Necro... So, those scaled up elbowless deluxe legion abominations....

 

I think that it's something he didn't want, but Hasbro did.

 

Doesn't seem to fit in his portfolio of work, frankly.

 

Simplifying the transformations while keeping the articulation was something Animated did. When they were talking about upcoming toys at BotCon, it sounded like they were talking about Animated toys. I'm sure everyone at the panel was either being polite or didn't realize the new figures lack articulation. Whoever wants to cut articulation just to have a larger figure is mad.

 

Cutting out articulation is something Hasbro has done on some other lines as well.

Take Star Wars. They released a larger, 10-12 inch figure line, that only has 'basic' articulation, and even some of the 3 3/4 figures have the same, with added 'action' features.

 

I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a product without looking at a free review, leak, video online. I don't just do that for transformers either.

I'm pretty sure most fans would want the opposite. I'd take a smaller figure with more articulation any day of the week.

 

Was J.E. Alverez related to Rik Alverez in some way ?

 

Same way Ben Kenobi and Obi-Wan Kenobi are related.  

"J.E." are his actual initials, while "Rik" is a nickname, I think.

 

And it's "Alvarez".

 

Hey Guys I'm really Sorry I like Energon toys and Animated toys - but I have no special love for either of their TV shows. Energon was incoherent and had less character to it than the show before or after it (well it did from the halfway point anyway the 1st Half is not to bad the second part makes no sense and is to much the adventures of Kicker) I didn't even mind the kids in TF Cyberton even they they do hog the lime light - you kind of expect that in Japanese derived shows. I'm glad to see that the kids have been seen as frippery now and mostly placed in deep back ground with so little time to tell the story left in TF Prime they have finally just gotten on with it (shame most of season 2 is retrospectively superfluous).

I have learned one thing though shows that lack a good plan go wrong. Superlink went off the rails it took Beast Machines half of it's run to even start going. An animated for its good points (like lots of characters) came across at times like fan fiction.

I'm concerned that the ideas the poster have mentioned in the previous pages like the lack of character to Movie Universe Decepticons (or even the dehumanising murder of them they do in Transformers Animated) will make it's way into a follow up show the next show is supposed to be made to appeal to NEW FANS (something you hear a great deal at Botcon from Clint is his desire to bring in new fans).

The slight problem with that statement is that it can be taken in two ways it depends a lot on what you mean by "New fans" the age your aiming at and how much importance if any you give to the brand identity as it has stood so far.

For example if you pare to the bone the concept of Transformers it is simply Transforming robots who are able to achieve a secondary form.

I have a concern with so many staff changes that some of the things that have made their way into the brand in the past might do so again but rather than being a secondary aspect they might become central and dangerously so.

For example :

Transformers that don't come from Cybertron
Transformers that are driven or controlled by humans or others
Transformers that incapable of speech and just beep or say nothing.
Transformers that change form via morphing' rather than mechanical Transformation.
Transformers that can be stripped down to a pile or parts and reassembled without dying.
Transformers that has no Decepticons at all

Those sorts of things have popped up from time to time - but with talk of appealing to new fans I'm left wondering do they mean A) Using the central precepts that are realised across multiple brand types in 30 years to meld new themes for the attraction of young fans be it Rescue Bots or more advanced offerings.

Or do they mean B) Lowest common denominator Movie Universe uber casual fans where anything could happen like the whole story could be very human centric the Decepticons might be just Monsters and any Human tech can blow chunks out of Transformers with ease.

I think if they feel at Hasbro that appealing to the most casual of fans is an urgent task you can not really predict what crazy tangents the brand might fly off in - heck it's done that before (Kiss Players / GT Alternity) but those are Japanese brands and you expect brand eccentricity from Japan. I just hope I don't come to expect lowest common denominator from Hasbro brave new era. I'm not so worried now they are just ticking over now - but what happens in the years to come as they think the primary focus to the general audience is what they see of Transformers offered to them in the live action Movie franchise.

A fear I've always had - but it's more alive and kicking now with all the staff changes than ever before.. I think we need to get to know these people and what they stand for as soon as possible. I just fear we may be in for bizarre times come 2014-2015

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I was wondering as I wrote to Hasbro once (by letter) some time back and the reply was from J.E. Alvarez so I wondered if it was the same guy.

Last time the brand had a period of stability was under a longish stewardship in the 1980's likewise Gi Joe and things sure did change when those people left.... curious one thing I did notice is that looking back at the 1980's for both Gi Joe and Transformers we see perhaps 10%-maybe 15% of new versions of Existing Chracters like Bumblebee or Grimlock or Optimus Prime or Megatron or with Gi Joe Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes, The Baroness etc.. but the vast majority were new characters.

So you were always adding new Characters as the franchises progressed.. now it seems when a new Character comes along it's something to sit up and take notice of I'm thinking of Lugnut or Lockdown for example.

It's a shame that your not really given the chance to grow to love a NEW Character but are instead resold the same ones over and over - I don't mind a revist - but I just wish sometimes that it was not like persistent Deja Vu of 1984 again and again. even trying to force that point of rehash forward to 1985-1986 seems like pushing a boulder endlessly up hill sometimes. as can be attested by all the people sulking over a lack of Springer and Blitzwing remoulded as BattleTrap and flywheels seems to show. There are always exceptions though like Skull Grin or Straxus or the Wreckers or Overlord (or Double Dealer).... But they do sometimes feel like after thoughts.

 

Except with Armada.  

Exactly. "Rik" is a nickname derived from his middlename (I guess). I suppose it was easier for english speakers to pronunce Rik than his actual middlename.

-airfox

 

Not really, with Armada they had a focus on play features, these have no extra play features out side of transformation and non-interactive weapons. (I.E. they don't fire missiles, extend, rotate, grab or what not.)

 

@ RedAlert Rescue: I don't think I really share any of your concerns there. The main concerns I have is the quality of toys, the distribution of them, and some specific aims of the line moving forward. That being said, I still really feel like the Titan Class Metroplex is the apex of the TRANSFORMERS brand. A part of me would like to not believe that we're on a downward slop - and maybe we aren't - but I can't help but feel this way from Hasbro.

With all that being said, I think the work by Vange1us at Botcon last weekend and the responsiveness from Hasbro officially is a step in the best of directions for us. I want to see much more of this.

Also, without trying to sound like an old fart, the Masterpiece line that TakaraTomy is offering right now is better than anything Hasbro could ever hope to offer me.

 

When you say you don't believe in fairies one dies.

Does that work on the Aligned continuity to ? (Or perhaps it's worked already?). I would say the Aligned continuity is an Aligned continuity in the same way the 2007 Transformers Movie has a Fight between Bumblebee and Barricade and a Car chase between Bumblebee & Barricade.

Technically they do exist but there's not much to either that is more than barely visible.. and I can't say I noticed much talk about Aligned continuity at Botcon (as reported) IDW don't seem to give it much lip service - I don't think I even noticed anyone saying the Covenant of Primus book was mentioned.

Which really should be considered some sort of "Event" release really; shouldn't it ?

Some times I think the only thing that sometimes gives it a nod is Transformers Prime ; and the cynic in me makes me wonder if that is only because it happens to be contemporaneous with the Aligned continuity's idea development.

But I suppose the reason I'm bringing this up here is the thought or ponderance - has the Aligned continuity left along with it's daddy Mr. Archer's Departure ? Much as lots of Star Wars has been thrown in a skip when it got sold to Disney Transformers is someone else's Baby now and they didn't (perhaps) feel a need to keep feeding Mr. Archer's brain child any more ?

The few thoughts I've been having lately about such issues of the future of Hasbro's Transformers Brand are ;

1) When 'if ever' will scout Class Transformers come back (Not Cyberverse Commander size which aside from Hatchet is much smaller).

1a) When 'if ever' will Minicon Class Transformers come back as a mainline item (Not Cyberverse Legion size) as the little Legends Targetmaster felllas seem almost a hint of that size being something of interest again to do once more.

2) Do they plan to still use 3mm Clip points from time to time still ?

3) And I do have a slight concern about an overall simplification in Transformation leading to a simplification in joints too.

---------

As to memories of Aaron Archer - I suspect he had some hand in seeing later Armada toys had properly painted logos. which was an appreciated change by some who didn't like the way they were originally painted.

 

if archer really is gone then lets reactivate his old tfw account and get him back on here.

 

That's up to him, and even then, he's probably under a ton of non-disclosure agreements and legal clauses that I wouldn't want him to risk getting in trouble by posting here.

 

Tee hee hee hee.

 

i know, and ifs a pipe dream but further insight into previous works not relates to anything current could circumvent nondisclosures possibly. besides a fella can dream right?

 

I take it from your response he's already on here and has logged in recently.

I think I know what his user name is. If I'm right, it was easy to figure out given the way he posted and how he replied to people on certain topics.

 

But don't those typically go away once severance is up? I can't see anything really holding him back in a year or so.