While posting in another thread I started to wonder how well the old Beast Wars (and maybe Beast Machines) molds would do if they got a straight re-release today (not updates or redesigns). Not as exclusives or something like that, but as a mainstream release alongside whatever main TF line would be running. Beasts seem to be making a comeback in Transformers so perhaps the time is right. Plus it can't always be just dinosaurs and dragons.  

It's been a while now since those toys were on shelves and I'm sure many kids will have never even heard of the Beast Wars line, but would still find it really cool and fun. The toys generally weren't overly complicated and the transformations were often fairly simple. Articulation was pretty good too. Seems like they'd fit in perfectly with Hasbro's current 'simpler for the kids' design trend. Maybe the Basics could even be upscaled to Deluxe size if Hasbro fancied.

Assuming the molds aren't lost or too wrecked, it would surely cut down costs since they're already fully designed and exist. Plus there's a brilliant show already made and ready to put on telly again to help advertise the line.

Terrorsaur's mold is getting a new repainted outing in the AoE line so Hasbro must consider there's some appeal to modern kids there (ignoring the possibility they just reused that old mold to be cheap rather than make something new from scratch).

I love the Beast Wars toyline and think it would still hold up really well even today. Perhaps it could even include some old Japanese Beast figures that never made it to America or Europe.

Or would you be against the idea in case it jeopardized the possibility of more Generations Beast Wars character toy updates in the future?
Perhaps you can see a major stumbling block to the idea that I've not considered.
Try not to see it from just a collector's point of view, but from would it fit into today's market for children's Transformers toys?

Thoughts?

I've also added a simple Yes/No poll to compare.

 

hell yes!! more articulated figures!!! a needed return!!!

 

Mostly no. Maybe for Transmetals afflictd with GPS, but IMO, the season 1 toys were pretty terrible and deserve the Generations level treatment that Rhinox and Rattrap have gotten.

 

isn't that what we were talking about? a redo for better toys?

 

Nope. I'm taking about taking the old molds and putting those figures back out again as-is, or as close to as-is as possible. They might lose a few paint apps, chrome or weapons maybe. Or perhaps new toy safety laws since then might require a few tweaks to the old molds.

 

ahhh. I see. I like the BW figures, though I don't own them. it would be nice for another reissue

 

I wouldn't be for it.

I think having new updates of the characters in Generations would be better.

 

Without a show I think it would flounder, the 10th anniversary line did OK with fans though and the kids who grew up on it are around the age that G1 fans were when the first G1 reissues started showing up.

If they were to release the old toys, some could do with new head designs to ape the show, but personally I now see no reason to reissue the original Rhinox Waspinator or Rattrap as the Generations toys look better than the originals (especially Rhinox.) and are nearly dead on show accurate in appearance.

I would be up for picking some up, but I would prefer to see Generations versions, sure Universe Cheetor was bad, and Dinobot mediocre but the three that have been released recently are outstanding figures. If any were to be reissued, I would hope for Primal and Megs again and maybe some transmetal figures.

 

It's possible you could still get those too. Kinda like how Hasbro has the simpler toys for kids and the Generations updates for people that want an improved, updated and more screen-accurate toy version of the character. Maybe getting today's young 'uns into Beast Wars with the old stuff might actually increase demand for updated versions.

But it does have a show.

I see your point about perhaps some new heads for certain characters. Although would kids be that bothered? Admittedly when BW first came out a few of the heads being different did bother me a little. But I still collected the toys anyway.
For characters that now have Generations versions, the original molds could still maybe be seen as 'entry-level' molds for younger kids. And then they move onto the harder stuff. Like all good addictions.  

Considering Generations have been TRU exclusives here in the UK for quite a while now, it might be good to have the older molds on wider release so kids will actually be aware of them to begin with.

 

Or it could hurt as some parent could go "Sorry, but I already got you that figure."

Most parents aren't fans, they wouldn't know the difference between a reissue Beast Wars Waspinator and the Generations version. They just see a green wasp toy that they already got the kid.

 

While I do often agree with that line of thinking (certainly when it comes to the endless Bumblebees and Optimuseseses), it apparently hasn't stopped Hasbro from releasing the same character designs over and over. Just look at the current AoE stuff for multiple versions of the same character in the same line alongside each other on the shelves. Correctly or not, Hasbro seem to think it's not going to be such a problem. The unified packaging design trend for TF seems like a bigger marker for customer confusion to me than having two figures based on the same design. And as I said earlier, at least in the UK, Generations are exclusive to TRU. Not everyone here has a TRU anywhere near them. Some kids may never even encounter a Generations BW figure for that confusion to arise. They're more likely to get the old mold versions that are more common in more stores.

Plus, I'm sure most kids would be quick to point out to their parents it's an entirely different toy just based on the same character.

 

Hmmmmm on the whole no.

You could re-release some of the really outstanding ones like the first Ape Prime and TRex Megs (and call it Grimlock why doncha Hasbro.....) but overall I prefer even the trickle of New BW figs we've got and if I get a voyager Dinobot Done right out of whatever the current plan is I'll be fine in my selfish, self-centred way.

 

No thanks. Great cartoon, but terrible, ugly, kibbley toys with animal mouth hands. Yuck.

 

Something like the Fox Kids stuff they did where an existing mould was repainted I'd be fine with - I'm not so keen on another yellow Cheetor though - if there was a Black one with Yellow spot (especially the TM2) I'd like that a lot. I think the Fox Kids and Fox Kids Transmetals and the Universe toys that used Beast wars mould in general worked very well.

So yes that would be fine - I heard some years ago that a lot of the early moulds had been lost - which is a shame as something like the early flipchanger scouts would be nice in a Takara style shiny paint scheme take the 1996 Insecticon basic imagine that with an iridescent paint scheme.

Also The fuzors would be nice in other colours too.

As for Waspinator how about a "Blue Bottle" deco.

 

A straight reissue of the Beast Wars figures? No. Not at this time. I think the better route to go would be to use the molds maybe, like we've already seen with the Terrorsaur mold.

A straight reissue toy line though, I don't think it would be successful right now despite the resurgence of beast-formers yet again.

 

Nope. It would be buried under all things movie. Better in 2016 for the 20th anniversary.

 

Ratrap evolutions pack would be neat, with brown gun for generations rattrap.

 

I'd agree with this. For the most part, I'd just rather certain characters get updated a la Rhinox and Waspinator.

 

Holy hell that is a brilliant idea!!!

 

How long are people going to bang their head against this wall. Reissues have a very niche market, in an already niche market. They don't sell well enough to make it worth while for Hasbro. And even G1 stuff only does sorta well enough to sorta worth it for Tak/To. If reissues did really good business there'd a be a tonne of them. The amount of reissues coming this 30th anniversary year should tell you exactly how well they sell.