Title says it all - there have been alot of posts lately about how the brand feels like it has taken a turn for the worse, so if you feel that way then please share with us why that is.

 

Nope seems fine to me.

 

I found this hilarious...

 

Nothing. There are things that frustrate me, but nothing running the risk of killing my interest, and certainly the health of the brand seems very strong indeed.

As far as the toys are concerned, concept and design-wise I'm actually incredibly excited for what's on the way in Generations. I also rarely am bothered by these size and quality concerns that people have been bringing up.

 

Considering money is spewing out of my wallet and splattering all over Hasbro, TakaraTomy and 3rdparty products at a record pace, I'm inclined to say Transformers is doing just fine.

 

I was out of toy collecting for nearly a decade. Transformers got me back into collecting various lines again.

I think they are doing great.

 

Circling the drain? No one but the doomsayers are actually believing that.

However, any rational person is admitting that TF shelves are getting smaller, releases are a bit less frequent, and there's no big media push for it (other than Prime, which gets a LOT less exposure than any of the movies or even Animated).

It's not circling the drain so much as returning to a more natural position after the ridiculous swell caused by the movies.

 

Well, Transformers is just falling from the spotlight IMO. I think we're in a time of transition where Hasbro is trying to figure out new ways of giving us figures. I'm personally not affected by this, but I am preparing myself for a new age of Transformers collecting. I'll never stop collecting, but am ready to collect in a much scaled down sort of way with my interests going towards more 3rd party figures and Masterpieces.

 

Circling the drain...take a plunger, then TF4 pops out the drain!

 

Keep in mind that this is a bit of an interregnum. Ever since 2007 TFs have been on a boom cycle connected to the film releases.

Besides, who cares what a bunch of little kids are buying anyway?  

 

What's with the doomsday crap lately? Someone else thinks Transformers is coming to an end, period, in two years. I can understand the fanbase being a bit disgruntled of late because of the view of recent toys (namely the Prime mainline), but is it really that bad that we're leaping to "Transformers is going down the shitter"? I don't get it.

 

Nothing, Transformers is doing just fine, despite what the doomsayers are saying.

 

I really want to say something constructive here. Problem is, I don't feel this way. I think the idea is based on a perception that because the figures are smaller and cost more now that it gives the right to think that. It's a lull, and unfortunately, it's hot on the heels of a lot of changes to the material of the collecting community. The good news is, we'll start seeing the Wave 2 of Generations/FOC with our first combiner release since Robots In Disguise, we've just seen the start of the release for Masterpiece Thundercracker, with MP-10 on the way in December, we've got more Voyager Transformers Prime and Deluxes on the way, and more figures are lined up for the start of 2013. And that's just Hasbro, not Takara.

I totally get it, a lot of people (or at least a select number on the boards) seems to hate the Prime figures/FoC figures. I experienced a LOT of that during DOTM. It gave me time in between things I did want to find some older vintage pieces. If you ever wanted to have a really cool looking large collection of Transformers and figure out why the old stuff is still so cool, now is the time to do it. While everyone's jumping ship because they think that the company is 'circling the drain'.

I know I'm not sticking to the premise of the thread. I do agree that the smaller size and paint apps, quality control, and cost are something to complain about. But there have been far worse figures released in the past. Far, far worse. Maybe what we'll see is something else circle the drain. Like Bumblebee as an overstocked character.

 

I think there are some serious coordination and communication problems.

Running the Transformers Prime cartoon for almost a whole season with no toys on the shelf was a poor decision. Kids want toys they see. Example: Watching a cartoon, and seeing Bulkhead in action would make a kid want to experience an awesome Bulkhead toy. But no Bulkhead toy was available on shelves until what? The middle of season two?

Sure, arguments could be made that shelves were flooded with movie toys, and that retailers only wanted movie toys...but that's poor planning and sales. These products need to be SOLD to retailers as the next big thing.

Pulling the First Edition figures and replacing them with a new line probably lead to some confusion not just among kids and fans, but retailers as well.

The new line carrying quite a few "off-screen" characters as opposed to what children are seeing in the show isn't helping either. Children don't frequent stores as often as collectors, and may rely on other means to show parents what they want for birthdays or holidays. Watching a cartoon, I might want this bad@$$ Decepticon named Breakdown that I know turns into some kind of armored truck...but a kid probably wouldn't describe that crazy Halloween-colored repaint of Wheeljack that was no-where in the show at all. This is poor sales. If they are going to be making many "off-screen" characters, perhaps a way to show them off would be to make some small "webisodes" to show off how cool Hot Shot and Kup can be. Perhaps include them in some other media? This all revolves around timing and communication. Communication with IDW, or their webmasters, or their design team.

The extraordinary amount of time it is taking to re-release the First Edition toys we should have gotten in the first place is a complete waste. Almost every collector that would have wanted the figures already has them from other outlets. Parent's aren't going to buy their kids another $27 Bulkhead or Optimus Prime (Toys R' Us prices since they are exclusive to Toys R' Us). So in this case it's a matter of too little, too late. Smart communication would have lead a company to issue some kind of announcement on their website or Facebook page regarding the planned re-releases at an early enough point so that collector's and children aware of the awesome First Edition molds could have planned accordingly, and they would NOT have used other outlets for their purchases.

Another huge issue is the decline in quality of the toys...although that is definitely subjective, and does relate to the economy...so we really can't blame Hasbro per se. Quality has taken a huge step backwards in my opinion...with the plastic becoming thinner and more prone to stress, a more "hollow" feel, and lacking paint applications. The toys have gotten quite a bit smaller leading to less "bang" for your buck. There was a picture online that demonstrated the decrease in deluxe figures over time. Again...the economy, and the price of plastic plays a part in this. But maybe it's time for Hasbro to rethink the size classes.

Another example would be Fall of Cybertron...and again, it all comes down to timing. Anyone...kid, collector, or gamer that played that game would have left that game thinking "Damn! Grimlock and Metroplex were awesome!" They certainly were the highlight of the game. How those figures were not on shelves, is beyond me. Releaseing Grimlock in December/January is a joke. Gamers and kids will have already moved onto the next big thing. A bigger variety should have been available. Three Deluxes was a great start, but maybe a Voyager assortment, and some kind of game could have been made to promote the line. Hell...buy all 10 figures and get a PSN or XBOX Live code to download the Dinobot DLC Pack for free! Something. Anything to cross-promote products is where they need to be. Think about when the Dinobots are getting a push! They are featured heavily in a videogame RIGHT now! It's Dinobot Month in the IDW comics! Why isn't at least one Dinobot on shelves now? Why is there nothing to push product out there?

These are just my ideas and feelings, and I feel very strongly about them, as my collecting habits have certainly changed from a "BUY EVERYTHING" collector, to a "WHY DID I BUY THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE" collector. I'm selling more of my Prime figures due to sheer disappointment, but again, I now buy things on a toy to toy basis, and with more selectivity. I would love to see Hasbro improve. I'm still a fan, and I still collect, but at this point, some very poor decisions are being made by what I assume are some very highly paid individuals with no teamwork and communication.

 

if tf's can survive action masters, it can survive anything.

we're just at a low/slow point right now. if you're not down with the current hasbro offerings, save up for some 3P items to keep you busy.

I'm not happy with the current state of deluxes, but that's just one category of toys. MP TC is awesome, MP-10 is coming soon. TFP Voyager dreadwing rocks, and if you're into botshots there's plenty to collect, along with cyberverse if you're into that.

Looking at just one area where hasbro is kinda dragging it's feet and claiming doomsday is a bit premature, lol.

 

bring on the mps, other than them, nothing i want in stores until they put the quality back up,

being stuck on wave 1 for almost a year, with no restocks in this town, (we still have 6 out of the 8 from the case on the shelf i bought the wheeljack and soundwave that are missing) might account for it up here, that sort of thing helps the notions. also fe starscream, arcee, cj, and bee are still abundant in this town, but they've been restocked

while not going to go down the drain, it's not looking good either

 

No problems here. Enjoying the Prime line and looking forward to the rest of FOC. That coupled with a lot of Masterpiece and 3rd party figures to look forward to, I am spending plenty of money. I don't see anything "draining".

 

Sad, people think we need mega blockbuster movies these days to keep the franchise afloat. I think it was just fine before.

 

Pretty much my opinion on the matter. Frankly, I don't mind not having more things to waste money on at the moment, especially after coming off of almost five solid years of the most recent Transformers high point. Like Newton's third law; "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction", the franchise is going to have down times in order to compensate for the high periods. Truth is that the fandom was spoiled by what the movies brought, and now it's essentially going through withdrawal.

 

This captures my feelings better than what I was able to write. We got so use to an amazing amount of toys and merchandise that we're suffering right now with just a few gems coming out.