They went after the UT AOE/TLK Optimus (there were pictures of it, a Bumblebee, and artwork on a courtroom table as evidence), and UT said that the AOE Galvatron would be their last product. Now, we know it was partially because of this. It was also because DX9 and UT are the same company and their designers worked for a factory to produce these figures but the factory stopped paying them for their work (probably some to do with this, but 99% of it being greed), so they left the factory and will rebrand as a new company in a little while. The factory will continue to produce and reissue previous items they had made before.

 

I’ve been collecting TFs for a long long time. After substandard editions of the earliest MPs and TT always having better products and paint apps. I had resigned myself that if it’s high end and for adults, I’m going to buy the best product which these days is not either Hasbro or TT. Being hasbro is still substandard and TT is just too expensive. I will never again buy another TF product from Hasbro because their products aren’t worth the money even if I can find them readily at Walmart and Target stores. I would rather buy an OSKO or KO like that of MP44 without paint then to pay ridiculous prices due to licensing fees and what ever else is packed into the products price point. Sorry.. just won’t be for me. I’ve found products I like and yes, even as companies that aren’t legit I’d still only buy from them because they make what I want as a consumer. Until Hasbro or TT become more buyer friendly and give us better value for their products I will continue to look for my TFs elsewhere. Those two companies caused my buying habits to go elsewhere and I won’t and refuse to feel guilty for buying off brand. Those companies need to come to the consumer and not bitch about it and expect the consumer to come to them. When especially they don’t offer what this consumer in particular wants.

 

DX9 and UT are both done as they're both the same company. But yes, your points are entirely valid. I'm surprised FT dodged the bullet that they did. It's only a matter of time, though, they'll end up in the crosshairs, too.

So far, it seems as though anything pre-2007 Bayverse is fair game, and anything post (or directly involving movies) is not. Guess G1 through Unicron Trilogy is "free and clear" as much as they can be. (Well, with the exception of Unicron. Zeta was stupid and got what they deserved, there.)

 

Drama aside. All I want is oversized premium painted knock offs of Earthrise figures I already have paid for and own because I am a nut for scale!  

 

I'd like to know as well. As someone that owns both MP-28 and FT-17 Hoodlum I'm curious what he's talking about. You get a great alt mode with a shot for shot TFTM transformation with the Takara, but a meh bot mode and a lack of diecast. If he's referencing Hoodlum he's got that open back, his hood chips, and he's way too Chonky when transformed into his alt mode. Great heft from the diecast, and he looks better from straight on, but his flaws are obvious otherwise. There's no way higher Quality MP Hot Rod that I can think of. It's all just a question of which aspects of the character that you most value in a toy. I can't really speak to the movie MPs he's referencing just because I don't collect them. and know less than nothing about that aspect of MP collecting.

 

Ah, that wasn't quite my point. I see where you're coming from, and I tend to agree, I was just saying the other dude was asking too much to compare MP (especially 3rd party MP) to CHUG figures. It's just not a fair, nor accurate comparison. That said, SS86 Hot Rod is them trying to do MP-lite and they succeeded. I completely get the whole "my money goes to the best" thing, though. Absolutely. For me, right now, it's Has/Tak (since I'm out of MP), but I can certainly understand why it's not for you.

Gosh, are they still making that ridiculous thing?! You're absolutely right, it's a health hazard just waiting to maim someone (or worse). It wouldn't kill some of these 3rd parties to start focusing on CHUG, again. After buying the FP armor for Classics Optimus (the newer one where the weaponless cab is fully reshelled and "completed"), I was reminded of how great their stuff and ideas were and I'd like to see someone get back into that and give Hasbro a reason to keep on trying instead of giving up and getting lazy and going for the easy money.

I think the one company that's close to CHUG, right now is MMC. Sure, they do produce MP style figures, but their Reformatted line can work in both, really. I used their Sixshot as my Sixshot until TR's came out and I was able to sell the MMC one to pay for the TR version and have pocket money left over. (That's how Hasbro works, now. Make a figure people will want to buy and they'll sell off the 3rd party one. More Hasbro money.)

 

So don't they have just to rebrand and continue working? And let me see, UT didn't have license to make movie figures so Hasbro got them, it's it, or does it have anything to see with WJxDisney stuff that called Hasbro's attention?
Oh and btw, I was just comparing KO MP figures with the non collector Hasbro stuff, CHUG is the right name I guess, on price. My comparison was: the Leader Class Mechtech Bumblebee (DOTM) with DX9 Hot Rod, which at least on my country are in the same price +-, and one is just a toy and the other a collector figure in the level of a MP.

 

DX9/UT is owned by the factory, they'll "stay alive" by reproducing what's already been made by them. (Not including the molds they sold off to KO companies, such as their MP Powerglide) They won't make new ones, they won't make movie figures, so they'll be able to fly under the radar indefinitely. When people stop buying their stuff, they'll stop making it.

As for the licensing... 3rd parties never, ever have a legitimate license to produce items that Hasbro owns the IP to. Hasbro has the rights (they paid for them) to produce products for the movies because Paramount allowed them to. (Hasbro paid for those rights.) 3rd parties, such as UT, were producing movie figures basically illegally. (Which is what 3rd party has technically been all along.)

Hasbro has always known what's been going on, they've just turned a blind eye to it because it was symbiotic as relationships go. (Never found it odd that reissues of figures were coming out as upgrade kits were produced or announced?   ) Disney/Paramount forced their hand. When two of the biggest movie companies (who you have licensing with and provide the bulk of your bread and butter) tell you to jump, you ask "How high?!" and here we are.

 

Ok but my question was: they were caught, can't they just open another brand?

 

So can we expect them to make a work as good as UT's or they also won't make movie figures?
And it all started with WJ copying the HT Iron Man? Just it? Someone tricked the Mouse so the apokalipse happened? Bruh WJ sucked

 

Well so it's good. For now I just want someone to do those BB figures, Starscream and Soundwave to be exacly. I would like them in a scale of 20-25 cm to fit with my WJ Grimlock, and it used to be WJ scale (25cm), and BMB figures are always so much oversized. Those LT figures are totally cool but their price is totally salty for their size. So, do you have idea about who is gonna do good BB figures, on good scale and not overpriced like Threezero's are ?
Also it would have been loveable if UT could have finished AOE/TLK line, I'd have loved Bumblebee

 

Paramount raided UT? That’s new to me. But maybe avoiding movie aesthetics would be good for a bit. There’s bit almost no push outside of movie figures. Has there been any more word about the Ironhide or what rumored connections there were to Dream Factory?

 

So I was thinking
I was going to get Wei Jiang Grimlock, but if I want to have more Dinobots it'd have to be with SS or BMB figures, but their scale would be weird. Is there any chance of someone else making +-34cm Dinobots to fit with WJ Grimlock or should I buy the BMB one?

 

I was talking about KO oversized. The problem I found myself is that with WJ 34cm Grimlock if I got the KO Scorn (38 cm+-) it'd be weird.
Btw, that KO Scorn is a KO of what figure?

 

Ok and? Theyre using hasbros designs and properties

 

Ah, if that's the case then I whole heartedly agree. Hasbro should really take stock of what the consumer wants, and TT needs to stop over valuing their products. Yea sure some people will buy those products at their prices, but there is money left on the table hence the 3rd party circuit and KOs so why wouldn't they drop the price to be more reasonable and in the long run the discount would yield a bigger portion of the market share because those other customers wouldn't need to go third party, and especially if they went more quality control on paint apps and such. Tolerances and replacement parts programs, and so on. Foster the fan community instead of sucking them dry on over pricey bots.

 

Heeeey! Wait a minute. Hasbro paid for Paramount, letting them produce Optimus Prime?.. Bite me, please, but how?! They own TF, but have to pay to Paramount to produce them? Because of design or what? So maybe Hasbro had to pay to IDW Publishing for their designs, to produce "Thrilling 30"? I'm sorry, but it sounds ridiculous. I am Has/Tak. I own Transformerse universe. Then Paramount arrives with their bayformers and now I have to pay them? It's like Has/Tak had to pay to 3P-companies to produce their toys  

 

So what do you really want: a good toy or a new Ferrari to HasTak CEOs?..

 

There's a GCreation Grimlock, btw: G-Creation Movie Series - Project G (Movie Grimlock)

 

I want the brand to succeed and sell well so we can get better toys and get them more available around places