The Random Transformers Thoughts Thread

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

This is rather standard in Japan. A lot of my Japanese Transformers come from electronic speciality stores like Bic Camera etc. My I bought both my MP Grapple and MP-37 Megatron from Yodobashi Camera. It does seems to be more of a recent thing there, but I see no problem with it.

Not anymore. Transformers are disappearing from many shop shelves in a disconcerting manner in Japan now. Whenever I've been looking, it's either one or two left overs, empty shelves, ot the Transformers section is being used by something else.

[KELPIE]

Not anymore. Transformers are disappearing from many shop shelves in a disconcerting manner in Japan now. Whenever I've been looking, it's either one or two left overs, empty shelves, ot the Transformers section is being used by something else.

Could that be spun positively in that they're popular and being bought by fans?

Out of curiosity, how are other robot centric properties doing in Japan?

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Could that be spun positively in that they're popular and being bought by fans?

Out of curiosity, how are other robot centric properties doing in Japan?

It could be, but I also think it's due to shops getting a lesser amount of stock as well. Admittedly Takara release whole boxes of characters as opposed to waves, so a shop will buy a box of wheeljacks and a box of Wheelies. Naturally Wheeljack will be fine and snapped up, but there is a high chance the Wheelies will be left behind to stink the place up.

I've been watching other lines and and Gundam still seems popular. Super Sentai lines still do well and have plenty of presence and Takara's Shinkalion (and the new car one they have) seems very very popular. I suspect the aforementioned transforming bullet train line may well be cannibalizing any young kids who would otherwise be into Transformers.
Ever since the "Brand unification" and lack of TV placed cartoon here, TFs have stagnated. But they always seem to do that where there is a lack of media presence. For the last Bay movie, it looked like things were slowing down and the gap between the Bumblebee toy line hitting the shelves and the movie release here (over 6 months IIRC) halted any possible momentum. So I am curious to see how things will go with Rise of the Beasts.

Really though I think the market is pretty tough in Japan. You've got a diminishing amount of kids, very successful long term competitors, and new technology and modern things to deal with as well. More kids are into sgames on their phone than physical toys and whatnot and of course phone games here end up meaning huge amount of various craptacular merchandise that com with it. The palce is very much "Flavour of the month" fad-centric country.

Without constant marketing, they don't really have much sway.

Whoops, that ended up being longer than I intended. My apologies.

[KELPIE]

We have the same issues here in terms of kids, however I always assumed that Japan had a healthier adult collector base. One of the things I could always count on in Japan - If you make it big there, Japan will never let it die!! Maybe that's not so true any more?

Shinkalion and the Tomicar stuff is really cool. I managed to pick up some when I was over in China a few years ago. No doubt that's cannibalising the market for Transformers.

Transformers really needs a good cartoon... by that I don't mean a good kids cartoon or a good adult cartoon, just a good, high quality cartoon that doesn't talk down to kids and can be enjoyed by all. Preferably, a traditionally animated one.

[GoktimusPrime]

I always assumed that Japan had a healthier adult collector base. One of the things I could always count on in Japan - If you make it big there, Japan will never let it die!! Maybe that's not so true any more?

You need a healthy child collector base for a toyline to thrive though. The majority of toy consumers are always going to be children. There are entire schools in Japan that are closing down because of their declining birthrate. People in Japan need to make more babies!

[Autocon]

I'm on my way! *zooom*

[GoktimusPrime]

I was listening to some podcast about some dude's wishlist to see the remaining TFTM cast in Studio Series 86 or similar adjacent lines like Legacy or its successor. One wish was to see Megatron in SS86, even if he's still a tank, but just with a more G1 cartoon-like robot mode.

If they're going to do another CHUG tank Megatron, even with a more G1 cartoony robot mode, I'm not sure if I'd get it. My CW & LG Megatrons already have a pretty realistic looking M1A1 Abrams tank mode, and my Siege Megatron already has a more G1 cartoony robot mode. A super cartoony CHUG robot mode might not be enough to sway me cos... I have MPs. Seriously, this is why I skipped toys like ER Grapple etc. - CHUGs can be less appealing to me if the MP already exists.

But, I would consider getting a new CHUG Megatron (be it SS86 or otherwise) if it had a Not-Gun mode disguised as something else; similar to what they did with Siege Shockwave. Make it a generic pistol that might be a vague approximation of a Walther P38, but really isn't. Then give him a bunch of accessories that make him a tank. If you remove these extra parts and "mistransform" the toy, it becomes a pistol. Just don't document it and let fans work it out. Make it a Voyager that's sold at a Leader Class price point like Siege Shockwave. Heck, you could even have the barrel of the gun be a detachable accessory that isn't documented to attach to the chamber, but it can anyway.

What do you reckon? Could Hasbro get away with this?

I don't want a straight up scifi/fantasy gun for Megatron though. We already have Classics/Henkei/United Megatron for that.

[Dkaris]

Anyone here work at big W and able to tell me if they'll be ranging a specific product? Action Figure but not transformer related

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Has a little epiphany while listening to the TF 84 movie on the way home the other day; The Autobots rigged up one of their moons with enough explosives to destroy it if required.

And we hassle Rodimus for destroying planets, he's just following Autobot Protocol.

How many planets have the Decepticons blown up?

[Bidoofdude]

But, I would consider getting a new CHUG Megatron (be it SS86 or otherwise) if it had a Not-Gun mode disguised as something else; similar to what they did with Siege Shockwave. Make it a generic pistol that might be a vague approximation of a Walther P38, but really isn't. Then give him a bunch of accessories that make him a tank. If you remove these extra parts and "mistransform" the toy, it becomes a pistol. Just don't document it and let fans work it out. Make it a Voyager that's sold at a Leader Class price point like Siege Shockwave. Heck, you could even have the barrel of the gun be a detachable accessory that isn't documented to attach to the chamber, but it can anyway.

What do you reckon? Could Hasbro get away with this?

I don't want a straight up scifi/fantasy gun for Megatron though. We already have Classics/Henkei/United Megatron for that.

I think it’s a bit of all or nothing with the gun mode. Megatron unlike Sixshot or Shockwave does not have the luxury of imagination on his side- safe to say we’ll receive nothing directly resembling the Walther P-38.

I would have thought half of the problem with such a figure though is that he’d still be grey or silver, which dashes hopes of even a space gun alt mode. Sixshot is teal and purple, Shockwave is deep purple. The two options would then be a grey cartoon-accurate Megatron with a compromised tank alt mode, or a multi-coloured (thus inaccurate) Megatron with a fantasy gun mode that loosely resembles the Walther- pretty much defeats the point of having a Studio Series 86 Megatron in the first place.

To me at least, it’s not about having *a Megatron* with a certain feature or alt mode, it’s about having *the right* Megatron to go alongside the other WFC era CHUG figures. I’m not worried about going over old ground if it does it better, which seems to be the course of figures these days (sometimes replacements coming in less than a year). I can see how the priority would be different for someone with a different collection focus however, I just don’t want to be filling spots and feel validated 100% in the figures I choose to purchase.

Also interesting to note that even in the expensive adult-orientated collector’s like Black Series for Star Wars, we barely see any blaster replicas, just helmets and lightsabers. When we do, they are of course compromised and with bright red details on the end and obvious tells that they are toys. This is probably the closest line for direct comparison, Hasbro could sneak Megatron in under adult collectible stuff, but I wouldn’t bank on it based on that.