Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
The word legitimate means "according to the law", so any product not manufactured under licence from HasTak is, by definition, illegitimate. I'm not passing a value judgement when I refer to these toys as illegit... that's just what they are as unlicensed products. I do agree that third party stuff that's less similar looking are more legally ambiguous... Hasbro would probably have better odds suing the makers of Not-Arcee than say City Commander.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
It's always amusing to see just how entitled Transformers fans seem to feel they are.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
We need a TFW2005 Goes Into Meltdown thread
I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Oh God, check out the TFW2005 PRiDE Arcee review thread. Amazing.
Rank 1 - New or Inactive
The term "cesspool of ridiculousness" was used earlier in this thread. I think that's a pretty good description of TFW2005 nowadays.
Rank 10 - Admin
A moderator has posted that the topic has been cleaned up, so I'm guessing that you were referring to some degenerated negativity there.Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper
Just as a note to everyone - I don't want us to be seen stirring up trouble or making fun of other fan communities. I know that we are probably the most inviting, least trolling/abusive Transfan community, but we shouldn't really be labelling others with negative, derogatory terms.
I don't want to risk having our site, or the members here who like interacting at those other sites, being black-listed there.
(in other words, please refrain from posting links to their topics that aren't news-worthy)
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Sorry Chief.
It was basically a disagreement about whether Arcee's chest-panels become the front of her bike and vice-versa that had turned into a three-to-four-page flame war between two posters about how juvenile they each were for responding to the other.
Rank 10 - Admin
It's alright... I get frustrated as well when browsing the global/US fan-forums for news articles, so I have to be careful with my own comments.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
This is an interesting development, ther were several tables at botcon last year that sold predominantly 3rd party merch. There was also a particular stall that was all KO stuff and a lot of it was easily confusable with the real deal. for example G1 dinobots.
I think Hasbro are fully justified in making this decision, it's going to make a lot or work for FunPub during the convention. It will most likely promote a black market at the convention as well.
I am fascinated by the claims that HasTak have promoted the third party market by not producing what the fans want. There are always elements of the franchise that people aren't going to be happy with, and there will always be a market for third party items, just look at the automotive market, and what you'll find down at your local autocheap store. a huge proportion of car accessories are not manufactured by the OEM (Original Equipment manufacturer) some stuff is licensed but a lot isn't.
Sure making a generations wreckgar put a stop to there being a third party wreckgar in the short term, but how many Megbatrons have come up on the radar in the last couple months and we already have a masterpiece megatron and multiple versions of classics megatrons. some great and some not.
just because hastak haven't produced a good springer yet doesn't mean they won't in the next few years. Some toys are produced just to keep the dcopyright to the name active. Sure the Warbot defender was fairly good, but I hold out hope that there will be a generations Springer and with luck, it'll be sweet as.
HasTak probably won't produce anything as large as the Hercules version of Devastator, I doubt it would pass any version of their drop test, but then there is a rumour that they are doing a re-issue of Fortress Maximus so you never can tell, up untill that news I would have argued that the Hercules toys were filling a small gap in the market the HasTak would never care to try and fill as a legitimate retailer.
I think it's the right of HasTak to defend their IP however they like, within the law, but I'm not sure that making add-ons and accessories for collectors (which is something that just cannot fit in a mainstream retailers business model) is stealing on behalf of the third parties. If anything it promotes sales and aftermarket value of official products.
Rant done.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
