Hello fellow cybertronian enthusiasts.
Having just popped back into the transformers fandom after a few years away, I've been playing catch up on all the figures that have been coming out since 2018.
It seems that in these past few years Hasbro has been going hard in delivering the definitive G1 looks for classic (and some obscure) characters.
Personally, I was much more of a fan of what classics/2010era generations was doing, giving us updated and more 'modernised(?)' Versions of the characters.
My question to you all is this,
What should the primary transformers line do next? I know that there is a love for the G1 designs but something I keep thinking about is how the target audience (which is actual children and not us grown up kids) might not find an 80s style van or VW beetle cool or even know what it is. Would you be opposed to HasTak going back to that style of the old CHUG days and giving us some fun, modernised takes on the old bots?

 

They know what cars are. They have some semblance of history. They definitely know who Bumblebee is. He doesn’t need to be a flashy sports car all the time in the modern day. He can be a retro car sometimes too.

As far as your question goes. I’d like a focus on new toys for Japanese and European G1, G2 and Beast Wars characters, toys and forms who were not originally in the 80s and 90s toyline in America.

Those would be pretty much completely new characters for many fans while also having an existing back story that some fans know.

 

The original line of designs, from G1 is in line with happiness. Therefore, I would opt to keep the original designs.

 

Generations needs to go beyond G1 in a more than token attempt. Kingdom's BW coverage was a major step in the right direction. Legacy is less so - the "G1-ified" Bulkhead totally misses the essence of the character. Generations needs to finally do decent coverage of RiD, UT, Animated, G2 that isn't simply slight recolors of G1, with the occasional G1 character/version mixed in.

 

I'd like to see literally anything new. Hasbro come up something that's not a decades-old animation model challenge 2022.

 

I'm a staunch Sunbowner and even *I* would love a series where there was one rep from every cartoon in a line! Imagine the fan hype that would occur if they gave us G1,BW,RiD,Armada, and RiD (again) in one wave!

 

I think it needs beyond g1, or to some obscure g1 stuff,

 

I personally would like to clear out the rest of the G1 cast before the turn of the decade (preferably sooner than later) but I'd also like them to continue with things like BW, UC and Prime as well as branching out to things like Animated and RID as well. Preferably a 50/50 split G1 to other, at least until we can get most of the characters out of the system. While other series are cool, G1 did run for a much longer amount of time compared to other continuities, and as such has more characters that need releasing. Even if we count the Prime Wars (quite a few figures from which need remakes) then there's still a large amount of late-run weirdos as well as some 84-86 odds and ends that need new figures.

 

Beyond the status quo. I love G1, it’s what I grew up with, but there is more to the franchise obviously. I’d love to see hasbro take the same approach with the toys and media. It may be “heresy” to say, but I’m tired of Optimus, Megatron, bumble bee, ect as always being front and center.

 

I think they should do Animated and Prime next. Mainly leading more towards Prime though tbh. These lines/show have been very neglected as far as toys go in the last few years and I personally just think a lot of the designs (especially Prime) deserves updated toys. Imagine having a proper commander class TFP Predaking or an updated TFA Megatron. Don't even get me started on Lugnut

 

I think I would most like to see them do the rest of the G1 combiners, a new Metroplex, finish the dinobots, headmasters and Targetmasters and then I am pretty much good.

 

I would like to see Generations become an eclectic, all encompassing line. This way, we can have our G1 characters alongside later-gen figures (and possibly, even original characters).

 

I'd rather they not modernize anyone who originally had an older car as an alt mode, but I definitely want more continuities to be brought in. (In fact, if anything I'd like more recent characters to be given 90s-and-earlier cars as alt modes to fit in with the WFC styling, but I know that's not going to happen.)

 

Haslab Unicron will always be the best, but I hope someday we get a smaller, simplified Titan Class Unicron mold for us poor mass market plebs, maybe under the SS86 branding.

 

WFC set the bar for toon accuracy (mostly), we cannot go back.

Legacy is a bit of a bummer that it's re-imagined everything not G1 with WFC aethestics, and WFC continuation for G1.

I say, re-do the Unicron Trilogy, JPG1, RID2001, etc. with cartoon accuracy and modern engineering instead of pigeon holing them with "War for Cybertron" aesthetics, and do not re-imagine them like with ~2006-2011 Generations.

Or just introduce new characters and figures (I'm sick of re-buying the same characters over and over regardless of 'improvements'), but add more background story. It's hard to get excited about Lift Ticket and DK-2 Guard for example, but they at least made kind of an effort with Puffer and M.Tigatron.

 

I wish we could just get random waves of characters from various continuities: G1, G2, BW, RID 2001, Unicron Trilogy, etc. all mixed together. Every figure based on its original design. No themes or gimmicks, unless warranted.

 

I get that G1 means so much to so many, but there are others out there who just don't have the same emotional connection to it, and yes, I'd hope they know what a car is, but some of us didn't grow up with G1 so we don't get excited by the VW bee. Obviously, this is all personal preference, but I prefer the classics figure of Bee to the super G1 accurate figures. I like that blend of old school with a modern twist. I guess I just like it when they give us something we haven't seen before. I'm not saying they should completely redesign the characters like some of the bayverse characters, but just shake things up in an interesting way.

 

Literally just do what Marvel Legends has been doing. Designs from all across the franchise so there is something for everyone.

 

The way I see it is, we have a pretty accurate G1 Optimus for example, so why not put another version out there that is either from a different continuity or just a fresh, original take on him, like what classics did. Still heavily inspired by that original design but made updated a little.

 

I wouldn’t mind seeing Unicron Trilogy and Japanese G1 characters next.