Perhaps, Toyworld is confident and ambitious

 

Yeah. That's the overall consensus anyway. I don't think an official statement was ever released or anything, but it's largely the thing that people have attributed as the cause for Toywold's schizoid project announcements.

Another thing worth considering is that UT fell out of the Legends race for the most part, DX9 is a subdivision of UT, and IF seems to abandoned the toon-accurate legends design philosophy to focus almost entirely on IDW styled figures. Also, IIRC, MFT is largely KOs of older designs and Hot Soldiers' scale is a little bigger than the rest of the other legends guys which is going to ding them a little in my opinion.

That leaves Newage, Magic Square, and Papatoys, so it's not as super competitive as it looks at first blush.

 

Very good point. We also forgot Transform Element is gearing up for BW Legends. I have full plans of buying TW Transmetal Megatron.

 

And that's exactly what we need in third party.
No more close but no cigar.

 

Hmmm....
Will I buy their Bumblebee prime? Yes
Will I buy their drop kick and shatter? If they can pull off a triple changer with that design I think I would have to just for the engineering, or I don't think I could call myself a transformers fan.
Will I buy Bee movie cyberton figures? Hell yes
Will I buy their predaking? Yes
Will I buy their legend beast wars figures? Yes

They don't seem crazy to me.

I won't buy bay movie crap, but otherwise seems like they staked out a great niche with bee movie figures (zeta bee only competition). Thier predaking is risky in it not being a slave to G1, but that's why I like it.

 

Based on rumblings I've heard your assessment of TW's inner workings is probably pretty accurate. As to the part about producing something, anything, to show that they're actually working.... not sure on that part.

I agree also that the industry is shifting more towards boutique deliverables. After all there are only so many G1 only offerings you can have before everyone's products (see four different companies attempting Stunticons at the same time) begin to compete and eat one another alive. Only the strong will survive of course, but still that's not a great long term model for any company, especially when the heavy hitter G1 items are already starting to run out. And no sorry, I don't include lesser known items sought by maybe 50 fans who think it would be cool if xxx character got a figure. To the overall point being made about TW's seemingly suicidal business model... if you want to make money you have to think about what's going to sell to the most people before they lose interest and seek out some other product.

 

I couldnt hear you over Constructor V87.

 

One thing we can say for Zeta without speculating as to the relationship between owner and designer is this: the first runs of Zeta were ready to be manufactured and likewise Toyworld could have released them but did not release them. This could have been due to them focusing on their current production at the time (perhaps Constructor), thus delaying the release of their next product. What this means to the designer is that they might have to wait longer to start making done real money.

I won't name names of companies as their own policies can change over time but I do know of one example of a company actually having the designer work practically for free and promising to pay them based on the success of sold units. Perhaps simply creating prototypes is a means to also get some pay which is why we might be seeing so many announcements with no production in sight.

I'm sure that better fair practices are in place these days with

 

A few months ago, where it didn't seem like a day could go by without Toyworld announcing 7 different weird projects before breakfast, I was firmly in the 'they're crazy' camp. But I'll be damned if they aren't following through with it. Bulldog is shipping now, Knight Prime is nearly ready, WW2 Bee and WW1 Starscream are painted, Bee Prime, Predaking Rampage, and TM Megs are at the physical proto stage... These aren't pipe dreams, they're actually going through with them.

Now, whether they'll sell is another question. TW has indicated that their first run of Knight Prime has pre-sold out in its entirity, but Primes always sell well. As for their more experimental stuff, like the World War-Formers? I don't know. What I do know is that whenever something off-the-wall is announced there's somebody who'll come in and say 'this will never sell', but what that actually means is 'I don't want it and I solipsitically believe that I speak for the whole world'. Assuming that ToyWorld has not, in fact, gone crazy or suicidal they presumably think that they'll sell, and I'm going to guess that they know the Chinese Transfomers market - which is increasingly what matters over us - better than we do.

 

They just know what people want, and so far its looking good. People will most likely say "but why not yet another Geewun combiner" despite the fact that most companies atm are competing between like 4 menasors as well as other combiners. You guys have your fill of G1, its been done to hell and back for years now. Deal with the fact that a company decided to finally do movie stuff. Another thing I want people to do, separate business practices from the figures, so don't give me the "they didn't pay x person" shit. They clearly found a market, and are just excited to show all the things they are making. (before you mention release times.... Bulldog is shipping out, and tlk prime is releasing in a few months. They are following through with what they have done.)

In short, no, they ain't trying to kill their own company, they are actually moving forward like champs. Some people are just trying to reject it.


(if i had a penny for ever arbitrary comment about toyworld sucking, I would be a billionaire.)

 

Pretty much yes

 

isn't that from several years ago and basically a dead project....

 

Several? Try July last year.

 

Theyve been even keel, par for course. QA/QC is nonexistent after many iterations of the same mold. We’re the chumps for allowing them to sell us subpar plastic figurines and buying them up like lap dogs, when we have shitted on top tier companies for much less trivial matters. toyworld should be ashamed for selling us figures with either missing or misassembled pieces.

This aint their first rodeo

 

doesn't change that its basically dead in the water  

 

The point of the thread was has Toyworld gone loony, they are throwing everything out there. TW Galvatron is one of them.

You don't know if its dead or not. Even if it is, its still an example of something they shit out after Zeta left.

 

I see you have absolutely no bias against TW here. Was worried I would see those posts here. TY for the constructive feedback on em.

I won't lie, it was a dumb design, but it was also a black mamba design from what I remember, so.... there's that. Still don't appreciate seeing the zeta elitist attitudes in TW forums tho.

 

You have missed the point of this thread.

And it wasnt a Mamba design.

 

point of the thread was to express what I thought about it, I did.

also it was a Black mamba design Black Mamba G1 Galvatron MP

 

I'm down for the Galvatron, Onslaught, and Motormaster if they decide to release them....