Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[ILikeSoundwave]

^Happened to me a couple weeks back.

[Iriorne]

Do you think IDW are peeved that Hasbro are delaying (what should be) the current Generations lines?

This little pause in TF offerings (between the end of TF: Prime and the release of Movie 4) was clearly originally designed to be IDW's time to shine. Every Deluxe Generations figure slated to be released this year was to come packaged with an IDW TF Comic, be it a Spotlight issue or an issue from RID or MTMTE. For example, Waspinator comes with Issue #19 of RID. It was an obvious ploy to bring more attention to IDW's TF comics and try to get more people picking up the series'. And so they should - they're quite good.

However, with Hasbro delaying wave after wave, pushing figures further back into 2014, this relevance to then current IDW comics will be lessened. Again, using Waspinator as an example, Issue #19 of RID was first released in July of 2013, and yet Waspinator (who suffered from a pitiful first release and subsequent delays in production) won't be seen again until possibly September, by which time the issue he comes with will be 14 months old!

If I were IDW, I'd be pretty darn annoyed with these delays. Sure, their comics will eventually get seen, but the pivotal timing is so far off and the opportunity is all but lost.

Perhaps, though I assume IDW's business model revolves around selling comics outright so the pack-ins are probably not a major revenue stream. Ultimately, as you say, the comics are for cross promotion. They serve as an introduction for new readers to the IDW fiction, in which case does it matter if the stories are old? New readers (and perhaps children in particular - the prime market for the toys no matter what we may think ) won't know or care and there's more material available for them to purchase if they enjoy it.

I believe it was mainly the Dark Prelude and Dark Cybertron issues being packed in so they should stand fairly well on their own, even if you only get the comics through the toy pack-ins.

[DELTAprime]

Since the AOE toys are supposed to be a little over 2 weeks way I'm wondering if anyone knows if we are getting the AOE Generations line in Australia or will I have to order from overseas again for Hasbro's figures?

[Sky Shadow]

Do you think IDW are peeved that Hasbro are delaying (what should be) the current Generations lines?

No.

[griffin]

So unfortunately. my ROTF Bludgeon Voyger finally broke his hand. Apparently this is kind of a common issue for the standard Hasbro release, but is this something that's common for the TakaraTomy version? I'm assuming it would be, but hopeful, because it's an awesome toy, but I'm not going to risk replacing it if this will happen again.

As soon as you can after you get the toy out of packaging, roll up some sandpaper and make the fists wider on Bludgeon, Banzai-Tron and BotCon Overlord.
I did it with mine, and would suggest it with any figure that has a tight fitting accessory in a small hand/fingers. It is better to go too far and use something to make a loose gun stay in a fist-hole, than break the gun-post or fist for not being loose enough.
Others I can think of, off the top of my head are some of the Euro Gen1 figures, Spychangers, Sth American Radio AM Robot.

[DELTAprime]

Do you think IDW are peeved that Hasbro are delaying (what should be) the current Generations lines?

This little pause in TF offerings (between the end of TF: Prime and the release of Movie 4) was clearly originally designed to be IDW's time to shine. Every Deluxe Generations figure slated to be released this year was to come packaged with an IDW TF Comic, be it a Spotlight issue or an issue from RID or MTMTE. For example, Waspinator comes with Issue #19 of RID. It was an obvious ploy to bring more attention to IDW's TF comics and try to get more people picking up the series'. And so they should - they're quite good.

However, with Hasbro delaying wave after wave, pushing figures further back into 2014, this relevance to then current IDW comics will be lessened. Again, using Waspinator as an example, Issue #19 of RID was first released in July of 2013, and yet Waspinator (who suffered from a pitiful first release and subsequent delays in production) won't be seen again until possibly September, by which time the issue he comes with will be 14 months old!

If I were IDW, I'd be pretty darn annoyed with these delays. Sure, their comics will eventually get seen, but the pivotal timing is so far off and the opportunity is all but lost.

The guys on the Seibertron podcast look at the sales numbers for comics in the US. According to them IDW's Transformersverse has always been a very small seller. A new issue will sell 1500 - 1750 copies at absolute best. I have no idea how many copies a comic has to sell to be profitable but at maximum 1750 copies it can't be making them much if any money.

This is just wild speculation on my part but I think Hasbro must be paying IDW at this point to make them for the toys and whatever they get in sales before then is just extra cash in IDW's pocket.

[Verno]

The guys on the Seibertron podcast look at the sales numbers for comics in the US. According to them IDW's Transformersverse has always been a very small seller. A new issue will sell 1500 - 1750 copies at absolute best. I have no idea how many copies a comic has to sell to be profitable but at maximum 1750 copies it can't be making them much if any money.

This is just wild speculation on my part but I think Hasbro must be paying IDW at this point to make them for the toys and whatever they get in sales before then is just extra cash in IDW's pocket.

This is why I think it's such a missed opportunity for IDW. We're in the new jump-on point for the IDW TF Universe right now, with Season 2 of RID and MTMTE kicking off, as well as the Windblade mini, but all is for naught if new readers aren't attracted because the comics included with the cross-promotion toys are long out of date (and relevance) and said new readers would have to catch up on 5 or 6 issues in order to understand what's going on in the current run.

There's no doubt in my mind that Waspinator and Rattrap's inclusion in the IDW Comics was because Hasbro were producing toys for them. Hasbro creates these cross-promotions, but then it all falls apart when waves get delayed, which is sad for IDW, because they deserve a greater reader-base.

[Sky Shadow]

The guys on the Seibertron podcast look at the sales numbers for comics in the US. According to them IDW's Transformersverse has always been a very small seller. A new issue will sell 1500 - 1750 copies at absolute best. I have no idea how many copies a comic has to sell to be profitable but at maximum 1750 copies it can't be making them much if any money.

That's not even close. In the US, More Than Meets Eye and Robots In Disguise each sell about 10,000 per month. Both ongoings are consistently two of IDW's top ten most profitable titles. Last month, MTMTE sold 9,552 copies, RiD 9,409 and the Dark Cybertron Finale 9,395, each at $3.99. Plus, Regeneration One sold 11,153 copies at $5.99 each, and the reprint of #1 sold 5,397 at $1 each. That was $185,344 spent on the cover price of Transformers comics in March, in the US. And that doesn't count digital downloads or trade paperback sales.

[DELTAprime]

That's not even close. In the US, More Than Meets Eye and Robots In Disguise each sell about 10,000 per month. Both ongoings are consistently two of IDW's top ten most profitable titles. Last month, MTMTE sold 9,552 copies, RiD 9,409 and the Dark Cybertron Finale 9,395, each at $3.99. Plus, Regeneration One sold 11,153 copies at $5.99 each, and the reprint of #1 sold 5,397 at $1 each. That was $185,344 spent on the cover price of Transformers comics in March, in the US. And that doesn't count digital downloads or trade paperback sales.

Where do you find these numbers? I'd like to see them for myself and send in a correction to Seibertron.

[griffin]

There's no doubt in my mind that Waspinator and Rattrap's inclusion in the IDW Comics was because Hasbro were producing toys for them. Hasbro creates these cross-promotions, but then it all falls apart when waves get delayed, which is sad for IDW, because they deserve a greater reader-base.

If certain characters are being introduced because of toys, rather than because it was the writer's intention to have the plot include them (to make sense of their out-of-place alt-modes), it is a pity... and a shame that Hasbro then prevents the publicity element of IDW introducing them to a story, that is primarily a Gen1 casted story.
(I don't have a problem with the IDW universe bringing in other eras, and would love a more inter-linked universe of series, but it has to make sense by being introduced like an upgrade or as a group, or a crossover to another dimension.)