Sad because many times the deluxes arent the best representation of the character, nor are they always well designed.

Again sad because there is never that much of a all around size difference between most of the cars versus the planes.

Why are these concepts so difficult for Hasbro to understand?

Its a pretty telling statement about the lack of quality at your company domestically when people at a foreign division OF YOUR SAME COMPANY consistently outperform you while you stand dumbstruck at how they do it, even though the concept is laid at your feet time and time again, yet you ignore it.

Wow, another novel concept that Hasbro consistently ignores. A lot of parents and children nowadays are actually (hold your breath now!) SMART and don't want a myriad of toys that are just repaints of toys they already have. From the looks of the toy isles in most stores, they dont really want all this gimmicky shit as much as the Hasbroken bean counters believe either. As far as the young girls are concerned, they dont want MLPs that look like Bratz. They dont want MLPs that look like Littlest Pet Shop. If they wanted Bratz, they'd buy Bratz. If they wanted Littlest Petshop, they'd buy Littlest Pet Shop. Stop trying to compete by making your own product look like everyone else's. Compete by making CREATIVE UNIQUE products.

 

Gawd, all those I've put in bold would be total win. My wallet would probably cry but I'd be all over that like ugly on a monkey.

I wish that Hasbro were listening to this and would get that "Gimmick" simply means "great transformation" and not all the bullshit they add to their toys. This gentlemen understands that its the transformation that makes the toy, not all the stupid bells and whistles you can add to it.

Never was a more inspiring statement [or a better sig!  ] ever made. Amen.

 

"Yuki: We will create products which will amaze you. After all, Transformers are "More Than Meets the Eye", toys that are more than they seem to be. You need to actually handle them to know them. Please take them out of the box, and play."

THIS. SO THIS.
I can't let a Transformer sit in a box because of this- and it's why I try my best to avoid buying these guys mint in package. Sometimes I get in trouble of fidgeting with these guys more than doing my work; happened ALL THE TIME when I was coloring the TFCC Classicsverse chapter.

 

You kidding? Some of the finest designs in a toyline come from the Deluxe class. They are usually less-encumbered by gimmicks than other classes and generally have the most imaginative transformation and the best all-round articulation.

I'm as cynical as the next person with Marketing Pazazz versus Engineering Logic and Experience, but Hasbro has been keeping a good balance of the two in doing what they think kids in their markets want with doing what makes a good toy. The very success they've been having with the brand for the past decade proves this. But the way you talk sounds like you think that TakaraTomy has been more successful in this front than Hasbro has.

 

An interesting read, and one that feels a little more honest than the average PR-filtered stuff from Hasbro convention appearances and Q&A.

Oddly I feel that Animated Shockwave affecting the design of Universe Galvatron is the most believable answer I've heard yet, even though the two toys ended up released months apart from each other. (It also lends some more validity to Hasbro's "too many tank toys" answer, if it applies to all lines out at a given time)

It is funny to think that a favorite toy and a least-favorite can both be designed by the same guy. (even though the law of averages pretty much makes it a given)

 

Interesting read, thanks for all the hard work!

 

That was a great little evening read   Many thanks for the translation!

And I finally got a face and name on the guy who did G2 Smokescreen, Takio Ejima. He's now officially my hero  

 

Thanks for the translation. Fortmax and Starsabre, yes please!!!

 

Wow. Thanks very much, SydneyY! I know that had to be a lot of work.

Those designers seem awesome. My favorite bits are the stuff about gimmicks, opening the toys, and of course:

 

And to all the folks who said Voyager Bulkhead should've been a Deluxe solely because of his height, I give you this:

 

Thanks for the translation man

my comment: WE WANT SOUNDWAVE! dont give up on making one

Reporters have minicassette players that they use in interviews!
Also he doesnt have to be a cassette player, in war within, MTMTE, IDW megatron: origin he was not a cassette player, he was a COM tank, a street lamp (?) and a COM Vehicle/thank/wareva, yet he could eject cassete like things (corners were different form cassettes), call them data cartridges, call them deployment special/tactical units, call them whatever you want, just dont make a soundwave that cant eject one out of his chest compartment.

 

I totally agree with the Henkei team. And ow yeah btw, I love their chrome too.

 

I'm shocked that the guy who did Uni. Cheetor did the original design. The new Cheetor barely looks like Cheetor.

There's a lot of cool stuff in there, like the gimmicks. (line-wide gimmicks, that is) They seem like guys that are really into what they do. No wonder TFs rock so much.

This thread is ridicluous, though.

 

Thank you so much for sharing this with us SydneyY (& Sol Fury), while obviously a consuming task, it is of great benefit to this community. Some of the most interesting insights I've read for a while.

 

Great stuff. Big thumbs up to the Henkei team.

 

awesome read. thanks for the translation sol!
It's good to know that the designers of these toys love the fans and want to make them and new consumers happy with what they make.
these three are awesome.

 

Great!!! Now I know what they are thinking...sort of.

 

Thank you everyone who kindly gave me a pat on the back. I really appreciate it  

Another little info from the book for anyone who's interested in "who designed who"

Mr. Shogo Hasui - The designer who's been calling "dibs" on Starscream. He designed all Starscream figures since Micron Legend.
(The fact is mentioned with Henkei Starscream design art.)

 

Awesome work Syd!  

Very insightful indeed.

That's an understatement.

 

WIN. We, the FANDOM should give the AWESOME Designers of some of our beloved Transformers toys, a BIG e-Cookie and a round of standing ovation for their brilliant engineering and all round contribution to the TF mythos. Kudos. WEll Done. BRAVO & keep up the good work, gentlemen! GAMBATTEI-MAS, Mina-san!  

Oh, and PLZ Henkei Star Saber = FAINT. ;P

P.S. Thank-you SydneyY!! You rock.  

 

  Awesome!