I'll repeat what I said on the Preview panel thread

I don't understand why can't Hasbro just buy the molds from Fan Project which gives Fan Projects more money for more custom add-ons to toys while Hasbro finally can give fans the satisfaction of Autobot triple-changers while not being lazy about making the whole triple-changing Autobots.

UNLESS they're finally making one, but I doub t it.

 

If Hasbro does try to stop them then I will try to get those figures as quickly as possible as they may become very limited

 

Right, like that beast combiner that FP also previewed, from as far as I could tell, it wasn't really based on any pre-existing characters, so they could probably still do that. But figures that are blatantly based on a copy wreten character like Springer,(Doesn't matter if you call it by another name.) that's just too far.

Well remember, they havent yet actually said what actions they are taking. For all we know, they just might be considering that idea.
Or maybe hire the FP guys on as toy designers.

Or they could be getting realy to sue the pants off FP, we don't know.

 

Hahahahaha. Is there no thread you can't make better or win? Yeah there are just some thing you should be like OK so not going to that. That is what happened with the mini Classics Megatron. They canned it due to it being to close to the actual toy. Did they really think oh a full blown fig would okely dokely?

That would suck but then again can they stop someone from selling those goods. I mean Big Lots and Family Dollar like stores sell straight up knock offs and Hasbro hasn't done anything about that. Granted that the sell and money made oft these Knock offs compared to what Fanprojects companies make are very very much different. Like astronomically different.

I was thinking the same also, but it then occured to me that the only way to get an Ultra Magnus is either second hand or thur online retailers companies like toywiz, bbts, or where ever. Hasbro doesn't see a penny for figures sold that arent by the retailers like Target or WAL-Mart if it's second handed.

It might be just that. Some fans are more willing to pay 300+ for a cooler looking fan made as opposed to another $20 repaint of Springer. If I did that that would mean hasbro would be seeing a dime from me for like 3-5 months because I just dropped a chunk on a fan made figure.

Thanks god it didn't have any of those. 

 

As logical and sweet as it sounds I just don't seeing that happening.  

Very true what AMS said, it's sad that some people feel that Hasbro doesn't have the right to protect not only their own company but also us as fans of the franchise. It could possibly get so out of hand that Hasbro could be like "Sorry folks gotta pull back on this line because you guys keep buying fan made stuff"

I read somewhere on here that someone said he has spent more on Aftermarket upgrades this year than he has actual Transformers.

 

The moment I saw they were making full figures I knew Hasbro was about to be all over them. Accessories aren't hurting anyone and in fact they can help sell certain toys but when you start making full figures you're stepping on Hasbro's toes. Let's just hope they can settle this without having to take it to court. I'm not sure about the rest of you but I'd like to see more accessories from fansproject in the future.

 

They could also cut a deal with them to actually given them license to do stuff. FP would get to use actual TF lore and symbolism, maybe even use to distribution/manufacturing resources. Hasbro would get some sort of licensing fee or percentage. It's a bit far fetched, but it's an option.

Consider this: With Magic: The Gathering, they gave license to Ultra Pro to use symbolism and artwork from the game for roughly the same thing.

Also consider: Apprentice, an online way to play Magic, was originally taken down because it threatened the intellectual property. The aftermarket solutions had to be creative with being generic after that, but a few years later they worked with a company to produce Magic: Online.

 

I would say FP better leave this business if Hasbro is coming after those aftermarket kit makers. It is just not worth the time to chit-chat with big companies like this to make any agreements on high-cost kits. Selling mold dies to other companies to make more with cheap plastic will also be a bad move... for that will be an insult to the designers and their work.

If Hasbro gets their head in FP's production, not only they will be working on a tighter budget but may also getting into many licensing problem that might get even worst then what they had with TFCon.
Making kits as a hobby (I think they did mention about each of their members does have a full-time job other then FP) is fun. But working under lots of restrictions is not fun anymore.

I only heard fans recognizing the new lineup as "Springer" and "Wreck-Gar"...
Is that really it or somebody else like the repaints from Hasbro's toy line-up?
Not until there are more pictures of the actual thing or it will be very difficult to say.
I guess "Resemblance" in feature is the key to all this?
If they have a "smart-looking" head like Gundam and with a different color pattern that look like a Scoopdog from Votoms for the "Protector" robot then what should I call it... Springer? GunDog? haha.
And,
who said transformable vehicle/robots = Hasbro's Transformers?  

 

With some of the great stuff the fan project groups out there are doing, by all rights Hasbro should be hiring them as designers. But then a lot of the stuff they make are add-ons that Hasbro couldn't really do for the non-diehard-fan mass market.

 

(This might've been mentioned already, so I apologize in advance.)

FP is making add on kits for preexisting figures.
FP is making whole figures based on preexisting characters.

Why not make a melding of the two?

Instead of full figures, why not make add on kits that would modify and update the originals?

Give Wreck-Gar, Springer, etc articulated limbs, torsos with a waist that moves, updated weapons and accessories to fill in the blanks.

That way, the fans can still have their updated figures, Hasbro's designs aren't infringed upon, and there's no legal boundaries being crossed by add on kits.

And before anyone says "Well who on Earth would want that?" Well, figures like Wreck-Gar tend to be a dime a dozen on eBay if you can find one missing all of it's accessories. FP's kit could take care of all of that and then some.

And we don't have to worry about pleasing the masses or having great amounts of trouble finding the figures we need, because only serious collectors will buy the kits and scour eBay for the junker bots to make it work.

I realize a lot of you may find this silly, but it could work. Look at what our fellow Radicons can do with a preexisting figure/mold. Imagine what a group of hardcore business minded folk could do with our money, and figures just begging to be modified.

A screw driver, a bit of super glue, a bit of paint to touch up worn spots, and an FP upgrade kit, and you could have a G1 figure that's ready for the 21st century, while still retaining it's link to the past, and it would be all above board and nothing for Hasbro to bitch about.

And seriously...at that point, if they bitched about an add on kit of that nature, then they're pretty fucked up.

 

I don't see what the big deal here! If anything, I think its a win-win situation. I mean, you can't have one over the other when you need them both to form a bad-ass toy for grown men.

If Hasbro really wants to be on top of their game, they need to get their heads out of their ass and work smarter, not harder!!

 

Even with the prospect of FansProject making some full figures, I'm not too sure Hasbro could have a case against them. If the figure is question is both an original mold of FP and not using trademarked Hasbro character names, symbols, or other property of Hasbro, I'm don't understand how they'd have a case.

Now, I admit I'm not a legal expert at all, but I just don't see how Hasbro would have a case, even with these proposed "Springer" figures. I believe that as long as the FP "Springer" wasn't named Springer and it was an original FP mold, how is that mold now Hasbro's property and how have they been wronged? If anything wouldn't FP have a right to say that it's their mold and therefore, their property?

If there were a case at all, perhaps it would strictly come down to the legal definition of a sketchy term like "likeness."

The only true legal action I can see Hasbro really going after are the KO manufacturers--which they kind of already have started doing. And that's fair.