Collector Club Rampage, Transmutate & Treadshot

[Verno]

I'm not enjoying these toys I must say. First they make Depth Charge skinny and lanky, and now X has a fusion canon?! Did they forget he's a psychotic science experiment?!

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah but remember that these sort of toys are opportunistically designed, not purpose-built (like say Generations Springer, Metroplex etc.). The nature of the characters with limited fan appeal means that it's not financially viable for Hasbro to fund the development of whole new moulds. Rather existing moulds are looked at and then ideas about how to retro-fit them as new toys are devised based on redecorating the base toy. Someone obviously looked at Terradive and noticed the facial similarity w/ Depth Charge and the fact that he's armed with a trident, a common fishing weapon; and the design/shape is an obvious homage to Poseidon/Neptune's trident. The pectoral fins of rays are often described as being wing-like (and indeed BW Depth Charge's intermediate vehicle form is an aircraft), so having him transform into a jet and having wing kibble is reminiscent of the fin-kibble on the BW toy.

As for Rampage; alright, perhaps a crablike tank would be more suitable, but does one exist that you think that could be retooled/repainted as Rampage? TF Prime Megatron's jet mode is sort of crab-like, and the robot body does have that big imposing bulkiness, particularly with the broad chest. As for the weapon - I don't see how that's an issue.

[Shirokaze]

I'm liking Rampage, but I can't get my head around Transmutate. If I saw that figure without any sort of description, I would have no idea what character it was trying to represent.

[griffin]

The problem that FunPub's greed has created for themselves is wanting to produce 20-22 toys per year (quantity as a toy company, rather than quality as a fanclub).
(5 in the boxset, 1 attendee figure, 7 at-show figures, 1 custom class figure, 1 membership figure, 6 subscription figures, 1 club exclusive... plus the kreo set)

The process requires them to submit ideas to Hasbro, and have about half of them knocked back because they are ideas Hasbro has on the drawing board or in development (a lot of the obvious redecos)... then half of those are knocked back due to the moulds not being available, or no longer exist (or other elements like Legal or limited remoulding/cost options)... leaving FunPub with having to work with the ones left at their disposal (to make a binding boxset theme for half of them), rather than picking the best of what is at their disposal and just produce a half dozen at the most each year.
Just to end up with 20-22 toys, they have to come up with about a hundred ideas each year.

[reillyd]

The process requires them to submit ideas to Hasbro, and have about half of them knocked back because they are ideas Hasbro has on the drawing board or in development (a lot of the obvious redecos)... then half of those are knocked back due to the moulds not being available, or no longer exist (or other elements like Legal or limited remoulding/cost options)... leaving FunPub with having to work with the ones left at their disposal (to make a binding boxset theme for half of them), rather than picking the best of what is at their disposal and just produce a half dozen at the most each year.
Just to end up with 20-22 toys, they have to come up with about a hundred ideas each year.

That's just so depressing to read. Imagine what (possibly!) great toy designs they have under wraps, only to have them knocked back. I like the idea of 20 toys if its the 20 good ideas, not what "is available"

[SuspectimusPrime]

The problem that FunPub's greed has created for themselves is wanting to produce 20-22 toys per year (quantity as a toy company, rather than quality as a fanclub).
(5 in the boxset, 1 attendee figure, 7 at-show figures, 1 custom class figure, 1 membership figure, 6 subscription figures, 1 club exclusive... plus the kreo set)

The process requires them to submit ideas to Hasbro, and have about half of them knocked back because they are ideas Hasbro has on the drawing board or in development (a lot of the obvious redecos)... then half of those are knocked back due to the moulds not being available, or no longer exist (or other elements like Legal or limited remoulding/cost options)... leaving FunPub with having to work with the ones left at their disposal (to make a binding boxset theme for half of them), rather than picking the best of what is at their disposal and just produce a half dozen at the most each year.
Just to end up with 20-22 toys, they have to come up with about a hundred ideas each year.

So prior to 2007, Hasbro had no plans on releasing the rest of the Seekers?

NB: If this has already been discussed elsewhere, please delete this post and refer me to the thread

[tinyJazz]

The problem that FunPub's greed has created for themselves is wanting to produce 20-22 toys per year (quantity as a toy company, rather than quality as a fanclub).
(5 in the boxset, 1 attendee figure, 7 at-show figures, 1 custom class figure, 1 membership figure, 6 subscription figures, 1 club exclusive... plus the kreo set).

Hey, they gotta fund GIJoecon somehow.

[Paulbot]

I like Rampage. It makes a boring Movie-Megatron wannabe actually look good.

So prior to 2007, Hasbro had no plans on releasing the rest of the Seekers?

NB: If this has already been discussed elsewhere, please delete this post and refer me to the thread

It's discussed briefly in many places but I couldn't find a quick place to point you to.

But yes, Hasbro had no plans to release the other seekers. The "Classics" line was a temporary filler for the US market before the movie toys came out. They were filler to the point that they weren't released in Japan either until a few years later. They found that there was a big market for "Classics" in both markets, but even then it took several more years before Hasbro released Thundercracker, Dirge and Thrust.

[Deonasis]

So prior to 2007, Hasbro had no plans on releasing the rest of the Seekers?

NB: If this has already been discussed elsewhere, please delete this post and refer me to the thread

I believe so. The popularity of the botcon set, then the henkei set, and the general passing of time made Hasbro more comfortable about releasing them.

I think the story of Transmutate is special and so far, extremely short. I can't explain it but the questions and mystery help make the story great. I doubt even the original writers would want to expand it's history.

Without knowing if the updated mould was available, would Fuzor Injector out of the Sharkticon Megatron mould be a better use/fit?

[Autocon]

http://www.seibertron.com/transforme...-images/29155/

new photos of transmutate and protoform x