I don't think they're interested or see them as a real threat honestly. Collectors like us are a small fraction of the base. Most of the buyers are either kids or parents buying for their kids. I don't think the whole thing is worth swatting, at least to Hasbro.

Now if they did, catalogs like this (which are admittedly awesome) would simplify the job immensely. For a big corporation like Hasbro or Disney, you don't have to necessarily win. Bankrupting the company is enough. I can't believe anyone in the third party scene is making enough to really fight that fight.

Like I said, the catalog is nice. Maketoys is doing awesome stuff. But this all feels like poking the bear to me.

 

Agreed with others above ^ me. The "HasTak hammer" has been threatening to drop on 3P's for some time now. It's just not cost effective for HasTak to pursue 3Ps directly in all but the most blatant cases of KO'ing or design/IP/mold theft. Going after retailers (and therefore the 3P's indirectly) seems to be HasTak's preferred method when they bother to put up any effort to take action at all, which seems to be few and far between. Besides, HasTak is chasing that sweet China money at the same time so there's that too.

 

I think so long as third party tf's aren't being sold on western store shelves (especially in america) and being mistaken for official product by parents/children hasbro will continue to not give a crap.

Heck their company wide goal right now is to focus even more on making figures specifically for kids so they're paying even less attention than usual to what is going on in the 3p scene.

 

Well, whether it's by choice or not, my thing is that if they were going to do something, they likely would have by now. I just doubt something like an organized, non-print picture guide of products is going to be what puts HasTak "over the edge", if that makes sense?

 

I am fairly certian that less professional versions of these are already being sent to BBTS, TFS and the like for solication of new preorders

We just happened to get a glimpse of this, prolly cuz MT put more effort into this than any other one i've seen or heard of

 

Actually, from what it says in the catalog, it seems that he has 3 sets of arms. In addition to the standard pair, "he has two sets of hidden arms to assist him in operating multiple systems."

From the existing pics we've seen so far I've only been able to spot one set. Its easiest to see them in this pic with the "drill hand",



and you can sorta see some of it present on the right arm in this pic.



Then they disappear in this one,



and also here in the fourth pic.




There is speculation that the second set of hidden arms may be contained in his shins. There seems to be some bulk there that could be hiding something.

 

What? the secondary arms obviously fold out from the treads behind his shoulders.  

You can clearly see they're on a ball joint there.

 

  Not sure what you're getting at...

I clearly stated that, "Its easiest to see them in this pic with the "drill hand", but that is only the first set of hidden arms.

And as I already posted, in the description in the catalog it states, "he has two sets of hidden arms to assist him in operating multiple systems."

So it's the second set of hidden arms that have yet to be discovered.

 

Back in 2011 or 2012 Hasbro stated that only 10% of their overall sales were online sales, 90% of their sales were from brick & mortar stores. The majority of buyers are not collectors but parents/kids. Most of this 3rd party stuff is sold primarily online and bought by collectors.

3rd party stuff is only a threat if it's going head to head for similar prices to Transformers at brick & mortar. The way things have been, I don't think MakeToys presents any threat, iGear would probably have more to worry about if even.

 

Their new website has to be one of the most professional looking websites. Extremely well done!   Soooo much stuff in the catalog lol

 

not sure if this is what theyre referring to, but you can see running down each arm is another arm-length, hinged piece, which is also jointed at the elbow. it looks like it attached to that grey gun on his writs, seems fit to serve as a second set of arms.
once you see it, you see he's got an entire second set of shoulders and everything.
im surprised few people have mentioned his eyesight thingy.

 

Completely agreed.

 

Thanks for highlighting that. Its exactly what I was trying to point out in my original post in this thread a couple pages back, http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...-maketoys-product-catalog-7.html#post11074556, as well as in the dedicated Quantron thread a few days ago, http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...-quantron-not-computron-219.html#post11061103.

But what I am also trying to point out is that this is only the first of two sets of hidden arms, according to the MT catalog's description of Sonic Drill. And I am speculating that the second set may be hidden in his legs/shins since they seem bulky enough to be hiding something there.

 

hey guys what are the figures in the concept art supposed to be?

 

Three wishes. (1) That Utopia wasn't so pricey. It's gorgeous in person. (2) That Yellow Giant was getting a release using the improvements made to Green Giant. (3) That they would release the Shattered Glass deco for Giant and as a gift set. I'd be all in for all of these.

 

Thank you. The link in the first post doesn't work anymore so I wouldn't have been able to get it if you didn't put this up.