If Hasbro gave us what 3rd Parties are, what would it be like. How much would Hasbro sell City Commander for and how different would it be? What would a Hasbro Heart of Steel line be like?

 

Well, to point out the obvious, they wouldn't be third party.

I think for the most part Hasbro does good stuff, but they have certain margins they need to hit for price points. Third parties can do their thing and charge their cost which is usually higher because they don't have the business/tax breaks that a Corporation like Hasbro does to mass produce and sell their product.

In other words, you would get Hasbro versions of City Commander or HoS line, which would fall under their usual requirements and essentially be nothing like the Third party products.

 

It wouldn't third party then...doesn't make sense hasbro doesn't make the same thing. Money is there

 

If Hasbro gave us things like city commander, the plastic quality would be a lot different, Hercules would not have had flawed hips, and would have been named constructicon devastator. Ultra Magnus would have been one piece rather than and add on kit. Then reprolabels faction sticker sales would plummet.

edit:

3rd party mega threads would not be so MEGA!!!!!

 

Hasbro makes what it thinks it can sell. Other groups try to suppliment it. Sometimes they overlap, like Masterpiece Soundwave.

 

I could've seen Hasbro selling the CC armor with Classics Ultra Magnus. The packaging display probably would've been UM in robot mode at the center with each armor attachment next to the corresponding part of UM's body. Think of the PCC-styled packaging.

 

Well for them to do something like City Commander, which they'd have to include a base figure for (let's face it, parents aren't just going to pick up a trailer or jet or battle station for their kid, unless it came with something to apply it to; on top of that kids wouldn't want it without the base figure); they'd have to margin it for the "Leader Class" price point. I see us collectors wanting and buying it; but the big concern is, would it appeal enough to the target demographic enough for us collectors to enjoy too.
They're taking a swing at combiners again, which I'm thrilled about. I wasn't too crazy over the PCCs, and apparently neither were the demographic. Even though FOC Bruticus isn't the best figure, if it sells well, it's still a great start for us to get more combiners that won't run us $300-$500+ and that's something I look forward to.
I don't think Hasbro really wants to "compete" with 3rd parties because there's no reason for them to. 3rd Party companies, for the most part release things meant to enhance pre-existing Hasbro product (that Hasbro simply can't fit into budget or just won't sell well), whether it be an add on set for a single figure, or multiple full figures that enhance the overall look of a collection of mostly Hasbro product. Example being Hercules looking GREAT with classics Decepticons, Defener and Steelcore looking GREAT with your classics Autobot Wreckers, and even Toyworld's Throttlebots.
I'm a huge fan of 3rd Parties and what they do. But I'm a also a huge fan of Hasbro for putting the initial product out there for all these 3rd Party releases looking great displayed with them.

Long story short, the reason Hasbro won't do it, IMO is that it either won't fit budget or it just won't appeal to kids/retailers for them to carry.

 

They'd be drastically different anyway since Hasbro has saftey regulations to met. Third Party companies don't. I seriouly think Hasbro could make toys that make Fansproject, TFC or iGear releases ook lie Happy Meal toys if they didn't have safety measures and a budget they had to adhere to.

 

Take a look at Bruticus with the Fansproject upgrade. Then take a look at Generations Fall Of Cybertron Bruticus. That's what Hasbro doing third party concepts would be like.

 

Safety does play a small part in designs stateside but then, Takara really doesn't have that issue from what I've seen.

Still, you're right, my first thought was that the FP Insecti-ninjas wouldn't have been nearly as sharp and pointy.

But let's look at it this way, Hasbro is well aware of the Third Party Competition, they know what is and what isn't selling [despite the pricepoints] and yet they still choose to do whatever it is that they want to do. Could they have given us an actual Devastator instead of the Wal-Mart Exclusive Repaint? Certainly. Did they? Nope. Would it have been cheaper through Hasbro? Likely. Did people buy a Third Party version regardless? Yep.

What's funny to me is that despite being Third Party and, therefore, most likely released in smaller quantities, I've never had an issue purchasing any item I've wanted. I wish I could say the same for Hasbro releases.

As for quality, let's not assume that since it's an official product the quality is going to automatically better. There are countless stories to suggest otherwise.

 

Then they won't be 3rd party now would they?

 

Our 3rd party items would not be so epic. In fact, they'd probably suck.

 

I think the both of you are getting caught up in the semantics of the thread title.

 

I think we need to give Hasbro some credit here. It's very easy to pick out the flaws in something, making it very easy to take what we have for granted. For every victory the Third Party releases get (e.g. Hercules), Hasbro releases like a dozen toys. This year alone, Hasbro has released a lot of great toys, such as (off the top of my head), Voyager Dreadwing, First Edition Optimus and Bulkhead, First Edition Starscream, Deluxe Vehicon, and that's just in the TF Prime line. Yes, the third parties made 3 insecticons, but Hasbro is doing WHOLE SERIES of figures.

 

He'd probably also be very obviously hollow in several spots.

 

Reading throuvh the thread I'm just reminded how little some people read. Of course, that's not you, Sblood. In fact, you do a pretty good job to the contrary  

 

if HasTakTom sold 3rd Party TFW would implode from the epicness

 

It's been said a billion times third parties don't have ANY of the major limitations Hasbro has in terms of costs, retail arrangements, safety regulations, or audience. They don't make the sort of toys a 3rd party company does generally because they literally can't. It is not the kind of company they are, not the kind of product they make, and not the general audience they are after. And they're happy with that.

You want to know what 3rd party toys would be like if Hasbro made them? They'd be the Classics, Universe, and Generation lines we've gotten.


-ZacWilliam, Duh.