Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[GoktimusPrime]

Perceptor's missile launcher's launching mechanism is most likely rendered inoperable. When the first Hasbro reissues came out a lot of people complained about the unsightly over-lengthed missiles, so Hasbro compensated with subsequent reissues by keeping the missiles the same length but making the launchers inoperable. Unfortunately with early reissue moulds Hasbro seems reluctant to modify them this way, hence why Pinkimus has those f'ugly missiles even though it's a relatively recent reissue.

[Lordy]

Perceptor's missile launcher's launching mechanism is most likely rendered inoperable. When the first Hasbro reissues came out a lot of people complained about the unsightly over-lengthed missiles, so Hasbro compensated with subsequent reissues by keeping the missiles the same length but making the launchers inoperable. Unfortunately with early reissue moulds Hasbro seems reluctant to modify them this way, hence why Pinkimus has those f'ugly missiles even though it's a relatively recent reissue.

Yeah, the launcher has been crippled on Perceptor. Time to pull a pen apart for the spring

[Wheel-J]

I was thinking of posting a followup query on the Hasbro Q&A section. But since I'm not sure bout how to ask, I opted to put it here first.

Last year (Oct 2008*), Hasbro mentioned that they "will evaluate the possibility for one retailer exclusive item in 2009 from the Takara range".

Question that I would ask the board:
1) Are there any Takara toys been released here locally this year?

Question to Hasbro if the answer to above is no or not yet by the time that Oct/Nov Qs are to be submitted.
2) What is the outcome of the evaluation? Are we still yet to expect a Takara exclusive this year (like MP Grimlock or alternity for example)?

*Source

5 - Are there any plans to bring over more Japanese Takara exclusives, like Masterpiece Convoy and Ultra Magnus?
We do have visibility to Takara exclusives and we will evaluate the possibility for one retailer exclusive item in 2009 from the Takara range. As background, on top of getting retailers to range the more expensive Takara product range, it is not an easy process to get Takara product into Australia given the nature of the product. Hence we are never able to offer the entire range but rather a select one or two.

[loophole]

does anyone know of any good sites or ebay sellers that have Japanese transformers for sale such as Headmasters and powermasters and alike

[Doubledealer]

Ebay is all I can think of. My advice is do an advanced search for 'G1 headmaster' under the toys category, make it a saved search (that way you'll get emailed whenever a new headmaster is put up on ebay) and also tick 'available to Australia'.

[jaydisc]

ksgj3 has a few, but mostly expensive MIB/MISB.

[rampagesss]

Ok something i have always wondered, what comes first the cartoon and movies or the toys.

e.g. do hasbro and others design the toys first then draw the cartoons around how the toy works and looks. Or does the cartoon come first, then they have to make it look like it does on the show

sorry if the qusestion is hard to understand

[Sky Shadow]

Ok something i have always wondered, what comes first the cartoon and movies or the toys.

e.g. do hasbro and others design the toys first then draw the cartoons around how the toy works and looks. Or does the cartoon come first, then they have to make it look like it does on the show

sorry if the qusestion is hard to understand

It depends. The first two years of G1 were toys first. The new characters in Transformers: The Movie were designs before toys, but the rest of the Season 3 characters were toys first. Beast Wars was toys first and scanned in 3D to make their animation models. Beast Machines was like a blindfolded game of Chinese whispers in a hurricane between toymakers and animators (and a bit of both). Most of the Japanese cartoons including Robots In Disguise were toys first, as was 'The Unicron Trilogy'. The 2007 movie and ROTF were designs before toys. Animated was more of a symbiosis between animation and toys. So yes, it varies.

[GoktimusPrime]

Ok something i have always wondered, what comes first the cartoon and movies or the toys.

e.g. do hasbro and others design the toys first then draw the cartoons around how the toy works and looks. Or does the cartoon come first, then they have to make it look like it does on the show

Generally speaking the toys come first. If a decision is made to put a toy into a cartoon or comic book then they have to design a cartoon or comic model based off that toy.

It basically worked like this:
G1: toys first, comics second, cartoon third
G2: toys first, comics (and cartoon, though there wasn't much originality in it) second
BW: toys first, cartoon second, comics third
BM: toys first, cartoon second, comics third (though as Sky Shadow said, the communication between toy designers and animators wasn't done very well)
Car Robot (RID): toys first, cartoon second, comics third (not that we got many)
Unicron Trilogy: toys first, comics and cartoon second
Movie: movie first, toys and comics second
Animated: toys, cartoon & comics conceived simultaneously (more or less)

So _usually_ the toys come first, but there are exceptions.

[ITZTRU]

Is this statement true?

***Just a quick note to those who collect Transformers out there: With the exception of a select few figures or figures which were only released in Japan, it is common consensus among most Transformers collectors that many of the American versions of these figures are more collectible and sought after than their Japanese counterparts (some are even USA only exclusives), and thus are more more valuable. (This is obvious when comparing the prices the figures sell for!)***

It's off some guys eBay page selling "Heroes of Cybertron" figures on US eBay