G1 dinobots

[Wheeljack Off]

Did these moulds get stolen or something?
Why has there only been ko's as far as any reissues go?

The fricking grimlock listed as "1984" in the AOE evolutions 2 pack is a joke.

Anyone know if this is just another dumb, out of touch corporate decision or if there's a legitimate reason?

Would we not literally ALL buy an official dinobots reissue?

[Hellboy]

I would. But I would also prefer an updated Generations version that looks the same but transforms way better.

[Badgertron]

Back in the day, steel molds weren't always kept as they are today, and there are a number of them that we know got lost somewhere along the way, which unfortunately includes most of the 87/88 stuff, IIRC. We know a number of knockoff companies got a hold of some molds back in the 80's and 90's though. I imagine it would be easy for some molds to go missing if a factory shuts down over the years, or is dropped by a company after a line is completed/cancelled.

-BT

[Wheeljack Off]

So is it confirmed this is the case with the dinobots?

[Tekkamanraiden]

I don't think it's ever been officially confirmed but that is the general consensus.

[Wheeljack Off]

What would be the benefit for Hastak in hiding that fact if it were true?

It makes sense as i cannot honestly fathom a logical or even good reason for keeping them in the vault..

[elburrito]

Originally Posted by Wheeljack Off

What would be the benefit for Hastak in hiding that fact if it were true?

It makes sense as i cannot honestly fathom a logical or even good reason for keeping them in the vault..

Sometimes there is no reasonable explanation. Consider Harmony Gold for instance.

[Msol]

Yeah, Dinobot molds were destroyed, I believe, or in such bad condition that they couldn't be used again. I think that info came from some Botcon many years ago.

Same thing is the case with Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, and (I think) Mirage.

[Megatron75]

Perhaps they were destroyed or lost but I'm sure they can be reverse engineered fairly easily. It seems that HasTak would rather just trot out the same old G1 molds every couple of years for reissues rather than spend the money to give the fans G1 reissue dinobots. I've heard that the KO ones (with the exception of Swoop) are pretty respectable but have never owned them myself.

[Sir Prime A Lot]

Lost molds
Molds can be lost when Hasbro or TakaraTomy (or any other toy company) sells, closes down, or otherwise abandons a plant or factory. The molds may be sold as excess inventory as part of a warehouse deal. Sometimes, they simply get misplaced in the supply chain between factory and warehouse. Occasionally, molds are outright destroyed in order to prevent piracy. Whatever cruel fate befalls a set of molds, once they're gone, they're gone for good.
In some cases, Hasbro/TakaraTomy may actually still have a mold, which may or may not still be in a usable condition, but due to the sheer number of molds created over the years, in addition to the number of different factories and warehouses employed by the two companies over the years, they may be misplaced somewhere deep inside a warehouse. And since the molds are not necessarily marked with bright labels that say "TRANSFORMERS GENERATION 1 1989 PRETENDER BUMBLEBEE INNER ROBOT TORSO AND FEET" in large letters, they're hard to track down once they have vanished off the radar.
Known lost/stolen molds are:
Generation 1 Grimlock
Generation 1 Slag
Generation 1 Sludge
Generation 1 Snarl
Generation 1 Swoop
Generation 1 Mirage
Beast Wars Basics Rattrap
Beast Wars Basics Insecticon
Beast Wars Basics Armordillo
Molds rumored to be lost:
Generation 1 Sunstreaker
Broken molds
Despite their impressive size and heft, molds can break and thereby be rendered useless. Known broken molds are:
Generation 1 Wheeljack
As an aside, Fun Publications faced some consternation from G.I. Joe fans after the molds for a promised convention exclusive were accidentally broken before production of the toys was complete.

Source: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mold