Well, if a member of the design team was a big enough fan of the character, as was the case with Powerglide, it could happen, sure. As long as there was a slot open in the appropriate size class.

If you're trying to uniformly apply his logic to less-popular toys in an effort to refute it, that's fine too.  

 

Great.. now you got me thinking about what an Ultra sized Seaspray would be like....

... and I think I like it.

 

No need to mock. I'm trying to be polite, and would request the same courtesy.

 

I'm totally a proponent of Ultra Seaspray.

And Warpath as a deluxe or voyager.

Having trouble...keeping mock-monster contained... Can't hold these doors much longer... Run - quickly!

I brought this fate upon myself. Now go, you fool! Save yourself.

Go!

 

Uuuuhhh, whatever....

 

so, which one of them designed ROTF : Optimus Prime?

 

OK... more on this subject from me - as I'm sad to say I've been thinking about it today.

To elaborate further on my earlier comments. I don't think gimics lack is always bad - or always good.

Here's my thoughts - Hasbro made a big deal out of the lack of missile Launchers on the Beast Wars Transmetals almost as if they felt they had something to apologise for - I don't think they did the Transmetals have oddles of play value - with their Transport modes more than making up for not being able to accidently shoot small children in the face (they really need to fix those hair triggers on the launchers).

I think Transmetal Cheetor is a wicked (great) toy and I like his little flip out jet boosters his reasonable level of Articulation his Cartoon acuracy and even his little tail fin in Transport mode - I don't miss a launcher and I don't really even know if he's need on if he had had one.

Where as conversly I really feel a bit ripped off that Animated Waspinator does not follow the example of the Beast Wars original and have a rocket launcher in his backside as he does over balance a little with the huge backside that does nothing. - they could at least have made part of his wings from energon saber or something - as he is he's just a wasp that stands up and that means cartoon acuracy = sad face in this case.

I always think Takara are being mentalists [in a maner of speaking] by insisting that they put Decepticon jet's logo's on upside down most of the time - I'm firmly in the Hasbro camp on this one - they SHOULD BE the right way up and the cartoon just got it wrong.

As for the A-10 of that size- if it had been a movieverse toy - I'd have liked it - it didn't really need to have the electronics inflicted on it and as a Voyager movie toy there's potential under all that 'suck' in Powerglide.

I think Voyager would have Suited an A-10 better especially with so many other sorts of plane about that are much larger type that would be better in the bigger sizes.

I think some of the best Movie toys are Longarm and Landmine I wonder who did them.

I'm interested to see all the Beast/ CR era Convoys were done by the same guy as I hold a really affection for RID Prime's toy and Big Convoy and Lio Convoy (even with his sloppy chest/shoulder design issue) He looks terrific in beast mode at least and once you manage to wedge his bits in place in robot mode- Ol' Mammoth Bot is great.

I also like Magmatron.... so it's sort of interesting that these products that Takara made are kind of gimicy anyway - Magmatron has a form of what we'd now call Automorph and a missile launcher and his a multi-changer too - I'd call that pretty gimicy.

I had to chuckle a bit when it was said that they want the toys to be easy to Transform as the worst offenders of to much hastle to change them are always from Takara -like THS-02, Trans-scanning Optimus Prime or Binaltechs.

I figured out the Cyclonus arm/cannon storage earlier - very cool - and quite well hidden really - I doubt I'd have found it at all without than mention.

I'd like to see Takara make an Ultra scale (No electronics) version of key medium sized Movie characters - things like Ratchet and Ironhide - then perhaps in 2010 have Hasbro add the size catagory and release them in the west. Human Alliance is a good starting point but I have concerns that Bumblebee's toy will be the same size as Optimus' - I can't see that looking anything other than silly under the same line. - He would have made a great winter buying season toy to release in a larger size - perhaps with 2 human figures or a little Decepticon figure to complement /oppose him.

I'd rather have had that and just make the 3rd Human Alliance slot as Ratchet instead.
It's a shame Landmine might not be in the movie -as that would make a superb Human Alliance toy - with the little soldiers in it - it would have been great fun. Perhaps if the H-X Transforms they might do that instead.

I don't personally hate Hasbro at all - they do give me a sad face though when they do perplexing and infuriating things from time to time though. Like release all those Movie Longarms' and they were all mostly identical. yet the mold was ideal for Hoist.

You know thinking back to the old' Gi Joe Whale vehicle a Seaspray (Or That Micromaster Metro Squad Hovercraft) would be fun to deploy Legends toys or Minicons from inside of it.

Incidently thinking of the Micromaster Metro Squad - perhaps that Cherry Picker/ Fire Truck in that squad would be quite cool to see as the basis of an Inferno Repaint.- A Yellow Inferno - would it work - i think on with a Siren style cherry picker attachment might be fun - if it was part of a set perhaps they'd be prepared to add the extra mass?

Otherwise I suppose he could be called Clampdown or Checkpoint and made into a Police Water cannon truck.

I mentioned Inferno as I'd say he's a pretty good attempt at a new version of the Character - though it is a shame that he's less suitable now as a redecoration base for Grapple or Hauler than he was before.


Oh I think the little Legends Warpath is fun - but I'd actually not complain if he was a larger tank.

I'd much prefer a Voyager Warpath over Voyager Rhinox or Voyager Dinobot.

Does Takara not realise that Dinobot and Rhinox are Minicon size - if they want to follow the cartoon and make them in scale to Classics - they need to be thinking of making WST or Legends Beast Wars toys not Voyagers.

I just noticed that I have Mcdonalds Dinobot and McDonalds Beetle next to Warpath/Wheelie/Jazz/ & Rodimus - and they fit right in with Legends toys - so Perhaps Beast Legends is a good idea - I'm sure they'd work there's a slight attempt with the Cybertron molds so far.

I also wonder if they could perhaps make a few more new mold Cybertron Legends too like Backstop/ Sideways/ Red Alert/Snarl/Crumplezone/ Ransack/Override/ & Brimstone.

There's already a decentish fake tiny Brimstone that prooves the idea, and Block-former Nitro-Convoy is also rather good.

I have to say I find it odd that there's not a Legends G1 Optimus Prime toy so far.

I think the main MTMTE cast have a real benifit to use retrospectively with the 1980's Base-bot toys - like Metroplex. They also look quite good with Special Team limbs, Minibots and Sparkabots.

A few more Legends G1 Decepticons would be nice too.

I guess it will be well into 2010 before we see any Legends toys that are new molds not based on the movie - as much as I like the legends toys - I do wonder if they are preventing us from seeing new mold Minicons for the time being - and I love them even more.

 

A little contradictory?

- Hasbro Toy Shop

One can only wonder why Cheetor, who is meant to be a closer homage to his TV model, came with a "mouth opening and eye-changing gimmick", which, not only gave him a "hunch-back" hump, but also impeded his "unique transformation" and ended up with the little fela having stumpy arms. In essence, he put off many from buying the upcoming Dinobot figure and pretty much killed any interest in any more non-G1 (or especially Beast Wars) figures.

More fuel for the fire:

- Which is perhaps another reason why the overall design was rubbish and I for one, didn't buy him.

- Hasbro toy shop, "Onslaught" figure

Both he, Powerglide and Silverbolt had these gimmicks. In Onslaught's case, even though many people liked him, he suffered as he couldn't free-wheel when pushed.

I'm sure there were other, just as big gimmicks that were introduced in this line, meaning that either our Japanese designer chums are a bit hypocritical, or they lost out to Hasbro's desire for "MORE GIMMICKS!!!"

Sigh...

 

EXACTLY! To me, the transformation IS the gimmick. Lots of gimmick that I have seen made the toy worst. Just make the toy transform from vehicle to robot and back to vehicle. That's all. No more gimmicks.

 

Both were done by Alex Kubalsky, the lone Australian at Takara.

 

It's not exact, but for scale, Powerglide is roughly to scale with Universe Galvatron's tank mode, as well as the legends cars like Jazz, Brawn, and Bumblebee.

 

I agree with this. However, if they insist on doing gimmicks, they really need to work on those that are not going to impede or interfere with the main figure/character. Targetmasters, for example, are a fantastic implementation of a gimmick. Smaller partners who have great interactivity with the larger bots/cons. And......DID NOT INTERFERE with the larger bots transformation, articulation, or design in general. Universe/Henkei Cyclonus is the latest testament to that.

Line-wide gimmicks are very troublesome, just for the fact that they are dealing with a multitude of designs. And as we all know, not all of them can use the said gimmick, without it costing the loss of articulation, or it adding kibble, or just cause the whole design too look bad.

 

Very nice & great inteview! also good to see some of the designers/creators of the Brave toys still active in the TF franchise.

Thanks Syd (& Sol fury too) for bringing this interview!!  

Quoted For Truth

 

A good way to look at this (which means that most will refuse to) is not as "Hasbro versus Takara", but more as "engineers versus the marketing department and bean-counters".

I don't like everything Hasbro does either, but a decade-plus of moderately-to-very-successful TF toylines (or at least mainlines) speaks for itself.

 

Yeah, i TOTALLY agree with you THERE , Feralstorm, VALID POINT!   BUT, also as "FitForNatalie" and Shroobmaster did point out and validate their arguments, however, the point is still not to take sides!   FINE, so they are not supportive 100% of Takara and their stand on certian decisions on the main line Tf toys; fairs fair.   But the bottom line is about the article and designers who were featured. Im not a Takara whore monger FYI,   but as a kid I remembered and loved the Japanese G1 continuity more that the HASBRO-Comics/ Marvel sunbow G1 cartoon which for me was just nostalgic. No love not too much hate either. "Airfox"- now usually i am a pretty no nonsnese and decent poster on these boards, but please dont turn it into a Takara-versus Hasbro war of words and more.   You like Hasbro , thats cool; respect your views and prefrences- i dont want to be ganged up for stating my views, no matter how invalid and off colour it sounded to all three of you.   Oh, and kudos to Hasbro as well for delivering some killer and momorable decisions on ceritan toy lines/movie verse etc stuff/ ( powers which they have base don the simple fact that they ARE BIGGER and more better placed than Takara in terms of global branding and limitless funds!!!)---- there, happy now?!!!      

 

wow, great interview, hope they do more!

Regarding all the complaining, i think is silly but thats my  

Only disappointment/non-purchase for me is that simply ass Silverbot.

 

I think when the TakaraTOMY designers talk about gimmicks hindering the engineering of the figures, they're talking more about line wide gimmicks mandated by Hasbro such as mini-cons, cyber planet keys and powerlinking.

Gimmicks designed on a figure-per-figure basis (like in Universe and Animated) shouldn't represent a big problem.

QFT.

-airfox

 

I beg you, STOP with the bolding/italicizing/underlining of everything in every single post.

Please?

 

     

You're my hero Jarodimus!  

-airfox