Looking more closely, that looks exactly right! While that makes sense, I’m kinda not into the full on head re-use idea. Though I’m sure we could get even more accurate faces through shapeways or something if we got figures of these guys.

 

Or the best you'll get is a new head.

I do hate to be the downer I am, but that's the more likely of the two. Just straight redecos just like how we didn't get any remolds on Classic Rodimus back in the day to make him closer to Wildrider

 

you realize that hasbro is going back to paint right? and you realize takara made the decision to use hasbro versions right?

 

I'll be even more of a downer and point out that this is just a couple of online chapters for the comic that are wrapping up some dangling plot points, and that they've had potential new repaints/retool characters appear in these comics before that received nothing toywise and very possibly never will.

 

I still want that Bludgeon they showed. Just reused parts from everywhere, but dang, it worked

Speaking of 'worked', I'm honestly surprised how well Sureshot works from Full Tilt. We knew Kup was going to end up as a potential Crosshairs the moment we saw him, and most people called Pointblack from Hot Rod early, but that Full Tilt works far better than it should

 

I've got an extra HR TM for a Pointblank repaint. If they do it for me, heck yeah.

 

Lol don’t drink the Kool-Aid, brotha!  
JK, but also there is definitely more to the Takara “decision” that’s not public—it’s technically a business “win-win” for both companies to use the same packaging/spec as it really reduces costs and streamlines the factory operations, but TT has always been more of a “fans-first” company, so it’s still a very uncharacteristic decision. Anyway, that’s all water over the dam, & as you said, they’re going back to paint, I just happen to feel (as a fan) that if we can get more varieties and more options seeing as there are two different companies making Transformers, then why wouldn’t we want that??

 

personally i think part of the decision for brand unification comes down to the targetmasters. if hasbro was already planning them for siege during titans return (which seems likely) but takara went ahead and made their own, then that is loss of sales for hasbro due to the two companies not communicating, if that makes sense

 

To interject I also believe hasbro believed that people were buying out takara stuff over the hasbro stuff which I think was another cause for the brand unification.

 

On the flip side it also does benefit takara in that production is cheaper if they aren’t reengineering molds left and right so it’s not all hasbro

 

This. Do you think Hasbro was scared to lose their sales to Takara?

 

I don’t quite believe it or know if it’s true but I’ll take it as a reason.

 

i mean, takara develops the engineering in the first place, developing a single version of the mold + built in retool is cheaper than taking said mold + built in retool and remaking parts. example would be kup, takara spent extra money redoing not just the face (as was typical with their releases) but also the arms and the added targetmaster. it would have been cheaper for them to just use the hasbro mold. titans return is the first line to have major mold differences from hasbro on a consistent basis, nearly every figure had something different so nearly every figure had takara putting at least a little extra money into it

 

And it was all a cool and worthwhile addition. We got some amazing sculpt and paint work. I will miss it though.

 

agreed, i did like the differences, but i get why they stopped. one definite benefit of the brand unification is the availability of exclusives. even the sdcc throne is getting released by takara and thats pretty awesome

 

Agreed. And also with masterpiece prowl+ getting a release and also possible other mp’s as well.

 

exactly. regional exclusives were pretty cool (usa alpha trion, takara leo prime etc) but its a bit better when everyone has access to everything, even if it reduces the total number of characters

 

I don't think brand unification would prevent TT from producing the Targetmasters as TTMall exclusives. The point of these repaints would be to make them Headmasters, consistent with the Decepticons. WfC Autobot Targetmasters would probably NOT be Headmasters, be greebly and therefore would not fit in with the previous aesthetic. Chances are, most collectors would buy both, not one or the other, thanks to the fact that both sets of figures would serve two different purposes.