Fan polls: Difference between revisions
Started with fixing the "perhaps unsurprisingly" sentence but snowballed into a full rework |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Starting in [[2013]], nearly-annual polls have been run by [[Hasbro]] or [[TakaraTomy]] for the [[fandom]] to decide on future toy production. | Starting in [[2013]], nearly-annual polls have been run by [[Hasbro]] and/or [[TakaraTomy]] for the [[fandom]] to decide on future toy production. Hasbro's initial polls ran under the name of '''Fan Built Bot''' and resulted in the creation of new fan-influenced characters and toys, though later polls followed the style set by TakaraTomy along the lines of "Which of these characters do you want the most?" | ||
==2013== | ==2013== | ||
| Line 77: | Line 77: | ||
|} | |} | ||
The result, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], was revealed first in art form at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2013, with her toy subsequently revealed at [[Toy Fair 2014]] | The result, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], was revealed first in art form at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2013, with [[Windblade (G1)#Generations|her toy]] subsequently revealed at [[Toy Fair 2014]] for release in the tenth wave of ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)#Thrilling 30|Generations: Thrilling 30]]'' [[Size class|Deluxe Class]] toys. In fiction, she starred in her own [[The Transformers: Windblade|four-issue miniseries]] from [[IDW Publishing]] and remained a prominent character until the end of [[2005 IDW continuity|that continuity]]. (Though her origin of Kaon from the poll was dropped, owing to the scarcity of [[female Transformer]]s on Cybertron in that particular fictional universe, with her instead being portrayed as coming from the colony [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]]; similarly, her broad telepathy instead became [[Cityspeaker|Cityspeaking]].) | ||
Due to the character's popularity, [[Windblade (RID)|different]] [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|incarnations]] of Windblade were also featured in the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' | Due to the character's popularity, [[Windblade (RID)|different]] [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|incarnations]] of Windblade were also featured in the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)|Transformers: Cyberverse]]'' cartoons. | ||
===''Masterpiece''=== | ===''Masterpiece'' Fan's Choice=== | ||
To commemorate the Tranformers' 30th anniversary, TakaraTomy held a poll in Japan from [[June 18]]th<ref>[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/takara-tomy-30th-anniversary-website-now-live-masterpiece-fans-choice-details/27607 TF 2013 (2) Fan Poll Source 1]</ref> to [[September 8]]th<ref>[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/takara-tomy-masterpiece-fans-choice-poll-voting-extended-to-september-6th/28207 TF 2013 (2) Fan Poll Source 2]</ref> to determine which Autobot or Maximal leader would get a new toy in the prestigious ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' toyline. | To commemorate the Tranformers' 30th anniversary, TakaraTomy held a poll in Japan from [[June 18]]th<ref>[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/takara-tomy-30th-anniversary-website-now-live-masterpiece-fans-choice-details/27607 TF 2013 (2) Fan Poll Source 1]</ref> to [[September 8]]th<ref>[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/takara-tomy-masterpiece-fans-choice-poll-voting-extended-to-september-6th/28207 TF 2013 (2) Fan Poll Source 2]</ref> to determine which Autobot or Maximal leader would get a new toy in the prestigious ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' toyline. | ||
{|class="wikitable" width="30%" | {|class="wikitable" width="30%" | ||
| Line 302: | Line 302: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[ | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150504201626/https://investor.hasbro.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=757648 Hasbro press release announcing the first poll (archived)] | ||
*[ | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150522183047/https://investor.hasbro.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=892871 Hasbro press release announcing the second poll (archived)] | ||
[[Category:Hasbro]] | [[Category:Hasbro]] | ||
Revision as of 19:39, 13 November 2022
Starting in 2013, nearly-annual polls have been run by Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy for the fandom to decide on future toy production. Hasbro's initial polls ran under the name of Fan Built Bot and resulted in the creation of new fan-influenced characters and toys, though later polls followed the style set by TakaraTomy along the lines of "Which of these characters do you want the most?"
2013
Generations Fan Built Bot
For the first Fan Built Bot, polls were conducted on transformers.com over the course of a week each. The first round was held between April 18th and May 5th, and included the following questions:[1]
| Faction | Alternate mode | Signature Weapon | Color Scheme | Personality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
The second round was held between May 10th and May 17th, and included four more questions:[2]
| Name | Gender | Origin | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
The result, Windblade, was revealed first in art form at San Diego Comic-Con 2013, with her toy subsequently revealed at Toy Fair 2014 for release in the tenth wave of Generations: Thrilling 30 Deluxe Class toys. In fiction, she starred in her own four-issue miniseries from IDW Publishing and remained a prominent character until the end of that continuity. (Though her origin of Kaon from the poll was dropped, owing to the scarcity of female Transformers on Cybertron in that particular fictional universe, with her instead being portrayed as coming from the colony Caminus; similarly, her broad telepathy instead became Cityspeaking.)
Due to the character's popularity, different incarnations of Windblade were also featured in the Transformers: Robots in Disguise and Transformers: Cyberverse cartoons.
Masterpiece Fan's Choice
To commemorate the Tranformers' 30th anniversary, TakaraTomy held a poll in Japan from June 18th[4] to September 8th[5] to determine which Autobot or Maximal leader would get a new toy in the prestigious Masterpiece toyline.
2014
TakaraTomy ran a poll through through the first volume of Transformers Generations 2014. The poll ran until June 16th.[6]
2015
Combiner Wars Fan Built Bot
The second set of Fan Built Bot polls were announced on January 15, 2015, this time to create a whole new Combiner. The polling was done via the Transformers mobile app. The first set of polls began on January 25. Each limb was voted on individually. This poll infamously revealed the alternate modes for what would become Combiner Wars Voyager Class Protectobot Hot Spot and Legends Class Protectobot Groove before those figures would be officially unveiled at Toy Fair 2015.
| Faction | Torso and weapon | Limbs |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Round 2 began on February 11 and including picking more specific modes for the limbs, two of which had been selected as aerial vehicles, and two as cars.
| Limb #1/#2 | Limb #3/#4 | Origin | Color scheme |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
A round also took place via the Toys"R"Us Twitter between February 17 and 28 to select which power the Combiner would have.
| Power |
|---|
|
The final round of voting began on February 26:
| Gender | Name | Personality | Nemesis |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Victorion, the resulting female Combiner, received a toy, then made her fictional debut in IDW Publishing's Combiner Hunters one-shot comic before joining the main cast of The Transformers vol. 2 ongoing.
Titans Return
The next fan poll, announced November 20, 2015, regarded who would be the next year's Titan Class figure for Titans Return.[8] Voting began November 24.[9]
On December 1, Hasbro announced that Trypticon won.[10]
2017
The next set of fan polls was announced on December 1, 2016 for Power of the Primes, and it regarded the next Matrix of Leadership bearer,[11] which would reflect across the toyline and accompanying fiction.
| Honor | Order | Chaos |
|---|---|---|
|
On February 19, Hasbro announced that Optimus Primal ultimately placed first,[12] which led to him receiving a new toy in mid-2018 and a prominent role in the Power of the Primes web series.
2018
War for Cybertron Trilogy
The next fan poll was for a new rivalry that would earn a pair of new toys in the first chapter of the War for Cybertron Trilogy.
| Saboteur vs Scientist | Brother vs Brother | Mirage vs The Mercenary |
|---|---|---|
|
Hasbro Pulse put out a free poll which anybody who signed up could participate in. As stated by Hasbro Pulse, "For the first time fans can vote on a pair of characters who will become part of the Generations lineup as Deluxe Class figures."
On February 27, 2018, Hasbro announced that Mirage vs Impactor had won,[13] leading to the duo receiving new toys in the Siege toyline in 2019, both as regular retail figures and with alternative head sculpts in an exclusive multi-pack.
Over the subsequent five years, each of the other candidates would receive new toys anyway.
Vintage G1
The next poll was announced via Hasbro Pulse and Hasbro's social media accounts on December 10, 2018 to decide a future toy out of two pairs for release in the Vintage G1 toyline in Spring of 2020.[14][15]
| Autobot vs Decepticon | Decepticon vs Decepticon |
|---|---|
On December 15, Hasbro announced that Astrotrain won.[16]
2019
Vintage G1
On May 17, 2019, the Transformers Facebook page held a poll to determine another 2020 release in the Vintage G1 line.[17]
The poll was only open for 24 hours, and the following day it was announced that Blaster had won, receiving 56% of the vote.[18]
War for Cybertron Trilogy
Starting June 13, 2019, the same Facebook page held a poll to decide which of four Decepticons would appear in the second chapter of the War for Cybertron Trilogy.[19]
The voting was open for 48 hours,[20] and on July 18 a Facebook announcement fixed Runamuck's name proclaimed Runamuck the winner despite the fact it appeared that Needlenose had the most votes.[21] Perhaps unsurprisingly, Earthrise Runabout soon followed... but then again, so did new toys of some of the other candiates!
Notes
Losing options from the polls frequently received acknowledgement later down the road:
- Unsuccessful names from the 2013 Fan Built Bot poll saw use, with a new character named "Centuritron" appearing in Generations, and the names "Eclipse" and "Charon" being used for new Generations toys of classic characters.
- After losing the 2013 poll for a new Masterpiece toy, Beast Convoy and Lio Convoy were released in the line anyway, in 2016 and 2020 respectively.
- The two unchosen names from 2015's Fan Built Bot poll were used as new identities for established characters, with the Beast Wars: Uprising incarnation of Big Convoy being rechristened "Slammoth" and the Classics character Breakaway becoming "Quakebreak" after an in-fiction alteration to the multiverse.
- After losing out to Trypticon in 2015's second poll, Omega Supreme and Scorponok received Titan Class figures later on in Siege and Earthrise respectively.
- Ultra Magnus and Shockwave received Leader Class toys in Siege after losing the opportunity in 2017's poll – and arguably, both of those toys nonetheless fit into the "Evolution"-style armouring up gimmick found in the Power of the Primes Leader Class.
- Two other runner-ups from the 2017 poll would receive big-ticket crowdfunding toys in the form of HasLab Victory Saber and Decepticon Deathsaurus.
- All of the candidates from 2018's War for Cybertron Trilogy poll received new toys anyway, with Spinister appearing in Siege, Wheeljack seeing three releases across the trilogy beginning with Earthrise, and Tracks coming out in the third chapter, Kingdom.
- After 2018's Vintage G1 poll, Skywarp was once again eligible in a similar poll in 2019.
- Gnaw lost the opportunity for a War for Cybertron Trilogy toy in the 2019 poll, but received an aesthetically similar toy in Studio Series.
- Needlenose in particular seems to have had the deck stacked in his favour, losing polls in both 2018 and 2019 before finally being thrown a bone in Legacy Evolution.
References
- ↑ http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-fan-built-bot-poll/27089/
- ↑ http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-fan-built-bot-poll-second-round/27272/
- ↑ This aspect of the character notably did not come through in her comic appearances, due to the prior lack of female Transformers on Cybertron in the 2005 IDW continuity; instead, the comic focused on her portrayed her as being from the colony Caminus.
- ↑ TF 2013 (2) Fan Poll Source 1
- ↑ TF 2013 (2) Fan Poll Source 2
- ↑ Fan Poll 2014 Source
- ↑ This use of the Onslaught mold would have also used the tooling for the Ruination combiner head from the Impactor version of the mold.
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2015/11/hasbro-lets-you-decide-the-next-titan-for-2017/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2015/11/voting-for-the-2017-titan-transformer-is-now-open/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2015/12/trypticon-wins-titans-fan-vote/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2016/12/power-of-the-primes-fan-vote-announced/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2017/02/power-of-the-primes-optimus-primal-new-prime/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/02/war-for-cybertron-fan-poll-winner-announced/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/12/g1-reissue-vote-announced/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/12/g1-reissue-poll-open-on-instagram/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/12/astrotrain-wins-g1-reissue-vote/
- ↑ Hasbro Launches 2020 G1 Reissue Poll!
- ↑ Blaster Wins The Walmart Exclusive G1 Reissue 2020 Fan Vote
- ↑ 2020 WFC Trilogy poll
- ↑ The four bots are #GNAW, #RUNAMUCK, #NEEDLENOSE & #SHRAPNEL
- ↑ The fans have spoken and #RUNAMUCK will become a Fall 2020 War for Cybertron figure!
