TransformersAsia has posted an interview with TakaraTomy Asia Regional Customer Strategy & Marketing Director David Chua. The interview explains the process for Asian Region Exclusives and hints “something big” is heading towards Asian Region Transformers Fans.
Below are some of the highlights:
Hi David , for the past several years, we have seen some spectacular Transformers items called ” Asia Exclusive ” , can you tell us what is this project all about? , and how did you come up with the plan ?Our goal is fulfilling the dream of Transformers fans. Transformers fans are very professional and their taste is sophisticated. We always challenge ourselves to make the ultimate toys which they would want to own and proudly display. Our ideas always come from the feedback of fans, we would discuss and work closely with our partner at Takara Tomy to work out the plan.
How do you select on which series or character to be including in the project?
There is no exact formula on this topic. We would consider the popularity of series/character, also the room for product improvement.
Last but not least, can you share with us what is currently in planning, and what are we expecting to see?
We are not going to give it away for now, but we promise something big would happen in the near future. So stay tuned!
You can read the original article at TransformersAsia.
RedAlert Rescue
I wonder if his comments might data from a perception that Asian (I'm thinking Japanese or Chinese) Adult Transformers fans like the big giftsets and the masterpieces and don't like things like say Minicons.
The curious thought to me though is if the idea is to focus on a Adult fanbase prepared to pay a lot for a nice box and premium products – why is the Asian ROTF Megatron in a generic box and not a Masterpiece style box.
And the Scouts and Deluxes seem pretty kid friendly to me. the only premium thing about them is the odd new head or gun included in them.
If they really decided to focus on the Premium grade market they could perhaps reissue something like Human Alliance toys or Alternators with a new colour scheme or premium paint. The "new head" idea is quite well suited to them.
The problem seems to be that a lot of fans have sold of their Binaltech and Alternators and their Alternities are likely hanging on by a thread. so would they by more.
But something like Striker Prime is always going to sell as he's a ""Movie Star" so he will sell to movie fans who don't normally buy Transformers at all the nice box probably helped too.
I can't say I appreciate paying premium prices for not premium products personally though. especially when isn't just a small increase in price to cover the paint and packaging but a massive one. I always think Hasbro or Takara don't get my loyalty buy charging more than a 3rd party company does for a toy that is smaller.
It's a problem when things like Hexatron or Quakewave are directly comparable and come out much better from the comparison that the official toys do sometimes. Take Soundwave for example if he'd been sold with 3 Cassettes rather than 1 he might have got away with the crazy price – or if they kept the cost down and said they were always going to make Soundblaster too. but even the very cheapest price you can get him for off a store shelf in Asia is still enough to make you flinch. and once the collectable store get their hands on him he suddenly suffers from rampant toyflation. Yes I have actually seen a £180.00 Soundwave. That's well over $320.00
I could cynically point out that Masterpiece MP-10 isn't so different from the likes od Energon prime but he's a lot more money – at the end of the day he's only a plastic toy with a hollow trailer but yet he cost as much or more than Mp-04 or Mp-01 did at certain times a toy that was at least metal.
If you compare the last time Mp-04 came out to the Asian Market release of Mp-10 then e looks like you getting a toy that is a 3rd smaller and costs the same.
Even the Hasbro MP-01 Prime does not compare especially favourably to the Hasbro MP-10 as it comes out like your paying $50.00 for an empty box on wheels (his Trailer) and any small associated accessories.
That sort of toy inflation just to me seems to cause market fragmentation it means the "Collector types" still buy the MP series but they might no longer feel they have the mad money to spend on the main line to.. this seems to fragment the fandom into those who only buy masterpieces and spend all their time justifying the price and those who only buy the "Kids toys" as they can't justify or afford $100.00+ toys.
This is even worse than the situation that started to develop with G1 reissues.
It seems to me that it's a shame as the fandom can't then share the situation of so many having the same sort of experiences – watching the same TV show and buying the same toys like with say Beast Wars.
It seems to making "Haves and have-nots" as people prioritise their spending one way or the other. It's almost like the Videogame console wars.
The621
I see what you did there.
Stepper
I hope that the GDO will eventually be release under the UNITED series,TakTomy version,that will be great.
Dinobot Nuva
Man everyone in this thread is acting like someone shat in their cheerios or something.
Stepper
All of us got cheated,haha,just kidding.
Girl Pants
I think I may need to make that my sig. It perfectly sums up how I feel about many of the "fandoms" I am a part of.
Smasher
I was scrolling through the News and Rumors, saw this and was like "How could I have missed that?" and then found a six month old interview that really contained no information followed by four pages of mostly complaints that are tenuously connected to the source post.
If I want to waste my time on TFW, I don't want it to be a waste of time.
It's not just you.
It's just so cool to hate your passions these days.
I'll be glad when liking something is the new cool.
Girl Pants
While the interview didn't have too much meat to it, it was still really nice to see someone who (at the very least fakes) to care and give fairly nice statements. Maybe it's just me, but it feels like everything has been fairly negative lately.
Bumblethumper
you're right, they probably are more sophistacted than us.
Oh come on, that's not very professional. Shit.
Knightdramon
Interview is embarrassingly old, the only reason it's posted here is because it received some mention in another TF site.
During the interim, the "something big" could have been the Premium Series releases with leader class moulds from ROTF\TFTM.
Seriously people, how do you expect him to call out to the fans? Maybe he used the wrong words, but he's respectful. It's PR. If I had to address the same whiny, inconsiderate, most of the times having NO clue about what they're paying\should be paying misfit bunch of people for an official statement, I'd be polite too. After all people like us are what in the long run puts money in his payment account.
And for once, just CLICK on the frontpage link and see the JULY 2012 date. It's a bunch of generic "yes we like you fans, no I have absolutely no clue what's coming out next so piss off" PR answers. Of course he's going to say there's something big coming up even if he's changing division the next day and has no clue what's coming out.
Read the fine print mates, for once.
The621
I didn't mean that he was intentionally insulting us. I was under the impression he literally believed that, and leaves out improvements or quality to some of the shitty molds that didn't have to be shitty.
It's also an official public statement, so there's some line of conduct he might have to be fancy. Shit, I agree with you, dude. It's a shitshow move to pull and say we got it all under control. He could've addressed the issues, but he didn't. Like fuck, I'm pissed off the most about some of the bullshit that went on from fucking up the ability to keep some of the patents, and trademarks preserved on character names, to issuing out the toys that draw back the features due to cost cuts without improvising.
Like, shit, it's up to the fans to do the rest to bring out the toys full quality. Remember Animated Wreck-Gar? He had his garbage disposal feature removed and then a minor mod was done by a member. There are tutorials that exist to rectify the mistakes made in the toys, such as G1 Octane.
Beast Wars 10th Ann. and Telemocha reissue Rhinox had his shoulders ass backwards. His screws in robot mode are in the wrong direction.
Rated X
Alot of haters on here. But at least this guy tries to bring us some G1 goodness and keep the real classics line afloat. The Generations line has been hijacked by a stupid video game and TF Prime has dumbed down G1 into a cross between animated annd bayformers. I say bring this guy to America and send the Hasbro people to China !
Ricochet
He is Hasbro Asia employee, not TakaraTomy. frontpage title is wrong.
Stepper
After seeing Brawl being reissue,i don't really look forward to Asia Exclusive TF figures.
Wewyllenium
Something big to hit our market? I suspect more down scaling.
wildfly
1)Charge $150 for a Leader Class toy with better paint.
2)??????????????????????????????????????????????????
3)Profit.
alldarker
Seven-month-old interview is old. The big surprise will probably have been YotD Omega Supreme and OP. Anyone who thinks it is something that hasn't been seen yet is fooling themselves.
Venksta
Well, since hes part of Hasbro Asia, maybe he is talking about the Asian TF fans, you know, that Hasbro Asia market towards.
Bumblethumper
He says we're a soofisticated, professional bunch.
Why yes, I'm so professional, I wear a suit to post on message boards.
sincerely,
Bumblethumper.
I'm flattered, but he if he was gonna be honest, he might as well have said fickle and petty. I wouldn't be offended.
redguyver
If I had to guess I'd say a "big " surprise in store would be Grand Maximus