Anyone else interested in Hasbro revisiting the Pretenders line next? I think it's a long shot, unfortunately, but hopefully we can get some supporting posts here to make a case for their revival! Pretenders are really a great way to compete with other toys, too: they're basically TMNT/MotU toys with a TF inside! The outer shells would be relatively cheap to produce, and the inner toy would be small and simple. Considering the higher costs of material/manufacturing, Pretenders are a logical move for the brand: smaller TF toys that incorporate cheaper product like Hero Mashers. But at least with Pretenders, it wouldn't feel like Hasbro was cheaping out because these toys were meant to look a certain way. The antithesis of this is for Hasbro to either scale back on TF production (given poor sales or general decline) or to shrink the toys anyway (without the benefit of shells!). If Hasbro would consider reviving (or introducing, really) the Pretenders cartoon, I think sales could be phenomenal with kids. I suppose they could introduce a Toy-to-Life gimmick, as well. Maybe put a chip in the inner TF toy? Anyone else on board?
Give me some Pretender Monsters without the shells. The shells were not bad looking but I really, really don't need a bunch more rubbery plastic in my life.
Rubbery? Were the monster shells rubbery? I was really thinking of the main line as an example, not the 2nd gen Monstructor pieces. The Hero Mashers aren't rubbery. I don't see why they couldn't use that plastic.
They are pretty rubbery compared to like the hard plastic of the other shells. My Scowl is getting the wonderful plastic rot happening. Bristleback is still good but I don't really want any new shells. I just want the pretender monsters to be an actual combiner again.
I would guess that Oilmaster, Ape Optimus Prime and Grand Maximus Megatron are the only new Pretenders we're going to get, I'm afraid (and Grand isn't even new, just the old shell from Grand Maximus that was meant to hold a completely different robot than Legends Megatron.)
The Pretenders were a 1988-1989 line. So based on how Hasbro has been handling this, wer should hear something by 2017. And have this see returns, etc. by late 2017 to early 2018.
I think Pretended should be brought back similar to ROTF Bludgeon, where the robot mode resembles the shell and the vehicle mode is that of the robots. That said though, TFSS Bludgeon is my favorite So far. If Thunderwing returns he will transform too.
I kinda like this idea but they would need to do some refiguring for the Autobots so we don't end up with a bunch of astronaut looking dudes.
Only 2 I would be interested with the shells are Skullgrin and Bomb-burst.... I could do without the rest. Metalhawk and his autobot crew are fine with just a jet alt mode
Unless the toys are somehow updated, and there's really no reason why they couldn't be, I'd want less than nothing to do with this. The original toys were just way out there, for me. But for modernizing them, I can't see why they couldn't make a realistic figure, but lo and behold you've got a transformer robot inside. But really, it would just look like some kind of metal skeleton anyway. If it's too big of a bot, you end up with the pudgy toys from yesteryear. But done with a little work, however...I'd still have no interest but at least it could be somewhat cool. Maybe work the whole 'alien paranoia' angle, I don't know.
Updated toys of Pretender characters? I can get behind that. Updated Pretender gimmick? I feel like that was at the time when Transformers was about to, or had jumped the sharkticon, so I'm a little dubious. I mean, the inner robots barely counted as Transformers, so there is that. Thunderwing had his shell able to transform and combine, so that's the only way I'd like to see it done. Maybe make the shell more like armor, as in not cover every part of the figure, and have the segments connected by flexible pieces, that would work.
I would absolutely love Hasbro to bring back Pretenders. But please not in that lazy cheap generations thunderwing or rotf bludgeon copout way. If they give us updated Pretenders they should give us updates for both the robots and the shells, and both should have decent articulation: i'm not talking waistswivels here but elbows, shoulders, knees, hips and head should have articulation. I posted my ideas about how this could be done in another thread a while back. The most viable idea to me seemed to update the shells into voyagersized transformers much like the mega Pretenders where transforming shells, this way people who hated the nontransforming shell idea might get an interest. The inner robot would have to be a legends toy that can be attached to the voyager as a backpack. All in all it would no longer be a case of the robot wearing the shell as a dusguise - wich i think we all felt to be a dumb idea - but the robot wearing the (transforming) "shell" as armor or as a powerboost.
As much as I like the traditional shells, I think the best option would be to have the human/alien part as armour that completely covers the robot inside but instead of simply splitting in two it disassembles into multiple parts revealing the inner robot. Then the parts of the shell can be re-assembled into a vehicle or beast for the robot to ride or something. Perhaps the shell parts could be interchangeable so you can create your own shells or vehicles a bit like Hero Mashers.
I hated the pretenders. if they found a way to do them differently, like clip on organics, I may be interested
No thanks. I don't want the only mainline Transformers that still have some semblance of quality to become simplified, nor do I want to pay extra for them to actually be well made, just so G1 toys can pretend to be organic. If Hasbro wants robots in disguise as organics, they should skip straight to the great upgrade so we can get some BW toys. They don't require giant shells.
