Thanks for all the questions that people submitted to us, we couldnt ask them all so we went with the most commonly asked questions. Hope you enjoy and remember, its Hasbro.co.uk we were talking to. Beast Wars 1) Is the UK going to get the BW anniversary figures anytime soon? Answer: There is a strong possibility that the UK will see the beast wars anniversary products this year but Hasbro.co.uk could not commit to anything more specific at this time. 2) What other Beast Wars re-issues are planned after Tarantulas, Rattrap, Dinonot, Optimus, and Megatron? What about other size class reissues? 3) When will we see the new Optimus Primal and Megatron? Answer: Hasbro.co.uk cannot comment as to what new products will be shown on this line. The only comment they gave us was that of the possible release of beast wars in the UK. Cybertron: 4) - How many new mold Cybertron releases are left (ie. not repaints or remolds?) Answer: Cybertron will now run until the release of the movie, there will be more figures coming up but how many and in what light is unsure at this moment in time. 5) - What will Hasbro include w/ Primus that will make us want to buy the Cybertron version even if we already have the Galaxy Force version? (This is a reference to a comment at Botcon by a Hasbro rep, saying that there was something the US version of the toy would have which the Japanese version would not have.) Also, what's the target release date for Primus? Answer: No date has been announced as of yet. We have been advised the planet keys have some kind of use in the chest cavity of Primus, but what its full use will be is still unknown. There were strong hints that the keys may be placed on the tool and then inserted into his chest, I believe this would work either on a spring mechanism or simply turning the keys once inserted. More concrete info on Primus this coming week. Alternators: 6) Can you please outline Hasbro's plans for Alternators, as they stand right Now? Specifically, can you please tell us details about characters and car Models we haven't seen, release dates for Mirage (Ford GT), Rumble (Civic), And the Jaguar you mentioned elsewhere this week? Also, how close are we to a Bumblebee Alternator? Answer: There are plans to possibly bring a Transformers Alternators comic book series out. This all depends on fans reaction to this idea. TFAuctions.com will be running a poll to establish fans thoughts on this project. Bumblebee is something they have always had in mind so don’t count out seeing him sometime soon. 7) Will we see any more new Alternators who are Decepticons (like Rumble) instead of all the Decepticons being remolds of Autobot Alternators? What prompted the decision to make the Civic a Decepticon from the get-go instead of starting out with an Autobot like the others? Answer: Hasbro are developing Alternators and hope to improve and expand further with a great range of different vehicles and characters. No specific reason was given for the decision relating to the Civic. 8) Will we see more straight recolors (like Ricochet and Rollbar) or will you go back to remolding for second or third uses of each car model? Answer: No answer. 9) Can you tell us what these "2-in-1 Alternators" repacks of older Alternators (Swindle, Shockblast) are for? Answer: No answer. 10) re: Ricochet, did you decide to do another WRX and then pick Ricochet for the character, or did you decide to do Ricochet and then pick the WRX for the mold? Why the WRX and not the RX8, arguably a much nicer mold? Answer: Hasbro UK and Misc: 11) What is the current status of the G1 reissue license? If Toys'R'Us is no longer the license holder, have any other companies shown an interest in selling reissues? Answer: No interest as to date, keep trying e-hobby but at this moment in time. 12) Can you tell us any details about the G1 Classic line? Answer: NO answer. 13) Any news on the G1 Seacons set that was shown during OTFCC '04, but since then has been homeless? (This was probably the second most asked question for you, Cougar!) Answer: No plans at this moment in time for the Seacons. 14) There is a large UK Transformers fan community, with sites like www.thetransformers.net, www.transformertoys.co.uk, www.autoassmebly.org.uk. Additionally, there is a convention in the UK called Auto Assembly, which draws a lot of attention. Does Hasbro UK know that we are out here, and do they have any plans to make more contact with the fan community (like attending the Auto Assembly convention!) Answer: Hasbro.co.uk are fully aware of the various fan sites in the United Kingdom and are also aware of the auto assembly. They cannot commit to anything at the moment due to various projects they’re currently working on but were very keen to attend the show in June with TFauctions.com. We can only hope and see what happens as the months pan out. 15) Can you please elaborate on some of the answers you've given this week regarding Hasbro UK, European distribution, etc? - Why are Transformers in the UK so much more expensive than in the US? - Why does it take SO long to make decisions one way or the other about toys like 20th Prime? How can you still be trying to decide if you should release him, when he came out in January 2004 in the US? - Distribution in the UK makes no sense. We've had some explanations that there's no way to avoid releasing toys long after the US, but then sometimes various European countries get toys very shortly after, or even BEFORE, the US. What would help is a concrete, detailed explanation for how distribution works, who decides the timing of releases, why some countries get toys but not others, and why lines are released in an incomplete, haphazad way. This is the big question on MANY, MANY UK and European Transformers fans' minds. The toys come out late, sporadically, or not at all, and consumers are forced to import from the US, but then when toys DO come out, they don't need them any more, and the line doesn't sell as well. What is the obstacle to releasing toys concurrently with the US, or at least releasing them in a timely manner, consistently, across Europe, and making sure that all toys from a line make it out in decent numbers (instead of gobs of one or two toys and little or none of the others)?- Given the obvious difficulties in getting product to the shelves, have you considered making entire toy lines (Cybertron, for example) available through Hasbro.co.uk, or a UK equivalent of www.hasbrotoyshop.com? Answer: The problem with the United Kingdom getting the hottest lines later than everyone else is because Hasbro.co.uk have to wait for the UK Toy Fair to showcase all new lines to the UK’s retailers. They cannot answer why there are some pieces missing from the line but this is something they are now looking into. The Hasbro team did say that the success of American companies in the UK (such as Walmart) would ultimately lead to earlier availability for the UK fan, as they would carry similar lines to their American counterparts. We can also announce that we were assured that the Hasbro.co.uk online store would return very soon and that fans will be able to purchase transformers figures from the site once it re-launches. TFAuctions.com Team
Hmmm.... comic book series based on alternators... hope to improve and expand line...... I hope they don't produce this comic book until the line is expanded as I do not want the artists of a comic book to be decideding what characters come out next in the line. I want the fans too! I feel we may lose our influence and more mess ups like Ravage, and RedAlert/Prowl comprimises happen. But yes I do want a comic. If it's done right. Looks like they are still holding onto Bumblebee and Cliffjumper molds in hopes of a VW license during the movie. Good for them!
Looks like Cybertron is gonna extend until the movie. No filler line=good. You guys got your G1 in the form of alts. Let us keep our Cybertron line instead of a filler.
except there's no soundwave, megatron, or seekers or hardly any decepticons in the alternators line Andy
