So not too long ago there was this mystery "Mission Vision" assortment listing.

And we also had mystery "Red Lightning" and "Stryker" listings from Amazon.

Turns out they're one and the same.

Mission Vision Bumblebee


Mission Vision Shatter

 

So... a line consisting of a gimmick that's basically a disk inside the toy along with a scope-like feature in the back? Well. That's something.

But yeah, still no heavy focus on the articulation.

 

this line looks good
nice and simple

 

(psst, it's called Studio Series)

 

Thats a really stange head on that package image for Shatter..

 

It's her battle mask. Her deco is really underwhelming on that figure.

 

Bumblebee really needs a supportive bra going by these pics 

 

We've always had a few rubbish toys, but up to the mid 00s, there was still enough quality toys that made the youngest of kids into lifelong fans. People my age whine about Armada. Yeah the cartoon was bad, but they had so many big chunky fun toys that held up.

Flooding shelves with cheap cash grab isn't going to help make a new generation of little Transformers fans. These kids will only remember cheap toys that broke after a couple of days and was never messed around with again. Messing around with the Bumblebee movie toys and Cyberverse line so far, they all feel like dollar store knock offs.

 

A lot of the gimmicks seem to be there for the sake of it, and don't really enhance the toys so much as hinder transformation etc. Maybe kids just don't find figures that simply transform interesting enough, but the gimmicks always seem intrusive. It seems to be the way lately, though, that any Hasbro non-colector figures have to have some kind of gimmick going on. I think if I was a kid now, the titan changer might be the most appealing Shatter figure as it just transforms and looks reasonably good compared to this one and the Energon Igniter toys.

 

Imagine how many more cool studio series figures we could have if Hasbro didnt waste money on these damn simplified figures ? The "kids" that are not too busy playing with video games want to play with big boy Transformers, not this crap. These things just warm the walmart and target shelves and end up in Ross and TJ Maxx. Just putting it out there, straight up.

 

You do realise that's not how it works.
Though they could've spent the time time taken coming up with all the gimmicks a little better, admittedly.

I think if they just made figures that are less complex than Generations but still with a decent amount of articulation, paint and both modes looking decent then they'd still have the distinction between kids' and older fans' lines that they seem to want.

 

I agree, I think they should do something like that. Figures that are affordable, but also keep the basic articulation like elbows and knees so that the toy is not just a plastic "brick" in the shape of a character. It's been a while since they were produced, but something similar to TF Animated Activators.

 

Or even Warrior class figures like RID had. Same size as Generations deluxe, but less complex and fiddly. It's like they almost had the right idea with the Cyberverse figures, but then had to force in an action gimmick.

 

That's a better example. I didn't buy any myself, but that had more to do with the aesthetic than the engineering. Some of them, like Bisk and Quillfire looked impressive despite the simplicity.

 

We dont need dumber toys. We need smarter kids. Im not saying kids dont still play with toys by any means. But I do believe Hasbro is is losing in denial of the reality that Transformers is becoming more of a teen and man child hobby while actual kids move into tech toys like ipads, video games, and RC cars. These things clog the shelves every movie and Hasbro doesnt take notes. Nobody ends up buying them in the huge numbers Hasbro pumps them out every time. Maybe these things do better in 3rd world countries where everyone is broke but they chose to have 5 kids. Hasbro should market them there instead of making a giant display of junk figures at walmart and target. Thats my opinion anyways.

 

The stores and wholesalers buy them in huge numbers, that's when Hasbro recoup their money, and stores still stock them despite seemingly slow sales.And to be fair, where I am, Generations/Premier Edition/Masterpiece (when we still had TRU) clog shelves just as much as gimmick figures due to the higher prices. The thing is, all the time stores keep ordering everything solicited to them Hasbro will continue to make them. I think the problem is more that sroes over-order initial waves which then block the way for later waves. Stores just need to order in smaller numbers and them maybe there wouldn't be quite so much shelf-warming.

 

That I believe. The stores screw it up. To Hasbro a toy sold is a toy sold. Even if they are all bought by toy stores and scalpers.

 

Man, looking at all the camaro mode Bee toys compared to the actual camaro bee model we see in the trailers, I think it\'s safe to say they originally planned on straight up using the 07 film design for that part of the movie, but decided to change it to more closely mimick the new design. Yes he still has the camaro hood chest, but he retains his simplicity and many of the new design elements (like his rounded head, simplified face, smooth chunky shoulders, and  his lack of outward door wings). Again, it could just be to keep the art style within the film more consistent, but I think it leads creedence to the movie being a reboot. It seems like they were originally going to directy connect the films by having bee in the exact same design as 07, so it seems like a pointed desicion to change that.

 

I do like the look of these. good idea for a gimmick. based on what I\'ve seen in the ad im assuming the idea is to create the message deliverance bit. \"I pray this message finds you\". as for bee, just like the energon igniters, the dark grey looks really nice up against the yellow. I\'m digging shatters alt-mode. but her mask is in desperate need of some sort of paint detail, something, anything... I must say Hasbro has gotten pretty good at giving a figure just enough detail to make it appealing. the bare minimum.