I think MW Star Scream, using the Sky Quake mold, would sell very well as a Select. MW Optimus ( using Thunderclash mold) would sell as well as other Optimus's.

 

Bro, we had Selects Hot House and Bugbite not too lonh ago.

Hell, Walmart currently has two Diaclone characters, a Botcon 1999 chatacter, and an unreleased Cheetor repaint from 2003 as exclusives.

Machine Wars is on level footing if not higher then all of those.

 

I think Machine Wars repaints of Skyquake, Doubledealer, Rotorstorm etc on their own could be slightly problematic due to their obscurity, but having them be repaints who share a mold with the Euro G1 characters could be enough to see them get released twice.

I’m not saying that G1 Skyquake, Stalker & Thunderclash etc are all super well known as it is, but having the ability to have a ‘second bite of the Cherry’ so to speak & them having multiple reuses would work out much better.

I also think this is likely what will happen, we’ll get Euro G1 then the Machine Wars repaints. Machine Wars may be obscure, but they do have the name brand recognition of Optimus Prime, Starscream, Soundwave etc that would help them sell as retailer / Pulse exclusives.

I also think Machine Wars failed as they were essentially a homage of a homage, they were too far removed from the original concept (though I can’t deny they still had some good molds & decent colour schemes)

 

Personally, I think Thunderclash would do better if retooled/redecoed as the Turbomaster Hyperdrive rather than MW Optimus.

-SS (THEN do MW Prime as the third use IF you think a Commander-Class MW Optimus will sell)

 

The fact Hasbro is doing G2 Drag Strip at retail kind of negates that line of thought.

It was the molds more than anything. The characters were fine.

Other than Prime Dreadwing being the obvious choice, I'd say the rest of the options are relatively equally interesting or popular. I can't say King Atlas is more popular or interesting than MW Starscream or the G1.5 Skyquake colors (the one I'd be most interested in). All three of those are obscure in their own ways (a Universe one-off, a Kaybee store exclusive, and a European exclusive that North American fans didn't know much about until the late 90's and has to deal with GPS, respectively).

From a purely aesthetic point of view, MW Starscream is the sexier of the repaints.

 

I think comparing G2 -even cancelled G2 - to Machine Wars is a bit disingenuous.

The K-B exclusive line didnt have any fiction outside the BotCon comic and had a few odd choices for characters (Prowl as an F-1 Racer? Megatron as a TINY jet next to Starscream? Megaplex?).

I would wager that G2 is *immensely* more popular and less obscure.

-SS (but yes...Hasbro has reached deep lately)

 

I'm not a big fan of "do the popular characters first". It doesn't seem like the most sustainable business strategy. The main thing I'd say is "Don't force the MW characters." A dump of too many of them like Botcon will probably flop and also lead to inappropriate mold choices (see: every Botcon, G1 Fembots).

I'd rather it be something I can slowly pick off over a decade and get the right molds for the right characters at an affordable pace.

I think sometime in the next 3 years is right for MW Starscream. This is the right mold.

 

The thing is, all of them (except Megaplex, Hubcap, maybe Hoist) have pretty well-known names. If you can't sell Starscream, Prowl, or Soundwave, the whole Legacy concept is FUBAR.

Personal opinion, they should lean further into the names and give them all G1-ish heads to further the connection, but I don't think it'll actually matter that much that MW didn't sell well, anymore that it mattered that JG1 characters never got released in the US, as long as the figures look cool. And if they're based on this Skyquake mold, Motormaster, etc, they'll look cool

 

Canceled G2 is actually super obscure in that the figure (G2 Drag Strip) had no toy and no fiction. G2 may have had a 12-issue comic - but that was also pretty obscure, all things considered. if you go to the comic book shop, very few people there would probably even remember it. Not to mention that many fans actually despise G2 thanks to the colors (I think they're neon-tastic fun but I know they aren't for everyone).

The thing about Skyquake is that he can't even really hang his hat on G2 firmly. He can't even hang his hat on North America. But if G2 Drag Strip and a Crasher colored Mirage can be a thing, I suppose G1.5 Skyquake can be, too.

Machine Wars at least had toys and were nationally released. And as someone else mentioned, they have name recognition. As such, I'd give Machine Wars as much consideration as any other deep dive repaint, at the very least.

On a side note, I think it's pretty jive-y that Hasbro is mostly ignoring the Axelerators and the Skyscorchers. Rapido, Windrazor and company have some collective jelly going on right now.

 

Mark is on record as wanting to do Machine Wars. We're definitely getting Machine Wars, the only question is how many.

 

Diaclone is relatively obscure and didn't sell well in the states upon it's release, yet we get plenty of Diaclone based repaints

 

In fact, we got almost all of them.

 

I quite liked my MW Starscream when I was a kid, but I think I’d prefer a Universe King Atlas from this mold even more.

But what’s really funny is that I thought Leg’quake would make for a great G2 Smokescreen, but that pic with Needlenose seems to imply that they’re gunna use this guy to make a G2 Dreadwing, and I’m down.  

 

Fans have also been clamoring for Diaclone colors since Takara did them with their reissues.

Machine Wars...not so much.
Although I suppose a lack of Euro-influenced molds might have played a part.

-SS (No one was asking for MW Prime out of ER Prime or MW Prowl from Mirage)

 

Thunderclash would work better as a different mold than as a repaint of Thunderclash?!

I would very much like to see a Thunderclash and MW Optimus, but I don't think Motormaster is a very good base. Looking at the upcoming waves doesn't reveal anything better (unless I'm mistaken), so either we're getting a repaint forced upon an unfitting mold (like Rotorstorm or the suggested Needlenose/Doubledealer Predators), we're not getting a Thunderclash for the next two years, or we're just not getting one at all.

 

I said it would DO better...as in sales. Hyperdrive never got a toy and would probably sell more units at the Commander price than Machine Wars Prime.

-SS (I just don't see many fans paying $80+ for him.)

 

Hey, if people are willing to pay current inflated prices for Machine Wars characters, more power to them.

Personally, I only look fondly back at the line for three reasons:

1. A return to vehicle TFs at a time when Beast Wars was the only retail line.
2. The use of G1 characters (or names).
3. The use of previously-exclusive European or unreleased molds.

The colors weren't that appealing for the most part and they suffered from both neutered gimmicks and an almost non-existent paint budget on many of them.

-SS (but that's just my opinion, of course)

 

It doesn't imply that in any way, it's just a replication of the Predator gimmick that G1/G2 Skyquake had

While that is true, to an extent, it doesn't change the fact that Diaclone sold poorly, lacks fiction and is fairly niche, even if a vocal part of the fandom wants those decos

 

This makes me have hope for Prime Optimus Prime.wondering when we will see it

 

I don't see most of the suggestions floated around here as being good choices for a Commander.

I see Sky Lynx as being an odd fit in what is generally a premium size class for iconic characters. I'm anxious about getting G2 Motormaster even.

I don't see Thunderclash, Hyperdrive, or even Lugnut performing well as Commanders.

In general, I think if it's bigger than a leader and isn't iconic and also doesn't fit into the world of Titans, it probably needs to be a Haslab.