Our honourary Aussie, Eric Siebenaler, stopped by and saw that the AUS Hasbro are getting a bit behind with the Q&A. He sent me the answers to the March questions he was given, for us to read while we wait for January, February and the other half of March Qs from Hasbro AUS.

So a big thankyou to Eric, who sent these in off his own back.

1 - On the toy boxes with the 25th anniversary logo and timeline on the bottom, why does it state that G1 finished in 1991? this is 2 years short of when it really finished, is it a misprint?
A - This date is accurate for Hasbro US. 1991 is when that last wave of New Product was on shelf and marks the official end of G1 in the States. We understand that the dates differ internationally and several products were released between 1991 and 1993 in other markets, but much of that product was not entirely new, nor was it created by Hasbro US (i.e. European/Japanese Exclusives). Hence, we don’t count it as a part of our continuity of G1.

3 - Are than any plans yet for a Season 4 of Animated, and if so, will it be released together with Season 3 like Seasons 1 & 2?
A - First, we want to thank you for your dedication and passion for Transformers: Animated Series. While we cannot discuss plans for the future of the Animated Series, we are very excited about the launch of Season 3 that will be taking place in a couple of weeks. We certainly hope that you enjoy this as much as we have!


7 - Many fans were frustrated when Hasbro announced the Premium Series of Movie figures as they had already made significant investment on what were now seen as Non-Premium toys. Many are now considering avoiding the initial releases of any movie figures in anticipation of a future Premium release. Is this a strategy that Hasbro intends to repeat with 'Revenge of the Fallen'?
A - There are no plans at this point in time for any premium figures in 2009 and it is certainly a little early to discuss any plans past this year.


8 - With the Official Club's 'Timelines' re-release of the Seacons boxset, will we see any more G1 combiner teams being released by Hasbro? Perhaps a G2 Stunticon boxset?
A - Unfortunately, we cannot comment on the Collector Club's plans for their future product releases. As for Hasbro's plans, we certainly understand the important role that combiners have within the Transformers lore and will certainly look for the right opportunities to bring this concept back into our line. However, we do not have any plans in the immediate future to re-release any G1 or G2 combiner teams.


9 - Is Hasbro planning to make a transformable toy out of the (Animated) Henry Masterson Headmaster unit?
A - Sadly no. Our 2009 product line is already topped up, and it is still too early to discuss our plans past this point in time. While it is difficult to say “never” in our industry, we want to make sure that the need/opportunity to create such a toy is justified. Therefore, if it makes sense to do this in the future, we will certainly entertain the idea.


10 - Who was responsible for the JAAM number-plate on Universe Hot Shot? Can we send him/her cookies?
A - Bill Rawley. Senior Designer, Dragon Slayer Extraordinaire, and one of my closest buddies!!! By the time cookies arrive from AU to the US I’d be a little wary of the shelf life of the cookies.