Editing Hasbro Q&A

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In October 2008, [[Hasbro]] began a bi-monthly  '''Question and Answer''' session for Transformers fans.  The process is run through various major fan sites.  Members at those sites may submit questions; site moderators select three questions (in the 2008 Q&amp;As, five) and forward them to Hasbro's design team, who answer them in writing.

'''Transformers Wiki''' is among the participating sites; the first round of question submissions may be found [[Hasbro Q&amp;A December 2008: Question submission|here]].

==Archive==
For posterity's sake (won't someone think of the children?!) as well as to help avoid repeat questions, past questions and answers are archived/linked below.


===March 2009===
====ActionFigs.com====
# As fans of Hasbro's lines, we've seen this for years: official Hasbro images for retailers and on packaging that employ a dark look as if photoshopped to enhance shadows, surfaces and edges. This gives the overall look of the toy increased realism, but often the production deco of the toy can't really live up to that. While there is a fine-print proviso on the packaging about such things, it's still a little unusual. Why does Hasbro employ this tactic so often with their official photography, and why not simply give each toy a subtle, simple paint wash to actually bring those lines out and give them the realistic look which the packaging shows could be possible?
# This may be the biggest long shot of all long shot questions, but there are a few collectors who would give their special left arm for a Circuit Breaker figure, even if she's not in scale with the rest of the Transformers toys. As Hasbro now has the rights to produce Marvel toys, is there even a slim chance that she could possibly be made? Even if it was just a convention exclusive or something?
# For Transformers' 25th anniversary, Hasbro decided to celebrate multiple eras in the Classics 2.0 line, and a couple of those entries came from Beast Wars. Cheetor and Dinobot are some of the better known characters from the series, and both seem quite deserving of upgrades. However, when the figures hit the market, it seemed like neither design lived up to its potential with multiple issues in both bot and beast modes, unfortunately taking interesting ideas and cutting them off at the knees. There are a lot of theories as to what happened with those 2, ranging from budget issues to rushed designs to even a team design philosophy that doesn't "get" beast-bots. Fans appreciate the desire to pay homage and update these designs, but candidly speaking, there is a general feeling that these went wrong, and fans want to know: what happened with these Cheetor &amp; Dinobot figures?

*[http://www.actionfigs.com/index.php?categoryid=21&amp;p2_articleid=2471 ActionFigs.com answers]

====ActionFigureCollectors.com====
#Are we going to see more Universe figures similar to Hound, Cheetor, Cyclonus, etc throughout 2009? There weren't any on display at Toy Fair and there has been some concern that these figures will be put on the shelf during movie time.
#Will Hasbro produce Robot Replica figures beyond the movie characters?
#We saw the Devastator figure at Toy Fair, awesome stuff. We also saw the individual Constructicon figures which transform. Looking down the line a little ways, will there ever be a version of Devastator that comes with transformable individual robots which still combine to form the larger Devastator robot?

*[http://www.actionfigurecollectors.com/articles/hasbro_tfqa_march09.php ActionFigureCollectors.com answers]

====Action Figure Insider====
#Can we expect to see Universe Classics Jazz, Soundwave and especially Wheeljack? TFUC seems like the perfect line to debut a true Wheeljack figure since he hasn’t really been given the proper treatment since G1. It also seems like a tease getting Ravage with Hound without a Soundwave out there!
#In your Toy Fair presentation, you mention doing super-sized Robot Heroes this year. I’m assuming that means a Devestator with the Revenge of the Fallen line.
#Will there be super-sized Robot Heroes for the G1 Transformers too? A cartoon Devestator or Omega Supreme? Other combiners?

*[http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/?p=2627 Action Figure Insider answers]

====Allspark.com====
# The press release posted on Hasbro.com just prior to Toy Fair indicated that there would be 10 Deluxe figures for Universe in 2009. 8 of those figures have been made public (Cheetor, Cyclonus, Hound, Starscream, Dinobot, Smokescreen, Hot Shot and Ratchet), leaving 2 unknown figures. Is there any chance that you can elaborate what these two figures are, or if one of them will be Red Alert, similar to Takara Tomy's release schedule with Henkei?
# What are your plans for the Legends and Robot Heroes sublines? Will we see additional lower-tier/obscure characters, old favorites, etc in the future? Also, will Mighty Muggs be back after the TF2 movie line?
# Several characters who were a big part of the classic Marvel TF comics have (for a variety of reasons) ended up with their rights belonging to Marvel rather than Hasbro. The original Death's Head (a major player in many of the best UK stories) and Circuit Breaker (a major player in the US comics run) being prime examples. It's just recently been announced that Hasbro has secured the Marvel liscense for the next few years and you've just launched the great looking 3 3/4 Marvel Universe figure line. Is there any chance you could put your heads together for a few toys of these classic TF fan favorite characters, now that they are legally possible at long last? Or at least pass their names along to the Marvel-team folks as possibillities?

*[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=56302&amp;st=0&amp;p=1151645&amp;#entry1151645 Allspark.com answers]

====ASMZine.com====
#Have you determined how Devastator will be packaged? Will he be in robot mode or vehicle mode?
#Not sure if you guys know anything about this at all, but are you at liberty to discuss the announced and immediately canceled third wave of the 3-D Battle Card Game? If so, can you give us any info whatsoever? If not, is there someone at Wizards who would be able to discuss it with us? 

*[http://www.asmzine.com/qanda/transformers/qa0309.shtml ASMZine.com answers]

====Cool Toy Review====
#Thank you so much for making a Targetmaster figure! It's so great to see such a feature return. Can we hope to see a Headmaster and/or Powermaster appear this year as well? It would be awesome to see Chromedome or Hardhead, or Dreadwind and Darkwing with their actual Powermaster/combiner functions.
#Having had the original, I must say that the 25th Anniversary version update of Hot Shot is a HUGE improvement over its predecessor. You had already said during the convention season that the cumbersome spring-loaded Minicon action feature would be removed from this version, but will the rear axle of the car still be able to transform in some way to Hot Shot's cannon?
#When can we expect an animated Omega Supreme as a supreme class figure?

*[http://www.cooltoyreview.com/story/front/Hasbros_TRANSFORMERS_QA_The_Answers_121347.asp Cool Toy Review answers]

====Cybertron.CA====
#In follow up to last round's "Why are toys being released in Canada that say 'comic inside' but include no comic?"
#Before the recession we were told Universe 2.0 would be put on hiatus, what are the chances of it returning in the future at this point?
#What date will Animated Season 3 debut in Canada?

*[http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=14099 Cybertron.CA answers]

====OCTA.com.au (Ozformers)====
{{Note|This is only a partial list of questions and answers, as Hasbro Australia have not been providing answers for the past several months. Hasbro designer [[Eric Siebenaler]] noticed this and provided some of his own answers for March's questions.}}

#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?
#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?
#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'?
#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?
#Is Hasbro planning to make a transformable toy out of the (Animated) Henry Masterson Headmaster unit? 
#Who was responsible for the JAAM number-plate on Universe Hot Shot? Can we send him/her cookies? 

*[http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3835 Eric Siebenaler's answers]

====Parry Game Preserve====
#Are future Transformers Mighty Muggs waves (wave 2 and beyond) going to be Toys R Us Exclusives?
#Any plans to release Masterpiece Grimlock in the US?
#If consumers can only get one toy from the movie line, which one should it be (other than Devestator) - which is your favorite? 

*[http://www.parrygamepreserve.com/newsDetail.php?jID=926 Parry Game Preserve answers]

====Seibertron.com====
#Can we expect more store exclusive Generation 1 repaints of movie figures like the new Corvette Sideswipe into Generation 1 colors? Any hints to drop for us on which characters will receive Generation 1 style repaints (Devastator?). Can we expect premium style repaints with the ROTF line of figures as well?
#Recent confusion with IDW's and HASBRO's answers gives us conflicting information. Will IDW's character Drift be getting his own toy, or not? Would it be a part of UNIVERSE or some other special line? How about other comic original characters getting toys like Impactor or Jhiaxus, which are not repaints? In the back of the Transformers Spotlight Vol 2 Graphic Novel, there is a great design for Nova Prime, which could be made as a toy, any chance of it being made?
#Will there be toys of these new Season 3 TF: Animated Characters? What of the rumor that Season 3 is the last season of Animated? Any hints on what is the next on tap after the ROTF line is done, with the supposed end to Transformers Animated?

* [http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/hasbro-answers-seibertrons-questions/15360/ Seibertron.com answers]

====TFviews====
#What roles do mythology and symbolism play in character design? As a character’s personality is designed right into the toy, features such as spikes and horns obviously help shape the character. What sources do the design team turn to for this, and how does the team go about this process?
#Given that many of the recent toy designs in Transformers are planned with potential reuses in mind (repaints or partial retoolings), are there steps being taken to preserve the original tooling for those designs? For example, the “Classics” Starscream mold has been reused thrice more at retail in the US, plus several times for conventions and the foreign market. In an effort to ensure a reusable figure design for years to come, is Hasbro (or TakaraTomy) keeping a master mold for figures such as this, or might there come a point in years to come where the tools of today wear down so far or suffer significant breakage that they become completely unusable and thus are forever lost?
#The use of a prefix “Autobot-” or “Decepticon-” in front of otherwise unobtainable character names is a great solution that allows a character to retain its original name in some form. I.e., since “Jazz” cannot be used on its own, “Autobot Jazz” is a good compromise. That being said, why is the approach used for some characters but not others? For example, why “Insecticon” rather than “Decepticon Shrapnel”, or “Tankor” instead of “Decepticon Octane”?

*[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/410 TFviews answers]

====TFW2005====
#Any plans for a 10th Anniversary line to celebrate ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, either repaints or reissues using ROBOTS IN DISGUISE figures?
#Will see American versions of the Masterpiece Grimlock, Thundercracker, and Skywarp figures?

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/other-news-20/hasbro-qa-round-1---version-tfw2005-167030/ TFW2005 answers]

====ToyArk.com====
#Will there be any more G1 Reissues stateside other than the Optimus Prime?
#Have the Animated Mixmaster and Scrapper toys been canceled indefinitely?

*[http://www.toyark.com/news/transformers-toy-news-2/hasbros-transformers-qa-round-one-2009-the-answers-1007/ ToyArk.com answers]

====Transformers Collectors' Club====
#Are the last two waves of TF Universe Robot Heroes being released in the US? (RID Megs/Prime, Victory Sabre/Dezaras, Tigatron/Inferno, Prowl/Laserbeak, Beast Machines Primal/Jetstorm) We've had pictures of them for a while now, but no further indications that they are going to be released, such as online stores putting them up for pre-order.
#A lot of signs seem to be pointing towards the end of Animated. What brought about the demise of such a great series? Were sales not high enough, TV ratings too low, or  did other, more internal factors play a major part in the decision? If indeed it is ending, do you have any plans yet for a new TV show or continuing the Animated toy line past 2009?
#Will we see any homages to Machines Wars, Beast Machines or Energon in the main Universe line or the Legends line?(because Legends-class Beast Wars/Beast Machines characters would be the perfect scale for Autobot and Decepticons!) 

*[http://www.transformersclub.com/members/transforum/msgs.cfm?msg=106656&amp;forum=30 Transformers Collectors' Club answers] (login required)

====Transformers Wiki====
# Hasbro's online instructions archive has a PDF of "movie"-style instructions for "[[Backtrack (Movie)|Backtrack]]", a redeco of the Cybertron-series Lugnutz motorcycle mold ( [http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/83964.pdf http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/83964.pdf] ). Furthermore, Hasbro's online Transformers Action Figure Checklist lists Backtrack as a Target "movie" line exclusive, alongside toys called "[[Gunbarrel (Movie)|Gunbarrel]]" and "[[Reverb (Movie)|Reverb]]". However, none of these figures came out during the run of the original movie toyline. Are they still slated for release?
#What was the thought process behind the decision to not give the components of the $100 ''[[Revenge of the Fallen|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Devastator (ROTF)|Constructicon Devastator]] individual robot modes?
# What are typical ballpark production run numbers for a "main line" toy, say Deluxe [[Animated (toyline)|''Animated'']] [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]? Have these numbers changed much over the years?

*[[Hasbro Q&amp;A March 2009: Answers|Transformers Wiki answers]]

====Unicron.com====
#To our dismay, we have heard that a decision has been made not to continue Transformers Animated beyond season 3. In our site's 12 year history, we have never heard such an uproar of fan disappointment that a series is coming to an end since this word got out. Over time, we have seen how very difficult it is for a series to be "firing on all cylinders" in the way that Animated does: [snip list] I could go on. The point is, that even as much as we loved Beast Wars and the Live movies, THIS series, Transformers Animated, is what we fans have been waiting for, for a long time. Our first question(s) is(/are): Was the decision to not continue Animated beyond season 3 made by Hasbro or Cartoon Network? Why was this decision made? ... We cannot over-emphasize here, fans think you have a good thing going with Transformers Animated and want to see it continue; beyond season 3. Would you please reconsider this decision and extend Transformers Animated through season 4 and beyond? ... Please?!
#From what we've seen of Revenge of the Fallen toys at Toyfair 2009, the Transformers design team has taken another quantum leap in engineering and design aesthetics. The sculpting, detail and movie-accuracy of toys like Human Alliance Bumblebee, Leader Class Optimus and the new Starscream look spectacular. Bravo, great job! (It's hard to evaluate the others since we haven't seen the film yet, but they all look great!)<BR>My question is about paint application and plastic colors. Especially for figures like Megatron, where most parts are either light grey or black and tend to look much more 'contrasty' then their on-screen counterparts. Has the Transformers team made improvements to the coloring of toys, such as using the 'paint wash' effect to accentuate the sculpting detail? In particular, I'm noticing the difference seen between these two pictures HERE and HERE. The same toy, looks so different. Hoping the final product looks more like what's seen in the first image. What can you tell us?
#Combiners, we love'm! With the exception of ROTF Devastator, are there any plans for additional combiners to appear in ROTF, Universe or Animated?

*[http://unicron-events-interviews.blogspot.com/2009/03/hasbro-q-31008.html Unicron.com answers]



===November 2008===
{{note|The Australian Ozformers forum is (thus far) the only fan site allowed to submit more than 5 to 6 questions, and are allowed to submit them monthly, rather than bi-monthly - however, they submit their questions to Hasbro Australia rather than Hasbro US, and note that "if [Hasbro AUS] can't get answers from US Hasbro (or track down the specific person responsible), they will give us a 'best guess' based on what they do know".}}
====octa.com.au (Ozformers)====
(actually answered in February 2009, due to a misplacing of the November submission)


#The Transformers Advent Calendar has been seen in Coles and Kmart already, are there any other officially licensed TF Christmas merchandise items for Australia this year?
#Takara have released Transformers Model kits in the past, is there any interest for Hasbro to do something similar? Or maybe even a kit of parts from an actual Transformers toy to 'build-it-yourself' type of concept, for a select character toy, allowing for custom detailing and painting, or just the self satisfaction of building your own Transformers toy?
#Can we see the old 80s toy commercials released somehow, either as a future DVD bonus feature or on the Hasbro Transformers website?
#Can Hasbro look at doing a Roleplay toy resembling the Beast Wars Rhinox chaingun, which could be similar to the Nerf Vulcan dart Gun?
#Do each Hasbro and TakaraTomy produce their own toys, or does one manage the production of all stock, and just forwards on the stock the other has ordered to their own design/deco specifications?
#Hasbro US were kind enough to detail the design process (from concept to finished product) of Transformers toys at BotCon 2007. Is it possible to get some details and photos of the actual production procedure in the factories to see just how these amazingly complex toys are actually produced, constructed, painted and packaged?
#Hasbro US announced in one of their US Q&amp;As that they would be releasing another Masterpiece figure late next year, is it the new MP Grimlock, or is it too early to reveal yet?
#Will Hasbro be releasing Disney Crossover Transformers, or is the 'Mickey' toy revealed by TakaraTomy a one-off figure that will not likely be released by Hasbro?
#Is the 'Crossover' concept something Hasbro would like to expand further, into other franchises in the future?
#Have any of the recent factory closures in China been ones that produce Transformers, and if so, has it affected any upcoming releases?
#Are records (production or accounting) kept of exactly how many units of each toy is produced, including limited edition store exclusives?
#Colour mismatching, like on Universe Sunstreaker and Animated Bumblebee - was this an unexpected occurrence from the factory compared to the prototype, an economic decision (limited by number of paint apps allowed), or just unavoidable due to paint and plastic colours currently available. And would this explain why the 25th Anniversary Optimus is a pinky red instead of its original deep red?
#Mr Toys Toyworld (a franchise of 20-odd Toyworlds in SE QLD) stocked about 200 Alternator Rodimus Toys last year. Since Hasbro have minimum order quantities, was the quantity of these so small because it was leftover stock at the factory's warehouse that Hasbro wanted to clear (Toyworld gets a lot of clearance items)? And since the precedent has now officially been set, can we now do this (with Toyworld's help as our agent) for various other figures not being released here, because we actually secured almost half of those 200 figures for fellow collectors (at little to no mark-up), and should be able to easily move that total figure in the local collector market if necessary.
#A comic book website last week with writer Shane McCarthy confirmed the upcoming 'Autobot Drift' toy. Will this be in the 25th line, and when is it likely to be released?
#Does Hasbro US or Hasbro AUS administrate the Australian section of the Hasbro Transformers website, and will it be updated soon, as it has been neglected for over a year now? And is it possible to get Hasbro US to disable the auto-redirect on their website, which prevents collectors from accessing the most of the main site (it registers your location as being non-US and auto-directs you to the applicable country page). I know that Hasbro US may not want to confuse the foreign markets (kids &amp; parents) with product that may not be available there, but the outdated sections like ours is promoting unavailable product anyway.
#Why is Robot Heroes 'Hardshell' not called 'Decepticon Bombshell', or Universe 'Tankor' not called 'Decepticon Octane'? Is there some sort of Trademark issue, or a problem with the use of certain actual words (like the Dinobot 'Slag' being called 'Snarl'), because fans would rather see the prefex 'Autobot' or 'Decepticon' to the name, than see a new name for a toy that is clearly a homage to an existing toy/character.
#If Slag toys (Triceratops) are now being called Snarl, what would a Snarl homage toy (Stegasaurus) likely to be called, if we ever get one?
#Universe Galvatron was reduced to a Deluxe size because it was decided that there shouldn't be 2 similar figures (dark military vehicles) closely released in the one size class, so why was Universe Powerglide done in white, despite Silverbolt also being released as a white plane at about the same time?
#Around the time of Beast Wars (1997-2001), prices went up because the exchange rate dropped to US50c, but then stayed about the same as the exchange rate went up to US98c. With the recent drop in the exchange rate back to below US60c, are we likely to see another increase in prices here soon?
#Is there any interest by Hasbro AUS or Australian toy companies in general, to have a convention or promotional event to market the toy products to the consumer, similar to how the annual Toyfair markets the toy products to the retailers? Or would this have to be instigated by an independent party or business?

* [http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3438 octa.com.au (Ozformers) answers]