Ok I'm lost.....So what you're saying is any offhand Company that gains licensing from Hasbro/Takara to make figures based on characters CAN use their names and looks but CAN'T have alt modes, am I finally catching on?

 

Yes! Actually, I don't know what are the exact licensing terms, but I have seen mentioned several times that Habro/Takara doesn't give licenses for transforming toys, and I never seen a licensed 3rd party figure with an alternate mode (actually, there is a licensed Optimus Prime that transforms into a pen ad was already mentioned by mx-01 archon, but we can agree that is a different case).

 

I don't think they got the colours right and it's proportions are very unusual - a proportionally squat tiny body on full sized legs, it just looks wrong to me, but if you like it than that is what matters for you. Also, any Takara product I have bought in the past few years has been terrible, very floppy and poorly designed, and extremely overpriced. Also, after they screwed up the paint on blue Bluestreak on almost every copy and decided to ship anyway, I basically decided to stop supporting that unreliable company.

 

I was referring more to the quality and materials of the figure itself rather than whether or not it's going to transform.

 

What about all the Fast Food Toys from days of old? I fucking love my Armada shitty McDonalds Combiners lol.

 

Never saw any of them here in Italy 

 

That's a shame. They knock the recent Fast Food toys out of the water.

 

"Third party" Transforming robots should really be called Unlicensed.

 

I'm Italian too and I remember them being released there too, I still own Starscream and Cyclonus IIRC. Of course we didn't get the entire line, only Optimus Prime, Hot Shot, Starscream and Cyclonus (missing Red Alert, Smokescreen, Megatron and Demolishor)

 

What about e-hobby? They're Takara toys. That's first party.

 

I'm more and more ashamed by the quantity of Transformers toys I missed in my life.

 

ooh didnt kno that's what you meant. Makes sense

 

Having just gotten closer look of the figure from the pics posted at Winter Wonderfest, I now have to agree with you.

 

But do the Fast Food toys count as 1st or 2nd party?

 

2nd party is the customer. Would either be 1st or 3rd. All depends on if they carry the full branding and what market they fall under.

A happy meal style tie-in figure with full TF branding would be done with full approval by Hasbro and are made intentionally as a promo item that McDonalds or whoever paid a lot of money to make. The distribution of the fast food items also doesn't impede on the toy aisle figures.

If you're referring to the Happy Meal Changeables then if I remember right they were not Transformers brand and don't fall under the licensing conditions current official licensees must adhere to - like no transformation gimmick.

 

No, it's called a mistake.