March Global Hasbro Q&A answers.

[griffin]

Looks like more US sites have managed to squeeze their way into the Q&A program (16 sites now), and to compensate, Hasbro have reduced the submission from each from 5 to 3. Will probably mean a lot more duplicate questions, as each site tries to ask the most burning questions at that time.
And during the peak Christmas period, Hasbro wanted a 3 month break this time, so the momentum has really been lost on this program now (it's hardly even being given much attention on the news sites).

A summary of the questions can be found here:
http://tfwiki.net:80/wiki/Hasbro_Q_&_A
Unfortunately, they don't list the answers, so I'll have to copy and paste them here.

http://www.actionfigs.com/index.php?...articleid=2471

ActionFigs.com: As fans of Hasbro's lines, we've seen this for years: official Hasbro images for retailers and on packaging that employ a dark look as if photoshopped to enhance shadows, surfaces and edges. This gives the overall look of the toy increased realism, but often the production deco of the toy can't really live up to that. While there is a fine-print proviso on the packaging about such things, it's still a little unusual. Why does Hasbro employ this tactic so often with their official photography, and why not simply give each toy a subtle, simple paint wash to actually bring those lines out and give them the realistic look which the packaging shows could be possible?
Hasbro: In dealing with product photography, we always try to represent the product in the best possible light on package, accentuating shadows and highlights to make the toy appear as realistic as possible. This is especially important on action figure lines where you are representing fantasy toy products as real. This technique is even more important on the TF movie lines where the product photography is representing a CGI character which looks incredibly realistic on the big screen.

ActionFigs.com: This may be the biggest long shot of all long shot questions, but there are a few collectors who would give their special left arm for a Circuit Breaker figure, even if she's not in scale with the rest of the Transformers toys. As Hasbro now has the rights to produce Marvel toys, is there even a slim chance that she could possibly be made? Even if it was just a convention exclusive or something?
Hasbro: Unfortuantely there are not any plans to include Circuit Breaker within our product line at this time. While we certainly understand the history behind this character, there are a number of other characters that we would do before her.

ActionFigs.com: For Transformers' 25th anniversary, Hasbro decided to celebrate multiple eras in the Classics 2.0 line, and a couple of those entries came from Beast Wars. Cheetor and Dinobot are some of the better known characters from the series, and both seem quite deserving of upgrades. However, when the figures hit the market, it seemed like neither design lived up to its potential with multiple issues in both bot and beast modes, unfortunately taking interesting ideas and cutting them off at the knees. There are a lot of theories as to what happened with those 2, ranging from budget issues to rushed designs to even a team design philosophy that doesn't "get" beast-bots. Fans appreciate the desire to pay homage and update these designs, but candidly speaking, there is a general feeling that these went wrong, and fans want to know: what happened with these Cheetor & Dinobot figures?
Hasbro: At the end of the day, Hasbro designs toys for children and fans. While we do an excellent job of listening to our fan base and incorporating characters and features that fans look for, we always have to keep in mind that our toys are meant to be played with. Specifically on Cheetor and Dinobot we felt it was important that the team "pay homage" to Beast Wars and we felt that these were the two characters that would best appeal to children. We do what we can for the fans and we feel that we improved on the original designs of both characters overall, but in hindsight following the original designs of Cheetor and Dinobot closely was the ultimate limitor for the designs. The overall intention of Universe was to improve on the overall designs of the original toy versions and still deliver an enjoyable Transformers experience for fans and children.


---
http://www.actionfigurecollectors.co...qa_march09.php

AFC - Are we going to see more Universe figures similar to Hound, Cheetor, Cyclonus, etc throughout 2009? There weren't any on display at Toy Fair and there has been some concern that these figures will be put on the shelf during movie time.
Hasbro - We have announced all items and characters that are to be released in 2009. While some retailers might have a limited offering of Universe items after the spring, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be our main focus for the remainder of 2009.

AFC - Will Hasbro produce Robot Replica figures beyond the movie characters?
Hasbro - For 2009, our objective for Robot Replicas is to deliver those iconic Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen characters that have become widely recognizable to kids and fans alike. Outside of 2009, we have not made any decision on the direction for this assortment.

AFC - We saw the Devastator figure at Toy Fair, awesome stuff. We also saw the individual Constructicon figures which transform. Looking down the line a little ways, will there ever be a version of Devastator that comes with transformable individual robots which still combine to form the larger Devastator robot?
Hasbro - There are no plans to develop a version of Devastator in which the vehicles convert to individual robot modes. The silhouette and stance of Devastator in the film required that we move away from traditional combination play in order to maintain the closest character accuracy possible in the toy.


---
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/?p=2627

Q1) Can we expect to see Universe Classics Jazz, Soundwave and especially Wheeljack? TFUC seems like the perfect line to debut a true Wheeljack figure since he hasn’t really been given the proper treatment since G1. It also seems like a tease getting Ravage with Hound without a Soundwave out there!
A1) These are three of the names that keep poping up on our radar. Soundwave is difficult because we can’t make his alt mode a cassette player - kids today just wouldn’t even know what that is. I can tell you that he is being discussed for future release but nothing is definite at this time. Jazz is a favorite as well but nothing has been discussed as of now. Wheeljack on the other hand, has been discussed more in-depth and we’re excited about prospects for his appearance in the near future.

Q2) In your Toy Fair presentation, you mention doing super-sized Robot Heroes this year. I’m assuming that means a Devestator with the Revenge of the Fallen line.
A2) As we examine opportunities to do "super-sized" Robot Heroes, we look closely at characters that we feel will fit best with this larger expression. Therefore it is safe to say that those "larger" characters have a pretty good chance at being the "super-sized" figures. Stay tuned for exact character selection as this product line rolls out in 2009!

Q3) Will there be super-sized Robot Heroes for the G1 Transformers too? A cartoon Devestator or Omega Supreme? Other combiners?
A3) Currently, we do not have any plans to do any additional G1Transformers in the Robot Heroes line outside what has been announced for 2009, including supersized bots! Unfortunately too, it is still a bit too early to release any information about our plans for 2010 and what this expression will mean at that point in time.


---
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index...&#entry1151645

1) - The press release posted on Hasbro.com just prior to Toy Fair indicated that there would be 10 Deluxe figures for Universe in 2009. 8 of those figures have been made public (Cheetor, Cyclonus, Hound, Starscream, Dinobot, Smokescreen, Hot Shot and Ratchet), leaving 2 unknown figures. Is there any chance that you can elaborate what these two figures are, or if one of them will be Red Alert, similar to Takara Tomy's release schedule with Henkei?
Hasbro: Unfortunately, the press release prior to Toy Fair regarding Universe Deluxe was incorrect. For 2009, there will only be 8 Deluxe figures (Cheetor, Cyclonus, Hound, Starscream, Dinobot, Smokescreen, Hot Shot and Ratchet).

2) - What are your plans for the Legends and Robot Heroes sublines? Will we see additional lower-tier/obscure characters, old favorites, etc in the future? Also, will Mighty Muggs be back after the TF2 movie line?
Hasbro: In 2009, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen product we be featuring the core movie characters as well as some ancillary characters throughout all of the assortments, including Legends and Robot Heroes.

3) - Several characters who were a big part of the classic Marvel TF comics have (for a variety of reasons) ended up with their rights belonging to Marvel rather than Hasbro. The original Death's Head (a major player in many of the best UK stories) and Circuit Breaker (a major player in the US comics run) being prime examples. It's just recently been announced that Hasbro has secured the Marvel liscense for the next few years and you've just launched the great looking 3 3/4 Marvel Universe figure line. Is there any chance you could put your heads together for a few toys of these classic TF fan favorite characters, now that they are legally possible at long last? Or at least pass their names along to the Marvel-team folks as possibillities?
Hasbro: We certainly appreciate these characters and what they have brought to the Transformers. However, they are not at the top of the character list at this point in time. As with anything, there is always a chance that we will revisit these characters at some point in time, it just unfortunately is not now.


---
http://www.asmzine.com/qanda/transformers/qa0309.shtml

1 - Will be posted when Hasbro provides an answer to ASM.

2 - Have you determined how Devastator will be packaged? Will he be in robot mode or vehicle mode? -- Baltmatrix
Devastator will be packed out in his combined robot mode.

3 - Not sure if you guys know anything about this at all, but are you at liberty to discuss the announced and immediately canceled third wave of the 3-D Battle Card Game? If so, can you give us any info whatsoever? If not, is there someone at Wizards who would be able to discuss it with us? -- Hooper X
Unfortunately, we do not have any information regarding the 3-D battle game as it is not associated with the Transformers brand.


---
http://www.cooltoyreview.com/story/f...ers_121347.asp

Cool Toy Review: Thank you so much for making a Targetmaster figure! It's so great to see such a feature return. Can we hope to see a Headmaster and/or Powermaster appear this year as well? It would be awesome to see Chromedome or Hardhead, or Dreadwind and Darkwing with their actual Powermaster/combiner functions.
Hasbro: Glad you guys liked the Targetmaster we did. We've always been a big fan of Targetmasters and how they tie back in with the larger scale robots/vehicles. The team is working on some really great stuff moving forward for 2010. Overall, we think Targetmasters fans will be very happy with what we have in store for them in the future. Headmasters and/or Powermasters, as of right now, are not being worked on in any form. That's not to say we wouldn't ever redeco a guy and pay homage to the Headmaster version of him if it made sense.

Cool Toy Review: Having had the original, I must say that the 25th Anniversary version update of Hot Shot is a HUGE improvement over its predecessor. You had already said during the convention season that the cumbersome spring-loaded Minicon action feature would be removed from this version, but will the rear axle of the car still be able to transform in some way to Hot Shot's cannon?
Hasbro: No, in the original design for Universe Hot Shot, he had twin projectile launchers, one on each arm. And the launchers fired projectile missiles that were sculpted to look like they were on fire. We wanted Hot Shot to be all about flames and fire in Universe. We eliminated the launchers and kept Jolt because we thought he was more fun and would enhance the play more than two flame throwers. Jolt will still fit onto the back of Hot Shot's vehicle mode as he is supposed to, but as for a rear axle becoming a cannon for Hot Shot sadly that's a no.

Cool Toy Review: When can we expect an animated Omega Supreme as a supreme class figure?
Hasbro: Omega Supreme is a fantastic character from TF Animated! We are quite happy that you guys like him so much! There are no current plans for him, but if we were ever to make him, we'd like him to be accurate to his scale in the series when compared to the other characters.


---
http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=14099

1) In follow up to last round's "Why are toys being released in Canada that say 'comic inside' but include no comic?"
Unfortunately, there was a production issue that affected this item. It was not until after shipment that we realized that the comic was not included with the package. Due to this issue we have secured comics for those items that shipped without the comic. If you are one of these consumers who bought this item and didn’t get the comic, please contact HASBRO Consumer Affairs at 1-800-752-9755.

2) Before the recession we were told Universe 2.0 would be put on hiatus, what are the chances of it returning in the future at this point?
Currently, we have announced all items and characters that are to be released within the Universe line in 2009. While some retailers might have a limited offering of Universe items, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will the main product offering in 2009.

3) What date will Animated Season 3 debut in Canada?
Season 3 of Animated starts March 14th on YTV


---
http://www.parrygamepreserve.com/newsDetail.php?jID=926

Preserve: Are future Transformers Mighty Muggs waves (wave 2 and beyond) going to be Toys R Us Exclusives?
Hasbro: Currently, the first two waves of Transformers Mighty Muggs are available at all major retailers within the U.S. After wave two there are no plans to ship any additional Mighty Muggs in 2009. As for 2010, it is still a little too early to discuss our plans for the brand.

Preserve: Any plans to release Masterpiece Grimlock in the US?
Hasbro: We feel that Masterpiece Grimlock is a great offering that captures the timelessness of this character! As we continue to move forward with rounding out our line for the future, we look for the right opportunities to release him and other Masterpiece items.

Preserve: If consumers can only get one toy from the movie line, which one should it be (other than Devestator) - which is your favorite?
Hasbro: From the team (sorry, they didn't tag each of their responses, so I'm not sure exactly who said what!):
-I would have to say the Movie 2 Leader Optimus Prime would be my favorite from what you guys have probably all seen. For the Movie 1 Leader version of Optimus, we did have have final reference from Dreamworks and the development of the toy was mostly deisned using the concept art.. For the Movie 2 Leader Optimus we focused on finding ways to improve on the original toy's design with articulation, better/more acurate proportions and the new "mech-alive" feature. I was challenged with finding a way to redisgn a toy based on a character that hasn't really changed in appearance between the two movies. It was a great design challenge, plus he's Optimus Prime!
-My favorite toy from ROTF has not been revealed to the public yet. But I can tell you that it's one of the toys that Bill Rawley has designed!!!
-Of the figures that have been seen, my favorite is the new leader Optimus Prime figure. It does an amazing job staying faithful to the movie design of Prime.
-Leader Class Optimus Prime. Although this is probably a common answer among the team, the figure is truly amazing. The detail in robot mode blows away the movie 1 version and the lines in vehicle mode are so clean, it is difficult to see the conversion points in the toy at first glance.
-Unfortunately, my favorite has yet to be revealed!


---
http://www.seibertron.com/transforme...estions/15360/

1.) Can we expect more store exclusive Generation 1 repaints of movie figures like the new Corvette Sideswipe into Generation 1 colors? Any hints to drop for us on which characters will receive Generation 1 style repaints (Devastator?). Can we expect premium style repaints with the ROTF line of figures as well?
-Whenever we redeco a figure for a store exclusive, one of our first inclinations is to go back and see if there is a way to bring the figure closer to a classic character, especially if it apears unlikely that the figure will be released in those colors otherwise. With Revenge of the Fallen, there are quite a few characters to choose from that have some fairly obvious alternative color schemes that are on our short list of potential items. Premium items are also on the short list because we are are sometimes able to offer a higher number of paint applications on figures if they are offered as store exclusives. While we can't provide exact details on any upcoming G1-based or Premium figures, rest assured that we will be making them whenever they make sense.

2.) Recent confusion with IDW's and HASBRO's answers gives us conflicting information. Will IDW's character Drift be getting his own toy, or not? Would it be a part of UNIVERSE or some other special line? How about other comic original characters getting toys like Impactor or Jhiaxus, which are not repaints? In the back of the Transformers Spotlight Vol 2 Graphic Novel, there is a great design for Nova Prime, which could be made as a toy, any chance of it being made?
-Every year as we develop our toy line, we try to fit in characters that make sense for the brand. With that said, every character, new and old, are always up for disussion. We certainly would love to make a toy after IDW's Drift and will do our best ot fit him into the line at the right time.

3.) Will there be toys of these new Season 3 TF: Animated Characters? What of the rumor that Season 3 is the last season of Animated? Any hints on what is the next on tap after the ROTF line is done, with the supposed end to Transformers Animated?
-There will be new toys of season 3 characters throughout 2009. Unfortunately, we cannot speak to any rumors regarding the animated series at this time.

(continued in next post)

[griffin]

(part 2)

http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/410

TFviews.com: What roles do mythology and symbolism play in character design? As a character’s personality is designed right into the toy, features such as spikes and horns obviously help shape the character. What sources do the design team turn to for this, and how does the team go about this process?
Hasbro: Symbolism is huge. You want certain things about a character to be very clear right from the start, and using visual symbolism is the quickest way to help define a character’s “character”. For example, in Animated, we wanted Lockdown to draw his iconography from the “Road Warrior” (spikes), Frankenstein (parts from other Bots), and Boba Fett (Centurion, Markings, Physical Presence). Derrick Wyatt’s early ideas and my own were markedly different… In the end, we needed to prioritize how this character would act on screen. Since we’d wanted him to be more nimble but still freaky looking, we blended the two designs. Derrick did a wonderful job conveying the final result after several hours of back and forth between him and myself. We get our ideas/iconography from all kinds of media, existing archetypes and sometimes stereotypes… Mythology is just another form of Media to reference iconography from. But before we get to that point, we do a lot of verbal discussion and brainstorming to define the big picture (all characters involved) before we ever put pen to paper.

TFviews.com: Given that many of the recent toy designs in Transformers are planned with potential reuses in mind (repaints or partial retoolings), are there steps being taken to preserve the original tooling for those designs? For example, the “Classics” Starscream mold has been reused thrice more at retail in the US, plus several times for conventions and the foreign market. In an effort to ensure a reusable figure design for years to come, is Hasbro (or TakaraTomy) keeping a master mold for figures such as this, or might there come a point in years to come where the tools of today wear down so far or suffer significant breakage that they become completely unusable and thus are forever lost?
Hasbro: While we cannot get into the specifics of how we maintain and reuse our tooling, we certainly appreciate your concern on the long term viability of these items. From our perspective, every year we develop our line with the goal to deliver the best possible product execution possible. If it make sense to utilize repaints and/or partial retoolings to deliver this product execution, then we will do our best to achieve this goal.

TFviews.com: The use of a prefix “Autobot-” or “Decepticon-” in front of otherwise unobtainable character names is a great solution that allows a character to retain its original name in some form. I.e., since “Jazz” cannot be used on its own, “Autobot Jazz” is a good compromise. That being said, why is the approach used for some characters but not others? For example, why “Insecticon” rather than “Decepticon Shrapnel”, or “Tankor” instead of “Decepticon Octane”?
Hasbro: This is a great question that could take hours to explain, so here is the quick answer: We continually work with our legal team to protect our IP ["Intellectual Property" - Ed.] , including all of our names when possible. Sometimes this means that we are able to simply use Autobot or Decepticon in front of a well known name. However, in some instances, another entity might have that same name registered, thus preventing us from using it on a carry forward basis.

---
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...fw2005-167030/

1) Any plans for a 10th Anniversary line to celebrate ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, either repaints or reissues using ROBOTS IN DISGUISE figures? There is not a plan to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of RID at this time due to the many big events that are planned for the brand over the next few years. With that said, we will continue to look for opportunities to reoffer any great product lines from our past.

2) Will we see American versions of the Masterpiece Grimlock, Thundercracker, and Skywarp figures? We feel that the Masterpiece Series is a great offering that captures the timelessness of our brand for all fans of Transformers. As we continue to move forward with the brand we will look for the right opportunities to release these figures. With that said, I would certainly keep your eyes on the look out for one of these in the near future!

(3rd question couldn't be answered)


---
http://www.toyark.com/news/transform...-answers-1007/

1) Will there be any more G1 Reissues stateside other than the Optimus Prime?
1a) At this time we are not planning any G1 reissues in our mainline product offering. However, I would certainly keep a look out for some G1 reissue exclusives that will be hitting shelves later this year.

2) Have the Animated Mixmaster and Scrapper toys been canceled indefinitely?
2a) There are no plans to release toys of these two characters.


---
http://www.transformersclub.com/memb...06656&forum=30

1 - Are the last two waves of TF Universe Robot Heroes being released in the US? (RID Megs/Prime, Victory Sabre/Dezaras, Tigatron/Inferno, Prowl/Laserbeak, Beast Machines Primal/Jetstorm) We've had pictures of them for a while now, but no further indications that they are going to be released, such as online stores putting them up for pre-order.

2 - A lot of signs seem to be pointing towards the end of Animated. What brought about the demise of such a great series? Were sales not high enough, TV ratings too low, or did other, more internal factors play a major part in the decision? If indeed it is ending, do you have any plans yet for a new TV show or continuing the Animated toy line past 2009?

3 - Will we see any homages to Machines Wars, Beast Machines or Energon in the main Universe line or the Legends line?(because Legends-class Beast Wars/Beast Machines characters would be the perfect scale for Autobot and Decepticons!)
(answers are on the members only board, which can't be posted here)


---
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Hasbro_Q%26A_March_2009:_Answers

1. Hasbro's online instructions archive has a PDF of "movie"-style instructions for "Backtrack", a redeco of the Cybertron-series Lugnutz motorcycle mold ( http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/83964.pdf ). Furthermore, Hasbro's online Transformers Action Figure Checklist lists Backtrack as a Target "movie" line exclusive, alongside toys called "Gunbarrel" and "Reverb". However, none of these figures came out during the run of the original movie toyline. Are they still slated for release?
H - Unfortunately, these toys are not slated for release in 2009.

2. What was the thought process behind the decision to not give the components of the $100 Revenge of the Fallen Constructicon Devastator individual robot modes?
H - When we examined all of the options for designing this toy, the best way to recreate the movie magic as well as provide maximum playability for a character that composed of six different vehicles was to limit the conversion to two modes for each vehicle.

3. What are typical ballpark production run numbers for a "main line" toy, say Deluxe Animated Bumblebee? Have these numbers changed much over the years?
H - Unfortunately, we do not discuss production runs or volumes of any of our toy lines.

Additionally, we received this belated answer from a question from last round:

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?
H - The voice actor's name is Ron Hayden and has done work for Hasbro across multiple brands. We will be using him for several Action Blast Cartoons in the future.


---
http://unicron-events-interviews.blo...o-q-31008.html

UNICRON.COM: To our dismay, we have heard that a decision has been made not to continue Transformers Animated beyond season 3. In our site's 12 year history, we have never heard such an uproar of fan disappointment that a series is coming to an end since this word got out. Over time, we have seen how very difficult it is for a series to be "firing on all cylinders" in the way that Animated does:
* Extremely well written, character driven stories.
* Engages and holds the interest of younger and older fans equally.
* Show accurate toys > among the most ever!
* Colorful, imaginative, iconic characters which incorporate the best facets of Transformers (from Beast Wars to G1, as well as references to Beast Machines and the Unicron Trilogy apparently coming in season 3!)
* A good mix of original characters (ie. Lockdown, Bulkhead, Oilslick, etc.)
* Unique and very recognizable (marketable) character aesthetic, as opposed to the movie line which is so visually complex, it's harder for young viewers to tell characters apart...
* The plotline has been thought out carefully enough that fans can easily imagine how it "fits" in with the rest of Transformers mythology (for those that want to).
I could go on. The point is, that even as much as we loved Beast Wars and the Live movies, THIS series, Transformers Animated, is what we fans have been waiting for, for a long time. Our first question(s) is(/are): Was the decision to not continue Animated beyond season 3 made by Hasbro or Cartoon Network? Why was this decision made? ... We cannot over-emphasize here, fans think you have a good thing going with Transformers Animated and want to see it continue; beyond season 3. Would you please reconsider this decision and extend Transformers Animated through season 4 and beyond? ... Please?!
HASBRO, TRANSFORMERS TEAM: First, thank you for your interest in Transformers Animated! We have been just as excited as our fans about how well this show has caught on! While we cannot discuss the long term vision for the Animated series, we are excited about the upcoming launch of Season 3 in a couple of weeks and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. As for plans post 2009, it is still a little too early to discuss these plans in any great detail.

UNICRON.COM: From what we've seen of Revenge of the Fallen toys at Toyfair 2009, the Transformers design team has taken another quantum leap in engineering and design aesthetics. The sculpting, detail and movie-accuracy of toys like Human Alliance Bumblebee, Leader Class Optimus and the new Starscream look spectacular. Bravo, great job! (It's hard to evaluate the others since we haven't seen the film yet, but they all look great!)
My question is about paint application and plastic colors. Especially for figures like Megatron, where most parts are either light grey or black and tend to look much more 'contrasty' then their on-screen counterparts. Has the Transformers team made improvements to the coloring of toys, such as using the 'paint wash' effect to accentuate the sculpting detail? In particular, I'm noticing the difference seen between these two pictures HERE and HERE. The same toy, looks so different. Hoping the final product looks more like what's seen in the first image. What can you tell us?
HASBRO TRANSFORMERS TEAM: Paint on a Transformer can be more difficult to asign than on other action figures. For example, if you're going to paint a GI Joe, you only have to worry about the human appearance versus having two versions (robot and vehicle). The two modes deco often encompasses much more paint ops to accomplish the deco that we are after. Often times, we'll try and add a mold texture to certain molds to make the plastic appear glossy or matted. Additionally, matching a certain molded color with another piece that is painted the same color is sometimes tricky, but our engineers do a great job of working with our manufacturing facilities to make sure we match up our colors as best we can.
As for the Bulldozer images that you are refering too, these do have slightly different finishes. The in second sample is a factory sample model or "first shot" with the colors cast in their correct colors rather than a painted sample that is in the first image. The final toy will look more like the factory sample versus the original sample. Yellow has always been a tricky color to mold for us but we are getting better at achieving a good color in our molded plastics.

UNICRON.COM: Combiners, we love'm! With the exception of ROTF Devastator, are there any plans for additional combiners to appear in ROTF, Universe or Animated?
HASBRO TRANSFORMERS TEAM: We are happy to see your enthusiasm for Combiners! Combination play has long been a part of the history of the brand and when possible, we have tried to incorporate this into our line. For ROTF, Devastator has allowed us to bring this part of Transformers history to the forefront. In the future, combination play will definitely continue to play a role within the line and we will look for opportunities to revist the great combiner teams from the lore.
---

Next round for the global sites is in May.

[Zippo]

Seems like there are two or three people who answer these, one person who loves to give details, and the others who stick to the company line ...

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Good to see they have remote plans for more whatever-Masters for 2010. Appropriate too.

Hmmm, Looks like there is hope for some more animated love later! Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!!

[GoktimusPrime]

ActionFigs.com: For Transformers' 25th anniversary, Hasbro decided to celebrate multiple eras in the Classics 2.0 line, and a couple of those entries came from Beast Wars. Cheetor and Dinobot are some of the better known characters from the series, and both seem quite deserving of upgrades. However, when the figures hit the market, it seemed like neither design lived up to its potential with multiple issues in both bot and beast modes, unfortunately taking interesting ideas and cutting them off at the knees. There are a lot of theories as to what happened with those 2, ranging from budget issues to rushed designs to even a team design philosophy that doesn't "get" beast-bots. Fans appreciate the desire to pay homage and update these designs, but candidly speaking, there is a general feeling that these went wrong, and fans want to know: what happened with these Cheetor & Dinobot figures?
Hasbro: At the end of the day, Hasbro designs toys for children and fans. While we do an excellent job of listening to our fan base and incorporating characters and features that fans look for, we always have to keep in mind that our toys are meant to be played with. Specifically on Cheetor and Dinobot we felt it was important that the team "pay homage" to Beast Wars and we felt that these were the two characters that would best appeal to children. We do what we can for the fans and we feel that we improved on the original designs of both characters overall, but in hindsight following the original designs of Cheetor and Dinobot closely was the ultimate limitor for the designs. The overall intention of Universe was to improve on the overall designs of the original toy versions and still deliver an enjoyable Transformers experience for fans and children.

...what the bleep?!

They're making the general assumption that fans don't play with toys. That's not true - I play with my toys and I'm sure there are many other fans out there who do as well. And having seen Universe Cheetor and Dinobot, from a toy-play perspective they really just don't hold up as substantial upgrades/evolutions of their original toys - nowhere near the same level that we see with other Classics/Universe toys. I almost always look at TF toys as play-things first and foremost...

Gah... I don't like it when people assume that we fans/collectors never play with our toys. As if I'd buy a toy and not play with it. That's like buying bread and not eating it. (-_-)

Hasbro - There are no plans to develop a version of Devastator in which the vehicles convert to individual robot modes. The silhouette and stance of Devastator in the film required that we move away from traditional combination play in order to maintain the closest character accuracy possible in the toy.

I'd rather have a less movie-accurate toy that's more fun to play with. Whatever happened to "While we do an excellent job of listening to our fan base and incorporating characters and features that fans look for, we always have to keep in mind that our toys are meant to be played with."? (-_-)

Q1) Can we expect to see Universe Classics Jazz, Soundwave and especially Wheeljack? TFUC seems like the perfect line to debut a true Wheeljack figure since he hasn’t really been given the proper treatment since G1. It also seems like a tease getting Ravage with Hound without a Soundwave out there!
A1) These are three of the names that keep poping up on our radar. Soundwave is difficult because we can’t make his alt mode a cassette player - kids today just wouldn’t even know what that is. I can tell you that he is being discussed for future release but nothing is definite at this time. Jazz is a favorite as well but nothing has been discussed as of now. Wheeljack on the other hand, has been discussed more in-depth and we’re excited about prospects for his appearance in the near future.

Ooh, a Classics/Universe Wheeljack would be cool. Here's hoping that Hasbro actually names the toy "(Autobot) Wheeljack" and not "Downshift." (-_-)

1) - The press release posted on Hasbro.com just prior to Toy Fair indicated that there would be 10 Deluxe figures for Universe in 2009. 8 of those figures have been made public (Cheetor, Cyclonus, Hound, Starscream, Dinobot, Smokescreen, Hot Shot and Ratchet), leaving 2 unknown figures. Is there any chance that you can elaborate what these two figures are, or if one of them will be Red Alert, similar to Takara Tomy's release schedule with Henkei?
Hasbro: Unfortunately, the press release prior to Toy Fair regarding Universe Deluxe was incorrect. For 2009, there will only be 8 Deluxe figures (Cheetor, Cyclonus, Hound, Starscream, Dinobot, Smokescreen, Hot Shot and Ratchet).

Gah... looks like I'll have to get the Henkei then.

3) - Several characters who were a big part of the classic Marvel TF comics have (for a variety of reasons) ended up with their rights belonging to Marvel rather than Hasbro. The original Death's Head (a major player in many of the best UK stories) and Circuit Breaker (a major player in the US comics run) being prime examples. It's just recently been announced that Hasbro has secured the Marvel liscense for the next few years and you've just launched the great looking 3 3/4 Marvel Universe figure line. Is there any chance you could put your heads together for a few toys of these classic TF fan favorite characters, now that they are legally possible at long last? Or at least pass their names along to the Marvel-team folks as possibillities?
Hasbro: We certainly appreciate these characters and what they have brought to the Transformers. However, they are not at the top of the character list at this point in time. As with anything, there is always a chance that we will revisit these characters at some point in time, it just unfortunately is not now.

Wow... that's an awesome question. Unfortunately I don't see Hasbro ever doing that. (-_-) I'd like to be proved wrong on this.

Preserve: Any plans to release Masterpiece Grimlock in the US?
Hasbro: We feel that Masterpiece Grimlock is a great offering that captures the timelessness of this character! As we continue to move forward with rounding out our line for the future, we look for the right opportunities to release him and other Masterpiece items.

Um... was that a yes, no or maybe??? (o_O)

Preserve: If consumers can only get one toy from the movie line, which one should it be (other than Devestator) - which is your favorite?
Hasbro: From the team (sorry, they didn't tag each of their responses, so I'm not sure exactly who said what!):
-My favorite toy from ROTF has not been revealed to the public yet. But I can tell you that it's one of the toys that Bill Rawley has designed!!!
-Unfortunately, my favorite has yet to be revealed!

I'll tell you all what they're referring to and it's Revenge of the Fallen Time Warrior! Can't wait for this toy!

HASBRO TRANSFORMERS TEAM: Paint on a Transformer can be more difficult to asign than on other action figures. For example, if you're going to paint a GI Joe, you only have to worry about the human appearance versus having two versions (robot and vehicle). The two modes deco often encompasses much more paint ops to accomplish the deco that we are after. Often times, we'll try and add a mold texture to certain molds to make the plastic appear glossy or matted. Additionally, matching a certain molded color with another piece that is painted the same color is sometimes tricky, but our engineers do a great job of working with our manufacturing facilities to make sure we match up our colors as best we can.
As for the Bulldozer images that you are refering too, these do have slightly different finishes. The in second sample is a factory sample model or "first shot" with the colors cast in their correct colors rather than a painted sample that is in the first image. The final toy will look more like the factory sample versus the original sample. Yellow has always been a tricky color to mold for us but we are getting better at achieving a good color in our molded plastics.

...so how come Takara seems to be able to achieve better results with same/similar moulds (most of the time)? (-_-)

[jacksplatt11]

That's like buying bread and not eating it. (-_-)

Except TFs don't go past a use by date if you don't play with them Haha

[blackie]

any politicians out of a job, go work for hasbro :P
so much spin in there i had to lay down for a minute

some good answers in there too, im hoping for a retail release of MP thundercracker

[TheFallen]

I am still yet to hear of an official confirmation that Universe/Classics will return in 2010. There is alot of speculation and by reading between the lines it does look like it will but I don't want to assume anything

I'm in two minds at the moment, do I spend the big dollars to get Henkei Red Alert, Dirge and Thrust now(I haven't bought any Henkei yet) or do I wait it out and hope they get a Universe release?

[Wheel-J]

Here are some of the responses coming from Hasbro that interests me:

Wheeljack on the other hand, has been discussed more in-depth and we’re excited about prospects for his appearance in the near future.

Sweet!!

we think Targetmasters fans will be very happy with what we have in store for them in the future.

Bring on Scourge!!!

Jolt will still fit onto the back of Hot Shot's vehicle mode as he is supposed to, but as for a rear axle becoming a cannon for Hot Shot sadly that's a no.

I'd raise this a great opportunity for fan customizers...

Omega Supreme is a fantastic character from TF Animated! We are quite happy that you guys like him so much! There are no current plans for him, but if we were ever to make him, we'd like him to be accurate to his scale in the series when compared to the other characters.

I hope they mean toy-scale accurate not cartoon-scale accurate.

There will be new toys of season 3 characters throughout 2009.

Sounds good to me!

We feel that the Masterpiece Series is a great offering that captures the timelessness of our brand for all fans of Transformers. As we continue to move forward with the brand we will look for the right opportunities to release these figures. With that said, I would certainly keep your eyes on the look out for one of these in the near future!

As blackie said, release MP Thundercracker!

We are happy to see your enthusiasm for Combiners! Combination play has long been a part of the history of the brand and when possible, we have tried to incorporate this into our line. For ROTF, Devastator has allowed us to bring this part of Transformers history to the forefront. In the future, combination play will definitely continue to play a role within the line and we will look for opportunities to revist the great combiner teams from the lore.

New molds please...and make sure they have 10 fingers.

[Defcon]

After reading this the last of the Universe deluxes to be released this year are Jolt and Ratchet. Looks like I'll have to buy Henkei Red Alert.

So Universe may return in 2010. It will be a nice break for a while. Hopefully they come up with some great ideas.

Would love a new Universe deluxe Wheeljack!

More possible Targetmasters hinted at.... Bring on Scourge and Fracas !
Anyone have a favorite Autobot and targetmaster they would like to see?