I know Hasbro has a bunch of properties besides Transformers, but TF is still one of their top brands especially for boys' toys and it's different from how it was even 10 years ago. A decade ago we had one major Transformers line, today we have....over 10? It just seems, Transformers-wise, they're spreading themselves really thin.

 

I thought the point of the Hub was to allow them to do stuff differently from Cartoon Network's mishandling of previous shows.

So if they allow Prime to fester into repeatsville and don't replace it with a new show in 2014 - and just go an entire year on Movie hype alone - that might not work out so well looking at consumer and retail apathy to DOTM.

If the 4th Movie is even slightly like the previous three then people will see it as more of the same.

It's odd I was only having a conversation the other day with someone saying it's strange that Hasbro didn't sell Repaints of Mudflap and skids either in navy Blue and Yellow colours or some colourscheme linked to the car company - instead they did nothing with those chracters beside release them once - no Buzzsaw either (with the better head). but we still got a avalanche of Bumblebees - I don't think either Bay or Hasbro can get past the idea of Bumblebee or Optimus as "Leading men" figures and they just see everyone else as unimportant.

I can't say I can easily speak for a 21st Century 7 year old but I can suggest that Jazz was only a secondary chracter in the 1980's but he's a fas favorite Autobot anyway now and that often dates back to peoples childhood.

What both Bay and Hasbro don't seem to get is that Dino/Mirage, Soundwave, Sideswipe, heck even Jetfire and Jolt could have been that if they'd any attempt to market them or do something very much with them.

I get almost excited when I see a T Shirt with Ratchet or Ironhide on it as it's so rare to see any Movie marketing image that isn't Optimus or Bumblebee. and most of the images that are not them are from the 1st Movie. you could say have a kids file folder with Jazz on it in 2007 - I never saw the same sort of thing with Mudflap and Skids on it. or Sideswipe.

That is one of the reasons I want the Dinobots to only appear in a Transformers movie once the rendertech is much cheaper and Bay has gone elsewhere. as I think looking at Devastator he simply doesn't either understand or even care about Transformers on a level above that of action and special effects or low rent comedy. and he did get talked into putting the Dinobots in a movie he'd completely fail to get them right either - and lets be honest they are hard enough to get right on the best of times - where more Dinobot stories have problems than ones that don't exist.

It is a shame though that Transformers Prime isn't really going to be able to get very far with Prime unless the make a deliberate choice to make a 4th season and just keep the seasons short - as all the ideas of Uber beasts and the 13 they are working towards will have little or no time to be delt with in such short time - especially when they wasted so much time on Macguffins and plot dead ends already.

 

They are getting released however its not to mass market only to TRU. Lots of areas do not have a TRU near by my closest one is almost 70 miles from me. That is one hell of a trek to try and find a figure that more than likely has already been scalped.

Heres a size comparison of a previous scout to a new TFP figure:



Breacher: 4.25"
Kup 4.75" (and yes I know he is mistransformed I like seeing his head)
Thrust 5 7/8"

I paid $7.00 for Breach, $19.00 for Kup, and $12.99 for Thrust. I'm sorry but $12.00 for half an inch is complete BS. For the price of a TFP figure I could have almost bought Thrust and Breacher.

The point I'm trying to make is they are expecting us to get less for more and gobble it all up with smiles just because its a TF item.

 

I don't see it as spreading thin as much as it evolving past being 'merely' a line of toys. While toy sales will always be a major part, Transformers has become a full media franchise not unlike Batman or Star Wars (which obviously aren't just about comics and movies, respectively); nothing really wrong with branching out, and seeing how Playskool's behind Rescue Bots and Oxford's behind Kre-O (and High Moon behind their games and Bay behind his movies and etc.) I doubt resources are being, well, stretched thin.

 

Realistically, kids are the main focus but its the adult collector who is the main buyer. It's pretty obvious when amazing Spider-Man movie toys, avengers toys are peg warming like mad. It's a new generation and hasbro doesn't seem to grasp that kids in the 90's are now adults and are buying there product.

A majority of kids play with sky landers, on there iPad, etc.
It's obvious as well hasbro is struggling to reach the kids especially since they don't produce any playsets which is a true indicator that kids aren't playing with toys like generations in the past.

The tmnt line which is by playmates has tmnt figures peg warming like mad as well. Adults are buying the classics 6", not children. Adults are even collecting the main line.

It's also hard when transfomers are more than $10 for a 5"-6" toy and case assortment leaves the best looking figure impossible to come across. Just like marvel universe, all the gladiators peg warming. It's a character kids have no idea about so that figure should be packed one per case as to appeal the adult collector. For transformers, all characters should be evenly distributed IMHO.

If hasbro wants to earn more they need to go after the adult collector. Gives us what takara does with there metallic paint jobs, better quality of mold and I can justify giving hasbro the $18.
I buy imports way more then I do
Domestic and that's because I get the bang for my buck.

If hasbro looks at the numbers of how much money is leaving the unites states and is going to honk kong buyers for Imports which are more expensive, hasbros jaw would drop when they see all the potential income they miss out on all on lack of paint, quality, and character selection.

 

^^^^^^^
I agree with what's being said. I used to collect other lines. Now I focus on Transformers. If the price increase would have been more reasonable and the size didn't decrease, then I wouls be more likely to buy more. Now I'm only focusing on show characters. I may purchase an extra figure or two for a custom, but I won't buy anythig else.

 

Kids love watching episodes over and over again? since when? I know when i was a kid i wanted to see new characters and plotlines not recycled old episodes. I recon this isnt gonna promote beast hunters too well if they are just re-showing the old series half the time kids are going to want the old toys sureley

 

yeah given the whole way Botshots are thrown in a different class and the lack of a movie I'm not shocked they declined.

I have to wonder if this was within an estimate or bellow what they were expecting.

I cant say Im really shocked tho *insert too many BB's here comment*

 

I am very concerned about the type of plastic being used in the latest Transformers lines, as well as the quality and size of the pieces. With each year getting worse, smaller pieces with a lower quality. Armada Starscream is sad to see next to Prime Voyager Starscream. It has improved joints at least.

 

Holy F*****g S**t this is f*****g genius! You win 1000 Internets for this idea!

 

That reports looks predicable.

If the numbers really dropped for two or more quarters then maybe they would pay attention to all the complaints, and make/reverse to the changes that many of their customers have mentioned, or do something exciting to boost their sales. This could be seen as a positive report.

 

Jesus, Hasbro lost 47 million on forex alone. Granted, that's not much of a surprise, but still, that's harsh.

 

I tell you why sales are down I easy answer


They don't ship to Canada !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Still waiting on transformers generations classis's from 2011
Show us that they rich cats don't care about sales

 

its actually been 6 months of considerable loss..i remember reading and seeing the reports around the beginning of summer..

 

to be fair horrid distribution is better then none at all. Im in the uk and we have nothing. The transformers sections are shrinking by the day. this is what has lead me to just buy masterpiece figures now. that and the fact the prime figures were terrible for the most part with a few exceptions. that is obviously just my opinion. They are not releasing main characters from the show and just repainting non descript characters as filler.

While i like generations the figures are just to small for me to spend on now so ive went masterpiece. Ive basically went from collectiong everyline to collectiong one. I cant be the only one that has done the same.

 

Hasbro Get a F#@king clue! if every single living american in the usa were to buy 2 bumblebees of any type... there would still be so many left that the people could go nuy 3 more each and still have the shelves saturated with Bees.... not only that with all the bumblebees you produce is single handedly killing the environment in both production waste, but lso the resources you all waste producing that little yellow satan.

 

While this is the intuitive answer, the result is somewhat more complex. Looking at the numbers out this quarter, we see that a 1% increase in revenue resulted in a 20% increase in operating profit. Now, it's a bit tough to know if that relationship is accurate, or if there were a number of cost-cutting measures OR unforeseen expenses, but let's take it at face value. That means that Hasbro's operating profits are, roughly, 4-5% of their revenues. That means that for every dollar they sell, four to five cents represent their profits.

It could very well be that their revenues (which are paid by the retailer, not the customer) are simply not flexible enough to absorb a price reduction at this time. After all, their profit on a 20 dollar figure is roughly 80 cents, using the above calculation, and they're already trying to make their money through volume. If they reduce prices on that figure by even one dollar, they begin selling it at a loss, and that's bad business.

The sad, simple truth is that, in a lot of cases, we simply aren't worth the effort in Canada. We're a nation with 1/10th the population of the US, with a geography that means the same, if not greater shipping costs, and additional increased shipping due to border fees and taxes. Retailers may simply not be willing to invest in the same volume of product that they do in the US.

 

Did it occur to anyone that they might just be having problems with the show itself, and that's why they are saying the show may end. I find it hard to imagine the toys are not selling, I myself and my husband collect things with Optimus, and anytime we are in the different stores they can not hold onto any Transformers stock specially Optimus and Bumblebee. I just purchased a new Transformers prime Optimus prime one. I have also found at the bookstores the books and graphic novels are always flying off the shelves. So I find this a little hard to believe, I believe for some reason they are either not able to come up with another season story lines for any other seasons OR the show has lost ratings. This is my opinion anyway

 

Firstly, in most TRU in the UK pretty much only have OP, Megatron and loads of bumblebee.

I'm pretty sure most kids who watch the show would have bought them. They need to stop making new versions of the toys and just produce/sell different ones.

In the 80s there were one version of each toy and thats it. You didnt have 2-3 different Starscreams and Bumblebees. They need to just produce more characters and introduce more characters in the show. I know they will be doing this in the Beast Hunters series and I suspect that their sales will go up then.