From their twitter on Feb 2 2021: "Autobots, Roll Out! Stay tuned for some exciting @transformers products to be announced soon!" Some info from Icon Heroes "We make action figures, vinyl figures, statues, mini busts, enamel pins, patches, bobbleheads, and more" Source: https://mobile.twitter.com/iconheroes/status/1356652161652781058
this is cool and all... but how many Licensed Third Party Non-transforming G1 Cartoon-Accurate figures/statues are we gonna get? not hating on the cartoon aesthetic, it just feels like we get another company making cartoon figures every month.
Not interested in the bobble heads but I'll take some of the other stuff they're likely to be selling. Their Snake Mountain and Grayskull diorama/statues were pretty cool. It would be interesting if they did an Ark/Volcano diorama. They also have the G.I.Joe and MLP license.
I'm actually shocked at the sheer number of Non-transforming figures, and status that are coming out! It's almost becoming rare to see a new reveal of a Transformer character that actually Transforms!
I'm gonna say what everyone else has said because it was my initial reaction too! But seriously, why are they doing this so much. I bet this will be a different scale too! R.E.D.: 6" scale *B.L.U.E: 7" scale Icon: 8"? *I proposed calling the last one B.L.U.E to fit with the R.E.D acronym. It stands for "Bigger Larger Untransformable Entity". Maybe this should get a color name to?
Strange days, it used to be Hasbro vs 3p but now it\'s 3p vs 3p. Now Hasbro can just sit back and combine all the 3p\'s best ideas.
"Autobots, Roll Out! Stay tuned for some exciting @transformers products to be announced soon!" Exciting...lol. Exciting for who exactly?
Seems I pretty much quoted the whole thread... Kinda sick of all the people ragging on all this stuff. It's smart business and Hasbro should have started licensing out long ago. It's almost criminal it took them this long. - Transformers is an IP. Companies want to pay Hasbro money to make "stuff" from that IP. Win. - By doing so, it keeps the IP constantly in the eyes of consumers, more to the point, consumers who don't sit on Transformers fan sites all the time. This keeps them engaged and interested in the IP. Win. - The creation of this product doesn't negatively impact Hasbro's profits or project timelines, it is also basically risk free. Win. - Hasbro don't (officially) let other companies make transforming Transformers. This means that while the items made by other companies might not be to your liking, it doesn't encroach on Hasbro's turf and cannibalise profits. Win. - Hasbro can use the efforts of these companies to test the market for what works. Win. - Hasbro can now focus on their core product instead of wasting time, effort and money on things like Muggs and provide more of what you want, Transforming robots. Win. - Lots of people do like this stuff and buy it otherwise companies wouldn't be looking to keep licensing the IP. Win. - Most importantly, if you like something, you can buy it, if you don't, then you DON'T HAVE TO buy it. WIN.
I think a lot of people like the concept of the cartoon accurate non transforming figures. Most of the negativity or confusion in this thread is directed at the fact that this is the 3rd time they have announced a line like this within the span of 6(?) months. Also for the people who do buy this stuff (admittedly, not me), they dont seem to like how R.E.D. and the action master based one aren't in the same scale. This also leads to repeats of main characters (like the red truck guy). I'm sure a lot of people will buy them and they do look cool (except for R.E.D. cheetor's demonic scowl of a face). This soundwave looks cool. Its just weird that they are doing this multiple different times and with different companies for essentially the same product.
No trust me, i’m aware of all this. I totally get it. But @ThunderDestron said it perfectly: it’s the fact that almost 5 lines of almost all identical ideas are being made at the same time. The recent Action Master redo (the one with AM Bombshell and Banzai-Tron) actually got me excited (other than the pricing, but that’s unrelated and still understandable). I like that they are loaded with accessories, are seemingly pretty pose-able, and are doing actual Action Master characters that haven’t gotten new toys in 30 years. But R.E.D., and this just seem like worse versions, while Flame Toys and the ReAction figures, while filling different roles and niches, are branches off of this concept. I’m not complaining about the brand thriving or more options being available, I just noticed how many of a similar thing we’re getting. Even Hasbro has to notice it’ll get to be too much at some point. And no, I never said I was going to buy it or had to buy it.
Fair point, except I'm pretty sure you'll find that this line in particular aren't action figures - they are statues/busts? As for similar lines and repeat characters, yeah that's a thing. However at the same time, you don't have to buy all of them. Considering scale and aesthetics, it's not these companies job to make them fit in with one another and help fill out your collection. It's their job to differentiate themselves from the competition and hopefully find an audience that isn't catered to yet (while still making a profit). I do understand to a point though. As someone who collects more non-transforming stuff than not, my collection is full of Optimus Primes and I don't even like him as a character. It's just he always gets made and I always support to hope they get to rarer characters.
Multiple statues, collector action figures and bobble head toys simply saturate the market. The merchandise has to actually be bought by someone.
As mentioned, someone must be buying this stuff otherwise companies wouldn't be paying Hasbro for the license to make it. Also, none of it is saturating the transforming Transformers market.
