Joe Kyde
| The name or term "Joe" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Joe (disambiguation). |
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kyde (born 1980) is a former Hasbro employee who last held the job title Product Designer, designing Transformers toys across multiple brand segments. He started as an Associate Designer in charge of store-exclusive product for the G.I. Joe and Transformers brands. He had previously done color layouts for many Transformers toys.
A longtime Transformers fan and formerly active member of the Transformers fan community, Kyde began an internship with Hasbro in 2002, doing design work and color layouts for many Transformers toys as both an intern and freelance designer. He was hired at Hasbro full-time in 2007 as an Associate Designer in charge of store-exclusive product for the G.I. Joe and Transformers brands. By 2009, he had moved on to full Transformers toy design, contributing to the Hunt for the Decepticons/Reveal the Shield, Revenge of the Fallen, and Dark of the Moon toylines. He would go on to become the lead designer of both the 2011 Cyberverse toyline and the Generations toyline from its inception all the way up through the Thrilling 30 imprint! If you like Springer, thank him.
After leaving Hasbro, he became a Senior Designer for The LEGO Group in Denmark. In 2022, his then and former jobs crossed paths when he got the opportunity to design the official LEGO Icons Optimus Prime figure.[1]
Known design projects
[edit]Color decos
[edit]
Armada
[edit]- Mini-Con Class
- Super-Con Class
- Blurr with Incinerator
- Powerlinx Hot Shot with Jolt
- Nemesis Prime with Run-Over (TakaraTomy[2] deco)
- Max-Con Class
- Thundercracker with Zapmaster
- Giga-Con Class
Cybertron
[edit]
- Deluxe Class
Beast Wars 10th Anniversary
[edit]- Deluxe Class
- Axalon (with Optimus Primal)
DarksydePredacon Ship (with Megatron)
Classics
[edit]
- Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle
- Deluxe Class
- Legends Class
Transformers (2007)
[edit]
Retail
[edit]- Deluxe Class
- Voyager Class
Store exclusives
[edit]
- Deep Space Starscream
- Backtrack (unreleased)
- Gunbarrel (unreleased)
- Decepticon Reverb (unreleased)
- "Exclusive G1 Deco"
- Screen Battles
- Megatron (versus Final Battle Jazz)
- Optimus Prime (versus Bonecrusher)
Animated
[edit]
- Deluxe Class
- Voyager Class
Universe (2008)
[edit]
Store exclusives
[edit]Target
[edit]- Special Team Leaders
- Aerial Rivals
- Autobot Ambush
- Standoff Beneath the Streets
- Battle for the Cyber Planet Keys
- Mini-Con Class 12 Pack
Combiner Wars
[edit]
Design
[edit]
Armada
[edit]- Overload with Rollout (detailing, core design by Eric Siebenaler)
Revenge of the Fallen
[edit]
Transformers (2010)
[edit]Hunt for the Decepticons
[edit]
- Legends Class
- Scout Class
Reveal the Shield
[edit]
- Legends Class
- Scout Class
- Windcharger
- Rumble
- Downshift (unreleased)
- Bodyblock (unreleased)
- Deluxe Class
Generations (2010)
[edit]
- Deluxe Class
MechTech (Dark of the Moon)
[edit]
- Deluxe Class
- Voyager Class
Cyberverse (2011)
[edit]Series 1 - Dark of the Moon
[edit]
Legion Class
- 001 Bumblebee
- 002 Barricade
- 003 Crankcase
- 004 Autobot Topspin
- 005 Autobot Skids
- 006 Sideswipe
- 007 Leadfoot
- 008 Autobot Ratchet
- 009 Crowbar
- 010 Mudflap
- 011 Bumblebee/Bolt Bumblebee
- 012 Flak
- 013 Starscream
- 014 Roadbuster
- 015 Bumblebee/Stealth Bumblebee
- 016 Soundwave
Commander Class
- Optimus Prime ("Limited Edition Preview Pack" with 3D Glasses)
- 001 Optimus Prime
- 002 Sentinel Prime
- 003 Megatron
- 004 Ironhide
- 005 Blackout/Scorponok
- 006 Powerglide
- 007 Decepticon Hatchet
- 008 Battle Steel Optimus Prime
- 009 Autobot Guzzle
- 010 Dark Sentinel Prime
Action Set
- 001 Bumblebee / Mobile Battle Bumper
- 002 Starscream / Orbital Assault Carrier
- 003 Megatron / Blastwave Weapons Base
- 004 Optimus Prime / Armored Weapons Platform
- 005 Autobot Ratchet / Lunar Crawler
- 006 Shockwave / Fusion Tank
Playsets
Series 2 - Prime
[edit]
Legion Class
- 001 Bumblebee
- 002 Vehicon
- 003 Arcee
- 004 Autobot Ratchet
- 005 Cliffjumper
- 006 Breakdown
- 007 Soundwave
- 008 Mirage
- 009 Transformers: The Ride Evac
- 010 Hyperspeed Wheeljack
- 011 Quick Blade Bumblebee
- 012 Flamewar
- 013 Fallback
- 014 Autobot Tailgate
- 015 Knock Out
Commander Class
- 001 Optimus Prime
- 002 Bulkhead
- 003 Starscream
- 004 Megatron
- 005 Dreadwing
- 006 Ironhide
- 007 Ultra Magnus
- 008 Nightwatch Optimus Prime
- 009 Battle Tactics Bulkhead
- 010 Skyquake
Vehicles
- 001 Energon Driller with Knock Out
- 002 Star Hammer with Wheeljack
- 003 Bumblebee Battle Suit with Bumblebee
Optimus Maximus
Series 3
[edit]
Legion Class
- 001 Smokescreen
- 002 Twinstrike
- 003 Airachnid
- 004 Bumblebee
- 005 Soundwave
- 006 Prowl
- 007 Hun-Gurrr
- 008 Windrazor
- 009 Rippersnapper
- 010 Blight
- 011 Air Vehicon
- 012 Rot Gut
- 013 Divebomb
- 014 Bluestreak
- 015 Ace Vehicon
Commander Class
- 001 Optimus Prime
- 002 Predaking
- 003 Bulkhead
- 004 Hardshell
- 005 Trailcutter
- 006 Starscream
- 007 Shockwave
- 008 Beast Blade Optimus Prime
- 009 Huffer
- 010 Unicron Megatron
- 011 Ultra Magnus
- 012 Decepticon Bludgeon
Vehicles
- 001 Sky Claw with Smokescreen
- 002 Apex Hunter Armor with Breakdown
- 003 Energon Driller with Bumblebee
Universal Studios
[edit]Generations: Fall of Cybertron
[edit]
- Legends Class
- Voyager Class
Generations: Thrilling 30
[edit]
- Legends Class
- Optimus Prime with Roller
- Bumblebee with Blazemaster
- Starscream with Waspinator
- Megatron with Chop Shop
- SWERRRRRRRVE with Flanker
- Cosmos with Payload
- Skrapnel with Reflector
- Tailgate with Groundbuster
- Deluxe Class
- Voyager Class
- Leader Class
LEGO
[edit]
- 10302 Optimus Prime
- 10358 Soundwave
(with Ravage and Laserbeak)
Known convention appearances
[edit]SAGE2764
[edit]
Starting in March 2006, a user going by the handle "SAGE2764" posted various tidbits of inside information, including leaked images of various sorts, to the Hong Kong discussion group talk.transformers, from where they were spread to other parts of the fandom. Those included:
- Packaging cross-sell stock photos of the Cybertron Leader Class "Galaxy Force Optimus Prime" redeco (offering a first look at the deco, with the toy still simply being called "Optimus Prime").[4]
- Photos of Cybertron Nemesis Breaker, Metroplex and Menasor in packaging, including the bios from the back of the packaging.[5]
- A color guide for Cybertron Deluxe Class Smokescreen, information about the Cybertron Mudflap redeco (aka Landslide) being canceled in favor of a Vector Prime redeco (aka "Galaxy Force Vector Prime"), information about Classics Optimus Prime only being available as a Voyager without a trailer (contrary to previously revealed information from other sources),[6] and his blasters transforming into parts of his vehicle mode.[7]
- A color guide for a new Alternators version of Megatron as an M1 Abrams main battle tank.[8]
- A color guide for Classics Grimlock.[9]
- Photos of the Cybertron "Galaxy Force Vector Prime" redeco in packaging.[10]
- Photos of Classics Voyager Megatron in and out of packaging.[11]
The one that stands out among these is the M1 Abrams Megatron color guide, a toy that was never released... and never intended for release to begin with. At BotCon 2006, Hasbro representatives stated that it was a "fanmade experiment by one of their friends outside the company" who "wanted to see what would happen in the fan community if he tried to make it look like Hasbro's color guides".[12] It was later revealed that the whole thing was actually intended for Joe Kyde's senior capstone project to "disseminate hoax information", conducted with Hasbro's approval.[13] It's unclear whether "SAGE2764" was actually Kyde himself or just someone acting on his behalf. Kyde only ambiguously commented on that question by stating that he knew "how to get stuff out there". He would later homage "SAGE2764" by using the name for Movie Deluxe Class Recon Barricade's license plate, and again with Revenge of the Fallen Decepticon Bludgeon from the "Master of Metallikato" two-pack, who sported "KN-2764" tampographs. Bizarrely, Vehicon from the Age of Extinction Platinum Edition "Breakout Battle" multi-pack, a toy whose deco was presumably designed long after Joe Kyde had left Hasbro, sports "2764-K-03" markings.
Notes
[edit]
- Kyde decoed every version of the 2007 Transformers movie Voyager Class Starscream sculpt except the Toshiba-exclusive "Vardia Red" version.
- His favorite Transformer is Swerve.
- Every story you might have ever heard about Joe Kyde, no matter how amazingly outlandish, is absolutely 100% true, and not just a neverending cascade of silly in-jokes by longtime friends of his, who most certainly are not frequent editors of this very wiki. Honest!
References
[edit]- ↑ LEGO Optimus Prime (10302) Officially Revealed
- ↑ How a young Hasbro designer wound up creating TakaraTomy's deco sheet is a story all its own. See Armada Nemesis Prime's page for more.
- ↑ Adventures in Collecting, "More Than Meets the Eye: An Interview with Hasbro's Mark Maher", 2021/11/22
- ↑ "Cybertron Optimus Prime Repaint Image" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ "More Metroplex, Nemesis Breaker & Menasor Photos" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ Rumor about the Classics lineup that turned out to be spot on aside from Voyager Soundwave and Deluxe Optimus Prime.
- ↑ "Cybertron Crosswise Redeco and Transformers Classics Info" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ "Unknown Megatron Drawing: Possible Movie Design?" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ "Possible Classics Grimlock Color Guide" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ "More Images Of Cybertron Galaxy Force Vector Prime" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ "New Pictures of Classics Megatron" (via "SAGE2764")
- ↑ BotCon 2006 Hasbro Product Panel notes
- ↑ "Capstone project" on Joe Kyde's portfolio
External links
[edit]- Joe Kyde on Twitter
- Joe Kyde on LinkedIn
- A complete summary of the "SAGE2764" affair complete with design notes on the Alternators-Megatron-that-never-was in Kyde's portfolio
Interviews
[edit]- Design notes from Kyde on the then-upcoming Walmart exclusives for the 2007 live action film at the Hasbro website (archived)
- Design notes from Kyde on the then-upcoming Toys"R"Us exclusives for the 2007 live action film at the Hasbro website (archived)
