Hasbro Q&A December 2008 answers.
Even if Hasbro AUS aren't doing this anymore, Hasbro US have had their usual one week turnaround with answers to their bi-monthly Questions.
There are 12 fan-sites with these, so starting off with some of the sites who got together beforehand to limit repeat questions:
The Allspark:
http://www.allspark.com/content/view/3965/20/
From Unicron.com1) Animated is a very character driven show with a strong core cast. As such, can we expect all of the main core characters to be getting upgrades and redesigns (ie new molds) on a fairly regular basis, as we saw with the Transmetal and Transmetal 2 figures in Beast Wars?
- Primarily you will see the same characters with iconic accessory upgrades. The show/toyline is designed with familiarity as a primary focus and audience recognition is very important.
2) What can you tell us about future plans for TFU character choices? There is a huge amount of interest in getting the rest of the early G1 characters (Wheeljack, Jazz), more Gobot homages, more Micromaster characters, more combiner leaders or actual combiner teams, and more representatives from other TF eras (Energon, Beast Machines, RiD, etc.).
- First off, we are increadibly happy with the warm reception that our Universe line has received. It has been a pleasure working on the 25th Anniversary as we got to celebrate our vast and rich history of the brand. With that said, the bulk of our focus for 2009 will be on the upcoming movie. However, as we look to the future, the natural tendency would be to continue to celebrate more of our heritage characters from all the ages.
3) In the previous Q&A Hasbro said they might consider releasing the remaining original "Seeker" characters Thrust and Dirge. Now that Takara has molded these toys with new wings, will Hasbro release the remolded toys so fans can complete their Seeker collection Stateside?
- In short, we could release versions similar to TakaraTomy's (TT) versions. In fact, we worked with TT to ensure that their versions were different enough from the BotCon versions to ensure their exclusivity. But we recognize that there have been some fan favorites that are hard to find since they have only appeared in BotCon sets so far. We work closely with FP to ensure they get good exclusivity but we also don't want to miss good opportunities nationally. So there may be a chance that Hasbro releases different versions of those characters (including Thundercracker
as well), but it won't be in 2009.
4) Can you discuss mold availability? Specifically, are the following molds available/likely for future use: off-screen movie characters (Stockade, Incinerator, etc), Marvel Crossovers, and molds from previous TF lines that haven't been used much (Energon, RiD, European G1/G2).
- While nothing is ever concrete as to what molds we will and will not reuse, hopefully we can give you some insight into our selection process. As I am sure that you have seen, our design team has focused on bringing our characters to life in modern alt. modes. So as we look at reusing previous molds we make sure that the alternative mode could exist within today's world.
As for Marvel Crossovers, these items were designed specifically for the Marvel line, so these molds will never be used within a Transformers line.
5) With the revelation of the upcoming Cybertron Leobreaker retool Leo Prime, will we be seeing a trend of relatively dormant molds being remolded, or was Leo Prime an isolated instance?
- Leo Prime was mostly an isolated instance.
http://unicron.com/news_item/1585/
Seibertron.comSabrblade asks question 1: Since the Japanese-exclusive G1 cartoon series (The Headmasters, Chojin Masterforce, Victory, and Zone) were released on DVD in Europe and Australia, is there any hope of seeing them, and perhaps Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo, released on DVD in North America? Particularly the United States. From what we can tell, there is quite a demand!
Hasbro has the rights to the majority of the past Transformers entertainment now, and we are currently formalizing a distribution plan globally. This doesn't mean that you will see everything at the same time - we are deciding when and where for the portfolio of entertainment.
Perceptor asks Q2: About a year before the 2007 Transformers Movie, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci hosted a "live chat" on Yahoo where they unveiled the names of Transformers characters that would appear in the film. Is any such event, (where all characters are unveiled) in the works to announce the characters that will be in Revenge of the Fallen? If so, where and when? If not, we would like to make a suggestion. How about letting the various Transformers Fan Sites unveil one character (each) *before* the toys show up on ebay or some Chinese auction site? You can't let them have *all* the fun right?!
There are currently no plans to make an announcement that we know of, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen. But that decision (and your spin on it) are studio-led decisions. We'll bring it up with our friends at the studio (doesn't hurt to ask)!
Humanerror asks Q3: In the Transformers: Animated shows, Optimus Prime has various trailers. It seems that the Animated Voyager Prime has a spot on his "Axe" and at the bottom of his heels for add ons. Is there any chance of getting different trailers made for him?
Yes, you will see different trailer/accessory combinations of Animated Optimus Prime. They will not all be built off of the existing Voyager cab, however.
Jason asks Q4: Other than characters we already know of (Blurr, Swindle, Shockwave, Jetfire/Jetstorm...), do you have any *new character molds* slated for the Animated line in 2009 during and after the release of Revenge of the Fallen? If so, would you be willing to release a name or two for this Q&A?
-- Incidentally, we'd really love to see Cybertron mode toys for Bumblebee/Wasp/Cliffjumper, Ratchet/Ironhide. Also, we really liked the matte finish on the earlier TFA toys and how it added to the 'Animated' aesthetic. We hope you bring it back!
Well, by the time you read this you'll already know about characters like Arcee, Waspinator, Samurai Prowl, and Atomic Lugnut… as for some new things to expect - you'll get to see a newer, smaller version of Bumblebee with a cool new accessory upgrade. Soundwave will also be returning complete with a new minion. Everyone's favorite flamed Prime 'wannabe' will also be getting the Animated toy treatment. We're also doing some exploration for some of the Cybertronian mode characters...
Knightwing asks question 5: Talking Universe/Classics, I love the Seekers and want more! Any chance we will get the other two Rainmakers, Sunstorm or those with remolded wings? What's up with the non-G1 colors for obvious G1 homage molded toys like Powerglide and Leo Prime? (I would've preferred a gold and white in tribute to Lio Convoy from the Japanese series Beast Wars II.) Any chance we'll ever get to see Universe/Classics characters featured in IDW comics stories? Please?
As of right now, there are no plans for additional Seekers. Colors are a tricky thing; our design team has been concentrating on realistic alternate modes for our robots as well as coloring. The team thought it was better to make Powerglide primarily silver with characteristic red highlights as a bright red plane would not be very realistic. Leo Prime's coloring was under much debate early on and though the white and gold version did not make it out this time, you never know if and where it might show up in the future although nothing is currently planned.
http://www.seibertron.com/transforme...-round-2/14685
1.) Since the Universe toyline spans TF history, is there any chance of seeing a Transtech figure, or another "figure that never was"/"Lost Figure"? A "What Might Have Been" segment of the Timeline could be interesting to say the least.
HASBRO- It would definitely be interesting to see some of those concepts that didn't make it off the drawing board as a real toy, and the Universe line would be a great place to showcase it. In the immediate future we've got a whole list of other characters that are a little higher on the priority list, but you never know. We like to revisit these old concepts from time to time and if there's a great design we haven't used there is a good
chance it will see the light of day eventually.
2.) Any more Universe Ultras in the works? Are there any particular character(s) that you have been thinking would be a great fit for that particular size?
HASBRO- The team is really concentrating on Transformers Revenge of the Fallen product right now. Because of that, we have not been developing any further Universe Ultra items. However, there are members of the design team who would like to find space for more tanks, but currently nothing is definite.
3.) Most characters in the TF universe are male, but there were a few fem-bots in the 1980s cartoon as well. Will we be seeing any of them in the universe toy line?
HASBRO-For 2009, there are currently no "female" bots planned. However, we do have Arcee in the Animated line and you never know what could appear in Movie 2!
4.) Can you explain the typical pipeline for a toy from concept to finished product, including time & constraints, how many are produced, planning for repaints, etc.? A book illustrating this subject (with many images ) would be a very sought after collectible in the community.
HASBRO- Most items take 12-14 months from concept to store shelf. Hasbro does not discuss numbers or processes, however you can be assured that Hasbro and Takara/Tomy put a lot of love in each design.
5.) What is the hook for on Universe Galvatron's shoulder (the piece is gray and unfolds from another purple folding piece) ? And the fold out shoulder 'legs/feet'? Can you show us the conceptualized use of these features?
HASBRO- Initially, Galvatron was being designed as a triple changer and was actually going to be in a larger class. But once the decision was made to put Galvatron in Deluxe, his third "walker tank" mode was dropped. Because of molding reasons we had to leave some of those extra pieces in there. Here's the initial sketch and idea for the third mode. (see attached)
Image here - http://www.seibertron.com/images/new...3rd%20Mode.jpg
And some of the other sites:
Tformers.com
http://tformers.com/transformers-has...0560/news.html
TFwiki (another new one this round)Lord Madhammer: Given your focus on the kids' toy market, what do you think about licensing the Transformers brand to specialty companies (e.g., Diamond Select, Sideshow Toys), who could create transformable Transformers figures for adult collectors?
- Hasbro: Because of the technology and expertise involved in making Transformers toys, we would be worried about the quality that any other company would be able to achieve in making a Transformers figure.
Your idea is technically what the Transformers Collector Club is for, and the recent release of the Seacons is an example of how we find alternate ways to get out products that the fans enjoy.
Skoponok's Skopions: Are there any plans to develop figures of the Starscream clones, Constructicons, and.or humans for the Transformers: Animated toyline?
- Constructicons - Not at this time.
If we do these characters, we want them to be fully realized and able to take advantage of their iconic abilities. Unfortunately, timing is prohibiting us from making these items anytime in the near future.
We would not want to force fit them into the line and make versions of these characters that don't accurately reflect a Constructicon's abilities.
Humans - Not likely at this time.
Clones - It's likely that between Exclusives and the Mainline, you'll see clones in the future."
Terrorcon Blot: Are there any plans to expand the Universe Robot Heroes line to other scales similar to Galactic Heroes and Super Hero Squad? An example being larger six inch tall figures for combiners and citybots.
- Now if we answered every question with a direct yes or no question, where would the fun be in that!
All we can say is stay tuned as 2009 begins to unfold! There will surely be an item here or there that is a change from the past.
Soundwinder: The Autobot cassette characters are coming out as Universe Legends class figures and a new mold of Ravage will also be released with the Universe Autobot Hound figure. Is there currently any consideration being made to develop new molds of other cassettes?
- There are currently no plans for Autobot cassettes in our Universe Legends class. niverse Deluxe Hound will come with Ravage who is a cassette minion of Soundwave. As of right now, we do not plan on adding any new molds for other cassettes.
Hobbes-timus Prime: Would releasing the Henkei! Thrust and Dirge retooled molds in the United States violate your agreement with Fun Publications regarding not providing a main release for their Thrust/Dirge retool/remold figures?
- In short, we could release versions similar to TakaraTomy's (TT) versions. In fact, we worked with TT to ensure that their versions were different enough from the BotCon versions to ensure their exclusivity.
But we recognize that there have been some fan favorites that are hard to find since they have only appeared in BotCon sets so far. We work closely with FP to ensure they get good exclusivity but we also don't want to miss good opportunities nationally.
So there may be a chance that Hasbro releases different versions of those characters (including Thundercracker as well), but it won't be in 2009.
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Hasbro_Q%26A_..._2008:_Answers
ActionFigs.com1. What are the official titles of all the Hasbro team members involved with the Transformers brand?
We do not wish to have a roster of the Transformers brand team published for public viewing. Thanks.
2. The Marvel Crossovers Transformers don't feel like they use Takara engineering. Can you confirm who works on them?
Since the Marvel Transformers Crossovers and Star Wars Transformers Crossovers are dealing with character and vehicles from a 3rd party (Marvel and Lucasfilm), TakaraTomy is not involved in the design and production of these lines. However, TakaraTomy is an integral part of our main Transformers product lines.
3. How do you determine the demographic spread of past purchases? That is to say, how can you tell what percentage of sales were parents buying for their children versus adult collectors buying for themselves?
This is always a challenge as we evaluate sales and determine future direction of the line. While it is impossible to measure the exact split, we use a blend of market basket research coupled with our knowledge of collector preferred characters and assortments.
4. What is the name of the voice actor who portrayed the narrator/Optimus Prime in the recent Action Blast cartoon, and has he done voices for you before?
(answer to come)
5. Acid Storm was a welcome addition to our collections. The use of older, "obscure" characters who have previously never had toys is very exciting for fans. Can we expect more nods towards non-toy characters as the 25th Anniversary continues? Perhaps in the Robot Heroes line, which gave us the awesome but otherwise Movie-only Dispensor?
Bill Rawley: Acid Storm was great fun to see develop into a real toy for the first time. It is very difficult to get "obscure" characters into our toy line. One of the benefits Transformers has over other brands in the market right now is the "I remember that guy!" factor. You have die hard fans as well as casual fans that remember certain toys from their youth or from the cartoons. It makes my job that much easier to stand up and propose an idea for a new design of a character that many people already know and love. Right now we are not planning any further obscure characters, that's not to say we would never do them. Finally, I agree with you, Robot Heroes is a great place to try and get a few more of these rarely seen characters out into the light.
http://www.actionfigs.com/index.php?...articleid=2471
TFViewsActionFigs.com: You've stated that the Universe line is celebrating not only the original Generation One line, but the rich history of Transformers overall. Does this include characters from G1 media who haven't appeared in toy form (at least not as they originally appeared)? Over the years, we've gotten several of these characters in other forms, like RID Jhiaxus and several motorcycle Arcee figures, as well as Unicron, who seems to transcend different incarnations. However, have you considered finally producing classic characters like Arcee, the "Allicons," Scrounge, Alpha Trion, the Last Autobot, and maybe even non-transforming characters like Quintessons and Nightbird?
Hasbro: Many of our teammembers would love to do many of those things. Some classic characters do not always make sense to be designed as they once were, a good example is Soundwave. Kids today probably wouldn't know what a tape player was! But where ever possible, the team will try and pay tribute to those classic characters from the past eras of our Transformers brand.
We have had great "non-transforming" items in the line such with Robot Heroes and Unleashes but those characters are not currently planned.
ActionFigs.com: We'll be direct about this, with confirmation of TakaraTomy producing a Masterpiece Grimlock for 2009, and Hasbro hinting at importing a new Masterpiece character, will Hasbro be bringing this MP Grimlock figure to the US?
Hasbro: No confirmation at this time, but it is on the "to do" list. So we're working on a plan to bring it here at some point in the relative near future, but can't say "yes" officially.
ActionFigs.com: In the last few years, Transformers has enjoyed a few rather groundbreaking lines that suffered short runs: Alternators and Titanium Series 6" figures. What factors do you think contributed to their downfalls? Hindsight being 20/20, what would you go back and do differently with each of those lines?
Hasbro: Always tough to pinpoint the make or break factors in the success of a new assortment. Some of our favorites internally are not necessarily those that enjoy the most commercial success. It is a combination of sales, potential character depth and particular need for a play pattern. Alternators as an example, allowed us to offer model scale and quality vehicles, but were limiting in terms of character variety and price point options. As you know, nothing is ever gone forever. There is always the possibility that we will revisit expressions from the past if they make sense within the current line.
Our design team has done an incredible job of constantly looking for the next breakthrough toy innovation for Transformers and we are excited to reveal some of the new concepts slated for the 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie line.
ActionFigs.com: Not to be indelicate about this, but General Motors' financial status has been publicly revealed to be in dire straits, and the company has been asking the US government for financial assistance, which the current political climate leaves that in some doubt. With GM being the chief brand for both Transformers movies and the company possibly on the brink of bankruptcy, or perhaps forced to change production focus to a different "green" line of cars, has there been any thought on Hasbro's part to how that may affect the TF2 movie toy line? Might there be a shift on marketing for the toys and the film because of this turn of events?
Hasbro: Hasbro has not yet released any official information about the Movie 2 product line, therefore I can't really discuss specifics. But the movie has completed primary shooting and Hasbro will continue to market the product line with a strong focus on our characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee as we always do regardless of any outside factors.
ActionFigs.com: The upcoming Universe Hound figure comes with an all-new cassette Ravage that looks amazing from all we've seen. Since this is one of the classic cassettes, we've got to know, will we be seeing more of them soon? Could we possibly dare to dream that one of them might come with cartoon-accurate piledrivers in some way?
Hasbro: Currently, we are not planning on adding any additional cassette characters. But there are so many great characters that were once cassettes that could still be redesigned, only the future will really tell if/when those characters will once again regain their place on toy shelves!
http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/283
Cybertron.ca (canadian site)TFviews.com: What criteria guides the team to determine the size/class of figure that a particular character is assigned? Some examples of this where the size might not be immediately an obvious fit are Universe Powerglide being an Ultra, Movie Bonecrusher a Deluxe, the upcoming Universe Jazz and Red Alert being just Legends. So what goes into that process for specific characters?
Hasbro: Ah the scale question… These decisions, especially for the movie, are the result of a combination of factors including character prominence, relative scale to other vehicles and number of assortments in which a character appears. Given our development cycle, we usually have to make these decisions well in advance of seeing completed content be it movie, animated episodes, etc. After seeing the finished first film, I think we would have considered creating a Voyager scale Bonecrusher for the movie line rather than Deluxe.
TFviews.com: Does the TF team at Hasbro ever read fans’ online toy reviews, and if so, what do they think about them? Are there times when a review will praise a toy that the designer wasn’t expecting? What about criticisms, how are those taken? What could be better in reviews out there?
Hasbro: Yes, members of the team read the boards and listen to online video reviews often and fan feedback is extremely helpful and appreciated. For example, in the case of items with sticky paint, none of our samples in house had sticky paint, but we still make note and pass along to the manufacturing partners.
TFviews.com: Light-piping has been part of the Transformers line for quite a while now, but some figures appear to be designed for light-piping and then have these light-pipe designs circumvented through opaque materials or even paint. Why has the extensive use of light-piping been abandoned as a line-wide gimmick? Why are some uses designed, even cast in translucent plastic, and then painted over?
Hasbro: In cases where parts look to be designed for light pipe but are molded in opaque, those parts may have been moved in the tooling stage to help address certain production issues. When it comes to translucent parts that are painted over, it is usually a matter of accuracy or eye contrast. For the most part all of the transparent parts on a toy are in the same mold which means they will all be the same color. Since the transparent mold contains the windows as well as potential light piping parts, we often use a color in the blue-ish range to make the windows look more natural in vehicle mode. If this color doesn’t stand out enough on the eyes, or is inaccurate, we’ll sometimes paint over the eyes to look more appropriate. However we still like to include the light pipe feature even if it has to be painted over because we may be able to make use of it in a repaint down the road.
TFviews.com: First off, let us make clear that we do understand that repaints are part of Hasbro’s business model, and that aspect is often factored into a new mold’s budgeting, they are somewhat necessary to make the line happen. That said, why does Hasbro keep making many repaints as the same character, such as Animated Ultra Magnus and Megatron, rather than giving those repaints a new identity? While it might make sense for major characters like Optimus Prime and Bulkhead, something like Movie Jungle Bonecrusher could just as easily have been someone else, right?
Hasbro: Repaints will continue to be a combination of themed versions of original characters and new character identities. That being said, our designers are now taking a more long term view of repaints, planning new heads and accessories at the time of the initial character development in order to offer more “new character” identities down the road.
TFviews.com: With the tech-specs, who generally writes these? What is the process for writing tech-specs? Where does consistency within the theme of that line fall into the level of importance? Where does holding onto old copyrights fall there? Or are those and other issues largely up to the discretion of the writer?
Hasbro: Tech Specs and bios are written by our very talented copywriter with the input of the product designer and marketing. Generally speaking, when writing a bio, the copywriter tries to be true to the original character - especially in Classics/Universe, where we always follow the original bio - as well as research into comic and cartoon continuity. For G1 characters, we typically use the comics as a primary source, since the characters are more nuanced there than in the cartoon. Consistency is a joint responsibility of the team, but the bulk of it falls on my shoulders. We try to be consistent with how characters are portrayed, whenever possible. Most often, when there appears to be a continuity error , it is due to a character name suddenly becoming unavailable at a stage too late to change the packaging art - so you end up with a figure whose bio and specs seem to indicate a different character.
Maintenance of old trademarks is up to the team in general. Our legal department tries to let us know when a mark is at risk of abandonment, and we make an effort to include it somewhere in the product line. Unfortunately, many of our older marks lapsed many years ago and are no longer available (which is why, for instance, we have to call Ratchet “Autobot Ratchet.”)
http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=12532
More to come as the remaining sites add their Q&A.Cybertron.ca: Why are toys being released in Canada that say 'comic inside' but include no comic?
Hasbro's response to this question is still pending.
Cybertron.ca: Is there any chance of the build a figure concept coming back to Transformers like the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary line had?
Hasbro: The build-a-figure concepts can be a fun way to bring out characters we might not do in the mainline, and we really liked the Trans-Mutate figure
from Beast Wars. However, there are no current plans for a build-a-figure in 2009.
Cybertron.ca: Are the Superion and Bruticus exclusives going to be released in Canada, and if so what store(s)?
Hasbro: Currently, there are plans to release these exclusives within the Canadian market. However, we are not able to release where these will be sold at this point in time. Please stay tuned to Transformers.com once we have made this information public.
Cybertron.ca: Why are the packages for Transformers so big? The total volume of the package seems large compared to the relatively small size of the toy inside.
Hasbro: There are many factors that go into the sizes of the package. One of the issues we deal with is that the package size within assortments must
be the same size length, width, depth, blister, etc. due to some retailer constraints. So our package sizes are dictated in many cases by the widest figure, the deepest figure, and the longest figure. And it is never the same figure that is all 3. This becomes tough when we are dealing with many different vehicle shapes, so in many cases it may appear that there extra room in the package.
Cybertron.ca: Can you tell us anything about Hasbro's mold protocols in regard to fun publications? Does Hasbro produce toys for fun publications using existing Hasbro molds, creating a small number of new molds for remolded pieces? Was the Seacons giftset created using the old G1 mold or were new, short-run molds created from blueprints or reverse engineering?
Hasbro: We work directly with Fun Publications and TakaraTomy to help FP get their exclusives. So yes, they use Hasbro molds but sometimes create new molds (heads, accessories). I believe the Seacon toys were from the G1 molds - there was no tooling specific to that FP release.
The Official Club has theirs apparently, so I need to log in and see if their answers can be relayed to others (non-members).
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