Hasbro Q&A

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&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 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

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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 & Dinobot figures?

• ActionFigs.com answers

ActionFigureCollectors.com

1. 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.
2. Will Hasbro produce Robot Replica figures beyond the movie characters?
3. 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?

• ActionFigureCollectors.com answers

Action Figure Insider

1. 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!
2. 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.
3. Will there be super-sized Robot Heroes for the G1 Transformers too? A cartoon Devestator or Omega Supreme? Other combiners?

• Action Figure Insider answers

Allspark.com

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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?

• Allspark.com answers

ASMZine.com

1. Have you determined how Devastator will be packaged? Will he be in robot mode or vehicle mode?
2. 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?

• ASMZine.com answers

Cool Toy Review

1. 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.
2. 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?
3. When can we expect an animated Omega Supreme as a supreme class figure?

• Cool Toy Review answers

Cybertron.CA

1. In follow up to last round's "Why are toys being released in Canada that say 'comic inside' but include no comic?"
2. 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?
3. What date will Animated Season 3 debut in Canada?

• Cybertron.CA answers

OCTA.com.au (Ozformers)

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.

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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'?
4. 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?
5. Is Hasbro planning to make a transformable toy out of the (Animated) Henry Masterson Headmaster unit?
6. Who was responsible for the JAAM number-plate on Universe Hot Shot? Can we send him/her cookies?

• Eric Siebenaler's answers

Parry Game Preserve

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

• Parry Game Preserve answers

Seibertron.com

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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?

• Seibertron.com answers

TFviews

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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”?

• TFviews answers

TFW2005

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

• TFW2005 answers

ToyArk.com

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

• ToyArk.com answers

Transformers Collectors' Club

1. 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.
2. 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?
3. 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!)

• Transformers Collectors' Club answers (login required)

Transformers Wiki

1. Hasbro's online instructions archive has a PDF of "movie"-style instructions for "Backtrack", a redeco of the Cybertron-series Lugnutz motorcycle mold ( 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" and "Reverb". However, none of these figures came out during the run of the original movie toyline. Are they still slated for release?
2. What was the thought process behind the decision to not give the components of the $100 Revenge of the Fallen Constructicon Devastator individual robot modes?
3. What are typical ballpark production run numbers for a "main line" toy, say Deluxe Animated Bumblebee? Have these numbers changed much over the years?

• Transformers Wiki answers

Unicron.com

1. 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?!
2. 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!)
   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?
3. Combiners, we love'm! With the exception of ROTF Devastator, are there any plans for additional combiners to appear in ROTF, Universe or Animated?

• Unicron.com answers

December 2008

16bit

1. Since the introduction of the Mini-Cons, we've seen little in the way of new factions. In the 1990s and 2000s, we had Maximals, Mutants, Predacons, and Vehicons. While it's great to see Autobots and Decepticons after a few lean years, do you guys have any plans to introduce new groups in the coming years?
2. At some Hasbro convention appearance a few years ago, I vaguely recall hearing about a proposed "Fan's Choice" voting thing (it wasn't specified) similar to what we've seen in Star Wars and G.I. Joe. Since it's been ages, is it safe to assume this has been shelved-- and if so, what are the chances of some sort of a vote-on-a-repaint or similar sort of thing to give fans a shot to directly pick another toy in the line?
3. With the recent Special Team Leaders exclusive boxed set at Target, we're positively giddy to have new versions of Razorclaw and Hun-Gurr. We're also very pleased to see the giant boxed sets of Energon combiner repaints. Since it seems most available combiner molds have been recently repainted, what are the chances of seeing a boxed "team" using various modern molds in a non-combining fashion? (i.e., 5 toys as Predacons, 5 toys as Technobots, various construction vehicles in Constructicon colors as a set, etc.)
4. With the first movie, we saw Classics (and pretty much all non-movie toys) come to an end, only to come back this year as Universe. Will Universe be going away next year with the new film? If so, can we expect a Universe/Classics 3.0 in the distant future?
5. It's really awesome to see little "bonus" toys in Universe like Ravage, Nightstick, and Jolt. (ESPECIALLY Ravage.) Is this something we can expect to see more of in the near-future of Transformers or was this, like the Mini-Cons of Armada, more or less a special event?
6. And this is a general one-- we ask it because we don't necessarily NEED an answer, but does Hasbro have a policy, stance, or comment on al the reproduction and/or original fan created pieces? Namely, the City Commander "Ultra Magnus" armor, the various reproduction heads, and so forth.

• 16bit answers

ActionFigs.com

1. You've stated that the Universe line is celebrating not only the original Generation One line, but the rich history of Transformers overall. Does this include characters from G1 media who haven't appeared in toy form (at least not as they originally appeared)? Over the years, we've gotten several of these characters in other forms, like RID Jhiaxus and several motorcycle Arcee figures, as well as Unicron, who seems to transcend different incarnations. However, have you considered finally producing classic characters like Arcee, the "Allicons," Scrounge, Alpha Trion, the Last Autobot, and maybe even non-transforming characters like Quintessons and Nightbird?
2. We'll be direct about this, with confirmation of TakaraTomy producing a Masterpiece Grimlock for 2009, and Hasbro hinting at importing a new Masterpiece character, will Hasbro be bringing this MP Grimlock figure to the US?
3. In the last few years, Transformers has enjoyed a few rather groundbreaking lines that suffered short runs: Alternators and Titanium Series 6" figures. What factors do you think contributed to their downfalls? Hindsight being 20/20, what would you go back and do differently with each of those lines?
4. Not to be indelicate about this, but General Motors' financial status has been publicly revealed to be in dire straits, and the company has been asking the US government for financial assistance, which the current political climate leaves that in some doubt. With GM being the chief brand for both Transformers movies and the company possibly on the brink of bankruptcy, or perhaps forced to change production focus to a different "green" line of cars, has there been any thought on Hasbro's part to how that may affect the TF2 movie toy line? Might there be a shift on marketing for the toys and the film because of this turn of events?
5. The upcoming Universe Hound figure comes with an all-new cassette Ravage that looks amazing from all we've seen. Since this is one of the classic cassettes, we've got to know, will we be seeing more of them soon? Could we possibly dare to dream that one of them might come with cartoon-accurate piledrivers in some way?

• ActionFigs.com answers

Allspark.com

1. Animated is a very character driven show with a strong core cast. As such, can we expect all of the main core characters to be getting upgrades and redesigns (ie new molds) on a fairly regular basis, as we saw with the Transmetal and Transmetal 2 figures in Beast Wars?
2. What can you tell us about future plans for TFU character choices? There is a huge amount of interest in getting the rest of the early G1 characters (Wheeljack, Jazz), more Gobot homages, more Micromaster characters, more combiner leaders or actual combiner teams, and more representatives from other TF eras (Energon, Beast Machines, RiD, etc.).
3. In the previous Q&A Hasbro said they might consider releasing the remaining original "Seeker" characters Thrust and Dirge. Now that Takara has molded these toys with new wings, will Hasbro release the remolded toys so fans can complete their Seeker collection Stateside?
4. Can you discuss mold availability? Specifically, are the following molds available/likely for future use: off-screen movie characters (Stockade, Incinerator, etc), Marvel Crossovers, and molds from previous TF lines that haven't been used much (Energon, RiD, European G1/G2).
5. With the revelation of the upcoming Cybertron Leobreaker retool Leo Prime, will we be seeing a trend of relatively dormant molds being remolded, or was Leo Prime an isolated instance?

• Allspark.com answers

CollectionDX

1. What is Hasbro’s stance on fan-produced materials, like the upgrade armor for Ultra Magnus or the Extra parts for Masterpiece Megatron? Has Hasbro considered working with these companies directly?
2. How will consumers be able to identify the classics Ironhide with the corrected face paint? Will Hasbro offer some kind of trade in if a consumer wanted to exchange their incorrectly painted version?
3. Why is the recent reissue of the G1 Optimus Prime so expensive? Considering today’s market, surely such an item would sell better with less extras and a lower price tag?
4. Are there plans for any more translucent “Stealth” versions, such as the Stealth Lockdown?
5. Does Hasbro have any plans to include any glow in the dark plastics in future Transformers releases?

• CollectionDX answers

Cybertron.CA

1. Why are toys being released in Canada that say 'comic inside' but include no comic?
2. Is there any chance of the build a figure concept coming back to Transformers like the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary line had?
3. Are the Superion and Bruticus exclusives going to be released in Canada, and if so what store(s)?
4. Why are the packages for Transformers so big? The total volume of the package seems large compared to the relatively small size of the toy inside.
5. Can you tell us anything about Hasbro's mold protocols in regard to fun publications? Does Hasbro produce toys for fun publications using existing Hasbro molds, creating a small number of new molds for remolded pieces? Was the Seacons giftset created using the old G1 mold or were new, short-run molds created from blueprints or reverse engineering?

• Cybertron.CA answers

OCTA.com.au (Ozformers)

1. For Universe Bruticus, why did Hasbro choose to implement Swindle as a helicopter and Blast-Off as a tank?
2. Will Hasbro Australia be planning any specific publicity stunts, Eg: competitions etc, in the lead up to the live action movie sequel?
3. Any idea if there will be an Australian DVD box set release of remaining TFs cartoons, like 'Robots in Disguise', 'Energon', 'Armada', 'Cybertron'?
4. Will Hasbro ever do again their Checklist type full colored catalogues like they used to in G1, with all the different products - toys and merchandise - listed and included rather than the "sample" type little catalogue they include now in packaging of the toys?
5. Is it likely to ever see a release of Generation 1 'Season 5' (about 20 Gen1 episodes aired in 1988, with added intros and closures, a bit like the Generation2 version done in the early 90s) on dvd?
6. The Hasbro people at BotCon this year said they were looking to release a Sari Sumdac toy, is that still happening?
7. Would they consider releasing combat heroes packed in with a reference transformer from the GI.Joe series as a series of 2-packs, e.g Megatron with Cobra Commander.
8. Does anyone actually decide the 'Conversion Difficulty Level' on the toys, or is it just given a standardised number based on its size class?
9. How does Hasbro decide what classic characters get a "Universe makeover", especially with the lesser known characters like Dropshot and Heavyload - do you redeco a mould to match a character, or match a character to a mould redeco?
10. What determines plastic/paint colour choice, when the Hasbro version differs to the Takara version? Like, is it just a cost issue for lighter plastic colours, or a visual/marketting decision?
11. TF Universe had a 'webisode' recently on the Hasbro Transformers site - will there be more, or any other fiction for Universe?
12. Why was the name for 'Animated' changed from 'Heroes'?
13. Do you ever get stuck with toys that none of the retailers want? If yes, what do you do with them?
14. Do Retailers ever return stock they can't sell?
15. Does Hasbro (US or AUS) have any statistics on the demographics percentages of the customers of their Transformers products, to see what age groups are buying them for marketting purposes?
16. Do you have a percentage breakdown of units sold in Australia of Animated, Universe, Movie, and 'Other' to see which is the more popular line?
17. Why does Universe Galvatron have bright orange parts to it?
18. Were the Movie 'Preview' (Protoform Optimus and Starscream) concept figures last April considered a success or failure to Hasbro in terms of sales and retailer interest?
19. What are Hasbro's thoughts on the Fans-Project City Commander (Classics Ultra Magnus Trailer/exosuit), and would Hasbro ever consider doing something like that in the future?
20. Have these been taken up by an AUS store yet, or still TBC:

- Voyager Sunstorm w/Activator Ratchet and Voyager 'Gen1' Shockwave w/Activator Bumblebee.

- Nemesis Prime (Universe/Classics Voyager Decepticon)

- Battle for the Cyber Planet Keys (Deluxe 5-pack - repack)

• otca.com.au (Ozformers) answers

Parry Game Preserve

1. In the Gi Joe line, there was a recent figure homage to Matt Trakker from M.A.S.K.. Is there any chance of a homage to a classic M.A.S.K. vehicle in the Transformers line? Thunderhawk would make a great flying Autobot car...
2. Target has had exclusive "Ultimate Battle Packs" of Gi Joe and Star Wars in recent years, which have been awesome. Is there any chance of a Transformers set of this size and quality?
3. With the 25th Anniversary figures announced so far, we have two of the seven classic Beast Wars Maximal crew coming. Any chance of seeing any more of them in the 25th line, or perhaps some of the Predacons? Note: we need a new, non-Transmetal Rattrap!
4. Why did Universe Sunstreaker and Sideswipe not get chromed spoilers and engines? Is it a cost issue or does Hasbro think kids don't like chrome?
5. There have been a number of updates already announced for the 25th line to concepts which have long been extinct - Targetmasters, cassette alt-modes. What are the chances of trying to make a cool Pretender figure in the 25th?

• Parry Game Preserve answers

Raving Toy Maniac

1. Any chance of a Masterpiece Arcee?
2. Any chance we'll see a Masterpiece Grimlock in animated colors show up in the states?
3. Beast Machines and Robots in Disguise seem to be getting passed over leaving a gap between Beast Wars and Armada. Will we see all of the prominent Universes played out or will it be selective? Can we please finally have a Botanica figure?
4. Any chance of revisiting some of the unreleased in America Beast Wars toys at some point in Universe? Personally I'd love to see Break and Mach Kick over here.
5. When asked about the extra parts on the Universe Galvatron, your response confirmed that not only was a third mode planned, but the figure can still in fact transform into this mode. You had previously stated that there's still a chance that Takara will include the directions to achieve this third mode, but is it possible now to at least see a picture of what this figure looks like in its third mode? There have already been a few attempts online at trying to figure out what it is, but at least one picture of it would become a great frame of reference for fans who actually do wish to make use of this third mode, especially if the instructions are not included in the Japanese release.

• Raving Toy Maniac answers

Seibertron

1. Since the Universe toyline spans TF history, is there any chance of seeing a Transtech figure, or another "figure that never was"/"Lost Figure"? A "What Might Have Been" segment of the Timeline could be interesting to say the least.
2. Any more Universe Ultras in the works? Are there any particular character(s) that you have been thinking would be a great fit for that particular size?
3. Most characters in the TF universe are male, but there were a few fem-bots in the 1980s cartoon as well. Will we be seeing any of them in the universe toy line?
4. Can you explain the typical pipeline for a toy from concept to finished product, including time & constraints, how many are produced, planning for repaints, etc.? A book illustrating this subject (with many images ) would be a very sought after collectible in the community.
5. What is the hook for on Universe Galvatron's shoulder (the piece is gray and unfolds from another purple folding piece)? And the fold out shoulder 'legs/feet'? Can you show us the conceptualized use of these features?

• Seibertron answers

TFormers.com

1. Given your focus on the kids' toy market, what do you think about licensing the Transformers brand to specialty companies (e.g., Diamond Select, Sideshow Toys), who could create transformable Transformers figures for adult collectors?
2. Are there any plans to develop figures of the Starscream clones, Constructicons, and.or humans for the Transformers: Animated toyline?
3. Are there any plans to expand the Universe Robot Heroes line to other scales similar to Galactic Heroes and Super Hero Squad? An example being larger six inch tall figures for combiners and citybots.
4. The Autobot cassette characters are coming out as Universe Legends class figures and a new mold of Ravage will also be released with the Universe Autobot Hound figure. Is there currently any consideration being made to develop new molds of other cassettes?
5. Would releasing the Henkei! Thrust and Dirge retooled molds in the United States violate your agreement with Fun Publications regarding not providing a main release for their Thrust/Dirge retool/remold figures?

• TFormers.com answers

TFviews

1. What criteria guides the team to determine the size/class of figure that a particular character is assigned? Some examples of this where the size might not be immediately an obvious fit are Universe Powerglide being an Ultra, Movie Bonecrusher a Deluxe, the upcoming Universe Jazz and Red Alert being just Legends. So what goes into that process for specific characters?
2. Does the TF team at Hasbro ever read fans’ online toy reviews, and if so, what do they think about them? Are there times when a review will praise a toy that the designer wasn’t expecting? What about criticisms, how are those taken? What could be better in reviews out there?
3. Light-piping has been part of the Transformers line for quite a while now, but some figures appear to be designed for light-piping and then have these light-pipe designs circumvented through opaque materials or even paint. Why has the extensive use of light-piping been abandoned as a line-wide gimmick? Why are some uses designed, even cast in translucent plastic, and then painted over?
4. First off, let us make clear that we do understand that repaints are part of Hasbro’s business model, and that aspect is often factored into a new mold’s budgeting, they are somewhat necessary to make the line happen. That said, why does Hasbro keep making many repaints as the same character, such as Animated Ultra Magnus and Megatron, rather than giving those repaints a new identity? While it might make sense for major characters like Optimus Prime and Bulkhead, something like Movie Jungle Bonecrusher could just as easily have been someone else, right?
5. With the tech-specs, who generally writes these? What is the process for writing tech-specs? Where does consistency within the theme of that line fall into the level of importance? Where does holding onto old copyrights fall there? Or are those and other issues largely up to the discretion of the writer?

• TFviews.com answers

Transformers Collectors' Club

1. Are there any plans for a robot point system to be brought back such as GI Joe did with Doc? points could be used to buy extra weapons, exclusive figures recolors or even an exclusive figure.
2. Is Hasbro interested in/thinking about introducing new Leader characters into the Transformers Universe Line. Every line has an Optimus Prime and a Megatron, but will we see new Primes and other Decepticon leaders as well? Thunderwing and Overlord are characters I would definitely like to see for example.
3. Fans have shown that with characters such as Rodimus and Powerglide, many enjoy collecting the more G1 acurate decos, even if it means paying more for imports from the Henkei line. Can we hope to see other "Special Edition" or "Henkei" redeco figures appear on Hasbro Toy Shop in the future? If so, any hints as to which?
4. It has been sometime since the fandom has been able to purchase the original Transformers series on dvd format. With the recent acquisition of Hasbro's intellectual properties, including Generation 1 as well as Headmasters, Super God Master force, Victory, and Zone, is there a possibility for a future dvd release?
5. Animated and the Movie both have some new and very popular characters who are represented only in those highly stylized designs, characters such as Bulkhead, Barricade, and Blackout. Are there any plans to allow some of these characters to be released in Universe using a more traditional G1 esque design?

• Transformers Collectors' Club answers (login required)

Transformers Wiki

1. What are the official titles of all the Hasbro team members involved with the Transformers brand?
2. The Marvel Crossovers Transformers don't feel like they use Takara engineering. Can you confirm who works on them?
3. How do you determine the demographic spread of past purchases? That is to say, how can you tell what percentage of sales were parents buying for their children versus adult collectors buying for themselves?
4. What is the name of the voice actor who portrayed the narrator/Optimus Prime in the recent Action Blast cartoon, and has he done voices for you before?
5. Acid Storm was a welcome addition to our collections. The use of older, "obscure" characters who have previously never had toys is very exciting for fans. Can we expect more nods towards non-toy characters as the 25th Anniversary continues? Perhaps in the Robot Heroes line, which gave us the awesome but otherwise Movie-only Dispensor?

• Transformers Wiki answers

Unicron.com

1. Since the Japanese-exclusive G1 cartoon series (The Headmasters, Chojin Masterforce, Victory, and Zone) were released on DVD in Europe and Australia, is there any hope of seeing them, and perhaps Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo, released on DVD in North America? Particularly the United States. From what we can tell, there is quite a demand!
2. About a year before the 2007 Transformers Movie, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci hosted a "live chat" on Yahoo where they unveiled the names of Transformers characters that would appear in the film. Is any such event, (where all characters are unveiled) in the works to announce the characters that will be in Revenge of the Fallen? If so, where and when? If not, we would like to make a suggestion. How about letting the various Transformers Fan Sites unveil one character (each) *before* the toys show up on ebay or some Chinese auction site? You can't let them have *all* the fun right?!
3. In the Transformers: Animated shows, Optimus Prime has various trailers. It seems that the Animated Voyager Prime has a spot on his "Axe" and at the bottom of his heels for add ons. Is there any chance of getting different trailers made for him?
4. Other than characters we already know of (Blurr, Swindle, Shockwave, Jetfire/Jetstorm...), do you have any *new character molds* slated for the Animated line in 2009 during and after the release of Revenge of the Fallen? If so, would you be willing to release a name or two for this Q&A? Incidentally, we'd really love to see Cybertron mode toys for Bumblebee/Wasp/Cliffjumper, Ratchet/Ironhide. Also, we really liked the matte finish on the earlier TFA toys and how it added to the 'Animated' aesthetic. We hope you bring it back!
5. Talking Universe/Classics, I love the Seekers and want more! Any chance we will get the other two Rainmakers, Sunstorm or those with remolded wings? What's up with the non-G1 colors for obvious G1 homage molded toys like Powerglide and Leo Prime? (I would've preferred a gold and white in tribute to Lio Convoy from the Japanese series Beast Wars II.) Any chance we'll ever get to see Universe/Classics characters featured in IDW comics stories? Please?

• Unicron.com answers

November 2008

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)

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. Can we see the old 80s toy commercials released somehow, either as a future DVD bonus feature or on the Hasbro Transformers website?
4. Can Hasbro look at doing a Roleplay toy resembling the Beast Wars Rhinox chaingun, which could be similar to the Nerf Vulcan dart Gun?
5. 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?
6. 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?
7. Hasbro US announced in one of their US Q&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?
8. 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?
9. Is the 'Crossover' concept something Hasbro would like to expand further, into other franchises in the future?
10. Have any of the recent factory closures in China been ones that produce Transformers, and if so, has it affected any upcoming releases?
11. Are records (production or accounting) kept of exactly how many units of each toy is produced, including limited edition store exclusives?
12. 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?
13. 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.
14. 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?
15. 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 & parents) with product that may not be available there, but the outdated sections like ours is promoting unavailable product anyway.
16. 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.
17. 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?
18. 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?
19. 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?
20. 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?

• octa.com.au (Ozformers) answers