September 2009 submissions.

[NoenGaruth]

There has been quite a rise in the production of unofficial, mass-produced Transformer related toys and accessories. Which of these toys/kits/accessories does Hasbro perceive as potentially infringing on their intellectual property and/or copyright, so that collectors wishing to do the right thing may be informed about their purchases?

It's best if this question wasn't asked. There was a big discussion on TFW about how confronting hasbro directly on the third party TF stuff will only cause trouble as while they're pretty much all infringing on intellectual property, it's most likely Hasbro has been letting them slide and if people keep bringing the issue up with them then they'll be forced to confront it.

Because frankly put Hasbro as a company will never endorse ANY of the mass-produced fan TF items, wether they secretly like them or not.

[griffin]

Questions sent in at the beginning of September (but we may have to wait a month for the US answers if Hasbro US have indeed changed their schedule).

AU Q's
1 - Is Australia expecting to get in the last Animated toys:
Activators (Fireblast Grimlock, Soundwave)
Deluxe (Electrostatic Soundwave, Freeway Jazz, Arcee, Cybertronian Ratchet, Rodimus Minor, Cybertronian Ironhide, Fugitive Waspinator)
Voyager (Goldfire Grimlock, Hydrodrive Bumblebee, Blackout, Wingblade Optimus Prime, Thundercracker)
2 - Do we have a scheduled release date for Australia yet, for Legends Class Constructicons, Wheelie, Soundwave, Arcee, Jolt?
3 - How have the sales/popularity of the Transformers Brand ranked against Hasbro's other product lines (like Star Wars, etc) in the last year or financial year? Is Transformers number 1 in Australia, or somewhere down the list of Hasbro product lines?
4 - Is the Large Combiner Devastator set still just a 'direct import' item (mentioned at the AU Toyfair), that we won't see at national chain stores? Because the marketting people at Toyfair were estimating it to retail for $150-155, but Toyworld are pricing it at $180-220.
5 - It was mentioned that questions should be limited to things from within the last 10 years, but surely records should exist for this one - In what month in 1984 were Transformers toys first available in/to stores in Australia? (so that we can know for sure when the 25th anniversary is/was for Australia)

US Q's
1 - Any chance of a Reissue of Reflector or the Gen1 Powerdashers, as they look to be the last of the really early Transformers toys that haven't seen a reissue. Are the moulds lost, or are they just not worth reissuing?
2 - Hasbro US have said that TakaraTomy are able to improve on the colour schemes of the toys afterwards, so why not include TakaraTomy in the colour choice procedure, when they are designing them, to produce a more collectable product for consumers and collectors?
3 - Which Gen1 toys have Hasbro (or TakaraTomy) wanted to reissue, but found you can't because the moulds are now lost or damaged?
4 - Any plans to continue the g1 line after the insecticons and percepter?
5 - There has been quite a rise in the production of unofficial, mass-produced Transformer related toys and accessories. Which of these toys/kits/accessories does Hasbro perceive as potentially infringing on their intellectual property and/or copyright, so that collectors wishing to do the right thing may be informed about their purchases?

As soon as I get anything back, I'll post the answers in a new topic.