I was disappointed as well, and ordered my stickers elsewhere. Not much I can do about it when they refuse to ship. Thank you for answering my question.

 

Why are the Decepticon faction stickers not properly cut around the spires on the top?

 

1) Was this a full time job? Just curious if having a job like this related to something you like actually makes enough to pay the bills.

2) What sort of skills did you need for the job?

3) Was everyone there a Transformers’ fan?

 

There was. I just can’t find it on Google anywhere

 

I'm surprised it took this long for someone to ask this. The machine used to cut those labels out, named Princess of all things, simply isn't capable of making a series of small, tight angles like that consistently without tearing the stock. I tried having Princess make four individual cuts, but that doesn't work either. There was a gap between each cut. The only way to ensure any machine's cuts meet is to overlap them, which would cut into the label. The spires tore off the odd successful sticker I got too. The straight cut across the top is a shame, but it's the best option for mass production. I'm sorry, but a steady hand and hobby knife is the only way to get the silhouette you're after.

Yes, it was full time. The best part was that haunting the TF forums and newsfeeds at work was valuable market research. Never got to attend a convention with Toyhax though, thanks to the pandemic. Shame.

Different skills were need for different positions, but most were entry level where skills were preferred, not required per se. That said, an eye for colour, mechanical inclination, and computer know-how were all invaluable to me.

No, sadly I was one of the few. Most freelance artists were as well as the management, but there were few others. That made it kind of fun though; It was almost like being one of few multilingual people in a group.

I'd love to see it, if you have any luck finding it.

 

I remember the energon unicron stickers. I wanted to grab them multiple times and never did.

 

I got the chance to help Craig on the designs for the TFC Hercules sets... that was fun coming up with the concepts for those.

- Gregg

 

I always wondered about that because they've been able to do it with smaller Decepticon symbols before.

 

I love that set! I bought it new and still display it in pride of place. I got to reformat those sets too. That's one of my favourites.

That set is old, printed on a different stock, and cut on a different machine. Totally different animal.

 

Think they'll ever do a shattered glass sticker set for Magic Square SG Prime? As I really loved what they did with the MP10SG set.

 

Are you based in the Netherlands? (Assumption is based on your name) Because just yesterday I received my order from them. So they definitely ship to the EU!

 

If you ever want something inside the US that will not ship to your country there are lots of reshipping services that will repackage multiple orders and then send them to your country for you. This of course does add some extra cost but you certainly get what you want.

I have used them MANY times due to the fact that I live in Canada and some things are either very expensive to ship here or they just will not. Also some/most times US shipping is free. Hope this helps.

Stackry | US shopping, global shipping

This has quickly become my favourite thread to follow for some reason. Some very interesting questions and answers. Thanks from all of us for this.

 

How long ago did you design the Unicron stickers? Was it as soon as the maw was revealed to be blue, or was it supposed to cover up the original plain orange?

Were the dimensions based off of an in-house Unicron you guys had or was it a best guess based on pictures?

 

I am indeed from the Netherlands. All I know is that I tried to order some sheets last week and got the notification that they don't ship to my country.  

 

Well your country is mine too  .
Could it be that the sheets you wanted were out of stock? It happened to me and the decepticon white backed stickers. My order would not ship because they were out of stock.

Removed them snd i was fine.

 

How many employees did they have when you were there? I always imagined it was just a small handful of people, maybe 4-5 at most, but this makes it sound like a much larger operation.

 

It's possible. The designer loved that SG Prime set too, but even if they do it, it wouldn't be for some time.

You're very welcome! Thanks for participating, this is fun for me too.

Toyhax needs physical copies to make a set for sizing the labels well, colour-matching, and promo photos. Concepts can be drawn up from pictures, but measuring & testing label fitment is a devoted position, and takes time even with the toy in hand. It wouldn't make sense to print out prototypes from pictures because promo images aren't detailed enough and the colours would be off.
EDIT: For context, while photographing a larger set, I had to ask my boss "Hey, can I put 'robot proctologist' on a resume? I'm experienced." Without missing a beat, he said "I'd hire you."

I used to keep a notebook of concepts for sets as the toys were announced, but it was just a point form list of
- G1 cartoon reference here
- Marvel Comics reference here
- cheeky license plate etc

I started working on Unicron the moment he arrived in the office. Seriously, I was on standby for about a week, where I was supposed to drop everything and dive right in to design as soon as the Mad Max Pacman arrived.

It's a handful of regular staff with a rotating pool of freelance artists.

 

I'm curious about the concept, design, and implementation process.

Is it the boss who wants certain characters done or also designers who just come up with random sticker sets? How long does it usually take to go from concept to finished product?

I'm guessing large numbers of units sold for certain figures dictates a higher priority on the list as it reflects higher sales, but does the want of someone on the inside help as well for other figures?

Any other cool details or whatnot about the process would be appreciated as well.

 

Most sets were decided by management, but if an artist had a cool concept, they were more than welcome to pitch it. If the idea was good and marketable, it got made.

Depends on the set. Bigger sets take more time, like titans take months, but deluxes can be hammered out in pretty short order. One thing to bear in mind is that finished products can sit waiting for a while until enough completed sets are available to make a release. You'll notice sets are seldom released on their own. Also, bear in mind that a set can't be started until the toy arrives in the shop. It takes time.

I will never forget the day SS86 Jazz came in the office and the manager said he was going to have the set done and printed in one day. It took maybe an hour before it became clear that that was impossible, but the set still came out pretty quickly and sold out every day for a few months. Seriously, nothing sold like Jazz.

Absolutely. Generally, the more popular/attainable the toy is and the more in need of stickers it is (like SS86 Jazz needing the stripes and the 4 on the door), the better chance it has of getting a set. But, artistic vision plays a big role too. Alternate Universe Optimus seemed forgettable to me, but a designer was dead set on adding Frankenstein green, Quint symbols, and created Monster.

Another factor is longevity. Reproduction sets for old toys and symbols don't sell well at first, but they sell consistently and never really die off sales-wise. They're more of a priority, as a result.

The best part of production are the concept meetings. the design team sit down around a table with a toy, pass it around and just star spitballing ideas. One person is on a computer, taking notes and sketching up ideas, and there's generally a lot of nerdy laughter at all the references the team dreams up. I remember in the meeting for GS Bug Bite, I started the meeting saying "2 things: purple tribal deco, and angry windshield wiper eyebrows".

Similarly, opinions can clash. I thought Neflix Elita 1 could do with references - if not a conversion set - to Cybertron Override. The other artist disagreed, and wanted to make her fit in with Rodimus and Optimus as leader by having a stripe or spoiler in vehicle mode. But, that discourse is healthy and the products are better for it

 

So wait, are you saying they print up a bunch of the labels prior to posting them on the site?

I always figured it was made to order. Makes sense that it isn’t, if setting up a new job on a printer is time-consuming.