Do we have any confirmation as to whether Hasbro has the license to release MP Sideswipe/Alert? As far as I know, we know that TakaraTomy has the license (as they've just released them) but do we know if this extends to Hasbro as well? Whether or not these toys get an international release hinges on it!

Also, with how particular they claimed lamborghini were being about the specs of the design, paint etc (which hasn't counted for much from what we've seen with the QC) does this affect the chances of getting an 'accurate' G1 Sunstreaker? Seeing as 'Streaker was a made up car for the back third of his alt mode, I don't see the license extending to taking that degree of liberty with Lamborghini's Countach design. What does everyone else think?

 

nobody knows.

but chances are at least Sideswipe should show up.

but who knows? :/

 

IIRC, I've heard the agreement with Lamborghini was just for Takara and their distributions and did not include Hasbro. Some are speculating for this reason on whether Hasbro can or will even try to get the liscense so they can release Sideswipe and Red Alert here. I didn't want to gamble on that so I went ahead and pre-ordered Sideswipe. Dont know if I want to spend another $90 for Red Alert though

 

I would hope that Hasbro is covered somehow. Sideswipe is really the first Masterpiece that I REALLY want to own, but still not enough to pay for the Takara version. I would also hope that Lambo would be fine with them creating an accurate Sunstreaker. I'd like to see how he would turn out.

 

Hasbro doesn't have the license currently. In some other thread it was mentionned that Aaron Archer said they'd have to buy it.

At this point, who knows? Had you asked me a year earlier about MP10 by Hasbro, I'd have sworn they'd release him without a trailer.

 

It does seem that, as of right now, they do not. But that doesn't mean that they won't in the future or that they aren't currently in negotiations to get it.

 

if we do get them, and I think we will at some point down the line, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was a MP 2 or 3 pack with sideswipe, red alert and sunstreaker.

at minimum I think it will be a dual pack of sideswipe/sunstreaker so they can bang the license out in one production run and be done with it. I have no idea if RA was a popular enough character for hasbro to do a production run of. who knows.

but yeah I think a multipack is how we will be seeing these guys here, instead of prolonged individual releases.

 

Wonder how much it would cost them to obtain a license for something that would likely be a limited/exclusive run. It may not make sense on an exclusive, or it may drive the cost per figure through the roof. Would be a nice bone to throw the collectors though.

 

OK, here is where I am confused.

Hasbro does have the license in Asia. I mean they are releasing in China, etc. under the Hasbro name, even though it is a Takara figure.

So the question I guess is does Hasbro US have the license?

These copy write laws are very confusing now in an international market. You figure these would be simplified by now.

 

That's true, if they have to spend the money on multiple licenses for each individual release. I never thought about that. Even if they didn't Hasbro has not been really consistent on Masterpiece repaints. We never saw Magnus from MP-1 and we did finally manage to get all three seekers but they were 2-3 years apart and across 2 different stores.

If they do release one version, I have no doubt, it would be Sideswipe. Red Alert would then be up in the air. Damn, I sound like Im trying to convince myself to keep my pre-order for him.

 

Umm no they aren't.

 

Can you specify what you are actually referring to from my post?

 

Hasbro Asia and Hasbro of North America are separate entities (which is why they can distribute Takara products, why only they sold FE TFs last year and not Hasbro America, etc.). As of now, I'm pretty sure Hasbro North America doesn't have the rights to distribute the Lamborghini mold. Unless they pay to get the license, I'd say the American release will either not happen at all or be slightly remolded to be *just* different enough to get away with no license. Either way though, I'd bet the American release wouldn't have the official Lamborghini red paint, it's probably just be red plastic.

 

I was driving today and saw someone pull up with an amazing Lambo, the driver was 50+ with gray hair (as is the case with most awesome sports cars I see). Anyways, it made me think about the cool new MP Sideswipe. I'm hoping MP Sideswipe gets released stateside as well, so I can pick up some extras at a lower price.

 

Another consideration is whether or not some other company might have the license in the US and/or other lands (Mattel/Hot Wheels springs to mind) and might try to enforce some sort of exclusivity to block a release.

I suppose Hasbro could do the old trick of modifying something here or there to make the toy "not really a Lambo" to bypass licensing, but since Takara already made it officially official on their end, I doubt that'd fly.

 

I would just get it now.If Hasbro releases this I can see it selling anywhere from $50-$60 and it would be another pain in the ass to find at Tru. Pay the extra $30 and you don't have to worry about it he is worth it in my opinion.

 

I think a multipack would be the way to go for this mold too if it made it here. This mold is small compared to all past MPs so trying to charge $50 for it would be a tough sell, but a 2 pack with SS and RA for like $70-80 might look more attractive.

 

Hasbro does not have the liscense, this was confirmed by Aaron Archer

 

I think Hasbro would miss out on a tidy sum by not getting the license. Unless the big wigs over there view this as high risk and think they might have to eat up inventory.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Mattel does have some weird licensing thing with them. I remember reading something about it early last year. Though I hope Hasbro finds a way around it so they can release Sideswipe, and the hopefully inevitable Sunstreaker, in the US at some point.