Just spent about an hour veging out in the toy room..and was comparing generations from g1,beast wars,armada,energon,cybertron ect.. all the way through ROTF..how we fell in love with the brick transformers.0 posability on most of g1.now the way you can pose these newer lines like animated ..and the movie 1,2..just made me stop and think..what will the future hold for the toys...the engineering on these toys is getting crazy..like binaltech and alternity.any thoughts on what you guys would like to see?

 

Toys that transform themselves would be nice.

That's not sarcasm either. Something like the Activators or that 'Automorph' feature, but much much better and more effective. Multiple parts that click into place or move as you're transforming it

Less electronic bells and whistles too, since they can take up so much room in a figure...or better yet, a new way to add lights and sounds without taking up so much space within the figure. If mP3 players and phones and laptops and high-end TVs can continue to evolve while growing thinner/less bulkier (and eventually, as the technology spreads, see the price drop over time), than hopefully the same can be done with toys too.

 

I'll echo that sentiment, On the way home from work I passed several construction vehicles and I couldn't help but imagine how cool it would be if they all just started transforming and running around. A smallish toy that could do that would be super cool!

 

I wholly disagree. For me, transforming the toys are the primary reason to have them. I'd hate to have one transform itself. They should make more intricate transformers, their like child's rubick's cubes or 3D puzzles.

 

I see your point, I'm definitely not saying all Transformers should transform themselves, but if there were a "Ultimate" one that did that would be something to see.

 

As a kid, I had a remote control Voltron Black lion which walked and transformed itself. It was not as entertaining as the real BL.

That said, if they did a real size ROTF wheelie which was a full remote control car and could transform itself by hitting a button. That might be seriously awesome.

 

id like to see the electronics dropped completely and that money be spent on making the Transformers even more awesome , as well as finding ways to remake figs that can't currently pass toy drop tests so that they can pass them ( yes im looking at you Fortress Maximus) and be sold at retail in the US

 

Not sure but I see a lot of good things happening.

Articulation just keeps getting better and better. So the ability to pose your figures in the future looks good.

The sculpting gets better and better so I'm thinking in the future they will be able to get even more character into the molds. I imagine the future is going to hold some Transformers I'm going to be crazy over because the figures are packed with personality.

Even though the movie robots aren't my thing the vehicle modes are just wow so I'm guessing the future is going to hold even more detail and a more realistic look to the alt modes.

Yea the future looks pretty darn good to me.

 

i agree that self transformers would be cool but transforming them myself is the best part. maybe theyd make more organic looking toys w/ robot modes that you wouldnt even think could turn into cars that is were i think its going

 

I think the past 5 years have seen a renaissance, a second golden age for Transformers. Things have in many ways gotten better and better. Particularly in terms of design, character and inventiveness. I'm thrilled to see that they aren't just doing the same transformations over and over. They have some highly talented artists and designers working on transformers.

I also think it's just a matter of time before functioning robotic transformers reach the market. I recently acquired a TakaraTomy Isobot, and I think it's probably inevitable that someone at the company will decide to put that level of technology into a transforming robotic Optimus Prime toy sooner or later. Whether such a toy will be a rare marvel or the first of many remains to be seen.

However, just because I think things have gotten better and better, it doesn't necessarily follow they will continue to do so. There are other forces at play. I suspect Hasbro have approached the peak of what production efficiency can deliver, in terms of overseas facilities and the cost of the materials and labour involved. We've apparently begun to see a cutting back in terms of what passes quality control and other related aspects, like the number of paint applications. Though this is admittedly a subjective perception. Rubber wheels are gone on toys like Leader Prime and the alternator-like Human Alliance series. Hasbro admitted at Botcon that they have reached a point where they either continue to chip away at the standards they have established or raise the price. Of course raising the price will have an effect on sales, so these aren't easy decisions.

I think from a design POV, it's possible to continue the trend of increasing the complexity. But in regard to production costs, they are still limited in terms of how many parts each class of figure can consist of, how many types of plastic it can use, how many paint apps etc. Each transformer being unique, there's only so far you can go towards streamlining the production and assembly.

Speaking of design, I also believe they are approaching the pinnacle of what can be accomplished artistically. No one ever really surpassed the level of draftsmanship Da Vinci and Michelangelo achieved. Artists since the Renaissance have probably matched it, but once a certain level as been reached, the only place left to grow is stylistically.

And that's what we've begun to see in TFA and the movie series, and what I think we can expect more of in the future. Not so much improved toys, as divergence of styles. Every couple of years they'll come out with something that isn't necessarily any better, it just looks new and different.

 

I don't believe you. 

... Don't you think every fan has their limit? That point at which Transformers will have jumped the shark.

Hasbro often has this attitude towards Transformers where apparently nothing is sacred. Sooner or later everything about Transformers must change, regardless of how essential we may have thought it was. Become unrecognisable even. I certainly can't guarantee that I'll be able to sustain my interest no matter what Hasbro come up with.

 

A new ball/universal joint.

Something that allows for better articulation without popping off or being too loose.

 

i saw on the news a cybertron optimus that was larger than the average adult male and you could transform it but it was approximately 1000$ australian
i want them to make them that size.