Hasbro Q&A/August 2010

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A question archive of, and links to the answers from, the August 2010 Hasbro Q&As, released on or around September 15th.

Questions

ASM

1. The Transformers: Hall of Fame entries showed that Hasbro considers many incarnations of Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream to be the same character, or at least the same character archetype. We're wondering, though — since Megatron has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, does this mean that Galvatron is already in as well, or would he have to be voted in by fans? Most Transformers stories show Galvatron to be the upgraded form of Megatron, but some fans consider Galvatron to be a distinct character from Megatron.
2. For the entire TF team, here's a fun/silly question: If you could make a Transformer toy of anything in the world that hasn’t ALREADY been a Transformers toy, what would it be? You can be as specific (1974 AMC Javelin, P-38 Lightning, Cobra HISS, Dale Earnhardt’s 2000 Daytona 500 car) or as general (school bus, tractor, port-a-potty, etc.) as you wish

• ASM answers

Cool Toy Review

1. Why is the fantastic retool of the Voyager Fallen from ROTF blue?
2. Can we please get some information about Human Alliance Mudflap's distribution - will be rereleased in HftD packaging, if any will get sent to stores like Ross or Marshall's...anything?

• Cool Toy Review answers

Jedi Defender

1. The Alternators line was supurb. Fantastic sculpting and articulation and great character representation for the most part. Can you tell us how far Megatron (cadillac) was in production? Is it possible we'll ever see him as a exclusive or possibly any other ALT repaints? Rumble could use his buddy Frenzy.
2. This is a question that I think applies to a lot of toy lines, and so we were wondering how it is for the Transformers crew. Is there a single character that the team is itching to have a run at, but it's either too obscure, too massive, or just too complex for giving it the go-ahead?

• Jedi Defender answers

Raving Toy Maniac

1. Human Alliance Mudflap with Agent Simmons was EXTREMELY difficult to find in the United States, as most stores did not receive this vital set of figures. As a result, there are thousands of collectors who have the widely-distributed Skids, but not his twin, Mudflap. Since there is a large portion of collectors who still want the opportunity to purchase Mudflap and Agent Simmons, is this pair scheduled to be re-released in the United States?
2. Will you continue shipping Animated Arcee?

• Raving Toy Maniac answers

TFViews.com

1. Repaints have been a built-in aspect to the Transformers brand since the beginning of the line. Really, it’s a line of thinking that’s been a key part of Hasbro’s business model since Mr. Potato-head and the original GI Joe. Fans know that if there’s a new-mold figure, they can almost count on it getting repainted somewhere down the line, or even retooled into a new character. Whether it’s the same character with a new deco, an existing character with new accessories, or a second all-new character from the mold, most figures get this treatment eventually. Has there been a figure that someone on the team really wanted to do a redeco/retool of, but it never made it to market, that is especially noteworthy, and why it didn’t end up coming out?
2. Several recent Transformers have come with sword accessories. However the plastic used to make these swords tends to warp and bend easily. Examples include Vector Prime from the Cybertron line and Bludgeon from Revenge of the Fallen. Obviously, Hasbro’s concerns for consumer safety is a chief criteria for choosing the type of plastic used for accessories like these, but in the specific examples we cited, why is the plastic so much softer than other Transformers’ swords? Is it possible to use something less prone to warping and still meet safety standards? And could future scabbards for these sword accessories be designed with a little more clearance so as to not warp the production versions of those accessories?

• TFViews.com answers

TFWiki.net

1. Why do Transformers, being robots, exhibit sexual dimorphism?
2. In a previous round of the Transformers Q&A, TFWiki.net was asked to resubmit the following question in a later Q&A session due to time constraints:

The July 2003 issue of the magazine NewType USA contained an article on the then-upcoming Armada series, and featured an interview with the Japanese director of Armada, one Hidehito Ueda. According to the preamble of the interview, and we quote:

"In the beginning, Transformers Armada was planned as a sequel to The Rebirth, the last three-part Transformers episode shown in America featuring the Autobots and Decepticons, but later, partially because of Hasbro, it was produced as a completely new series."

Is this statement true? Was Armada originally conceived as a follow-up to the original Transformers cartoon?

• TFWiki.net answers