002.

[kup]

I am looking forward to better pics of the Superion Maximus set Repaint. My hope is that the color schemes of each figure match that of the G1 toy. If it does, I will be very tempted.

[griffin]

Does nobody want to talk about Galaxy Force Prime and Crumplezone or in general "reissues we don't need"?

Please move on from Armada/Archer/Beast Machines stuff or I'll close the thread.

I think this topic has had enough time to be discussed. They are just repackaged toys with no obvious signs of recolouring or remoulding, so there isn't much that can be said without being overtly positive (those who don't have them) or negative (everyone else).

I'd have to say that the Aaron Archer discussion here is necessary, because this community has such an (unfairly) low opinion of him, and it is good to have someone at least defend his efforts - efforts that may not entirely be engineering masterpieces in the Transformers universe, but his artistic visions, towards individual toys and the toylines as a whole has seen more success than failure. Success to the extent that we probably wouldn't have had a $130million movie last year from the sheer simplicity of his designs. Older collectors like many of us here may want the more challenging, complex transformations that Takara are more famous for, but the western market prefer the more simplistic toys that have Hasbro 'sketched' origins. Aaron was best suited for that demand, intentionally or otherwise (we'll never know for sure what his potential is now that he is above the design team), but the variety and long term viability of the Transformers Brand is something he deserves a little credit for. Not to mention the devotion he has to the fans, interacting with them as much as Hasbro allows it (like online or at BotCon every year).
HOWEVER, since there are fairly unwaivering opinions towards the person here, I don't see further debate changing perceptions of the more polarised people here. So this topic is now closed.

If you are one of the newer people here who are interested in reading up on Aaron Archer, and his role in the Transformers universe over the last 10+ years, these wiki pages are a place to start:
http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Aaron_Archer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Archer
And his own website:
http://www.aaronarcher.com/