So then, Hasbro have revealed that they have a Generations Superion in the works, and have declared that 2015 is the 'Year of the Combiner' presumably based on the success of the many versions of FOC Bruticus.

Whilst this declaration is rather vague, and they haven't announced whether this will amount to just Superion, or whether they have several combiner teams in the pipeline, will this revelation affect your purchase of any of the current or upcoming 3rd party combiners?

We all know that combiner teams are certain 3rd party companies bread and butter. Will this put paid to them continuing developing combiners, or do you think that it will be business as usual, or indeed an opportunity to create add ons?

Certainly, it will give me pause for thought now before purchasing any future 3P combiner, as the almost certain attitude of 'Well, Hasbro will never produce this' has with this announcement been replaced by 'Hasbro may very well be producing this soon.' although of course, Hasbro will definitely have to up the quality of their combiners from FOC Bruticus, which definitely needs a 3P upgrade to make it anything close to decent.

 

Did they? I mean, from what I read they showed a Superion silhouette and said "that's the theme", but that could just as easily mean "year of the jets". (unlikely, but my point is I don't think we have an overt statement from them of exactly what the theme is)

Anyways----it will make little difference for me personally. There's little chance of voyager-sized limbs like many 3P companies are doing. Hasbro may give us combiners, but not of the size/complexity many 3P fans desire.

And Superion----deluxe jets? They're going to be as kibbly as TFC Blackbird is, in jet mode. We've seen Hasbro's last 20 years of making deluxe-size jets---and very, very, very few have been sleek at all. And now they have to add in limb-modes and possibly hands/feet. And just from my own look at the silhouette, it sure looks to me like they may be doing a somewhat Energon-style mold-sharing between the limbs. (because both arms look to have identical Harrier-style nose/canopies)

I may very well buy a Hasbro version of a combiner team I only "sorta" like vs spending hundreds for a 3P version. But for the teams I really like (which is most of them)----I want a large, complex, "awesome" version of them. And Hasbro is unlikely to deliver that.

Hasbro just did Abominus recently, he's unlikely to be done again any time soon, even in "year of the combiners". Same for Bruticus---Hasbro already did FoC. 3P companies are almost certain to do the first/better versions of G1 Bruticus and Abominus.

 

I doubt anything they do will be as awesome as Green Giant or Feral Rex, imo. Those toys wouldn't exist if Maketoys and MMC respectively had to conform to toy safety standards.

That being said, I am looking forward to that Superion, since TFC's Uranos doesn't cut it for me.

 

People will rage about how sucky it is, and will still buy it.

 

Hasbro aint gonna top the 3rd parties, ...keep buyin toys meant for kiddies under 13 brehs.

 

I do wonder if there's a chance of us getting a MP combiner next year - the takara designer likes saying how much he likes bruticus and we're supposedly getting some more decepticons after the currently announced stuff so I'm hopeful about that.

 

Will wait and see what Hasbro's combiners look like. But that won't prevent me from buying 3rd party combiners.

 

So a single silhouette is a declaration of an entire years worth of combiners to topple the 3rd parties combination wars?

Seems legit

 

Which kind of worries me----they are going more and more toon-accurate as the line goes on. But just look at like, Superion and Bruticus' legs. They're rectangles, little more. That is not what I want my combiners to look like. Devy's not much better---a rectangle with a mixer barrel/shovel.

Going for a toy-based look would be a major shift in the line's aesthetics at this piont.

(ironically, my desire for a toon-accurate chest/transformation for Bruticus is high---using Blast-Off's wings for the chest-plate solves so many issues both with scale/mass and means you don't need a separate piece to haul around as a trailer)

 

I hope they can do better combiners than green giant and computron. I saw computron this weekend at the Ages 3and up booth. That look so badass.

 

Once I heard they were doing Superion I immediately began thinking of an add-on set that would make it awesome.  

 

what "success" of FOC Bruticus?

 

"Success" != "adult collectors thought it was high-quality and desirable."

"Success" = "it sold well enough."

Please do remember that Hasbro's primary market remains children. Terrible figures for us can still be enough fun for kids.

 

I see nothing but positive coming out of this 'announcement' regarding Hasbro's 2015 agenda. I wouldn't read into it too deeply assuming they plan to produce nothing but combiners or something equally as limiting, but I'm sure they'll do at least Superion.  

I just hope they've learned from the floppy and Franken-former mess that is Bruticus/Ruination, as I hate the idea of having to wait on an upgrade kit to make the figure not an abortion of a toy. That said, if Hasbro feels that their formula for combiners worked astoundingly well the first few times- and of course production price point always being an issue- they may simply rinse and repeat for 2015 with Superion.

My guess is we'll see an actual pic of Superion by SDCC and hopefully at that time we'll have a better idea of what we're in essence dealing with.

We'll never see a combiner of that quality from Hasbro- I repeat never. Maybe if Takara does a balls out gorgeous $2k edition or something, but at the retail price point it's just not going to happen.

That said they do work miracles even with their mass produced figures, so maybe they'll still be able to split the difference nicely between 3rd parties quality and what we've historically seen from Hasbro's larger scale efforts.

 

I think they will be fine if they go with the G1 style of the middle robot being a voyager and the limbs being deluxes. Having 5 deluxes was a terrible idea.

 

I cant wait to see what Hasbro has up there sleeve. while foc Bruticus was terrible it still found a way into my collection(mostly for the individual bots). It would be nice if different designers did preliminary sketches and give us fans a choice of which one we like best. Kinda like what they did in Japan for Starsabre. Make it a completion between the design teams who ever wins gets to finalize the design. of course safety and budget would have to be considered first but that also makes it more challenging.

 

where is this silhouette? i dont see it in the news section.

 

Hater's gonna hate but if 2015 truly is the Hasbro Year of the combiners, and Generations is taking a big IDW theme these days, please please PLEASE give me this:

 

Hell, Hasbro could save a few bucks and just make a Hook leg and Prowl chest/head for Hercules.

Sadly, Hasbro making an add-on for a 3P combiner would be so Bizarro World that it will never happen… even though it woild totally blow people's minds!




So some 3P really needs to get on that whole Hook leg and Prowl chest thing.