Interesting answers, some a little more detailed than I was expecting. The first answer should be useful the next time one of those "Takara does all the engineering and design" threads pops up. I liked the questions too, generally a lot more substantive than the ones that have been chosen for the board Q&A segments.

Although, with a little remolding, they could easily re-use Cheetor as Tigatron...

 

With a little remolding, they could have given Cheetor a proper gun instead of hunchback kibble.

 

That's what I immediately thought of when I read the first answer. "Then redo Cheetor!! ;-;"

 

They're saying "If you like something, buy it. If you don't, then vote with your wallet and don't buy it." It's not a suggestion to buy everything you see (and then complaining to them about it afterwards).

Since Hollywood Hoist has already explained why they mentioned collectors so many times in their answers, I won't bother repeating him, but the rough collector percentage thing was quoted by Hasbro at previous conventions. The point of what Hasbro was making was that collectors are a big enough market for them to listen to and take into consideration, but are not nearly large enough to depend upon for the franchise to be successful.

Are you saying that TFW2005's staff are totally "pulling it out of thin air" when they say it? Just because you are ignorant of the fact the quoted percentage came from Hasbro doesn't give you to right to claim that more knowledgeable members of this and other forums were making it up.

 

Interesting read.

 

A waste of 7 minutes of my life.

 

Hmm... I'd like more Wheeljack. But it's hard to vote with my wallet so he gets more attention from Hasbro when there's nothing Wheeljacky available to vote with it on.

I'd like to ask those engineers that choose the materials not to use that hard clear plastics for joints. TF:A Swindle gives me the worries whenever I twist his shoulders.

Still, some interesting stuff about development there.

 

YoungPrime is not amused.....

 

Please, just because your susceptible to Hasbro's every whim, doesn't make the rest of us eager to look at a brick wall and call it the 10 commandments.

Keep trying Jr. The only thing that pacifies me is "quality".

 

That's needlessly hostile.

 

For me Cheetor was a Big Failure to make a new Cheetor figure that is perhaps arguably worse than the original (especially the beast wars reissue version) is a little saddening - and regardless of the opinions on that my opinion is that it's still not as good as Night Slash Cheetor or Transmetal 1 or 2 Cheetor - it is perhaps a little better than the Beast machines Mega one - but that is a walking disaster so it's not to hard for it to be better than one of the worst beast Era toys ever made (in my opinion).

At least the new one can stand up properly and not chip it's head to bits when it's Transformed. - I don't care very much for the huge back kibble the lack of a gun and the poor design of the head and chest area or how the back of the panels lack for any detail - The robot arms don't really work very well or even hold his weapons that well - his spinny disks serve no useful function or have any historical significance and just make his legs look fat. not to mention his robot mode feet are underdesigned and he has a rubbish head. bot in the way the transformation work and the face sculpt - a pretty poor toy really.

It might have helped if they'd actually painted his beast Mode eyes on properly too. it's going to be super fiddly to fix that - he's rubbish but not only is he a bit rubbish he's also lacking loads of paint too - no blue paint on his robot legs and hardly any white on the cat mode - and the spots are only on part of the toy.

He might look better as "Tripredicus Agent" mind at least then the funny looking face might make more sense. and they could paint his inner legs a bit.

As you may have gathered I'm not a big fan of the mold - but It does I suppose have one arguable value in that it does Make Tigertron and Cheetor look a little more different from each other. and it does look a little better in beast mode.

It seems less successful than Dinobot though to me. and i'd still rather have a proper painted yellow and spotted Nightslash Cheetor.

I adore Beast wars - but to me Beast wars is partof the modern ear (ball joints) so you don't need to be remaking these Characters when they've not even made a modern Jazz or Wheeljack yet. (yes I know the Superlink one is a reasonable stand in - but still).

I'd much rather had a modern Triggerhappy or Misfire or something like that than Cheetor - heck we still haven't had an Autobot Triplechanger.

I can think of characters that didn't really work so well the first time that could have been redone such as Beast Machines Optimus Primal, BM Silverbolt & BM Tankor, DX Nightscream, for a start.
Heck i'd rather of had Cheetor thrown in the design dustbin and had them make an extra Retro ROTF toy in the terms of a better 1970's Bumblebee or a Protoform Bumblebee or Brawn, or Ironhide.

It annoys me a bit that Hasbro might come back in 2010/2011 with another Universe line ans Start the Voyager wave which Rhinox - it would have to be a pretty good toy to be worth doing as the Transmetal is Modern enough as a new version and the only one that makes sense to me is a 1996 style one only bigger with a better gun and head. but It's not something I feel I need - i'd rather have a decent Voyager Beast Machines Tankor & an ATV drone / Stryka.

If they feel the need to upscale things then upscale the Basics like Obsidian & Tank Drone, Cycledrone, to DX scale.

I still think that the only Soundwave that makes sense is Don's Dictaphone as it's an ideal way to justify the continued use of cassettes via takara Encore line - if Hasbro don't want to make it then Takara should - even if it is "Another Soundwave" . but if it's not Don's I don't see the need for a new Soundwave the MP3 one works perfectly as a classics stand in and unless there's a new cartoon that requires a new design it's just a wasted slot. at least backwards compatibility would give it a point (a point that makes device label Blaster so ideal). But otherwise do I need a Vehicle mode Soundwave ?

They might get away with a Missile tank loosely based on Red Alert/ Stalker I suppose as a homage to Machine Wars & Old universe Soundwave but again why bother ?

Make a good toy and people will buy it - they need to make things like Targetmasters or a new G1 Scourge or more Dinobots - those would sell and be interesting to people.

And unlike Overload, Dropshot & Heavy Load they have some brand recognition.

I still have to wonder if Universe Heavy Load had been green and sold as Mixmaster and Movieverse Mudflap had been Hook and also green would they have sold a lot quicker ? as both the 30 something parents and some kids would "expect" Constructicons to be green.

Didn't the Constructicon Universe Build team Repaints & Classics (Conniemax) Devastator sell quite well and they were Constructicon Green ?

How many people are saying to themselves I'm not buying the ROTF Constructicon pack for $99.00 or more (if you're outside America) but i'd really consider a G1 colored repaint ?

Personally I think it's complicated what to do I like Overload and Flak & Dropshot - but i'm still not sure I need 3 of that mold in quick sucession even if it is a nice mold.

 

 

FunPub talks about the process of making an exclusive pretty much every year at their panel during Botcon. It's not a big secret, unless you want to know which proposed exclusives were turned down by Hasbro.

-airfox

 

Far as I remember (and I was at BC'08), I don't recall seeing anything other than the vehicle mode seen more recently that looks like a small pickup truck with the scope mounted like a gun emplacement in the back. I could see that mistaken for a tank at first glance though.

 

it was a base mode. The back end of the truck flipped the wheels in and some computer consoles out in addition to the gun on the roof.