Rumours Abound: New Transformers Legacy Line and Studio Series Priorities in 2022

Yawn.

Let's hope everything works out.The movie series have so many cool desgins that would be awesome to get in toy form and would be a shame to them get lost at the wayside.

Day 507 of waiting for Transformers Armada Masterpiece news.

who in the '86 line haven't they done already? they got hotrod/rodimus, kup, blurr, the decepticons... only one i can think of might be arcee? but we've already had so many arcees lately i'm not sure how a new one would be an improvement.

megamanfan wrote:who in the '86 line haven't they done already? they got hotrod/rodimus, kup, blurr, the decepticons... only one i can think of might be arcee? but we've already had so many arcees lately i'm not sure how a new one would be an improvement.

Perceptor, as well as any figures released as WFC characters (Archer, Springer, Ultra Magnus, Cyclonus, Galvatron, among others). But those could probably be done as redecos and rereleases of their WFC figures. Also, the remaining three Dinobots need figures (Snarl IS in the movie, but only for a couple frames).

If they make a SS 86 Blitzwing I'd be all about it. I'd then have to pick up the earthrise/siege Astrotrain. The insecticons could use an 86 release too. I have the legion class guys, but a Deluxe release would be much better.

I recently sold half my collection and decided to commit to only this WFC scale. So if I can get the full season 1 cast plus a few from season two/movie I'd be all set.

Core class Frenzy and/or Dispensor, please? Although Frenzy might be a bit too small for core class to be the proper scale.

I hope the rumors about Prime characters in the legacy line are true
Since I didn't like the siege or earthrise ratchets and TF:A/Prime are my favorite versions of the character id love am updated generations-Prime Ratchet for my collection

Maybe arcee too since my ER Arcee sucks. Or I can headcanon her as chromia since she's blue

Bulkheadddddd would be so cool and wheeljack! I prefer that wheeljack over G1 version as well.

Plus of course knock out, airachnid and the other original characters from that series

megamanfan wrote:who in the '86 line haven't they done already? they got hotrod/rodimus, kup, blurr, the decepticons... only one i can think of might be arcee? but we've already had so many arcees lately i'm not sure how a new one would be an improvement.

wind charger, blaster (rumored), autobot cassettes, swoop, sludge, insecticons, blitzwing, kranix, spike in exosuit (not a minifig), any other junkion, real size executioner, perceptor, brawn, gears (i think he was a dead one, maybe not, but we need a good one).

And can we get a good freakin Alpha Trion please! retool scourge man! i dont care if hes in the movie or not, its about time.

I will be the lone Transformers fan fighting for Ransack, Barrage, Chop Shop & Venom. Alone in the darkness, I will keep crying out. I'm never going to shut up about these guys. Ransack is one of my ultimate favorites. I never see any other fans requesting them. They mention Insecticons a lot but they're always referring to Kickback, Bombshell & Shrapnel. Only God knows why because Takara has already made them, Hasbro has already made them & multiple 3rd party companies have already made them.

I don't see the point in constantly begging for characters we already got. That money & tooling would be better spent going into all the characters we didn't get yet. And the deluxe Insecticons are a big hole in the 1985 lineup. I think we got all of the 85 lineup updated except for them.

And the way things are going, it looks like I'm gonna have to start planning on making custom bodies for the Titans Return Fangry, Squeezeplay & Horribull. Fangry & Squeezeplay will be easy, I already know which bodies to use, but there aren't many Transformers that transform into a bull.

Damn, TF: Legacy sounds like something that I've wanted for a long time: fresh takes on unique designs, like those of Prime, the Bayverse, and Animated. Hopefully, we'll get better versions of Airachnid and Knockout to fill those spots on my shelves. All in all, a very intriguing article!

So wait, I remember a leaker had mentioned on april fools day that prime and bulkhead were supposedly sharing a mold/design, and they posted it on april 1 because they wanted it to be a joke, which implies it may not have been, we just weren't aware of how they would fall into the generations lines, and now we have this line where they fit in perfectly, does that mean they could actually be a thing?

Core Class coming to SS and that Legacy line are the most exiting rumors yet.
Hope everything will be confirmed soon!

Still no proper Fallen or Galvatron. Shameful.

Nemesis Reformatted wrote:I will be the lone Transformers fan fighting for Ransack, Barrage, Chop Shop & Venom. Alone in the darkness, I will keep crying out. I'm never going to shut up about these guys. Ransack is one of my ultimate favorites. I never see any other fans requesting them. They mention Insecticons a lot but they're always referring to Kickback, Bombshell & Shrapnel. Only God knows why because Takara has already made them, Hasbro has already made them & multiple 3rd party companies have already made them.

I don't see the point in constantly begging for characters we already got. That money & tooling would be better spent going into all the characters we didn't get yet. And the deluxe Insecticons are a big hole in the 1985 lineup. I think we got all of the 85 lineup updated except for them.

And the way things are going, it looks like I'm gonna have to start planning on making custom bodies for the Titans Return Fangry, Squeezeplay & Horribull. Fangry & Squeezeplay will be easy, I already know which bodies to use, but there aren't many Transformers that transform into a bull.

The Deluxe Insecticons just don't have the recognizability, thats all. But you are not alone. Hasbro could have at least retooled CW Bombshell as Barrage to go with Chop Shop, and done a Ransack from Kickback, leaving Venom the only required new tooling. But nooo

Flashwave wrote:The Deluxe Insecticons just don't have the recognizability, thats all. But you are not alone. Hasbro could have at least retooled CW Bombshell as Barrage to go with Chop Shop, and done a Ransack from Kickback, leaving Venom the only required new tooling. But nooo

Great minds think alike, he was giving the same observation in the Kingdom thread, and this was my response:

Just to piggyback on some other comments.... there was a Legends Chop Shop during CW, which was a retool of T30 Skrapnel, but yeah, the other Deluxe Insecticons are long overdue I agree, especially since 2 of them could also have been retooled from the other legends class Insecticons.

Anyway...If next year Hasbro goes that direction, that is fine. Spending less money on Transformers would probably be better for me, as I have spent less in each successive year of the WFC Trilogy. I'm not saying 2022 will be a total bust, but yeah there is still a LONG list of original series characters that have had no modern representation at all, and others without one for at least a decade. I'd rather see those than keep rehashing legacy characters. But I digress. I'm sure UT fans are eagerly awaiting their due. If I only get 2 or 3 items per year, even if it's only through Selects, that is fine, as long as there is still something for me, even if it isn't through main retail. Yes I still have a long list of Combiners I am waiting for.

What I’d like to see them do is a set of voyager ironhide/ratchet for the 86 line. Ironhide had a couple of lines.. the ratchet recolour would be obvious, then they can re release them with post death decos.

Still feel they haven’t nailed the characters in the chug lines yet. And SS would be a good opportunity for them to get it right. The voyager scale would help with extra engineering...

I guessed this would be the case, it feels as if Studio Series in 2021 has just been keeping the wheel spinning until the next live-action movie starts production and Hasbro are given designs for that movie's characters, with the year conveniently being the anniversary of a movie. I get the impression Devastator was always intended as the grand finale for the Michael Bay movies in Studio Series before it moved on to other things, but it does suck that there are still many, many Baybois that haven't had new figures like the Fallen, the other Dinbots and the Twins (I mean there's a Jar Jar toy in Star Wars: Black Series so the fact they're unpopular isn't much of an excuse).

I'm intrigued about that Transformers: Legacy line though, if it includes characters from many different eras it would be a good place to put Tarantulas and Predacon Inferno without extending Kingdom beyond a year, and I'd be down for some new Prime toys. Perhaps the 10th Anniversary Breakdown and Jet Vehicon set, Hades Megatron and R.E.D. Arcee were a way of testing the water to see if there was interest in more Prime stuff? Once I have everything I want from Kingdom I was planning on taking a break from Transformers in 2022, but depending on whether or not Legacy is real and what it has, I may just focus on that line and nothing else.

Legacy is almost certainly real as the successor to WFC (and probably delayed a bit so Kingdom can have a fifth wave) since we know at least one store is calling Selects Black Zarak part of that line. Wasn't there also rumor that Motormaster was getting remade for Legacy?

Who knows, maybe that Armada Optimus Prime proof of concept will resurface as a Legacy Commander Class figure. I'd be fine with a CC Energon OP as well, especially if they can do something interesting with the drones. You know they'll make Op into a CC figure at some point, that's sure to sell.

o.supreme wrote:

Flashwave wrote:The Deluxe Insecticons just don't have the recognizability, thats all. But you are not alone. Hasbro could have at least retooled CW Bombshell as Barrage to go with Chop Shop, and done a Ransack from Kickback, leaving Venom the only required new tooling. But nooo

Great minds think alike, he was giving the same observation in the Kingdom thread, and this was my response:

Just to piggyback on some other comments.... there was a Legends Chop Shop during CW, which was a retool of T30 Skrapnel, but yeah, the other Deluxe Insecticons are long overdue I agree, especially since 2 of them could also have been retooled from the other legends class Insecticons.

Problem is Hasbro would have to go it alone. We're never getting Deluxe Insecticons for the same reason why we'll never get a proper G1 Jetfire remake: Takara Tomy can't sell it. The designs and original toys are owned by Bandai and Hasbro doesn't make anything anymore that isn't also sold by (or sellable by) Takara Tomy. So the only way the Deluxe Insecticons are ever getting made is if they look absolutely nothing like the original toy designs aside from colors just like Skyfire, to which I'd have to ask what's the point? Yes, they sold that tiny Micromaster Chop Shop with Megatron, but that was hardly recognizable as the Beetras design. They didn't sell the Legends Chop Shop at all.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:Who knows, maybe that Armada Optimus Prime proof of concept will resurface as a Legacy Commander Class figure.

This would indeed be an ideal place to finally release that figure, yes.

I'm confused by the SS86 line. Is it just going to be characters unique to the film (Or those with talking roles, like Jazz)? Which it should be and if that is the case, there aren't that many left to make. Otherwise it is just another line to flood with the same old faces, who all appeared in some form or another, in the opening 30 minutes of The Movie.

Sabrblade wrote:

Emerje wrote:Who knows, maybe that Armada Optimus Prime proof of concept will resurface as a Legacy Commander Class figure.

This would indeed be an ideal place to finally release that figure, yes.

Especially given the rumors that the commander class would be going up to a $100 price point - much more budget to work with

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I'm confused by the SS86 line. Is it just going to be characters unique to the film (Or those with talking roles, like Jazz)? Which it should be and if that is the case, there aren't that many left to make. Otherwise it is just another line to flood with the same old faces, who all appeared in some form or another, in the opening 30 minutes of The Movie.

This hasn't been confirmed, but it seems like it is going to be a line of characters from the film, most likely with at least a decent role and/or screen time. To me this makes sense just because it gives Hastak more wiggle room with who they place into this line.
I'd also assume they won't include characters that have been recently released in ER or Kingdom.
Although, I would not be completely surprised if this shifts based on how well the line is selling.

Would it be shocking if in a year and a half we see a SS86 Astrotrain? Not to me.
That would be two and half years after the Seige version was released.
And even if he ends up being a completely new mold, he could take a voyager if not leader slot, and I'd assume by that point in time he'd sell fairly well. I personally skipped the Seige version and have been waiting for a new version I like for a long, long time.
From there, a Gen Selects toy version could happen.
Which makes a whole lot of sense for characters with unique molds, such as Galvatron.
Eventually I could see this happening with the Dinobots; whether it ends up being toy version deco, or G2 deco. But it's a really easy way for Hastak to make money off of what could otherwise be stuck as a one-off mold.
These are the types of re-uses that will allow for figures like Blitzwing, Perceptor, and the Insecticons, which truly are difficult molds to repaint or re-tool into other characters.
But even then, Hastak could possibly play the Shattered Glass card.
That could be a win-win because any G1 character not included in that original story gives designers complete freedom. And for fans who like SG, it expands that series even further.
I could totally see people who don't like an original G1 character like Blitzwing being sucked into the fact that it's a SG deco and getting it simply because it adds to that part of their collection.

Emerje wrote:Problem is Hasbro would have to go it alone. We're never getting Deluxe Insecticons for the same reason why we'll never get a proper G1 Jetfire remake: Takara Tomy can't sell it. The designs and original toys are owned by Bandai and Hasbro doesn't make anything anymore that isn't also sold by (or sellable by) Takara Tomy. So the only way the Deluxe Insecticons are ever getting made is if they look absolutely nothing like the original toy designs aside from colors just like Skyfire, to which I'd have to ask what's the point? Yes, they sold that tiny Micromaster Chop Shop with Megatron, but that was hardly recognizable as the Beetras design. They didn't sell the Legends Chop Shop at all.

Emerje

What about T30 Roadbuster & Whirl, did those not get ported over to Takara either?

Even still, the fact that CW Chop Shop was made, shows it can be done. I'm not sure how long this whole "Brand Unification" thing will last, but I'm thinking it will slowly erode over time to where both Hasbro and TT will begin making there own product again, in addition to the mostly shared line.

o.supreme wrote:

Emerje wrote:Problem is Hasbro would have to go it alone. We're never getting Deluxe Insecticons for the same reason why we'll never get a proper G1 Jetfire remake: Takara Tomy can't sell it. The designs and original toys are owned by Bandai and Hasbro doesn't make anything anymore that isn't also sold by (or sellable by) Takara Tomy. So the only way the Deluxe Insecticons are ever getting made is if they look absolutely nothing like the original toy designs aside from colors just like Skyfire, to which I'd have to ask what's the point? Yes, they sold that tiny Micromaster Chop Shop with Megatron, but that was hardly recognizable as the Beetras design. They didn't sell the Legends Chop Shop at all.

Emerje

What about T30 Roadbuster & Whirl, did those not get ported over to Takara either?

Even still, the fact that CW Chop Shop was made, shows it can be done. I'm not sure how long this whole "Brand Unification" thing will last, but I'm thinking it will slowly erode over time to where both Hasbro and TT will begin making there own product again, in addition to the mostly shared line.

"Brand Unification" is nothing more than the figures between the US and Japan being identical. That's all. Packaging, release venue, production of exclusives, those are still up to the individual companies, like it has always been, except now TakaraTomy exclusives are more readily accessible via Hasbro, and vice-versa. If anything, all it does is save TakaraTomy time of creating new decos.

Anyway, that doesn't have really to do with the ability to release non-TakaraTomy designs as Transformers, and more with how copyright law can be interpreted (i.e. manipulated), especially when it comes to the genesis of any given design. Jetfire has a double whammy because Macross was adapted into Robotech for the US (licensee Harmony Gold likes being a troll with that), but Dorvack and Beetras were never imported. If the origin for any future Whirl, Roadbuster and the Insecticons designs can be legally set to be the Transformers line and not the Japanese original line (i.e. character design vs. toy design, really), Hasbro would be home free, and TakaraTomy can import that without trouble. I think the Japanese appreciate irony.

There is always a work around with the Deluxe Insecticons, by altering the design. Lean heavier into the Beast Modes and they become Legally distinct enough to avoid issue.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:There is always a work around with the Deluxe Insecticons, by altering the design. Lean heavier into the Beast Modes and they become Legally distinct enough to avoid issue.

These "bonus Insecticons" are really starting to gets on my nerves. They never appeared in any cartoons. Did they appeared in any comics? I mean in a significant way? Plus I had the opportunity to handle them at my local geek store and they feel like cheap-ass dollar store garbage compared to the real Insecticons. The fact that Bandai own 100% of the designs should also be the final nail in the coffin to ever see them again.

I can understand they still have their fan, "To each their own" and so on. But don't ever expect pure accuracy. So the logical step is for Hasbro to fist release the REAL Insecticons as individual DELUXES. Average Autobot car size. Then as a Select box set, the same Insecticons but retooled and repainted as the "Bandai" ones with enough differences that they kinda look like the originals but different enough to be their own thing.

TlDr; the Bandasecticons can only be retools/repaint in a "limited" release and will never be mainline.

I like the idea of a larger group representing the Insecticons. Yet, to look at them, I don't really think the designs as they were still hold up.



However, I think Hasbro already did remake them in a lowkey way. Minor redecos, a retool for Sea Clamp, and there you have your Deluxes...

-Kanrabat- wrote:So the logical step is for Hasbro to fist release the Insecticons

But they were already released during Prime Wars Trilogy. Just because they didn't satisfy your personal tastes, doesn't negate their release. Personally I go all the way back to T30. I'd rather have any character from 1984-1992 that hasn't been represented since 2013, rather than another of something that was already made. But again, that is just me. Personally I'm not even a fan of the Deluxe Insecticons, I just appreciate seeing characters get their due. I never got any micro masters back in the day because by the time they came along, I was done with Transformers. However those Earthrise Modulators were an awesome idea and got me to purchase representations of characters I never cared about before.

o.supreme wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:So the logical step is for Hasbro to fist release the Insecticons

But they were already released during Prime Wars Trilogy. Just because they didn't satisfy your personal tastes, doesn't negate their release. Personally I go all the way back to T30. I'd rather have any character from 1984-1992 that hasn't been represented since 2013, rather than another of something that was already made. But again, that is just me. Personally I'm not even a fan of the Deluxe Insecticons, I just appreciate seeing characters get their due. I never got any micro masters back in the day because by the time they came along, I was done with Transformers. However those Earthrise Modulators were an awesome idea and got me to purchase representations of characters I never cared about before.

They were released in the Prime Wars Trilogy, but they were too small. Many characters were released in that trilogy that have been re-released today with way better scaling and engineering. So not only having deluxe scale Insecticons would be awesome, they could use the base of these molds to release other characters as well.

And as they did with the current trilogy, mix in some "newer" characters as well. The golden ratio seems to be 3 classic characters for 1 new. The deluxe sized Insecticons are sure to sell. The oddball characters are always a higher risk.

-Kanrabat- wrote:The deluxe sized Insecticons are sure to sell. The oddball characters are always a higher risk.

For example...

o.supreme wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:So the logical step is for Hasbro to fist release the Insecticons

But they were already released during Prime Wars Trilogy. Just because they didn't satisfy your personal tastes, doesn't negate their release. Personally I go all the way back to T30. I'd rather have any character from 1984-1992 that hasn't been represented since 2013, rather than another of something that was already made. But again, that is just me. Personally I'm not even a fan of the Deluxe Insecticons, I just appreciate seeing characters get their due. I never got any micro masters back in the day because by the time they came along, I was done with Transformers. However those Earthrise Modulators were an awesome idea and got me to purchase representations of characters I never cared about before.

I see both sides of this.
Although, keep in mind it's not just one person's personal tastes that should be considered.
Go look up how fast some of the 3P original G1 Insecticons sold out.
I'm all for the obscure Insecticons getting their due, but selling the original 3 first is going to help make that happen.
It's also a case of there being good reason for the original 3 being made a couple times already; they're relatively popular.
Along with the fact that in this instance, what sells is going to be put as a priority. As Hastak starts to branch-out with the future line(s), they have to stick to "old faith-fuls" at least a bit.
Now, who knows, could the lesser known characters sell just as well? Maybe...
Doesn't seem as likely, but who knows. The bottom line is Hastak has a track record of playing it safe. Which is understandable. It took quite a while for them to start releasing characters with beast/creature alt modes. Some rode the coat tails of the combining gimmick. But even those (Terrorcons, Seacons, etc.) followed the original combiner teams. Predaking is a well-known and pretty popular character, which is why he was chosen for the Titan class combiner.
But it's still taken a while for the BW characters to get their due.
I'm sure the lesser known Insecticons will as well, but it may be some time.
Between what we're getting in the Kingdom and SS86 lines, Hastak has even more wiggle room for releasing the original 3, so it seems like a no-brainer that'll happen sooner than later.

If the rumors are correct, I'll be saving money next year.

-Kanrabat- wrote:They were released in the Prime Wars Trilogy, but they were too small.

I'm just curious, why do you think that? Because you think they should be deluxes? Would that make them better?

I wouldn't mind deluxe Insecticons, but I think the Prime Wars versions are very good, if there were new ones made they'd have to be perfect for me to replace the legends figures.

Asepticon wrote:If the rumors are correct, I'll be saving money next year.

Same... & I’m more than okay with that!!!
In the grand scheme it won’t be long until characters I’ve waited a long, long time for will be released.
With versions that are as close to my ideal as they may ever get.
I’m predicting in just under 3 years I’ll be making my collecting outro.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:They were released in the Prime Wars Trilogy, but they were too small.

I'm just curious, why do you think that? Because you think they should be deluxes? Would that make them better?

I wouldn't mind deluxe Insecticons, but I think the Prime Wars versions are very good, if there were new ones made they'd have to be perfect for me to replace the legends figures.

Better engineering, better cartoon accuracy, and better scaling. As they did since Siege.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:They were released in the Prime Wars Trilogy, but they were too small.

I'm just curious, why do you think that? Because you think they should be deluxes? Would that make them better?

I wouldn't mind deluxe Insecticons, but I think the Prime Wars versions are very good, if there were new ones made they'd have to be perfect for me to replace the legends figures.

Better engineering, better cartoon accuracy, and better scaling. As they did since Siege.

Plus getting to actually have accessories/weapons.

Sowndwave76 wrote:

Asepticon wrote:If the rumors are correct, I'll be saving money next year.

Same... & I’m more than okay with that!!!
In the grand scheme it won’t be long until characters I’ve waited a long, long time for will be released.
With versions that are as close to my ideal as they may ever get.
I’m predicting in just under 3 years I’ll be making my collecting outro.

I'm edging closer and closer to this point as well, I have almost everything I want from Studio Series and the War for Cybertron Trilogy, it's literally just six or seven more toys and I'm pretty much done. The thing is though, I've been at this point a couple of times in this hobby, first with Dark of the Moon, and then with Power of the Primes, I was at the "Just a couple more and I'll call it a night" point, but then Hasbro always did something with the brand that sucked me back in. That's why I'm so intrigued about Transformers: Legacy and its supposed inclusion of Prime characters, that would be enough to keep me around for at least a couple more years. I'll happily take the Arcee mentioned in these leaks, and I'd also appreciate a Bulkhead, Knock Out and (seeing as most of the posts in this thread mention Insecticons) a Voyager-sized Prime Insecticon with a couple per case for army building.

Munkky wrote:I'm edging closer and closer to this point as well, I have almost everything I want from Studio Series and the War for Cybertron Trilogy, it's literally just six or seven more toys and I'm pretty much done. The thing is though, I've been at this point a couple of times in this hobby, first with Dark of the Moon, and then with Power of the Primes, I was at the "Just a couple more and I'll call it a night" point, but then Hasbro always did something with the brand that sucked me back in. That's why I'm so intrigued about Transformers: Legacy and its supposed inclusion of Prime characters, that would be enough to keep me around for at least a couple more years. I'll happily take the Arcee mentioned in these leaks, and I'd also appreciate a Bulkhead, Knock Out and (seeing as most of the posts in this thread mention Insecticons) a Voyager-sized Prime Insecticon with a couple per case for army building.

I understand... I will say there's a chance that past 3 years from now I could still get a few, IF they're characters I've waited for and never happened before then.
However, it's getting easier and easier to stick to my guns... Especially with price increases...
I'm betting the Prime figures may be incredibly well done, but I know I'll resist opening that door.
Beyond what we know of currently, here are my wants:

Insecticons
Blitzwing
Astrotrain

The rest of the Dinobots, Perceptor, Blaster... I'm in for all of those as long as I like their looks. And it will be very tough for me to pass on a new Menasor.
I think I'll also be in for the toy version of Galvatron; he'll be my only Gen Selects figure.

But that's it, and then I'll be done-zo!!!!

Yeah, Blitzwing and Astrotrain definitely need to be redone.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Yeah, Blitzwing and Astrotrain definitely need to be redone.

I think part of the problem is these are tricky figures due to being triple-changers.
Personally I’m okay with the alt mode appearances being sacrificed a bit for a good-looking, more screen-accurate bot mode.
Ideally I see this working the best by making him leader class; voyager-sized with the extra engineering required to help make the best of the alt modes.

Sowndwave76 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Yeah, Blitzwing and Astrotrain definitely need to be redone.

I think part of the problem is these are tricky figures due to being triple-changers.
Personally I’m okay with the alt mode appearances being sacrificed a bit for a good-looking, more screen-accurate bot mode.
Ideally I see this working the best by making him leader class; voyager-sized with the extra engineering required to help make the best of the alt modes.

Also the fact Astrotrain was just released during Siege and re-released in Earthrise does not help his chances of getting a new figure so soon. If anything maybe a retool to look more earth based a la Ultra Magnus might the only thing we can hope for for a while.

Blitzwing might still make the cut in SS-86 since he was in the movie and is a popular character and has repaint potential.

Overcracker wrote:Also the fact Astrotrain was just released during Siege and re-released in Earthrise does not help his chances of getting a new figure so soon. Blitzwing might still make the cut in SS-86 since he was in the movie and is a popular character and has repaint potential.

My thoughts exactly. I think Blitzwing is a great opportunity for the SS86 line, though we just got a figure called Blitzwing in the regular SS. As for Astrotrain, it would be nice to get a screen accurate figure at the leader size. He was a pretty big bot after all.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Overcracker wrote:Also the fact Astrotrain was just released during Siege and re-released in Earthrise does not help his chances of getting a new figure so soon. Blitzwing might still make the cut in SS-86 since he was in the movie and is a popular character and has repaint potential.

My thoughts exactly. I think Blitzwing is a great opportunity for the SS86 line, though we just got a figure called Blitzwing in the regular SS. As for Astrotrain, it would be nice to get a screen accurate figure at the leader size. He was a pretty big bot after all.

I think that it wouldn't be too soon to have a SS'86 leader Astrotrain that is a "mini mp" with cartoon accurate modes. Meaning a clean shuttle mode and a train mode who don't have a tiny nose. Leave out the tender for more meant and engineering for him. As for the Siege/ER Astrotrain, he's the Cybertronian version. So the Earth mode can be the true "mini MP."

Overcracker wrote:
Also the fact Astrotrain was just released during Siege and re-released in Earthrise does not help his chances of getting a new figure so soon. If anything maybe a retool to look more earth based a la Ultra Magnus might the only thing we can hope for for a while.

Blitzwing might still make the cut in SS-86 since he was in the movie and is a popular character and has repaint potential.

But Astrotrain's re-release in ER didn't involve any retooling did it?
I know he's no where near as popular as Bumblebee, Prime, or Megatron, but he's pretty well-known in the realm of G1.
It won't surprise me at all if he gets another figure soon.
Not to mention, if nothing else, I could see them making a toy colors version released from Gen Selects like what we're supposedly getting with Galvatron.
This is a pretty smart way for Hastak to get a little more $$$ from figures that don't have easy repaint/re-tool options.

I'll be really, really surprised if we don't get a new Blitzwing within 2 years.

-Kanrabat- wrote:I think that it wouldn't be too soon to have a SS'86 leader Astrotrain that is a "mini mp" with cartoon accurate modes. Meaning a clean shuttle mode and a train mode who don't have a tiny nose. Leave out the tender for more meant and engineering for him. As for the Siege/ER Astrotrain, he's the Cybertronian version. So the Earth mode can be the true "mini MP."

This was part of my point.
I don't think it would be crazy at all to get another version very soon, especially if it's a whole new mold and a good departure from the Siege version.
It really is time for a lot of these characters to get some screen accurate figures...
I know there are people that hate the thought of that.
But there are a whole lot of people out there that are in favor of this!

Sowndwave76 wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:I think that it wouldn't be too soon to have a SS'86 leader Astrotrain that is a "mini mp" with cartoon accurate modes. Meaning a clean shuttle mode and a train mode who don't have a tiny nose. Leave out the tender for more meant and engineering for him. As for the Siege/ER Astrotrain, he's the Cybertronian version. So the Earth mode can be the true "mini MP."

This was part of my point.
I don't think it would be crazy at all to get another version very soon, especially if it's a whole new mold and a good departure from the Siege version.
It really is time for a lot of these characters to get some screen accurate figures...
I know there are people that hate the thought of that.
But there are a whole lot of people out there that are in favor of this!

I'd say the most likely route would actually be a retool/reshell of the Siege bot. Ditch the tender since he never had one in the cartoon and use the extra resources to fixing the rest. Use the base bot as the skeleton. Train mode is almost good as-is just fix the size of the front so that all the wheels have the same spacing. Dio this in a way that adds material to his feet and you can give him a little more height in bot mode. Shuttle mode can be as easy of a fix as a detachable "shield" panel that covers all the unfinished ugly of the top of the shuttle, this part can become a shield or just peg onto his back for bot mode. Or, if they have the resources they can re-do the arms to improve the shuttle mode. The rest would be just adjusting the finishing details and making whatever changes needed for the deco.

They already have the proper base of the bot and the general transformation worked out, I really can't see them reinventing the wheel.

o.supreme wrote:

Emerje wrote:Problem is Hasbro would have to go it alone. We're never getting Deluxe Insecticons for the same reason why we'll never get a proper G1 Jetfire remake: Takara Tomy can't sell it. The designs and original toys are owned by Bandai and Hasbro doesn't make anything anymore that isn't also sold by (or sellable by) Takara Tomy. So the only way the Deluxe Insecticons are ever getting made is if they look absolutely nothing like the original toy designs aside from colors just like Skyfire, to which I'd have to ask what's the point? Yes, they sold that tiny Micromaster Chop Shop with Megatron, but that was hardly recognizable as the Beetras design. They didn't sell the Legends Chop Shop at all.

Emerje

What about T30 Roadbuster & Whirl, did those not get ported over to Takara either?

Even still, the fact that CW Chop Shop was made, shows it can be done. I'm not sure how long this whole "Brand Unification" thing will last, but I'm thinking it will slowly erode over time to where both Hasbro and TT will begin making there own product again, in addition to the mostly shared line.

The difference is that Dorvack wasn't made by Takatoku, the rights belong to Fuji TV and Ashi Productions, the latter of which Takara Tomy has a good relationship with (Ashi produced Beast Wars II and Neo, Cybertron, and even animated some of G1). Takara Tomy even licensed out Roadbuster to Art Storm for repaints of their Dorvack line in 2014.

Beetras, on the other hand, was the creation of Takatoku with plans for it to be animated, but it never happened. Beetras would go to Bandai when they bought Takatoku in 1984 making them untouchable by Takara Tomy.

The Chop Shop that Hasbro made was just a Shrapnel figure with a new head and colors that Hasbro owns which doesn't infringe on anything, but apparently it was enough for Takara Tomy to pass on it (though to be fair this was also the time when TT was skipping a lot of Hasbro molds or pushing them on Adventures).

Also, brand unity is about more than just sharing the same decos, it's also about sharing budgets which I believe has given us some of our best figures of late in a long time.

Emerje

It is weird that 3P can make an exact likeness of a Transformer and simply release it under a different name, mostly without issue. But HasTak can't re-release stuff they originally did back in the 80's in a similar fashion?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is weird that 3P can make an exact likeness of a Transformer and simply release it under a different name, mostly without issue. But HasTak can't re-release stuff they originally did back in the 80's in a similar fashion?

Hasbro only licensed the Beetras molds from Bandai, they didn't buy them outright. And with Hasbro's relationship with Takara having strengthened over the years, it wouldn't be a good idea for molds owned by Takara's biggest rival to be sold in the toyline that Hasbro and Takara share with each other. Therein lies the bureaucratic mess.

A little foresight and they might not have shot themselves in the foot as they have, with the 80's line.