Hasbro Q&A/December 2009

A question archive of, and links to the answers from, the December 2009 Hasbro Q&As, released on December the 23rd or shortly thereafter.

Questions

The motorcycle that comes with Human Alliance Skids is called "Arcee", yet neither mode looks like the female Autobot; the robot mode looks to be based on "Chromia", while the bike mode seems to be based on Mikaela's ordinary, non-transforming bike. The color scheme supports the latter as well. What's the story behind this Human Alliance "Arcee"design? Was it intended to be a new character that just had the Arcee named applied later on?
The concept of relatives is a little strange in a species that doesn't reproduce by human methods. As such, what is the basis of the many established familial relationships among Transformers? How do things like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker being brothers, some Transformers having parents or children, etc. work exactly? Does Hasbro maintain an overall concept/idea on how these relationships work, or do they allow those that hold the fiction licenses free rein when it comes to how/which Transformers are "related"?
When concept art for unproduced designs is revealed to the public, is it forever off the table or is it possible to revisit them for viable toys later on down the road?

Universe / 25th Anniversary toys keep trickling out, which is great. Will we see a strengthening of this sub-line with additional 2010 releases, since it is very popular, or do you feel it is better to move on to products for the 3rd movie and the new upcoming tv presence (whatever it may be)?
Do you plan to continue the Robot Heroes line beyond the current movie figures?
Having now released a number of figures for the recent feature film, does the team have an overall favorite?

As late as SDCC 2009, Hasbro has stated that they are going to get all of the unreleased Transformers Animated figures on the shelves no matter what, but don't know the exactly when. Now that it's a little farther off and we've been given a ballpark dates for Arcee and Cybertron Ratchet (Spring 2010), do you have any other ballpark dates for the other figures and exclusivity deals that you can divulge?
The new Hasbro and Discovery Network joint venture is shaping up quite well with the recent appointments. During the announcement of the network, Brian Goldner said that there will "most likely" be a new series based off of Transformers in 2010. Is there any new information regarding this new series such as the the direction, style, or release date?
Is there a chance that the Tomy Takara reissues such as Metroplex, Seacons, or the cassettes will make be released in the US by Hasbro?

When the Constructicons formed Devastator in Revenge of the Fallen, the film showed two unnamed construction vehicles helping to form Devastator that aren't seen anywhere else. There's a yellow dump truck that's not the same kind of dump truck that Long Haul is, and there's a tiny treaded shovel that forms Devastator's left hand. Do you guys have names for these two Constructicons? If not, could you make some up for us right now?
The company which syndicated the original Transformers cartoon, Claster, was a Hasbro subsidiary that has since been merged into Hasbro's media division. Since their records would now be completely in-house at Hasbro, would it be possible to get a list of the TV stations that broadcasted the original Transformers cartoon? Or barring that, the number of stations that broadcast it?
We now know that the voice of the Universe cartoon Optimus Prime is Ron Hayden, but who are the voices of Megatron, Cyclonus and Bumblebee in the episode "Fight for Energon"? Are there also more episodes planned now the Universe line ended?

Not that the ROTF Swerve redeco isn’t great (because it is) and a good way to somewhat rectify some early fan complaints that “Sideswipe is supposed to be red!” but considering ROTF Sideswipe turns into a Corvette concept car, was there ever a dark blue redeco considered under the name of Tracks? After all, G1 Tracks was a dark blue Corvette – it basically writes itself.
Several Constructicon characters in ROTF have multiples throughout the film – multiple Mixmasters, Rampages and Long Hauls are running around, and Scavenger and Demolishor share a body type, if not deco. Early in the film, several Constructicons, along with Ravage and Scalpel, head down the Laurentian Abyss to revive Megatron. The other Decepticons cannibalize one of the Constructicons, which fans have nicknamed “Ze Little One” after Scalpel’s line. Our question is, which of the existing Constructicon designs (most say it’s Rampage or Scrapper), if any, is Ze Little One supposed to be?
What is Hasbro’s point of view on how IDW comics have approached the Transformers brand? How much input do they have on characters and storylines, and are they happy with the end result when it comes to the treatment of character and mythology? How does this compare to how Dreamwave approached the same material?